A week ago, my beloved cat went missing. Since he comes home every night, I was puzzled when one night turned into three, then four. I contacted all local animal shelters, the police, Kijiji and made posters. After one week, I see my lovely friend posted on the internet for $100 minimum “donation”. Yea right! Upon contacting this woman who claims to be a cat rescuer, I am told that cats should not go outside, I’m a horrible cat owner for letting him do so, and a donation would be appreciated! Apparently she’d caught him because her friend who lives down the street was feeding him. Of course he’s going to wander down the street if somebody is giving him treats everyday! Get your facts straight before trapping and abducting a scared kitty, two doors down from its house next time. —How’s This for a Donation?
This article appears in Sep 29 – Oct 5, 2011.
Who the hell would pay 100 bucks for a cat. Seriously. They are giving them away.
this is a fairly common problem with free range cats and dogs. if you love an animal that much, keep it inside, or behind a secure fence, for dogs. cats are territorial creatures, and will roam their turf, looking for usupers, and then all hell breaks loose with them.
i love animals, but there is a limit on what i will do for them. paying out a 100 bucks isn’t one of them, unless to a vet. call the cops, if you think foul play has occured, and give them a detailed report. you might get your kit back.
I could get some sweet pussy for less than $100
And this lady is right. For the love of God, how many times does it have to be said? How many AVOIDABLE cat vs car deaths and injuries have to happen before these so called “responsible” cat owners clue the fuck in? KEEP YOUR CAT INDOORS! And don’t give me this shit that it’s natural to keep your cat outside and it’s cruel to keep them indoors. That’s complete and utter bullshit. Ask ANY vet or petcare professional; it’s a proven fact that your cat is safer, cleaner, healthier and happier when they are kept inside. They don’t become nuissance animals, they don’t get into fights, they don’t eat garbage/poison, they don’t get sick or diseased, they don’t get run over, and..oh hey! they don’t get picked up by other people or the SPCA. You want to take them outside, keep them on a leash or inside a kennel/pen. Common fucking sense. Don’t you DARE fucking blame this lady or the person down the street who was feeding your “supposed” loved pet. You’re the only one to blame for this. I tell ya, some people have no business owning pets.
It’s a pretty greasy shakedown, I’ll grant you. But the fact is, an indoor cat is safer from disease, injury and predators – the 2 and 4 legged kind.
Animals may be safer indoors, but would you want to be trapped indoors for your whole life because it’s safer? I love my cat, so I ask you Halifax to please stop accusing me of the contrary. All I can say is my cat loves the sun, and is a much happier cat when is he isn’t being held hostage.
Well then like I said, keep him on a leash or put him in some kind of enclosure where he can’t run away. There are alternatives to just turning them loose. Otherwise, you have no one but yourself to blame when he goes missing/gets nabbed/run-over. I have 2 cats of my own and they never go outside because I know that if I let them, I will never see them again, and if I do, they’ll be lying dead on the side of the road somewhere. I also have a dog. I don’t let her roam free either for the same reasons. It’s not cruel, it’s preserving their lives so that they will be around for years to come, and in some cases, it’s the law.
Keeping your cat inside is the best way to keep it safe. Cats who are always kept safely confined can live to be 18 to 20-years-old. The expected life span of a cat who goes outdoors depends on several factors, including the type of neighborhood you live in and sheer luck. On average, cats who are allowed to roam outdoors often don’t live to see age five.
http://www.halifax.ca/AnimalControl/Indoor…
Are this person’s initials CF by any chance? French Acadian accent?
If yes, she’s a well known wingnut and goes around collecting cats – just because they’re outside and adding them to her massive collection or unloading them at vet hospitals and already over crowded shelters. I think many places have banned her.
She reckons any cat that’s outside is fair game. I asked her exactly how she goes about finding out it’s background but she has no answer. I asked her how she knows she isn’t stealing some little old ladies only companion and she just screamed at me. Christ – I’ve always had neighbour cats visit for a treat. WFT?!?
