Re: Outdoor cats

[XemaSab]

[tech3149]

1. That's been my experience also

For every hundred moles and mice one unlucky young bird might get caught. Even the most patient and skillful hunter with a good hide has trouble.

[GreenEyedLefty]

2. Yup. Outdoor cats are non-native predators...

And kill untold numbers of songbirds.

My cat is past his hunting prime (at age 14 he is going a little dotty and is deaf) but spent his life indoors.

[Bigmack]

3. Yes... but outdoor cats fill an important niche in nature....

... coyote food.

Keep 'em indoors. It's only a matter of time.....

[riderinthestorm]

4. 25+ years as a barn cat owner (3-5 cats at any given time) and haven't lost any to coyotes

the last barn cat died at 18 yrs old of liver failure when 3 years of twice daily thyroid meds finally stopped working.

I have three barn cats now: all were dumped here and were promptly vaxxed, neutered and socialized ranging in age from @ 4 yrs old to 7 yrs old (best guesstimate by my vet). They have a place in my farmyard ecosystem and do their job keeping the rodent population at bay.




(I thought the "outdoor cats bad" threads were scheduled for next month. I'm always the last to learn when these types of annual threads are due!)

[Bigmack]

5. No problem, then.... let nature take it's course. nt

[VScott]

6. I trap them

I know by sight most of the neighborhood cats that wander around, some I even name
('Dolph' for instance, because he/she is a Hitler cat http://www.catsthatlooklikehitler.com/cgi-bin/seigmiaow.pl).

Most are house cats that are let out from time to time and are somewhat timid (or lazy); Dolph for instance
wouldn't harm a mouse if you dropped it in front of his/her face.

Occasionally, a feral or escapee cat shows up in my backyard that is a natural born hunter and preys upon
the songbirds (I have 3 feeders set out... my war on squirrels is another story ).

The final straw was when I found what was left of a male cardinal... that's it, anymore cats in my yard
are fair game

Four times I've captured domesticated cats. Those I released, but not before I attached a note to two
of them (they had collars), warning/advising the owners to either keep their cats indoors or attach a
bell to them, because if I capture it again, it's going to be dropped off at a shelter.

The 5 ferals I've caught, went straight to the drop off point, presumably to never to see, or kill
another songbird instead.

[LWolf]

7. I believe you.

I believe everyone who tells me this, even though it's not at all my experience with outdoor cats.

I grew up with outdoor cats. I've had cats all of my life, and only in the last decade, living too rurally to protect them from coyotes, hawks, owls, etc., have I kept them indoors all the time. I've listened, though.

Even though my cats were amazing rodent hunters, gave me rodents over and over and over and over, they very rarely EVER took a bird. And then...it was the ubiquitous house finch that fell victim to them.

I sincerely believe you, though. My current cat has never been allowed outside off of a harness, and has only killed the random rodent that makes it into the house.

[MicaelS]

8. I don't like feral cats.

Frankly, I'd choose birds over feral cats any day of the week, even if said birds crap on my car.

Of course in the here and now US, cat are all but worshiped as gods, and it's almost like an Atheist criticizing Christianity to say anything against cats. I like cats fine, as long as they belong to someone else, and as long as they are kept indoors 24/7.

[gollygee]

9. When I was a child my family had an outdoor cat

She learned to stalk prey without setting off her bell. It would go off just as she pounced. She was a skillfull hunter. She got hit by a car very young so she didn't have a chance to kill as many as she might have.

My cat is an indoor cat. She watches birds at the window but she can't get at them.