Off leash cats

[meg]

Ok, so there has been a lot of talk about off leash dogs. I too have been “guilty” of sometimes letting my dogs run in a park that no one is using. Key here is that it is when no one else is around. However, I hate it when I am running and a dog runs up to me or my dogs. Also, I do take them to the dog park…but hate that it is so busy and that other dogs are trying to hump/dominate my dogs when they really just need to run and let off some energy. Grrr. (ok, i really will get to the cat part…..bear with me)

We need more dog parks. With swimming. All that water and no place for dogs. No one is ever down on Alki in the winter and I would love it if they could be allowed just during the winter.

But, enough about dogs….that issue has been debated to death.

My issue is with CATS. Cats have no more right off leash outside than dogs. Cats wander into my fenced yard and poop in my vegetable beds and rile up my dogs. No kitty owners are coming by and picking up after them. The double standard aggravates me to no end. All I ever hear is you “can’t keep a cat inside or on a leash”. Come on…no domesticated animal is “meant” to be inside or wants to be on a leash. Given the choice I imagine many dogs would like to run free, exploring the neighborhood, and pooping and peeing on others lawns too.

People, keep your kitties contained and out of my yard.

Thanks!

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[Jeannie]

I know this is a hot-button issue. I agree with you 100-percent. Meg. Indoor cats are healthier than those permitted to roam outside. And they are perfectly happy indoors. The argument that cats need to roam is as silly as saying that dogs need to run free in packs, since that’s more “natural.” In addition, outdoor cats are a significant factor in the precipitous drop in the songbird population.

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[Karl]

My cats are leashed, inoculated, clawed, neutered, well feed and hydrated, litter box users, and are not chipped.

Why are dogs not allowed to swim in the Sound?

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[Anonymous]

meg – Cats, most likely, will not cause tragic, horrific damage and attack people.

Sorry to dispel your concern or complaint, but a cat off-leash is a little silly.

Karl – I agree. That would be great if the community could come together and make something like that happen.

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[JanS]

Respectfully, domestic cats are not bred for living outdoors. They are meant to be indoors and protected. No, they may not harm you like a dog can, but they can still harm…other smaller animals, birds, and be harmed themselves by larger animals. IMO, they should be indoors being loving companions to the people they own :)

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[Anonymous]

Thanks, Jan, my point exactly!

“they may not harm you like a dog can…”

Seriously…. cats????

Let’s all get a grip!

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[changingtimes]

actually i had a cat. Mr Snuggles, who attacked at command, may the angry little fellow Rest In Peace :)

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[JanS]

hmm…Mr. Snuggles didn’t like to snuggle with everyone, huh…

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[Kayleigh]

My cats have always been indoors. They don’t go outside, period.

It isn’t about the harm they might do to somebody’s flower bed; it’s the harm that would inevitably come to my cats. Predators, cars, animal abusers, toxic plants, chemicals—1,000 things to protect them from.

My critters have always been happy indoors. They are warm, safe, well-fed, and well-loved. Letting them roam outdoors is like letting a kid play on the freeway.

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[meg]

NR- why is a cat on leash silly? Just because it isn’t often seen doesn’t mean it is silly. I think if cat owners who do let their cats out to wander freely could suddenly only have them out with on a leash there would be a huge public outcry.

And I’m not talking about tragic harm being done to humans by cats (though have been hissed at, scratched on, almost bitten by FAR more cats than dogs!).

I am talking about messing with my garden, in my fenced yard, and pooping in the veggie beds where I grow food for my family to eat. And scaring off birds is another good point. There is no way anyone would let my 2 dogs come into their fenced in yard and dig around in their garden and then defecate and leave.

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[Magpie]

Hi guys,

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[Magpie]

Hi guys,

I think I’m having a deja vu here. The age old argument about cats and dogs. Did George Carlin ever do a routine on this? The answer might have come from his wisdom about such matters. Dogs jump at your fence and bark; cats jump at your eyes and scratch…maybe someone can come up with a fun poem about the differences between cats and dogs.

