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Stacy, you have such strong feelings regarding cats - have you considered funneling that energy and interest into volunteering with an animal organization in Omaha? My first suggestion would be Feline Friendz since their focus is on working with the feral cat problem in Omaha. They do the trap/neuter/return program. They could certainly use your time and/or help and could also give you more info about the amount of feral cats in the Omaha area. I'm sure your pets are spayed/neutered, but keep in mind that there are a plethora people who do not spay/neuter their cats who also let them roam the neighbordhoods, thus contributing to the abundance of strays and the eventual change from stray to feral cats.
Have you visited NHS? Have you thought about volunteering there? Again, your time and help could be useful there and you would also be more informed about their policies as well as some of the data and research for those policies... and you would also have actual details about how long the majority of animals are kept before being euthanized; the lengths that staff, volunteers, and foster parents will go to in an effort to avoid euthanization for an animal; and you would be able to work on socializing the cats who do come in to help make them more adoptable. You seem to have preconceived notions about NHS, and I believe if you started giving of your time there you might have a better understanding of everything that truly takes place at the shelter.
a vet told me that he has known people to take ferals to n.h.s. and they ended up with not having a rabies shot, and other tickets. also n.h.s. is quick to track your plate invade your property and put u in legal problems. look up douglas county court cases. A CASE I SAW in oma is the cat ladies was given several varieties of tickets, mental evaluation for being kind and generous by being a caretaker, for each feral so dont think that multiple violations hurts any job applied for when they access court @ credit records as most scummy employers do,exceptions for unless your coked out movie star ie charlie sheen etc, dont think youd get a job after that. so i do NOT BELIEVE u took them to n.h.s.. Also nhs willl not come and trap them. if any feral animal bites or scratches you ,your kid, or your pet there are many sickness that can result. i have deep empathy for the problem. the ferals are only doing what nature programmed them to do it is not their fault. bound by the law their is not a solution. so i ask what is the solution? tnr is that ferals get sick colds,freeze, fester wounds, get in fights with other animals such as possum, etc. so what is the answer?
What happened to the 'catch spay release' program? Did they forgot that or something? They aren't suppose to kill them!
I would strongly advice against letting cats out of the house. Not only does it severly shorten their lifespan but it exposes them to so many horrible risks, like cars. I lost two cats that way and my cats have been indoor ever since, and trust me, they aren't somehow cheated or missing anything from it.
yea stupid pet owners who let cats run outside...they belong inside...but it also sucks that you take them all in to be killed...an animal pound does not care, and neither do you.... they don't really test them..they just kill them, sometimes right after you bring them in...seems to me that you are a cat hater.....don't get me started on that....
You are sorely mistaken. The NHS does NOT immediately euthanize any animals that are brought in. I volunteer there from time to time and I can assure you, this is not the policy. Far from it. Please don't make baseless assumptions about something you apparently have no idea about.
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Originally Posted by Stacy From Cali
You folks who are so hostile to cats really freak me out! So far in this thread I have read about how cats should be kept indoors, how many many cats met their untimely demise, and how the Nebraska "Humane" society has got to be the worst kill shelter I have ever heard about. Good God! Oh, and of course that its all the fault of students and renters.
I assume you're just reading into what Future Texan wrote and assumed it was all true? You know what they say about assuming? Do some research first before you start declaring someplace the "worst kill shelter you have ever heard about."
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Originally Posted by Stacy From Cali
I have three cats. I let them out. Why? Because they are cats and deserve the freedom (and in one case because if I don't let him out he will cry and cry for days). I would HOPE that I do not have to be afraid of some supposed well-meaning neighbor who traps my cat and "for its own good" sends it off to the kill shelter! Its strange enough that I got a call two days ago from someone telling me I "lost my cat". My cat was not lost, he was only a block from home. Cats roam (especially male cats).
Domesticated cats do not "deserve" freedom. They deserve a responsible owner who takes care of them. Not saying you don't do that, but owners of feral cats obviously have not. Feral cats can carry disease, suffer through winters, mauled by dogs, attacked by other cats, etc. It is NOT an ideal world for a cat to live in.
Understand that not everyone loves cats. Not everyone wants them in their yard, their trash, chasing off the wildlife in their yards, leaving little presents all over. YOU have a responsibility as that cat's owner. What would you do if that cat bit/scratched someone's kid? Tore open their trash? Fought and injured someone else's cat? Would you pay for that kid's doctor bill? Help them clean up their trash? Pay for their cat's vet bill?
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Originally Posted by Stacy From Cali
Hoyden, if a cat bothers you squirt it with water and chase it off your property. It will eventually get the idea. If it has a collar on it, it belongs to someone and you should be careful. Someone loves that cat and would be devastated if you harmed it.
You can't reasonably expect someone to sit and wait for a cat to wonder over to their property just so they have an opportunity to spray it with a water bottle? Someone should wait for hours just to hopefully get a chance to spray a cat? C'mon. We had cats growing up, as did several other neighbors. One neighbor had a cat that would fight with our cat regularly. Caused multiple injuries to our cat. Even when our cat was inside, this cat would attack the glass at the front door where our cat would sit. Because of this, we were unable to let our cat out at all. The neighbor said exactly what you did..."He's a cat...he deserves his freedom." What about our cat? Does he deserve then to be locked up because your cat is poorly behaved? Does our cat deserve all the injuries?
