Hi Everyone. I have a cat problem I haven't been able to resolve.
I've had cats my whole life but have never had indoor-only cats ... until now and I'm not happy with it. I live on 2 acres outside of town with lots of trees and places for them to play. I've used pet doors to allow them to go and come as they please. For 20 years, no problems. Then, one of my cats (Shadow) passed away at 24 yrs old followed a year or so later by Junior who passed away at 17 yrs old. They loved being able to go in and out when they pleased and I always loved having them around while I was outside doing things.
After my best friends passed away, I adopted 2 kittens -- Maxwell and Abigail (4 and 8 wks old, respectively). When they were old enough to use the pet door, they also loved being able to go in and out -- especially since I'm at work all day and they were by themselves. Here's a very sad part: when Maxwell was about a year and a half, he was playing in the back yard on a Saturday morning and, when he hadn't come inside to check on me in a while (which was his practice), I went out to look for him and found him lying in the back yard -- someone had shot him. Most likely a pellent gun or .22 rifle. I can't express online what that did to me but you can probably imagine. Shortly after that experience Abby and I welcomed a new member to our family -- Murphy. He was about 6-8 months younger than Abby by that time.
My problem is that, after the experience I had with Maxwell, I decided my cats would never again go outside. This was very hard on all of us. It's not just Maxwell being shot, though, that concerns me. I was told by a neighbor when I first moved out there that she had lost 3 cats to the owls. I was surprised because I'd never heard of that and thought cats would be too big, but she said that wasn't the case and to be really careful. But over the years the older two cats had never had a problem.
I'm not sure if I'm worrying and/or over-reacting about the owl/predator issue or not. But after going through what I did after Maxwell died, I don't think I could handle losing one of my precious, loving cats again. Passing away due to old age I can deal with but not a violent death. I've finally gotten to the point where I let them play outside as long as I'm watching over them -- usually every few days or so for about an hour or so. They love it and want out more.
I'd sure appreciate some opinions if anyone has any thoughts about this.
Thanks very much ... Robin
I've had cats my whole life but have never had indoor-only cats ... until now and I'm not happy with it. I live on 2 acres outside of town with lots of trees and places for them to play. I've used pet doors to allow them to go and come as they please. For 20 years, no problems. Then, one of my cats (Shadow) passed away at 24 yrs old followed a year or so later by Junior who passed away at 17 yrs old. They loved being able to go in and out when they pleased and I always loved having them around while I was outside doing things.
After my best friends passed away, I adopted 2 kittens -- Maxwell and Abigail (4 and 8 wks old, respectively). When they were old enough to use the pet door, they also loved being able to go in and out -- especially since I'm at work all day and they were by themselves. Here's a very sad part: when Maxwell was about a year and a half, he was playing in the back yard on a Saturday morning and, when he hadn't come inside to check on me in a while (which was his practice), I went out to look for him and found him lying in the back yard -- someone had shot him. Most likely a pellent gun or .22 rifle. I can't express online what that did to me but you can probably imagine. Shortly after that experience Abby and I welcomed a new member to our family -- Murphy. He was about 6-8 months younger than Abby by that time.
My problem is that, after the experience I had with Maxwell, I decided my cats would never again go outside. This was very hard on all of us. It's not just Maxwell being shot, though, that concerns me. I was told by a neighbor when I first moved out there that she had lost 3 cats to the owls. I was surprised because I'd never heard of that and thought cats would be too big, but she said that wasn't the case and to be really careful. But over the years the older two cats had never had a problem.
I'm not sure if I'm worrying and/or over-reacting about the owl/predator issue or not. But after going through what I did after Maxwell died, I don't think I could handle losing one of my precious, loving cats again. Passing away due to old age I can deal with but not a violent death. I've finally gotten to the point where I let them play outside as long as I'm watching over them -- usually every few days or so for about an hour or so. They love it and want out more.
I'd sure appreciate some opinions if anyone has any thoughts about this.
Thanks very much ... Robin