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#41
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"kaeli" wrote Well, for cats who know no different, being indoor-only can be a satisfying and wonderful life. My Cheeky knows "the great outdoors," because she was a pregnant stray picked up in a trailer park at about a year old. The shelter said there was no sign that she had ever lived with people. After I adopted her, She ran outside a few times, twice in the back yard early on, and once out the front door. As soon as she got a load of A.) the cars roaring by and B.) me screaming and crying, she ran back inside. It has been three years in November since I adopted her and 2.5 years since she darted for any door. (I think the reason she did at first was sheer relief from the cramped conditions at the shelter where she was kept for four full months.) She and Buddha, who was raised as a kitten inside, enjoy the same things-- the laser pointer, catnip toys, games of catch and "retrieve." They have recently begun playing with each other--chasey-batty games, mostly. Every morning this little creature is so happy just to BE that she purrs loudly and won't stop rubbing all over my legs and head butting me until I pointedly ignore her for a while after I get to work in my home office. Then she goes to watch "cat tv" with Boo down at the big sliding glass door that looks into the back yard, or sits on her cat perch in my office, or in her open (screened) window in one of the bathrooms and chatters and watches the birds, squirrels, and chipmunks. Then its afternoon naps, dinner time, after dinner naps, and playtime! You have to provide them with more stimulation, of course, and things to relieve their natural instincts, such as scratching posts, cat grass, and so on. My tips / thoughts... 1. Have more than 1 cat. They entertain each other. 2. Lots of scratching posts, (floor to ceiling?) cat tree, cat condo, cat grass, and cat toys. 3. Cat ledge by window (a carpeted thing you can attach by the window so they can perch comfortably and look out). 4. Outdoor enclosure for cats? They are escorted out, get to play in the grass and get fresh air, yet safe from getting lost or injured. If possible, cat door leads right outside to enclosure somehow so they can come and go. 5. Gotta watch the diet more with indoor cats, as they get less exercise. 6. Gotta clip the nails if you're worried about your furniture, at least until the cat is well trained to use his posts. I always keep the nails trimmed just to save my skin when they knead or jump on me. Outdoor cats need the tips of the nails to climb trees to escape danger. Indoor cats do not. 7. Two litter boxes for two cats. Possibly three, depending on the cats. General rule is one per cat plus one extra. It depends on how fussy your cats are, and that's really variable. I get by with two boxes for three cats, but I clean the boxes twice daily. Some cats will only go #1 in one box and #2 in the other. Others won't go in the box if there's any waste it in at all. Cats who are used to relieving themselves outdoors may resist litter in the box and want soil. 8. Neuter your cats if you didn't before. It's healthier for them and better for your sanity. Intact toms tend to spray. Intact queens can go into near continuous heat until mated. That's all I got for now... I'm sorry for your loss. All great ideas. |
#42
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"kaeli" wrote Well, for cats who know no different, being indoor-only can be a satisfying and wonderful life. My Cheeky knows "the great outdoors," because she was a pregnant stray picked up in a trailer park at about a year old. The shelter said there was no sign that she had ever lived with people. After I adopted her, She ran outside a few times, twice in the back yard early on, and once out the front door. As soon as she got a load of A.) the cars roaring by and B.) me screaming and crying, she ran back inside. It has been three years in November since I adopted her and 2.5 years since she darted for any door. (I think the reason she did at first was sheer relief from the cramped conditions at the shelter where she was kept for four full months.) She and Buddha, who was raised as a kitten inside, enjoy the same things-- the laser pointer, catnip toys, games of catch and "retrieve." They have recently begun playing with each other--chasey-batty games, mostly. Every morning this little creature is so happy just to BE that she purrs loudly and won't stop rubbing all over my legs and head butting me until I pointedly ignore her for a while after I get to work in my home office. Then she goes to watch "cat tv" with Boo down at the big sliding glass door that looks into the back yard, or sits on her cat perch in my office, or in her open (screened) window in one of the bathrooms and chatters and watches the birds, squirrels, and chipmunks. Then its afternoon naps, dinner time, after dinner naps, and playtime! You have to provide them with more stimulation, of course, and things to relieve their natural instincts, such as scratching posts, cat grass, and so on. My tips / thoughts... 