So Mad Can't See (Update 09/10; Victory!)

[HeavenShallBurn]

Can't really add much to what's already been said. But basically I figure your options depend on just where you live. Are you actually inside a town, in the outskirts, countryside? I basically live out on farmland with no close neighbors and so I welcome cats to keep the groundsquirrels and birds in line, besides with coyotes and roaming dogs to worry about they don't really pile up like that. But my answer would definitely be the shotgun. Unfortunately I'm fairly certain that would'nt work from the way you talk about where you live. Try a BB gun they're much quieter and you'd be surprised what neighbors will ignore especially if they're agravated too. In our county at least laws basically say you're free to kill nuisance animals if they're on your property.

 

[Aeolius]

I am reminded of a poem I wrote, years ago, as part of a "rapid-fire poetry by e-mail experiment":

In a dream I solved the plight,
Of finding food for man.
An answer came unto the night,
A simple twofold plan.

The homeless and downtrodden,
Deserve a hardy meal.
And we have not forgotten,
The way the hunger feels.

And then I look upon the pound,
Of cats and dogs forsaken.
So simple and yet so profound,
The course my plan has taken.

Its seems absurd to spend the time,
And waste taxpayers' dollars,
To advertise the lost canine,
On billboards, news, and collars.

And so I take example,
From those who make the treats,
I take a spoonful sample,
And find the rendered meat.

We feed the dogs to other dogs,
And yet discuss it little.
And yet man dines on cows and hogs,
While overlooking kibble.

So make a meal of Pekinese,
Of Manx, or Himalayan.
We'll honor them within our feed,
Is all that I am sayin'.

And should they mind the terrier,
Or turn their nose to poodles,
I ask you which is scarier,
To find within your noodles.

Swallow pride and open up,
It's not that strange a diet.
To serve a kitten or a pup,
To keep the hungered quiet.

Keep the billboards free of pets;
Let man adopt his kin.
Of spay and neuter lets forget,
And let the meal begin!

 

[Umbran]

I think you're basically on the right track.

If this woman is allowing these cats to roam the neighborhood without so much as a confirmed rabies shot, she doesn't deserve to have the pets. She's not doing them any favors allowing them to live in such a manner.

Buy or rent yourself a decent live trap. Make sure you talk to Animal Control to confirm that your setup is legal and humane. When you catch a cat, take it to the local animal shelter. Do be sure that you don't let them sit in the trap unattended for very long.

If you want to feel good about yourself, look into "no kill" shelters in your area. For a fee, they'll take in an animal, and try to adopt it out. But they will not euthanize a healthy animal if they can't find it a home.

 

[CarlZog]

I think your situation may be the perfect test application for this

 

[Blood Jester]

...I have a cat that stays pretty close and another that ventures out a distance, I fear for them both but rather think its better for them to know what’s beyond the windows and doors then to live a long boring life inside wondering...

This is actually one of the biggest misconceptions about cats.
They are domesticated animals, and they love the creature comforts of home.
An open (screened) window gives them all of the outdoors they need. (Think kitty TV.)
On average, indoors-only cats live twice as long as outdoors cats, suffer way fewer illnesses, virtually zero parasites, and remain active (if given attention and play-time with their owners) for virtually their entire lives.

Now for my personal take.
I have always adopted strays, but one of my cats was abandoned young, and spent his first year and a half outdoors as a stray before I was able to bring him in.
He loves to look out the windows, but *never* tries to get out.
I once didn't see him near the door, and had the door open wide as I carried in two armloads of groceries.
You know what he did? He sat there and watched me. When I noticed him, he was literally sitting, watching what I was doing, with a clear line to the outside.
After experiencing the outdoors, and indoor life, he had *zero* interest in "getting out". He knew how good his life was, and wouldn't trade it for the (outside) world.

I even tried taking him out on a leash to roam his old stomping grounds outside our apartment. I had to carry him out, and as soon as he was set down, he turned into a rock, and would not move away from the door. When I opened it, he shot back inside.


So yes, cats are curious creatures, and want to know what is on the other side of a door, any door.
But you can get the same reaction by closing them out of a room in the house for a couple of days. As soon as you open the door they will explore that room like it was a new world.


So please, for your cats' well-being, if you love them, keep them indoors.

