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  #1  
Old August 17th 05, 07:07 PM
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Indoor cats

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

  #2  
Old August 17th 05, 07:17 PM
Steve(JazzHunter)
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On 17 Aug 2005 11:07:05 -0700, 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


There might be a difference in the percentages of cats kept indoors,
that's all. My cousin who lives in Virginia Waters (England) keeps her
two cats indoors. And let's not forget it's illegal to declaw in
Britain, something that's done quite willingly by many vets in the
States if the owner just asks.

... Steve ..

  #3  
Old August 17th 05, 07:24 PM
Christina Websell
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


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







  #4  
Old August 17th 05, 07:38 PM
Victor M
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

wrote:
With regard to letting cats out: All the cats I know go outside, they


That's the way it is back home in Mexico. And that's how we kept our
beloved Quetzie. We went through half a dozen cats that way, many would
just disappear and would be presumed dead.

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.


Cats are not people.

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).


We have 7 indoor-only cats. Of those 7, Xoxo spent the first 2 years of
his life living outdoors exclusively. Guess which one of our cats shows
absolutely no interest in going outside?
It's not cruel, as long as you provide them with enough toys, cat
trees, etc., to keep them busy. Cats sleep up to 18 hours per day!

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


Indoor-only cats live longer, healthier lives.

It's interesting, do you think it's a cultural thing? How long have


Might be. But I'm not american and after our Quetzie died in surgery
after being run over by a car I swore I'd never again allow one of my
pets to be hit by a car. It's a 100% preventable accident, and I choose
to prevent it. I will never go through that much pain if I can help it.

Cheers.

Victor

  #5  
Old August 17th 05, 07:58 PM
Jennifer
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

wrote:
snip
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).
snip
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



I live in the US, close to DC, and I keep my cats indoors because:

- There are lots of animals out there that may cause physical harm.
Foxes, feral dogs and cats, skunks, etc. Rabies is relatively common
all throughout the mid-Atlantic region. Lyme disease is also very
common in my area.

- There's a lot of native wildlife that I don't think should be
pillaged by my non-native cats, including birds and insects.

- I see it as my responsibility to keep my pets off of other peoples'
property. My choice to keep pet cats should not affect my neighbors -
no pooping in their gardens, no digging up their potted plants, no
antagonizing their pets, etc.

- On a related note, there are people who do not take kindly to having
their yards and gardens disturbed by loose animals, and they can and
will call animal control, or deliberately poison wandering pets.

- There is a ton of traffic everywhere in the DC area. Even if traffic
was slow, it only takes one car to flatten your cat. In fact, one of
my aunts lives in farm country where traffic is light, and she's had
two cats killed by passing cars in the last five years.

When I decided to adopt cats, I took responsibility for their welfare
and their behavior. I provide an interesting, continuously-changing
indoor environment for them (luckily, that often means moving cat trees
around. As far as they're concerned, if it's in a different room, it's
a brand new toy . I make sure they get a healthy diet and plenty of
exercise, and I'm still debating building them an outdoor enclosure.

Outdoor enclosures really seem to be the best solution. They allow the
cats access to the outdoors, which many seem to enjoy, while protecting
them from most of the dangers.

I don't think it's really cultural; it's just practical. Unless
feeling responsible for your cats health and for not bothering your
neighbors is a cultural thing

Also, keeping cats indoors really doesn't seem cruel at all. Seriously
- I know many many indoor cats, and the only ones that seem "unhappy"
(anthropormorphizing, I know) are the ones that seem bored, but indoors
does not have to equal bored.

It really is most common (and recommended) in the US to keep cats
indoors, or at least in outdoor enclosures.

--
Jennifer

  #6  
Old August 17th 05, 08:13 PM
kilikini
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


"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


I don't want my cats outside because cars don't stop for them, we have
raccoons (rabid), possums (rabid), rats (rabid) not to mention the fleas,
ear mites, feline leukemia, feline aids.........why WOULD you let your cat
out? Seriously? Do you like paying for vet visits? My female cat, Chloe
is very happy to be where she is; she's SUCH the sweetheart, my male cat is
a devil in cat's clothing. I'd love to let him out just to get the dickens
out of him, but at what cost? 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


  #7  
Old August 17th 05, 08:15 PM
kilikini
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


"Jennifer" wrote in message
oups.com...
wrote:
snip
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).
snip
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



I live in the US, close to DC, and I keep my cats indoors because:

- There are lots of animals out there that may cause physical harm.
Foxes, feral dogs and cats, skunks, etc. Rabies is relatively common
all throughout the mid-Atlantic region. Lyme disease is also very
common in my area.

- There's a lot of native wildlife that I don't think should be
pillaged by my non-native cats, including birds and insects.

- I see it as my responsibility to keep my pets off of other peoples'
property. My choice to keep pet cats should not affect my neighbors -
no pooping in their gardens, no digging up their potted plants, no
antagonizing their pets, etc.

