Cats

Alli said:
Our 3 cats are all indoor cats. I don’t understand people who have outdoor cats. I’m afraid for the cats, and the birds in the area. We also recently decided that we would make terrible dog parents. But I think once these cats are gone, that’s going to be it.
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Yah, my one and only indoor-outdoor cat connected w/ a motorcycle at age of nine months and turned from a freebie barn kitty into a fully mobile vet bill of approximately what I would have shelled out for the average winter rat car.

She did regain that full mobility though --indeed she was the one who brought me a live grass snake at 3am once-- but after she passed away at ripe old age of 16, my next kitties were indoor ones except for Porch Kitty. The latter character had other hangouts too, but she liked the way I served up breakfast on the deck so that was our arrangement until her untimely death at the hands of some idiot who had shot her up with a pellet gun --talk about vet expenses, which I went for, since she had managed to get back onto my deck, but we could not save her-- and I never knew who in the area may have served up other meals. She was a great demo of how a wily domestic cat can manage to run several households in a sprawling neighborhood. She was plump enough I figured she didn't even have to bother with harassing songbirds.

My two indoor kitties passed away from great old age (20 and 22) within months of each other a couple years ago, and I've figured that's about it for me, they are a lot of work and potential expense, so unless another porch cat barges onto my deck in a blizzard sometime, I'm content to live with fond memories of a dozen or so cats who were great companions over the years... and major pains in the behind once in awhile.
 
Alli said:
Our 3 cats are all indoor cats. I don’t understand people who have outdoor cats. I’m afraid for the cats, and the birds in the area. We also recently decided that we would make terrible dog parents. But I think once these cats are gone, that’s going to be it.
Click to expand...
I have the same dilemma. Our remaining moggie is just shy of 20 years age… still doddering along. Absolutely no trouble, incredibly talkative and just the best companion.
But when she dies we've also decided that'll be it no more adoptions… and yet… and yet… who knows? I am such a sucker for their wiles. So we shall see. Though I do the sums and look at our age and think… hmmmm, so how many cat lives can I still fit in? Probably only one… at the most.

On the subject of Indoors and Outdoors cats:

Both our cats we got while living in Hong Kong. She from the SPCA and Rufus the only survivor of his litter born in a multi story parking garage… to his dying day he always had a bit of the feral in him.

Anyway! While we were in Hong Kong they were both indoors cats — never set a foot outside. 26th storeys up they just had windows to look out of.
Then we moved to Cape Town for a couple years — and obviously the two moved with us.

One hot summer's night I was woken by the cats scrabbling and scratching about next to the bed. I shood them away and went back to sleep.
The next morning I found the remains of a dead scorpion next to the bed. Instinctively they knew what to do… They had never seen one before, but I guess instinct kicked in and it was addios scorpion!

After we moved back to London they spent 6 months in quarantine. Fortunately that ridiculously outdated law has been scrapped. Freed from prison they had a suburban garden to roam about in… most days they'd have breakfast and then disappear, over the back fence into the adjoining properties. I always wondered what a collar cat cam would have revealed.

But yes, with foxes about at night I was always worried when it started to get dark and they weren't back. Though usually I just had to ring on their feeding bowls and they'd come scrabbling over the fence and zooming across the lawn.

They also lived on a wine farm in Chile, in suburban Florence and for a few months in the French countryside (Which is where she acquired her love of cheese). Each time they adapted perfectly.

Now in Bath she is an indoors cat again. Though she still loves to sit in the windows and stare at the goings on outside. 😺
 
Arkitect said:
I have the same dilemma. Our remaining moggie is just shy of 20 years age… still doddering along. Absolutely no trouble, incredibly talkative and just the best companion.
But when she dies we've also decided that'll be it no more adoptions… and yet… and yet… who knows? I am such a sucker for their wiles. So we shall see. Though I do the sums and look at our age and think… hmmmm, so how many cat lives can I still fit in? Probably only one… at the most.

On the subject of Indoors and Outdoors cats:

Both our cats we got while living in Hong Kong. She from the SPCA and Rufus the only survivor of his litter born in a multi story parking garage… to his dying day he always had a bit of the feral in him.

Anyway! While we were in Hong Kong they were both indoors cats — never set a foot outside. 26th storeys up they just had windows to look out of.
Then we moved to Cape Town for a couple years — and obviously the two moved with us.

One hot summer's night I was woken by the cats scrabbling and scratching about next to the bed. I shood them away and went back to sleep.
The next morning I found the remains of a dead scorpion next to the bed. Instinctively they knew what to do… They had never seen one before, but I guess instinct kicked in and it was addios scorpion!

