Keeping Cats Indoors

[12gauge82]

1 hour ago, Retsdon said:

Why would it be a joke?

Unless I've missed something, you've taken the responsibility for a pet animal on and rather than do the right thing, your going to put a healthy animal down? If that's correct it's irresponsible and people like that should be banned from keeping pets, imo.

[old'un]

Never had a cat or felt the need for one, so can someone tell me what’s the point of owning a cat?

[12gauge82]

12 minutes ago, old'un said:

Never had a cat or felt the need for one, so can someone tell me what’s the point of owning a cat?

Entirely up to you, although they are fantastic mousers, the point is, if you take an animal on, you should be responsible for it, to kill a pet because you don't want the hassle anymore is irresponsible beyond belief in my opinion.

[Retsdon]

45 minutes ago, 12gauge82 said:

Unless I've missed something, you've taken the responsibility for a pet animal on and rather than do the right thing, your going to put a healthy animal down? If that's correct it's irresponsible and people like that should be banned from keeping pets, imo.

Here's the history. Myself and the kids rescued the cat 5 years ago when it was a tiny kitten starving to death in a local park. Since then we've fed him, housed him, paid vets fees, and paid someone to come in daily to look after him and let him in and out while we go away for 3 months over the summer. In return, to be quite frank, he's shown little in the way of gratitude, but I suppose that's the nature of the beast.

Don't forget that both the cat and I are in Saudi, not the UK. So the options are not the same.You talk about doing the 'right thing' but what's that? I have 3 options. 1) Trap the roaming feral male, take him somewhere, and dump him - and hopefully my cat starts going outside again. (till the next male arrives  because we've had this problem before ) 2) Continue living with my cat indoors 24 hours a day - and a constant issue with his toilet habits.  3) Put the cat down. He's had a fair innings and a far better life than the one he was destined for. There's potentially a 4th option - find him another home. But there are plenty of people here who take cats in for a while and then just chuck them out and I have no wish that he go out of the world the same way he came in.

So what would you do if you were me?

I forgot to add that from this year (as of now) the family aren't coming back to Saudi again - schooling matters - so it's just me and the cat. 

Edited August 27, 2018 by Retsdon

[old'un]

5 minutes ago, Retsdon said:

Here's the history. Myself and the kids rescued the cat 5 years ago when it was a tiny kitten starving to death in a local park. Since then we've fed him, housed him, paid vets fees, and paid someone to come in daily to look after him and let him in and out while we go away for 3 months over the summer. In return, to be quite frank, he's shown little in the way of gratitude, but I suppose that's the nature of the beast.

Don't forget that both the cat and I are in Saudi, not the UK. So the options are not the same.You talk about doing the 'right thing' but what's that? I have 3 options. 1) Trap the roaming feral male, take him somewhere, and dump him - and hopefully my cat starts going outside again. (till the next male arrives  because we've had this problem before ) 2) Continue living with my cat indoors 24 hours a day - and a constant issue with his toilet habits.  3) Put the cat down. He's had a fair innings and a far better life than the one he was destined for. There's potentially a 4th option - find him another home. But there are plenty of people here who take cats in for a while and then just chuck them out and I have no wish that he go out of the world the same way he came in.

So what would you do if you were me?

I forgot to add that from this year (as of now) the family aren't coming back to Saudi again - schooling matters - so it's just me and the cat. 

why not use option 1 for your cat?

[Retsdon]

Just now, old'un said:

why not use option 1 for your cat?

Well, it would only be less traumatic, but it would only be a temporary solution. We used to have a small dedicated  group of 'cat people' on the campus here who would go around trapping these ferals and having then neutered or put to sleep, but over the last couple of years these people have all left and the feral cat population has ballooned. But I might give it a go with this one cat and see what happens.  Quite honestly though, I'd rather just solve the issue once and for all..