- On a related note, there are people who do not take kindly to having
their yards and gardens disturbed by loose animals, and they can and
will call animal control, or deliberately poison wandering pets.

- There is a ton of traffic everywhere in the DC area. Even if traffic
was slow, it only takes one car to flatten your cat. In fact, one of
my aunts lives in farm country where traffic is light, and she's had
two cats killed by passing cars in the last five years.

When I decided to adopt cats, I took responsibility for their welfare
and their behavior. I provide an interesting, continuously-changing
indoor environment for them (luckily, that often means moving cat trees
around. As far as they're concerned, if it's in a different room, it's
a brand new toy . I make sure they get a healthy diet and plenty of
exercise, and I'm still debating building them an outdoor enclosure.

Outdoor enclosures really seem to be the best solution. They allow the
cats access to the outdoors, which many seem to enjoy, while protecting
them from most of the dangers.

I don't think it's really cultural; it's just practical. Unless
feeling responsible for your cats health and for not bothering your
neighbors is a cultural thing

Also, keeping cats indoors really doesn't seem cruel at all. Seriously
- I know many many indoor cats, and the only ones that seem "unhappy"
(anthropormorphizing, I know) are the ones that seem bored, but indoors
does not have to equal bored.

It really is most common (and recommended) in the US to keep cats
indoors, or at least in outdoor enclosures.

--
Jennifer



Well said, Jennifer.

kili


  #8  
Old August 17th 05, 08:18 PM
Smokie Darling (Annie)
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


Christina Websell wrote:
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


Piggy-backing on Tweed (lightly, dear, wouldn't want to hurt you):


Another thing, at least in my area... I've seen (and reported) people
who swerve their vehicle in order TO hit a cat, I've seen them drive
onto people's lawns (or sidewalks, or the other side of the road) in
order to run over a cat. Then we've got the ones (in my
neighbo(u)rhood) who enjoy poisoning animals (they've been reported as
well) or shooting them (not just cats).

Where I live the predators are as Tweed listed, then there are the
feral dogs, who do not know how to "kill" correctly, and that is the
worst thing to find (they don't do a kill bite at the throat or spine -
they just rip that animal apart while it's still fighting) and/or hear.
I've seen this, and gotten bitten trying to stop an attack on a little
kid (I managed, baseball bats are wonderful things) with several other
people.

Some of the predators here aren't just interested in cats, they like to
get dogs, ponies, and children too. One is only allowed to kill a
predator if it's attacking a child (or adult), and even then one gets
to deal with fines and punishment for killing "protected" species
(punishment seems to be community service in the few cases I know
about).

Smokie Darling (Annie) - all of my masters and mistresses now prefer
the "great" indoors, so long as they can look outside.

  #9  
Old August 17th 05, 08:19 PM
Exocat
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Posts: n/a
Default


wrote
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.


I'm in quiet rural Cornwall (UK). Having lost my beloved Kensey to
beheading by a farm implement towed behind a tractor (so much wider than
a car so could catch him waiting in the hedgerow) on the quietest of
country lanes, despite his 8 years of traffic experience including the
occasional very near miss/brush, I swore "never again". Bandit, whom I
got from CP aged around 2 and was experienced in the "out" isn't very
confident and lurks within yards of the house, so moves freely during
the day. Pericles (RB from the FIP virus), Snowball and soon Claudius
was/is/will be harness & flexilead trained and did/does/will go
"walkies" around the garden and even the village as & when they want.
Big red Pericles was a talking point in our community as he led me for
miles around the local footpaths etc.

With our local keen gardeners all being hostile to cats (digging &
pooping) & using lethal slug pellets etc. it isn't only traffic & foxes
that can kill, even in the most peaceful rural area.

So I've adopted the safety-first American approach. Nearly everyone I
talk to knows _someone_ who leash-walks a cat, esp. in towns etc. so it
seems to be getting more common.

If I could resolve border issues with my neighbours I'd try to instal a
cat-proof fence around the whole (small) back garden, but with dividing
lines being theirs & consisting of sheds etc. it's practically
impossible. My "boys" thus get a quieter life than they might like
ideally, but certainly a longer one.

Purrs

Gordon, Bandit, Snowball, Claudius & Raki



  #10  
Old August 17th 05, 08:24 PM
Adrian
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Posts: n/a
Default

Steve(JazzHunter) wrote:
On 17 Aug 2005 11:07:05 -0700, 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


There might be a difference in the percentages of cats kept indoors,
that's all. My cousin who lives in Virginia Waters (England) keeps her
two cats indoors. And let's not forget it's illegal to declaw in
Britain, something that's done quite willingly by many vets in the
States if the owner just asks.

.. Steve ..


I've met many cats outside in Virginia Water, your cousin's definately
in the minority. Of course all the large preditors were killed off by
humans in the UK, hundreds of years ago, if they were still arround the
situation may be different.
--
Adrian (Owned by Snoopy & Bagheera)
A house is not a home, without a cat.
http://community.webshots.com/user/clowderuk


 




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