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Ideal home for a cat



 
 
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  #11  
Old July 7th 12, 08:44 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)
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Default Ideal home for a cat



Christina Websell wrote:
Is it in an apartment or if they can get outside to hunt a bit?
Discuss.


Given a choice, I'd prefer to let mine be indoor/outdoor, with a pet
flap so they can come and go at will. I think the cats prefer it that
way, too. However, cats being the adaptable critters they are, even my
formerly indoor/outdoor Melisande (although always hopeful of escape
through an open door) seems to have adjusted fairly well to being indoor
only. In terms of safety, there's no question indoor cats are safer.
(Unless you leave open windows in upper stories - cats don't seem to
notice how far down the ground is, if they REALLY want out!)

I think it depends, too, upon where you live, and what kind of dangers
they face outdoors. Rural areas and urban areas with large fenced yards
are undoubtedly safer than houses and apartments with doors and windows
bordering upon busy urban streets. (Although residents of the American
Southwest often lose cats and small dogs to coyotes who have been forced
out of their natural habitat by urban expansion.)

  #12  
Old July 7th 12, 08:57 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)
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Default Ideal home for a cat



jmcquown wrote:

"Christina Websell" wrote in


It depends on the situation. Persia was front-declawed before she came
to live with me. I was horrified someone let her wander around outside
with no real way to defend herself. It took a little time but she
adapted perfectly to being an indoor cat in an apartment. Even if she'd
had claws, she doesn't really seem to have the disposition of a hunter.
I know she is afraid of mice (unless they are the toy kind that rattle).

Jill


Of course, I don't believe in declawing, and I long ago realized one can
have pristine furniture or cats, seldom both. (Cendrillon had been
declawed before I got her, but I wasn't going to let that prevent my
offering her a home.) By that time I was living in an apartment with no
direct access to outdoors, so it wasn't an option. (Although I chased
Melisande up two flights of stairs to the roof door, more than once -
and even out onto the roof, a time or two, when some idiot had left the
door open.)
  #13  
Old July 7th 12, 09:10 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)
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Posts: 3,800
Default Ideal home for a cat



jmcquown wrote:

"Christina Websell" wrote in
message ...

"jmcquown" wrote in message
...

"Christina Websell" wrote in
message ...
Is it in an apartment or if they can get outside to hunt a bit?
Discuss.


Oh, we really don't want to get into the indoor-outdoor thing again,
do we? But okay, I'll play.

It depends on the situation. Persia was front-declawed before she
came to live with me. I was horrified someone let her wander around
outside with no real way to defend herself. It took a little time
but she adapted perfectly to being an indoor cat in an apartment.
Even if she'd had claws, she doesn't really seem to have the
disposition of a hunter. I know she is afraid of mice (unless they
are the toy kind that rattle).

Jill


It's not my intention to get into an indoor/outdoor argument. If it
could be possible for your cat to be out with little traffic and no
alligators or predators would you do it?

Still probably not. The reason would be fleas and ticks most likely.

Jill


You remind me of the time I moved from California back to Minnesota,
planning to live near my aging mother. Not WITH her, although it ended
up my staying with her all summer, unable to find a job. (My
preliminary inquiries before I left California indicated I'd have no
problem, but the situation changed in the interim - with licensed CPA's
accepting mere bookkeeping jobs, someone without those magic letters,
and only out-of-state experience, didn't stand a chance.) Consequently
the cats and I headed back to California after Labor Day, but they left
a legacy. Their fleas preferred Mom's carpet, so stayed behind, much to
her discomfort and chagrin!
  #14  
Old July 8th 12, 04:07 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
Marina
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Posts: 7,152
Default Ideal home for a cat

On 7.7.2012 16:55, Wayne Mitchell wrote:
"Christina Websell" wrote:

Is it in an apartment or if they can get outside to hunt a bit?


They each have their own opinions.


They most certainly do. My niece had to stop taking Kira to the island
in the summers, because Kira stopped going out and she was clearly
scared to be on the island. She stays in town now when my niece goes to
the island (with her two other cats). My nephew looks after her while my
niece is away, and he has opened the door at home for her. She gingerly
took a few steps outside, streeetched her neck so that she could take a
bite of grass, and then she scurried inside again quickly.

Some cats just don't want to be outside.

--
Marina, Miranda, Caliban and Viktor.
In loving memory of Frank and Nikki.



  #15  
Old July 9th 12, 02:31 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
dgk
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Posts: 2,268
Default Ideal home for a cat

On Fri, 6 Jul 2012 23:37:04 +0100, "Christina Websell"
wrote:

Is it in an apartment or if they can get outside to hunt a bit?
Discuss.


My cats have it best. I live in a rowhouse, one of those 18 foot wide
houses attached to a house on each side. The backyard is about 50 feet
long and I have fencing that curves in at the top, making it difficult
for the cats to get out. Not quite impossible since they could climb a
tree and jump over the fence, but they don't. And I have the Loc8tor
tags on each collar so I can find them if need be.

The fence is not designed to keep other cats/critters out however, so
before the cats go out I always take a quick look to make sure that no
enemy cats have wandered in. Sometimes I miss one and Espy chases the
intruder around until I grab Espy and bring him inside. Then I open up
the door in the fence and the enemy cat departs. The other cats don't
mind the intruders.

During warmer weather, like now, the backdoor is open when we're home
so the four cats can come and go as they please. They cetainly like to
go outside and hide in the jungle that it has become lately. On
Saturday Espy killed a bird. I hate when they do that but they are,
after all, cats. I make up for it in the winter by providing bird food
and even a heated bird bath.

