Cats: They Own You

[felice]

22 hours ago, Fury Resurrected said:

Here’s your periodic PSA to please consider keeping cats indoors only unless leashed or on a catio

How necessary that is varies depending on where in the world you live.

[Fury Resurrected]

4 hours ago, felice said:

How necessary that is varies depending on where in the world you live.

Show me a place with no predators, cars, FIV, feline leukemia, or intestinal parasites and I will totally agree. Having seen cats suffer from each of these while being involved in feral cat rescue, they’re big risks and most people who do allow cats outside also aren’t testing regularly for these diseases (and they could contract them at any time outside, so how often can you even test to keep it current?)

[A Horse Named Stranger]

On 3/28/2021 at 12:58 AM, Chataya de Fleury said:

I know people have opinions on declawing, but seriously, if yours is declawed, DO NOT LET OUT.

I wasn't aware that the declawing of cats was such a common practice in the US that it reaches the level of controversial. In the EU that procedure is outlawed if I am not mistaken. And for good reason imho. I am not fond of human-animal analogy in general, but that procedure is bascially the equivalent to the amputation of the top phalanx of your fingers. Cat nail trimming is a different story.

 

[Cas Stark]

1 hour ago, A Horse Named Stranger said:

I wasn't aware that the declawing of cats was such a common practice in the US that it reaches the level of controversial. In the EU that procedure is outlawed if I am not mistaken. And for good reason imho. I am not fond of human-animal analogy in general, but that procedure is bascially the equivalent to the amputation of the top phalanx of your fingers. Cat nail trimming is a different story.

 

It should be outlawed in the US as well, it is a gross practice. 

[Cas Stark]

22 minutes ago, Chataya de Fleury said:

Can I just roll my eyes already.

Can we please not spill over sanctimonious bullsh1t about the US into every facet of life??

Sure you can, that doesn't change the fact that declawing cats is a cruel practice that should be illegal.  Amputating part of your pet's paw for your own convenience is distasteful.  At least to me.  There is a bill in my state to ban declawing and I hope it passes, but it probably won't. 

[DireWolfSpirit]

Not a fan of the declawing but to each their own, I know some relatives who've done that with their pets. As mentioned up thread those cats can never go outdoors again.

I have never seen a cat on a leash that's interesting, seems like an urban practice.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

2 minutes ago, DireWolfSpirit said:

Not a fan of the declawing but to each their own, I know some relatives who've did that with their pets. As mentioned up thread those cats can never go outdoors again.

I have never seen a cat on a leash that's interesting, seems like an urban practice.

A friend of mine used to bike around Uptown with his cat on a leash, chilling on his backpack. 

[DireWolfSpirit]

Just now, Tywin et al. said:

A friend of mine used to bike around Uptown with his cat on a leash, chilling on his backpack. 

Fascinating, never seen it anywhere.

[Cas Stark]

9 minutes ago, DireWolfSpirit said:

Not a fan of the declawing but to each their own, I know some relatives who've done that with their pets. As mentioned up thread those cats can never go outdoors again.

I have never seen a cat on a leash that's interesting, seems like an urban practice.

I've only seen it online, never in real life, but I imagine it depends on the cat.  I actually tried w/mine.  One was okay with it, but wiggled out [we were in the backyard so no danger], and the other thought it was a torture device and ran like wind before we ever got the harness on him.  LOL.  We have a fenced in backyard so we let them out there sometimes under supervision.  I grew up with inside/outside cats, but couldn't go back to that, not because I think cats are destroying the song birds [that is hugely over hyped, humans are destroying the song bird habitats and blaming it on cats], but the stress of not knowing where the cats were for hours at time I  couldnt take at this point.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

12 minutes ago, DireWolfSpirit said:

Fascinating, never seen it anywhere.

I've seen it all the time. Not so much where I live now (inner ring suburb of Minneapolis), but it still happens now and then.

Just did a bit of Googling for fun and there are far more bizarre examples of pets being walked on a leash than cats. The ones of the little pigs are always adorable. And really, was Frank riding on my friends back on a leash while he biked around (and Frank loved it) any stranger than a pirate captain walking around his boat as he sailed with a parrot on his shoulder?