After we moved back to London they spent 6 months in quarantine. Fortunately that ridiculously outdated law has been scrapped. Freed from prison they had a suburban garden to roam about in… most days they'd have breakfast and then disappear, over the back fence into the adjoining properties. I always wondered what a collar cat cam would have revealed.

But yes, with foxes about at night I was always worried when it started to get dark and they weren't back. Though usually I just had to ring on their feeding bowls and they'd come scrabbling over the fence and zooming across the lawn.

They also lived on a wine farm in Chile, in suburban Florence and for a few months in the French countryside (Which is where she acquired her love of cheese). Each time they adapted perfectly.

Now in Bath she is an indoors cat again. Though she still loves to sit in the windows and stare at the goings on outside. 😺
Click to expand...
Sounds like you and your cats have lived in some wonderful places. I miss that kind of moving around.
 
Arkitect said:
I have the same dilemma. Our remaining moggie is just shy of 20 years age… still doddering along. Absolutely no trouble, incredibly talkative and just the best companion.
But when she dies we've also decided that'll be it no more adoptions… and yet… and yet… who knows? I am such a sucker for their wiles. So we shall see. Though I do the sums and look at our age and think… hmmmm, so how many cat lives can I still fit in? Probably only one… at the most.

On the subject of Indoors and Outdoors cats:

Both our cats we got while living in Hong Kong. She from the SPCA and Rufus the only survivor of his litter born in a multi story parking garage… to his dying day he always had a bit of the feral in him.

Anyway! While we were in Hong Kong they were both indoors cats — never set a foot outside. 26th storeys up they just had windows to look out of.
Then we moved to Cape Town for a couple years — and obviously the two moved with us.

One hot summer's night I was woken by the cats scrabbling and scratching about next to the bed. I shood them away and went back to sleep.
The next morning I found the remains of a dead scorpion next to the bed. Instinctively they knew what to do… They had never seen one before, but I guess instinct kicked in and it was addios scorpion!

After we moved back to London they spent 6 months in quarantine. Fortunately that ridiculously outdated law has been scrapped. Freed from prison they had a suburban garden to roam about in… most days they'd have breakfast and then disappear, over the back fence into the adjoining properties. I always wondered what a collar cat cam would have revealed.

But yes, with foxes about at night I was always worried when it started to get dark and they weren't back. Though usually I just had to ring on their feeding bowls and they'd come scrabbling over the fence and zooming across the lawn.

They also lived on a wine farm in Chile, in suburban Florence and for a few months in the French countryside (Which is where she acquired her love of cheese). Each time they adapted perfectly.

Now in Bath she is an indoors cat again. Though she still loves to sit in the windows and stare at the goings on outside. 😺
Click to expand...

While I don't doubt that your cats adapted perfectly to each new location, these splendid spots (suburban Florence, a wine farm, or vineyard, in Chile, the French countryside...) are the sort of places that make adapting to someplace new a lot more congenial and far easier to cope with.
 
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Scepticalscribe said:
While I don't doubt that your cats adapted perfectly to each new location, these splendid spots (suburban Florence, a wine farm, for vineyard in Chile, the French countryside...) are the sort of places that make adapting to someplace new a lot more congenial and far easier to cope with.
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This is true.

I sometimes think they don't know how good they had/have it! :)
 
Arkitect said:
This is true.

I sometimes think they don't know how good they had/have it! :)
Click to expand...

Agreed: Actually, I think that anyone who subscribes to the theory of reincarnation (on the Hindu model) could do a lot worse than come back to this planet of ours in order to live a (very fulfilled, most congenial and exceedingly pleasant) life as one of your cats.
 
Finally! After almost a full year of adopting Oreo, I finally caught him and Jet cuddling together in my bed. They are both, of course, humiliated.

BCA5A422-2AFA-4BC4-A1C6-5EF58B7E6C86.jpeg
 
Alli said:
It’s amazing how cats can get comfortable in the most uncomfortable-looking positions. Remind me again why we believe they have bones?
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Yeah and managing even to get into what they regard as suitable place to fit in a catnap while homeowner's on a java break. A pal sent me this shot one day with a note claiming she was "only gone for two minutes."

Fitting in a Cat Nap.jpg
 
dogslobber said:
Don't feed your cat human food. Especially cheezits.
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... and nor onions, garlic, chives... anything in the allium family harms a cat. The thiosulphate compounds naturally occurring in those plants kill the red blood cells of felines. This goes for stuff made w/ onion powder as well, which is sometimes in broths or baby food that people may give to elderly cats when they can't eat crunchy foods.

Tunafish meant for consumption by humans isn't good for cats either, as more than an occasional spoonful for a treat -- it lacks taurine and some vitamins cats need, plus the mercury in tuna is as bad for them as for us if ingested too often.
 

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