If it is her – and I’d really love to know – this new bit about the donation is really over the top! She is CRA ZEEEE!
this cat looks happier http://maccandace.files.wordpress.com/2011…
than this cat http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_F7oVbX-PFfw/S9B_…
Keep your cats on a leash or keep them indoors. Its high time that we start holding cat owners accountable just like dog owners.
Totally agree GV.
There is significant portion of cat owners, who are SETs, just like any other demographic.
I hear ya ivan…
it’s not only beef those evasive furry bastards like…
http://www.careercapitalist.com/.a/6a00d83…
I’d bet many a cat have gone missing on account of the samsquamch.
Uhhhh this is a precise reason why you shouldn’t let your cat roam free! There are a fuckton of lunatics out there who can take them, kill them, torture them, ETC. If you really do care so much about your cat, enclose your yard so he/she can’t escape or be stolen.
I agree with absolutely everything you said, vastie!
Though, I also agree with Ivanski that it *is* a pretty greasy shakedown and she probably *is* a little nuts like snubiz’s crazy bitch.
No way in HELL Molly or Oscar are going outside. Nope. Never. Oscar would definitely get stolen because he’s so friendly and handsome, and he loves other animals and would likely get injured or killed by some raccoon or other large animal he’d try to befriend. He can sit stare longingly by the sliding screen patio door all he wants — he ain’t goin’ out.
a french acadian (redundant BTW) and crazy????
nooooooo …… never…… you so silly…..
it’s true. they’re all batshit crazy.
Acadian == crazy ass mofo
it’s true! look it up.
I’m pretty sure even this Acadian was crazy…
http://static.cargurus.com/images/site/200…
it had 2 clutches and no brakes!
The psychoCat lady IS nuts! Leave animals alone – they can fend for themselves. Sadly, if it can’t fend, then our darwinian streets will decide their fate, but thankfully a GOOD animal owner/caregiver will know THEIR own animal. Who they’ve raised from a kitten, and kept them on a leash at a young age, allowing them to learn their own way around outside, and eventually removing said leash, giving them more and more freedom until nice weather would return once more, and they could let their outdoor-educated feline friend ‘roam’ around outside, when they knew that their friend/child/responsibility is safe. BUT – do what you do with your cat, and others will do what they do with theirs. If your animals want to live sheltered, boring lives getting nice and fat (healthy) and the only ‘real’ exercise they get is the saunter to the litter box, then I wish them Luck. Not our kitty – he enjoys the sun on his back, and the smell of a new friend’s butt – or maybe a scrap with some sketchy Kitty, but hey, how’s he ever gonna learn to stay away from the wierdo’s (Crazy Abdudcting Cat People).
Yes cats like being outside but bottom line is it’s not safe. Between cat-nappers, cars and other animals if you love your kitty keep then indoors.
As opposed to Quebec or France French. And not all Acadians speak french any more – BTW.
And call me crazy, but I like to think that most cat owners are capable of assessing whether or not it’s a safe place to have an indoor outdoor cat.
Mine, incidentally, are indoor – with an outdoor enclosure via a window and Tuesday night was the second time I came home to bird bits from one end of the house to the other! Go figure
I know someone that after living next to a cat owner that has a dozen cats – for 30 years! – and suffering from cat-on-the-loose syn-drum…he has decided to take the law into his own hands( well, sort of)
He bought one of those live traps from Canadian Tire, he has it baited in a garden shed where no one can see it. Whenever he gets a cat, he leaves it leashed to the front door of the animal control office.
After the neighbor lost about a dozen cats, she started to put name tags on their collars. That didn’t work out well for her. After being ticketed and fined, she got her cat back but ran out in a panic and removed all the name tags.
My cats are indoor cats and love going outside…so I take them out with me on a harness and let them enjoy it for awhile. Then I take them back in, where they feel safer and I can keep proper care of them. If you love them as you say, why wouldn’t you want them to live a long (possibly 20 years as an indoor cat) happy and safe life, rather than leaving them to the elements to be squashed/maimed/diseased/poisoned/stolen before they reach 5 or 6?
i could live in this one snubiz http://www.catsofaustralia.com/images/cat_…
“As opposed to Quebec or France French. And not all Acadians speak french any more – BTW.”
