Warning: Very Mean Vent!

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Average Pet Owner II:

Driving along the interstate yesterday, I saw your “pet.†Stretched out, lifeless and cold, on the side of the road, with a streak of blood leading to the place where heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d been struck by a car before he crawled away to die, alone.

I used my cell phone to call animal control, who will come and undertake the thankless task of removing the poor animal to a place where his body will be incinerated.

Thatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s the price of “freedom.†After all, itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s so cruel to keep an animal indoors, isnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t it? So mean to prevent it from roaming free as it would if it didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t have you, its proud “owner,†who throws some Olâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji] Roy into a dirty bowl on the back porch and refills its water bowl only when itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s dry empty, and gets angry because your bitch seems to get pregnant “just to spite you†even though you never bothered to get her spayed.

Or maybe your “pet†was a cat, and you thought he was so cute when he was a kitten, but then he started scratching the furniture and yowling at you because youâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d never had him neutered, so you decided he should “be free†and you let him go outside to impregnate all the female cats in the vicinity whose owners were just as clueless and irresponsible as you are, and lead to more and more kittens who are “free†out there, starving to death and getting hit by cars and killed by wild animals and freezing in winter and sweltering in summer, all because itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s so “cruel†to keep pets indoors.

Oh, my fondest hope would be that you realize that a dog should never be outside unless heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s with you on a leash or in a fenced yard (NOT chained up), and that a cat should be an indoor pet, period. That you figure out that all pets should be spayed or neutered, and that they need training and socialization to become the best pets. That you stop thinking “itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s just an animal,†and realize that if youâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re not ready to see that “animal†as a family member, youâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re not ready to have a pet. But since I know thatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s not likely, I hope that you do the rest of the world a favor and donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t “replace†your pet, if you even notice or care what happened to him.

Failing that, I hope you die alone and scared and hurting by the side of the road, with nobody there to ease your passing. Not a very Christian thought, but no worse than the actions that brought me to it.

Sincerely,
Someone Who Loves Animals

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P.S. from Vibiana: I actually wrote this, it's not copied from anywhere. I don't mind if you copy it to other places, but please credit it to Vibiana if you do. Thank you.

Maybe this should be published in a newspaper or somewhere else rather than on a cat lovers forum. In talking with the folks here, I think the majority are responsible pet owners who accept their pet as a member of their family.

Thank You for the vent. I feel the same way. Everyone please pray that the poor puppy dog is up at the rainbow bridge now and no longer lonely and scared

Bravo!

Not every cat is meant to be indoors. People who rescue feral cats and take care of colonies, know the heartbreak for finding a cat dead on the road, one they hoped would survive the odds. Most feral cats only live about 5 years.

I have one fella that will be turning 11 this year. He has never been in the house except a few times and he ate his way out of our bedroom one time when he was confined for an injury.

I understand people who let their cats outside. I just hope they weigh all the risks, consider the traffic flow, the population near them, outside predators and infectious diseases. I do not think that people who have inside/outside cats are bad pet owners. Again, it depends on your location, how many cats you have and if you really know the risks.

My cats until this year were all inside/outside cats. They used to be safe, that is no longer the case anymore. The highway was widened outside our home and I lost to many the last part of 2004 and into 2005. Now they have the comfort of an outside enclosure.

I get angrier with the people who let their cats outside that are not spayed and neutered, more than I would get upset with someone who lets their cats outside during the day, after they are fixed.

Originally Posted by hissy

Not every cat is meant to be indoors ... Most feral cats only live about 5 years ...

I understand people who let their cats outside. I just hope they weigh all the risks, consider the traffic flow, the population near them, outside predators and infectious diseases. I do not think that people who have inside/outside cats are bad pet owners. Again, it depends on your location, how many cats you have and if you really know the risks.

My cats until this year were all inside/outside cats. They used to be safe, that is no longer the case anymore. The highway was widened outside our home and I lost to many the last part of 2004 and into 2005. Now they have the comfort of an outside enclosure.

I get angrier with the people who let their cats outside that are not spayed and neutered, more than I would get upset with someone who lets their cats outside during the day, after they are fixed.

