Is this really a cultural difference?

[Big Papa Zone 93]

This has been a very enlightening read. See, when I was growing up, we always had a cat in our house, and we let it out whenever it wanted, day or night, because it's natural for them to be outside. Cats are one of Mother Nature's finest natural hunters: haven't you all see the way they crouch down low, and wind up their hind legs before pouncing on some poor unsespecting bird, mouse or squirrel? Keeping them indoors just isn't right.

But having said that, after reading this, I now understand why 'er indoors looked at me like I had 2 heads when I told her we should let our kitten outside just as soon as she was old enough. I guess "house cats" is an American thing.

[Bill and Hayley 0]

yea i would say it defo depends where you live..and what sort of life you want to give your cats, ive had cats all my life and have let all of them outside as ive always thought thats what sort of life a cat would want. while i lived in the uk ( up until 18 months ago) i only lost one cat to a car but i left 2 cats in the uk with my daughters and since then they have both been knocked over right outside the house, which has really upset the girls. I have a cat and lucky i live in an appartment and cant choose to let it go outside otherwise i would, and then have the risk of it getting knocked over....its just a personal choice i think.

oh and by the way has he told you most americans De-claw cats. personally i think thats awful.

[KnightAndMagpie 7]

yea i would say it defo depends where you live..and what sort of life you want to give your cats, ive had cats all my life and have let all of them outside as ive always thought thats what sort of life a cat would want. while i lived in the uk ( up until 18 months ago) i only lost one cat to a car but i left 2 cats in the uk with my daughters and since then they have both been knocked over right outside the house, which has really upset the girls. I have a cat and lucky i live in an appartment and cant choose to let it go outside otherwise i would, and then have the risk of it getting knocked over....its just a personal choice i think.

oh and by the way has he told you most americans De-claw cats. personally i think thats awful.

Ditto! I think it's cruel to remove their claws...I knew a dude from the States who brought his cat here, and she was attacked by a neighbouring cat because he had claws and she didn't.

I'm tempted to get Bean a leash because I really don't want him run down. That would be awful, to make the whole journey and for something bad to happen to him. Hopefully, as it's Alaska, he might find it too cold and sensibly opt to stay indoors.

Magpie.

[Big Papa Zone 93]

oh and by the way has he told you most americans De-claw cats. personally i think thats awful.

By "de-claw" I assume you mean have their claws clipped, like we cut our nails, right? How ###### retarded is that!!?? Why!!??? Cats need their claws to hunt and stuff.

[KnightAndMagpie 7]

oh and by the way has he told you most americans De-claw cats. personally i think thats awful.

By "de-claw" I assume you mean have their claws clipped, like we cut our nails, right? How ###### retarded is that!!?? Why!!??? Cats need their claws to hunt and stuff.

Not just clipped -- they're actually surgically removed. I hate the very thought, brrr -- poor kitty!

Magpie.

[Hannah+Vito 0]

oh and by the way has he told you most americans De-claw cats. personally i think thats awful.

By "de-claw" I assume you mean have their claws clipped, like we cut our nails, right? How ###### retarded is that!!?? Why!!??? Cats need their claws to hunt and stuff.

and scratch your posh sofa and claw your hands and legs, though if you dont want a pet to do something dont by a speices that does it imho

never did get the mutialtion thing where not nessersary, we only had one dog who was surgically docked but she was taken shooting and that would have shreaded her tail and caused amjor problems for her had it not been done. but to save a sofa

[Big Papa Zone 93]

and scratch your posh sofa and claw your hands and legs, though if you dont want a pet to do something dont by a speices that does it imho

never did get the mutialtion thing where not nessersary, we only had one dog who was surgically docked but she was taken shooting and that would have shreaded her tail and caused amjor problems for her had it not been done. but to save a sofa

Well exactly!! I mean, sure, spay the gals and cut the toms' nuts off (that's being a responsible owner) but ffs, leave it at that!

