Date:         Fri, 21 Feb 2003 15:25:44 -0500
Reply-To:     Maryland Birds & Birding <MDOSPREY@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM>
Sender:       Maryland Birds & Birding <MDOSPREY@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM>
From:         "Laura M. Appelbaum" <l-appelbaum@MINDSPRING.COM>
Subject:      Indoor Cats
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

With all due respect, Mr. Boyle, as a fellow cat owner and lover, as
well as a birder, I'm really kind of shocked at your lack of education
on the subject.  Forget the birds for a moment; the average lifespan of
an outdoor cat is only 5 years due to how often outdoor cats are struck
by cars, attacked by dogs or other cats or wild animals, diseases they
catch out doors, etc. Not to mention that angry property owners who find
what appear to be stray cats on their property often harm them, or may
take them to the local animal shelter where, if not claimed within a
week, the cat will probably be euthanized.  I can't imagine anyone who
cares about their cat wanting any of this to happen.  On the other
hands, indoor cats now live an *average* of 15 years (my own beloved
indoor cat is in her eleventh entirely healthy year and shows no sign of
slowing down).  The domestic housecat is exactly that; domesticated.
Their place is in the home.  If you feel for some reason that your cat
absolutely must have access to the outdoors, you can do as we did and
train your cat to go out only when she's in a harness or on a leash, or
buy or construct a simple structure that keeps her safe from predators
and birds safe from her, even as she can enjoy the outdoors and the
proximity to birds.

Laura Appelbaum
Cloverly, MD

=======================================================================
To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com
with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey
=======================================================================
=========================================================================