That Cuddly Kitty Is Deadlier Than You Think

[Baltimatt]

Ivan--

Cats and dogs need to be licensed in the city.

All cats and dogs over age six months must still be licensed. Pet licensing is extremely important as a means of confirming that pets have been inoculated against rabies. Rabies inoculation is necessary, even for pets that remain indoors, because bats frequently gain entry to homes and are then pursued by pets, making bites likely. Licensing helps reunite lost animals with their owners, and provides critically needed revenue to support open admission shelters, such as BARCS.

[Cameron]

Is that true for the city too? There are a couple cats that roam in the alley and theoretically belong to someone. It's funny to see the two cats fighting on top of a garage.

I don't think it's true for the City.

I called the City Animal Shelter inquiring about one that got away and they told me that they do not euthanize any cats, but find homes for all of them.

I find that hard to believe.

http://resources.baltimorecountymd.g...laws110818.pdf

[flyboy56]

Some kinds of cats are okay to own ~ but there is absolutely no reason for anyone to have assault cats. Outdoor cats should all be made to wear collars with bells and paw mittens.

Collars can get hung up on things and paw mittens would prevent them from defending themselves. And a cat's ability to avoid natural enemies is their stealthy attributes. So I say no to all of your recommendations.

[flyboy56]

Long-lost kitty returned after almost a decade, fueling 9 lives.

For anyone who's ever had a cat go missing, here's a glimmer of hope. Nine years ago, Vanilla the cat darted away after a scare with a neighborhood dog in Sausalito, Calif. Although his owner, Dara Gerson, plastered the neighborhood with posters, she eventually had to accept her beloved feline was gone forever. Until recently, when she got an unexpected phone call. An animal shelter had scanned a cat's microchip, and Gerson's cell phone number — which has not changed in nearly a decade — came up. Vanilla had been living six hours away with an elderly man who now had dementia. It's unclear how he ended up there or what he's been doing all these years, but Dara says she's tickled to have her long-lost friend back home again.

http://now.msn.com/vanilla-the-cat-r...ine-years-lost

[Sprightly]

People shouldn't let their cats roam outside at all if they care for them. It exposes them to life~endangering infections like FIV and FeLV and allows them to use neighbors' property as a litter box. Coyotes like cats too.

I agree - except that I would add that there are other real dangers.

However, a visitor from the U.K. was mortified/amused that we keep our cats inside -- and the litter box was shocking to him. Apparently it's not the "thing" over there. While visiting his Mom's house I saw what he was talking about. Their home has a cat door and the felines come and go at will - no litter pan.

[flyboy56]

I agree - except that I would add that there are other real dangers.

However, a visitor from the U.K. was mortified/amused that we keep our cats inside -- and the litter box was shocking to him. Apparently it's not the "thing" over there. While visiting his Mom's house I saw what he was talking about. Their home has a cat door and the felines come and go at will - no litter pan.

I tend to find indoor cats to be a bit neurotic. It's not a normal environment for an animal that likes to hunt.

[banner1124]

I've got nothing against cats, just don't like 'em one bit... I'm much more of a dog person.

All I know is there's something about cats that's just creepy. There's a reason evil movie villians always have a cat in their lap

[wrecktangle]

I wonder if the people who allow their cats to roam outside, pooping and peeing on their neighbors properties, are the same people that:

Use cell phones loudly in theaters and restaurants...

Park their cars in spaces that others have dug out...

Go through the 15 or less grocery line with 25 items...

Drive 45 mph in the passing lane...

Insist that their children would never do anything wrong...

I have a hunch that these are the same people, as they have no consideration for their neighbors.

And... those that think that cats belong outside, that they get bored and not stimulated being indoor-only cats, are full of cat poop.

[Fang]

I wonder if the people who allow their cats to roam outside, pooping and peeing on their neighbors properties, are the same people that:

Use cell phones loudly in theaters and restaurants...

Park their cars in spaces that others have dug out...

Go through the 15 or less grocery line with 25 items...

Drive 45 mph in the passing lane...

Insist that their children would never do anything wrong...

I have a hunch that these are the same people, as they have no consideration for their neighbors.

And... those that think that cats belong outside, that they get bored and not stimulated being indoor-only cats, are full of cat poop.

Probably the same person that tosses their cigarette butt out the window onto the road.

[wrecktangle]

Probably the same person that tosses their cigarette butt out the window onto the road.

I forgot that one, thanks.

[flyboy56]

I've got nothing against cats, just don't like 'em one bit... I'm much more of a dog person.

All I know is there's something about cats that's just creepy. There's a reason evil movie villians always have a cat in their lap

Cujo!

