Cat Parks

Well, the indoor version would also have some things our homes don't have
like climbing tubes, more advanced cat towers (the kind you wished your cat
had but can't afford), benches for the humans to sit on with their cats, and
the list goes on. A cat park also might be beneficial for those who cats and
would like to get them used to cat shows. Some cat shows have HHP (Household
Pet) categories where you can show off your cat that isn't show quality. A
cat park might be the way to go for those who want to get their cats used to
being around other cats.

I myself have been thinking of going to another cat show with Isis (I can't
bring Jade because CFA shows don't allow declaws) since in some ways she is
just fine with them. There was only one time she had an uncomfortable
situation at one however but that was because Isis was benched in the ring
next to a cat who took a swipe at one of the judges which set her off. I was
then told by one of the show's workers that the cat was not supposed to be
even next to Isis. Nonetheless, the next day Isis was normalizing and by the
last ring was much calmer. So despite some cats not always being the most
social of creatures with other felines there was also that possibility that
Isis could get used to the shows. She just needs to go to more of them to
get used to the sounds and smells.

--
Panther TEK: Staying On Top Of All Your Computer Needs!
www.members.cox.net/catprotector/panthertek

Cat Galaxy: All Cats, All The Time!
www.catgalaxymedia.com
"KellyH" wrote in message
news:jC0%b.399370$xy6.2301539@attbi_s02...

That sounds like my house. Why on earth would anyone go though putting
their cats in a carrier and listening to them howl in the car in order to
bring them to a room with scratching posts (woo hoo!) and a bunch of
people
and cats they don't know, so they can then go find something to hide
under,
or, hiss and get in a fight with the stranger cats. Just go Google cat
introductions and you will see how many cats can't stand the sight of
other
cats. Most cats that are fine with other cats don't go run up and play
with
them, either. It usually takes some time for the cats to get used to one
another. Most cats don't like being in unfamiliar places.

The outdoor version might have
these things but humans could walk their kitty on a leash and harness.
There
could also be an area for cats that like to go outside but may not get
along
with other cats. It certainly would be a great way for other cat lovers
to
socialize. BTW, this candidate for City Council is a cat person and has
cats
so if he elected he seemed open to the idea.

Still don't understand why this is needed. If you walk your cats on a
leash, why do you need a designated place to do it? I thought the idea of
a
dog park is so the dogs can run off leash. Cat people can socialize many
other ways, like volunteering at an animal shelter.

I also brought up the issue of making declawing illegal within city
limits.
There is already an animal abuse code in Scottsdale so it could be
ammended
to include declawing.

OK, there's something I agree with. I wish it was illegal in the whole
country.

The candidate I spoke with says his cats are not
declawed and the ones roaming in his neighborhood shouldn't be.

Huh? Is someone going around declawing stray cats?

It was
certainly enough for me to want to vote for the guy (besides other
issues).
I hope he gets in because maybe my dream of a cat park and a law against
declawing could become reality. Of course an anti-declaw law is not
unusual
since apparently North Hollywood has one so it would be nice if the city
of
Scottsdale has one. It'd have to be a wait and see since the elections
for
Mayor and City Council are in a couple of weeks.


I agree with the other posters. Your efforts would be better spent
working
on that would truly help cats like TNR programs for ferals and aid for
shelters, not cat parks.

--
-Kelly
kelly at farringtons dot net
Check out www.snittens.com

Diane L. Schirf" wrote:

Most cats would have all this in their homes. Why on earth would they
need the stress of being leashed and dragged off to "socialise" with
strange cats (cats, who are a nonsocial, territorial species)?
And asking cats to pee in a public litterox? The whole idea is bizarre
bordering on creepy.

You are right, the idea of an indoor cat park makes no sense. I do think there
ought to be some safe places in which a person could walk a cat on a leash,
however. I'm not sure an outdoor cat park would be the answer since as pointed
out, cats aren't generally too interested in socializing with strange cats.

To me a good place to walk a cat on leash would be a wooded area with a
pathway, perhaps contained by cat-proof fencing, and no dogs allowed, but since
not too many people actually take their cats to parks and forest preserves for
walks as we do, I don't think even a cat park such as that would be much in
demand. Most people that walk their cats want to do so in their own
neighborhood rather than take the cat for a car ride. And you really don't want
to walk your cat in a place where you know there will be a number of other cats
around, either.

Diane L. Schirf" wrote:

Most cats would have all this in their homes. Why on earth would they
need the stress of being leashed and dragged off to "socialise" with
strange cats (cats, who are a nonsocial, territorial species)?
And asking cats to pee in a public litterox? The whole idea is bizarre
bordering on creepy.

You are right, the idea of an indoor cat park makes no sense. I do think there
ought to be some safe places in which a person could walk a cat on a leash,
however. I'm not sure an outdoor cat park would be the answer since as pointed
out, cats aren't generally too interested in socializing with strange cats.