[12gauge82]

22 minutes ago, Retsdon said:

Here's the history. Myself and the kids rescued the cat 5 years ago when it was a tiny kitten starving to death in a local park. Since then we've fed him, housed him, paid vets fees, and paid someone to come in daily to look after him and let him in and out while we go away for 3 months over the summer. In return, to be quite frank, he's shown little in the way of gratitude, but I suppose that's the nature of the beast.

Don't forget that both the cat and I are in Saudi, not the UK. So the options are not the same.You talk about doing the 'right thing' but what's that? I have 3 options. 1) Trap the roaming feral male, take him somewhere, and dump him - and hopefully my cat starts going outside again. (till the next male arrives  because we've had this problem before ) 2) Continue living with my cat indoors 24 hours a day - and a constant issue with his toilet habits.  3) Put the cat down. He's had a fair innings and a far better life than the one he was destined for. There's potentially a 4th option - find him another home. But there are plenty of people here who take cats in for a while and then just chuck them out and I have no wish that he go out of the world the same way he came in.

So what would you do if you were me?

I forgot to add that from this year (as of now) the family aren't coming back to Saudi again - schooling matters - so it's just me and the cat. 

I'd say option 4, find him another home. Also why would you think a cat, or any other animal would show you gratitude? I was always taught, if you take an animal on, you look after it and see your responsibilities through, it's probably an irresponsible person that is behind the feral cat roaming around in the first place.

[stumfelter]

1 hour ago, loriusgarrulus said:

I have a catflap. My 18 year old rarely goes out now. The others do go out, apart from my spynx who has never shown any interest in going out. The only one that hunts to my knowledge is the great white hunter who catches pigeons, crows, squirrels, rats and mice then leaves them on the doorstep. Not seen him catch any small birds yet unless he eats them before coming home.

 

That's a very law abiding cat.what's he got an air rifle and a copy of the general license?

[Retsdon]

28 minutes ago, 12gauge82 said:

I'd say option 4, find him another home.

It's the easiest option, but as I said, very possibly not the kindest.

29 minutes ago, 12gauge82 said:

Also why would you think a cat, or any other animal would show you gratitude?

Some kind of recognition is normal. 

 

30 minutes ago, 12gauge82 said:

was always taught, if you take an animal on, you look after it and see your responsibilities through, 

Likewise. I probably made a mistake. In retrospect I should have left him starve to death 5 years ago. It would have been far less morally ambivalent.

 

32 minutes ago, 12gauge82 said:

it's probably an irresponsible person that is behind the feral cat roaming around in the first place.

Possibly, but probably not. They breed wild in droves around here.

[stumfelter]

3 hours ago, Jaymo said:

May be you should wear a bell around your neck when your out shooting? Mr moggie is doing his hunting for sport/ food, just like you ?

I don't know the man but I doubt that goldfinches and blue tits are on his quarry list!

[Retsdon]

6 minutes ago, stumfelter said:

That's a very law abiding cat.what's he got an air rifle and a copy of the general license?

Years ago I had a tabby female that was strictly ground game. She was a magnificent hunter -  small rabbits being her favoured quarry. The only drawback was that she'd pull them through the catflap and devour them from the head down inside the kitchen door - leaving just the back legs and the scut. In early summer there'd be one there every morning. But never saw her once even try to catch a bird. 

[team tractor]

2 hours ago, old'un said:

Never had a cat or felt the need for one, so can someone tell me what’s the point of owning a cat?

My cats are like dogs if that helps.

i come home from work and they’re waiting for a hug and then sit with me all night. When I lived on my own we were so close . 

My cats have always guarded my babies/kids ( honestly it’s strange) 

the only thing different is I can’t take them a walk .

my little cat follows me everywhere in the street. She watches me wash my van , cut the lawn and the second I stop she jumps in my arms. I love it  

1 hour ago, stumfelter said:

I don't know the man but I doubt that goldfinches and blue tits are on his quarry list!

But when we shoot that’s different? 

Lifes a life really. We eat pigeons , they eat small birds. 

Vegans don’t like what we do but it’s natural to us  

 

mine cant catch a cold tho  

 

[Puggers]

I can never work out what one of ours wants. We have a rather large "farm bred" cat which howls to go out the French doors into the garden, only to be found in his bed in the utility less than a couple of minutes later having ambled round the side of the house and in through the cat flap and even though all the doors are open. We've watched him do it!

