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#1
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My cats have never been out
Hi there
I have two cats, 4 and 5 years old who have always lived inside in a flat. Now we have moved to a house with garden and a forest behind and we were so looking forwards to leave the cats to enjoy.. but I am scared they panic or get lost or a bigger aninmal attacks them (or them attacking a bigger animal) ... Any suggestions? thanks Carmen |
#2
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My cats have never been out
"*carmen*" wrote in message oups.com... Hi there I have two cats, 4 and 5 years old who have always lived inside in a flat. Now we have moved to a house with garden and a forest behind and we were so looking forwards to leave the cats to enjoy.. but I am scared they panic or get lost or a bigger aninmal attacks them (or them attacking a bigger animal) ... Any suggestions? thanks Carmen I would keep them indoors. I believe cats are safer indoors, and they will be just as happy if you provide lots of toys, attention, and a climbing surface (such as a cat tree). I notice that you live in the UK, so you don't have as many predators as we have -- but there are some, and cars are a danger everywhere (just not as many as in a city). MaryL |
#3
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My cats have never been out
My suggestion: keep them indoors. The fears you mentioned are justified.
You can walk them with a leash and a harness so they can enjoy the outdoors. -- Barb Of course I don't look busy, I did it right the first time. |
#4
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My cats have never been out
*carmen* wrote:
Hi there I have two cats, 4 and 5 years old who have always lived inside in a flat. Now we have moved to a house with garden and a forest behind and we were so looking forwards to leave the cats to enjoy.. but I am scared they panic or get lost or a bigger aninmal attacks them (or them attacking a bigger animal) ... Any suggestions? thanks Carmen Can you build a fence around the garden and supervise their first few ventures to see if they are inclined to try to escape? My guys accept any fence or railing as a boundary but even then I don't let them out and forget about them. -mhd |
#5
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My cats have never been out
On 19 Jun, 12:35, *carmen* wrote:
Hi there I have two cats, 4 and 5 years old who have always lived inside in a flat. Now we have moved to a house with garden and a forest behind and we were so looking forwards to leave the cats to enjoy.. but I am scared they panic or get lost or a bigger aninmal attacks them (or them attacking a bigger animal) ... Any suggestions? thanks Carmen ok you're inthe UK in which case ignore any paranoid ramblings form our american cousins, they keep their cats indoors cos they have much more of a predator problem than we have and wild animals like coyotes and suchlike who will eat kitties. you do nto say where in the UK you actually live? are you near a main road? what wildlife is inthe forest behind you? which forest is it? there is not much in terms of savage wildlife in britain which coudl harm a cat, most outdoors cats are safe, all mine have been safe and been allowed access to the outdoors and to be honest in one case it was next doors pet rabbit who suffered from them being allowed out. just erect a fhigh ence or something if you are worried, only let them out when you are there, that is what I do as we do not have a cat flap and no way to install one either (glass patio doors) but that is no problem really and some cats feel that cat flaps make them feel insecure. If you are really bothered there are soem fences where the animal wears a collar and gets mild shock when they stray further thyan certain points, personally not my bag but some people use them, mostly for dogs I think. please allow your kitties the chance to enjoy the great outdoors, it will enrich their lives no end and cooping them up indoors is not normal or fair onthem. bookie |
#6
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My cats have never been out
Do NOT let them out. Why would you risk their lives now?