To me a good place to walk a cat on leash would be a wooded area with a
pathway, perhaps contained by cat-proof fencing, and no dogs allowed, but since
not too many people actually take their cats to parks and forest preserves for
walks as we do, I don't think even a cat park such as that would be much in
demand. Most people that walk their cats want to do so in their own
neighborhood rather than take the cat for a car ride. And you really don't want
to walk your cat in a place where you know there will be a number of other cats
around, either.

I have seen the other side to shelter cats. One of the shelters in Glendale
has a cat room where the cats freely interact with each other. There are a
few spats but none end up in full blown fights. But most of the time the
cats will tolerate each other and even develop friendships with other
felines.

As for travelling cats, you left out another idea and that is a cat show. I
think some cats might actually get used to being around other cats by going
to them. This especially holds some truth to those felines who are indoors
most of the time with maybe one or two other cats in the home. My cat Isis
has only been to two cat shows. One she actually competed in (HHP category).
To get her used to the show, I walked around with her so she could see the
other cats and experience the sounds and smells. In some ways she was
perfectly ok and never squirmed as if she was trying to get away. In other
ways, she was glad to have a comfort zone inside the cage where she was
benched. Of course that was her first cat show where she competed so I
expected a little nervousness but it did show that given enough time and cat
shows, Isis might have no problem being at them. I was told that positive
re-assurance, taking her to places like Petsmart before the show so she can
get used to the sounds (like the announcements, etc), and maybe having a
mock cat show at home where she is handled in the same way the judges handle
show cats, is a good way for her to get used to them. Isis is a beautiful
cat and in her first ring at a cat show got a 5th place ribbon. The
surpising thing was that she was very calm being in the ring so that was a
major hurdle for her. That pretty much showed to me that she could handle
cat shows given enough of them. Jade on the other hand doesn't have that
benefit given that CFA rules say no declawed cats. It's a real shame on that
one because Jade is a very pretty cat as well.

--
Panther TEK: Staying On Top Of All Your Computer Needs!
www.members.cox.net/catprotector/panthertek

Cat Galaxy: All Cats, All The Time!
www.catgalaxymedia.com
"Rene" wrote in message
m...

I don't think that most cats would enjoy a cat park. First, many cats
don't enjoy riding in a car. And bringing cats to a new place,
outdoors (where maybe they haven't been before), with a bunch of other
unfamiliar cats, could be a disaster. And just because your cat may
enjoy meeting other felines in your home doesn't mean that they will
in a strange place. (I volunteer in at our local humane society and
have seen the reaction of cats, even ones who've been there a while
and have seen other cats. It's not always positive.)

I think that if a cat enjoys traveling/going to new places, the owner
should consider options that don't involve such confrontations. Some
examples are going to the pet store or getting your cat approved to
visit nursing homes/hospitals etc.

*gets off soap box*

Rene

I have seen the other side to shelter cats. One of the shelters in Glendale
has a cat room where the cats freely interact with each other. There are a
few spats but none end up in full blown fights. But most of the time the
cats will tolerate each other and even develop friendships with other
felines.

As for travelling cats, you left out another idea and that is a cat show. I
think some cats might actually get used to being around other cats by going
to them. This especially holds some truth to those felines who are indoors
most of the time with maybe one or two other cats in the home. My cat Isis
has only been to two cat shows. One she actually competed in (HHP category).
To get her used to the show, I walked around with her so she could see the
other cats and experience the sounds and smells. In some ways she was
perfectly ok and never squirmed as if she was trying to get away. In other
ways, she was glad to have a comfort zone inside the cage where she was
benched. Of course that was her first cat show where she competed so I
expected a little nervousness but it did show that given enough time and cat
shows, Isis might have no problem being at them. I was told that positive
re-assurance, taking her to places like Petsmart before the show so she can
get used to the sounds (like the announcements, etc), and maybe having a
mock cat show at home where she is handled in the same way the judges handle
show cats, is a good way for her to get used to them. Isis is a beautiful
cat and in her first ring at a cat show got a 5th place ribbon. The
surpising thing was that she was very calm being in the ring so that was a
major hurdle for her. That pretty much showed to me that she could handle
cat shows given enough of them. Jade on the other hand doesn't have that
benefit given that CFA rules say no declawed cats. It's a real shame on that
one because Jade is a very pretty cat as well.

--
Panther TEK: Staying On Top Of All Your Computer Needs!
www.members.cox.net/catprotector/panthertek

Cat Galaxy: All Cats, All The Time!
www.catgalaxymedia.com
"Rene" wrote in message
m...

I don't think that most cats would enjoy a cat park. First, many cats
don't enjoy riding in a car. And bringing cats to a new place,
outdoors (where maybe they haven't been before), with a bunch of other
unfamiliar cats, could be a disaster. And just because your cat may
enjoy meeting other felines in your home doesn't mean that they will
in a strange place. (I volunteer in at our local humane society and
have seen the reaction of cats, even ones who've been there a while
and have seen other cats. It's not always positive.)

