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How do catsters feel about indoor/outdoor cats that are altered and microchipped?
Me and Zorro have been indoor/outdoor cats all our lives and
Mimi felt pretty comfortable about this when we were living in our old neighborhood. She also understands the pros and the cons about our dual existence, especially the risks of unforseen situations in her absence.
Recently we moved into a new neighborhood and the unknown. She had great trepidation at first and really put the monitor to us.
But lately, she's not as stressed over it anymore after meeting the neighbors and keeping up the ongoing surveillance.
She believes that cats should be where they and their folksters feel the most comfortable....check out the neighbors, the haunts, exposure to wildlife and potential threats to safety. It's up to your folksters to accept the idea that anything can happen indoors or out and not to burden oneself with unnecessary worry or guilt about your choices.
My grandmama had a kitty named Muffin that always stayed outside at night. Sometimes she got into fights but she usually walked away the winner, but the last one she got into resulted in a pretty nasty abscess. They had to put her to sleep to clean out all the yucky stuff. She was 17 and her kidneys had already started to slow down, but the anesthetic was too much for her and she spent the next couple of months dealing with kidney failure before she went to the bridge. It was a sad way to end such a fiery and spirited life.
After all this, my mama decided when I was a kitten that I would be an indoor only girl, but she got me a leash and a harness so I could go outside a little bit each day to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air. Of course we waited until after I had been spayed and had all my shots, but eventually we didn't even need the harness anymore. I stay close to my mama but I sure do enjoy going outside every day!
There are too many bad things that can happen to a little kitty outside!!!
PS - My grandmama's new kitty Sadie only goes out on her harness and leash. My grandmama didn't want to lose another kitty like Muffin and Sadie gets a lot of enjoyment out of her time outside.
I'm really tempted since like I said, the litter thing and we're quite aways away from any wildlife except for rodents...we rarely even see racoons around here except the occassional one down at a slu about five or so blocks away. When she was allowed outside...before she was sick and we thought she was spayed already since she wasn't coming into heat at all and she obviously had a human at some point...she stuck around our yard climbing the tree, hiding under bushes, catching bugs and sunning herself out on the porch. Of course if I did allow her to go outside she would be strictly indoors during the colder months and would be monitored.
Microchips implanted in 2003 or earlier are generally readable by most shelters and veterinarians. Microchips that came into use in late 2003 are generally not readable by most shelters and veterinarians because the chips require different scanning technology. Microchip manufacturers have not yet provided shelters around the country with a scanner that reads all different types of microchips (called a "universal" scanner).
Each company that manufactures microchips has its own scanners, and some of these scanners can only "read" their own microchip. In other words, in some instances, the scanner of one company may not be able to detect the microchip of another manufacturer, which would indicate to the shelter staff that the lost animal is not microchipped.
Additionally, some companies provide their scanners free to shelters, some do not. Without sufficient numbers of free scanners available to equip all animal control vehicles as well as shelters, microchipped animals may go unscanned by agencies, which can't afford to purchase multiple scanners from multiple manufacturers.
The only way to know for sure if your local animal care facilities have the ability to read the microchip implanted in your pet is to call them. Visit www.pets911.com, or check your local listings to find your local shelter.
Ask whether the chip being implanted in your pet is compatible with the readers in place in your community. If there is any question, call your local animal shelter(s) to be sure.
All pets should wear identification tags at all times. Tags should include a local contact number, as well as a number for a friend or out-of-town relative. Proper identification tags are your pet's first ticket home if he becomes lost. Microchips provide an important extra level of protection in the event your pet becomes separated from his collar and tags. Providing your pet with both tags and a microchip can help ensure a happy reunion if the unthinkable happens: your beloved pet gets lost.
Velcro, just FYI kitties can't make vitamin D in thier bodies--they have to get it from their food. Wild cats get enough because they eat ALL parts of their kills--for us pets the food makers add enough Vitamin D; isn't that nice of them?
Boo Boo and I don't go outside at all, and I don't think we would really like it even though we like looking out the window. Meowma is thinking about getting us one of those big cat ree gyms so we can climb up, though, because most all kitties like to get up on top of things.
That's a good idea Rocky, mom bought us one and she's thinking about getting another.
Ebay.com is good for it, she found a 4 foot one with a little cuby hole for us. $50 including shipping!
We were hesitant at first, but now we're constantly on it and it gives us a place to go when we don't want the dog near us.
I'm sure they have similar things in other countries, but in Australia, there are registration services that come with tags. When you register your pet, you are sent a plastic tag with an id number and phone number, to attach to the collar. The registration service has your name, address and phone numbers, as well as those of a secondary, and in some cases, third contact. They are also nationwide.
If any Aussie kitties are interested, we have found The National Pet Register (run by the Lost Dogs Home) http://www.petregister.com.au/ and the RSPCA QLD http://lostfound.rspcaqld.org.au/animal/vipPrePage.asp to have good services. Pet Register is free, and the RSPCA is $5 for a lifetime. We have both!
Hallo, Tambolina here, from England.......passing you over to my human person, Jan...
Hi, Hallo, Jan here........This is such an emotive subject.....as someone said in an earlier post the two sides to the argument get very hot-under-the-collar about it.........
I think the consensus here in England is that it is cruel to keep cats indoors all the time......although there are many, many dangers out there in the great big world for small cats (and they are small - even the biggest are still small)...
I think me and my husband are the epitome of the two sides of the argument.......he would like to have them out whenever they want, I would like to have them in all the time.......
We compromise....they are out during the day until about 2 o'clock in the winter, 6 o'clock in the summer......but every evening is a nightmare for me....calling for them and hoping, praying that they are safe and will come in......
Is it better to be out and have a proper, pussycat life (possibly short) or in and have an unnatural life that will (hopefully) be long......?
Thank you so much for the microchip info, I did not know that. I want to have her chipped with Home Again because the shelter has a scanner that can read it (along with Avid), and almost all of the veterinary offices have Home Again or universal scanners (made calls and looked it up on the Home Again website).
well, this is a good point to keep indoors. on 5/17/08, around 10pm i found a stray outside a gas station( no collar), she was really friendly, was told she was outside the station most of the day, i took her home, going to take her to a shelter and see if she is chipped, if, not, call the shelter that is by the station, see if anyone is looking for her. she is litter box trained, friendly, clean, not skinny, am assuming it is someones kitty. if, no one claimes her, thinking about keeping her, i just, do not want to take someone's pet. really hate to put her in a shelter, if, they even have any room. hopefully, she i
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