random
- Hear that? Well it’s NOT the sound of my kitchen faucet dripping. I got all Mr-Fixit on it this weekend. Go me!
- OMG OMG OMG OMG! The rumours were true — The Police are touring! Looks like I’m going to Bonnaroo.
- The Richardson campaign seems to be making progress.
- I’m not sure what to do here. Remember my new feline friend? Well, I didn’t see him for about a week or so. Then, yesterday afternoon, he shows up again, only now he’s sportin’ a new collar with a tag that says “Please don’t feed or harbor me, I have a loving home”. Well, does that mean he was your cat all along and you were so relieved when he came back that you put the collar on him, or does it mean that you found him during the last week and you’re trying to take him in now? I don’t want to take someone’s cat if the former, but if the latter, well he has lived with me for nearly two months now, I’d say he already has a home.
And it’s more complicated: when he showed up, he came bounding up the stairs with a air of “holy shit dude am I glad to see you”. And he seemed to have lost weight, and he proceeded to scarf down the food I gave him. And his coat was dirty and he shed heavily when I petted him, suggesting that at the very least he wasn’t getting much attention. So what sort of conditions is he experiencing in this ‘loving home’? I’m certainly not going to turn away a hungry, neglected cat even if he isn’t a ’stray’.
I don’t know. I tend to see cats as autonomous & intelligent creatures that are capable of deciding for themselves which humans they want to live with based on how they’re treated. I don’t grok the ‘ownership’ of animals. But I know that’s a strange view to most people. So I don’t know what to do, do I keep feeding him and letting him stay with me? I let him back out whenever he wants, he’s completely free to return to the other house. Or do I respect the wishes of this ‘owner’?
Well, actually, I don’t think pets should be outside in general. I drive by way too many dead cats on the way to work, all of whom look like they were roaming right outside their owner’s homes when they were hit by cars.
I’d say keep the cat indoors, feed him, love him, and keep him safe :D
I’m with Nathan (I would be, on this) — and it’s not like keeping him indoors makes you his “owner,” per se. It’s more like you’re his protector and you’re making sure he actually does have a safe and loving home, and that he doesn’t get run over by a car, mauled by a dog, or any of the other horrible things that happen to cats outdoors. Or even just neglected, which is bad enough.
Nah, I say let him go in and out and let him decide for himself. Natural selection will see to his survival… or not. But either way, he’ll live a more full and rich life if he can be outside. I agree with your autonomous assessment. I hate to see a family lose a pet, but if the cat clearly doesn’t want to stay there, there’s probably a good reason.
Keep feeding it and let it do what it wants.
Yeah … I’m ok with keeping a cat indoors if s/he’s been raised that way, but I hate to do that to one who is used to being outside and having that level of freedom. I know too well from personal experience what it’s like to have someone take that away involuntarily. I’m sure they thought it was for my own good too…
And I’m not too worried about him out there … there’s sort of a little valley & treeline area running between the yards on my street and the yards of the houses on the next street over, and there are a few neighborhood cats that hang out back there, I’ve never seen a dog loose and the cats rarely ever poke around to the front of the houses, much less to the road. Not to say there’s no danger, just not enough to overcome my reluctance to be a warden : )
Unfortunately, one danger that should be considered is those other “few neighborhood cats” who may have FIV or feline leukemia, which can spread like wildfire among outdoor cats. I know it’s hard to keep a cat inside when he/she’s been living the outdoor life, but it’s definitely the healthiest option for them. I can’t speak for whoever put the “loving home” collar on him, but it sounds like you’re the better choice and he knows it. Good luck!
That’s certainly a very valid point.
HA!!!! Sounds like he’s got a pretty good deal going on. I have a friend who ‘adopted’ an indoor/outdoor stray that wandered over to her house. Then one day they were driving through the neighborhood and saw her hanging out at another house. They talked to the man about her to see if she belonged to him and found out that there was like four different houses she made rounds at, getting food and shelter and laffection from all of them. Smart cat. I agree with you — I would allow him to decide what he wants to do, and if he comes to hang out with you, take care of him. I think the collar is kind of retarded. Was it engraved? I’ve never seen anything like that. If you are going to allow your pet to be indoor/outdoor, you are sort of giving up the right to restrict their activities like that.
*affection
Yeah I figured he was ‘making the rounds’ when I first found him, because he seemed very well fed for a strat, didn’t seem like he’d missed too many meals : )
Yup, the collar was engraved. I couldn’t decide if it looked custom or if maybe it was just some sort of pre-printed thing that came with the collar or something.