Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / August 2004
Am I to fussy?
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Aimee S - 19 Aug 2004 01:51 GMT I have 2 kittens to find homes for, I put an ad in the paper to good INDOOR home, I've had people call, I always ask how they feel about letting cat's outside. I've had several calls and everyone of them say they would let the cat out if it wanted out.. The last one said, well she let's her current cat out for about an hour a day. I cat can get killed in 5 minutes!!! Anyway, needless to say, I haven't found a home for them yet. I have to many cat's now, and really want to find homes for these babies, but, I want them to have the right home, Am I too fussy???
Thanks for any input,
Aimee
KellyH - 19 Aug 2004 02:15 GMT > I have 2 kittens to find homes for, I put an ad in the paper to good > INDOOR home, I've had people call, I always ask how they feel about [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Aimee No, you are NOT too fussy!! The right home will come along. I think maybe the newspaper isn't the best place to advertise. Can you get them into a rescue, and make an arrangement that you will foster them? That way, they can send you pre-screened applicants for the kittens.
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Aimee S - 19 Aug 2004 04:27 GMT I WISH we had some kind of good shelter around here, but I live in rural Pa. and there is no kind of "good" shelter around here. Soo, guess I'll just have to wait and pray for a good home, they're 14 weeks old now. Any prayers from all of you would be helpful. Oh and thanks for making me feel better, means a lot. And thanks for any prayers
Aimee
.oO rach Oo. - 19 Aug 2004 03:44 GMT I don't think you're too fussy at all. It's all about their future safety. You would be just as fussy if it were a child and there is nothing wrong with that.
Good luck
 Signature rach
> I have 2 kittens to find homes for, I put an ad in the paper to good > INDOOR home, I've had people call, I always ask how they feel about [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Aimee .oO rach Oo. - 19 Aug 2004 03:44 GMT PS They asked us at the shelter we got Delilah and Stella at if they were going to be outdoor cats or not and were very happy and relieved when we said no.
 Signature rach
> I have 2 kittens to find homes for, I put an ad in the paper to good > INDOOR home, I've had people call, I always ask how they feel about [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Aimee Mary - 19 Aug 2004 07:24 GMT > Am I too fussy??? > > Thanks for any input, > > Aimee No. :-)
Alison - 19 Aug 2004 11:00 GMT > I have 2 kittens to find homes for, I put an ad in the paper to good > INDOOR home, I've had people call, I always ask how they feel about [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Aimee Hi Aimee, It's up to you to decide what you are happy with and to chose the home you feel right for the cat so it's worth waiting. However, the woman who lets her cat out for an hour; she is happy with that and I expect the cat is, that doesn't make her a bad owner. Yes, a cat can get killed in five minutes, and many cats don't get killed in five minutes outside. It's safer indoors but not 100% safe. If you choose a home where the cat stays inside permanently , you'll have to make sure that the new owners understand what is needed to keep a cat happy and contented indoors. Keeping a cat indoors doesn't automatically make someone a good and knowledgable cat owner. Alison
kaeli - 19 Aug 2004 14:29 GMT > I have 2 kittens to find homes for, I put an ad in the paper to good > INDOOR home, I've had people call, I always ask how they feel about [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > babies, but, I want them to have the right home, > Am I too fussy??? No, I don't think you're too fussy. You want the best homes for the kittens you love. That's being responsible, not fussy. ;)
You mentioned you live in a rural area. I am usually very anti-letting-cats- out, but I live in a suburb with lots of traffic, dogs, and other hazards. If I lived in a rural area where I could have a securely fenced yard, I'd probably let my cats go out, too. Assuming I could contain them in my yard. Are these people talking about letting the cats roam at will, or letting them sit on the back porch? We let our cats out in our yard all the time when I was a kid, but they never left the yard. They were fine and very happy for being able to get out and smell the flowers. Lazy little buggers didn't do much else but smell flowers most of the time. *g* My aunt's cats lived to be over 20 and they also went out. But never far. Just in the big field behind her house. You have to weigh the dangers in your area. Some rural areas have a lot of natural predators, so it's just never safe for cats. Others don't, and cats live long, healthy, happy lives being able to go out for a little while each day. Only you know your area enough to make that decision.
Don't forget to ask applicants how they feel about declawing if you're against it. Indoor-only cats need lots of stuff to claw and play on to be happy and not kill the furniture. The adopters must understand that.
Good luck with the babies!
 Signature -- ~kaeli~ A backward poet writes... inverse. http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace
Yngver - 19 Aug 2004 15:53 GMT >If >I lived in a rural area where I could have a securely fenced yard, I'd [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > >make that decision. I agree with this advice. If you are in a rural area, it's pretty common that people let cats go outside. I would ask more questions about how safe the cat will be outside. I mean, our cats go outside twice a day but either in our fenced back yard or out front on a leash. Either way, we stay out there with them to supervise. So they go outside for as much as an hour a day, but they are not free-roaming.
I had the same experience as mentioned above, back when my parents had a farm. Even after I'd grown up and just came to visit, I felt my cat was safe going outside there. She didn't ever leave the yard either. She lived to age 17. But at least back then, there weren't any predators like coyotes in that area.
So I really think the relative safety of a cat going outdoors depends a lot on the circumstances.
Aimee S - 20 Aug 2004 05:34 GMT When I say rural I mean there are no city's around here, but lots of cars on the road. Plus, to many people get cat/kittens something happens that they don't like and the cat goes out. Then more cats are born or the cat/kitten is killed on the road. I DO NOT want any cat/kitten that comes from my house left outside, it's just to dangerous. I was getting grocerys one day, had lots of cat food and the lady there said, "oh I had a cat once, she got mad at me and started peeing right in front of me, I put her outside, don't know what happened to her after that" I told her maybe it had a UTI and that was the problem, she said, "oh no it was just mad at me" I wanted to strangle her!!! The shelter's around her are FULL of cats and mostly put them down. There are NO no-kill shelters here, so I just have to do the best I can for the babies.
I got these kittens when their mother was killed on the road, she was a stray, I took her 3 week old kittens in, worried about them fed them and loved them, and only want the very BEST for them,
And would appreicate prayers for them the very best of homes,
Thank you,
Aimee
Sherry - 20 Aug 2004 08:24 GMT >When I say rural I mean there are no city's around here, but lots of >cars on the road. Plus, to many people get cat/kittens something happens [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > >Aimee I think Alison's post rings very true. There are *so* many things to consider. Homing a cat is an awesome responsibility. And just because someone says they'll keep it indoors doesn't necessarily make them a good prospective adoptor. Overall cat ownership attitude is far more important. Suppose the cat scratches the furniture....is the new owner going to kick it out, declaw it, or seek a way to train it? Suppose it gets ill....is New Owner one of those "Oh, I can't afford vet care" types? There are a ton of issues to consider.
Sherry
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