I am begging you, PLEASE keep your cats indoors!

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Cinderwolf

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2010
Messages
1,503
Location
Richmond B.C.
I just cant stress it enough. I say it to everyone I know. There is no reasont o put them outside and so so sooo much risk : (

Now for the sad story.

First you have to hear abotu my terrible neighbors. Theya re terrible in many ways but a big one is the fact that they have many cats and they are really really irresponsible and horrible owners.

Exhibit A: They move in and within a few days ask if we have seen their cat cause it never came home on night. Never seen again ( we speculate coyote)
A few months later they get Sadie a sweet grey kitten from petsmart ( with a clause saying indoor only" in her contract)
Exhibit B: They say she is going to be indoor only. She gets out. Daily. They claim " its impossible to keep her indoors. They keep the doors open...

Exhibit C : Sadie begins beign left otu over night ( we find her in our yard in the middle of the ngiht whining at our door.
When they go away for the weekend they leave ehr outside . all weekend. With no food and presumably no water.

Exhibit D:" They get a second cat, a very scared black cat. Said black cat is always out side as well, liek Sadie. Said black cat gets locked in our garage unknowingly for a week. They didnt not try to look for her, and only asked us about ti after a few days of not knowing. we only found her because my dad opened the back room to mow the lawn.

Exhibit E: I dont knwo where the black cat is and I havent seen her in months.

Exhibit F: AKA breakign point. The point in which I was ready to call the SPCA as were my parents.
On Saturday we notice that Sadie is ina lot of pain, isnt puttign andy pressure on her back foot and it is dangling uselessly when she walks. We are sure ti is broken. we rush to tell them. When my mom tells them " she has a broken leg" they say " oh.. yea we noticed yesterday, we are gonna take her to the vet on monday" very uncaring. So my mom gets angry and tell thme thye need to take her in NOW because she can hardly walk and is in a LOT of pain. long story short, they dont take her in saturday. Sunday we dont see her aroudn so we assume they took her to the vet. Nope. a few days later we see her outside again, no cast, still limping. We think oh.. maybe the vet sjut didnt want a cast on it.." but we are suspicious. a week or more after the initial incident she appears with a cast on her foot. A WEEK. THen they coem over ot tell us Oh the vet thinks she got attacked bya raccoon blah blah blah I wa sto angry to listen

But whatever, Sadie was all fixed so I was not as mad as before. She was still elft out side however.

Now. They get 2 more kittens ( god knows where from probably BYB thoguh sicne it is illegal to sell kittens in stores in my citya dn thye woudl never get accepted to get a kitten from the spca ( nor woudl they pay that much)

Sweet, adorable kitten.s They say " indoor only for sure" ya ya ya. kittens are outside all the time. of course.

Well tonight, little Santa Fe, the gorgeous white kitten with a smudge on her head and 2 different coloured eye, passed away. </3 It is rather upsetting and can be classified as an ' accident' but honestly it never would have happend if they were safe and sound in the house on a pile of fluffy blankets sleeping.

I will put this bit under spoiler becasue it is rather upsetting to read. however not graphic

[spoil:3fwowp6w]So she ( or any of the cats) wear collars so I ama bit confused abotu what really happened but this si wha tI was told. She fell off of a fence and got her neck caught and was hung to death on the fence.[/spoil:3fwowp6w]

I am so filled with hatred toward these neighbors I cant even look at them any more.

So rest in peace little Satan fe , i am so sorry that you got such a terrible hand and ended up with those people. In your next life be sure ot look for us so you an learn what its liek to be in a real family with warm beds and tastey food and lots of love. And no fences. :'(

Play hard and free at the bridge little girl. </3
 
:redhot: :redhot: :redhot: :redhot:
OMG how horrible!

I am so sorry for Santa Fe and for the rest of the cats who are left without proper care
:hugs:


the vet who treated the cat with the broken leg must have been able to tell that it had happened a week before- do you know the name of that vet?? Maybe if the vet knew that the owner was aware of the break and delayed treatment for so long, they could register a complaint.......?
 
wow...call in cruelty complaints if you ever see them put off a vet visit, if you can find the shelter the initial cat was from, the one that violated the adoption contract, call them to get the entire family blacklisted from all shelters. where I love coyotes are the least of the scary apex predators...I am so sorry you must live next to such creatins. if you can gain support of others in your area it may be possible to get animal control to put pressure on them, or if nothing else keep an eye on them. pictures of animals when wounded are great proof as is calling&reporting them. I hope things get better, I know how hard it is to live near those kinds of people
 
Yea I wanted to report them many times but my parents wanted to not get on their bad side ( the women is always drunka dn they are always fighting/screaming at each other) so they told me not to. And we woudl have called when they didnt take her in cept we though they did casue they told us they woudl then locked her in the house for a day so we couldnt see her. Also turns out it wasnt broken but was all cut up from the raccoon bite. : ( It is just so sad. My dad was about to call the spca on them but he said give them a day to take her then we will call.

and i hav eno idea what rescue it was. it was through petsmart and they always change their rescues. also im goign by what it said on the sign for her not sur eif it was legally in the contract but i know they frown upon it. I told my friend who works there.

