[Hitch]

Originally Posted by BookCat

I so desperately wanted to avoid this indoor/outdoor cat debate and stay on the subject of DOGS. The reason being that I'm in the UK, where the norm is to let cats out (city and country) during the day, but keep them in at night.

I didn't know anyone here was debating. I simply stated that where I live, we cannot have small outside animals of ANY kind, dog or cat. I'm continuously heartbroken by the Lost Pet signs on my mailboxes, and they're almost always small dogs.

I've had heated debates on other areas of the internet: youtube, US cat sites etc in which it's clear that the hazards, norms and fears are different in the UK and US. We have far fewer predator animals here, and cats hunt far less than many people think. In the UK most cats die from illnesses such as kidney failure, FLV (especially in unvaccinated cats) and cancer, rather than the dangers of outside. But I do understand that coyotes and the attitudes of people present a greater danger in the US.

I fortunately haven't been involved in any of those. Honestly, given the attitudes of many humans--from any country--I try to stay away from all animal debates. It's hard enough living where I do, and seeing the "lost" posters up all the time.

Let's get back to the dogs. Generally, dogs are not free-roaming animals, so can only be "taken from the streets of Chicago" if there is no person there to protect them. City dogs are always on leashes, so how can this "dognap" occur in the novel? The plot confuses me. And dogs can be dangerous to anyone they don't like. Puzzling.

I see. Yes, in a big city like NYC, or perhaps London, the vast majority of dogs are on leashes. But some places, like Arizona's Phoenix, have large swaths of residential areas within their city/municipal boundaries, and there are MANY dogs that run free. (Typically because their owners are too lazy to get them proper exercise, but that's another discussion.)

Sorry to hear of your experience, Hitch. In my experience, if cats become feral they form colonies based around a dominant female. They provide well for each other. Their main enemy is cold weather and mankind, though I've seen cases where people have been feeding the local ferals. But generally, they raid bins.

We certainly don't have any ferals where I live, for the same reasons that we don't have outdoor pets under about 50-60lbs. But I have friends who live in the suburbs who have feral cat problems, and that is another heartbreaker.

Too many stupid or uncaring people, too many unhomed pets. It's always the same. I don't know how rescuers that do it full-time can handle it; I couldn't. I'd end up "The Cat Lady," or Pet Lady, with hundreds of animals.


Hitch