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

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

How about training your cat to use a leash and harness? The other option of
keeping your cat indoors is a good one. By keeping them indoors you ensure
the cat is safe because if they are allowed to roam they could get hit by a
car, get in fights with other cats, or worse fall victim to animal cruelty.
I would get your cat a tower and other interesting things to keep her
stimulated. Cats can live a long and healthy life indoors and she'll get
used to it. Of course another idea is to enclose your patio with a cat
fence. But the first two ideas are usually better. You never mentioned
whether or not your cat is spayed. If she isn't, you better have that done.

--
Cat Galaxy: All Cats! All The Time!
www.catgalaxymedia.com

Panther TEK: Staying On Top Of Your Computer Needs!
www.panthertekit.com
"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.

That is true. You should never tether a cat.

--
Cat Galaxy: All Cats! All The Time!
www.catgalaxymedia.com

Panther TEK: Staying On Top Of Your Computer Needs!
www.panthertekit.com
"Kim" wrote in message
...
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.

AND YOU WILL NEVER DO THIS AGAIN!

Had cats all my life and they never, never did scratch the furniture, give them
logs etc.
I have a tree log in my basement from floor to ceiling and this cost nothing.
My cats do go out during the day only.

ob go to: STOPDECLAW.COM

On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 17:13:58 +1300, Ashley wrote:

"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.

/snip/

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.


That would certainly be a good place to start. If it didn't work, you could
move on to something else. If it got the neighbor to cooperating on the
problem, he might mellow out later.

Depending on how often he uses the truck, what about offering him a tarp or
other cover for it? Maybe his garage is used for something else.

If cooperation didn't work, you might try keeping her in for a few days (or
boarding her somewhere) and see if his truck stays clean, or if some other
cat comes in to fill her place. If that happens, maybe he would give up
and live with cat tracks, if he realized he couldn't find all the owners and
complain.


Marianne