curious:indoor vs outdoor

gracecat wrote:

I don't think a barn full of horses can do without a cat.

Is that because the feed for the horses attracts mice?

Joyce

gracecat wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...

Like they say, 54% per cent of all statistics are made up on the
spot. (heh)

Sherry


Hehe... Dad's "original" barn kitty is still going strong. She's five
or six years old now.


I don't think a barn full of horses can do without a cat. There is
something very special about a barn kitty. But I wish they'd be taken
care of and appreciated.

Grace

My grandfather was owned by a cat that aged 18 refused to enter the house,
he lived outside until the age of 27.
--
Adrian (Owned by Snoopy and Bagheera)
Cats leave pawprints on your heart.
http://community.webshots.com/user/clowderuk

Adrian A wrote:
gracecat wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...

Like they say, 54% per cent of all statistics are made up on the
spot. (heh)

Sherry


Hehe... Dad's "original" barn kitty is still going strong. She's five
or six years old now.


I don't think a barn full of horses can do without a cat. There is
something very special about a barn kitty. But I wish they'd be taken
care of and appreciated.

Grace

My grandfather was owned by a cat that aged 18 refused to enter the house,
he lived outside until the age of 27.
--
Adrian (Owned by Snoopy and Bagheera)
Cats leave pawprints on your heart.
http://community.webshots.com/user/clowderuk

Perfect example. I've known lots of cats too who lived to a ripe old
age as outdoor cats, and even more as indoor/outdoor. There's just so
many factors to consider, it is impossible for them to accurately say
that "outdoor cats only have an average 2-year lifespan." If the cat is
vetted, fed well and lives in a relatively safe area, they can live
certainly a lot longer than 2 years.

Sherry

"sriddles" wrote in message
ups.com

There's just so
many factors to consider, it is impossible for them to accurately say
that "outdoor cats only have an average 2-year lifespan." If the cat is
vetted, fed well and lives in a relatively safe area, they can live
certainly a lot longer than 2 years.////

My uncle has 38 barn cats who were the result of a feral relocation
program by the local rescue. All are spayed and neutered and all are fed
daily. The youngest is 10 and the oldest is 14.

Oddly enough, vermin are not a problem on his farm. ;o)

Helen M


--
Posted via Mailgate.ORG Server - http://www.Mailgate.ORG

On Sun, 15 Oct 2006 23:00:26 -0700, "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)"
wrote:



avalanche* wrote:
Anyone know (or a source for knowing)

-how many USA cat owners
-% of cats indoor vs outdoor

Brad

Please, Brad, Let's not start THAT controversy again! Many
of us (on both sides of the issue) feel quite strongly about
it, so in the interest of harmony here, it's best to avoid
the subject.

Sorry. Didn't know I would start anything. I was just curious, not
taking sides

Brad

Helen Miles wrote:
"sriddles" wrote in message
ups.com

There's just so
many factors to consider, it is impossible for them to accurately say
that "outdoor cats only have an average 2-year lifespan." If the cat is
vetted, fed well and lives in a relatively safe area, they can live
certainly a lot longer than 2 years.////

My uncle has 38 barn cats who were the result of a feral relocation
program by the local rescue. All are spayed and neutered and all are fed
daily. The youngest is 10 and the oldest is 14.

Oddly enough, vermin are not a problem on his farm. ;o)

Helen M

Forgive me for veering off the original topic, but your post (bless
your uncle!) reminded me of a funny (and sad!) story that just
happened Friday. I was at the shelter, and the kennelmaster was
weed-eating the tall grass from around the cat enclosure. He flushed
out a mouse, who ran straight INTO THE CAT ROOM. You never saw 30 more
excited cats in your whole life.

Sherry

That subject and the declawing issue can start wars and has many times here
in the group. It brings out the nuts to say



"avalanche*" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 15 Oct 2006 23:00:26 -0700, "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)"
wrote:



avalanche* wrote:
Anyone know (or a source for knowing)

-how many USA cat owners
-% of cats indoor vs outdoor

Brad

Please, Brad, Let's not start THAT controversy again! Many
of us (on both sides of the issue) feel quite strongly about
it, so in the interest of harmony here, it's best to avoid
the subject.

Sorry. Didn't know I would start anything. I was just curious, not
taking sides

Brad

wrote in message
oups.com...

Helen Miles wrote:
"sriddles" wrote in message
ups.com

There's just so
many factors to consider, it is impossible for them to accurately say
that "outdoor cats only have an average 2-year lifespan." If the cat is
vetted, fed well and lives in a relatively safe area, they can live
certainly a lot longer than 2 years.////

My uncle has 38 barn cats who were the result of a feral relocation
program by the local rescue. All are spayed and neutered and all are fed
daily. The youngest is 10 and the oldest is 14.

Oddly enough, vermin are not a problem on his farm. ;o)

Helen M

Forgive me for veering off the original topic, but your post (bless
your uncle!) reminded me of a funny (and sad!) story that just
happened Friday. I was at the shelter, and the kennelmaster was
weed-eating the tall grass from around the cat enclosure. He flushed
out a mouse, who ran straight INTO THE CAT ROOM. You never saw 30 more
excited cats in your whole life.

Sherry


I hate to say when we were in the barn when we were young. The horse feed
was kept up top when we found a mouse sometime a rat. We whistle the barn
cats would come running we move the feed bags. The rodents would go running
away from us right into the lions den. Parents always wonder why the cats
would go nuts when we were up there.

wrote in message
...
gracecat wrote:

I don't think a barn full of horses can do without a cat.

Is that because the feed for the horses attracts mice?

Joyce

I'm not sure Joyce, probably so. But there's something sentimental and
special when you have a barn with it's own ecosystem. Cats take care of
mice, chickens eat flies and bugs, so on and so forth. All of the animals
pull together and make their own sort of society. It sounds like a cartoon,
animals talking to each other and stuff. But in reality, every barn is quite
like Charolette's Web and so on.

That's what I meant by my statement. A working barn is a very special barn.


Grace

gracecat wrote:

Is that because the feed for the horses attracts mice?

I'm not sure Joyce, probably so. But there's something sentimental and
special when you have a barn with it's own ecosystem. Cats take care of
mice, chickens eat flies and bugs, so on and so forth. All of the animals
pull together and make their own sort of society. It sounds like a cartoon,
animals talking to each other and stuff. But in reality, every barn is quite
like Charolette's Web and so on.

That's what I meant by my statement. A working barn is a very special barn.


That makes a lot of sense. A barn with the right kind of ecosystem could
be somewhat self-sustaining, where everyone's got a job and everyone's got
something to eat. I can certainly see why that is special.

Joyce