Oh geez - that Cat-Bib is nuts...wouldn't put that on my cat!
I keep my cats indoors because overall, it is safer. Outdoors, they could catch diseases like FIV and FeLV, get injured by other cats, or be hit by cars. There isn't a chance of these things happening to indoor cats. But I do take my cats outside on a harness, occasionally. Candy loved visiting outside, especially the morning before she passed away...I slipped her harness on and brought her out on the patio. She "tried" to catch the butterflies (they were flying too high for her) and it was adorable!
If you have your cats on a harness or in an enclosure, great idea. I think its great for cats to enjoy the outdoors, because it can be a lot of fun for humans and the animal. But letting your cat roam free is not a good idea. There is a cat that occasionally comes to eat in my feral colony, named BamBam (according to his tag) who is one of the sweetest kitties. He follows me around all day, and I feel so bad for him because it's like he's lonely.
And I do understand that some cats are used to being outside, and would be miserable without. A close friend of mine has a cat named Marshmellow, and poor Marshmellow loved the outdoors. She let him outside, but he was injured when he was hit by a car (broken leg) and after his accident, she refused to let him out. He didn't eat, drink and he urinated all over the house. It broke my friend's heart to see her cat like this! But what she did was purchase a large enclosure for her backyard, and Marshmellow loved it. He was unable to come in contact with cars and diseases, and he got to enjoy the outdoors! This, in my opinion, was the best solution.
And about the cat predation issue - feral cats do eat birds, mice, squirrels and voles. It's the way the food chain works. It breaks my heart when I see my ferals hunting (I try to stop them if I witness it, because they get fed well and don't need to hunt). But I am a huge supporter of TNR, and I practice it regularly. I have had dozens of cats TNR'd in the past, and have currently spayed/neutered four out of the ten in my colony (will get the rest done this summer).
Lucky (my feral/occasionally comes inside boy) enjoys his feral cat life. He sleeps outside, plays outside, and stays as far away from the road as possible. He never crosses the street and doesn't hunt. I think it's mostly due to his being a senior cat, but I very much like that he stays near the house. I would make him an indoor cat only for sure, but I don't have the space for three cats at the moment.
So my opinion, keep your cats indoors only. If you want to bring them outside, use a harness or enclosure. It's the only way to ensure their safety.
I keep my cats indoors because overall, it is safer. Outdoors, they could catch diseases like FIV and FeLV, get injured by other cats, or be hit by cars. There isn't a chance of these things happening to indoor cats. But I do take my cats outside on a harness, occasionally. Candy loved visiting outside, especially the morning before she passed away...I slipped her harness on and brought her out on the patio. She "tried" to catch the butterflies (they were flying too high for her) and it was adorable!
If you have your cats on a harness or in an enclosure, great idea. I think its great for cats to enjoy the outdoors, because it can be a lot of fun for humans and the animal. But letting your cat roam free is not a good idea. There is a cat that occasionally comes to eat in my feral colony, named BamBam (according to his tag) who is one of the sweetest kitties. He follows me around all day, and I feel so bad for him because it's like he's lonely.
And I do understand that some cats are used to being outside, and would be miserable without. A close friend of mine has a cat named Marshmellow, and poor Marshmellow loved the outdoors. She let him outside, but he was injured when he was hit by a car (broken leg) and after his accident, she refused to let him out. He didn't eat, drink and he urinated all over the house. It broke my friend's heart to see her cat like this! But what she did was purchase a large enclosure for her backyard, and Marshmellow loved it. He was unable to come in contact with cars and diseases, and he got to enjoy the outdoors! This, in my opinion, was the best solution.
And about the cat predation issue - feral cats do eat birds, mice, squirrels and voles. It's the way the food chain works. It breaks my heart when I see my ferals hunting (I try to stop them if I witness it, because they get fed well and don't need to hunt). But I am a huge supporter of TNR, and I practice it regularly. I have had dozens of cats TNR'd in the past, and have currently spayed/neutered four out of the ten in my colony (will get the rest done this summer).
Lucky (my feral/occasionally comes inside boy) enjoys his feral cat life. He sleeps outside, plays outside, and stays as far away from the road as possible. He never crosses the street and doesn't hunt. I think it's mostly due to his being a senior cat, but I very much like that he stays near the house. I would make him an indoor cat only for sure, but I don't have the space for three cats at the moment.
So my opinion, keep your cats indoors only. If you want to bring them outside, use a harness or enclosure. It's the only way to ensure their safety.