Just a brief aside on catios: I think if time, budget and space allow for you, that they’re a great compromise on the whole outdoor cat thing. Both for the good of my cats, my peace of mind, and the safety of local wildlife, I feel cats should be all indoor. But with the catio, they can get some fresh air, some stimulation from watching the giant grasshoppers, deer, squirrels and finches, and I get to keep my sense of cat-safety.
And anything that comes through the cat-blocking wire forcefield and ends up dead (so far, only a large number of grasshoppers), well, you can’t help it if said wildlife wants to commit suicide by cat.
Most assuredly. I don’t have a catio, but I do have an enclosed sunroom which is the next best thing. Crack the windows, yell at Tango to stop clawing at the screen, and enjoy the evening on the patio outside. The cats can see, hear and probably smell me, so they are content. They can also see, hear and smell all the birds, lizards and other wildlife that traverse my yard and airspace almost every minute of the day.
Put me down for a Season Pass. Do you offer Life Memberships?
We had a baby marmot run 100 yards to jump into Cole’s mouth a couple weeks ago. Truly strange. I assume it was sick, but maybe just despondent. It has no problems any more…
We don’t currently have a catio, but one is planned. (moving sucks) We have had one everywhere we live and I really do recommend them. Like you, I figure that any suicidal critter who breaks into a cage full of cats is probably better removed from the gene pool before breeding.
For most of our lives, we just depended on the Cat Distribution System to have cats show up on our doorstep, so always had to fight with them over going back outside to get hit by cars or to kill songbirds. They always got it in time and I’m sure that our catios made a big difference.
Ollie is darling cute! Silly boy. Thanks for sharing him with us.
I have an Ollie, too. Classic short-haired black and tan dachshund. He was supposed to be a mini, but he’s now only one pound away from being in the full size classification.
Just now he’s worry woofing at the television. I have no idea why. Weirdo.
I’m going to interrupt this wonderful showing of our own pets with a related video that’s so heartwarming that I feel it has to be included. Someone (it appears to be in the UK) threw a box containing seven puppies just a few weeks old out into a field on a cold winter night. Thanks to some decent people, all seven puppies were rescued in time – they would not likely have survived the night. This is the story of how one of them gets introduced to her new forever home.
ETA: Sorry, looks like you have to click on “watch on YouTube” to see it – but please do – it’s a great little video!
Say hello to the four new additions to our family! Sorry for the poor photo quality; it’s hard to take pictures of young rats because they’re always moving.
Harry (named after Harry Potter because he has a lightning-bolt-shaped mark on his face):
Rorschach (named after the Watchmen character because of the black and white markings on his face):
Cooper (named after Dale Cooper from Twin Peaks):
Felix (named after the character from Orphan Black):
I’ve had pet rats almost continuously for about 15 years. Counting the new 4, I’ve had 23 rats. When our last mischief died about a year ago I was hit pretty hard and wasn’t ready to get a new batch right away. I finally decided I’m ready, and my wife is very happy about it. I introduced her to rats about 3 years ago and she’s been wanting to get a replacement mischief since the last ones died.
They are indeed wonderful pets: playful, intelligent and affectionate. I’m looking forward to getting the new babies socialized and having several years with them.
Short, short lives though. I’m fairly phlegmatic person, but I don’t like losing pets every few years. It’s also the reason I’ll avoid the giant dog breeds, even though I do love Newfoundlands.
