Pussy tax

Here’s a picture of Zoe in my front yard (right next to the road) taken from inside my moving car.

Go crazy with it, sweet cheeks.

You guys need to get a life

I’m talking shit to the indoor fundamentalists here, but the fact is that, even here, it is more nuanced than that.

I’m very lucky since I live in a calm street. There are enough cars to not let my cats be complacent but they’re slow enough to be avoidable. It also helps that both my cats came from the street and both have PTSD towards cars. You won’t find them near one. Even so I try to keep them away from the front door where the road is.

My neighbors are also cat lovers and all of them are very tolerant of their antics. But I have friends who weren’t so lucky, especially with black cats.

Also, I have no dogs near me. No wild animals or any possible predator. And my cats are coddled enough to not want to be far from the cuddles. They wait for me in the front door or go lie in the neighbor yard, but most of the time they’re napping in the backyard or in the couch or following me and my mother around. I’m very lucky.

If I lived in an apartment or a busier road, or had neighbors I don’t know or trust…I’m not sure I’d let them go out like this. But, then again, I wouldn’t have cats in those conditions.

Even here, you have to look into the surroundings, evaluate the risks and make your own conclusion if it’s safe to let them out. But you are the best person to make that decision, not Ashley Leash or Matthew Catio.

K, bye

I don’t mind being society’s bottom as long as there’s a safe word.

Dude, you just made my day…

Oh, the irony…

I’m not having this discussion again. It’s not choice, deal with it.

It’s not your place to tell me if I can or can’t have a cat. Stick to your own rules, we’ll stick to ours.

Fair enough. If my cats are completely happy indoors they can stay inside as much as they like. Nobody forces them to go out.

I also love cats and want them to live happy lives. And they can decide how. Nothing prevents my cats from becoming fully indoor cats if they choose to.

The only thing my cat decimates is the yearly nursery of mice in my compost bin and I’m thankful for it (though easing on the gore would be nice). The occasional wall lizard too, but it’s rare. I had two dogs before my cats, they killed more birds by far.

I actually have a blackbird hanging on my backyard regularly. Had an hedgehog too. My cats are very happy with their lives and they’ll stay that way. Sure as hell they’re healthier than locked in overweight cats ruining their health with all the stress eating.

Oh, I’ve seen foxes in bigger cities. I’m no stranger to foxes. But in this area…not a sign of them…not even in old people stories.

My neighbor is fine with it. I was also fine with his cat before I had mine. He died peacefully in his sleep at 17 years old, lying in his front porch.

There are no foxes in this area. Even in older times there’s no mention of foxes in this region. Definitely not coyotes. Most definitely it was a younger cat bullying him.

I’m now convinced it was just a younger cat that put the fear of god on my little pussy pants.

Yes, I would understand keeping your cat indoors in areas with predators and vulnerable species. There are good reasons to keep your cat indoors especially in places like the US and Australia. Not everything is black and white. There are always risks but when the risk is manageable I prefer to keep my cats happy.

Don’t explain yourself. Just ignore them. Your cat is gorgeous, well exercised and most of all happy.

Triggered Americans in 3…2…1…