Search Results for: blog whats best for a cat inside or outside

Killer Cats on the Loose

One of the most popular news stories to break last week was a new estimation of the deaths attributed to domesticated house cats.  We’re not talking people deaths, but the deaths of small birds and mammals; that might seem insignificant, but the number is in the billions.  Researchers from the Smithsonian and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found that although the worst offenders are feral and stray cats, one in three domesticated cats also kills animals in its neighborhood.  Those cats average two kills a week. When it’s well-fed, domesticated cats doing the killing, they’re not usually keeping these … Continue reading →

What To Do about Neighbor Cats

I keep going back and forth on whether or not to let my cats outside.  Cole doesn’t have much interest, but Chrestomanci certainly does.  I know he’d be happiest as an indoor-outdoor cat, but I don’t know that I’d be happiest with him as one, and I don’t know that it’s worth the stress.  One day in the summer when we let him out with us, he wandered off.  He came back a few hours later, just as my husband said he would, but by then it was dark and I was very upset until he showed up again. Another … Continue reading →

Should Pets Be Kept Inside or Outside?

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how much our views on owning pets have changed. I grew up keeping all pets in the house. Everyone I knew did the same; the most they had were indoor-outdoor cats. Since moving down here, I’ve encountered other takes on pet ownership. A lot of people in my area keep their dogs outside 90% of the time. They might only bring them inside during extreme weather: storms, particularly hot or cold days, etc. A lot of people also keep their cats outside all of the time, which is a more accepted practice. What’s … Continue reading →

Zagat Names Soarin’ Best Attraction

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You know the Zagat guides? These great travel guides that give us access to all the interesting and charming things a city or location has to offer. This year, they’ve published their first ever Walt Disney World’s Insider Guide and named Epcot’s Soarin’ as the best overall attraction to visit. Having been on Soarin’, I have to agree wholeheartedly with Zagat on this. Soarin’ The Soarin’ attraction invites you to be strapped securely in your seats and then to experience the wonder of special effects and a screen that send you soaring across the countryside, beaches and mountains of California. … Continue reading →

Tips for Disney World Resort Hotel Stays

Today I just learned about a new Disney resort: the Disney Yacht Club resort.  When I say new, I don’t mean that it’s about to be built or to open, but that I had never heard of it before.  The resort’s been around since 1990.  There are just so many hotels at Disney World, it’s hard to remember them all or keep them all straight. It can be a dilemma for those looking to plan a Disney World vacation.  You may have crossed the first hurdle – deciding whether or not you’re going to stay on site – but you … Continue reading →

Pets Leaving Food: Should You Worry?

My cats have caused so many food-related problems this year. I went from giving my cats food once a day to twice a day, then three times, having to split up normal portions into weird smaller amounts. My cat’s gluttony, food thievery, mischievous behavior, and sudden desire to eat people food all prompted my decision. As spring progressed and melted into summer, I thought I’d finally sorted things out. No, now my cats have changed their eating habits again. It all started when Jon and I left for a weekend. I put out two days’ worth of food; we weren’t … Continue reading →

Fourth of July Pet Safety

On Friday one of the DJ’s for my local radio station mentioned upcoming Fourth of July celebrations, and she warned dog owners about fireworks. She said that she sees more fliers go up for missing dogs on July 5 than just about any other day of the year, all because of the fireworks noise. It’s something that never occurred to me, but it makes a lot of sense. Depending on where you live and how loud noise from fireworks might be in your yard, Independence Day, while fun for us humans, could prove frightening for our pets. If you keep … Continue reading →

Chasing House Flies

On the surface I had a lovely afternoon yesterday. I returned from a good time volunteering with friends at a local museum and spent a productive afternoon finishing a lot of work. That’s just the surface story. In reality as the hours of the afternoon waned I was driven crazier and crazier, as a headache crept further and further into my skull. And it’s all my pets’ fault. Well, just Chihiro and Cole. What did they do that made me insane? They chased house flies. I don’t know how so many flies got into my house, but there must have … Continue reading →

Summer Grooming Tips

Today I saw this picture of a fake cat made out of the fur of the real cat it sat beside. The picture really drove it home, as if the hardwood floors I have all over my house hadn’t already: summer is here, and that means so is grooming season. I hate grooming. It’s always just such a trial in my house. But I’m cheap so I hate paying for it more, and because none of my animals do much more try to walk away a little and guilt me a lot for brushing them, I don’t have a great … Continue reading →

I Want A Dog – Part 1

For the past few days, Dylan has been talking a lot about animals. He has not said much about the lions, tigers, monkeys, and other jungle animals that we see in many of the books that we read or the movies that we watch. He seems acutely interested in domestic animals – cats, dogs, cows, and the like. A couple of times, he has asked me to go for a walk or a drive in the afternoon for the specific purpose of finding cows that he can touch. Even though we live in Vermont, many of the farms near us … Continue reading →