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If it were only getting hit by cars, I'd agree with you. However, I can't. Fleas, earmites, and worms are everywhere for an outdoor cat. As far as I'm concerned, domestic pets belong indoors. The only exceptions I could see would be big dogs who are securely enclosed behind a fence too tall for them to jump -- and even they should be indoors most of the time. They're pets, not lawn furniture.

Most municipalities have laws against animals running free, although in the case of cats they are widely ignored. This is one reason why there are so many feral cats in the first place! While I agree with the people who dedicate themselves to managing feral colonies, if people used their brains and kept cats indoors where they belong, they wouldn't run off and go feral to begin with (and yes, I know there will always be a certain number of totally wild cats).

The fact that most feral cats only live about five years is a tragedy when a healthy indoor cat can live close to 20. As far as I'm concerned, the reason some cats "aren't meant to be indoor cats" is that they've been allowed outside, and in my book, that's just plain wrong. I'm sorry we disagree, but it's how I feel.

We do disagree- the people are wrong to not spay and neuter. Bottom line this is why there are so many cats "running free" It has nothing to do with inside only cats, because inside only cats not spayed or neutered will escape, especially during breeding season, and meet up and make unwanted kittens.

That is all I am saying- you have your views that I respect, even though they are not the part of reality that I have seen for over 20 years-

Originally Posted by Vibiana

If it were only getting hit by cars, I'd agree with you. However, I can't. Fleas, earmites, and worms are everywhere for an outdoor cat. As far as I'm concerned, domestic pets belong indoors. The only exceptions I could see would be big dogs who are securely enclosed behind a fence too tall for them to jump -- and even they should be indoors most of the time. They're pets, not lawn furniture.

Most municipalities have laws against animals running free, although in the case of cats they are widely ignored. This is one reason why there are so many feral cats in the first place! While I agree with the people who dedicate themselves to managing feral colonies, if people used their brains and kept cats indoors where they belong, they wouldn't run off and go feral to begin with (and yes, I know there will always be a certain number of totally wild cats).

The fact that most feral cats only live about five years is a tragedy when a healthy indoor cat can live close to 20. As far as I'm concerned, the reason some cats "aren't meant to be indoor cats" is that they've been allowed outside, and in my book, that's just plain wrong. I'm sorry we disagree, but it's how I feel.

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The fact that most feral cats only live about five years is a tragedy when a healthy indoor cat can live close to 20. As far as I'm concerned, the reason some cats "aren't meant to be indoor cats" is that they've been allowed outside, and in my book, that's just plain wrong. I'm sorry we disagree, but it's how I feel.

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Information on Feral Cats:

http://www.alleycat.org/visitor.html

This is from Nathan Winograd:

The notion that all cats should be indoors only, regardless of where one lives is as silly as it sounds. The notion that outdoor cats are guaranteed a life of disease is contradicted by the facts (In San Francisco, for example, ten years of feral cat TNR demonstrated that the FeLV and FIV rate in feral cats was about 1-2%, the same as the pet cat population in a crowded city where most people kept them indoors). This idea that life on the streets is hard for all defies common experience. If you work in a shelter, do what I call the "chubby" test. For every feral cat that comes in a three or six month period, mark whether they look healthy and of adequate weight, or whether they are scrawny and sickly. For most shelters, most of the ferals will be plump - having found some niche where they are eating and doing well. There will always be counter-examples. But for the most part, life on the streets ain't so bad (at any rate, are we actually going to accept the ludicrous claim that because some feral cats will suffer, all feral cats should be killed as a preventative?) So stop promoting it as incontrovertible.

Gosh, I love that man!

hissy and TNR ...

You're right, hissy, I did leave out the importance of spaying/neutering and its contribution to the overpopulation of feral cats. I guess what I'm saying is that I can't stand the thought of an animal having to live rough -- with no sure bet on where its next meal is coming from -- and it breaks my heart to think that even with all the kind people who feed ferals and provide them with shelter in cold weather, there will still be animals who die.

