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#11
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"Christina Websell" wrote in message ... wrote in message oups.com... First let me say I'm not being antagonistic, I'm just interested in the (apparent) culture difference between the US & the UK as regards our feline friends. With regard to letting cats out: All the cats I know go outside, they (usually) learn their way back home from their local neighbourhood, they don't go too far but suss out gardens, wildlife, other cats and people, and hopefully realise that traffic isn't for playing with. There's not too many birds in London and no-one seems to care about the pigeon population anyway. Some get lost, some get hit by traffic (mine for example isn't allowed out the front to the road, only the back garden where he doesn't seem to want to climb the fence to escape from but if he did I'd let him). It seems natural for a cat to want to venture outside, and to me it's cruel to keep them inside (unless they're not interested). It seems that in the US people are much more likely to force cats to stay indoors, or take them out on a leash (something I've NEVER heard of over here and to be honest I think people would laugh over here if they saw a cat on a lead, but fair play for succeeding in training a cat to do it), or build these enclosure thingies for them, to protect the wildlife, also I've never seen one over here. It's interesting, do you think it's a cultural thing? How long have people in the US been doing these things? Perhaps it's not the general population, just people in cat groups As I say, I wasn't saying that either way is right, it's just interesting how people do things differently. Marcia Lord Otis's slave and minder It just isn't the same in the USA as it is here. Yes, there is a huge cultural difference, like declawing being offered at the same time as speutering presumably because of an assumption that most cats will stay inside and furniture is king.. BUT. They have the most awful predators there. Cat-eating ones, which, apart from the renegade fox, we don't have here. Mountain lions, coyotes, bears are just waiting to snap up your cat. And big bad traffic like we have never experienced. At least I think this is the reason that I've learned from this group why cats are mainly kept inside in the USA. Yes? Or is it really just cultural? and some of it not necessary, because this made me think hard. Tweed Tweed, you got. You would be surprised even in town there are predators. AND we seem to have a lot more sicko neighbors. |
#12
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wrote in message oups.com... First let me say I'm not being antagonistic, I'm just interested in the (apparent) culture difference between the US & the UK as regards our feline friends. With regard to letting cats out: All the cats I know go outside, they (usually) learn their way back home from their local neighbourhood, they don't go too far but suss out gardens, wildlife, other cats and people, and hopefully realise that traffic isn't for playing with. There's not too many birds in London and no-one seems to care about the pigeon population anyway. Some get lost, some get hit by traffic (mine for example isn't allowed out the front to the road, only the back garden where he doesn't seem to want to climb the fence to escape from but if he did I'd let him). It seems natural for a cat to want to venture outside, and to me it's cruel to keep them inside (unless they're not interested). It seems that in the US people are much more likely to force cats to stay indoors, or take them out on a leash (something I've NEVER heard of over here and to be honest I think people would laugh over here if they saw a cat on a lead, but fair play for succeeding in training a cat to do it), or build these enclosure thingies for them, to protect the wildlife, also I've never seen one over here. It's interesting, do you think it's a cultural thing? How long have people in the US been doing these things? Perhaps it's not the general population, just people in cat groups As I say, I wasn't saying that either way is right, it's just interesting how people do things differently. Marcia Lord Otis's slave and minder It may be partly cultural, but I think it is also at least partly environmental. There are numerous natural predators in the U.S. (predators that prey on cats, that is) that apparently are not a problem in England. We sometimes have problems with acts of deliberate cruelty plus instances of accidents (such as, ingestion of antifreeze). I can't really address that last point in a comparative sense with any real accuracy. In addition, there is a problem that surely occurs in *both* Britain and the U.S. -- that is, automobiles. It only takes one car at the wrong time to kill or badly injure a cat. All of my cats have been very happy as indoor cats, even the one that started life as a feral cat. He showed a great interest in going outdoors for about the first year but not afterwards. None of my others have even shown an interest in going outdoors, although I realize that this is not true for many cats. I do provide lots of attention, toys, scratching posts, and cat trees. I personally think that they are happier -- and certainly more healthy -- than many outdoor cats that have been injured in cat fights or other ways. I do realize that I may be rationalizing and there is room for a true difference of opinion, but I also believe that each situation (indoor vs. outdoor) has some advantages and some disadvantages. MaryL My cats -- Duffy: http://tinyurl.com/cslwf Holly: http://tinyurl.com/9t68o Duffy and Holly together: http://tinyurl.com/8b47e |
