should I worm her?

[Sarah]

Omg everyone let's there cats out here the one who starts the chis off lives 4 houses down!!!

[Katy]

Yes I think it must depend on where you live. Here saying "I have an outdoor cat" is like saying "I wont neuter my dog b/c I wouldnt want someone to cut my balls off". Rescues and shelters wont even let you adopt a cat if you say youre going to let it outside.

[brodysmom]

Yeah, usually cat people are pretty vocal that cats should be inside only. There are lots of breeders who won't sell to anyone who lets them outside or who declaws! Both have fallen out of favor over time. My daughter got a pound kitty and it was tearing up her curtains and bedspread but she had to look EVERYWHERE for a vet that would declaw. None of the vets around her would do it. She finally found a vet that would do it only after she had spent a month 're-training' and she had to sign a paper that it was a last ditch effort and if she didn't declaw, she was going to get rid of the cat. How things have changed. It used to be that everyone declawed their cats as a matter of course!

Outside cats do kill birds. If they aren't spayed/neutered they are obnoxious and will cry/yowl and then have multiple litters of feral kittens, which then reproduce and cause all kinds of havoc. They have a much shorter lifespan than indoor cats. They can pick up parasites and fleas, etc.

I don't have a problem with outdoor cats if they are spayed/neutered and still taken care of as far as parasites, fleas, vaccines. But many people aren't responsible and contribute to the feral cat population problem which is huge.

[lilanddot]

I wish my cat was an outside cat (hubby won't hear of it ) she has IBS so come down this morning Poo all over my hall carpet,in her tray she goes you have never heard such a loud fart in your life, Some men would be proud of it ) she's on 3 types of medication that don't seem to be working anymore.I could scream,she doesn't even like me as i'm the one who puts tablets down her throat

[Kristi]

Well we of course plan to care for them Tracy but we learned we are allergic to them when we got that adorable kitty half a year ago Miles' eyes swelled up so bad he looked like he'd been punched. Ugh. Anyway, tho, the mice are bad where we live. I think as long as like you said they are treated for fleas/parasites etc and vaccinated as well as fed if need be then there's nothing wrong w' it. I could never not own an animal and not at least give it basic care.

[brodysmom]

Yeah, I know you would take care of them Kristi!! But many people don't and cats can revert to feral in one generation. Then you have all these wild kitties running around and reproducing like crazy and then you are over run with cats. There are HUGE feral cat populations in KC. Really sad.

[Kelly]

Sorry I'm so late replying, yes, Kristi I meant diatamecous earth (gah, spelling). We give it to the dogs in a suppliment mix in the AM (has to be given on empty stomach). We do worn with Strongid T ourselfs twice a year as well (or as needed, never more than twice is necessary).

As for the outdoor cat thing...

I am of the mind that any outdoor cats are NOT a good thing. Taken care of is better than not, but we wouldn't let our dogs roam free so why is it okay for cats? IMO, if you're pro-outdoor cats, you should be pro-letting dogs roam as they choose as well. Otherwise it's just hypocritial. (STILL LOVE YOU ALL! LOL)

They dig and potty in other peoples gardens, they can get hit by cars, eaten by preditors, they eat local wildlife (most times house cats just kill though, and not eat, which is terrible for local populations), they can get posioned.. and this last one I have actually had to deal with repeatedly - they can cause issues for OTHERS cats.

Example. My cats are all indoors only. We have neighbours who have indoor/outdoor cats. Our cats obviously love to hang out in the windows, and as such, the outdoor cats often come to my windows as well. What does this lead to? Aggression. They start attacking the outdoor cats (or trying to) through the window (which can hurt themselves), and THEN, they start attacking the OTHER cats in the house because of displaced aggression. I take any and all outdoor cats to the local shelter.

Should I, and my cats, be made to suffer because it's your choice to let your cat out? No. We've had to do re-introductions, which took months. We've had to have cats sewn back together because of scraps. We're STILL dealing with the odd fight that ends in hair pulling and blood. I suppose on a farm, this is less likely to happen (as your neighbours are further away), but in the city it is DEFINATELY a concern. Also, here, it is illegal to have loose roaming cats/dogs. Doesn't stop people, ofcourse.

/rant **sorry for hijacking further! sore subject for me and my kitties**

[Elle]

Kristi, if Ivy's scheduled for worming in 15 days I wouldn't worry about it, personally. Our cats eat rabbits, voles, squirrels, mice (and occasionally birds) all the time. Unfortunately, they sometimes bring their 'snacks' indoors too. Harry will steal what he can away from the cats, and where the cats will nearly always (not every single time) leave the bowel behind, Harry will scoff that too, given half a chance. I tried to get the rear half of a mouse away from him the other day and he just looked at me and went GULP... Ewww! I know...

Neither the cats, nor Harry, have ever needed extra worming above their scheduled treatments, as a result of eating fresh raw prey. (Not quite so sure about less than fresh though.)

I imagine dogs are the same, but cats always eat the heads first, because of the way that fur and feathers lie. It's easier for them to swallow. They will also generally choose fur in preference to feathers where it's available, for the same reason. That's why my cats living in the country rarely bother birds, but cats who live in towns and cities don't get as many chances to eat fur, so can get a bad name for catching birds