Stories of animal cruelty upset me even more than war stories. The
randomness is just overwhelming. There's a story about a dog's being
drowned yesterday that I won't spell out although many of you have read
about it. It's not a prank. Murderers often have a history of animal
abuse. I hope your little cat recovers quickly and has a good memory of
where this happened.

Ruth Kazez

Happy'Cam'per wrote:
Greetings Porgers

I stay behind a large property that has been declared a bird sanctuary. Its
absolutely beautiful, many trees and lush growth from other flora and loads
of Bird life. This weekend my cat dissapeared for longer than usual and we
(my GF and I) were pretty worried. When we came back from our usual Saturday
morning shopping spree the cat had returned, albeit in a 'state'. She had a
small copper wire sticking out of her neck!!!!!!!!

After rushing her off to the local emergency vet it was discovered that she
had been caught in a snare!!!!!!!! The vet told us that these types of
snares were usually used for catching guinea fowl!!!!! Needless to say I was
completely devastated, how bloody disgusting can you get? In a Bird
Sanctuary of all places!!!!!

Anyway, we phoned the police and they raided the area late last night (for
vagrants). All of this in quite an upmarket area of Johannesburg's Northern
Suburbs. I simply cannot get my head around this and every time I think
about my poor baby struggling to free herself I get so wound up. Anyway, she
(the cat) is fine and on her way to a quick recovery.

Do you think after all that trauma that she would from now on possibly avoid
that particular area? (I've only been keeping cats for 2 years and am still
recognising their habits and quirks). Sorry this is off topic but I know
that alot of you have cats.
--
**So long, and thanks for all the fish!**

On Mon, 11 Oct 2004 16:09:24 +0200, "Happy'Cam'per" wrote:

the cat had returned, albeit in a 'state'.
She had a small copper wire sticking out of her neck!!!!!!!!

Hey, hey hey. You guys are striking out at the wrong target. This is
not a matter of animal abuse. It is illegal trapping. The wire was not
set for your cat, but for wild animals. The Game Commision should be
informed. It is easier to get them involved than to get the police
concerned about animal cruelty.
If you really want to get in a cat fight, ask a cat group if you
should let your cat out-of-doors?
"Worse than salt wars"
--
Crashj

I think you're talking animal poachers here for the birds. Poor kitty got
caught up in the way. Probably hunting the same birds ;-)
Our beloved next door cat, Hobo The Fearless, Humiliater of Labradors, Ruler of
the Neighborhood, has taught us the intelligence of cats, having had lots of
Adventures, but never the same one twice.


kathy :-)
zone 7, SE WA state

Thanks everyone for your comments, this is indeed going to be a problem!
I don't want to sound 2 faced by being upset that ppl are snaring birds
while my cat is galavanting in the same area stalking those exact birds!!!
,,,Sheesh, what to do, what to do :|

Sorry Ruth for Hijacking your thread, it was not intended, slip of the
finger 8|

Regards
Cameron
--
**So long, and thanks for all the fish!**

What to do? Surely you jest Cameron ;-) What you do is - You keep kitty
Indoors.
Make a house cat out of her. Believe me she will thank you in the long run!

Nedra

"Happy'Cam'per" wrote in message
...
Thanks everyone for your comments, this is indeed going to be a problem!
I don't want to sound 2 faced by being upset that ppl are snaring birds
while my cat is galavanting in the same area stalking those exact birds!!!
,,,Sheesh, what to do, what to do :|

Sorry Ruth for Hijacking your thread, it was not intended, slip of the
finger 8|

Regards
Cameron
--
**So long, and thanks for all the fish!**

Hi Nedra,
I'm being completely serious, I'm sure that you look after your kitties as
best you can and in your eyes keeping them inside is fine. I just can't
bring myself to do this, I find it cruel and unreasonable (this is IMHO, I'm
not attacking you personally) to keep 2 cats inside every day. Flowers in
the Attic by Julie Andrews comes to mind........my cats NEED the good old
South African sunshine I'll let you know how it goes, and thanks alot for
your concern
--
**So long, and thanks for all the fish!**

"Nedra" wrote in message
nk.net...
What to do? Surely you jest Cameron ;-) What you do is - You keep kitty
Indoors.
Make a house cat out of her. Believe me she will thank you in the long
run!

Nedra

"Happy'Cam'per" wrote in message
...
Thanks everyone for your comments, this is indeed going to be a problem!
I don't want to sound 2 faced by being upset that ppl are snaring birds
while my cat is galavanting in the same area stalking those exact
birds!!!
,,,Sheesh, what to do, what to do :|

Sorry Ruth for Hijacking your thread, it was not intended, slip of the
finger 8|

Regards
Cameron
--
**So long, and thanks for all the fish!**

Okay ... your choice then - - just wanted assurance that you heard me
correctly :-)
Good Luck with your lady cat.

Nedra in Missouri
zone 6

"Happy'Cam'per" wrote in message
...

