Having 1 Cat

here's my thoughts..........Some cats are people kitties and they prefer our attention over other cats, it goes both ways.........Then there's the kitties that take it one step further.....Pandora was so protective and possesive of me, it was hard to have a boyfriend. She was a watch cat! Some get along with other cats or tolerate it but prefer you.
When I adopted Maia recently, all it took was picking her up and she just snuggled into my neck and did'nt want me to let her go! Then I found out that she was the kitten that would follow Jade (girl adopted from) all over the house and it was obvious that she loved to be held! She is the perfect example of a kitty completely content with just the two of us..........
All my kitties through my life have been my best friend, I just try to understand them well enough to know what really makes them happy, if it is kitty companionship or just me!

Originally Posted by Dell1234

Buta cat is ment to be outside,you should give it the freedom it deserves.If it gets hit by a car well thats thats nothing can be done but at least it had a good life and fighting with each other is natural.

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Cats today are what we have created over time, breeding and pampering..............Cars are not part of the natural world, niether are the cats of today!

I live with my dad right now so I don't have a choice about whether I have one or two cats. My cat is strictly indoors because outside is far too dangerous for my babygirl. I think allowing my cat outside is very irresponsible and I love my cat too much to allow her to be outside. And as far as there's nothing that can be done about a cat being hit by a car. Well yes there is I can keep my cat inside where she belongs. And it is not natural for a kitty to be fighting. Pet guardians have a responsiblity to their pets to do what is best for them and that means sometimes we have to do what they don't like such as shots, keeping them indoors, not allowing them to eat mice, and such things as that but that's why we are called guardians. And it should not be taken lightly. And that's all I will say on that other than I love my Tavia way too much to just let her get hit by a car and that be that.

Wee, do we have common cat issues here..I'd like to comment on this

contact with a woman recently who works for and is VERY learned in wildlife protection (we've had feral cats and she was helping us out)... outdoor cats are starting to DESTROY wild bird populations!!

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I'm not an expert but I've read very interesting opinions about it. A scientific research concluded that domestic cats outdoors rarely kill healthy, adult birds but the winged prey they get are young, sick.
Here and there they get a healthy one but birds (mice and other not winged prey are much easier a catch) does have a good chance to escape a predator.
It goes back to the lion singling out the slower prey in a herd.

That said I believe that cats should be indoors or in a enclosure, I've both indoor/enclosure/in-out kitties..and yes, FIV+ can mingle with others as long as they don't fight seriously, Jerome is FIV+ and all the others are
negative.
I've heard that FeLV can also be mixed with negatives if the resident cats are vaccinated but I'm not so sure abt that

I have only one kitten in my life and, as you can see, she has no problem being queen of our castle

Originally Posted by arcadian girl

i'd really like to get a playmate for Wonton but he's just very alpha male, and i don't think he'd take to it very well. i only work part time right now, so i'm home with hhim quite a bit, and honestly i'm a little worried about when i go back to work full time..he'll be home alone for 8 hours a day, and he's not used to that. ever since i got him (three years ago), i've been home at least half the day with him. but he doesn't like other cats, so...there's not much i can do.

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I have an only kitty named Max and he is home 8 hours a day. My house has lots of windows and my neighbors say he is always busy watching the neighborhood or sleeping in the sun. He is very healthy and happy. When I get home he loves to snuggle. I think your kitty will be just fine when you go to work full time. Max is also very alpha male and does not care for other animals.

I used to have only one cat. He was very needy, and was constantly wanting attention. We started letting him out whenever he wanted. He would always try to play with the other neighborhood cats, even though they were not always very accepting of him We recently got a new kitten, and now he has a playmate and he seems to LOVE it!

Originally Posted by Tavia'smom

I live with my dad right now so I don't have a choice about whether I have one or two cats. My cat is strictly indoors because outside is far too dangerous for my babygirl. I think allowing my cat outside is very irresponsible and I love my cat too much to allow her to be outside. And as far as there's nothing that can be done about a cat being hit by a car. Well yes there is I can keep my cat inside where she belongs. And it is not natural for a kitty to be fighting. Pet guardians have a responsiblity to their pets to do what is best for them and that means sometimes we have to do what they don't like such as shots, keeping them indoors, not allowing them to eat mice, and such things as that but that's why we are called guardians. And it should not be taken lightly. And that's all I will say on that other than I love my Tavia way too much to just let her get hit by a car and that be that.

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Give me a break,How is it dangerous,Its only dangerous at night because of cars and mine wont be outside at night .I think its crule to keep a cat inside all its life.

Here are a couple of sites that list the dangers that outdoor cats face:

http://www.newdestiny.us/outdoors.html

http://www.runway.net/b/moonmaid/in-or-out.html

http://www.users.bigpond.com/berrime/inoutcats.htm

I, for one, love my Ginger WAY too much to EVER let her outside of the house! She wasn't born outside, has never been outside, and it would be completely irresponsible of me to let her be an outdoor cat!

its crule to keep a cat inside all its life.

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It is cruel if you never pay attention to the cat, otherwise it is not. An indoor only cat needs toys, exercise, distraction, just like a human being..this is an issue we might be arguing forever.

Originally Posted by Dell1234

Give me a break,How is it dangerous,Its only dangerous at night because of cars and mine wont be outside at night .I think its crule to keep a cat inside all its life.

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How is it dangerous only at night? Cars are out during the day too!

We take Harley outside, but he's on a collar and a leash, and watched at all times.

I couldn't possibly imagine letting Harley outside during the day, alone - and not having him come back, I would be devistated!

I hope you are able to do some research on this site and get some great information! - cats really are better off being inside, unless accompanied by a guardian on a leash.

Originally Posted by Dell1234

Give me a break,How is it dangerous,Its only dangerous at night because of cars and mine wont be outside at night .I think its crule to keep a cat inside all its life.

