What to do - cat needs to be outdoors but I have anal neighbors

I have a cat who loves to be outdoors. I have a neighbor who says my cat
gets on his truck and ruins the finish. Never mind the fact that there
are other cats in the neighborhood and that the neighbor has a garage, but
chooses not to park his truck in it.

If I keep the cat in, she gets very antsy and frustrated. This one
neighbor is the only plaintiff.

I've thought of some solutions:

1. Tether the cat outside. But she likes to chase critters, and there is
a porch with steps, so she could hang herself.
2. Keep her inside anyway. Is this cruel and unusual? She is very
unhappy about being made to stay inside.
3. Find a new owner. Any suggestions of how to do that? I live in the
Raleigh, NC area. I would want the new owner to allow her outside, or I
haven't solved the problem.

Thanks for any help offered.

I vote for keeping her in. Cats will adapt to anything in time.

As for tying your cat outside, in addition to her possibly hanging herself,
she wouldn't be able to escape a predator such as a dog.


"offtherack" wrote in message
lkaboutpets.com...
I have a cat who loves to be outdoors. I have a neighbor who says my cat
gets on his truck and ruins the finish. Never mind the fact that there
are other cats in the neighborhood and that the neighbor has a garage, but
chooses not to park his truck in it.

If I keep the cat in, she gets very antsy and frustrated. This one
neighbor is the only plaintiff.

I've thought of some solutions:

1. Tether the cat outside. But she likes to chase critters, and there is
a porch with steps, so she could hang herself.
2. Keep her inside anyway. Is this cruel and unusual? She is very
unhappy about being made to stay inside.
3. Find a new owner. Any suggestions of how to do that? I live in the
Raleigh, NC area. I would want the new owner to allow her outside, or I
haven't solved the problem.

Thanks for any help offered.

Thanks Kim. That may be what I do. Phil

"offtherack" wrote in message
lkaboutpets.com...
I have a cat who loves to be outdoors. I have a neighbor who says my cat
gets on his truck and ruins the finish. Never mind the fact that there
are other cats in the neighborhood and that the neighbor has a garage, but
chooses not to park his truck in it.

If I keep the cat in, she gets very antsy and frustrated. This one
neighbor is the only plaintiff.

I've thought of some solutions:

1. Tether the cat outside. But she likes to chase critters, and there is
a porch with steps, so she could hang herself.
2. Keep her inside anyway. Is this cruel and unusual? She is very
unhappy about being made to stay inside.
3. Find a new owner. Any suggestions of how to do that? I live in the
Raleigh, NC area. I would want the new owner to allow her outside, or I
haven't solved the problem.

Thanks for any help offered.


Make her a safe outdoor enclosure. A couple of treated 2x4s and some
hardware cloth and she's got a place she can sit and stare at the birds and
breathe the fresh air.

"Sunflower" wrote in message
...

"offtherack" wrote in message
lkaboutpets.com...
I have a cat who loves to be outdoors. I have a neighbor who says my cat
gets on his truck and ruins the finish. Never mind the fact that there
are other cats in the neighborhood and that the neighbor has a garage,
but
chooses not to park his truck in it.

If I keep the cat in, she gets very antsy and frustrated. This one
neighbor is the only plaintiff.

I've thought of some solutions:

1. Tether the cat outside. But she likes to chase critters, and there
is
a porch with steps, so she could hang herself.
2. Keep her inside anyway. Is this cruel and unusual? She is very
unhappy about being made to stay inside.
3. Find a new owner. Any suggestions of how to do that? I live in the
Raleigh, NC area. I would want the new owner to allow her outside, or I
haven't solved the problem.

Thanks for any help offered.


Make her a safe outdoor enclosure. A couple of treated 2x4s and some
hardware cloth and she's got a place she can sit and stare at the birds
and breathe the fresh air.


You could also offer to buy cat repellent for the neighbour and offer to
apply it liberally to his property, then both of you monitor the situation
to see if it helps.

In article outpets.com,
enlightened us with...
I have a cat who loves to be outdoors. I have a neighbor who says my cat
gets on his truck and ruins the finish. Never mind the fact that there
are other cats in the neighborhood and that the neighbor has a garage, but
chooses not to park his truck in it.

He shouldn't have to. It's your cat, and you're responsible for keeping her
on your property. He shouldn't have to worry about strange cats (or dogs)
coming onto his property and ruining his things, now, should he? The fact
that other neighbors are irresponsible with their cats in not a valid reason
for you being that way with yours.
I bet you'd be pretty peeved if someone was letting their dog run loose and
it came over onto your property and hurt (or even just harassed) your cat.

Your neighbor might want to consider a motion activated sprinkler to keep
roaming cats off his property.


If I keep the cat in, she gets very antsy and frustrated. This one
neighbor is the only plaintiff.

I've thought of some solutions:


I'd keep her in, but if she loves to go out, there are other things you can
do for her.
-- enclosed run in the yard (don't leave her out there if you're not home)
-- leash train her and take her for walks (my cat loves this)
-- enclosure that is outside window (I've seen this - if the window is on the
first floor, the enclosure sits on a pedastal that brings it to window level,
so the cat can get outside into it from the window at will)
-- if you are good with building things and have the room and desire to do
so, you can get really elaborate and build an enclosed ramp from a window to
an outdoor enclosure so she can go in and out as she chooses.

Cats adjust to pretty much anything over time. In my opinion, it is crueler
to rehome her than to teach her to stay in more. I suppose that depends on
how much she loves you and your family, but most of us are very attached to
our cats - and they are attached to us. It takes them a lot longer to adjust
to a whole new family and environment than to adjust to staying in more.

