My baby, spaz came home today, i was outside smoking a cigarette and i heard some meowing so i called her and she came running. I had been noticing that for a couple of days the food that i had left for her outside was fast disapearing.

I'm really worried she's gonna get out again, or that she might be pregnant. SO i'm taking her by the vet at the first of the month to get spayed and she if she's ok.

Do you think it's a good idea to give my cats some outside time? I live on brent rd.

3/26/2006 7:37:55 PM

no.

3/26/2006 7:46:30 PM

no.

3/26/2006 7:47:59 PM

Absolutely not.
In urban areas, they are completely unsafe.
And if they are not fixed, you're just contributing to the pet population.

3/26/2006 7:50:16 PM

housecats don't "need" outside time ... def not a good idea in urban areas, and highly questionable in suburbs; only slightly better in country areas. Never a good idea if the animal's not spayed/neutered.

3/26/2006 7:53:45 PM

I'd be willing to bet that your cat's been sexed up a few times by now.

3/26/2006 8:32:42 PM

my cat got out once and I ended up with four kittens, she was miserable and later ended up hating the kitten I kept

3/26/2006 8:39:15 PM

You're not a bad pet owner because she got out - you're a bad pet owner b/c your pet(s?) isn't fixed.

3/26/2006 8:40:54 PM

looks like shes a kitten, maybe she wasn't old enough

maddie wasn't old enough to spay according to the vet, but she got pregnant, hadn't shown signs of heat yet either

3/26/2006 8:46:03 PM

oh
kitten

i see cat and think adult

3/26/2006 8:50:08 PM

You're a bad pet owner because your pet thinks its okay to be a whore.

3/26/2006 8:57:51 PM

^^No, the cat was an adult as I understood it, just a really small one. And you can spay/neuter cats at like 4 weeks, so that's no excuse.

3/26/2006 8:58:57 PM

yay

3/26/2006 9:00:23 PM

the vet recommends 6 months though, no matter what age you "can" spay them

3/26/2006 9:11:17 PM

Quote :

"And you can spay/neuter cats at like 4 weeks, so that's no excuse. "

just because you *can* does not make it a good idea. Vets recommend 6 months to allow the animal time to grow and be able to handle the anesthesia better.
However obviously most rescue groups do not take the risk of allowing an animal to be adopted before spaying/neutering. Yet most groups still wait 8 weeks or at least 2lbs.

That said, it does sound like Ashes needs to get her cat spayed.

[Edited on March 26, 2006 at 9:27 PM. Reason : ..]

3/26/2006 9:26:29 PM

Yes, i need to get spaz spayed, i've known that for a while, but I've been horrible lazy about it because she was an inside cat and my other cat was neutered.

I'm taking her to the vet as soon as possible to get her spayed just in case she gets out again

3/26/2006 9:38:02 PM

letting cats outdoors is irresponsible and just plain fucking dumb.

3/26/2006 9:48:34 PM

You're just asking for shit if you let them outside around there.

3/26/2006 9:49:50 PM

I didnt let my cat out. I was asking if i should.

The only reason i ask is because someone in one of my missing cat threads made the suggestion to give my cat outside time. The only reason i brought it up again was because that thread got deleted.

3/26/2006 10:03:05 PM

outside cat = dead cat

3/26/2006 10:04:15 PM

My cats have spent most of their lives outside (they like to sleep inside though during the winter and stuff), and they are happier than any indoor cat i've ever seen.

However, if there are lots of creepy people and stuff around your house, you might want to monitor them while they're outside.

Basically, cats have an innate desire to chase things and climb trees and feel bark under their claws. They also like sunlight and breeze occasionally. Letting them out is good for them.

[Edited on March 26, 2006 at 10:08 PM. Reason : ]

3/26/2006 10:07:09 PM

my cats only go out if they're on a harness and leash. and i almost NEVER do that. letting your cats go outside on their own is terribly unsafe, especially on brent road.

