i think you will be hard pressed to find a breeder who will allow outside. I have it expressly in my contract as well that its not allowed.
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Best Cat breed to be outside occasionally...HELP!
- Thread starter friendgirl
- Start Date
With regard to the outdoors question ... my contract specifies that any kitten purchased from me must:
"Be indoors only at all times unless confined in an appropriate, secure carrier and handled by a competant adult."
"Be indoors only at all times unless confined in an appropriate, secure carrier and handled by a competant adult."
Allie,
How do you enforce the fine you impose on people who violate the contract?
I'm curious because I have a clause in my contract to impose a fine/fee if certain things aren't adhered to, but I've never had to go after someone for the money. I assume I'll have to go to small claims court.
I'd be interested in the "fine" enforcement too.
Now I know this might throw a spanner in the works and I expect some of you to totally disagree with this, but thats fine. I believe this site always encourages views from both sides
My friend (here in Spain ) owns a Bengal, they brought him over from the UK where he was a totally an INDOOR kit. Now he is an outdoor / indoor kit and for the 4 years they have been here, she has commented on many occasions that she believes he is much happier being let out.
Now I am not suggesting that you go and get a Bengal and I am sure our Bengal breeders will have something to say about this.
There is no one answer to this question. There are many factors to be taken into consideration, the environment (both indoor & outdoor) the type of cat, how the owner cares & takes responsiblity for the cat etc...etc................I just dont think theres one easy answer to this. Hopefully with views from all side of a debate the OP can then make an informed decision.
My friend (here in Spain ) owns a Bengal, they brought him over from the UK where he was a totally an INDOOR kit. Now he is an outdoor / indoor kit and for the 4 years they have been here, she has commented on many occasions that she believes he is much happier being let out.
Now I am not suggesting that you go and get a Bengal and I am sure our Bengal breeders will have something to say about this.
There is no one answer to this question. There are many factors to be taken into consideration, the environment (both indoor & outdoor) the type of cat, how the owner cares & takes responsiblity for the cat etc...etc................I just dont think theres one easy answer to this. Hopefully with views from all side of a debate the OP can then make an informed decision.
I would agree that it depends on a lot of things. I know in England/Australia its common practice to have cats indoor/outdoor. But in the US, its pushed to be indoors. I feel its a lot safer in the long run. I suppose that if I was living/grew up in Australia, I could not imagine keeping the cats inside their entire lives.
You have pros and cons. IMO the cons kinda outweigh the pros
You have pros and cons. IMO the cons kinda outweigh the pros
There is little doubt that bengal cats enjoy going outside. Mine want to go out all the time. I take a select few (the ones that obey me and listen when I say no) out into the backyard for some exercise. They like to run full blast around the yard. My wife and I are always with them and when we're tired of the game, they have to come in with us.
So, supervised is the rule and I think it's ok.
I don't think unsupervised roaming is a good thing at all, especially for bengals.
First of all most bengals are very social and gravitate towards humans. Letting one run loose is just asking for him to be stolen.
Bengals are also extremely quick, athletic and agile, which is very bad for the birds in the neighborhood.
Because most bengals are fearless, they tend to get themselves into predicaments by doing dumb things.
I.E. Last night one of our boys decided he would jump from the floor onto the range hood. The hood is clearly not a flat surface, it's at a 45 degree angle and made out of slippery metal. The boy made it to the hood, instantly lost his footing and tumbled back down to the floor. Luckily he didn't get hurt and he of course walked off as if he had meant to do all that and it was no big deal.
Knowing how nosey bengals are about everything, I think letting one run loose outside unsupervised is just asking for trouble.
So, supervised is the rule and I think it's ok.
I don't think unsupervised roaming is a good thing at all, especially for bengals.
First of all most bengals are very social and gravitate towards humans. Letting one run loose is just asking for him to be stolen.
Bengals are also extremely quick, athletic and agile, which is very bad for the birds in the neighborhood.
Because most bengals are fearless, they tend to get themselves into predicaments by doing dumb things.
I.E. Last night one of our boys decided he would jump from the floor onto the range hood. The hood is clearly not a flat surface, it's at a 45 degree angle and made out of slippery metal. The boy made it to the hood, instantly lost his footing and tumbled back down to the floor. Luckily he didn't get hurt and he of course walked off as if he had meant to do all that and it was no big deal.
Knowing how nosey bengals are about everything, I think letting one run loose outside unsupervised is just asking for trouble.
Too bad you didn't have the video or camera to get a picture
I have always had indoor/outdoor cats and thought they were happier like that, but losing my Alley to cytauxzoonosis, even though she was flea/tick protected, has changed my mind. When I do get another cat, whether from a breeder or a shelter, I don't think I would even let it out on a leash. I noticed the OP lives in Texas and should be especially careful of this disease. There is just too much that can happen to a cat outside, no matter how careful you are. I learned the hard way.
Nial,
A lot of the time, we get tipped off by vets who are aware of our policies, or our cats are picked up and returned to us, since implanter information stays with the AVID chips. Generally, we point out the $500 fine on the contract that they signed (we keep the originals) and generally, they pay up. We have a lawyer who takes cases like this pro bono and we HAVe ended up in small claims court.
