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Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Entertaining kitty

I love walking in my neighbourhood and if I'm by myself, all the better to meet some friendly neighbourhood felines. I seem to be a magnet for the bored ones. It's a long day when you're 'put out' on the step to entertain yourself while the owner is off to work. I guess to have someone walk down your street gives you high hopes that they will stop and be dazzled by your beauty. Which, of course, I am.
This tuxedo cat literally fell off the porch while luring me in with his goofy moustache. I was a goner!
But, I can be fickle just like the next guy and turned my attention to a newcomer laying on the sidewalk.

"Glory be....you have a real talent there, bud."

This one also did some kind of yoga move that I never even attempted in class. I was feeling rather out-done in the talent department so I headed down the street to come across a very snobby cat...wouldn't give me the time of day.

I'm gonna presume he was deaf but wondered why he would be outside if he was.
I didn't want to startle him so I didn't check to see if his eyes were blue which would have given me reason to believe that he was probably stone deaf. He was lovely to look at, though.
There was no sun-worshiping going on today but the house-bound cats on my walk seemed to be entertained by the free-roaming ones on their street.

I wondered what they may be thinking...possibly longing to be free. 
I pondered this debate that I struggle with about the domesticated cat being an indoor-only versus indoor/outdoor pet. So many of my clients give their cats some freedom to enjoy the out-doors and others do not for the sake of their safety. Some stay in because of traffic while others are kept in because of wild-life problems. Some let them roam because the road is far from the property and some just take a chance and let them out no matter what. It has always been a debate that can really ruffle some feathers.
I have, in the past, allowed cats the freedom to come and go as they pleased. This was mostly because I brought them in off the street and it was very difficult to keep a cat in that survived on it's own for a long time. Other cats I kept in a fenced yard and one was supervised on a leash. With the age of our cats now, we are able to let them out in a screened in porch and they are happy to sleep the day away in the sunshine. It seems to be enough for them.

I presume there will never be a clear answer on whether a cat should have some freedom. I know that safety comes first so I like to see them inside but I also see very bored cats sometimes and it hurts a little. They really are interesting, curious and demanding animals and they need their environment to be stimulating and fun. WE need to provide this for the cat and the more we make their indoor life similar to what they love in the outdoors, the happier our cats will be. If you are interested in sprucing up an area of your home to make your cat's life more entertaining, pop over to this wonderful blog called Katnip Lounge http://katniplounge.blogspot.ca/ for some fun ideas to keep kitty content inside.

hugs, Deb

8 comments:

  1. I too feel bad for the kitties watching from the windows but there are a lot of dangers out in the wild world, I lived in thecountry all my life until 8 tears ago, never had to keep our cats confineds, they lived free, and all lived to be in 20's but in the city i'm not sure whats best, I see so many lost and frightened cats dodging cars, might be better to keep them in.

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  2. I have lost two outdoor cats...one was hit by a car and the other was poisoned. So now I have two indoor cats who are allowed out in the fenced backyard when someone is around to watch them and keep them company. We have a nice sized yard with lots of bushes and a wild area at the bottom with trees and lots of places to explore. In the winter they absolutely have no desire to go out...LOL We have a greenhouse window in the kitchen with two levels that they hang out on during those days when the weather is not to their liking...lots of bird TV:)

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  3. we have 3 outdoor kittys..who prefer to be outdoors and well 2 of them being males..like to spray.so they are outdoors period..but we do put them away each night in the garage where they are safe..we have an enclosed kennel for our indoor babies to go into..so they are outdoors...but safely enclosed..and we bring them back in..they only go out on nice days..I had a precious 1 year old kitten that was attacked and later died because she was not afraid of this dog as we let them roam freely..( I heard this attack and it will always haunt me)..just makes me want to cry so I try not to think about it..so we don't let them roam freely any longer due to this..the outdoor ones don't get near dogs..but our own..I love the photos of the tuxedo kitty puttin on a show for you...what a little ham.;)

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  4. We have 2 outside cats and 2 inside cats. The outside cats are locked in the barn in the evenings because of roaming dogs and coyotes. Our 2 inside cats appear to be happy watching outside happenings from a window seat - of course they have never been outside. They also have no fear of dogs and would not survive for long outside the home. We enjoyed the photos of the kitties.

    Nina, Myshka, Sasha, Betsy, Lucy, Phoebe and Lily

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  5. Deb, it is an interesting topic isn't it. Here in NZ most cats are indoor/outdoors, and all of mine have had their own catdoors so they can come inside whenever they want. Poppy usually spends 80% of her time inside in the winter, and in the summer just lays around in the garden. We are lucky though, as where we live is quiet with little traffic, no predators, and only an occasional dog. Our house has a large fenced in garden, and Poppy is able to enjoy her time.

    When I was a kid, most cats were primarily outside cats, and lucky to come in the evening, but used to be put out at night, which seems cruel now. Our childhood cat had a box with blankets in the garage and would sleep in there at night.

    Love the pictures of the neighbourhood kittes, they all look grateful for a cuddle in the sun. Now it is cooler, Pops spends most of the day asleep on our bed, but is out on patrol now- at 8pm.

    Julie and Poppy Q
    xxx

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  6. My three kitties are all indoor cats. I lost 2 on the road that runs in front of our house and couldn't bear to lose anymore. My parents built a "cat run" and the older cats loved it. Only one of my current 3 will even go out there. Mostly, they are happy to run around the house, sleep and look out the window!
    And Deb, my orange boarder from Montreal is back. He recognized the place and seemed pretty content right away. Phew!

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  7. Oh my... I love the tuxedo with mustache!!!

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  8. I have four indoor kitties, but they like their outdoor cage, which is very safe for them but gives them a bit of fresh air and fun. Julius used to be an outdoor cat but I'm glad I was able to switch him over. I worried about him a lot. And of course Alex lost his leg before he came to us because he wandered into a leghold trap. It's just too much worry for me to let them roam free, especially with all the predators around our farm. But I figure each cat owner has to decide what's best for his/her cat.

    Still, I have had to pick up dead cats hit by cars in front of our old house near Guelph, and I once stopped for a cat that had just been hit by a car and left to die. I was quite a ways from my house but managed to find a vet and rush the cat there only to have it die just as the vet came running in to the clinic (the receptionist had called him in.) At least the cat has someone with him when he died; the receptionist and I were stroking the cat and talking to him as he passed. And amazingly, it turned out the vet knew the cat; his owners were clients at his clinic, so at least they got to find out what happened to their cat that day. They called me to talk to me and thank me after, which made us all cry. I don't want any of my cats to die on the side of a road. :(

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