’tis true, Snubiz — my mom and uncle don’t speak french, thus neither do I. 🙁
The Crazy Cat lady has internet now! Wow. She’s moving up in the world. Maybe you should have had more control over your animal, like dog owners do.
pretty kitty is crazy catty? lol
And I’m betting your precious pussy didn’t have a collar on, with owner information.
Thanks pk!
And yeah pg – that’s nicer than my house!
And as I’ve mentioned – I’ve got that cat I recently adopted who has managed to be an outdoor cat for 21 years! There is no single right or wrong here.
I also had a neighbour that trapped cats never to be seen again. Fortunately his neighbour caught him when he got one of mine and let me know.
Have I mentioned I’m a nut magnet?
you too snubiz? mostly harmless nuts though
Nah, GV, I leave other people’s animals alone. I only pat kitties, too, that I know. My arm was mauled at A PETTING ZOO by a regular ol’ house cat when I was 13. So. Much. Blood. Fucker bit through my hand too. All I did was walk up to the kitty sitting on the picnic table and patted him and BAM he latches on my arm and scratches the fuck out of it and decides he wants to eat my hand. Cats can do some real damage, guys. My arm was bandaged and swollen and I couldn’t move it for two weeks. My left hand too so I couldn’t write or do pretty much anything. 🙁
I hope they put that cat down with a lead bullet, thats exactly what they do to dogs.
I wonder where on the internet op found their cat? I think a link might to this bitch might be necessary….
Did we see Frank and Louie the paper today?
Actually, GV, there’s no system for reporting cats like there is dogs. I felt awful when the lady at the hospital said she’d have to put a report in and when she tired to she said “oh no, I’d only have to do that if it was a dog.”
The doctor told me dogs tend to give crushing injuries, but cat attacks are usually more piercing.
I still have some of the scars. If they were about an inch higher it’d look like I tried to slit my wrists ffs. 🙁
yeah snubiz, i posted the article in the love
My oldest cat, Hyacinth is 19 and indoor/outdoor. My formerly feral cat, Alice is about 5 I think. Alice is still pretty feral-ceiling fans scare her and she isn’t litterbox trained, for example, but I don’t think I could keep her in. Hyacinth goes wherever she pleases (her royal greyness). Mind you, I am in a fairly rural area here. The biggest problem people have with cats is when they use their kid’s sandboxes. (Can you blame a cat for thinking that it’s a giant litterbox?)
I think it depends on where you live. I have discouraged my cats from killing birds while encouraging them when they catch mice (the squirrels and cats chase each other) it can be done.
what a sweet name, on that note i’m going home to my catless house *sigh* to walk the hound
Snu biz…was it possibly me or my brother that caught your cat ?
When I lived on the Darkside, I used his live trap to rid myself of a couple of problem cats.
He still lives in the Darkzone & He still uses his live trap to remove problem animals.
No, More, not Darkness. It was mid 90s in west end hfx when that happened. Guy’s name is Steve. And I just glared at him earlier this week, coincidentally. Grrr. I don’t think I want to know what a problem cat is and where you remove them to!
Oh – so you did PG! I only occasionally think to look at the loves! Oh dear!
And Hyacinth – lovely! Love the grey ones! Now that I’m thinking about Lois, the one who was trapped, was another 20 year old indoor out door!
i’m a news junkie snubiz, i just throw the links around. so do you still live in the westend?
No – st. margaret’s bay for awhile now. long commute but it’s worth it. You?
westend, i guess. near bayer’s in one of those little teeny tiny post war houses
amen ARTEMIS I have two and both loved the outside
Sounds like somebody is making some clean scratch off of what appears to be a lucrative catnapping business. But from one cat owner to another, it’s still your fault.