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[JoB]

Recently.. somewhere in my many print or video wanderings.. i encountered cat enclosures.

they are made so that your cat can enjoy the outdoors but still be safe and protected…

and they protect the world from out of control cats…

hasn’t anyone noticed ferral cats are a real problem here? do you think they all are the result of abandoned pets?

as for walking cats on leash.. i have friends who do that… and it seems to be satisfying for both of them..

i personally think the baby strollers for cats and small dogs are a bit much.. the animals need exercise as much as you do… but maybe i am too old fashioned:)

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[herongrrrl]

In addition to the risks to their health and their impact on native songbirds, outdoor cats are one of the largest sources of fecal coliform in urban streams.

It is possible to leash-train a cat, if you have the will, but taking a leashed cat for a walk is a pretty different experience than taking a dog for a walk. Cats have their own ideas about what constitutes a trail, so you’ll go for more of a mosey than a walk. Still, works for some people. Some years ago we had a cat we took camping; we put her in a harness and tied her out on a rope like a dog at our campsite, and she had a blast. (She still used a catbox while camping.)

I wonder whether it’s healthy for dogs to swim in the Sound? That water is COLD! What’s the eqivalency between dog fur and neoprene?

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[karen]

I’m a cat owner. Mine happen to be inside only – not because I’m a good neighbor or anything. I’m afraid of the dogs, raccoons, cars, etc. and the vet bills that go along with them. We have, in the past, built an outdoor cat pen where they could roam but still be safe. I suppose if dogs can have a fence, so can a cat. It is more difficult to build but do-able.

I don’t really have a problem with free roaming cats – if they are fixed!! What I hate is the males who come around spraying everything. It’s horrible smell and it’s disgusting – on the car tires, toys, the door – EWWW!!

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[Lena]

Just a little insight on the baby strollers for dogs/cats. I work with a lot of disabled animals who can not walk or can only walk a short distance. I have one client with a little disabled Pug (she was born with an extremely abnormal spine) who can only walk a very short distance. She has a baby stroller so she can still take her out for walks but has received some very nasty comments from people about it. I agree that normal dogs/cats need the exercise but most of the critters in these strollers have some kind of disability. Sorry to be a little off the topic here.

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[barb]

I was told by a co-worker once that me and my family don’t deserve to have cats as pets because we do not let them outside, she said to keep them indoors was “cruel”. She said that cats are meant to be outside and when I asked her about all the critters that prey on cat sized food, she said that’s just the circle of life. I told her she was an idiot and to go to hell.

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[JoB]

i used to get nasty comments when i put a lifejacket on my ailing akita/german shepherd mix to swim with her in the lakes in minnesota… but those summer swims have her another couple of good years on hips that were giving out.

i will make a real effort to suspend my judgment next time i see a pet in a stroller…

probably it would be good to suspend my judgment most of the time:)

herongrrrl..

you asked if the dogs get cold.. it depends upon their fur.. some dogs with undercoats do well.. just like seals:)

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[mellaw6565]

We have a great cat who would love to go outside, but he is a bird hunter and a scrapper if challenged. We believe that a healthy cat is an indoor one and do not let him roam outside.

HOWEVER, about 2 months ago our boy kept trying to sneak outside everytime we let the dogs in the backyard, so we leash trained our cat on a long lead that attaches to his collar and allows him some roaming in the yard around our porch. While it took him a few days to get used to it, now he sits at the open door and waits for us to put his lead on so he can go outside. It’s fabulous and he loves it!!! We have a happier cat and we are more comfortable knowing that he isn’t roaming the neighborhood or looking for birds to kill in the trees. We only let him out when we are home so we can make sure he doesn’t get tangled or come to harm.

More people should try this with their cats if they want to give them a little time outdoors. Also, we tried the harness but he hated it – a collar has worked much better with the light 30ft lead we bought.

So just say NO to letting your cats roam freely outside – by the way, it is against the law to let them roam and animal control can trap them and fine you. So do everyone a favor and keep your cat under your control in your own house or yard.

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[homedk]

Our former cat was an indoor cat only & we currently have an outdoor cat, so have some insights into both sides of this issue.

Our indoor cat never adapted well to leash-walking, so she was indoors only. While she was safe from predators & those that might hurt her, she was not safe from diseases that come from lack of exercise. Boredom was an issue, despite that we played with her a lot & she had tons of cat toys & an aquarium to watch. It was somewhat of a worry that she would accidentally get out & be more vulnerable because of lack of “street smarts”. We felt guilty during the warmer weather when we were outdoors in the yard & she would watch us from the window.

