My little cat just got chased by a dog!

[Zix]

Now his eyes are like saucers and he's all spooked... It took him ages to come out of the tree...

[hippywife]

1. My cats stay indoors.

As much as they sit at the screen door and windows wanting to get out, for their own safety, I keep them inside. Too many things out there to hurt them: coyotes, bobcats, snakes, hawks, owls, which all have the right to be out there, so my cats stay inside.

[Demoiselle]

2. Mine stay inside, too, hippywife. None the worse for it, either.

[Skittles]

5. my cat is friends with raccoons

these raccoons show up at 01:00 (I'm always awake all night) hammering on the window for him to come out and play :mad:

[Captain Hilts]

21. Mr. Peabody hung out with possums. nt

[Rhiannon12866]

7. I'm sitting here with two dogs and two cats for company...

The dogs are asleep on one couch and the cats are asleep on another. Our cats don't go outside either, never have, are content to watch the world from the window or raise hell with each other here in the house. They also have their own cat tree, but it's the indoor kind... I wouldn't let the cats outside on their own any more than I would my dog... There are all kinds of predators out there, not to mention the traffic... And we have leash laws here in NY... :)

[tango-tee]

8. Same here, urban dweller.

My cats have never known anything but the inside of the apartment. I've often had a terribly guilty conscience, thinking how they would love to frolic on the grass or in a tree in the park across the street, but thinking of possible consequences... The house is their safe haven.

[Rhiannon12866]

9. They're much safer and perfectly happy.

And you can get some "kitty grass" if you think they'd enjoy it. I actually live near the woods, and my neighbor who walks his dogs all over has told me about all the predators that he's aware of in said woods... And there are plenty of busy roads nearby. :scared:

Until last year, I lived in a more rural area with my BF, lots of woods there, though also close to major roads. A neighbor's cat disappeared and he blamed my BF's dog, who was large, but only occasionally out on a lead and was a gentle giant. But then I thought I found the answer. Another neighbor, who kept small horses, told me that when she was out with them, she saw a coyote eye-to-eye. :scared: ;(

There're also hawks, causing me to keep my little dogs close to me. Rural or urban, it's way too dangerous out there for any pet alone. There are also those "kitty catnip" videos, of birds and squirrels, if you feel your cats are deprived, but they're probably just as happy to hang out with you... :hi:

[tango-tee]

10. What I really worry about are people.

There are folks out there who are so tremendously cruel, and I'm especially worried because I love black cats. And black cats seem to be the target for a large variety of bottom-feeders. It breaks my heart to read some of the newspaper accounts.

Yes, let's keep our animals close at home, where they can be safe.

:grouphug: for all of us cat people!

[Rhiannon12866]

11. Wow, my friend! You and I are on the exact same page...

Two out of my three cats have been black (the little orange brothers officially belong to my housemate... :-) ), and so I have a very soft spot for them, too... I actually found out here on DU that black cats and dogs are less likely to be adopted, when someone congratulated a member who posted pix of her two black dogs... ;(

My cat that I rescued myself, took me four months and a have-a-heart trap to bring her in, was black, and I was a basket case the entire time... And my beloved sweetheart, whom I lost in 2001, was also black. Her name was Rhiannon. :hug:

:loveya:

[tango-tee]

12. The most special of my black cats, Layla,

came from a shelter. She was so young, but had alreay experienced her share of cruelty.

There was no way, no way at all, she would allow me to touch her. After several weeks in the household, she was "in tandem" with Mosche, my silvery tomcat. She would not leave his side. There I was on the sofa, and the Mosche/Layla team decided it was time to smooch. There she was, shivering like a leaf on a tree all the while I was gently stroking both of them.

It took months and months for Layla to feel free to come get her smooches all by herself. The first time it happened... I was relaxing on the sofa and there she was, tenderly making her way, lying down on my stomach... I don't have to tell you what a wonderful feeling that was. You know.

And when she died, she died in my arms. I cried buckets and buckets of tears.

