Am i over reacting? Help please!

[YorkichonBella]

Originally Posted by furbutt

Sorry if you all think i am irresponsible for letting Casey outside but LOTS of owners let their cats outside i didnt think there was any harm in it. I am sorry i now know better and i will be keeping casey inside from now on

Don't be upset. You are right in trying to find the right solution.

Many years ago, our first cat was at first indoors only, but he also Loved to be outside. He was neutered & would stay near all the time. He came in & out. We also didn't have many neighbors around @the time. We lost him to urinary problems @14 yrs of age.
Now though, I'm wiser & would never let that happen. Too many bad things can happen. My daughter adopted the cat she has now. He has always been an indoor cat. Believe me, he's a Happy & very Spoiled King of the Indoor Castle.

[furbutt]

Originally Posted by TwoforFun

I honestly don't think they meant any harm. They fed the cat and probably felt bad the cat was wondering the streets that late. I would have a friendly talk and say that you don't want her to be fed so she can return home to eat.
You are lucky that you have neighbors that like animals as much as you do. There is nothing wrong with the cat being outside whats wrong it's the sick people lurching to do harm.

Casey is never roaming the streets late, she comes in the moment we get home from work at 5pm but she started to not be there waiting for us and would not come home untill late which had us roaming the streeting looking for her. This happened again last night and today i found out why, because she was has been at their house. As i said i am glad they like casey and yes i am lucky to have animal friendly people near me but i dont agree with them feeding her and taking her into their home while we are out looking for her she is in their house. She will now be staying at home where she belongs xxx

[furbutt]

Originally Posted by YorkichonBella

Don't be upset. You are right in trying to find the right solution.

Many years ago, our first cat was at first indoors only, but he also Loved to be outside. He was neutered & would stay near all the time. He came in & out. We also didn't have many neighbors around @the time. We lost him to urinary problems @14 yrs of age.
Now though, I'm wiser & would never let that happen. Too many bad things can happen. My daughter adopted the cat she has now. He has always been an indoor cat. Believe me, he's a Happy & very Spoiled King of the Indoor Castle.

Yeah Casey is very spoilt too haha She is such a lovely cat. To be honsey i was NEVER a cat person untill my OH loved cats and we got Casey and oh my gosh i love her so so much. She is asleep next to me now i just wanna kiss and cuddle her, i feel terrible for letting her outside. I am so glad i came on here and got everyones advice because i feel so much better now. Thanks everyone xxxxx

[IWAY]

Are you or your OH handy with tools? You could build a really nice enclosed area for Casey. That way she can get fresh air & sunshine and you can keep an eye on her.

[furbutt]

Originally Posted by IWAY

Are you or your OH handy with tools? You could build a really nice enclosed area for Casey. That way she can get fresh air & sunshine and you can keep an eye on her.

Hummm now thats an idea, good thinking batman xxx

[Beamers Mom]

Originally Posted by furbutt

Hummm now thats an idea, good thinking batman xxx

Hey, Batman is my husband's other "persona"

(True - His name is Bruce Wayne)

[furbutt]

Hahaha, does that make you robin or should i say robeena LOL hehe! xxx

[Beamers Mom]

Originally Posted by furbutt

Hahaha, does that make you robin or should i say robeena LOL hehe! xxx

or Ribena? (I used to love Ribena)

Nah, I am just me

[gemy]

Hi Natasha,

I think you are wise to keep your cat indoors for now. And I don't blame you for being upset if the neighbours were keeping her indoors after dark, feeding her, etc.

Back many years ago when I first owned cats I too would let them out, but as years have passsed and I've read so many studies that show, if you let your cat outdoors you can reduce their life expectancy by as much as 2/3 rds, that was enough for me.

My beautiful Karma a Maine Coone stays indoors. He has his play tower, and toys, and doesn't seem to mind to be indoors.

We did build him a play area in our backyard, as in summertime, we the dogs and humans like to be outside for barb b ques, etc.

[furbutt]

Gemy you BACK!!!! I have missed you around this place the past week. Yes thank you i will be keeping Casey inside from now on. I am glad i talked to everyone on here. So glad she is home safe, last night me and OH was worried sick about her searching the streets for her. Totally agree with everyone here it is best if i keep her an indoor cat. Just means i get more time to spend with her which defo aint a bad thing hehe!! xxxx

[Lizzie07]

Originally Posted by furbutt

Sorry if you all think i am irresponsible for letting Casey outside but LOTS of owners let their cats outside i didnt think there was any harm in it. I am sorry i now know better and i will be keeping casey inside from now on

I apologize I sounded so harsh. I guess I do assume some people just don't treat their cats with as much care as their dogs. I have cats too, and I keep them in 24/7. I do have a screened in porch that they really like. I would be devastated if one of them just disappeared and I have heard that happen to people. I think you would be too. I love my cats every bit as much as the dogs.

I attached a picture of Liz when she crawled up on the arm of the sofa to be with one of my cats. She loves them.

[BanditSocks2]

Originally Posted by furbutt

Sorry if you all think i am irresponsible for letting Casey outside but LOTS of owners let their cats outside i didnt think there was any harm in it. I am sorry i now know better and i will be keeping casey inside from now on

I think that's a great idea. There's too much that can go wrong leaving cats outside. Getting run over by cars, attacked by larger cats or loose dogs. Eating poisons, getting mistaken by strays or stolen. The list is endless. I also think it can be an inconvenience for other people when the cats pee and poop in their yards, I know we had a problem with our neighbors cat before they moved out. It's like a dog owner letting their dog poop on a persons lawn and not picking up after it.

About your neighbors though, I do think it's "wrongish" what they're doing. I did feed a stray cat (or what I think was a stray cat) once I saw because it was so skinny. I called Animal Control but they couldn't do anything about it. They know it's your cat and they are taking possession of it without your permission and preventing it from getting to you. While they're not doing anything to intentionally hurt they cat they may be doing so inadvertently. I think keeping him inside would def solve all your problems.

Also, you could get one of those really cool cat gyms they have

[Lizzie07]

Here's the pic of Liz and the cat.

[furbutt]

Originally Posted by BanditSocks2

I think that's a great idea. There's too much that can go wrong leaving cats outside. Getting run over by cars, attacked by larger cats or loose dogs. Eating poisons, getting mistaken by strays or stolen. The list is endless. I also think it can be an inconvenience for other people when the cats pee and poop in their yards, I know we had a problem with our neighbors cat before they moved out. It's like a dog owner letting their dog poop on a persons lawn and not picking up after it.

About your neighbors though, I do think it's "wrongish" what they're doing. I did feed a stray cat (or what I think was a stray cat) once I saw because it was so skinny. I called Animal Control but they couldn't do anything about it. They know it's your cat and they are taking possession of it without your permission and preventing it from getting to you. While they're not doing anything to intentionally hurt they cat they may be doing so inadvertently. I think keeping him inside would def solve all your problems.

Also, you could get one of those really cool cat gyms they have

Well Casey is spoilt hehe! We got her this HUGE big scratch pad thing its got like 4 floors with beds and even a house thing on it, it and has balls on springy things hanging off it and all sorts. She LOVES it she also has balls and stuff that she plays with around the house etc. I didnt even think about all the things that could hapen to her outside and i feel horrible for even letting her go out in the first place. Just glad i now know not to let her out and keep her safe at home. xxxx

[furbutt]

Oh my gosh aint Liz and your cat just soooo cute I love them! Thanks for posting the pic xxxx