Shutting cats outside at night in -4c

SnowyOwl_2

Cats are more likely to be killed on the road at night since drivers are less likely to see them. Perhaps you could tackle it from this angle?

Personally I have never put my own cats outside at night for the above reason and also because of wet weather, freezing conditions, predatory foxes etc etc - no way would I take a chance with my cats' health. They are rather pampered anyway, but to me it's obvious that cats shouldn't be left out all night long.

skylight

I try to keep my cat in when the weather is very cold. Unlike my (ex)neighbour who refused to allow their cat in (it had fleas). Poor thing is out 24/7. Currently its in my shed having been fed and warmed up - the neighbour abandoned their property and left the cat behind several days ago. Waiting for the RSPCA to call me back. Again.

Gloomendoom

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

You mean the chicken, right?

Ha ha! I thought that would be the next quip.

lostinrates

My cats come in at night, when they were little i shut them in, now they kow the rules they come home at night. Not because i think its cruel to let them out at night, hut its when i most want them to act as hot water bottles!

Gloomendoom

SnowyOwl wrote: »

Personally I have never put my own cats outside at night for the above reason and also because of wet weather, freezing conditions, predatory foxes etc etc - no way would I take a chance with my cats' health. They are rather pampered anyway, but to me it's obvious that cats shouldn't be left out all night long.

Don't worry about foxes. Unless your cat is a kitten it is very unlikely to be harmed by a fox. They are quite evenly matched when it comes to a fight so they tend to leave each other alone.

Cat vs Fox video (not nasty)

From the RSPCA...

Cats and foxes generally avoid each other. If there were to be a confrontation then, in most cases, a fox would come off worse.

.
.
.

Gingham_R

Mojisola wrote: »

Knowing cats, they will have another owner who "puts them out during the day" and doesn't see them again until the evening.

:rotfl::T I have no doubt.

We have THREE visiting cats that come and lie in our dining room at night. Even getting a dog hasn't deterred them. Sometimes all 5 of them (the 3 visitors + my 2) are all lying together when I get up in the morning.

They scarper fast when they hear the dog bounding down the stairs though.

victhesmith

our cats have a cat flap but choose to go out most nights - usually bringing in mice and rabbits in the morning (yuck)....and yes one of our cats got into a neighbours house and ate half a freshly baked cake!! (and you can definately tell ours are well fed!!)

scaredy_cat

skylight wrote: »

I try to keep my cat in when the weather is very cold. Unlike my (ex)neighbour who refused to allow their cat in (it had fleas). Poor thing is out 24/7. Currently its in my shed having been fed and warmed up - the neighbour abandoned their property and left the cat behind several days ago. Waiting for the RSPCA to call me back. Again.

i think you'd get a better response from the Cat Protection Society or a local cat rescue organisation.

gettingready

sofababe wrote: »

On the subject of my neighbour and her lack of care for her cats, they also appear to be starving hungry most of the time. The older one once got in my sink and ate thru the cellophane to chew the half frozen leg off a thawing chicken. Of course I caught him in the act and the chicken went in the bin :mad: but a well fed cat wouldn't do that would it?

Yes it would, I have 2 of those.... and Jo has Macius'es brother and I see he is exactly the same as mine...hmmm

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

Oh, yes they would. One of mine, the youngest one, is so motivated by food - raw meat in particular - that he would walk on hot coals and abandon the best foie gras in the world, so long as he got a shot at a proper lump of dead bird. Fortunately, he isn't old enough to have managed the leap from the floor to the sink yet, but once he does, I fully expect him to have a go at catching his own Sunday Dinner. :cool: So I defrost meat in the fridge instead (and he still abandons his dinner to try and stick his head in there on the offchance there's an unattended bit of ham or mince about to fall out).

Guess what? Macius has learnt only yesterday to jump onto the kitchen counter.. so now between him and Fred no raw meat is safe in here no matter where it is... sigh....

puddy

sofababe wrote: »

The older one once got in my sink and ate thru the cellophane to chew the half frozen leg off a thawing chicken. Of course I caught him in the act and the chicken went in the bin :mad: but a well fed cat wouldn't do that would it? I'm so close to calling the RSPCA about her. What would you do?

so naive!.