Guess I'm too soft hearted for my own good. And maybe too opinionated. LOL

EDITED TO ADD that I don't agree with euthanizing ferals instead of TNR either. That probably doesn't make sense either. LOL

Our experience with Adelaide bears out what Nathan Winograd said. She came to us last year chubby (those who were around at the time may remember we pondered whether she was pregnant) and healthy but feral/stray. She was very frightened. Having been socialised she is now a happy, healthy former feral/stray who lives a full indoor/outdoor life with our other 2 indoor/outdoor girls.

All our indoor/outdoor kitties have lived/are living full lives not curtailed by accident or illness in an area where the risks are low.

Having said that, for our two indoor kitties we have decided that they are too small and too susceptible to the cold to live an indoor/outdoor life and they are indoor only.

Everyone of our kitties whether indoor only or indoor/outdoor are fixed, vaccinated and preventatively treated regularly for parasites.

For me, the choice whether to allow a kitty to be indoor/outdoor should be that of the human responsible for the cat's welfare, carefully made, balancing all the issues that would affect the cat in that particular area.

Originally Posted by Vibiana

If it were only getting hit by cars, I'd agree with you. However, I can't. Fleas, earmites, and worms are everywhere for an outdoor cat. As far as I'm concerned, domestic pets belong indoors. The only exceptions I could see would be big dogs who are securely enclosed behind a fence too tall for them to jump -- and even they should be indoors most of the time. They're pets, not lawn furniture.

Most municipalities have laws against animals running free, although in the case of cats they are widely ignored. This is one reason why there are so many feral cats in the first place! While I agree with the people who dedicate themselves to managing feral colonies, if people used their brains and kept cats indoors where they belong, they wouldn't run off and go feral to begin with (and yes, I know there will always be a certain number of totally wild cats).

The fact that most feral cats only live about five years is a tragedy when a healthy indoor cat can live close to 20. As far as I'm concerned, the reason some cats "aren't meant to be indoor cats" is that they've been allowed outside, and in my book, that's just plain wrong. I'm sorry we disagree, but it's how I feel.

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I agree that the best scenario is when animals can be cared for inside. There are exceptions to this rule. In my own case, I had one indoor cat for years, like 15 or 16 at least. When we added the second cat, my husband developed allergies. Rather than take my cats to the shelter, we purchased the "cat fence in system". This attached to a wood fence or existing chain link fence keeps animals out of the yard and keeps the cats inside the fence.
Yes, I have to deal with fleas. I use frontline for that purpose. My cats get a yearly exam and vaccinations. They are taken to the vet at the first sign of illness or odd behavior. I just lost a cat who lived inside with us for 6 years and five years outside in this fence enclosure. We have two other cats who have also lived outside five years in this fence with the enclosure.
They have never gotten outside of the fence. I grieve for this cat who died in July. My heart hurts. I love my cats. They are precious members of our family. My husband loves them too and he never complains about the vet bills.
Both cats I have now have had urinary problems. They both eat prescription cat food. One of these cats had a terrible time this summer getting blocked up. The bills were close to $1000 for this cat. So, I hope this lets you know there are some cases of outside animals who are loved and cared for to the best of our ability. This outside enclosure is a godsend for me because it enables me to keep my cats rather than give them up to someone else or a shelter. My husband has to come first. I couldn't watch him being sick because of my cats.

Oh, while we're at it, lets congratulate all the military heroes who adopt animals stateside, and then abandon them when they get stationed somewhere else. I read somewhere that "shelter" populations increased by several hundred per military base when the war in Iraq started.

I agree with Hissy - cats are like children, you provide the best possible upbringing and as safe an environment as you can, and then you have to trust them. I would no more let a child cross a busy road by itself than I would let cats roam free near traffic or likely predators. When I lived in London my cat was indoor only. Here I have carefully chosen a house which has no through traffic near it and fields to the side, and htere are no predators. But I still keep the cats inside at night and they do not go out till they are at least 6 months old. They love being out, even though they have a large house with toys in every room. I only have to sit and watch them int he field to know they wre in their natural environment. In the UK the animal organisations will often not let you take a cat unless you can provide access to outside - it is a different cultural attitude..

