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Originally Posted by Hitch
Yes. Maybe they are indeed pets, outside for some fresh air and sunshine. I wish I had an easy-ish method like that for the furballs, who simply CANNOT go outside. Too many predators. Cats have an extremely short expected lifespan in our neck of the woods if they live outside. As in, days. Between coyotes (primary predators), Great Horned Owls that are truly shockingly large (I'm pretty sure that they would not mess with our male, but the female...), and, of course, rattlesnakes. Yes, really, and 2 years ago, we had one living beneath our front porch, so...not imaginary.
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A fellow participant and moderator on another website where I was active made a series of posts about "Accidental Yellow Cat", a feral cat that gradually moved in with her. She lives in NM, where coyotes are the main predators, and worried a lot about the cat. She was pleased when it moved in because it would be safer, but it still wanted to go out and prowl. The last time it didn't come back.
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I've considered making the patio into a catio, but, a) it's large (72' x 12) and thankfully covered, and b) it wouldn't keep the snakes out at all, nor scorpions or other things. {sigh}
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A friend of our friend Naomi had a plethora of cats in her place in upstate NY. Most were feral, and made their home in her barn or in a covered patio area. I'd sit there when we were up for a visit and watch kittens cavorting. A couple of the braver ones would come close, but not enough to actually touch.
The last time we were there, I saw none. The apparent reason was hawks that moved into the area and saw dinner.
Another old friend lived in a house in the boonies with an assortment of outdoor cats. He described walking out his front door to find a racoon with a kitten in it's mouth. He decided that raccoons were no longer "cute", grabbed his 22 rifle, and shot it. Why no. Raccoons aren't cute. They are wild animals, smart, adept at getting into everything, and highly destructive. There are some classic horror stories about people trying to keep them as pets. It works up till they mature, then all bets are off. Want to keep one as a pet? Get it as a baby, and get it neutered as soon as possible.
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I've played with rats. Quite smart, really. And fun.
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Tasty, too, if you're from a culture that eats them. I saw a lovely tale years back from someone whose parents had been Peace Corps volunteers in Africa. When it was time to leave, the village where they had stayed threw a feast to say goodbye. Mom was quite taken by one of the dishes served, and asked what was in it. "Cane Rat." <gag!> <spew!>
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Dennis