[Rhiannon12866]

13. Thank you so much for sharing Layla's story...

She was so very fortunate to find love and understanding... and you. :hug:

And I do know. My kitty that I rescued from outside had lost trust, but after I brought her inside, and she had necessary dental surgery (she must have been in pain... ;(), she practically became a lap cat. As for Rhiannon, though I lost her in 2001, she was so very special to me that I got all choked up just typing that post. You know... :hug:

[tango-tee]

14. Yes, I know. I really and truly do.

Dear Rhiannon... all I can do is send hugs. I understand. :hug:

[Rhiannon12866]

35. Thank you, my friend.

I know that you do understand. I adopt senior animals from rescue, so a lifetime for them is not as long as it would be if I adopted babies, but it never does get any easier to lose them... ;( :hug:

[tango-tee]

15. PS: Let's keep in touch?

I would like that.

Your friend
t-t

[Rhiannon12866]

36. I would, too, and I'm not going anywhere...

I've been here since early 2003 and DU is my home. A belated welcome to DU, my friend! If you're an animal lover, you've come to the exactly right place... ;) :hi: :hug:

[SoCalDem]

30. Yep..mine too. I love them too much to have them in jeopardy

They are safer inside, and can get fresh air at a screened door or window.

[Rhiannon12866]

33. I so agree.

I wouldn't let my cat wander the streets alone any more than I would my little dog. They do love those window beds, though, a chance to lie in the sun, and a view! :D :hi:

[Arugula Latte]

3. Poor thing!

Dogs ... aargh.

[WillParkinson]

4. Sorry, cats don't belong outdoors unless accompanied by their human

It's not a safe world out there for them.

[Zix]

16. Um. Are you serious?

[lukasahero]

17. If you don't want your cat to die when one of those dogs catches it,

um, yes, we're serious.

[Captain Hilts]

22. It's okay for dogs to run loose but not cats? nt

[lukasahero]

28. No

But on the chance a cat escapes, it's not likely to kill your dog if it is also loose.

On the chance a dog escapes, there's a good chance your cat will be on the losing end if it is also loose.

[Rhiannon12866]

34. If I see a loose dog, I know that something is wrong...

We have a leash law here in NY and I've brought more neighbors dogs home than I can count. Sometimes they do get loose (including mine, once or twice...), but that usually means that somebody's in a panic, chasing them or looking for them... x( :hi:

[LeftyMom]

18. Life expectancy for an indoor cat is 12-18 years. For an outdoor cat it's 5.

Indoor cats don't get hit by cars.

[Captain Hilts]

23. Mr. Peabody made it to 22, Anwar and Little Skeezix to 16. nt

[LeftyMom]

27. The plural of anecdote is not data.

The data is very clear that cats, on average, live many years longer if kept inside. The reasons are obvious, since aggressive dogs, cars, stray cats with interesting diseases and puddles of antifreeze tend to be found out of doors.

[Captain Hilts]

31. Not saying it does. We've lived in places we would not let them outdoors, and places that

were fine. Luck is part of it, but our luck has been good. They all were strays that moved in with us, so we tried to keep some of them in, without success. That said, a stray that moves in with you has already passed some of the tests that other outdoor cats fail.

[WillParkinson]

20. Yes, quite serious...

I work for an animal shelter and know what can happen to outdoor cats. Trust me, I'm very serious.

[GoCubsGo]

29. A friend of mine's cat lost a leg to a neighbor's gun.

It wandered on the neighbor's property. He didn't want it there, so he shot it. My friend stopped letting her cats out after that. I'm always seeing cats squashed in the streets, too. The idiots around here don't understand that there IS a speed limit in residential areas.

[MiddleFingerMom]

6. Once again, I'll tell you the French word that MiddleFingerMomMom...

.
...told me means "Arizona outdoor cat" in French:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Hors-d'oeuvre.
.

[graywarrior]

19. My cat chased a bear out of our back yard a few years ago

Now he stays indoors.

[Captain Hilts]

24. Time for Jack the Cat post again

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/06/060613-cat-bear.html

[graywarrior]

25. That is awesome!

And that is exactly what my cat did except he chased the bear back into the woods.

[Captain Hilts]

26. Well, Jack has no front claws, so I guess he decided it was better to tree the bear. nt

[charlie and algernon]

32. I'll occasionally let my cat outside on the back porch, but I'm walking next to her the whole time

She's not allowed to stray off the porch and I only let her out for really no more than a couple minutes at a time, then it's back inside. Though usually, it's HER that walks to the door first to be let inside. She loves to watch the birds and squirrels from the safety of inside, but is a big baby when actually let outside, lol!

[Captain Hilts]

37. It really depends on where you live and how the cat acquired you. nt