1. Have more than 1 cat. They entertain each other. 2. Lots of scratching posts, (floor to ceiling?) cat tree, cat condo, cat grass, and cat toys. 3. Cat ledge by window (a carpeted thing you can attach by the window so they can perch comfortably and look out). 4. Outdoor enclosure for cats? They are escorted out, get to play in the grass and get fresh air, yet safe from getting lost or injured. If possible, cat door leads right outside to enclosure somehow so they can come and go. 5. Gotta watch the diet more with indoor cats, as they get less exercise. 6. Gotta clip the nails if you're worried about your furniture, at least until the cat is well trained to use his posts. I always keep the nails trimmed just to save my skin when they knead or jump on me. Outdoor cats need the tips of the nails to climb trees to escape danger. Indoor cats do not. 7. Two litter boxes for two cats. Possibly three, depending on the cats. General rule is one per cat plus one extra. It depends on how fussy your cats are, and that's really variable. I get by with two boxes for three cats, but I clean the boxes twice daily. Some cats will only go #1 in one box and #2 in the other. Others won't go in the box if there's any waste it in at all. Cats who are used to relieving themselves outdoors may resist litter in the box and want soil. 8. Neuter your cats if you didn't before. It's healthier for them and better for your sanity. Intact toms tend to spray. Intact queens can go into near continuous heat until mated. That's all I got for now... I'm sorry for your loss. All great ideas. |
#43
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"kaeli" wrote Well, for cats who know no different, being indoor-only can be a satisfying and wonderful life. My Cheeky knows "the great outdoors," because she was a pregnant stray picked up in a trailer park at about a year old. The shelter said there was no sign that she had ever lived with people. After I adopted her, She ran outside a few times, twice in the back yard early on, and once out the front door. As soon as she got a load of A.) the cars roaring by and B.) me screaming and crying, she ran back inside. It has been three years in November since I adopted her and 2.5 years since she darted for any door. (I think the reason she did at first was sheer relief from the cramped conditions at the shelter where she was kept for four full months.) She and Buddha, who was raised as a kitten inside, enjoy the same things-- the laser pointer, catnip toys, games of catch and "retrieve." They have recently begun playing with each other--chasey-batty games, mostly. Every morning this little creature is so happy just to BE that she purrs loudly and won't stop rubbing all over my legs and head butting me until I pointedly ignore her for a while after I get to work in my home office. Then she goes to watch "cat tv" with Boo down at the big sliding glass door that looks into the back yard, or sits on her cat perch in my office, or in her open (screened) window in one of the bathrooms and chatters and watches the birds, squirrels, and chipmunks. Then its afternoon naps, dinner time, after dinner naps, and playtime! You have to provide them with more stimulation, of course, and things to relieve their natural instincts, such as scratching posts, cat grass, and so on. My tips / thoughts... 1. Have more than 1 cat. They entertain each other. 2. Lots of scratching posts, (floor to ceiling?) cat tree, cat condo, cat grass, and cat toys. 3. Cat ledge by window (a carpeted thing you can attach by the window so they can perch comfortably and look out). 4. Outdoor enclosure for cats? They are escorted out, get to play in the grass and get fresh air, yet safe from getting lost or injured. If possible, cat door leads right outside to enclosure somehow so they can come and go. 5. Gotta watch the diet more with indoor cats, as they get less exercise. 6. Gotta clip the nails if you're worried about your furniture, at least until the cat is well trained to use his posts. I always keep the nails trimmed just to save my skin when they knead or jump on me. Outdoor cats need the tips of the nails to climb trees to escape danger. Indoor cats do not. 7. Two litter boxes for two cats. Possibly three, depending on the cats. General rule is one per cat plus one extra. It depends on how fussy your cats are, and that's really variable. I get by with two boxes for three cats, but I clean the boxes twice daily. Some cats will only go #1 in one box and #2 in the other. Others won't go in the box if there's any waste it in at all. Cats who are used to relieving themselves outdoors may resist litter in the box and want soil. 8. Neuter your cats if you didn't before. It's healthier for them and better for your sanity. Intact toms tend to spray. Intact queens can go into near continuous heat until mated. That's all I got for now... I'm sorry for your loss. All great ideas. |
