Please Keep Your Cats Inside!, danger to outdoor cats Options

[Ken Albin]

This may be somewhat graphic and I apologize for that, but I feel that I need to share this with those who have cats outside.

I teach high school Anatomy. Most of my students plan on pursuing a medical career. Part of our curriculum involves an extensive dissection of cats that have been euthanized at various shelters. These cats would wind up in landfills otherwise so at least they are providing a learning platform for future doctors and vets. I would imagine that many of these cats were rounded up from neighborhoods by animal control when people complained. These appear to be your typical cats who people feed outdoors.

This term we found that two of the cats had been shot. One had a pellet lodged in his hind leg. Another cat had a .22 bullet in her back. Both wounds had healed over, though there were signs of systemic infection. That was probably the reason why they were euthanized instead of being treated and then adopted.

If you have outdoor cats please consider bringing them in. There are a lot of cruel people in this world who do not hesitate to inflict pain upon any animal who comes into their yard. I have heard the argument that cats belong outdoors and are only happy there. I can only tell you that we have 9 indoor cats who are extremely happy. Most of ours are semi-feral and were trapped before being domesticated. Yes, it did take a lot of effort, scratches, and time for us to tame several of these guys but I am convinced that with patience and effort almost any cat can be acclimated to a happy life indoors.
Many people simply do not want to put forth the effort to do this. Even our Freddie, who to this day goes wild when we take him for a vet visit, is very happy inside. He sleeps next to me most nights and plays with the others. He will always be very shy and you have to pet him when he allows it but he has acclimated very well to home life.

My intention in writing this post is not to cause any dissention or hard feelings. Based upon what I have seen I know the hardships that cats can experience when they interact with some people outdoors. One of our cats, Daddy Cat, had a .22 bullet removed from his side by our vet when we took him to be initially checked out. Please consider taking the time to work with outdoor cats and bringing them inside. They will live happier and much safer lives.

[katzen11]

my sister has a wonderful spayed black cat, aged 14 years, his name is Attila.
she is living in a village of 1037 inhabitants, in a nice little house with a nice little garden. Attila has is own "cat-door", he is free to choose to leave or to come home.
the house is next to a school, so the cars are only allowed to drive very slow.
so my sister showed Attila to learn how to be safe.
there a no coyotes, or other enemies around, maybe a longtail weasel, nobody of those sick people have been there yet to deal with rat poison and so on, and no crazy hunters, so far.
Attila is the "boss" of the village, and living a just perfect catlife.

i am living with Jimmy in the city of about 1.7 million inhabitants.
my home has two rooms and each window has a fence.
i rescued Jim in november 1996, at the age of 14 months, he was living in a so much smaller cage, you know, in a shelter. Thank God, in my country, we do not have "kill-shelters", but there is still very much to do for our pets.
so, for Jim, there are no rules, he can do anything he wants, but he cannot go outside, because he would be killed by a car in a few minutes.
i feel sorry for him, because i can watch him sitting at the window, looking for the big and fat doves he would like so very much to deal with..
please, Jim, forgive me
but i need you so much,
and i am responsible for your security
i love you forever Jim
Eva