They're not my wife's best friends either when they drag rabbits in through the cat flap.....

[stumfelter]

1 hour ago, team tractor said:

My cats are like dogs if that helps.

i come home from work and they’re waiting for a hug and then sit with me all night. When I lived on my own we were so close . 

My cats have always guarded my babies/kids ( honestly it’s strange) 

the only thing different is I can’t take them a walk .

my little cat follows me everywhere in the street. She watches me wash my van , cut the lawn and the second I stop she jumps in my arms. I love it  

But when we shoot that’s different? 

Lifes a life really. We eat pigeons , they eat small birds. 

Vegans don’t like what we do but it’s natural to us  

 

mine cant catch a cold tho  

 

It isn't about taking a life it's about the indiscriminate ways that cats kill. A cat doesn't care that the sparrow he's going to kill is in decline.

[team tractor]

31 minutes ago, stumfelter said:

It isn't about taking a life it's about the indiscriminate ways that cats kill. A cat doesn't care that the sparrow he's going to kill is in decline.

But cats aren’t the reason.

the main reason is humans  

we keep removing hedge rows and converting barns leaving then no where to live. Pesticides kill their food.

 

[12gauge82]

3 hours ago, Retsdon said:

It's the easiest option, but as I said, very possibly not the kindest.

Some kind of recognition is normal. 

 

Likewise. I probably made a mistake. In retrospect I should have left him starve to death 5 years ago. It would have been far less morally ambivalent.

 

Possibly, but probably not. They breed wild in droves around here.

All I can say to that is perhaps pet licencing isn't a bad idea at all.

[stumfelter]

2 hours ago, team tractor said:

But cats aren’t the reason.

the main reason is humans  

we keep removing hedge rows and converting barns leaving then no where to live. Pesticides kill their food.

 

So surely that makes the urban reserves even more valuable?

[team tractor]

40 minutes ago, stumfelter said:

So surely that makes the urban reserves even more valuable?

Surely we should do our bit tho first before stopping nature. 

Pesticides do far more damage than a few cats

[hambone]

Have to admit I am not a big fan of cats or possibly their owners!   You have a dog, it ****s in the run...you clean it up. You take it for a walk, it ****s you pick it up (unless it's out of the way) but cat owners seem to chuck puss out with no thought or care for where it's crapping or what it's killing. I think the most responsible cat owners are the ones who don't let them out TBH.

[Bobba]

13 hours ago, John_R said:

Bobba, declawing is illegal in the UK and much of Europe. 

Some US states also outlaw it. 

Many thanks for info. Delighted to hear it. Clearly Manhatten needs to align itself with other States

[stumfelter]

16 minutes ago, team tractor said:

Surely we should do our bit tho first before stopping nature. 

Pesticides do far more damage than a few cats

I give up, there's none so blind as cannot see....

[Zapp]

A post inferring that cats let outside should be shot has been removed.  We have been very clear on this in the past - This is an open forum and posts that make shooters look like trigger happy nuts are not welcome. 

Please be in no doubt that anyone else dragging the thread into that territory will get more than their post removed.

[team tractor]

8 hours ago, stumfelter said:

I give up, there's none so blind as cannot see....

Exactly , took the words out my mouth 

[norfolk dumpling]

22 hours ago, Walker570 said:

Am I the only one on here that hates the ###### things ?  YES! they should be kept indoors and away from indiscrimately killing wildlife and defecating all over my garden.

Neuter every cat then in a few years our wildlife will flourish again

[loriusgarrulus]

15 hours ago, stumfelter said:

That's a very law abiding cat.what's he got an air rifle and a copy of the general license?

He is a very big cat around 5kg. Probably thinks most small things apart from the odd mouse are not worth having.

His hunting is very human in some ways. The pigeons he debreasts and leaves the rest. The crows, squirrels, rats and mice he doesn't eat.