Look i agree animals are happier when they get to go outside. But you live in a city, OP. A hazardous habitat only suitable for humans and pigeons. There are a shitload of dangers that can befall even a street-smart kitty out there. As i said before i’m a cat owner. My cats are indoor cats. They go outside when i go with them. I tether them to a harness and take them to victoria park and unlock the leash extension and they get their outside time. Is it a huge chunk of time out of my day? Yes. Do i look like a giant douche doing that? Pretty sure. But those are small prices to pay to cater to both the safety and happiness of my animals.
Yeah, I’d call that west. Those are called Victory Houses! And the area (used to be?) called Westwood. I haven’t heard anybody call it that for eons though!
we’re near the rcmp detahment
Oh – that might not be Westwood. Do you know Leonard?
no, it’s near an elementary school. that’s one of the reasons i bought the house
it doesn’t quite fit the OB, but here is a possible link:
http://halifax.kijiji.ca/c-pets-cats-kitte…
There’s a link from that kijiji post to this…
http://www.catsinhalifax.ca/
…which also sounds like it. Let’s just hope it was some over zealous but otherwise good people that need to learn that a cat showing up for treats or simply being outside doesn’t mean it’s homeless!
Of course a cat is going to return to a place for treats and food! They’re piggy little scroungers! To me it’s pretty obvious when a cat is a stray. They’re in rough shape. And by that I don’t just mean old. Old to me means they have a great owner!
I sent them a link to the bitch. Thanks GV.
haha, old is good. when we first moved into our house, there was this geriatric ginger who would hang around. he had loving owners, but liked to check out the neighbourhood
They ya go! This is what I’m saying!
Oh, yeah. IKWYM Subs & Painey! Alice is the third cat to have adopted us, although the other two were not feral. I don’t know how they knew we were cat people…unless it’s the pots of catnip on the deck or the post on the pergola we wrapped in sisal for ease of climbing and claw-sharpening. Alice has her own fur-lined house and solarium now, too.
Back in the day when hobos jumped trains and moved around, they would leave signs for each other. Apparently, a cat’s face chalked on a fence meant a kind lady lived there…
i know what you mean…is that correct cwazy lady?
right on, gf
Oh, they always know!
Very interesting tidbit about hobos Xeno – thanks!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobo
Another thing to keep in mind the people who walk dogs. Sometimes you can’t always hold back your dog.
My parents dog hates cats and I lost count of how many times these loving owners of cats would them them roam the streets freely while I could barily hold the dog back from attacking the cat.
I hated the cat owners where my parents live when I was walking the dog.
Keep the cat on a leash if your going to have them outside. So many things can happen to them.
This isn’t a farm, this is a city. It’s stupid to let your animal roam in this environment but it’s also stupid of that lady to assume she has dibs on any cat she comes across. Maybe she needs to be taught a lesson?
I disagree. I think it is a reasonable assumption that when you find a cat at large with no tags on it’s collar, it is either a stray or has been abandoned.
If you care about you cat, keep him indoors.
If you a callous enough to let them roam the neighborhood, yet, you care about their capture, then put tags on it.
As much as I hate the idea of letting my kitty roam free, that’s pretty sleazy to steal someone’s cat just because they have a different viewpoint than you. It’s not against the law to let them run free, they’ve done it since the dawn of time. If the cat isn’t in any immediate danger, leave them alone, psycho!
I ran into CF. She tried to get me to adopt a dying stray that was at least 18 years old. I took it from her and had it put down because it was so sick it couldn’t even stand. She gave me an earful on the phone saying some BS about how vets just want to kill animals.
I have volunteered as a foster “pet-parent” of stray and abandoned cats from this organization. The cat in question was malnourished, flea-ridden and collar-less. If that doesn’t sound like a stray, I don’t know what is.
The cat was returned to the owner when they came forward, after the animal was taken to the vet for a check-up and flea treatment.
The orgnaization is a non-profit charity just trying to help animals. If you would like to hear more about their good works, go to their website and check out the story of “Gulliver”
http://www.catsinhalifax.ca
Also the $75 donation for an adoption is for the food, supplies and vet bills (spaying and neutering, shots, flea treatments, etc.)