While I believe that there is a place for outdoor cats, I also think that the majority are better off indoors. When I moved into my neighborhood, I began to help feed Mouser, who was also being fed by my neighbors. She was a spayed female who had been there for at least 10 years. We figured that she was 15 when I had to have her ptl because of cancer. I don't believe she would have adapted to being indoor only after living so many years outdoors.

On the other hand, there is a house that I drive by on the way to work. This year alone I personally saw 1 dead cat and 2 dead dogs on the side of the street near their house. It made me so angry, sad, and sick that people would value their pets so little that they would allow this to happen.

Yes, life is cruel... I had an exclusively indoor cat who died of cancer, and his whole life, he intinctively knew that he'd love to feel the sunshine on his fur, and romp on the lawn & dig his claws into tree bark, but he died young, never knowing those pleasures. And my sis had an indoor cat who died of kidney problems, depsite thousands of dollars of the best of vet care, food, treatments, etc. Death happens. I'm not saying be irresponsible, just use common sense & the best judgement possible.
As for the military people who adopted pets; they weren't expecting this Iraq thing. Should their pets have just been unadopted, to perish in the county gas chamber, without even a semblance of home life? do you encourage others to sign up to foster military pets?? I see thousands of "Support the Troops" ribbons & flags, yet not enough homes to foster military pets... this is hypocrasy at its worst, IMO. Spread the word - yahoo has a militarydogs_cats rescue site where you can find out how to take in a foster military pet. Unfortunately, most of the bases are too far away from us, and my parents & I haven't been called to take in a pet, yet, but my sis has 2 cats that are now permanent adoptees, but at least they didn't have to be killed in the shelter.
Bless you for your passion & fire on this subject! It does have it's place, but sometimes all the rhetoric in the world will fall on deaf ears, whereas a simple example such as , "Meet my new doggie - well, he's a foster...." would have more impact. I say this because this situation reminds me of when I had to take in a grandma & a newborn, very unexpectedly, and I thought, No problem, the Anti-Abortion rally had just been held & there was such a good turnout, surely there's tons of people who'd be excited to help. WRONG! WRONG! WRONG! Turns out, the most help I got was, with the exception of an exhausted Salvation Army, from the "heathen types", those who said they don't believe in God, but were more than willing to help out the "least of His children"..... makes ya think, that's for sure. Sorry for the ramble, but somehow, it all does tie together, in the end. It's the pets, the disabled, the children, the elderly that need our love, our help the most & thank God that there are so many wonderful people here on TCS who are making a difference!!

Originally Posted by Kathylou

Oh, while we're at it, lets congratulate all the military heroes who adopt animals stateside, and then abandon them when they get stationed somewhere else. I read somewhere that "shelter" populations increased by several hundred per military base when the war in Iraq started.

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I have been military all my life, which I know you were too for a while. Most military families have pets. When they are stationed overseas and cannot take their pets with them, where are they supposed to go??

You are ususally far away from family that could keep them for you until you returned. Your friends usually have many pets and children already. There were ALWAYS columns and columns in the base paper of people trying to rehome pets because they were PCSing.

Sometimes they get a 6month notice that they are PCSing, sometimes they get a month notice. For people who only have a couple of months to get ready to leave, there is barely time to breath, much less spend days and days searching for somewhere to rehome a pet.

Some overseas places you can take your pets, but they have to stay at a public "lock-up". You can make appointments to vist your pet once a week for an hour and you can take it out to run around. That is definetly no way for an animal to live.

A lot of bases that are being privatized now are having animals restrictions. So if you have GSD at one base, the base you are going to may not allow GSD's and you cant take them, there is no compromise there.
Like I said, I would rather they take them to a shelter, than just set them free on the street.

Sometimes people just dont have the money to adopt. We were required to put up a fence if we had dogs at my last base. An initial install fee and month 'renting' payments. We couldnt afford that. If we could've I would own a beautiful Golden Retriever right now.