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so people only drive cars at night where you live?

why would you want to expose your cats to danger? its not just cars..he could eat poison bait left outfor other animals. he could get bitten by another animal and get rabies, and possibly give it to you or anyone else you live with. he could catch feline luekemia or feline AIDS. he could be seriously injured in a cat fight. he could be kidnapped and taken for use in a laboratory where they perform horrible experiments (not a fantasy-FACT. IT HAPPENS). he could wander into someones garage and get stuck. what if he couldn't get out, and they didnt hear him meowing? what if he was trapped in that garage, and couldn't get out, and slowly starved to death, crying for his owner? could you live with yourself if that happened?

I'm curious, would you let a dog run loose unattended?
Do you think that it is cruel to have a house dog that is allowed only in the house, a fenced yard, or on a leash?
Or a child?

When we take on a pet, or have children, we take on the responsibility of keeping them safe from harm.

These animals (like children) have no instincts that tell them that cars are dangerous, or that some humans are dangerous, or some chemicals, or some hiding places.

Allowing pets (or children) to face these things on their own, without any clear understanding is cruel.

And what about dogs and wild animals. Please think this out and I am not trying to critize anyone I am just stating facts I see them. And its not just your own dogs you have to worry about but I have neighbors who's dogs aren't cat friendly and I am sorry but I don't want my baby having to fight with dogs when she can be perfectly safe indoors where she doesn't have to hide from animals bigger than her. And you have got to be kidding about the only dangerous at night time right. Coyotes come out in the day and they would love to snack on your kitty. And other predators as well they don't see them as someones loved pet they see them as an easy lunch sorry to say it that way but its the truth. You really need to read all of the posts here and then go on google and read about the thousands of articals on why cats are much safer indoors. Completely inside cats have a life expectancy that is double even triple the length of outside or indoor/ outdoor cats. And there are plenty of cats that get hit by cars in the daytime. Or worse my mom rescued a kitty from some mean kids who had tried to hang her and stabbed her with a stick and she never could do much more than a low chirp because her vocal chords where damaged. And what about the idiots out there that steal cats for sacrafices. I am sorry I offended you but facts are facts.

It is truly unwise to have an outdoor cat exposed to danger like that. I think that what is more important to a cat is safety, and it is irresponsible to let a cat unattended running free. What if he/she gets hit by a car, eaten by a dog, a coyote, javelina, a large wild cat, another cat in the neighborhood, or someone steals him or her? Which is more cruel- subjecting your pet to a large possibility of danger, with a lifespan that can be reduced by 10 years, or allowing your cat to remain inside and shower him/her with attention and supplying him or her with an adequate amount of entertainment? As long as indoor cats are supplied their physical and emotional needs(which do not require unsupervised outdoor activity) they will be happy and healthy for many years.

I have had both outdoor cats and indoor cats. Because of my experiences with my cats going outside, I no longer let them out. My cat Sam was eaten by an animal outside, and since then none of my cats go outside, there are currently 3 adult cats, 2 older kittens, and 5 8 week old kittens in my house. My cat Phoebe lived outside for the first six months of her life, never going indoors, when I got her I kept her inside and she won't go outside now. I can leave my front door wide open and all my cats just sit there and look nobody tries to get out. A couple of them actually run from the open door.
As for it being safer during the day, my neighbors have had three cats get hit by cars, all during the day. It's not safe for cats to be outside on their own. And they can be perfectly happy inside.
As far as having one, I'm sure they are fine. I've never had just one because I can't stop myself. There is an alpha male in my house, Spike, and he lets everyone know it. They all get along just fine because they know the social hierarchy. I think it does depend on the cat. They will let you know if they are lonely and want a companion.

Tanya

The basic facts are we are responsible for all the dangers out there, inside and outside, that we subject our pets to. We have created the un safe surroundings as well as devestation to mother earth. It is only right to protect our loved ones from this, children, pets, and as well endangered species,being that we are why they are endangered!

Originally Posted by Dell1234

Give me a break,How is it dangerous,Its only dangerous at night because of cars and mine wont be outside at night .I think its crule to keep a cat inside all its life.

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Good lord, if this is your take on how to care for an animal, I hope you're never left to care for another human being. I'm sorry, but you need to do some more research on the proper way to care for a domestic animal.

I think Dell1234 scares me as a driver as well! Cats are nocturnal and actually have better sight in the dark..............

I have a 1 bedroom apt. in NYC, Maia is happy inside, so happy! We also have a rooftop garden that Sweety use to only venture out on when we were outside with her. Maia is to young yet but I will give her the choice to roam only the rooftop garden, it is fenced in. At this point she is perfectly happy sitting on her window perch I made for her watching the birds and sometimes me!
How could any one risk something happening to a face like this!!

We currently live on a farm and closest neighbors are 1/2 mile away. We do have a few barn cats (all spayed/neutered now) but when we had kittens, we did lose a few to the road or a hawk/eagle.

HOWEVER, unless you are an isolated area with less dangers, its NOT wise to let a cat out unsupervised. If you live in a town, then the dangers outside are far worse then inside.

Outside cats live a short life - our one barn cat is an exception - she's about 8-9 yrs old which is long for an outside cat. Most don't make it past 5 yrs old. Outside cats face the dangers of dogs, other cats, hawks/eagles, and cruel people that wouldn't think twice of catching kitty and torturing it or poisoning/killing it.

If you feel your cat needs outside time, then teach him/her to walk on a leash/harness or get an enclosed cat tent. But to allow total unsupervised freedom for a domestic cat is suicide for the cat.

I would NEVER sell or give Dell one of my cats!

BTW my indoor cats (oldest ones are 17 and 15 yrs old) They don't want to be outside.