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

22 minutes ago, Chataya de Fleury said:

Ferrets, I saw ferrets on a leash in Barcelona.

Also, I have seen parrots being walked on the Silver Comet Trail in ATL. The parrots were holding onto a large stick that their owner was holding. I have pictures.

Ferrets are so much fun, but they're also like possibly the worst smelling pets ever.

Since we're bridging out a bit, and there's no other general pet/animal thread that I'm aware of other than the Dog thread which doesn't get much burn, it was so cool as a kid to have a family farm to go to and two women my mom was good friends with also had farms and I'd get to stay at both of them for good chunks of time, especially during and after my parents got divorced. One of them wasn't that big, and I mainly just played with her kids (shout out to other 90's kids who remember this game), got a nice scar on my chin from that, but one cool thing they had on top of the horses and goats and a hen house was a pond that had a ton of snapping turtles. They weren't breeding them, to be clear, they were just there, and man some of them looked scary when they'd come out of the water. The other woman, Tammie, who despite me not having a sweet tooth I blame for my love of malted milk balls as she'd always have them around, had a larger farm, but it's what they kept in their house that was fascinating to me (and again, I was probably 6 or 7 the first time I stayed with her for a few days). They had all kinds of pets, dogs and cats of course, but I'll always remember their reptile room, which they also kept some large insects in. The first time I saw a giant fucking bullfrog eat a mouse was something else.

[DireWolfSpirit]

My favorite on leash sighting was probably the huge ass dragon lizard thingy I seen a guy walking around a Florida campus when I was student. Thing was huge, belonged in a movie far as I was concerned.

[A Horse Named Stranger]

7 hours ago, DireWolfSpirit said:

My favorite on leash sighting was probably the huge ass dragon lizard thingy I seen a guy walking around a Florida campus when I was student. Thing was huge, belonged in a movie far as I was concerned.

Somehow I think you didn't have to state it was in Florida. Of course it was.

9 hours ago, Tywin et al. said:

Since we're bridging out a bit, and there's no other general pet/animal thread that I'm aware of other than the Dog thread which doesn't get much burn,

Well, we had this short crossover in US politics about the canineness of poodles (or lack of). If you want the dog thread to get more burn, just let your pitbulls loose on a playground again to endanger the local toddler population. I am not saying you should do it and infact I am telling you not to, but the dog thread would definately get more burn.

 

[Buckwheat]

10 hours ago, Tywin et al. said:

Just did a bit of Googling for fun and there are far more bizarre examples of pets being walked on a leash than cats. The ones of the little pigs are always adorable. And really, was Frank riding on my friends back on a leash while he biked around (and Frank loved it) any stranger than a pirate captain walking around his boat as he sailed with a parrot on his shoulder?

There is a man in Ljubljana who walks his pet ostrich on a leash through the city centre. I once walked by quite close to them. The ostrich didn't act like he was going to attack anybody, but the hard beak does look very dangerous in case he would decide to attack you.

[maarsen]

1 hour ago, Buckwheat said:

There is a man in Ljubljana who walks his pet ostrich on a leash through the city centre. I once walked by quite close to them. The ostrich didn't act like he was going to attack anybody, but the hard beak does look very dangerous in case he would decide to attack you.

Ostriches kick when they attack, and can do a lot of damage. Emus have been known to kill with their kick , while Moas are now extinct.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

2 hours ago, A Horse Named Stranger said:

Well, we had this short crossover in US politics about the canineness of poodles (or lack of). If you want the dog thread to get more burn, just let your pitbulls loose on a playground again to endanger the local toddler population. I am not saying you should do it and infact I am telling you not to, but the dog thread would definately get more burn.

Pits are one of the sweetest breeds if you don't abuse them. You still have to account for the strength of their bites, but otherwise they're lover dogs who cruel people have turned in to cock fighting specimens. Thunder, aka Teddy, was one of the sweetest dogs I've ever taken care of, even if he wouldn't shut up at times.

1 hour ago, Buckwheat said:

There is a man in Ljubljana who walks his pet ostrich on a leash through the city centre. I once walked by quite close to them. The ostrich didn't act like he was going to attack anybody, but the hard beak does look very dangerous in case he would decide to attack you.

That has to be a sight to see. Another of my mom's friends also raised some animals that would be deemed exotic. He had a few hedgehogs, and those little fuckers were so damn cute. 