I think that if a cat enjoys traveling/going to new places, the owner
should consider options that don't involve such confrontations. Some
examples are going to the pet store or getting your cat approved to
visit nursing homes/hospitals etc.

*gets off soap box*

Rene

(Rene) wrote:

I think that if a cat enjoys traveling/going to new places, the owner
should consider options that don't involve such confrontations. Some
examples are going to the pet store or getting your cat approved to
visit nursing homes/hospitals etc.

One of our cats really enjoyes traveling and going to new places, but not if
these new places have unknown people or other pets in them--confrontations, as
you say. Our other cat basically just goes along because she follows the first
cat, but it isn't such a thrill for her. But both of these cats have been
traveling since kittenhood--we purposely raised them to be good travelers. Most
people don't do that, and I don't see the sense of forcing it on an adult cat
if the cat is going to hate it.

For our cat, taking walks in forest preserves or parks is a lot of fun for her,
but most cats are probably not going to enjoy that sort of activity in a
strange place unless they have been accustomed to it while young.

(Rene) wrote:

I think that if a cat enjoys traveling/going to new places, the owner
should consider options that don't involve such confrontations. Some
examples are going to the pet store or getting your cat approved to
visit nursing homes/hospitals etc.

One of our cats really enjoyes traveling and going to new places, but not if
these new places have unknown people or other pets in them--confrontations, as
you say. Our other cat basically just goes along because she follows the first
cat, but it isn't such a thrill for her. But both of these cats have been
traveling since kittenhood--we purposely raised them to be good travelers. Most
people don't do that, and I don't see the sense of forcing it on an adult cat
if the cat is going to hate it.

For our cat, taking walks in forest preserves or parks is a lot of fun for her,
but most cats are probably not going to enjoy that sort of activity in a
strange place unless they have been accustomed to it while young.

"Cat Protector" wrote in message news:duU_b.1128$1k.962@okepread01...
Well I was asked by one of the candidates running for the Scottsdale city
council how it would work. My idea is to have an indoor facility possibly
with scratching posts, water stations, stuff to climb on, and of course a
litter area if the cats need to go potty. The outdoor version might have
these things but humans could walk their kitty on a leash and harness. There
could also be an area for cats that like to go outside but may not get along
with other cats. It certainly would be a great way for other cat lovers to
socialize. BTW, this candidate for City Council is a cat person and has cats
so if he elected he seemed open to the idea.


A thought about this--I don't think it would be a smart idea to have
community water bowls and litter boxes. Too much chance of germs,
disease, or other ailments being spread that way. At the HS I
volunteer at it's a huge no-no to have community anything for that
reason. We have to wash all brushes, toys, etc. before using them on
another animal.

"Cat Protector" wrote in message news:duU_b.1128$1k.962@okepread01...
Well I was asked by one of the candidates running for the Scottsdale city
council how it would work. My idea is to have an indoor facility possibly
with scratching posts, water stations, stuff to climb on, and of course a
litter area if the cats need to go potty. The outdoor version might have
these things but humans could walk their kitty on a leash and harness. There
could also be an area for cats that like to go outside but may not get along
with other cats. It certainly would be a great way for other cat lovers to
socialize. BTW, this candidate for City Council is a cat person and has cats
so if he elected he seemed open to the idea.


A thought about this--I don't think it would be a smart idea to have
community water bowls and litter boxes. Too much chance of germs,
disease, or other ailments being spread that way. At the HS I
volunteer at it's a huge no-no to have community anything for that
reason. We have to wash all brushes, toys, etc. before using them on
another animal.

Well people would have to bring their own water bowls for the cats. As for
the litterboxes they wouldn't have to be shared. Maybe they could have
disposables available.

--
Panther TEK: Staying On Top Of All Your Computer Needs!
www.members.cox.net/catprotector/panthertek

Cat Galaxy: All Cats, All The Time!
www.catgalaxymedia.com
"Rene" wrote in message
m...
"Cat Protector" wrote in message
news:duU_b.1128$1k.962@okepread01...
Well I was asked by one of the candidates running for the Scottsdale
city
council how it would work. My idea is to have an indoor facility
possibly
with scratching posts, water stations, stuff to climb on, and of course
a
litter area if the cats need to go potty. The outdoor version might have
these things but humans could walk their kitty on a leash and harness.
There
could also be an area for cats that like to go outside but may not get
along
with other cats. It certainly would be a great way for other cat lovers
to
socialize. BTW, this candidate for City Council is a cat person and has
cats
so if he elected he seemed open to the idea.


A thought about this--I don't think it would be a smart idea to have
community water bowls and litter boxes. Too much chance of germs,
disease, or other ailments being spread that way. At the HS I
volunteer at it's a huge no-no to have community anything for that
reason. We have to wash all brushes, toys, etc. before using them on
another animal.