Tuesday, February 11, 2014

I treat my cats like felines, not babies

I get a lot of funny looks about the way that I treat my cats. I care about them as though they were my children. I have a huge heart when it comes to animals.

I do not, however treat them like human children. They eat on the floor out of cat dishes, not at the table or in a high chair. They do not wear bibs or onesies.

I do not wrap them in blankets and put them in baby strollers to walk around the block. Though I must confess, I'd love to stick them in a sled and go for a walk in winter! They love being outside, but it gets so cold on their paws that they don't want to go out.

They do not have their own rooms with furniture. Though we do have a spare room that I'd like to make cat friendly so they have somewhere to look out the window and sleep other than on our couches! We have friends with cat allergies so having fur covered furniture is less than ideal.

They eat cat food from cans. Though they do get premium quality, and I actually make chicken breast for them as a treat. However, I do this for health reasons, not because they are spoiled (which of coures, they are!) One of our cats had a urinary blockage two years ago and it basically "broke" him. Psychologically and physically, it was a very long road to recovery.  Cats don't drink enough water. I only feed our cats a wet diet now, as there are studies that show that a dry food only diet can contribute to urinary issues. I came up with the idea to boil chicken in a big pot of water with potatoes and carrots (to make a broth). Then when it's cooked, I chop the chicken into small pieces and put half a cup of chicken and half a cup of broth in to small bags and freeze them. Then I can take one out, and quickly provide extra water for my cats.

I'm sure that vets would disagree with me and suggest that I simply put them on a special urinary tract diet. But only one of our cats has the issue which means I'd have to feed the two cats different diets. Plus, the urinary diets that I've seen don't tend to have the higher quality ingredients that I've seen in other foods. So there you are, I give my cats chicken. Not many people understand that, so I don't share that info with friends and family as they already think I'm cat crazy as it is!

I walk my cats on leashes. Not because I wish they were dogs, but because I'm sensitive and can see how bored they get cooped up in the house all day! They are ANIMALS! Not children. A child could easily spend their life indoors. There are video games, t.v shows and movies, toys, books, board games, all kinds of games, friends, family. The list goes on. What does an indoor cat have to do all day?

Well, there are little toy mice, ping pong balls, scratching posts, windows to look out of and maybe other cats to play with. That might seem like a lot, but it isn't. Their instincts are to hunt. Animals hunt things that MOVE. Toys don't move. Therefore, cats get bored of their toys quickly. An animal in captivity that does not have anything to do goes crazy. A trip to the zoo will make that very evident very quickly. The animals are bored!

So I take the cats outside on their leashes to enrich their lives. I do not believe in just letting them roam outside on their own. I feel that it is irresponsible. There are too many dangers out there like cars, the pound (they drive around looking for cats wandering on their own and catch them and sell them to labs - at least they do in this city!), crazy people (it's not unusual for sick people to derive pleasure from torturing animals and I refuse to hand one of mine over so they can get their kicks!) among other threats like cat fights, poisons and diseases. Some people let their cats out and nothing ever happens for the cats entire life. But that's a chance I'm just not willing to take.

I play games with my cats. Not for long. A few minutes here and there. I hide food (they get dry food as a treat) and they have to find it. They absolutely love that game. I also throw food down the hall so they have to run after it. I try to encourage them to be active! I also try to get them to play with their toys, but honestly, they aren't that interested! I hear them chasing their toy mice at night, but rarely during the day or when I'm around.

We built an outdoor cat enclosure accessible from our living room window. That way in the warmer months they can be outside getting fresh air without me having to constantly walk them! Sadly, they don't really love it in there. It's not in an ideal place, due to where we live. It's all row houses, so I have neighbours on each side. Therefore we had to put it close to the house. So it's not as good as being right out in a yard surrounded by trees. But it's better than nothing! It comes in quite handy when we need to move things in and out of the house and have to leave the door open and don't want to worry about the cats escaping!

So basically, I'm really just a person who is incredibly sensitive to animals needs. I care about them like I would children, but I recognize that they are cats and that they have unique needs. It is my responsibility to ensure that their needs are being met. I brought them into my home. They didn't choose to live here. They don't have rights or health care. They don't even have access to really good quality food! What I give them is very good, but even the best cat food on the market is not as good as what they'd get if they lived natural lives, hunting mice! A mouse provides a cat with exactly what it needs to survive! Enough water to not get urinary issues, enough protein, plus the exercise and mental stimulation to catch it!

A cats life is not an easy life in the way that most people think! Most people actually just think of cats as animate objects. Cute fluffy creatures that don't mind being mauled and thrown around like a teddy bears. Or worse, completely ignored. A cat that has free access to the outdoors will live a happy independent life. There's no question about it. I've had outdoor cats, and they mostly do their own thing. They come inside to eat and sleep and that's it. It's very easy taking care of outdoor cats!

Indoor cats are a completely different story! It's not a natural existence and it's actually rather cruel to subject an animal to such a life! Think about it! Put yourself in their shoes. I mean, long term, as in 10 years. People think a cats life is easy, they just get to laze about all day doing nothing. A permanent vacation. I don't think that most people would like to be on a permanent vacation where they do nothing all day. Our idea of doing nothing and a cats idea of doing nothing are quite different!

We might say that we've done "nothing" all day, when in fact we read books, watch t.v, surf the internet, play video games, talk on the phone, pig out on snacks etc. No one just sits in a chair in front of the window for five hours not actually doing anything at all. Well, I can't imagine a "normal" person doing that anyway. If we were forced to live in a house where there weren't any activities at all, no interaction with other humans (while a cat might enjoy the company of another cat, it isn't going to change their lives to the point where nothing else needs to be done. What you end up with is TWO bored cats!!!) no books, games - nothing at all except furniture and windows. Meal times were twice a day, that's it. No snacks. Just water to drink. You are talking about a life very similar to a prisoner! One that is in solitary confinement I might add!

A nice relaxing break from work and responsibilities would be bliss for most people. I get that. Just lying on a couch staring out and watching the birds and trees is like a day at the spa! Meals provided for you, your house cleaned for you. A nice easy life. But how would you feel doing that for your entire life! No real enjoyable experiences, no fun, no adventure.

My cats still get bored. I can see it on their faces and in their body language. I see their whole being light up with delight when I do nice things for them. I'm not a crazy cat lady, just someone who respects life.