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17 April 2008
by Christine Church
Is It Time
to Bring Your Cat In?
Posted on Blogger.Com I know
what you're thinking; "Bring Puss in? But Puss has always lived outside!
Puss loves it out there! Puss comes in to grab a bite of chow then
screams to go back out! How could I possibly do that to him?"
So...How do you know when it's time to
bring your kitty in? In other words, do you allow your outdoor cat to
stay outdoors or do you attempt to bring him or her indoors permanently?
Semi-permanently?
Many factors play a role in this
decision. First off, ask yourself, what is Puss' situation? Is he a cat
who has always wondered the great outdoors, managed to avoid dangers at
all costs, rarely gotten hurt or injured? Is an older kitty? Most of
these situations make it more difficult to get that cat indoors! I mean,
who really wants to deal with screaming at the door? I got it, I really
do. I have had outdoor cats. And that's precisely why I am an advocate
of keeping them indoors. We all know the many reasons; cars, wild
animals, pests, disease, etc. But if you have one of those cats who
seems to just REFUSE to stay in, then how do you know when it's right to
bring him in in the first place?
Ok, I'll tell you. If Puss gets really
sick, you will have to keep him in to monitor his situation. This could
be a temporary arrangement, or a permanent one. A friend of mine had an
outdoor cat that developed cancer on his leg and had to have the leg
removed. Three-legged cats generally do not do as well outdoors. Besides
the time to heal and then adapt to three-legged life, most handicapped
cats are missing something vital to their well being outdoors. So, they
are best kept indoors. Besides disease and injuries, if Puss seems to be
greying around the whiskers and slows down, his reflexes and instincts
slow, causing an outdoor existence to become more dangerous. Of course,
by this age Puss might also not want to go out as much, or might hang
around in the bushes more often. My old cat, the late Midnight, died of
old age at 19, even though she was an outdoor cat who only came in at
winter time. She hated winter and stayed inside, checking at the door
every week or so to see if the temperature on her nose was cold or warm.
Thusly, besides reasons why Puss should
come in, there's that all important matter of HOW to bring Puss indoors
and keep him sane, as well as keeping yourself sane, and make him a
happy cat. Read House Cat, How to Keep Your Indoor Cat Sane & Sound, and
you will find many great ways to make your cat a very happy indoor cat
indeed.
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