There Are Two Sides To Cat Issue: In And Out

Readers weighed in with personal views about the wisdom of letting cats go outside.

As you would expect, there were claws-out differences of opinion.

“I let my cats go outside for the same reason I let my kids go outside,” said one woman who lives on Spokane’s North Side. “They need it.”

“All living, breathing things require fresh air and sunshine,” said another reader.

Then there was the other end of the spectrum.

“If you live in the city, letting your cat out is simply irresponsible,” said one caller. “Too many bad things can happen.”

“People who keep replacing cats that get run over and never learn from the experience shouldn’t be allowed to have animals,” said another. “It’s as if they believe you can tell a cat to look both ways and then everything’s fine.”

Several readers complained about neighbors’ outdoor cats making messes in their gardens and leaving paw prints on and in their cars. “It’s a complete nuisance,” said one person.

“I’m tired of cat poop in the bark,” said another. “I think cats need to be locked up.”

(Does that remark make anyone else visualize a prison movie featuring an all-feline cast?)

Then there was this more ominous message. “Some people wonder what happened to their cat,” said a woman who didn’t leave her name. “Well, I can tell them. Sometimes they get trapped and are never seen again.”

A man who delivers newspapers in North Idaho said he has seen first-hand evidence of what outdoor cats do during birds’ nesting season. The word he chose was “carnage.”

Karen and Dick Canfield told about a special cat-fence system they have been using with success. Apparently it keeps their pet inside the yard while preventing stray felines from getting in.

“We have had the system in for two months,” wrote Karen. “Our cat got out just one time — when I left the gate open!”

The product, which has been endorsed by several pet-care publications, is called CAT FENCE-IN. It’s not cheap. To find out about it, call (702) 359-4575 or 1-888-738-9099.

So the in-or-out debate goes on. Maybe the 45-year-old woman who called right after reading the last Furry Talk said it best: “You have to go with what your heart tells you to do.”

* Snapshots wanted: If you have any photos of your pet aboard a boat on an Inland Northwest lake, Furry Talk would like to see them. (You’ll get them back.) Thanks.