[flyboy56]

I wonder if the people who allow their cats to roam outside, pooping and peeing on their neighbors properties, are the same people that:

Use cell phones loudly in theaters and restaurants...

Park their cars in spaces that others have dug out...

Go through the 15 or less grocery line with 25 items...

Drive 45 mph in the passing lane...

Insist that their children would never do anything wrong...

I have a hunch that these are the same people, as they have no consideration for their neighbors.

And... those that think that cats belong outside, that they get bored and not stimulated being indoor-only cats, are full of cat poop.

And I'm guessing you're someone who leaves a barking dog outside all night.

[wrecktangle]

And I'm guessing you're someone who leaves a barking dog outside all night.

No sir...I'm not a dog person. But, we can add that to my list.

I live a very quiet unassuming life. I cut my grass at a reasonable hour, I do not play my stereo beyond a volume that only I can hear, I hold open doors for others, I'll pull over to the side of the road to allow another to pass, I wave people ahead of me in traffic and I dim my lights at night to oncoming vehicles.

[flyboy56]

No sir...I'm not a dog person. But, we can add that to my list.

I live a very quiet unassuming life. I cut my grass at a reasonable hour, I do not play my stereo beyond a volume that only I can hear, I hold open doors for others, I'll pull over to the side of the road to allow another to pass, I wave people ahead of me in traffic and I dim my lights at night to oncoming vehicles.

No pets though? Hmmm...did you have a pet growing up?

[Cameron]

I've got nothing against cats, just don't like 'em one bit... I'm much more of a dog person.

All I know is there's something about cats that's just creepy. There's a reason evil movie villians always have a cat in their lap

I'm not a cat or dog person, but cats do have a use.

I have yet to find what use dogs are.

[gonzoliberal]

'Been the proud servant of one cat or another for the last 40-odd years.
All three have been barn cats, slept around the house all day and went out and prowled at night. The current ex-tom tends to sleep around the house most nights as well, but goes outside at will.

I'm of mixed opinions about this and similar reports. Cats have been around since before history was written and are part of the eco-system, not alien to it. Perhaps much of the problem is the difficulty many in our culture have in accepting the blood-and-guts reality of life on the planet. Whether it's the origins of our own food or of our pets, many of us live in the happy-happy world of denial, where nothing ever suffers or dies and all dogs go to heaven.

If I lived in the city (I don't), I may have different feelings, but out here in the rich forrests of suburbia, cats just seem part of the surroundings.

JMHO....

[SteamChief]

How many birds and other wildlife do domestic cats
kill each year in the U.S.?
Exact numbers are unknown, but scientists estimate that nationwide,
cats kill hundreds of millions of birds, and more than a billion
small mammals, such as rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks, each
year. Cats kill common species such as Cardinal, Blue Jay, and House
Wren, as well as rare and endangered species such as Piping Plover,
Florida Scrub-Jay, and California Least Tern.
There are more than 77 million pet cats in the United States. A
1997 nationwide poll showed that only 35% are kept exclusively
indoors, leaving the majority of owned cats free to kill birds and
other wildlife at least some of the time. In addition, millions of stray
and feral cats roam our cities, suburbs, farmlands and natural areas.
Abandoned by their owners or lost (stray), or descendants of strays
and living in the wild (feral), these cats are victims of human
irresponsibility due to abandonment and failure to spay or neuter
pets. No one knows how many homeless cats there are in the U.S.,
but estimates range from 60 to 100 million. These cats lead short,
miserable lives.
http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/.../predation.pdf

[Mom49of4]

Sounds like the circle of life.

[SteamChief]

'Been the proud servant of one cat or another for the last 40-odd years.
All three have been barn cats, slept around the house all day and went out and prowled at night. The current ex-tom tends to sleep around the house most nights as well, but goes outside at will.

I'm of mixed opinions about this and similar reports. Cats have been around since before history was written and are part of the eco-system, not alien to it. Perhaps much of the problem is the difficulty many in our culture have in accepting the blood-and-guts reality of life on the planet. Whether it's the origins of our own food or of our pets, many of us live in the happy-happy world of denial, where nothing ever suffers or dies and all dogs go to heaven.

If I lived in the city (I don't), I may have different feelings, but out here in the rich forrests of suburbia, cats just seem part of the surroundings.

JMHO....

I guess you don't have too many birds living nearby.

[banner1124]

I'm not a cat or dog person, but cats do have a use.

I have yet to find what use dogs are.

I guarantee you that the sight of a cat or the sound of a meow isn't going to scare some would be criminal away from your house... see where I'm goin with that?