Sunday, May 6, 2007

The problem with cats outdoors

Dave and I had dinner last night at his house while watching the Derby.  The horse I picked came in second.  Amazing finish.  That Street Smart came from 19th and moved through like a freight train!  It will be interested to watch the Preakness.  Anyhow when I was getting ready to leave I brought up the discussion of how cats should be kept indoors because of the killing.  I said cats kill thousands of songbirds and animals every year and he said "Yeah!" I was really upset by his reaction, its totally against how I feel about nature in general.  He said he loves cats so he is for the cat.  I love cats too, but love birds and nature too.  This is a snippet from an article I found online:

The Problem

There are more than 90 million pet cats in the U.S., the majority of which roam outside at least part of the time. In addition, millions of stray and feral cats roam our cities, suburbs, and rural areas. Scientists estimate that free-roaming cats kill hundreds of millions of birds, small mammals, reptiles and amphibians each year. Cat predation is an added stress to wildlife populations already struggling to survive habitat loss, pollution, pesticides, and other human impacts.

If you click on The Problem above, you can go to the website.  I feel very upset about his attitude and disregard for something that I hold sacred.  Not compatible at all.  Also everytime we see a wild animal, he says "Bang-bang".  He is a hunter and while I have no problem with that, I feel that he thinks animals are just out there to shoot.   Now I'm not telling any of you to keep your cats indoors, its a personal choice, just trying to inform people of my stand on the matter. 

Anyhow!  I met a nice guy online who lives near me.  His name is Ramon.  He is Hispanic.  I haven't talked to him yet, but we IM'd a little last night. Here is his picture.  He is a big guy and I think he is handsome.  Very soulful eyes.

 

We have alot in common.  I'm not going to get my hopes up.  I might not be the right one for him.  I hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday....   

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is a bad attitude for him to have. I feel as you do about stray cats. The beautiful birds are always in danger from some dirrection. Hope you get to meet the new guy. Who know what might develope. Helen

Anonymous said...

I have to say I've been given lizards, frogs, and mice by cats who hunted, but never a bird.  The cats we have had over the years have all been outdoor cats.  We feed them just enough to keep them going, but want them hungry enough to prowl for critters.  I did see a tom cat we had once charming a squirrel.  Had that courious squirrel headed down the trunk of the tree straight toward him!  I picked up the cat, the squirrel ran off.  Be oh so careful how, when and where you meet this online guy if you decide to!  He's probably fine, but you just don't know.  -  Barbara
http://journals.aol.com/bhbner2him/LifeFaithinCaneyhead/

Anonymous said...

I have three cats, two of which are indoor and one who loves the outdoors.  If I tried to keep him in 24/7, he would drive me nuts meowing.  He is a hunter and kills anything that moves, most things for which I am eternally grateful.  I try to keep any eye on him and don't let him eat any babies (birds, rabbits).  He can eat all the dang squirrels he wants cuz they get in my house!!!!! ;-)

Blessings!~

Susan

Anonymous said...

Cats get into too much trouble outdoors. Not only do they kill birds (although we had many a rat brought to us by an outdoor cat we had way back when, and that was beneficial to know she was killing rats) but they can catch diseases like Feline Luekemia, which in most cases is fatal. They get hit by cars. Then there is flea control to consider. They get into fights, wander for days...just better to keep them indoors. Ramon is a nice looking guy...I am catching up on your entries, so we will see what you say about him on up.