#13
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On Wed, 17 Aug 2005 19:13:55 GMT, "kilikini"
, clicked their heels and said: You can't have an indoor/outdoor cat without infesting your house with fleas, mites and ticks or whatever. I just don't see the point. kili While my cats stay in, for their safety and wellbeing, the above comment is absurd. Dogs go out every day and don't infest houses with fleas, mites and ticks, and cats are no different. My cats can go on the deck or patio with us, but never unattended outside, and I don't trust the dog behind me not to come over the fence at them, so close to the house or not at all. Skipjack say not at all - he will stay in an open doorway. As far as cultural differences, the US is a very different place from many other countries. The population (human, feline,, canine, wild animals) just can't be compared, nor that vicious beast, the automobile. -- Janet B www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/bestfr...bedience/album |
#15
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wrote:
: First let me say I'm not being antagonistic, I'm just interested in the : (apparent) culture difference between the US & the UK as regards our : feline friends. : : With regard to letting cats out: All the cats I know go outside, they : (usually) learn their way back home from their local neighbourhood, : they don't go too far but suss out gardens, wildlife, other cats and : people, and hopefully realise that traffic isn't for playing with. : There's not too many birds in London and no-one seems to care about the : pigeon population anyway. Some get lost, some get hit by traffic (mine : for example isn't allowed out the front to the road, only the back : garden where he doesn't seem to want to climb the fence to escape from : but if he did I'd let him). : : It seems natural for a cat to want to venture outside, and to me it's : cruel to keep them inside (unless they're not interested). : : It seems that in the US people are much more likely to force cats to : stay indoors, or take them out on a leash (something I've NEVER heard : of over here and to be honest I think people would laugh over here if : they saw a cat on a lead, but fair play for succeeding in training a : cat to do it), or build these enclosure thingies for them, to protect : the wildlife, also I've never seen one over here. : : It's interesting, do you think it's a cultural thing? How long have : people in the US been doing these things? Perhaps it's not the general : population, just people in cat groups As I say, I wasn't saying : that either way is right, it's just interesting how people do things : differently. I agree with you whole-heartedly. Love of confinement is not something that comes naturally to any animal. I do not own a cat, but have a "relationship" of sorts with "stray" one that visits me almost daily. I give her some food and you might think that's why she comes, and so would have I if it were not for the fact that she visited me (actually my 3rd floor porch, I was a just a side attraction) for 2-3 months before I started feeding her. Some well-meaning friends have suggested I "adopt" her. Even if I was tempted for a moment, I have been stopped by remembering the life two of my friends' cats have, and then watching this one jump the fences, sniff the entire yards, chase after a real or imaginary mouse, climb up three floors to sun-bathe, scan three backyards from there and rush down if she saw something interesting, and many such activities. She comes inside, wants to be petted, sits on different rugs for 10-15 minutes each, even watches TV now and then, but always wants to return to outdoors after 1-2 hours. If you live in an area with lots of wild animals, or in an extremely urban environment, confinement may make sense. However, in most cases cats deserve more freedom than we give them. I am happy to hear about their life in UK. : Marcia : Lord Otis's slave and minder : |
#16
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In article .com,
wrote: First let me say I'm not being antagonistic, I'm just interested in the (apparent) culture difference between the US & the UK as regards our feline friends. With regard to letting cats out: All the cats I know go outside, they (usually) learn their way back home from their local neighbourhood, they don't go too far but suss out gardens, wildlife, other cats and people, and hopefully realise that traffic isn't for playing with. There's not too many birds in London and no-one seems to care about the pigeon population anyway. Some get lost, some get hit by traffic (mine for example isn't allowed out the front to the road, only the back garden where he doesn't seem to want to climb the fence to escape from but if he did I'd let him). It seems natural for a cat to want to venture outside, and to me it's cruel to keep them inside (unless they're not interested). It seems that in the US people are much more likely to force cats to stay indoors, or take them out on a leash (something I've NEVER heard of over here and to be honest I think people would laugh over here if they saw a cat on a lead, but fair play for succeeding in training a cat to do it), or build these enclosure thingies for them, to protect the wildlife, also I've never seen one over here. It's interesting, do you think it's a cultural thing? How long have people in the US been doing these things? Perhaps it's not the general population, just people in cat groups As I say, I wasn't saying that either way is right, it's just interesting how people do things differently. Marcia Lord Otis's slave and minder My friend, Bubba, http://www.sonic.net/~claudel/bubba/bubba.html absolutely refuses to go outside. If I leave the door open he will go to it and look out, but won't step thru unless I'm right there and coax him to do so. I think that the last time he was outside he has at least one bad experience resulting in him winding up in the pound, where he found me. The other day I left the door open and one of the neighbor's tiny kittens came inside. When Bubba saw it he went over to check it out and it arched and hissed at him. Bubba ran off and hid behind the couch for awhile. All 20Lbs of him afraid of a little black kitten 1/10 his size... He's not at all skittish with people though. He's very outgoing and friendly. I think he believes that he's a human or something. Claude |
