Indoor cats

In article ,
Diane wrote:
In article ,
(claudel) wrote:

My friend, Bubba,

http://www.sonic.net/~claudel/bubba/bubba.html

Bubba is gorgeous!

Yeah. He's a real sweetheart too.

I need to update the photos.

He's losing the "I swallowed a baseball" look since
I switched his food and started rationing it, plus
the hair is growing back on his belly. I had to get
him partially shaved when I got him because nobody
apparently ever brushed him and he was too matted to
comb out.



Claude

Phil P. wrote:

How do you know if your cat has a potentially fatal urinary tract
obstruction, UTI , straining or painful urination or defecation or
constipation or diarrhea if you can't physically *observe* your cat's
elimination behavior? Litterbox behavior and products are often warning
signs of internal disease.

You (and Mary and Cheryl) make a good point about the litter box. And
I suppose that one of these days he could very well run into an
accident or larger predator outside. He did disappear for 2 days in
the dead of winter once, and we were all but convinced we had lost him.
He turned out to be hiding in a neighbor's basement.

I do know that when we keep him in (eg., to be sure he fasts overnight
before a visit to the vet), he goes nuts trying to claw his way out at
the door. Perhaps he could eventually get used to staying in if we
forced the issue. But I have also heard that if you remove an
established outdoor-only cat from the outdoors, another outdoor cat
will simply take over the territory. As it is, our neutered male is
holding the territory instead of a cat that could be producing more
feral offspring.

Mark

On 20 Aug 2005 08:52:35 -0700, wrote:

As it is, our neutered male is
holding the territory instead of a cat that could be producing more
feral offspring.


They just have their offspring someplace else. You leaving your cat out does not stop any
others from having young.




http://users.ameritech.net/lestark/

"Phil P." wrote in message

"Ivor Jones" wrote in message
...


"Phil P." wrote in message

"Ivor Jones" wrote in message
...

For my part, if I were unable to allow a cat
outdoors through risk of predators or any other
reason, I simply wouldn't have a cat.

That's not practical or even realistic in the USA
because that mentality would result in millions upon
millions of homeless cats and a 10 times increase in
shelter killings.

Something else we don't do here.


That's a myth that has been fostered by the government to
promote a sterling image of a 'cat-loving' nation. - The
UK has an overpopulation problem, also, and *certainly*
does use kill-shelters.

Name one. Cats Protection most certainly do *not* kill.

Ivor

"Ivor Jones" wrote in message
...


"Phil P." wrote in message

"Ivor Jones" wrote in message
...


"Phil P." wrote in message

"Ivor Jones" wrote in message
...

For my part, if I were unable to allow a cat
outdoors through risk of predators or any other
reason, I simply wouldn't have a cat.

That's not practical or even realistic in the USA
because that mentality would result in millions upon
millions of homeless cats and a 10 times increase in
shelter killings.

Something else we don't do here.


That's a myth that has been fostered by the government to
promote a sterling image of a 'cat-loving' nation. - The
UK has an overpopulation problem, also, and *certainly*
does use kill-shelters.

Name one. Cats Protection most certainly do *not* kill.

Ivor

FROM:

FERAL CAT CONTROL IN THE UK
Copyright 1993, revised 2002 Sarah Hartwell

"In some years the UK's RSPCA destroy 30-35% of cats taken into their care."

"A number of British animal welfare groups run TNR schemes and numerous
individuals or groups of friends are involved with TNR of individual
colonies. However, an equal number of animal "rescue" societies euthanize
any ferals presented to them, viewing them as an unrewarding drain on their
resources. In addition, some societies or individuals cannot come to terms
with the concept of cats as wild animals and euthanize healthy feral cats
simply "to save them from their predicament" despite the fact that the cats
concerned know no other way of life. Those who support the latter opinion
claim that life in the wild is "short and brutal" and that it's more humane
to kill the cats. This is a clear case of being unable to understand that
not all cats are house-pets since they do not apply the same arguments to
the rest of Britain's wildlife."

Hugs,

CatNipped

"CatNipped" wrote in message
...
"Ivor Jones" wrote in message
...


"Phil P." wrote in message

"Ivor Jones" wrote in message
...


"Phil P." wrote in message

"Ivor Jones" wrote in message
...

For my part, if I were unable to allow a cat
outdoors through risk of predators or any other
reason, I simply wouldn't have a cat.

That's not practical or even realistic in the USA
because that mentality would result in millions upon
millions of homeless cats and a 10 times increase in
shelter killings.

Something else we don't do here.


That's a myth that has been fostered by the government to
promote a sterling image of a 'cat-loving' nation. - The
UK has an overpopulation problem, also, and *certainly*
does use kill-shelters.

Name one. Cats Protection most certainly do *not* kill.

Ivor

FROM:

FERAL CAT CONTROL IN THE UK
Copyright 1993, revised 2002 Sarah Hartwell

"In some years the UK's RSPCA destroy 30-35% of cats taken into their
care."

"A number of British animal welfare groups run TNR schemes and numerous
individuals or groups of friends are involved with TNR of individual
colonies. However, an equal number of animal "rescue" societies euthanize
any ferals presented to them, viewing them as an unrewarding drain on
their
resources. In addition, some societies or individuals cannot come to terms
with the concept of cats as wild animals and euthanize healthy feral cats
simply "to save them from their predicament" despite the fact that the
cats
concerned know no other way of life. Those who support the latter opinion
claim that life in the wild is "short and brutal" and that it's more
humane
to kill the cats. This is a clear case of being unable to understand that
not all cats are house-pets since they do not apply the same arguments to
the rest of Britain's wildlife."