Anyway, my 5 cents, FWIW.

--
--
~kaeli~
If God dropped acid, would he see people?
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace

Thanks to all of you for the responses. I love the kitty too much to let
her go. If all else fails, I'll keep her in.

Somebody at work suggested getting one of those collar-activated electric
fences and stapling it to the top of my fence in the backyard. If it
deters her from climbing the fence, she would stay in the back yard.

What do you guys think? Have you heard of such a thing working for cats?
Phil

In article outpets.com,
enlightened us with...
Thanks to all of you for the responses. I love the kitty too much to let
her go. If all else fails, I'll keep her in.

Somebody at work suggested getting one of those collar-activated electric
fences and stapling it to the top of my fence in the backyard. If it
deters her from climbing the fence, she would stay in the back yard.

What do you guys think? Have you heard of such a thing working for cats?
Phil



My thoughts...

1. These things deliver shocks when a pet crosses (or nears) the boundary,
thus preventing them from coming home if they do manage to get out. In the
heat of a chase, it happens.

2. They can seriously **** up a dog if the dog isn't trained properly. The
dog ends up associating the pain with the wrong behavior (such as moving
north or walking with their head up - whatever they were doing at the precise
moment they got a shock) or just with the yard in general rather than the
boundry.
I can't imagine trying to train the cat, who won't understand. I can easily
see the cat getting the shock, getting righteously frightened, and cowering
under the bed for 2 days. Training involves shocking the animal and has to be
done in regimented steps so the animal understands why it is being shocked.
Cats don't take well to this. Actually, neither do dogs, but we do it to them
anyway.

3. I have yet to see a collar small enough for a cat for these products. The
collar has a somewhat heavy transmitter on it. If the collar comes off, you
lose the effect. The collar is what shocks the animal. Some dogs are smart
enough to know that and get the collar off. Cats aren't stupid.

4. If you love your pet, why would you want to train it using pain?

If you have a fully fenced yard, there is a product you can attach to the top
of the fence that makes it difficult to climb (it's rounded, smooth, and very
hard to get traction on). Search the archives, as I know it's been posted.
Look at rec.pets.cats.health+behav, too.


--
--
~kaeli~
User: The word computer professionals use when they mean
'idiot'.
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace

"offtherack" wrote in message
lkaboutpets.com...
Thanks to all of you for the responses. I love the kitty too much to let
her go. If all else fails, I'll keep her in.

Somebody at work suggested getting one of those collar-activated electric
fences and stapling it to the top of my fence in the backyard. If it
deters her from climbing the fence, she would stay in the back yard.

What do you guys think? Have you heard of such a thing working for cats?
Phil



I don't think the collar-activated electric fences would work with a cat.
Here are links to two sites with ideas to "cat-proof" your existing fence.
I also have some links for mesh fencing, in case part of your yard is not
fenced.
Design for do-it-yourself barrier to mount on top of fence (to keep cats
in): http://www.lisaviolet.com/cathouse/backyard.html

KittyKlips - addition to existing wood fence to prevent cats from climbing
in]: http://kittyklips.com/details.htm

Note: You will also need to secure the other side of the fence to prevent
other cats from entering. Otherwise, your neighbors' cats could enter your
yard but then be trapped there.

MaryL

On Sun, 24 Oct 2004 14:33:59 -0400, "offtherack"
wrote:

I have a cat who loves to be outdoors.

All cats love to be outdoors. But no cat NEEDS to be outdoors.

Junkies love their heroin. But did they need it before they got hooked?
No. I know several cat owners whose cats don't even have the DESIRE to
venture outside. Thee cats are very happy to be indoors, with their loving
owner.

I have a neighbor who says my cat
gets on his truck and ruins the finish. Never mind the fact that there
are other cats in the neighborhood and that the neighbor has a garage, but
chooses not to park his truck in it.

Yeah, this is bull****. Your neighbor is a grouch, at least.
At worst, he hates cats.




If I keep the cat in, she gets very antsy and frustrated. This one
neighbor is the only plaintiff.

My cats try to run outside every chance they get. They do get out. And they
get promptly returned to their domicile. An open door is "freedom" to a
critter. But the outdoors is just too dangerous for a cat.




I've thought of some solutions:

1. Tether the cat outside. But she likes to chase critters, and there is
a porch with steps, so she could hang herself.

A porch, or a stoop? If it's a real porch, covered an such, then you could
chicken wire it in. Put a screen door at the foot of the steps. Now your
porch is a cat run!


2. Keep her inside anyway. Is this cruel and unusual?

No, it's not. Keeping a cat indoors is a major constraint, but it is for the
best. It is in the best interest of both the cat and the owner.

An outdoor cat may be a "happy" cat, but a crack addict is a "happy" user.

"Everything is permitted, but not everything is beneficial.
Everything is lawful, but I will be mastered by nothing"
(I Cor. 6:10)


She is very
unhappy about being made to stay inside.

A young child is very unhappy when corrected (Daddy spanked me when I reached
for that hot stove. Mean daddy!).

3. Find a new owner. Any suggestions of how to do that? I live in the
Raleigh, NC area. I would want the new owner to allow her outside, or I
haven't solved the problem.

No, you DON'T want a new owner to let him/her outside, unless it's on an
isolated farm, and even then, that's debatable.



Thanks for any help offered.

Your feline friend already has a good home.
Why jeopardize this?

IHTH.




--
-john
wide-open at throttle dot info