Worst part is they never learn! if they had taken our advice about keeping them indoors when they lost the first one then none of it would happen. its just so stupid and pointless

All of my cats have been indoor only and they always will be. And all of them lived to 16-17 ( and my guy right now is 18 I think) except for one who got cancer at age 8 .
 
I have rescued many indoor/outdoor cats during the coy-dog surge. the fisher&badger know me&run now if I yell no!(both attacked neghibors&got a whack)the bear is respectful after getting a bottle over the head&to the privates after jumping me(I got a little clawed)so I get on wel enough w/the wildlife to garner mutual respect, they don't grab at me I let them be unless they're after a neighbor or neighbor's kid cat or dog. it affords me the ability to shoo them away&be taken seriously unlike others these animals never see daily&have no healthy respect for. one cat got chased around 15miles by a pack of coydogs&had I not let him into the porch theyd have gotten him for sure...took weeks to track down his owner but when I did she heard him yowling&knew over the phone it was him. one cat that goes out days in my former area has a phone tree&by5is brought I wherever he may be&his owner picks him up as soon as he finds him. I catsat ray, he IS an actual escape artist so much of the area loves him&tries to work to keep him under eyes. he shimmied up&out a chimney at one place! I&his owner are the only people who even attempt to keep him in long, but I guess his owner has an elderly mother in law who grew up putting the cat out so its a battle. when I moved that little cat (who terrifies the bear for some reason) was the thing I missed the most. I still visit.
you can always report people anonymously or at someone elses house or by payphone. I really hope things get better, I hate seeing it myself too. its hard to do what is right w/out infringing on rights of others, ive come up against this dilemma often concerning animals&it is always a catch 22.
 
I have three cats who have never seen the outside, except through windows, and carriers, since I took them in.
One used to be an outdoor cat, he hated staying inside at first, but now? He doesn't know the difference.
The other two were born inside, and I took them a few days prior to being six weeks old.

I hate seeing outdoor cats, it breaks my heart.
 
Risika57 said:
I have three cats who have never seen the outside, except through windows, and carriers, since I took them in.
One used to be an outdoor cat, he hated staying inside at first, but now? He doesn't know the difference.
The other two were born inside, and I took them a few days prior to being six weeks old.

I hate seeing outdoor cats, it breaks my heart.

I agree it makes me sad.

And yea my cats ahve only been out side if they A) clawed through the screen door B ) were very old/ unable to jump the fence and were in our yard with us or C) on a leash ( which resulted in hi running scared back tot he house LOL
 
I agree with all of you, keeping them indoors CAN be done if you're consistent & vigilant in doing so! I believe even those who have been outdoors or LOVE being outdoors can be kept inside. My mother & I brought in a neighbourhood stray last October & she's never been outside since!
Here's her story:
Neighbour #1 got her as a kitten & she kept ending up outside, then she moved out of the country & this young black cat is homeless. The cat spends the summer outdoors &, not surprisingly, ends up pregnant. Neighbours #2 & #3 start bringing her inside & feeding her. When I find her & her kittens under a shed neighbour #2 brings them all in "for good" - she loses all 3 kittens. :( Neighbour #2 starts letting the cat (named Evie now) out & eventually says she "just can't keep her in" & she doesn't get along with her other cat. Neighbour #3 gives up feeding her as well. Halloween comes & I bring her in to my basement where she gives birth to litter 2 but all are still-born. At that point I decided there's NO WAY I'm letting her back outside to get pregnant & lose another litter, or possibly her own life! A month passes & we slowly let our cats meet Evie, and guess what? She has lived with my mother & her 6 cats & has not cried to go outside or gone near the door even ONCE! since December. :D She doesn't love other cats, or particularly like them... but she sleeps near them, eats next to them (shares a dish even) and gets along just fine! The stupid neighbours just never TRIED! Evie is an affectionate, adoring, loving cat to humans & I have no clue how anyone could let her go. :( Anyway, she knows she's in a great place now & has no interest in leaving. :D

I also think you need to report your neighbours, somehow. People like that shouldn't have pets at all. Good luck with them! My mother has even gone as far as calling the spca to come pick up a "stray" when the neighbour (the 1 who moved away & left Evie behind) left their first cat outside when they went on vacation for a week. I mean, the cat is better off & they left it outside & he could've run away or died! They just came back & didn't even look for him. Idiots. It was a win-win for everyone, really. Good luck with your neighbours!!
 