Hi Nedra,
I'm being completely serious, I'm sure that you look after your kitties as
best you can and in your eyes keeping them inside is fine. I just can't
bring myself to do this, I find it cruel and unreasonable (this is IMHO,
I'm
not attacking you personally) to keep 2 cats inside every day. Flowers in
the Attic by Julie Andrews comes to mind........my cats NEED the good old
South African sunshine I'll let you know how it goes, and thanks alot
for
your concern
--
**So long, and thanks for all the fish!**

"Nedra" wrote in message
nk.net...
What to do? Surely you jest Cameron ;-) What you do is - You keep
kitty
Indoors.
Make a house cat out of her. Believe me she will thank you in the long
run!

Nedra

"Happy'Cam'per" wrote in message
...
Thanks everyone for your comments, this is indeed going to be a
problem!
I don't want to sound 2 faced by being upset that ppl are snaring
birds
while my cat is galavanting in the same area stalking those exact
birds!!!
,,,Sheesh, what to do, what to do :|

Sorry Ruth for Hijacking your thread, it was not intended, slip of the
finger 8|

Regards
Cameron
--
**So long, and thanks for all the fish!**

I don't have a cat now, but I've had 6 adults and countless kittens, for
all of whom I found homes when I gave them away free. I did let them go
out all the time, but I know they didn't go after birds because all of
them very kindly brought their game home, usually half a mouse. Most of
my cats were female, so I didn't feel guilty about any cat explosion.

Now I have a visitor cat. I don't know whose he is, but he's deathly
afraid of my fish and comes running into my house and hiding in the
basement. He doesn't have a collar, but he has to belong to someone.
He doesn't accept friendliness from me, but we have a standoffish
understanding. He's not the only animal afraid of my fish; the
chipmunks squeak and hop straight up if one comes near when he's
drinking. I have several bird feeders, but the birds just ignore the
cat. The poor little cat doesn't seem able to instill fear in anything.

I understand the kind advice being given here about keeping cats
indoors, but I would miss the occasional visitor. Keeping my own cats
indoors would necessitate closing my doors and windows or putting
screens all over the place even though I don't have many bugs. I would
feel trapped as much as the cats would.

Ruth Kazez


Nedra wrote:

What to do? Surely you jest Cameron ;-) What you do is - You keep kitty
Indoors.
Make a house cat out of her. Believe me she will thank you in the long run!

Nedra

"Happy'Cam'per" wrote in message
...

Thanks everyone for your comments, this is indeed going to be a problem!
I don't want to sound 2 faced by being upset that ppl are snaring birds
while my cat is galavanting in the same area stalking those exact birds!!!
,,,Sheesh, what to do, what to do :|

Sorry Ruth for Hijacking your thread, it was not intended, slip of the
finger 8|

Regards
Cameron
--
**So long, and thanks for all the fish!**

Happy'Cam'per wrote:

After rushing her off to the local emergency vet it was discovered that
she had been caught in a snare!!!!!!!! The vet told us that these types of
snares were usually used for catching guinea fowl!!!!! Needless to say I
was completely devastated, how bloody disgusting can you get? In a Bird
Sanctuary of all places!!!!!

Awful as it is when it happens to your pet, it's not as if they were
actually trying to kill your cat. I'd even say that its a case of the pot
calling the kettle black if you let your cat roam loose in a bird sanctuary
and then get upset that people snare birds there. Here in Canada, the
single thing most threatening songbirds is roaming house cats. Are Guinea
fowl even native? If not, you could even say that people catching them
were doing a service - if they could guarantee not to kill anything else.

Do you think after all that trauma that she would from now on possibly
avoid that particular area? (I've only been keeping cats for 2 years and
am still recognising their habits and quirks). Sorry this is off topic but
I know that alot of you have cats.

It's a bird sanctuary. There's no way she's learned a lesson that would
teach her to "stay out". She is, though, a cat. She might be less likely
to be snared. The only way to keep a cat safe, is to keep it indoors.
--
derek

Ruth,
I'm glad you like kittie-cats! My cats were always indoor-outdoor cats
until several years
ago when one of them caught a horrible unknown disease. Two separate vets
took blood samples,etc and in general tried to help Sammy. He was beyond
help and
died in my arms a week after becoming sick - he was the best cat I have ever
known. Coal Black and Huge! Since that happened I vowed I would never ever
let a cat roam free.
I have lots of traffic now so it is just as well my two are indoor cats.
As for keeping screens on the windows, etc.... we couldn't live in Missouri
without
screens! Same goes for sliders.... they all have screens. When my little
Siamese
Snowshoe gets rambanctious and climbs the screen door I walk up to him and
tell
him "Sweetie, someone will steal you!" He either knows what I'm saying or
recognizes
the tone of voice... at any rate he backs down and lays in front of the
door.
So, I guess it just depends upon where your coming from - - -
Nedra

"rtk" wrote in message
...
I don't have a cat now, but I've had 6 adults and countless kittens, for
all of whom I found homes when I gave them away free. I did let them go
out all the time, but I know they didn't go after birds because all of
them very kindly brought their game home, usually half a mouse. Most of
my cats were female, so I didn't feel guilty about any cat explosion.

