We are out in the country too and have various wild animals including
coyotes but far more common are stray dogs who will kill a cat in a
heartbeat. Ours too grow up with friendly family dogs. And then there are
always people who do cruel things to cats as well.
I won't let my goats wander at will, I will keep my chickens in a fenced
area and cooped up at night, I don't let my dogs run at will. With the dogs
it's not just a danger to themselves but Connor knocked down a bicyclist
running out into the road to greet her and she met all 120lbs of him front
on with her bike. She went flying and then was worried she had hurt HIM!
We fixed the gap in the electric fence to keep him secure.
Dawn
From: native-nutrition@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:native-nutrition@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Shannon Rizzo
Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2009 10:39 AM
To: native-nutrition@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [NN] Re: healthy diet for a cat?
Outdoor cats on average have shorter lifespans, due to the dangers they
encounter. Many people these days who want their cats to have outdoor
stimulation in a safe environment are building cat enclosures. There are
some quite elaborate ones out there, enclosures built off of apartment
balconies, and enclosures built even in rural areas.
Here are some pics of cool enclosures that people have built themselves
(there are kits as well).
This first uses the cat run as outdoor bench seating:
http://www.geocities.com/holmescathy/outdoorenclosure.html
http://www.catsofaustralia.com/cat-enclosures.htm - in this link, the top
half shows an enclosure that spans two levels of an apartment, as well as a
great rural enclosure complete with kiddy pool, tree, and playhouse.
http://www.xmission.com/~emailbox/catrun.htm has links to many other pages
and pics
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Park/9857/enclosure.html is a shelter
some folks built for feral cats they save.
Also, there are fence toppers to make your yard cat safe:
http://www.purrfectfence.com/
We are in a mostly rural area and have coyotes (found a print yesterday 10
feet from a bedroom window), bobcats, hawks that carry off chickens and
small dogs, and a neighbor with 8 greyhounds next door - far too dangerous
to allow cats to roam outdoors. Our solution has been to build a run for
our cats, and to walk them on harnesses. Our cats grew up with a friendly
family dog and when they got out one night, they both wandered into the
greyhound yard, having no idea that some dogs aren't friendly, and one was
attacked by all eight. She survived and we continue to try to keep both of
them safely inside. Even in the old days when just about all farms had barn
cats, the cats were nabbed by prey and were replaced. Even cats who are
used to living outside and have "street smarts" have higher rates of disease
and being caught by predators. Indoor cats certainly face hazards (dental
floss, thread, essential oils are toxic) but these are more easily
controlled.
--
Shannon
www.kirkwoodrentals.com
www.midnightmoondreams.blogspot.com
twitter: moonrisefm
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