Both Marlo and Scooter came in from the street. For Marlo, it's been
around eight years and she was NEVER interested in going out the front
door. In fact, she was in the house for a year before she would even
venture into the backyard. She just did not want to leave the house.
Smart girl.

Scooter only came in two years ago and still has out (the front door)
privileges. When he first came in he wanted to go out the front often,
and would stay out for hours at a time visiting his friends, finally
climbing over the fence into the backyard when he wanted to come back
in. Lately he almost never asks to leave via the front door and is
content to lie on the deck or under a bush in the back.

So, the cats pretty much have access to the outside whenever we're
home. They even go out during the winter, but that's a bit more
problematic because I need to open the back door for them to come and
go.

They never go out after it gets dark.
  #16  
Old July 9th 12, 09:06 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
Christina Websell
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Posts: 8,983
Default Ideal home for a cat


"jmcquown" wrote in message
...

"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...

"jmcquown" wrote in message
...

"Christina Websell" wrote in
message ...
Is it in an apartment or if they can get outside to hunt a bit?
Discuss.


Oh, we really don't want to get into the indoor-outdoor thing again, do
we? But okay, I'll play.

It depends on the situation. Persia was front-declawed before she came
to live with me. I was horrified someone let her wander around outside
with no real way to defend herself. It took a little time but she
adapted perfectly to being an indoor cat in an apartment. Even if she'd
had claws, she doesn't really seem to have the disposition of a hunter.
I know she is afraid of mice (unless they are the toy kind that rattle).

Jill


It's not my intention to get into an indoor/outdoor argument. If it
could be possible for your cat to be out with little traffic and no
alligators or predators would you do it?

Still probably not. The reason would be fleas and ticks most likely.

Jill


What?? You can easily protect your cat from these via your vet.






  #17  
Old July 9th 12, 09:30 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
Christina Websell
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Posts: 8,983
Default Ideal home for a cat


"Marina" wrote in message
...
On 7.7.2012 16:55, Wayne Mitchell wrote:
"Christina Websell" wrote:

Is it in an apartment or if they can get outside to hunt a bit?


They each have their own opinions.


They most certainly do. My niece had to stop taking Kira to the island in
the summers, because Kira stopped going out and she was clearly scared to
be on the island. She stays in town now when my niece goes to the island
(with her two other cats). My nephew looks after her while my niece is
away, and he has opened the door at home for her. She gingerly took a few
steps outside, streeetched her neck so that she could take a bite of
grass, and then she scurried inside again quickly.

Some cats just don't want to be outside.



Because they have not experienced it yet and are too scared to do it.





  #18  
Old July 10th 12, 02:20 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
Wayne Mitchell
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Posts: 329
Default Ideal home for a cat

"Christina Websell" wrote:

"Marina" wrote in message
...


Some cats just don't want to be outside.



Because they have not experienced it yet and are too scared to do it.


In this case Marina was talking about one who did have experience of
being outside and decided she didn't like it. My Heidi is another --
though I don't know how long she was a stray before being picked up and
taken to the shelter.
--

Wayne M.
  #19  
Old July 10th 12, 04:57 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
Marina
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Posts: 7,152
Default Ideal home for a cat

On 9.7.2012 23:30, Christina Websell wrote:
"Marina" wrote in message
...
On 7.7.2012 16:55, Wayne Mitchell wrote:
"Christina Websell" wrote:

Is it in an apartment or if they can get outside to hunt a bit?

They each have their own opinions.


They most certainly do. My niece had to stop taking Kira to the island in
the summers, because Kira stopped going out and she was clearly scared to
be on the island. She stays in town now when my niece goes to the island
(with her two other cats). My nephew looks after her while my niece is
away, and he has opened the door at home for her. She gingerly took a few
steps outside, streeetched her neck so that she could take a bite of
grass, and then she scurried inside again quickly.

Some cats just don't want to be outside.



Because they have not experienced it yet and are too scared to do it.


No, Kira spent her first three or four summers happily outside on the
island. Then suddenly, she decided she didn't want to be outside any more.

--
Marina, Miranda, Caliban and Viktor.
In loving memory of Frank and Nikki.



  #20  
Old July 10th 12, 07:05 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
Joy
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Posts: 7,086
Default Ideal home for a cat

"Marina" wrote in message
...
On 9.7.2012 23:30, Christina Websell wrote:
"Marina" wrote in message
...
On 7.7.2012 16:55, Wayne Mitchell wrote:
"Christina Websell" wrote:

Is it in an apartment or if they can get outside to hunt a bit?

They each have their own opinions.

They most certainly do. My niece had to stop taking Kira to the island
in
the summers, because Kira stopped going out and she was clearly scared
to
be on the island. She stays in town now when my niece goes to the island
(with her two other cats). My nephew looks after her while my niece is
away, and he has opened the door at home for her. She gingerly took a
few
steps outside, streeetched her neck so that she could take a bite of
grass, and then she scurried inside again quickly.

Some cats just don't want to be outside.



Because they have not experienced it yet and are too scared to do it.


No, Kira spent her first three or four summers happily outside on the
island. Then suddenly, she decided she didn't want to be outside any more.

--
Marina, Miranda, Caliban and Viktor.
In loving memory of Frank and Nikki.


Cats are just like people. One size does not fit all.

Joy


 




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