Electric fencing?
I have two feral cats that are half bobcat. They are ‘domestic’ only in the sense that they don’t try to kill me for picking them up most of the time. They have both spent a very large portion of their lives outdoors because that is their natural environment. Predators, dogs, and disease certainly haven’t seemed to be a problem for them for the last 14 years, and they become miserable little assholes if they can’t go out and romp in the woods.
Every now and then, for their own reasons, they show up with some animal they have caught. Usually it’s a ringnecked pheasant. Their lives are markedly better with the situation they now live in than any other possible life they could have, which would either have been left to their own devices or taken to be put down. Tried the all-indoor thing, and they were going crazy over it.
Just to chime in here I inherited a cat from an ex-girlfriend. When I lived in an apartment he got out twice to her horror. When I moved into the house I first started trying to keep him inside. It was futile. He was so determined to get outside that he would make a mad dash for an open door and get out, sometimes without me noticing. I would scour the neighborhood, find him hiding under a porch and drag him back kicking and screaming. Finally, I just gave up. If he’ so damn unhappy inside, I decided he can do whatever he wants.
Now I let him in and out as he pleases. He just stands up and paws at the glass door when he wants to come in or out. (He usually only wants to come in when he’s hungry or there is a thunderstorm. He’ll hide under the bed for hours at a clap of thunder)
I read (most of) those links above, but hell, I’m not going to change. He’s going to get out anyway, so fuck it. If he catches a disease, oh well, at least he was happy. If I catch something from him, oh well, you gotta die of something. If he digs up a neighbor’s garden, sorry. The only exterior damage that he’s done so far I think is break the next door neighbor’s bird bath because he’s a fat ass and toppled it over.
The more moles and mice and snakes he kills the better. I do wish he’d quit bringing them inside though…
Joking, right? Bird shot is completely capable of killing a cat, and will almost certainly cause serious injury.
Hell, you, yourself, are probably 20 times as big as a cat: would you let me shoot at you with “mere” bird shot? Of course not! It probably wouldn’t kill you…but you face a serious risk of losing an eye.
If you’ve got to chase a cat away, never use anything more dangerous than water. (And if the weather is cold, don’t even use that.)
Trinopus
Please don’t shoot a cat. You might hit them in the eye, even if you don’t mean to. Yeesh.
For summer - try hoses. My mother in law is frustrated with squirrels in her back yard and is going to try a mild water-ammonia solution to deter them - I am not sure how this would affect a cat (particularly because it would be stumbling around blindly for a while if you hit it in the face.)
The divide on the indoor/indoor-outdoor/outdoor cats issue is massively wide - all I will say is that our indoor-outdoor cats had significantly longer lifespans than is reportedly average. This was a rural area. Urban areas are the wrong place for outdoor cats, even though they do thrive there (with the drastically shortened lifespans) cats are obviously very adaptable, likely what made them good companion and work animals for humans.
(On a side note, why does everyone who brings up the ‘domesticated for years’ think that’s only as companion animals? They were most useful as pest control! Heck, cattle are domesticated too 
feel free to put them in your living room. Mutter mutter…)
featherlou,
While not attractive (and pardon me if anyone else has suggested this as I haven’t read the thread) my city puts tubing around the trunk of the trees around the city, I assume, yes assume, to keep kritters from scratching at the tree.
In fact, thank you for bringing it up, my neighbor’s cats are doing the same thing to my front tree (I also rent) and just mentioned it to my landlord/friend, he’s up for it even if it’s not that attractive.
Thank you.
I really hope you are kidding. That’s just ridiculous.
I work out of my home and I don’t spend all my time looking at my tree that the cats claw at, nor do I spend my time looking at the front area where the cats shit an pee under my windows.
What kind of logic is that. A cat is a cat and will do whatever he or she will do. I know this, I have had cats all my life.
I have seen my neighbor’s cats scratching on my tree, a few times I have been able to catch them I have scared them off but that doesn’t phase them.
I think you are just being an ass about her bitch. WHy would she just want to rant about her neighbor’s cats without a reason.
Fuck man, that’s just lame.
:rolleyes:
I have to add, I have never known a cat to obey a stranger, let alone the family…what the fuck do you think a cat is going to do Finagle? Take my word for it that it’s not a good idea from the get go.
Good Word, I gather you have never had a cat.
They are independent and in the realm of being outside, they pretty much do as they please and some will even piss you off more if you piss them off by scolding them.
You don’t own cats, they own you.
Techchick, that was not the most coherent possible post (what’s not a good idea from the get go?), but if you’re asking what featherlou could have done if she had seen the cat scratching the tree in time, then I would have suggested putting chicken wire or some other barrier around the tree. I was not suggesting that she try reasoning with the cat.
And I’ve had several cats and we’ve gotten along just find, thank you.