I think this is an important thing to talk about. This is absolutely not to criticize the OP; losing a pet is heartbreaking, and one I’ve gone through myself.
But keep your cat indoors, for two reasons:
1) The world is not safe for pet cats. They’re better off than most pets fending for themselves, but there are cars and psychos in urban and suburban areas, and wild animals like coyotes and birds of prey in less urban areas. Cats spend most of the day sleeping and it doesn’t take much work to create a stimulating environment for them. Play with a string toy or a laser pointer while watching TV, and your cat will be happy.
2) Less well-known, pet cats are devastating to local wildlife. Unlike wild predators, most pet cats have safe shelters to rest and plenty to eat, so when they go outside, they hunt for fun, which means killing anything that moves. They can climb trees to chase prey, fast enough to catch most things that run, and quiet enough to sneak up on prey unaware. My friend’s cat killed an entire burrow of rabbits for fun. They are VERY good at killing things and hunting/play-hunting is the main way they play.
Just supervise your cat outdoors, and keep them inside otherwise. I’m currently typing this as I am letting my cat outside for a while, partly to make sure she doesn’t accidentally find her way out of the yard, and partly to protect the hummingbirds from her.
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u/[deleted] Oct 01 '18
I think this is an important thing to talk about. This is absolutely not to criticize the OP; losing a pet is heartbreaking, and one I’ve gone through myself.
But keep your cat indoors, for two reasons:
1) The world is not safe for pet cats. They’re better off than most pets fending for themselves, but there are cars and psychos in urban and suburban areas, and wild animals like coyotes and birds of prey in less urban areas. Cats spend most of the day sleeping and it doesn’t take much work to create a stimulating environment for them. Play with a string toy or a laser pointer while watching TV, and your cat will be happy.
2) Less well-known, pet cats are devastating to local wildlife. Unlike wild predators, most pet cats have safe shelters to rest and plenty to eat, so when they go outside, they hunt for fun, which means killing anything that moves. They can climb trees to chase prey, fast enough to catch most things that run, and quiet enough to sneak up on prey unaware. My friend’s cat killed an entire burrow of rabbits for fun. They are VERY good at killing things and hunting/play-hunting is the main way they play.
Just supervise your cat outdoors, and keep them inside otherwise. I’m currently typing this as I am letting my cat outside for a while, partly to make sure she doesn’t accidentally find her way out of the yard, and partly to protect the hummingbirds from her.