We used to have indoor/outdoor cats but now I would never allow my cat to be outdoor. To much danger. My indoor cats are clean, and safe, and I don't have to worry about all kind of things they could get into being outdoors.Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45
I would agree that it depends on a lot of things. I know in England/Australia its common practice to have cats indoor/outdoor. But in the US, its pushed to be indoors. I feel its a lot safer in the long run. I suppose that if I was living/grew up in Australia, I could not imagine keeping the cats inside their entire lives.
You have pros and cons. IMO the cons kinda outweigh the pros
Zillions of moggies go outside and live long lives. Worry less unless you live in a highly urban area like the city, where IMHO you might not want the cat to go out.
Cats are on the whole fairly smart and savvy about cars etc.
Or at least the ones that survive are..
Having said that - there are other dangers - my Manx got poisoned from a bad rat (the rat had eatn poison and she got it from the rat), and had sizures and cost me 2,200 dollars of vet bills over Xmas. She seems fine now, BTW.
My other Cat Diablo (the best cat I have ever or will ever own) got hit by a car (grazed actually) and miracle of miracles survived with minimal damage at age 11 years. He is now 16 going on 17 years. Soooo....
Diablo would never have been happy indoors - at one point when he was young, we had to make him indoors in the city. My solution and his was to leash walk every single night for poops and tree scratching...(which you know he took to remarkablely well...) When I got to the suburbs I lived on a park/lake and he had lots of safe areas to roam, so out he went.
He got in many many fights (he's a scrapper) and chased dogs.
His leash habits made him popular at the vets, since he never went
in a carrier - only leashed. He would wait paitently on the vet's counter
till it was his turn to be seen. The vet's staff always were amazed
at Diablo, LOL!
He now has arthritis from the wounds, plus the car accident. But he still goes out and isn't happy if he doesn't get to stretch and claw and poop outside... even as a geriatric guy!!
I have another cat Shebs entirely content to stay in or sit on the porch and nibble grass from a basket...Has been like that her entire life...She's 17 and in worse shape than Diablo with hematomas in her ears, hyperthyroidism, and arthritis up the wazoo. But, she never went outdoors, except to laze in the fenced in back yard...
I had a pet door for them, so they could come and go as they pleased.
My cats have always been Indoor/outdoor despite the dangers. I feel they are happier and more "natural" that way.
For the record, I've never had poop elimnination problems, clawing of furniture or spraying. Ever. I attribute it to the fact they go outside...
Of course, I also know I could lose my cat to a car or something one day.
I worry about it alot, but let them out despite that because they need
the exercise and I think it is better for them mentally ...
When I'm away its a different story and they stay inside. They always
hate it and are desperate to get out when I get home...
Indoors makes sense depending on your location, and the flightyness of the cat. Some cats simply are dumb about the dangers. No ever taught them.
Me, I tried to teach my cats, but Diablo seemed already to know about them, LOL...
Outdoors makes sense if you've a cat that has a urge that's too strong
to tame or re-channel...
Cats are on the whole fairly smart and savvy about cars etc.
Or at least the ones that survive are..
Having said that - there are other dangers - my Manx got poisoned from a bad rat (the rat had eatn poison and she got it from the rat), and had sizures and cost me 2,200 dollars of vet bills over Xmas. She seems fine now, BTW.
My other Cat Diablo (the best cat I have ever or will ever own) got hit by a car (grazed actually) and miracle of miracles survived with minimal damage at age 11 years. He is now 16 going on 17 years. Soooo....
Diablo would never have been happy indoors - at one point when he was young, we had to make him indoors in the city. My solution and his was to leash walk every single night for poops and tree scratching...(which you know he took to remarkablely well...) When I got to the suburbs I lived on a park/lake and he had lots of safe areas to roam, so out he went.
He got in many many fights (he's a scrapper) and chased dogs.
His leash habits made him popular at the vets, since he never went
in a carrier - only leashed. He would wait paitently on the vet's counter
till it was his turn to be seen. The vet's staff always were amazed
at Diablo, LOL!
He now has arthritis from the wounds, plus the car accident. But he still goes out and isn't happy if he doesn't get to stretch and claw and poop outside... even as a geriatric guy!!
I have another cat Shebs entirely content to stay in or sit on the porch and nibble grass from a basket...Has been like that her entire life...She's 17 and in worse shape than Diablo with hematomas in her ears, hyperthyroidism, and arthritis up the wazoo. But, she never went outdoors, except to laze in the fenced in back yard...
I had a pet door for them, so they could come and go as they pleased.
My cats have always been Indoor/outdoor despite the dangers. I feel they are happier and more "natural" that way.
For the record, I've never had poop elimnination problems, clawing of furniture or spraying. Ever. I attribute it to the fact they go outside...
Of course, I also know I could lose my cat to a car or something one day.
I worry about it alot, but let them out despite that because they need
the exercise and I think it is better for them mentally ...
When I'm away its a different story and they stay inside. They always
hate it and are desperate to get out when I get home...
Indoors makes sense depending on your location, and the flightyness of the cat. Some cats simply are dumb about the dangers. No ever taught them.
Me, I tried to teach my cats, but Diablo seemed already to know about them, LOL...
Outdoors makes sense if you've a cat that has a urge that's too strong
to tame or re-channel...