Hugs,

CatNipped



I have no time for the RSPCA.

Tweed

"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...

"CatNipped" wrote in message
...
"Ivor Jones" wrote in message
...


"Phil P." wrote in message

"Ivor Jones" wrote in message
...


"Phil P." wrote in message

"Ivor Jones" wrote in message
...

For my part, if I were unable to allow a cat
outdoors through risk of predators or any other
reason, I simply wouldn't have a cat.

That's not practical or even realistic in the USA
because that mentality would result in millions upon
millions of homeless cats and a 10 times increase in
shelter killings.

Something else we don't do here.


That's a myth that has been fostered by the government to
promote a sterling image of a 'cat-loving' nation. - The
UK has an overpopulation problem, also, and *certainly*
does use kill-shelters.

Name one. Cats Protection most certainly do *not* kill.

Ivor

FROM:

FERAL CAT CONTROL IN THE UK
Copyright 1993, revised 2002 Sarah Hartwell

"In some years the UK's RSPCA destroy 30-35% of cats taken into their
care."

"A number of British animal welfare groups run TNR schemes and numerous
individuals or groups of friends are involved with TNR of individual
colonies. However, an equal number of animal "rescue" societies
euthanize
any ferals presented to them, viewing them as an unrewarding drain on
their
resources. In addition, some societies or individuals cannot come to
terms
with the concept of cats as wild animals and euthanize healthy feral
cats
simply "to save them from their predicament" despite the fact that the
cats
concerned know no other way of life. Those who support the latter
opinion
claim that life in the wild is "short and brutal" and that it's more
humane
to kill the cats. This is a clear case of being unable to understand
that
not all cats are house-pets since they do not apply the same arguments
to
the rest of Britain's wildlife."

Hugs,

CatNipped



I have no time for the RSPCA.

Tweed

I just thought it was a bit naive, or disingenuous, to imply that the UK did
not *ever* euthanize stray cats (implied in the challenge, "Name one").

We have the equivalent of "Cats Protection" here in the US also - numerous
no-kill shelters (even though that term is, itself, disingenuous since
no-kill shelters have to turn down their over-flow who wind up in kill
shelters), but we are also honest enough to know that cat overpopulation is
a real problem and results in the deaths of millions of cats each year.

You can claim superior politics and I'll refrain from challenging it, you
can claim superior humor and I certainly won't challenge it - but I really
doubt that you guys have the stray cat / cat overpopulation problem solved
without having to euthanize, so please don't allow to go unchallenged claims
of perfect stray cat management. This is a problem that exists everywhere
that there *are* cats and it needs to be acknowledged so it can be
addressed.

Hugs,

CatNipped

"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...




I have no time for the RSPCA.

Tweed




They are exceptionally good at publicity ;-) Luckily we have a lot more
shelters, non-RSPCA, small, private charities, that do not euthanise unless
there is a medical reason to do so. I do not give money to the RSPCA, but I
do to my local small shelter, PACT, which does not euthanise any animal that
comes ito its care unless there is a medical reason for it. It's one of the
things that annoys me about the RSPCA. It is rich, very rich, yet it
euthanises where other organisations will not. It's why the smaller
organisations have armies of volunteers out day-in-day-out raising funds,
and they get by hand-to-mouth where the money goes on the animals, not on
flash new premises such as many an RSPCA place... The RSPCA has its place,
but I'd not willingly take a cat or dog to them.

Cheers, helen s

"Ivor Jones" wrote in message
...


"Phil P." wrote in message

"Ivor Jones" wrote in message
...


"Phil P." wrote in message

"Ivor Jones" wrote in message
...

For my part, if I were unable to allow a cat
outdoors through risk of predators or any other
reason, I simply wouldn't have a cat.

That's not practical or even realistic in the USA
because that mentality would result in millions upon
millions of homeless cats and a 10 times increase in
shelter killings.

Something else we don't do here.


That's a myth that has been fostered by the government to
promote a sterling image of a 'cat-loving' nation. - The
UK has an overpopulation problem, also, and *certainly*
does use kill-shelters.

Name one. Cats Protection most certainly do *not* kill.


RSPCA.

wrote in message
oups.com...

Phil P. wrote:

How do you know if your cat has a potentially fatal urinary tract
obstruction, UTI , straining or painful urination or defecation or
constipation or diarrhea if you can't physically *observe* your cat's
elimination behavior? Litterbox behavior and products are often warning
signs of internal disease.

You (and Mary and Cheryl) make a good point about the litter box. And
I suppose that one of these days he could very well run into an
accident or larger predator outside. He did disappear for 2 days in
the dead of winter once, and we were all but convinced we had lost him.
He turned out to be hiding in a neighbor's basement.

I do know that when we keep him in (eg., to be sure he fasts overnight
before a visit to the vet), he goes nuts trying to claw his way out at
the door. Perhaps he could eventually get used to staying in if we
forced the issue. But I have also heard that if you remove an
established outdoor-only cat from the outdoors, another outdoor cat
will simply take over the territory. As it is, our neutered male is
holding the territory instead of a cat that could be producing more
feral offspring.


If a cycling female can't find suitable mates in her territory, she'll roam
into other males' territories until she does. Remember, females determine
the population, not the males.

Your cat's neuter status helps reduce the overpopulation problem- not the
fact that he's an outdoor cat.

Phil.