We inherited our current cat from a neighbor when we moved into our current house. He had already established himself as a character in this neighborhood & he has an outdoor routine that includes visits to his former owner & others in the ‘hood. I can’t comment on the decline in the songbird population, but can say that our cat tends to catch mice & bugs rather than birds. Our yard is full of birds…live ones. We love to garden & our cat spends most of his time in our yard, lurking or snoozing under shady plants & hanging out with us. Because we do a lot of gardening, he seems to do most of “his business” in the freshly dug flowerbeds. We make sure he comes inside every night, to minimize the danger of predators. We do worry about something happening to him.

I’m not sure what we would do in the future if we were starting out with a new cat or two. We are conflicted about the indoor vs. outdoor cat issue. Ideally we’d like to see better ways to keep cats in their own yards so that they can still enjoy nature, climb trees, etc.

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[AlkiKmac]

I understand cats that are allowed outside normally aren’t declawed so they can ‘protect’ themselves. I’ve found too many off leash cats on my cars throughout the years and don’t appreciate the scratches left behind. A certain cat known to be allowed to roam free in Alki is causing a friend of mine problems. She can’t keep her front door open when at home because this cat recently decided my friend’s home is her hang-out and keeps going inside if the door is left open. I think it’s sad that a homeowner has to alter her behavior because someone else’s cat keeps coming over. And no, she’s not providing food or water. Nothing. The cat just finds her house cozy and cool.

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[charlabob]

The three katskys are strictly indoors (Noam, Roada, and Spot). Long ago I let my cats choose between in- and out-doors. Then someone “practicing” with a bow and arrow shot and killed one (back east, in a high-density urban area). From then on, my cats live inside. They don’t know better and they don’t mind. Actually, once all three escaped together and could not WAIT to get back in the house.

One of my neighbors has some kind of invisible fence and hir cats go out in the yard, sit on the fence, and never leave home. I have no idea how it works, but it seems to work well.

Another neighbor lives with an outdoor cat (this cat really belongs to all of us…but he has a home base, where his food and water dish live.) In the winter, he sleeps in our carport (yeah, on a cat bed that never made it to the yard sale.) :-) In the summer, he sleeps in the warm dirt of my flower beds that hasn’t been planted yet. Or on someone else’s porch or sidewalk. I suspect he’s the reason that we don’t see many other outdoor cats — it’s definitely his turf.

He has licenses and other jinglies (and is big and fat and old) so the only birds he threatens are those who are suicidal in the first place.

One of the “community” things about our particular area is that people know and look out for each others’ pets. When we had Max, the glab, he sometimes got out (OK, the cats opened the door and pushed him out.) People knew him, called, and kept him until we showed up. It didn’t happen often, but when it did, he was safe.

When he died (and when our boo kitty died) people asked about them and were sad too.

I do think people who claim cats don’t want to be indoors are anthropomorphizing a bit. And, obviously, I think they’re safer inside.

Confession: I’m not a big fan of birds, so “They may hurt a bird,” doesn’t really work for me. My outdoor cats always preferred mice.

Someday I’ll tell you-all the story of my favorite political and business aphorism — “Charge the biggest cat” which comes from a field mouse and cats who lived with us in Iowa. Meantime, always charge the biggest cat and you’ll never go wrong :-)

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[Kayleigh]

Charla, so sorry to hear about your furbaby being shot. I can’t think of anything that makes me angry and sick more quickly than cruelty to animals or children. :-(

On my walks and runs I see one particular outdoor kitty in the neighborhood. He’s just a sweetie and when I don’t see him for a while, I worry that someting has happened to him.

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[charlabob]

Thanks, KL — it was absolutely horrible — I heard him yowling and went out in the yard and found him — 5:30 in the morning, so it’s hard for me to imagine someone was just playing.

Our neighborhood kitty is about 15 and whenever he doesn’t come around (or his bowls disappear from the porch for a few days) I get very worried. At the neighborhood block party last year, he was the only neighbor whose absence was noted and mentioned. Then he came prancing down the sidewalk and we were all relieved.

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