Please call the SPCA, and tell them all of this. :(
Make sure other neighbors and your family backs you up as witnesses, too.
 
Aida said:
Please call the SPCA, and tell them all of this. :(
Make sure other neighbors and your family backs you up as witnesses, too.
But we have no proof : ( and it isnt illegal to let them outside.. I have thought about it but really i dunno what they can do or if they woudl do anything since the cats look healthy and there was no proof of the not taking to the vet thing
 
Cinderwolf said:
Aida said:
Please call the SPCA, and tell them all of this. :(
Make sure other neighbors and your family backs you up as witnesses, too.
But we have no proof : ( and it isnt illegal to let them outside.. I have thought about it but really i dunno what they can do or if they woudl do anything since the cats look healthy and there was no proof of the not taking to the vet thing
Maybe just letting them know what is happening, and have the SPCA snoop around the owners will make them be a bit more caring? You know, scare them by letting them know someone is keeping a watchful eye on their pets?
 
Aida said:
Cinderwolf said:
Aida said:
Please call the SPCA, and tell them all of this. :(
Make sure other neighbors and your family backs you up as witnesses, too.
But we have no proof : ( and it isnt illegal to let them outside.. I have thought about it but really i dunno what they can do or if they woudl do anything since the cats look healthy and there was no proof of the not taking to the vet thing
Maybe just letting them know what is happening, and have the SPCA snoop around the owners will make them be a bit more caring? You know, scare them by letting them know someone is keeping a watchful eye on their pets?

I will mention it when im at my shift. and next tiem they pull soemthing stupid i will call for real.
 
I have 6 cats.
They are all rescues.
4 of them are inside cats and two are inside outside cats.
I tried for years to keep the other two in but Simon and Steve have behavioural issues that no amount of time and or behaviour modification can rectify.
Simon will literally stalk and attack the other cats causing injuries and Steve will spray EVERYWHERE including the counters toaster microwave, T.V. :gaah:
I have tried sprays, plug in's etc to no avail.
I have been told by family members to have Steve pts.
I would NEVER do this because besides the peeing he is a wonderful loving cat.
I hate having them outside but the only other recourse is to have them pts.
I do the best I can.
They have the best Vet food and Checkups and shots.
Everyone in the neighbourhood knows who they are etc.
Not every person is a bad pet owner for having outside cats.
Sometimes we have no other choice. :(
 
I think so, too, Sharlees. As long as they have vet care and good care from you, then I think you're a fine owner.

I just remembered, the cat my family has(and dog) are outside pets- in the sense that when they want out, we just open the door and they can come and go during the day as they please. We live in a very very small rural village, so everyone knows them and few cars pass by. This is how it's been for years, and restricting them to a leash now wouldn't go over well...

As for keeping your pets out overnight, not mending their broken limbs, not being careful with their well being- it's a whole nother story.
 
Sharlees rattakisses said:
Not every person is a bad pet owner for having outside cats.

This.

It's hardly fair to suggest that all people who let their cats outdoors are bad owners :? These people are clearly really undeserving of their cats, regardless of if they let them outside or not.

We have 7 cats and all of them go outside. I'm not trying to be rude but I completely disagree with it being sad to see them outside. Our cats absolutely love being allowed outside and I'd never make them stay in.
 
Even though this story is terrible, and i hope these owners get whats coming for the treatment of these poor cats. I do believe that cats should be let out side, whether its on a leash, or in an out door run. And even just let out if you live in a more rural area with less cars. I think cats benefit from being out side, and so does my vet. Of course there are things that could hurt a cat, or even kill them out there. But it does seem that cats live happier lives if they could go out nice in a while, even if its on a leash.

These people are HORRIBLE, but just because a cat is let out doesnt make a person a bad owner. I think letting a cat out is important as long as your safe about it.
 
I just wanted to post again saying that I do realize some cats just need to go outside & they do live happier lives doing so, but if you live in the middle of a city I think you should keep them in, or have them learn to be on a leash & take them for walks. We've done that with past cats who LOVED going outside but it was way too busy on our street.
Anyway, my story of the stray we brought in was to show not all cats WANT to go outside! Amanda points out she & her vet think it's best & cats will be happier if they have access to outdoors... but I disagree only to the point that I think only cats who want to go outside will be happier, those who are afraid of the outdoors or show no interest should be kept in, for their own good, and they'll be happier being indoor-only kitties. :)
 
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