 

[Dragonbait]

As a side note to the Vraille Darkfang and anyone else who owns a cat: If you and your wife intend to have a child, she should not go into the back yard. Pregnant women, and people with weak immune systems, are susceptable to a disease that can be found in cat droppings and urine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasmosis

 

[Harmon]

Okay, I hear you Vraille. :\

The wife suggested something when I told her of your plight- chicken wire in the garden, cut it in half, then cut half circles in the edges, bury about a quarter or half an inch and let the cats try to dig through that. She said that they would not, though they might try for a time.



Jester, realize that in door cats live longer, I really do, I have had more then a few that have passed before their time. I love my cats as much as I love my daughter- why? My wife and I were pretty certain that we could not have children so our cats became our children.

I do not want my cats to ever have wondered "whats beyond that fence?" While one will (she is not physically able to jump a fence) not know, she seems content to go into the backyard and sun herself. The other one (Myth) I have seen as much as a mile from our home, it scares the hell out of me to know that he is out there, and I can't tell him to cross the street when no cars are coming, to look both ways, etc. but that is how he and I want it. I want him to see the world that he can see and explore, and he wants to explore it.

I get that you will more then likely not agree, I know at least one person that would agree with you and say "see- listen to this guy, he has a good argument," but I can't watch someone that I love wonder, and want and not give or help them to see the wonders they are missing. And I know one day one or both of them will not return and I will be completely heart broken but I will know that I did not raise a cat that wondered but a cat that found the wonder.

Peace all.

V- hope you find the way to handle this- you seem to have it in hand and have a good heart, so take care.

 

[Umbran]

I do not want my cats to ever have wondered "whats beyond that fence?"

You should perhaps remember that your cat is not a human being, and probably doesn't think about what's beyond the fence in the same way you do. Please consider that you may be projecting your desires onto your animal, and reading his behaviors as they might be for you, rather than for him.

What's beyond the fence? Feline leukemia, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, fast cars, rabies, dogs, ter cats, coyotes, raccoons and other dangerous wildlife, vicious and heartless humans, antifreeze, tapeworms, roundworms, ringworms, fleas, ticks, various infectious diseases, and so on.

Indoor cats are, admittedly, slightly more prone to obesity then their outdoor counterparts.

I don't have a citation, but the last study my wife (a veterinarian) can recall (which is admittedly several years old at this point), indoor cats didn't live twice as long as outdoor cats. An indoor cat had an average life expectency of 15 or so years. Outdoor cats had an "ownership span" of about three years. Meaning that on average, the average owner of an outdoor can would expect the cat to be permanently gone (for whatever reason - dead or lost) within three years. This is, of course, an average, and doesn't tell you everything. I myself have had outdoor cats that lived decently long lives.

I want him to see the world that he can see and explore, and he wants to explore it.

With a little forethought, the indoor environment can remain an interesting place for a cat to explore without the risks. Enrichment isn't that much a chore - and it gives you new ways to play, interact with and care for your animal that you didn't have before.

None of this is to berate you. It is merely to give you information and perspective. The people who know feline behavior best say that the indoors can be just as fulfilling as the outdoors. If that's true, why take the risks?

 

[frankthedm]

Indoor cats are, admittedly, slightly more prone to obesity then their outdoor counterparts.

Slightly...

I am all for letting the cat out, though if i really like a cat, i keep it in a lot more often. Of course, if you let it out, you have to accept the chance it might not come back.

 

[Harmon]

None of this is to berate you. It is merely to give you information and perspective. The people who know feline behavior best say that the indoors can be just as fulfilling as the outdoors. If that's true, why take the risks?

I copy all of that. Though I disagree on the human to cat perspective. Cats are adventurous, explorer's, etc. (I realize you more then likes know this). When I see Myth sitting at the door wanting to go out he will go out about 20% of the time (I rarely "throw" him or his "sister" out). It is their choice when I open the door.

When I call them in they are generally close enough to hear and come running.

As far as the age goes I would love to have out door cats like my wife has had in her youth (15-18 year range with one coming close to 20 before they put him to sleep), but I have not- of the four cats I have had one died from stomach cancer (actually put to sleep because it was caught in the to late to do anything stage) and another to a heart defect (CPR on cats is something every cat person should learn before you have to learn it in the heat of the moment), both I was present for their passing.

I have had to many things happen in my life- to many things I regret, I know that I will hate myself for letting them out and having them die or just disappear (which would be far worse), but in my mind and in my heart I know that they want to explore and I will regret not allowing that more. I thank you for your stats and such, but I have to offer and I have to let them know that they can go if they want.

Sorry about the hyjack