Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 15:10:42 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Tyler Bell Subject: Re: The alternative to keeping cats indoors Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Disposition: inline Despite the absence of coyotes in most of the area, there are still large = numbers of raccoons and opossums. Both can carry rabies and both are = likely to get into a scrap with an outdoor cat. Dogs also may attack an = outdoor cat. Add to that fleas and ticks and other diseases, that should = be incentive to keep your cats indoors if you can't see the logic of = decreasing predation. We have two indoor cats. They have always been indoor cats and probably = wouldn't know what to do if they got out. They get to "kill" birds through = the window. I always find it amusing when the hummers (the feeder is right = next to the cats' favorite window) buzz down right in front of their faces = for a closer inspection. If not for the glass, they would be about 2 = inches away. Hummers are fearless! BTW, discharging a firearm in a residential area is the only reason the = feral cats in our neighborhood roam free. Instead, I have to settle for a = marble and a slingshot. One or two encounters with the wrist rocket, and = the strays stay away. Tyler Bell bell@acnatsci.org California, Maryland Wave that flag...wave it wide and high! Grateful Dead, U.S. Blues >>> mazhude@HOTMAIL.COM 02/20/03 03:01PM >>> It's become less of a problem in Maine in recent years, now that the = coyotes have arrived and started taking outdoor cats... hey, just predators being predators... right kitty??? Kitty? =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D =========================================================================