This idiot somehow managed to break his leg. He didn’t want to keep his cast on and pulled it off. It was not cruel for me to take him to the vet and pay to replace it 7 times.
Also because it's the internet -- to anyone who wants to know, yes I am certain it was done by a person(s) and no I am not going to share details because you just don't need that shit in your life and if you do, you can get it from someone else.
It was nearly twenty years ago, and when I think about it I am still filled with impotent rage and despair.
There are times when having a really good imagination *suuuuucks*.
Local neighbor with rotating series of orange cats always mystified when one disappears. latest one is gregarious yet reasonably street smart, but predators only need to get lucky once. As it's often tried to walk into my house I must fight the temptation to directly "rehome" it regularly.
With kid you not ever closing doors, Petunia got to roam and luckily survived but she was always home by nightfall. She figured that out on her own. However, I won’t let our next cat roam.
This is how my friend acquired her cat. Cat turned up, said "I live here now".
Friend said "no you don't", and put cat out.
After many iterations of this, cat won, was taken to the vet for checks, and they found a chip.
Friend was had grown attached to cat and was devastated.
Cat's owner was contacted, and during arrangements to return cat, owner asked friend if she would like to adopt cat, as cat did not like sharing a home with toddler and kept running away.
Cat and friend are very happy together.
For some values of "small children". Under about age 4, they're incomprehensive of the "don't let the cat outside" idea, and between 4 and 8, merely incompetent at the task. YMMV.
I got into it with someone on a neighborhood fb page who insisted that their (sickly looking, uncollared) outdoor cat had been stolen bevause they hadnt seen it in a week or two. Buddy, you let your cat die on the street and didn't notice for a week
I genuinely wish I had the ability to keep my cat inside. She will not stay there. Thankfully when she encounters local wildlife, she only carries them around like kittens and sometimes releases them inside our home.
Meanwhile, I tried to get ours to go outside on a leash and harness, and every time his paws touched The Outside World he ran back towards the front door. Once he even made it in before I closed it behind us.
In conclusion, cats is a land of contrasts.
We have a cat on our street that is the opposite. He seems to always be outside and it has killed multiple birds and bunnies. He's pretty vicious.
It also gave our dog a stiff whack in the face with a claw the first time they encountered each other.
Once they learn to like going outdoors, they'll beg and scream until you let them out.
But the opposite is also true, if they grow up as indoor cats, they will not like roaming later in life.
I'm sorry for being curt & judgemental. My cat was feral &
he struggles mightily to get outside. I've had to work very hard to stop him -- he's FIV & came with all sorts of worms and infections. It's just so much safer to make it impossible for them to get out. I hope you make it work.
Yeah, we inherited her from my father in law when he passed. She’s always tried to get outside and at our old house, she stayed close and was easy to catch. We just moved a month ago and there’s so much more outdoor space, she just ranges all over. We haven’t had time to figure it all out yet.
We've had to create air locks with the doors, put him behind doors when we go out, erect baby gates, put down black mats, and spend years running after him. In time ,maybe she'll be able to stop and forget that she was outdoors.
Regardless of their possible effect on local wildlife, it’s better for the cat to be strictly indoors. Less likely to encounter: other animals that would kill them, cars, random sickos, and traps - deliberate or otherwise. Not to mention poisons and pathogens.
That's reasonable.
As long as we stop pretending that they are happier inside. And that it's the best thing for them really.
You live in an apartment and want Mittens as a buddy? Cat walkies to a park.