He also once tried to raised and breed some emus, and he gave me this big green egg that wasn't viable. I brought it to school for show and tell when I was like in the 5th grade. I also had it in my backpack leaving school, tossed the bag on the bus onto my seat, and per usual, kids that aged messed around with each other on said bus. Opening the bag after I got home to do my homework after the fact was not great, especially when the fetes came streaming out with all the gunk in the egg. I kept a piece of the shell though for a long time before.

[Fury Resurrected]

Here’s my leash cat advice-

-If your cat is interested in going outside, I’m almost certain you can harness train them. The biggest obstacle is the new environment.

-Dont just put a harness on your cat and bring it right outside. Put the harness on and shower your cat with their favorite toys and treats, and take it off. Do this until your cat associates the harness with positive things. Once you have that, add the leash and do the same things, allowing the cat to get used to it in surroundings they feel are their own. Once you’ve done all that, then add the outdoors and do the same thing.

-a cat on a leash is never going to be like a dog on a leash where you can direct it. Think of it as your cat walking you and you have veto power.

-it’s easier to do after dark. There’s less stuff going on and your cat is a nocturnal predator. They will feel more like they are prowling at night.

-a harness is better than a collar. A cat’s neck isn’t as muscular as a dog’s and the pressure will be way more uncomfortable for them when they reach the end of their leash. You want the kind that tightens at the neck and around the ribs, and you only wanna be able to get a couple fingers underneath so your cat can’t slip out.

-microchip your cat in case it somehow does escape.

[Zorral]

Around here among all the birds, dogs, frequently cats, one see regularly on walkies, it's fairly common in warm weather to see very large snakes wrapped around their humans taking the air.

My still dearly beloved though long departed enormous marmalade cat did harness very well, and liked it.  Partner biked with him on shoulders, but I put Mitch in my bike's front basket, with a blanket and pillow.  He adored going for bike rides.

[Fury Resurrected]

And on the subject of declawing, I do wish it wasn’t a thing. BUT- there is a huge surplus of cats that die feral or are euthanized in shelter for want of homes. Lots of housing rentals and even condo HOAS require declawing. Until housing must allow pets and cannot require declawing, I don’t think it should be illegal. I hate to see it, but if it’s between a cat having a home and an amputation, I gotta pick the amputation. There are also cases where it is medically necessary. Polydactyl cats with too much crowding can’t retract their claws, and can get stuck or rip one out. It can help a lot to remove one or two to make space. I also had a super elderly cat get arthritis to the point he was having a hard time retracting and getting stuck to blankets and the carpet and getting hurt. He had to be declawed to preserve his own quality of life. We have millions of homeless cats, and that needs to be at the forefront of people’s minds when we talk about banning things. Even things I think are unsafe like letting your cat freely outside are things that if banned would mean more homeless cats. As far as cats go- fewer ferals and less in shelters is always always priority number one.

[A Horse Named Stranger]

2 hours ago, Tywin et al. said:

Pits are one of the sweetest breeds if you don't abuse them. You still have to account for the strength of their bites, but otherwise they're lover dogs who cruel people have turned in to cock fighting specimens. Thunder, aka Teddy, was one of the sweetest dogs I've ever taken care of, even if he wouldn't shut up at times.

I don'T really dig pits as a breed. Just not my cup of tea aesthetically. But yeah, problem is usually at the other end of the leash. And the breed is probably nicer than its rep. Same with Rotties. Lovely breed, just not exactly beginner dogs, who pack a lot of power and are a danger in the hands of idiots.

1 hour ago, Fury Resurrected said:

There are also cases where it is medically necessary. Polydactyl cats with too much crowding can’t retract their claws, and can get stuck or rip one out. It can help a lot to remove one or two to make space. I also had a super elderly cat get arthritis to the point he was having a hard time retracting and getting stuck to blankets and the carpet and getting hurt.

Yes, but the point really wasn't about the cases with a medical justification for declawing. This was really more about making the cats into a more convenient animal for its owner.

2 hours ago, maarsen said:

Ostriches kick when they attack, and can do a lot of damage. Emus have been known to kill with their kick , while Moas are now extinct.

Cassowaries ftw.