Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!ucsd!helios.ee.lbl.gov!nosc!crash!canada
From: canada@crash.cts.com (Diane Barlow Close)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: wandering domestic cats (was shooting cats)
Message-ID: <791@crash.cts.com>
Date: 29 Nov 89 17:31:03 GMT
References: <823@wrgate.WR.TEK.COM> <884@eecea.eece.ksu.edu> <835@wrgate.WR.TEK.COM>
Reply-To: canada@crash.cts.com (Diane Barlow Close)
Organization: Crash TimeSharing, El Cajon, CA
Lines: 58

>In article <823@wrgate.WR.TEK.COM> denise@dadla.WR.TEK.COM (Denise Caire) writes:
>
>Give me a good
>suggestion about how I can let him out and keep him in my yard.
> ... My alley cat likes it outside where nature intended him to be, 
> not cooped up in a house all day.  As previously stated, I don't like 
> the litter box in the house, nor do I like idea of claws being sharpened 
> on Lord only knows what?

The trouble is, you are just plain lazy.  It is much easier to let a cat
``roam free'' instead of put a bit of effort into training him/her to do
otherwise.  Both of my humane society-obtained ALLEY cats are indoor cats
now.  I used positive reinforcement to encourage them to prefer the
indoors.  I provide lots of toys, three cat climbing poles, and two window
seats (one has a view of a bird feeder a few feet away).  I trained the
cats to sharpen their claws ONLY on THEIR furniture (ie. the cat poles),
and I use a booda box so that I (or my guests) can't see or smell cat
``business'' in the house.  (A friend solved this problem by putting in a cat
door leading into her garage and placing the cat box in the garage.)
Finally, I was able to teach them to sit and stay when an open door is
present.

The cats are active, healthy, fit, DEFINITELY not fat (they actively
wrestle and run up and down stairs and cat poles during ``active'' times of
the day).  I have beautiful furniture (I have no kids :-) with NO cat marks
on them.  I have beautiful rugs with no cat marks on them either.  The cats
are happy and so am I.  They don't miss the outdoors.  In fact, when I had
a pet sitter look after them over a weekend, she didn't read the
instructions I left her (and didn't listen, either!  She won't be hired
back!) and she tried to put the cats out on one of the days (she was one of
those ``cats must roam free'' people too).  The cats cried and cried to get
back indoors, and started throwing themselves at the front door until she
let them back in.  (Don't forget, both of these cats lead outdoor lives
before coming to me.)

So, I say it again:  you are just plain lazy.  You don't want to spend the
effort to show your cat an alternative lifestyle.  Much the same as people
who don't want to teach their dogs obedience, but believe the should be
kept in the ``natural, doggy state'', or like people who don't neuter
'cause ``it's not natural''.

It is your choice (it is a free country after all), but if I catch your cat
in my yard, it will be trapped and taken to the humane society FOR SURE!
I've had enough ``natural'' kitties peeing on my doors and pooping in my
garden, and eating the other welcome WILD visitors to my yard.  Of course,
I'll only catch your cat if the bobcat who lives in the canyon doesn't
catch it first (6 cat lunches and 3 doggie dinners so far this fall and
counting...).

>By nature, cats are outside animals.  Now if you want your's to act
>and live in an unnatural style, that's your choice.  Mine goes out.

By nature humans should live in caves...
-- 
Diane Barlow Close
      {nosc, ucsd}!crash!canada
      canada@crash.cts.com
      Free Canada -- Trade Mulroney


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