Complex concepts are a part of human society. We are higher apes for the simple fact that we can plan ahead and reason with our decisions. Humans are also punished by laws. A certain concept states that laws are necessary to keep order. Laws are broken because humans are too damned smart to feel the need to actively obey laws for the betterment of their community.
One of the great complexities of human life, is a concept of ownership. My property, your property, our property. Children under the age of five struggle with this concept greatly. While humans can learn to share, the idea of private property still sometimes is just too much for even an adult to understand. Our world is filled with car thefts, identity theft, and even sex crimes that make it pretty definitive that some people do not understand concepts such as mine and yours.
Why then do we make the assumption that our pets understand the idea of property lines? People are murdered, genocide committed, and wars fought over land. Humans cannot even agree on what parcel of land belongs to whom. We cannot assume that our pets can even begin to understand what “my land” is.
I have been prompted to write my disgust about pet owners who let their pets roam freely due to this article: Cat who boarded the same bus every day killed in a hit and run. Casper the cat had managed to gain quite the amount of fame recently when it was discovered he rode a public bus daily. His owner stated that she did not know where he was disappearing to everyday, until a bus driver alerted her to his strange fare.
So what are you trying to tell me lady? Your cat disappeared for an hour everyday (for four years), and you did nothing about it?
Now what really bothers me is the reasons some people give for letting their felines free roam:
- I cannot get him to stay inside
- It is cruel to force a cat to stay inside
- I would not want to be locked up all day
- He only stays in the yard, so he is safe
These are just a few examples of the idiocy of people who allow their pet to free roam.
It is almost as if these people cannot grasp the concept of animal and human brain functions. A cat does not give a damn if your property is marked by a road or a fence on all four sides. He does not even know why the roads or fences are there. He does know that it is easier to run on the road, than crash through the bushes. He also probably has figured out that there is a lot of dead things to munch on while running down the road.
His person should probably know very well just how dangerous vehicles are. True, most of their danger comes only when a human is behind the wheel, but a vast majority of vehicles have chemicals in them. One simple leak of the oh so nice tasting anti-freeze can kill any creature tempted enough to lap at the puddle.
Engine blocks are a great place for a feline, or rodent to lay on a winter day to keep warm. Kitten stuck under a car narrowly avoids catastrophe Now we have to take into account just how cruel people are. People do swerve to hit animals on the road. We do not like to think about it, but they do. Cat super glued to highway, dies This cat was not intentionally swerved on, but it is a fair assumption to think that whoever glued the cat to the highway wanted death. Fortunately for the sick individual(s), the cat did die from injuries, but it was not due to tires.
So now the pet owner does not just have to worry about the vehicle or the person driving the vehicle. They now have to take into consideration that there are people out there that will do everything in their power to make sure a pet is run over on an interstate.
But wait… If it is only cruel people and human inventions we have to worry about – why should the rural cat owner not let his cat outside?
If FIV and FeLV is not enough to scare a cat owner, that person should not be able to have that title. Predation is also a concern in rural lands with free roaming felines. Hawks, owls, coyotes, foxes, bears, cougars, domestic dogs – the list can go on and on – can have a severe impact on the lifespan of a cat. Those who take into consideration that a cat is a predator, and makes free roaming kitty wear a bell, could be notifying other predators of a tasty meal. Exposure to the elements can be harmful to the free roaming feline also, especially if they develop a weakened system due to eating carrion. It is not uncommon for rural areas to have different mindsets from their urban neighbors. Poisoned meat left out in order to kill pest animals like rodents can end up in the digestive tract of a family pet. It is also not uncommon for rural areas to have a “shoot, shovel, shut up” motto when it comes to killing protected predators that disturb their livestock. What makes you so special that your cat will no be shot by the neighbor with guinea hens or chickens?
Well I have written a whole lot about what the irresponsible pet owner does. If you are still with me, you are asking, “What can I do? Kitty really, really likes going outside. I am not going to deny him that!”
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO
Dig through your spare change jar, the floor of your car, and the bottom of your washing machine. Did you find a few dollars?
Good!
Go to any pet store, and buy a collar. Now go to any hardware store and buy a length of rope and a snap. If you still have some change left over, buy a brick or even a stake with an eye loop in it. If you are short on cash, go home and find any weighted item that can have a piece of rope tied to it.
Tie your snap and your weighted object, or stake together.
Place the collar on the cat.
Snap the collar to the rope.
Place the cat outside.
Make sure he has a place to hide from the sun, something to drink, and a way to communicate to you when he would like to come inside. Making sure he cannot climb up on something and strangle himself is also a good idea. Branches and twigs might hamper his experience, so some slight gardening experience may be needed.
This photo is of (now) five year old Zoey. She has enjoyed her leash life greatly for her entire stay here with me. She had to learn how to tug on her rope if she went through tall grass or got snagged on a branch. She has also learned the wonderful skill of following the rope through the bars on a BBQ grill to untangle herself. Sometimes her person has to help her, but usually that is by simply coaxing her back through the way she first went.
She does not even notice her collar and leash while she is bird watching. The bird is flying too high for her, and she is quite lazy when she wants to be.
If through all of this, you are still with me, I am glad something might have sunk in. If you are just waving your hand dismissively at my collar/leash approach, shame on you. The only reason that this cannot work in your own backyard is if you are too lazy to pop your head out the door, or look out a window every now and then to check on your cat.
Life is not fair, it is full of compromise. If you cannot compromise for the well-being of your feline, you do not deserve to have one.
