Conference misery::feline_v1

    Did the cats that were lost have name tags?  have you checked with the
    shelters and with the neighbors to see if the lost cat might be trapped
    in a garage or shed or basement?
    

    Were the cats that went missing spayed or neutered?  If not, that
    is probably the reason why they were straying.
    
    Just curious.
    

    I'm surprized that you continue to let the new ones out given 
    your view of the outside as so dangerous.
      Nancy DC
    

    
    
    	The one cat I have has made it for quite some time outside
    	in the world.  I have lived with her in regular neighborhoods
    	also and when I made her stay in for those times, it seemed
    	like the most life shortening experience I could have given
    	her. I kept her in during those times because the dangers outside
    	were coming more from the human population than the wild.
    	She hated it. She got hostile and kinda wierd. She broke out
    	and went on several day forays (which worried her MOM *8^} to
    	death!  She actually busted out a window screen because the
    	outside neighbor cats would come and tease her through it.
	I have been all through this argument by myself for YEARS and
    	the conclusion I have come to is that I would much rather (if
    	I were a cat) live in a world without cars, people, etc and contend
    	with things that are just there (owls, other predators). Cats
    	have done that for as long as there have been cats.  When I got
    	here and let her back outside (as she had been in Connecticut)
    	she shined right up, got rid of the crankies, she is happy when
    	hunting.  That is what she seems to want to do and who am I to
    	deprive her of it? *8^} still smiling. Just want to make sure
    	you understand where I am on this. Hoping for another little
    	hunter. 
    	They have all the cat health food they can take (I get them IAMS,
    	etc.). They get a little bit of 9 lives for a treat at night.
    	Only the best catnip about once a week. A little door to pop in
    	and out of if they feel so inclined. They pile in bed with me
    	on the cooler nights. All the hugs they can stand. And, best of
    	all, they can (after all that) HUNT and be kind of wild. They
    	have noone to bother but each other. They are sleek and very happy.
    	However, one now comes up missing. Not sure why. Quite a few have
    	turned up lately missing.  Yep, I checked shelters till we are on
    	a first name basis. I don't think I will find Gracie. As with
    	Gracie, the other one came up missing sometime earlier during
    	the warm summer months.  I knew before she didn't come home that
    	she was gone. Same with Gracie. Got kinda awake about 4:30 in the
    	morning and knew it both times. I hate when that happens...
    
    	Anyhow, I figure that what Catnippy has going for her is her dark
    	color, her stealth and natural instincts. She HATES ceiling fans
    	(you know those probably look a lot like an owl right?) and she
    	hears and sees well.  She is getting a little gray under her chin
    	now. I had another one who lived until she was 17. She didn't even
    	have teeth but boy could she scare the meter man!  She lived
    	outside all her life too on the farm where I grew up facing the
    	same things.
    
    	Well, sorry, I got kinda on a roll there but I am not supplying
    	predators with snacks...I had a couple that had what it took and
    	I think there are others that have it also.
    
    	

    
    		forgot,  yep. they are both spayed.

    Thanks for taking the time to explain.  I grew up in relatively
    urban areas and lost my first cat to a car.  I'm definitely an
    indoor-cat person.  I agree that cats have a ball outside so 
    I take mine out on leashes.  It means I have to give up the
    time to be outside with them and I figure that's the least I
    can do.  I'm asking them to be happy indoors and they enjoy
    this so much that its well worth the extra effort.  
    
    Since my cats have never been allowed to roam outside they are
    quite content indoors and when they ask to go out they get
    their wish about 85% of the time.  They're all pretty happy too.
    
    Well, good luck.  I sincerely hope you find Gracie - or a cat
    that will be able to stay with you longer.  Its tough to lose
    a feline friend.  
      If you're relatively sure that Gracie is gone, I'll add her
    name to the Silver Lining Memorial Fund.  Let me know if she
    turns up.
    
