"Newbie" wrote in message
...
To make a long story short, I am worrying about whether wood mulch
(Cedar Nuggets from Home Depot to be precise) is safe for cats to run
on or jump onto? Or small metal bird baths placed on that mulch?

Nothing bad has happened to our knowledge. But a neighbor's cat
returned with a serious limp in one of the front leg. She'll heal, but
this got him and me talking that while there isn't much we can do about
the outside world, we should cat proofing our yards more consciously.

Exhibit 1: My wife has created about a 60 feet long strip of wooden
mulch along the fence because grass doesn't grow easily here. Cats love
to walk on the mulch, even jump on it from the fence. (As mentioned, it
is Cedar Nuggets from Home Depot.)

Now, I tried walking barefoot on it for a few feet and realized it
wasn't like normal ground. You have thousands of wood chips, some with
sharp edges, all at random angle. I felt a lot of sharp points and
edges. Walking gently is one thing, but if a cat ran or, worse, jumped
from a fence, she could land on a sharp chip the wrong way and get
hurt?

Exhibit 2: We have an 18" heavy iron bird bath. It looks pretty but my
fear is it easy to trip. Especially when it is sitting on an uneven
ground like the mulch or even grass. Cats are naturally curious, this
is just the roght height for them to try playing or climbing, and
having it fall on them.

Would appreciate any experience you have guys may have here about
saftey of cats running/jumping on wood chips, and playing near bird
baths.

In general, there is no way one can protect an "outside" cat from all the
hazards he might encounter.....Even if you keep him inside, he can get hurt
a thousand different ways right in your own home or apartment.....At some
point, you just have to bank on the animal's common sense and inherited
ability to keep out of trouble. Of my four cats, only one leaves the
property from time to time, but I worry about all four of them, and usually
check up on them every morning when I awake to make sure they are all
present and accounted for. One likes to sleep on the roof in the Summertime,
and should he fall off of the South side of the house, he would fall two
stories onto hard ground. And there are always cars and hawks and big
raccoons and teenagers with BB guns and sadistic AH'd with real
guns.......But millions of little furry creatures die miserable deaths every
year in the wild.....It's a cruel world..... And my cats have already lived
several years in comfort and the lap of luxury, so even if I were to lose
one now, I shouldn't be sorry for owning them. They are a lot better off
than they would have been had God had his way with them and I hadn't come
along.....