3/26/2006 10:57:54 PM

http://kittys.ytmnd.com/

3/26/2006 11:12:21 PM

Better inside and fat, than outside and flat.

3/26/2006 11:15:08 PM

Cheap Spaying

http://www.snap-nc.org/

3/26/2006 11:39:32 PM

check out http://www.animalkind.org

that's how I got my slut kitten fixed, $15 vouchers for kitties if you make less than 20 thousand a year.

3/27/2006 9:58:04 AM

Quote :

"Do you think it's a good idea to give my cats some outside time? I live on brent rd."

Obviously not, if you're talking about taking it to the vet to make sure it's okay. If you were so worried about it while it was gone, why would you want that to happen again?
One of our cats desperately wants to go outside. Even after he snuck past me and the neighbor's dog decided he would make a good snack (fortunately there were four people there to grab the dog, and no animals were hurt), he still tries to get past us when we open the door. Just because they want out doesn't mean they need to be out there.

3/27/2006 1:45:54 PM

let her have the kittens. Ten-Ten needs more buffet items.

3/27/2006 2:09:50 PM

get a leash and tie that B if she wants outside time.

3/27/2006 2:19:25 PM

We/my parents let the cats out, but our house is in vaguely 'burb-ish Charlotte, and most of the time the cats just chill out in our yard.

I highly disrecommend letting your cats in and out in full-on urban territory like Raleigh, though.

3/27/2006 3:08:08 PM

all three of my cats stay outside. Not letting any animals in the house.


And btw, i bet my cat could beat up your cat.

3/27/2006 4:26:27 PM

If you don't live too close to the road, supervised outside time is a good thing. (I was the one that suggested it in the other thread) You just gotta teach them that when its time to come in, they better listen. I have an inside cat that LOVES to lay in the window and look at everything outside, but she is terrified to be left alone outside. If you're where she can see you while she is outside, she's fine, but as soon as you go inside or she loses sight, her eyes get all big and she looks all sneaky.
I'm so glad she came home though! When you get her spayed, maybe look into microchips too. Also, I don't know if they tattoo cats or not, may be a suggestion as opposed to microchipping-especially since she is so dark- but they tattooed my dog.

3/27/2006 4:34:02 PM

Man, I had a cat that stayed out doors all day and only came home at night and that cat lived to be 15.

Cats love it outdoors, if she's fixed and comes home, then why not let her out?

3/27/2006 4:38:12 PM

yeh my family's cats have always been indoor/outdoor cats and have done just fine. cats are pretty smart and can generally fend for themselves. of course they should be spayed/neutered.

now my roommate has an indoor only cat and i swear its the boredest cat ever. it just looks out the window all day. its sad.

[Edited on March 27, 2006 at 4:43 PM. Reason : adfdf]

3/27/2006 4:42:39 PM

just duck tape her feet togeather and set her outside, or break her legs. she'll be more or less where you last left her....unless your neighbors have dogs, that might be a problem....

3/27/2006 5:14:00 PM

Cats have natural survival instincts that allow them to survive outdoors. If they don't, they will be gone before you get too attached. It's so much easier to keep an outside cat, it's worth the risk of losing one or two.


It's like that old saying about challenging an old gunfighter -- he's old for a reason.

[Edited on March 27, 2006 at 6:22 PM. Reason : sdfsdf]

3/27/2006 6:21:28 PM

Indoor only cats are about two notches above a caged bird. It's sad really.

3/27/2006 6:36:26 PM

I should clarify, we tried to make her an inside/outside cat, but she would cry and cry ALL DAY LONG-so we started letting her stay inside, she wasn't mischevious (sp?) and she was soo happy. You can't mess with a happy cat! My other cats are both inside and outside. All the cats I've ever had were both if not only outside cats. They were all healthy and lived very long lives. I think outside cats are just fine and there's nothing wrong with having an outside only pet.

3/27/2006 7:22:14 PM