#44
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"Jeannie" wrote in message ... "blair thompson" wrote in message ... I recently lost my guy to the coyotes. I live adjacent to a forested area where they are active, so I am thinking my next best friend should be confined to quarters I have been reading the many compelling arguments in favour of keeping a cat inside---the safety angle, longevity cf to the free-rangers, etc. I know there is much one can do to make indoor living tolerable to a cat, such as cat tree, cat grass munchies, toys, etc. But I am still wondering what the consensus here might be to just how pleasurable life really is for an indoor cat, Or am I just anthropomorphizing human traits onto a cat, and they really don't need as much stimuli in a day as we do, especially when they sleep 15-plus hours out of every 24? What about the second-cat-to-keep-the -first-one-company option? Thanks for your input. Blair Thompson North Vancouver, B.C. I think that keeping a cat inside is OK if the cat has always been an indoor only cat and doesn't know any different. I would also suggest getting two cats rather than one as they will then keep each other company when your not there. I do find that if you read this newsgroup regularly, you will find a higher incidence of things like, cats on Prozac (??), inappropriate illimination issues, stress related behavior, e.g. fur biting, among indoor only cats. I would like to stress that this is my perception and it may just be because there are a high proportion of Americans who post here and they are more likely to keep their cats indoor only. It may also be that the perople who come here do so because they're ecxperiencing a problem. IOW, if a cat has no health or bewhavioral issues, then a person is less likely to seek out the ng. Therefore, the statistics can appear to be skewed. Cathy Having said that, there are also the obvious risks for an indoor / outdoor cat too so neither situation is perfect. I would say that if you have already had one cat killed by coyotes it's probably not such a good idea to let any future cats outside, or at the very least, not between dusk and dawn, which I have been led to believe is when coyotes are most active. Could build some kind of outside enclosure for you cat? That could be an option. Jeannie --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.726 / Virus Database: 481 - Release Date: 22/07/04 |
#45
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"Jeannie" wrote in message ... "blair thompson" wrote in message ... I recently lost my guy to the coyotes. I live adjacent to a forested area where they are active, so I am thinking my next best friend should be confined to quarters I have been reading the many compelling arguments in favour of keeping a cat inside---the safety angle, longevity cf to the free-rangers, etc. I know there is much one can do to make indoor living tolerable to a cat, such as cat tree, cat grass munchies, toys, etc. But I am still wondering what the consensus here might be to just how pleasurable life really is for an indoor cat, Or am I just anthropomorphizing human traits onto a cat, and they really don't need as much stimuli in a day as we do, especially when they sleep 15-plus hours out of every 24? What about the second-cat-to-keep-the -first-one-company option? Thanks for your input. Blair Thompson North Vancouver, B.C. I think that keeping a cat inside is OK if the cat has always been an indoor only cat and doesn't know any different. I would also suggest getting two cats rather than one as they will then keep each other company when your not there. I do find that if you read this newsgroup regularly, you will find a higher incidence of things like, cats on Prozac (??), inappropriate illimination issues, stress related behavior, e.g. fur biting, among indoor only cats. I would like to stress that this is my perception and it may just be because there are a high proportion of Americans who post here and they are more likely to keep their cats indoor only. It may also be that the perople who come here do so because they're ecxperiencing a problem. IOW, if a cat has no health or bewhavioral issues, then a person is less likely to seek out the ng. Therefore, the statistics can appear to be skewed. Cathy Having said that, there are also the obvious risks for an indoor / outdoor cat too so neither situation is perfect. I would say that if you have already had one cat killed by coyotes it's probably not such a good idea to let any future cats outside, or at the very least, not between dusk and dawn, which I have been led to believe is when coyotes are most active. Could build some kind of outside enclosure for you cat? That could be an option. Jeannie --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.726 / Virus Database: 481 - Release Date: 22/07/04 |