#17
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"Janet B" wrote in message ... On Wed, 17 Aug 2005 19:13:55 GMT, "kilikini" , clicked their heels and said: You can't have an indoor/outdoor cat without infesting your house with fleas, mites and ticks or whatever. I just don't see the point. kili While my cats stay in, for their safety and wellbeing, the above comment is absurd. Dogs go out every day and don't infest houses with fleas, mites and ticks, and cats are no different. My cats can go on the deck or patio with us, but never unattended outside, and I don't trust the dog behind me not to come over the fence at them, so close to the house or not at all. Skipjack say not at all - he will stay in an open doorway. As far as cultural differences, the US is a very different place from many other countries. The population (human, feline,, canine, wild animals) just can't be compared, nor that vicious beast, the automobile. Ha! I've had dogs before that were indoor/outdoor dogs. I'm sorry, Frontline doesn't cut it. I gave my dog frontline 2 times a month and I'd still pick about 200 ticks off of him and he was infested with fleas. I gave him baths weekly. The products don't work. Try to live on Maui and see if you don't have the same results. kili |
#18
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I'm in the UK and my cat is mostly an indoor cat. She is a rescue cat and
was extremely nervous of everything when I first got her. She also has health problems which mean ongoing medication. However - we let her out in the back garden when we are at home, or sitting out there ourselves and she loves it. She mostly sits around out there with us, or sits sniffing the catmint! But she's never left alone out there or let out at night etc.... It seems a compromise which she is happy with. chas |
#19
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kilikini wrote:
"Janet B" wrote in message ... On Wed, 17 Aug 2005 19:13:55 GMT, "kilikini" , clicked their heels and said: You can't have an indoor/outdoor cat without infesting your house with fleas, mites and ticks or whatever. I just don't see the point. kili While my cats stay in, for their safety and wellbeing, the above comment is absurd. Dogs go out every day and don't infest houses with fleas, mites and ticks, and cats are no different. My cats can go on the deck or patio with us, but never unattended outside, and I don't trust the dog behind me not to come over the fence at them, so close to the house or not at all. Skipjack say not at all - he will stay in an open doorway. As far as cultural differences, the US is a very different place from many other countries. The population (human, feline,, canine, wild animals) just can't be compared, nor that vicious beast, the automobile. Ha! I've had dogs before that were indoor/outdoor dogs. I'm sorry, Frontline doesn't cut it. I gave my dog frontline 2 times a month and I'd still pick about 200 ticks off of him and he was infested with fleas. I gave him baths weekly. The products don't work. Try to live on Maui and see if you don't have the same results. kili kili, dear... do yourself (and rpca) a favour and cut out the cross posting when you reply. There are some real fanatics on h+b who like to lord it over everyone, them being "experts" (ha!) Needless to say, you are correct. I don't know about other folks, but my dog - Sampson (RB) - was an indoor dog; he only went out to use the potty. Jill |
#20
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On Wed, 17 Aug 2005 20:09:11 GMT, "kilikini"
, clicked their heels and said: Ha! I've had dogs before that were indoor/outdoor dogs. I'm sorry, Frontline doesn't cut it. I gave my dog frontline 2 times a month and I'd still pick about 200 ticks off of him and he was infested with fleas. I gave him baths weekly. The products don't work. Try to live on Maui and see if you don't have the same results. well, ALL dogs are indoor/outdoor unles you litter train them! And of course, dogs are social beings, and keeping them enclosed in a house 24/7 would not be healthy for their behavior. My dogs don't live outdoors, they live in the house. They spend varying periods of time outside with me though, and I do not use any flea/tick preventative products. I'm a big believer that healthy pets don't tend to attract pests much. I live in a climate where the summers are hot and sticky and humid. Mosquitos never actually die here, nor do fleas. I do not have fleas on my dogs, my cats, or in my house. A rare tick every year or so, and I do field training with my one dog, so he's in a populated environment. 200 ticks on your dog? Something is very, very wrong there. -- Janet B www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/bestfr...bedience/album |
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