Quality of life certainly counts - and that is a decision every cat owner must make. Notice in my post I did not say keep them indoors, merely made you aware of the relative risk. I have known many many cats that would have been ill-suited to live indoors. There are those that think that every cat can be an indoor cat, and while I think that the vast majority are perfectly happy that way, I do not kid myself into thinking that this is 100% true.
[...], outdoor cats in a stable area that have survived longer than a year tend to have considerable lifespans. More of them die each year than indoor cats, but it is true that expereinced cats can do OK. The question to be answered everytime one decides to make their cat an indoor vs. out door cat is will this cat make it past that year? And FWIW - many cats that are experieinced do still get run over, or become ill and cannot get home and then taken for assistance.
[ . . .]there is risk and there is stupid risk. In my neighborhood having an outdoor cat is a stupid risk. Three of my enighbors have tried in the last year. Haven't seen those cats in a while. And I am sure no one stole them.It makes a *lot* of difference where you live. In some neighborhoods, and next to some roads, a cat's chances of survival outdoors are extremely poor. People who keep cats in such areas should not let them out. One reason I wanted a farm at the end of the road was because I knew people who lived on main roads, most of whose farm cats didn't live long enough to know how to survive the traffic.
Again - I am not telling anyone to never have an outdoor cat - just realize that about half will not see their second birthday.I am curious to know where the statistic comes from. I'd also like to know what conditions it covers. Many outdoor cats are outdoor-only cats, not inoculated, not given any veterinary care, often not properly fed (though sometimes the people whose barns and outbuildings they take shelter in think they are feeding them properly). Many farmers in this area (and I suspect also in other areas) think of cats as a sort of wild beneficial; a few around the barn keep the mice down, but the humans don't feel any responsibility to provide for them, beyond an occasional bowl of milk (which adult cats often can't digest properly). A mortality rate of 50% among kittens under such circumstances would not be surprising; but it also wouldn't apply to properly cared for cats.
From: "John Barbowski" <jbarbowski@hotmail.com>
Date: Fri Feb 21, 2003 06:05:58 PM US/Eastern
To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] A rewarding little fruit...
Reply-To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Speaking of mortality, studies in Great Britain have shown that the domestic cat reduced song bird populations in urban areas by as much as 50%!
In Toronto, (and ather urban areas I would assume), A high percentage (75-80% I believe) of outdoor cats are infelted with a virus. Cats also carry a virus that is very detrimantal to the foetus in pregnant women.
Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.