Inside…? Outside…? Or both? Cat is the question.
Unquestionably it is nobler to keep cats inside.
Indoors, they live 15 years or more. Free-ranging feral cats make it to three or less.
Need more proof? Check just about every conservation and animal welfare website (Audubon Society, National Wildlife Federation, Humane Society, etc.) for the evidence. Or read a local's on-line soliloquy.
Felines take an outrageous toll on wildlife, especially birds. Annually in North America, billions of the feathered fall to the paws and jaws of our companion animals, which were originally domesticated in Northern Africa (short hairs) and the Middle East (long hairs).
Ardent bird lovers, we nonetheless grant Cuza her own entry and exit from our home. She was a solo, stray kitten when she showed up at our farm and adopted us a few months ago.
Her freedom to roam is a guilty compromise on our part.
Daughter get’s her long-desired cat. Dander-afflicted son does not breath the same air as the fur ball.
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Cuza enters through the basement’s new kitty door at night, also when temperatures dive. She’s out and about as she pleases. Bless her, when nature calls, she prefers to perform al fresco, litter-ally speaking.
She’s been fixed and overfed. Soon she’ll be a full-grown killer. That’s a good thing in the basement. Not a mouse in the house — other than one tethered to an Apple.
Voles in the lawn Cuza snatches, then dispatches on the deck. It’s a point of pride performance. The play would go on and one, but one of us usually leaves a seat to “drop the curtain” on the little critter.
So far, the cat hasn’t carried a bird to the backdoor. In part because we’ve stopped feeding them.
Usually, approaching midwinter we’d have dropped nearly a Benjamin on seed and suet to keep the feeding stations stocked. (The Augusta Bird Club seed sale fundraiser every fall puts the proceeds into scholarship for area kids to attend Nature Camp in Vesuvius come summer.) We’ve kicked the feeding habit, temporarily, for the little chickadees’ own good.
When a friend and former president of the ABC heard we’d adopted a cat, her expression went sweet to sour. It’s and in-door/outdoor animal, we explained, with good reasons. And we’re seeking a better middle way solution.
Belling cats does little good for birds, according to the research. Steady as they go when stalking, cats can keep bells from ringing. Many birds don’t associate the jingle with a predator in striking distance. Ding dongs in that regard. Their brains haven’t developed that way.
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So, we’ve decided to reduce Cuza’s potential supplemental ration with horse fencing.
Welded wire fence, the 2” x 4” rectangles and 48”-high panels, does not allow a hoof through. Also too tight for cats ... I hope. If supported by a few T-posts, three panels should keep the cat at bay during feeding season. (We have fewer bear raiding feeders if we start at Halloween, stop by St. Patty’s Day.) One corner of the fencing will be latched for easy opening to allow refill of the feeders.
There’s also a possible wardrobe change for Cuza come spring/summer — something from the Catbib collection.
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Amazonian selections of this bird-saving device include teal (big, squarish) and blue (small, triangular). Triangular best suits her features. The apron-like apparatus prevents cats from catching prey yet allows quick tree climbing for safety.
For the real skinny on why riding herd on cats is the right thing to do, follow a leader.
Conservation farming guru Bobby Whitescarver writes a blog about living right by the land in Swoope, The Valley, and beyond. In his December post, “Wait, hear me out,” he lists four reasons for Felis catus containment: their well-being, that of the environment, our health and the economy.
He also offers a humane approach — no kill — to dealing with millions of feral cats. (City folks, stop dumping unwanted pets in the country!)
Bobby’s latest insight about the demise of the endangered butcher bird (“Loggerhead Shrike — Population in steep decline”) gives more paws for thought about why kitties should be Bard from the outdoors.
Email Augusta County columnist Bruce Dorries at bdorries@marybaldwin.edu