      Nancy DC
    
    

    re: .6
       I forgot to say that what you said about letting the cats out
    makes sense to me.  I'll be the first to admit that I don't know
    the details of your situation.  
      NHDC

    Hi, feline notes has done it again!  How about one of the wild kittens
    mentioned in note 2789 it sound to me like a match made in heaven for
    both you and catnippy and the semi feral kitten.  Please let us know if
    that little one meets your needs,  it would be fun to hear how the two
    get along too!
    
    Good luck in finding a play mate for Catnippy and please keep us
    posted, we love sucess stories!!
    
    Feline helpful,
    
    Sue & Panther & Spot
    

If you live in a wooded area, a kitten or small cat is probably not a
good choice.  Many predators that will not take an adult cat WILL take
a smaller cat or kitten for food.  All evidence so far is that this
is what has happened to your kittens....the predator or predators that
took the kittens have chanced upon an easy meal so they will be looking
around for more.  If you must have outdoor cats, please adopt
an adult cat that is used to outdoors.  It may have a better chance of
survival.

    
    	Yep I live in a wooded area. However, (I DID IT) I keep
        referring to the youngest cat in my house as "the kitten".
    	Actually, Samantha was about 6 years old. We had Gracies
    	first birthday in April. When they are kittens (really kittens)
    	they stay IN THE HOUSE with their MOM where they get spoiled
    	rotten, fed warmed up evap milk, kitten food till their tummies
    	bulge and all they can do is lay around and purr and get their
    	ears rubbed.  They don't even get to go outside without me being
    	right with them until they get to the point (as Gracie had done)
    	where I can't catch the little critters to get them to come in
    	nights. I have been known to crawl through the undergrowth for
    	a couple hours and resort to all sorts of devious tricks to get
    	them back in where it's safe for the night until I figure they
    	can handle it.  
    
    	The reason I am not getting an adult cat is out of respect for
    	"the nipper". She is 9 years old and is the queen of the house.
    	She pouts and gets all kind of upset for about a week when a new
    	kitten arrives and it takes about a year for her to decide aren't
    	training her replacement or something (makes me feel HORRIBLE).
    	But, she doesn't try to hurt it. She is pretty cool about that.
    	As the kitten grows, we go through the "toleration" phase. Like,
    	okay, if you guys aren't gonna take that thing back...it can live
    	here. Then, she will cruise back from a hunting trip and drop off
    	a little treat in front of the kitten and coast off like "i am NOT
    	being nice to it. that mouse was just kinda heavy on my teeth and
    	that's just where I happened to drop it."  After a bit, they are
    	playing chase, tussling, etc.  She even took Gracie hunting with
    	her towards late spring. Gracie watched how critter stalking works,
    	perfected the pounce, etc. She never really went far from home and
    	generally her prey was dirt clods, bees and butterflies. She
    	WATCHED birds a lot but never caught anything that I know of.
    	Her preference was to be wild for a bit and then come in and pig
    	out on cat food and get her ears rubbed.  Kind of a "weekend
    	athlete" you know? 
    							kim *8^}
    
    

    I used to live in a rural area several years ago, and at that time,
    I let my cats go outside.  One night, one of the cats got into a
    fight with an opossum, the cat lost the fight.  After that, I devised
    a way to get them to come inside at night.  I fed them in the late
    evening inside the house, and they weren't allowed out again until
    morning.  This can cut down on the amount of danger that the outdoor
    cat can get into since a lot of the predators are nocturnal like
    the cats.  That way, the cats can snuggle up with you and you can
    go to bed without worrying about them.
    
    It always worked like a charm for us.  They never missed a meal,
    and spent all the nights inside.
    
    Jo
    
    

    
    		Yep, been doing that lately with Catnippy. She
    		seems to be okay most nights as it is getting
    		cooler and she seems content to stay in after 
    		around 9PM. During the hotter months, she still
    		seems to be kinda pouty and whiney if I don't let
    		her back out. *8^}
    							kim