Military families are usually VERY attached to their pets. Having family members deploy often, these pets give them comfort. They dont do it to me mean, and I have seen grown men BAWL when they take their pet away, but there are not usually a whole lot of other options.
I know, I have been there.
And I dont appreciate your sarcastic congratulations.
I really dont mean to be rude, but I am sure you know most of this since you have been married to the military. It seems you would have a better understanding of what happens, and you wouldnt be so quick to criticize.

Honestly, cats really aren't meant to be indoors period. If you think about it a cat really isn't "domesticated". You can't train them like you can a dog, and they really don't rely on us for companionship as much as we rely on them. Yeah there's a million dangers outside, but cats are romaers. And outdoor cats actually tend to live a healthier life. They don't get overweight because they get to run around all day, male cats don't get blocked up because they are active, they are free to scratch on trees and hunt things. if you treat yuour outdoor cat for worms and fleas, they aren't a problem. The only real danger is being hit by a car, or being abused by a person.

My cat is an indoor cat. I'm going to be building him an outdoor enclosure so he can have some roaming time. He isn't outdoor because we live by a highway, and he doesn't like other cats, so this gets rid of any chances of getting an abcess. He is fine living inside, but he really likes being outside. I usually take him out on a leash and let him hang out, but if he could choose, he would choose to live outside I'm sure. He's content to be inside, but he's escaped outside many times, and you can see how much he wants to be roaming around outside.

Oh, while we're at it, lets congratulate all the military heroes who adopt animals stateside, and then abandon them when they get stationed somewhere else. I read somewhere that "shelter" populations increased by several hundred per military base when the war in Iraq started.

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Like they can help it, it's their job. Not to mention alot of them give their pets to family members until their return. Yeah, so some animals landed in shelters, do you think their owners wanted to get rid of them that way? It's not like they find out their getting deployed and go "Oh I'm going to go adopt a cat so I can send it to the humane society again, har har."

Originally Posted by Kathylou

Oh, while we're at it, lets congratulate all the military heroes who adopt animals stateside, and then abandon them when they get stationed somewhere else. I read somewhere that "shelter" populations increased by several hundred per military base when the war in Iraq started.

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Hmmm, I'm not sure where to start with you on that statement, there are so many things wrong with it.
If you're truly bothered and concerned about it, then maybe you should offer to foster a soldiers pet until he/she returns home and out of harms way. Many others are doing this already. Those miltary folks love their pets too and they can't take them with them to serve our country in Iraq.

ok, it started in america that people no longer let their kids out to play. Kids are now an indoor only family member, only allowed ot, if they can be driven by one parent or carer to an organized, supervised and heavily insured activity, chosen by parent for value, rather than fun.

This motion has now swept over the pond and has reached the UK.

It started in america to keep cats permanently indoors, as this perfect hunter is apparently too soft to cope with the outside world where they came from. Together with this, the stupid thing of "soft-paws" and de-clawing started to emerge, as the little tiger was now ripping up homes, peeing on carpets and generally causing troubles....thankfully this has so far not swept over to the UK - much (allthough I just had a look at some breeder pages for Siberian cats, which required to sign a form that I will never let my kitten roam ). I was actually refused a cat from the shelter, as I do not have a cat-flap, and the cat would have no more than 6hrs a day to roam.... this was considered to be too little. PHEW (allthough at the time I was mad, about it...)

Cats come with thick fur, perfect hearing, love to hunt and to climb and love being outdoors (if they wouldn't, no one would need to build a fence around their garden to keep the cat in, would they ?). Ok, an out door cat may experience some more stress... so what ? It's curiosity, not stress that kills a cat. Its a cat, not a human. They don't think like us, otherwise they could never kill a cute mouse.....

I want my cat to spend time outside, if he wants to. I don't have a cat flap, but he can go out every morning and all evening and night, if he wants. It's not like, I am chucking him out, is it. I am just doing what is natural for him. Am I scared he will get hurt, run-over, get in a fight and lose, get abducted.... you bet I am. But thats one of the things to think about before getting a cat, that you may lose it to one of those dangers. If I want a safe bet, I get a dog or a hamster......

Now lets start to treat kids like kids again, and cats like cats, and stop "protecting" them from normal life.