#46
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"Jeannie" wrote in message ... "blair thompson" wrote in message ... I recently lost my guy to the coyotes. I live adjacent to a forested area where they are active, so I am thinking my next best friend should be confined to quarters I have been reading the many compelling arguments in favour of keeping a cat inside---the safety angle, longevity cf to the free-rangers, etc. I know there is much one can do to make indoor living tolerable to a cat, such as cat tree, cat grass munchies, toys, etc. But I am still wondering what the consensus here might be to just how pleasurable life really is for an indoor cat, Or am I just anthropomorphizing human traits onto a cat, and they really don't need as much stimuli in a day as we do, especially when they sleep 15-plus hours out of every 24? What about the second-cat-to-keep-the -first-one-company option? Thanks for your input. Blair Thompson North Vancouver, B.C. I think that keeping a cat inside is OK if the cat has always been an indoor only cat and doesn't know any different. I would also suggest getting two cats rather than one as they will then keep each other company when your not there. I do find that if you read this newsgroup regularly, you will find a higher incidence of things like, cats on Prozac (??), inappropriate illimination issues, stress related behavior, e.g. fur biting, among indoor only cats. I would like to stress that this is my perception and it may just be because there are a high proportion of Americans who post here and they are more likely to keep their cats indoor only. It may also be that the perople who come here do so because they're ecxperiencing a problem. IOW, if a cat has no health or bewhavioral issues, then a person is less likely to seek out the ng. Therefore, the statistics can appear to be skewed. Cathy Having said that, there are also the obvious risks for an indoor / outdoor cat too so neither situation is perfect. I would say that if you have already had one cat killed by coyotes it's probably not such a good idea to let any future cats outside, or at the very least, not between dusk and dawn, which I have been led to believe is when coyotes are most active. Could build some kind of outside enclosure for you cat? That could be an option. Jeannie --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.726 / Virus Database: 481 - Release Date: 22/07/04 |
#47
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"Jeannie" wrote in message ... I think that keeping a cat inside is OK if the cat has always been an indoor only cat and doesn't know any different. This doesn't have to be true. I adopted a 100% outside-living stray cat in '99. I thought that I might have to gradually accustom him to being an indoor-only cat by letting him out during the daytime, bringing him at night, & then gradually shortening his daytime outdoor hours until he was 100% indoors. Instead, he went from 100% outdoor to 100% indoor with no probs. And he never even begs to go out. So, one never knows! Cathy |
#48
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"Jeannie" wrote in message ... I think that keeping a cat inside is OK if the cat has always been an indoor only cat and doesn't know any different. This doesn't have to be true. I adopted a 100% outside-living stray cat in '99. I thought that I might have to gradually accustom him to being an indoor-only cat by letting him out during the daytime, bringing him at night, & then gradually shortening his daytime outdoor hours until he was 100% indoors. Instead, he went from 100% outdoor to 100% indoor with no probs. And he never even begs to go out. So, one never knows! Cathy |
#49
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"Jeannie" wrote in message ... I think that keeping a cat inside is OK if the cat has always been an indoor only cat and doesn't know any different. This doesn't have to be true. I adopted a 100% outside-living stray cat in '99. I thought that I might have to gradually accustom him to being an indoor-only cat by letting him out during the daytime, bringing him at night, & then gradually shortening his daytime outdoor hours until he was 100% indoors. Instead, he went from 100% outdoor to 100% indoor with no probs. And he never even begs to go out. So, one never knows! Cathy |
#50
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