Cats killing billions of animals??

Ken73 · Jan 31, 2013

I guess I'm in the minority here; I've got an indoor cat that's incredibly social (he hasn't met someone he doesn't like yet) and practically demands attention from everyone any time he can. As for the litter box, we spent a few extra dollars up front and got a Cat Genie. I haven't cleaned a litter box (nor has my wife) in probably 5 or 6 years now; it just flushes the waste down the septic line. The litter is reusable plastic pellets that get washed, so we don't have to contend with big bags of litter either.

We also have a "barn kitty" that keeps the mice at bay, which is great for us considering we have 4 cars in the barn (not to mention my tractor!) that I don't want the wiring chewed off of. We feed her so she's nice and plump, but she can still get the mice. She doesn't bother with the birds.

Most of the strays hang out at a neighbor's house on the opposite end of the neighborhood. He's an older gentleman and I'm guessing he feeds them all; they all appear to be content and just lay around outside his house all day.

Plenty of predators out here (I've caught plenty of them on my game cameras.) Foxes, coyotes, bobcats.. all in one night, even. That's not to mention the predatory birds out here (owls, mexican eagles, hawks, etc.)

Tig · Jan 31, 2013

Every summer, there's a calico cat that comes round. She loves to pretend she's aloof. Walks by just out of reach, walks away if you approach, but if you turn your back and ignore her she's all over you rubbing and rolling. I've even seen her following neighbour kids on a walk. We don't feed her but she gets affection. As a young cat her mousing efforts were amusingly inept. Stalking weed shadows at times. Now she's become quite accomplished at it.

jinman · Jan 31, 2013

After talking to my wife, I may have to retract some of the accusations against my MIL. My wife told me that her mother took at least 20 of those wild feral cats to the vet and paid to have them spayed/neutered in the 6 months before she moved. The reason she didn't take them all is that she could not catch some of the wilder ones. Anyhow, she spent a bundle of cash trying to control the cat population.

Our cats and the potty box: Sheesh! Our cats are really different. We have one cat named Punkin' who can't be bothered to cover her poop. I nicknamed her Poop-n-go Punkin' because her bizzness is always laying right on top of the litter if the other cats don't cover it. If the potty box is occupied, she may just leave you a prize in the middle of the floor. The momma kitty is Prissy. She will hold it in until my wife cleans the potty box in the morning so she can be the first to use the box. She'll stand there and watch you clean the box and then jump right in and do her doo-die. She's also a spritzer who needs a covered potty box. She will spray down the whole area if the box is uncovered. The young boy cat, Batman, loves freshly tilled soil. If I till the garden, he will go each day to find a nice soft spot to dig-n-dump. If you see kitty tracks, be careful where you start planting. He is very fond of flowerbeds after you set out new plants. The old male cat, Joker, is very private with his potty habits. He likes to go out into the woods and dig up leaves. He also like to dig in the flowerbeds, but after he digs up a spot, he doesn't poop in it. He lays in the cool hole and snoozes. You really have to keep an eye on him because he'll mess up a lot of spring/summer flowerbeds if you don't run him off.

Grumpy Old Man · Jan 31, 2013

jinman said:
After talking to my wife, I may have to retract some of the accusations against my MIL. My wife told me that her mother took at least 20 of those wild feral cats to the vet and paid to have them spayed/neutered in the 6 months before she moved. The reason she didn't take them all is that she could not catch some of the wilder ones. Anyhow, she spent a bundle of cash trying to control the cat population.

Our cats and the potty box: Sheesh! Our cats are really different. We have one cat named Punkin' who can't be bothered to cover her poop. I nicknamed her Poop-n-go Punkin' because her bizzness is always laying right on top of the litter if the other cats don't cover it. If the potty box is occupied, she may just leave you a prize in the middle of the floor. The momma kitty is Prissy. She will hold it in until my wife cleans the potty box in the morning so she can be the first to use the box. She'll stand there and watch you clean the box and then jump right in and do her doo-die. She's also a spritzer who needs a covered potty box. She will spray down the whole area if the box is uncovered. The young boy cat, Batman, loves freshly tilled soil. If I till the garden, he will go each day to find a nice soft spot to dig-n-dump. If you see kitty tracks, be careful where you start planting. He is very fond of flowerbeds after you set out new plants. The old male cat, Joker, is very private with his potty habits. He likes to go out into the woods and dig up leaves. He also like to dig in the flowerbeds, but after he digs up a spot, he doesn't poop in it. He lays in the cool hole and snoozes. You really have to keep an eye on him because he'll mess up a lot of spring/summer flowerbeds if you don't run him off.

one more reason their best with barbecue sauce ! anything covered in sauce tastes like chicken

toppop52 · Jan 31, 2013

I don't trust anybody that doesn't like cats or kids! Just kidding, but....we've owned cats or they've owned us for 40 years. Feral cats are a problem, so are "feral" dogs. If you live in this country and pay attention and are honest, you know it. Our 2 cats are spayed/neutered as all have been. All of our cats are leashed if outside, easy to train a cat, much less care than dogs, I've owned both. Bad cat owners are major cause of cats and people suffering, as are bad dog owners. Dogs are beasts of burden, so are cats, ask any farmer with a hay loft. I grew up in northeastern NC, wild dogs were not only a nuisance but a real danger to domestic animals and people. The vast majority of dogs are not native species either. Because someone prefers one over the other doesn't make one inherently worse than the other, much like people.

Gale Hawkins · Jan 31, 2013

Grumpy Old Man said:
Now I believe in barn cats but what would anyone want one of them in their house for ? All the hair and who enjoys cleaning a cat box ? All our animals belong outside period !we take very good care of our animals and they have heat during the cold snaps but outside my house !

We caught the large hard plastic with fleeced covers pet heaters (100 watt size) and bought two so the dog and cats have had a toasty winter.

toppop52 · Feb 1, 2013

I think most men that hate cats do so because they can't dominate them as they can dogs. Cats are often called stupid by such people, far from stupid, they just don't give a **** what you think!