I love cats, birds, and all animals, but I don't think cats should be treated as wild animals and allowed to roam.

Taking Aim at Outdoor Cats

The proposal was subsequently dropped.
- J.R. Absher Editor, The Birding Wire


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Replies to This Discussion

Thanks for posting your article here too. I appreciate it Dominic.

It's easy to keep your cats indoors when you live on the 4th floor, but what you get then, are cats that are extra dependable on their human with the canopener. The cats that live with me sometimes go outside to play in my small roof garden, but they don't play much for they distrust the sky. They were born under a ceiling and don't know if it's allright without a ceiling. For security they sit under a chair or under one of the small shrubs; they know that the sky sometimes throws water at them, snow, bird droppings or loud sounds - after a very short time they go inside to rest from all that exitement.

Long ago I lived in a tiny house with a garden: the cats I had then were flea-bitten outdoor cats, who only reported back at dinner time. They got all the illnesses that came around, I had to rescue them from other houses or take them to the vet when someone shot at them or threw glass.

I love my cats, I want them to have a good life and I don't want them come to harm, but how and at what price? A cat can live inside or outside - there is not much in between for them. The housing situation of the owner is probably what decides how the cat lives.

If you had a ground floor house with a garden, would you sit in the garden with your family and leave the cat indoors on a hot summer day? You'd probably open all the doors and windows and let the cat decide for herself.

One of my feminist friend says that "Man was last animal dometicated by the women".

Many of the religions, espacially Islam seems to me as consiparacy of men against the women.

There are lots of women who rebel and leave - I was one of them - and I know why many don't leave. The ones who rebel and leave are from that moment persona non grata in the church community and often in their family too. The rebels often had no friends and acqaintances outside church and family because the church discourages outside contacts, so they are on their own and have to build everything from scratch. It's hard and lonely work: I've never forgotten those first years when I had no one to talk to apart from my cat.

You are right Peter, in many cases women chose sufferings because of fear of loss of children. The only thing on the earth I appreciate about Law makers in Pakistan is that, in case of seperation under 18 children are right of mother here.

I appreciate the bravery of your decision Chris. Its better to suffer for a while than destroy whole life living with a person you don't like. I always had great respect for such women.

Thanks Amer! It was no choice: be unhappy or scram...   And starting with my cat I found new friends and even a new family.

Thanks Peter!

They now sell cat proof fences which allow cats out of the house but contained in a space.  Some of them are tunnel like and enclosed mith mesh.  Others are tall flexible fencing that goes around and area and curves in at the top.  I designed my own and had it built around a portion of my property.  My cats, dogs, goats, and tortoises use the space and the dogs and cats go in and out through a dog/cat door.

That's very responsible, Dominic.

O yes, I never thought of that - a very good solution!


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