[rocks 494]

and scratch your posh sofa and claw your hands and legs, though if you dont want a pet to do something dont by a speices that does it imho

never did get the mutialtion thing where not nessersary, we only had one dog who was surgically docked but she was taken shooting and that would have shreaded her tail and caused amjor problems for her had it not been done. but to save a sofa

Well exactly!! I mean, sure, spay the gals and cut the toms' nuts off (that's being a responsible owner) but ffs, leave it at that!

while we are on the subject of weird pet related differences, does anyone think it's weird to have a cage for your dog?

[Big Papa Zone 93]

and scratch your posh sofa and claw your hands and legs, though if you dont want a pet to do something dont by a speices that does it imho

never did get the mutialtion thing where not nessersary, we only had one dog who was surgically docked but she was taken shooting and that would have shreaded her tail and caused amjor problems for her had it not been done. but to save a sofa

Well exactly!! I mean, sure, spay the gals and cut the toms' nuts off (that's being a responsible owner) but ffs, leave it at that!

while we are on the subject of weird pet related differences, does anyone think it's weird to have a cage for your dog?

Er, yeah, I think that's totally ###### weird! Who does that!!??????

[Mary Lou 681]

and scratch your posh sofa and claw your hands and legs, though if you dont want a pet to do something dont by a speices that does it imho

never did get the mutialtion thing where not nessersary, we only had one dog who was surgically docked but she was taken shooting and that would have shreaded her tail and caused amjor problems for her had it not been done. but to save a sofa

Well exactly!! I mean, sure, spay the gals and cut the toms' nuts off (that's being a responsible owner) but ffs, leave it at that!

while we are on the subject of weird pet related differences, does anyone think it's weird to have a cage for your dog?

A crate is a great training tool for housebreaking puppies. I used one, and he was trained very fast. Then he was kept in it when i wasnt home, until he was old enough that i could trust to leave him out alone.

[rocks 494]

and scratch your posh sofa and claw your hands and legs, though if you dont want a pet to do something dont by a speices that does it imho

never did get the mutialtion thing where not nessersary, we only had one dog who was surgically docked but she was taken shooting and that would have shreaded her tail and caused amjor problems for her had it not been done. but to save a sofa

Well exactly!! I mean, sure, spay the gals and cut the toms' nuts off (that's being a responsible owner) but ffs, leave it at that!

while we are on the subject of weird pet related differences, does anyone think it's weird to have a cage for your dog?

A crate is a great training tool for housebreaking puppies. I used one, and he was trained very fast. Then he was kept in it when i wasnt home, until he was old enough that i could trust to leave him out alone.

i can totally appreciate how they'd be good for that i just remember finding it odd the first time i saw it.

are you the usc? i can't say i've seen anyone here in the uk with a cage for their dog, usually i guess they shut them in the kitchen or conservatory?

[Mary Lou 681]

and scratch your posh sofa and claw your hands and legs, though if you dont want a pet to do something dont by a speices that does it imho

never did get the mutialtion thing where not nessersary, we only had one dog who was surgically docked but she was taken shooting and that would have shreaded her tail and caused amjor problems for her had it not been done. but to save a sofa

Well exactly!! I mean, sure, spay the gals and cut the toms' nuts off (that's being a responsible owner) but ffs, leave it at that!

while we are on the subject of weird pet related differences, does anyone think it's weird to have a cage for your dog?

A crate is a great training tool for housebreaking puppies. I used one, and he was trained very fast. Then he was kept in it when i wasnt home, until he was old enough that i could trust to leave him out alone.

i can totally appreciate how they'd be good for that i just remember finding it odd the first time i saw it.

are you the usc? i can't say i've seen anyone here in the uk with a cage for their dog, usually i guess they shut them in the kitchen or conservatory?

Yes, i am the USC. But you are right, i just asked G and he said he's really never seen crates there for dogs.

[rocks 494]

and scratch your posh sofa and claw your hands and legs, though if you dont want a pet to do something dont by a speices that does it imho

never did get the mutialtion thing where not nessersary, we only had one dog who was surgically docked but she was taken shooting and that would have shreaded her tail and caused amjor problems for her had it not been done. but to save a sofa

Well exactly!! I mean, sure, spay the gals and cut the toms' nuts off (that's being a responsible owner) but ffs, leave it at that!

while we are on the subject of weird pet related differences, does anyone think it's weird to have a cage for your dog?

