My four kittens are nine weeks old. They chase each other and they love to tussle. They also attack a piece of soft plastic I leave dangling on a string. Kittens are quick to find good use for a litter box, therefore, place the litter box outside your home. Kittens are fun and freedom loving and they have the intelligence to understand your gentle hand and body and eye signals, as well as the tone of your voice; but a kitten also has pride and dignity. If you don't care for it, it will not care for you!
Do not keep your cat as a prisoner in your house! Create a small swinging door and allow your cat the freedom to leave or enter at will. However, do have your cat spayed or neutered or prepare to care for more kittens. Bring your kitten for walks outside and show it the four corners of your territory. Even city cats quickly learn what territory they can control. A cat quickly understands your danger signals. Point to a car and then back away from the vehicle or the dog or the boulevard.
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Oh they are truly adorable. What precious faces they have. Just a quick note, there are leash laws in many of the states. Believe it or not, here in our county in Georgia, it is a violation for cats to be roaming around as well.
I have eight kitties and they are not outside kitties. My family all have indoor kitties. My neighbor has outside cats, which kill the beautiful song birds and her cats seem to disappear. Too many things can happen to cats outside, dog attacks, poison, abuse, cat fights, and get hit by cars. Even our vets tell people to keep their cats indoors. I will not put my precious kitties in harms way by letting them outside. I have taken in alot of strays in 40yrs of marriage and they have lived safe and happy lives with us. Your danger signals would go out the door if your cats would see a mouse or rat to chase, right into traffic.
We have two inside cats. One is a female and the other is male, both are fixed. The male has cataracts and often will "cry" out to his "sister". She comes to him and, it seems, reassures him. They're from different litters.
It is Too Dangerous unless your yard is well fenced & you are with them All The Time. Coyotes, foxes ,dogs , raccoons, possums, snakes vehicles, drowning, poisons, other Cats, Owls if they stay out all night.
No thanks, I quit that foolishness after losing too many & I walk my dog on a leash .
It is interesting to see the different opinions about indoor and outdoor cats. I have had my cat, Desire, for over 10 years and she has been an outdoor cat since she was about a year old. We have lived in several different places: houses, apartments, coast to coast. As far as I know, she has never caught a bird or mouse but she loves to "squeak" at them.
She likes to sit on the sidewalk and greet the passersby. She is very friendly and queen of all she surveys. I took her to the vet recently and she is healthy and seems younger than her 10 years. All my mother's cats (and there were sometimes a lot of them) were allowed outdoors and we lost very few to accidents or disappearances. I have friends who have had bad luck with losing indoor cats that made a jail break and were never seen again.
Jess
Great article Joseph.
I am of the clan that thinks cats should be allowed to go outside. I have a swinging cat/dog door.
Yes, it is more dangerous outside, there's no doubt in that. But for those who keep their cats strictly inside there is a real concern that if they should happen to get out by accident they are really like innocent babies in the woods.
Just a little shadow slipping out the door as you turn you back. And kitty is out in a world that is strange, frightening and 10 times as dangerous to her as to a cat who has been allowed to discover how to make his way in the outside world.
I had a next door neighbor who was dead set and fanatically against letting cats run outside. Then hers got out without her knowing it and got run over by a car. It was sad indeed.
We love cats because they have that curious mix of sweet adorable lap kitty and wild hunter. I think it's part of their nature that wants to have access to outside and smell the smells and explore and such..and maybe, maybe even catch a nice juicy mouse.
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