keep 'em in the house
A sad story about Maxine Hillary, who has been searching for her missing cat Mugoddai since December 2003. She's tried leaflets, newspaper advertisements, pet detectives, walking the neighborhood streets at 3 AM, everything.
But she should have tried this very basic step: don't let the cat out to roam the streets.
Cats do NOT "need" to prowl the streets. They can be very happy living entirely indoor lives. Letting them go outside on their own decreases their life expectancy dramatically. It exposes them to fights with cats and other animals. It exposes them to diseases like rabies and feline leukemia. It exposes them to the risk of being hit by a car or picked on by an animal hating sadist. It is bad for local birds and small animals that cats like to hunt. I can think off the top of my head of half a dozen friends who have had cats disappear because they let them run around outside the house.
Mogaddai's disappearance -- and by now, you'd have to guess, probable death -- is sad. It didn't need to happen. Keep your cats indoors.
But she should have tried this very basic step: don't let the cat out to roam the streets.
Cats do NOT "need" to prowl the streets. They can be very happy living entirely indoor lives. Letting them go outside on their own decreases their life expectancy dramatically. It exposes them to fights with cats and other animals. It exposes them to diseases like rabies and feline leukemia. It exposes them to the risk of being hit by a car or picked on by an animal hating sadist. It is bad for local birds and small animals that cats like to hunt. I can think off the top of my head of half a dozen friends who have had cats disappear because they let them run around outside the house.
Mogaddai's disappearance -- and by now, you'd have to guess, probable death -- is sad. It didn't need to happen. Keep your cats indoors.
Labels: animals
posted by Don Q Blogger at 5:33 PM
1 Comments:
Don:
My cat was not running the street, he got away and I could not get him. I spend barely an hour a month on my search at this point. Most of what is described in the article happened in the first year. I have received over 300 supportive e-mails, at least a third about cats and dogs that were lost and recovered as long as eight years after they went missing. Sure, my cat may be dead, but just as likely he's alive. I was contacted by the Post based on a flyer that is still up on a telephone pole from a long time ago. I did the story to share what I've learned and to hopefully spare others the mistakes I've made and to hopefully make a connection with someone who might have taken him in. My cat may be in someone's home or wandering around the woods. Either way, looking for him back then and still hoping for a resolution isn't hurting anyone. What I can't figure out, particularly from those who have written nasty comments is why so many people seem to think their opinions are so sacred. Because sometimes I think we should observe more, comment less and learn to be more patient and respectful of others.
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