A crate is a great training tool for housebreaking puppies. I used one, and he was trained very fast. Then he was kept in it when i wasnt home, until he was old enough that i could trust to leave him out alone.

i can totally appreciate how they'd be good for that i just remember finding it odd the first time i saw it.

are you the usc? i can't say i've seen anyone here in the uk with a cage for their dog, usually i guess they shut them in the kitchen or conservatory?

Yes, i am the USC. But you are right, i just asked G and he said he's really never seen crates there for dogs.

we don't have the space in our tiny houses!

Edited January 18, 2009 by rocks

[Mags 112]

yea i would say it defo depends where you live..and what sort of life you want to give your cats, ive had cats all my life and have let all of them outside as ive always thought thats what sort of life a cat would want. while i lived in the uk ( up until 18 months ago) i only lost one cat to a car but i left 2 cats in the uk with my daughters and since then they have both been knocked over right outside the house, which has really upset the girls. I have a cat and lucky i live in an appartment and cant choose to let it go outside otherwise i would, and then have the risk of it getting knocked over....its just a personal choice i think.

oh and by the way has he told you most americans De-claw cats. personally i think thats awful.

No, most Americans do NOT de-claw their cats. There are some that do, but really not all. I think that in the percentage of those that do and don't, the percentage is higher with those that don't.

Now, before you think I support de-clawing animals, I wish to clarify I don't. Ask many here who have seen me post about it. I think it's barbaric and cruel. It makes me want to cry.

I myself have persuaded many a VJ member nto not de-claw their cats - it's my crusade.

oh and by the way has he told you most americans De-claw cats. personally i think thats awful.

By "de-claw" I assume you mean have their claws clipped, like we cut our nails, right? How ###### retarded is that!!?? Why!!??? Cats need their claws to hunt and stuff.

De-clawing a cat is equivalent to removing your fingers at the first knuckle.

Yes, it's VERY retarded. And illegal in the rest of the Western world.

[T and M 1]

and scratch your posh sofa and claw your hands and legs, though if you dont want a pet to do something dont by a speices that does it imho

never did get the mutialtion thing where not nessersary, we only had one dog who was surgically docked but she was taken shooting and that would have shreaded her tail and caused amjor problems for her had it not been done. but to save a sofa

Well exactly!! I mean, sure, spay the gals and cut the toms' nuts off (that's being a responsible owner) but ffs, leave it at that!

while we are on the subject of weird pet related differences, does anyone think it's weird to have a cage for your dog?

"Crating" house dogs is not that common in the US. I remember seeing it for the first time when I moved from Georgia to Washington, DC. I was horrified. And maybe it was my imagination, but the dogs were horribly behaved. Seems to me that housebreaking a dog is a time-consuming and dirty process that some pet owners are would rather avoid....Perhaps this has something to do with the US lifestyle....long working hours and few vacations? Less time to spend with our pets and kids and spouses? Or just a quirky difference which has no rational explanation? Here's some thoughts from wikipedia on crate training:

Crates are not universally accepted as a positive method of dog training. Steven Lindsay, in his Handbook of Applied Dog Behavior and Training compares a dog’s attachment to a crate with the Stockholm Syndrome.[1]

"Many advocates of long-term crate confinement claim that dogs are phylogenetically preadapted to live in a crate. These conclusions are based on various fallacious assumptions derived from inappropriate comparisons with the use of dens by wild canids and feral dogs. In reality, a crate has far more in common with a trap (or grave) than it does with a den. Further, a den actually has far more in common with a home, the natural environment of a dog, providing access to communal indoor and outdoor living spaces via a two-way door. An obvious distinction between a den and a crate is physical entrapment, isolation, and inescapability. While the den provides the mother with the seclusion and security that she needs to deliver and care for her young, it does not restrict her freedom of movement, as the crate does. Instead of providing a safe environ for her young, the crate serves the express purpose of separating the dog from social attachment objects.… After learning that the crate is inescapable, however, dogs appear to treat the crate in a paradoxical manner analogous to persons affected by the Stockholm syndrome; that is, they appear to form strong attachments with the crate, which becomes the place they identify as home."