I Hate This Stupid Cow.

[Fierce Critter]

But I'm not going to say that on the message group from which I got this - a Yahoo group about cats I subscribe to. I just need to say SOMEWHERE how stupid, selfish and idiotic this person is. I have 12 cats, all STRICTLY indoors, and my furniture, AND my sanity are well intact, thank you.

This spring a little Carolina Wren decided to build a nest and lay eggs in our garage. Poor judgement on her part, but the nest was in a plastic bag, in a peach basket, on the top shelf of a plastic

shelf unit. I thought it might be safe. But, today, I found the basket on the floor and baby birds gone. I'm sure it was Possum. He probably heard the little "cheep cheep" noises the babies had started making only this week. They were still tiny. Being a cat, and a very athletic one, he got them.

I know this is what cats do, and I'm certainly not "mad" at Possum, but I do feel bad. I had gotten attached to the mama and baby birds and was looking forward to seeing them grow up and fly away. I was pretty upset when I found the nest. I put it in the branches of a tree that hang over a currently unoccupied dog pen in the yard, but

I doubt the mama will use it again. And I suppose Possum could climb 6 feet of chain link if he really wanted to.

There was nothing I could do, but I still am sad. Darn that well fed spoiled rotton young murderous cat. The baby bunnies that he caught and chewed the front legs off so they couldn't run away while heplayed with them were bad, and because of those incidents I've been keeping him in the house during dusk and dawn, but there's not much else I can do except keep him inside all the time, and that would drive me crazy, not to mention ruin the furniture.

Thanks for the chance to vent.

---name changed to protect the moronic

[LuluVox]

I don't get it. She's moronic for having an indoor/outdoor cat?

[BrassFusion]

That's nature for ya. I guess I don't see how commercially produced cat food is any more humane than free-range baby birds and rabbits.

[ManicQueen]

I don't get it. She's moronic for having an indoor/outdoor cat?

I agree.. it's only natural for animals to hunt. Doesn't really matter if they are indoor or outdoor pets, they still have those instincts to kill and they will. *shrugs*

[Msterbeau]

Meh.. that's sad.

This is related, but a little different: I was on the phone with a woman friend last night when she heard a noise outside. She went to check what it was and discovered one of "her" outdoor cats ( I get the feeling that they're only marginally attached to her) in the process of attacking a baby bird. She was unsure of where the nest was but managed to get the bird away from the cat and shoo it away. She wasn't sure what to do at that point with the bird, because of not being able to locate the nest. She was very upset with the cat... which was kind of silly, considering that's what cats do.

I dunno... I hate seeing animals attack one another but I tend to be on the pragmatic side when it comes to understanding that that's in they're nature. Obviously the woman could have been a little more thoughtful, but where do you draw the line of responsibility for "saving" every little creature remotely connected to your life/property? It's going to be different for every one of us.

[Fierce Critter]

I don't get it. She's moronic for having an indoor/outdoor cat?

She's moronic for having a cat if she's not willing to take the responsibility of ensuring it's safety, as well as the safety of animals she pretends to care about.

If you're going to have an outdoor cat, this stuff is going to happen and you'd better be a cold, hard bitch and NOT give a fuck if it's going to do what comes naturally.

To have a cat and then say "having it indoors would cause my to go insane and ensure the destruction of my furniture so, for my own happiness, I'm going to let it go outdoors" is moronic.

But, of course, I'm of the mindset that domesticated cats are just that - domesticated. They don't belong outdoors. It's a mindset that's more prevalent in responsible cat owners today, and growing. It's vet recommended, and just plain common sense.

Argue with me if you want. But she's still a stupid cow who has no right to complain and whine if she's going to let her cat go outdoors.

[Fierce Critter]

See, this is what I'm talking about. This is a response from another list member who allows her cat to go outside, and then gets all upset and angry at the cat when it attacks birds:

I am protective of all animals in my domain and if it is their nature to kill the other ones there then they will have to deal with me if I catch them- I have several rifles.

Riiiight... so you have a cat, you know its instinct is to hunt birds... but you let it go outside... where it kills birds... and then you get upset???

Whatever.

[mallochai]

I completely understand that when it comes to cats, hunting is an instinct. I may not like it when they bring mice or bunnies home to show off, but it's something a cat owner should expect when they let their cats out.

In my mom's case, she has one cat who lives solely inside, but she catches mice on a weekly basis. She plays with them for a while, then leaves them on the kitchen floor or in front of mom's bedroom door, like little presents. My mom HATES this, because she is DEATHLY afraid of mice, but she also appreciates it, because of the same reason. When I visited her a couple months ago, Sophie brought a mouse into the kitchen, my mom freaked out, and ran into the other room nearly panicking. I scooped up the mostly dead mouse and threw it outside in the bushes. I was sad for the poor tortured mouse, but having had my cat bring me a half dead rabbit on the back porch while living in Hartford, I was at least relieved that it didn't squirm and scream while I was trying to get it out of the house.

[know_buddy_kares]

See, this is what I'm talking about. This is a response from another list member who allows her cat to go outside, and then gets all upset and angry at the cat when it attacks birds:

Riiiight... so you have a cat, you know its instinct is to hunt birds... but you let it go outside... where it kills birds... and then you get upset???

Whatever.

I honestly feel you, i think it's in our instincts to make absolutely no sense yet think we know it all.

Me personally, I like all animals except birds. And I adore cats, if ever I find myself able to, I will own one, I don't belive in getting declaowed, and I like letting them outside, yet I'm not going to get all bent out of shape when they catch something, it's what they do, big fuckin deal, a cat out side is like a kid in a candy store.