Now I have a visitor cat. I don't know whose he is, but he's deathly
afraid of my fish and comes running into my house and hiding in the
basement. He doesn't have a collar, but he has to belong to someone.
He doesn't accept friendliness from me, but we have a standoffish
understanding. He's not the only animal afraid of my fish; the
chipmunks squeak and hop straight up if one comes near when he's
drinking. I have several bird feeders, but the birds just ignore the
cat. The poor little cat doesn't seem able to instill fear in anything.

I understand the kind advice being given here about keeping cats
indoors, but I would miss the occasional visitor. Keeping my own cats
indoors would necessitate closing my doors and windows or putting
screens all over the place even though I don't have many bugs. I would
feel trapped as much as the cats would.

Ruth Kazez


Nedra wrote:

What to do? Surely you jest Cameron ;-) What you do is - You keep
kitty
Indoors.
Make a house cat out of her. Believe me she will thank you in the long
run!

Nedra

"Happy'Cam'per" wrote in message
...

Thanks everyone for your comments, this is indeed going to be a problem!
I don't want to sound 2 faced by being upset that ppl are snaring birds
while my cat is galavanting in the same area stalking those exact
birds!!!
,,,Sheesh, what to do, what to do :|

Sorry Ruth for Hijacking your thread, it was not intended, slip of the
finger 8|

Regards
Cameron
--
**So long, and thanks for all the fish!**

Nedra wrote:

Snowshoe gets rambanctious and climbs the screen door I walk up to him and
tell

My family in Texas have two cats, named Snownose and Snowchin, who had
been kept exclusively indoors, necessitating that everyone, including
little kids, slide out the doors fast, in the narrowest possible space,
and quickly slam the door behind them. Then one day the inevitable
happened: the twin children were a bit too slow escaping to the backyard
and the twin kittens slid out with them. They leaped and hopped to the
stream below and there was no way they could be caught. The family went
sadly back indoors, closing the door out of habit, and there immediately
appeared two abandoned black kitties, one with a white nose and one with
a white chin, mewing to be let in. Now, the cats go out whenever the
the people do and go back in with them. Happy ending.

Ruth Kazez

I'm being completely serious, I'm sure that you look after your kitties as
best you can and in your eyes keeping them inside is fine. I just can't
bring myself to do this, I find it cruel and unreasonable (this is IMHO, I'm
not attacking you personally) to keep 2 cats inside every day. Flowers in
the Attic by Julie Andrews comes to mind........my cats NEED the good old
South African sunshine I'll let you know how it goes, and thanks alot for
your concern

The coolest thing I ever saw for having the both of best worlds was an
enclosed play yard for cats. These people had made an outside room for
their cats, 2 stories high, enclosed around a tree, with lots of toys and
claw trees, kitty boxes, etc. Roofed to keep the weather off, lattice on
the real sunny sides. Best of all, the kitty box could be outside. They
just opened a window for the kitties to have open access during the day.
Sure is something I'd highly consider if we ever get a cat or two again (or
should I say can afford?) ;o) ~ jan


~Power to the Porg, Flow On!~

~ jan JJsPond.us wrote:


The coolest thing I ever saw for having the both of best worlds was an
enclosed play yard for cats. These people had made an outside room for
their cats, 2 stories high, enclosed around a tree, with lots of toys and
claw trees, kitty boxes, etc. Roofed to keep the weather off, lattice on
the real sunny sides. Best of all, the kitty box could be outside. They
just opened a window for the kitties to have open access during the day.
Sure is something I'd highly consider if we ever get a cat or two again (or
should I say can afford?) ;o) ~ jan

The cats can have my old house, I'm moving into the enclosed play yard.
Sounds like my kind of thing.

Ruth Kazez

Jan, this is the place I have dreamed about for my cats! Only thing is -
I live alone without a DH or a son to build it. And my health has gone to
Hell in a handbasket soooo.
Anyway, I read in another thread where
your DH designed your DYI (!) filter and your son built it.... Lucky
gal you are, Jan. So I can imagine you'd have such a "yard" for the cats.

Nedra

"~ jan JJsPond.us" wrote in message
...
I'm being completely serious, I'm sure that you look after your kitties
as
best you can and in your eyes keeping them inside is fine. I just can't
bring myself to do this, I find it cruel and unreasonable (this is IMHO,
I'm
not attacking you personally) to keep 2 cats inside every day. Flowers in
the Attic by Julie Andrews comes to mind........my cats NEED the good old
South African sunshine I'll let you know how it goes, and thanks alot
for
your concern

The coolest thing I ever saw for having the both of best worlds was an
enclosed play yard for cats. These people had made an outside room for
their cats, 2 stories high, enclosed around a tree, with lots of toys and
claw trees, kitty boxes, etc. Roofed to keep the weather off, lattice on
the real sunny sides. Best of all, the kitty box could be outside. They
just opened a window for the kitties to have open access during the day.
Sure is something I'd highly consider if we ever get a cat or two again
(or
should I say can afford?) ;o) ~ jan


~Power to the Porg, Flow On!~

Hobo The Fearless likes this one rock in my rockwall out front. It is bowl
shaped and cat sized and perfect for cat back scratching and he loves to roll
around in it. When I come home he will be laying in it presented like dish of
cat.


kathy :-)
zone 7, SE WA state