Now, I don't advocate trapping and killing cats. Shooting them with BB guns or anything atrocious like that. I have a cat, grew up with them, as well as dogs. If I had an animal that was causing any of my neighbor's a problem I would then do what I could to fix that situation. These pets are your responsibility to care for. Just like with children, sometimes they want to do things that aren't good for them. Sometimes you have to keep your cat inside or your dog on a leash.
You cannot reasonably expect any neighbor to just accept poor behavior from your pet just "because that's it's nature." Your neighbor has a right to his property and his happiness as well. Try and respect that. If they tell you, in a civil manner, that your pet is causing problems it IS your responsibility to address it. Not doing so is only being an irresponsible pet owner....and you're likely going to suffer the consequences of your inaction by way of losing your beloved pet.
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Originally Posted by CONERNED
a vet told me that he has known people to take ferals to n.h.s. and they ended up with not having a rabies shot, and other tickets. also n.h.s. is quick to track your plate invade your property and put u in legal problems. look up douglas county court cases. A CASE I SAW in oma is the cat ladies was given several varieties of tickets, mental evaluation for being kind and generous by being a caretaker, for each feral so dont think that multiple violations hurts any job applied for when they access court @ credit records as most scummy employers do,exceptions for unless your coked out movie star ie charlie sheen etc, dont think youd get a job after that. so i do NOT BELIEVE u took them to n.h.s.. Also nhs willl not come and trap them. if any feral animal bites or scratches you ,your kid, or your pet there are many sickness that can result. i have deep empathy for the problem. the ferals are only doing what nature programmed them to do it is not their fault. bound by the law their is not a solution. so i ask what is the solution? tnr is that ferals get sick colds,freeze, fester wounds, get in fights with other animals such as possum, etc. so what is the answer?
Well, if your "vet" told you that then it must be true! Please point me to this case where a "kind and gentle cat lady" was mistreated. You sure it wasn't your typical animal hoarder who "believes" they are doing the cats a favor only to see them living in squalor with multiple diseases infesting their bodies?
"Outdoor" cats are more likely to die early due to fights with other cats/animals and injuries resulting from those fights, getting into something toxic, mean humans (BB guns, etc), and of course...being hit by cars....among other things.
Inside a house, cats are either completely removed from those situations or largely more protected. (i.e. cats can still get into toxic materials indoors, but are less likely to) I had cats growing up and every one of our outdoor cats, save one, ended up being hit by a car. One, I had to witness first hand. I promise you, it's not a sight you want to see as a kid.
Having lived by myself, I have one cat now who is 19 years old. We just had to put down my other cat a year ago....he was 18. The only outdoor time they had was in our fenced in back yard....which they would eventually ask to come back inside from.
I'm not saying all outdoor cats will have a shorter lifespan, but it's more "likely" that they will. Just like not all speeders will get a ticket or get into an accident....they're just more likely to.
"Outdoor" cats are more likely to die early due to fights with other cats/animals and injuries resulting from those fights, getting into something toxic, mean humans (BB guns, etc), and of course...being hit by cars....among other things.
Inside a house, cats are either completely removed from those situations or largely more protected. (i.e. cats can still get into toxic materials indoors, but are less likely to) I had cats growing up and every one of our outdoor cats, save one, ended up being hit by a car. One, I had to witness first hand. I promise you, it's not a sight you want to see as a kid.
Having lived by myself, I have one cat now who is 19 years old. We just had to put down my other cat a year ago....he was 18. The only outdoor time they had was in our fenced in back yard....which they would eventually ask to come back inside from.
I'm not saying all outdoor cats will have a shorter lifespan, but it's more "likely" that they will. Just like not all speeders will get a ticket or get into an accident....they're just more likely to.
Completely off-topic, but I couldn't help but comment on your user name, Burn Notice is my favorite show. Unfortunately the character's name is spelled Michael Westen. Michael Weston is an actor, who just happened to be in an episode of Burn Notice, he played a crazy client who believed in aliens.
I assume you meant Michael Westen because of your location.
On-topic; My cat is nuts, and I couldn't keep that thing inside if I tried. Of course I have dogs and a dog door, so attempts would be futile. But he always comes back, and watching him hunt birds is really a sight... this cat is NUTS.
I don't live in a heavily urban area either, so the cat has less man-made risks to deal with, but I still attribute it's toughness to the fact that it was raised from a kitten by my dogs and even sleeps with them.
Personally, I believe cats can be raised as indoor pets, or indoor/outdoor pets. But once they are used to living a certain way, you can not change it without the animal becoming very upset.
Uh, well...hmmm....I spelled it wrong to throw people off my trail. Yeah....that's it.
Darn tricky spies, ha ha.
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Do some research first before you start declaring someplace the "worst kill shelter you have ever heard about."
Please point me to this case where a "kind and gentle cat lady" was mistreated. You sure it wasn't your typical animal hoarder who "believes" they are doing the cats a favor only to see them living in squalor with multiple diseases infesting their bodies?