Celeste "*carmen*" wrote in message oups.com... Hi there I have two cats, 4 and 5 years old who have always lived inside in a flat. Now we have moved to a house with garden and a forest behind and we were so looking forwards to leave the cats to enjoy.. but I am scared they panic or get lost or a bigger aninmal attacks them (or them attacking a bigger animal) ... Any suggestions? thanks Carmen |
#7
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My cats have never been out
On Tue, 19 Jun 2007 07:26:39 -0700, bookie wrote:
ok you're inthe UK in which case ignore any paranoid ramblings form our american cousins, they keep their cats indoors cos they have much more of a predator problem than we have and wild animals like coyotes and suchlike who will eat kitties. I'm in the US and I've never had a cat eaten by any "wild" animals. Never seen a coyote in my neck of the woods either. We do have raccoons and oppossums and rabbits too. An occasional red-tail hawk will fly over the area, but I've never heard of him going after a cat either. He mostly likes smaller prey that he can easily carry like field mice (which we have plenty of). My cats have always been outdoors. I've never been paranoid to force them to stay inside. I will admit, I did try it with Rusty when he was little, but gave up when he was nearly a year old. He virtually destroyed my house because he was so hyper. He was originally a "farm cat" and was probably descended from generations of outdoor hunters. He HAS to go outside. It's in his genes. I live in a small, rural town of just over 1,000 people. Patty |
#8
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My cats have never been out
Patty wrote:
On Tue, 19 Jun 2007 07:26:39 -0700, bookie wrote: ok you're inthe UK in which case ignore any paranoid ramblings form our american cousins, they keep their cats indoors cos they have much more of a predator problem than we have and wild animals like coyotes and suchlike who will eat kitties. I'm in the US and I've never had a cat eaten by any "wild" animals. Never seen a coyote in my neck of the woods either. We do have raccoons and oppossums and rabbits too. And fleas. Fleas (sometimes) carry plague which means other small furry creatures which your cat may prey upon could also carry plague (the bubonic kind). Then of course there are cars and cruel kids, which I'm sure Britain has as well. I'm not so worried about coyotes, wolves, mountain lions or bears although I would be if I lived a bit further up in the mountains. An occasional red-tail hawk will fly over the area, but I've never heard of him going after a cat either. Good point - I've seen eagles and hawks around. They're magnificent creatures, but I prefer they prey on rodents rather than my cat. Every spring, I see lots of baby rabbits. They're very cute, but not all of them survive to become adults. It's a good thing too, otherwise we'd be overrun by them. He mostly likes smaller prey that he can easily carry like field mice (which we have plenty of). Which are perfect for plague. My cats have always been outdoors. I've never been paranoid to force them to stay inside. I will admit, I did try it with Rusty when he was little, but gave up when he was nearly a year old. He virtually destroyed my house because he was so hyper. I'd be interested in what your definition of "destroyed" is. He was originally a "farm cat" and was probably descended from generations of outdoor hunters. He HAS to go outside. It's in his genes. I live in a small, rural town of just over 1,000 people. Patty |
#9
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My cats have never been out
On Jun 19, 12:59 pm, "Fred G. Mackey" wrote:
Patty wrote: My cats have always been outdoors. I've never been paranoid to force them to stay inside. I will admit, I did try it with Rusty when he was little, but gave up when he was nearly a year old. He virtually destroyed my house because he was so hyper. I'd be interested in what your definition of "destroyed" is. I find that usually people who say their cat destroyed their house are people who haven't trained their cats properly, or who haven't provided appropriate scratching surfaces for the cat. |
#10
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My cats have never been out
On 19 Jun, 16:55, Patty wrote:
On Tue, 19 Jun 2007 07:26:39 -0700, bookie wrote: ok you're inthe UK in which case ignore any paranoid ramblings form our american cousins, they keep their cats indoors cos they have much more of a predator problem than we have and wild animals like coyotes and suchlike who will eat kitties. I'm in the US and I've never had a cat eaten by any "wild" animals. Never seen a coyote in my neck of the woods either. We do have raccoons and oppossums and rabbits too. An occasional red-tail hawk will fly over the area, but I've never heard of him going after a cat either. He mostly likes smaller prey that he can easily carry like field mice (which we have plenty of). My cats have always been outdoors. I've never been paranoid to force them to stay inside. I will admit, I did try it with Rusty when he was little, but gave up when he was nearly a year old. He virtually destroyed my house because he was so hyper. He was originally a "farm cat" and was probably descended from generations of outdoor hunters. He HAS to go outside. It's in his genes. I live in a small, rural town of just over 1,000 people. Patty good for you!!!!! |
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