This is a bad story with a good ending…..don’t think badly of me….
I have 4 “barn” cats. I have these cats because I have horses and the cats are here to keep the rodent population in check. They are here because they have a job to do. The cats do their job and I pay them by taking the best care of them that I can. They are neutered. They have an enclosed porch with a space heater when it is cold. They also get to come inside the house to be petted if it is too cold for me to stay out to pet them. They are very spoiled barn cats. I got criticized because these cats are outdoor cats and I shouldn’t treat my pets that way. Sorry. They have a job and they are rewarded for that job….I will add that they do a good job too.
I was a bad owner this month. Toto AKA Toad, was MIA on January 4. I have to go out of town from the 5th to the 11th. I asked my friend if he had seen Toto. Nope. I asked him to check with the neighbors to make sure she wasn’t locked in one of their buildings. Nope.
I came home late on the 11th and still no Toad. 12th no Toad but when I was feeding the horses I thought I heard meowing. I stopped to listen and couldn’t hear anything.
On the 13th I thought I heard meowing again. My friend said that it was a bird and that I was just wanted to hear a cat. *whatever* The noise stopped.
On the 14th I heard the noise again. I finally started to investigate. The noise continued. I found Toto in the neighbors shed. Poor kitty. She weighed 6.5 pounds.
This is a cat that does not want to come in the house but after this experience, she was more than happy to be a house cat. She was my shadow…wherever I went, Toto went. That lasted until last week. She started becoming more distant….not wanting to hang with me all of the time. Yesterday, I let her out of the house to use the “facilities” and she has decided that her recuperation period is over. She wants to stay outside again. Back to her ‘ole self. I kinda miss my shadow.
It is amazing how resilient animals are. I still feel SOOOOO guilty.
2 comments:
It's true that outdoor cats tend to not live as long a life, but you shouldn't feel guilty. Some cats truly are unhappy being indoors.
We have 3 indoor cats that love to be inside and only rarely ever try to go out.
But we lost a cat last summer that refused to stay indoors. At one point he was chased up a tree and attacked by coyotes, suffering the loss on on of his toenails.
He stayed beside me for a week, slept with me and cuddles....which was very unlike my independant boy (yes, neutered, too).
But the one day, he also became distant, and we tried for several days to keep him indoors until one day, one of the kids was going out and he rushed out, too.
We never saw him again and I'm sure he was eaten by coyotes.
But that was his choice. What can ya do when a cat is so unhappy being indoors?
I suppose it's better to live a short and happy life than a long and miserable one.....
(((hugs)))
~Lisa
What a beautiful cat!!! you should not feel like a bad pet owner...it sounds like the outside cats are very well taken care of. some cats prefer to be outdoors. and as far as not finding the cat sooner, well, that kind of thing happens. i am just glad it all worked out for the best....
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