i'm not quite sure but surely with all the money the goverment gets they could issue 1 microchip reader to each council but i doubt it will happen

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www.diamonddustbengals.com

i have had cats for the last 32 years and they were outdoor cats, i think we were lucky as i only lost 1 to a road traffic accident, she was only 7 months old and i was devastated, neither of my cats went anywhere near to the road but when later i twice had to take my cats to the vets to remove air rifle pellets we realised the only reason she probably went near to the road was due to these kids in the house behind us firing into our garden.
despite living near to a busy road for the last 28 years my cats went to the bridge at good ages, 18 and 19 and a half. we lost one 2 years ago to illness after having her for nearly 12 years, don't know how old she was as we took her in after finding her injured on a busy road near barnsley.

we now have 3 cats and they are indoor cats, our oldest is 14, (we inherited him 7 years ago) he was an outdoor cat but last year he got a problem with his back leg, he wouldn't be safe outside anymore so he stays in with my others, we have a snow spot bengal now almost 2 and a pure white tom who we got from a rescue, he is 9 months old and deaf. all 3 cats will be indoor cats for their lifetime although we have built them a pen in the garden so they can go outside for fresh air and they have a big cat activity centre in the room, they are happy and safe and i feel happier knowing i will not get another knock on my door to tell me there is a cat on the road that looks like mine.

2 of my 3 indoor cats like to sit on the window and watch the rain on the glass or chirp at the birds in the trees, the 1 who doesn't bother likes to spend his time on the sofa, he was the one who used to go out so obviously he doesn't miss it, if he was constantly on the window ledge i would think he was pining to go out but hes not. my other 2, the youngsters don't spend any more time on the window ledge than my previous cats did so i don't think they are doing it as a way of telling me they want to go out, which is how i interpretted your thread.
obviously you will do what you think is best for your cats but don't feel guilty about keeping them in, they won't miss what they haven't had, in fact my oldest cat doesn't seem to be missing what he did have....so long as they have plenty to stimulate them inside they will be happy.

I have no problem with people having house cats as long as they are stimulated as they would be by adventuring outside. It is very distressing to think that your cat maybe hit by a car but...........what percentage of outdoor cats do actually come to a sticky end?
Our little farm cat has free range in or out of the house and has our land (5 acres) to roam on but we regularly see her crossing the busy road infront of our house to hunt in the fields across the road (the grass is always greener...) and there is nothing that we can do about it. Try to call her back or attempt to stop her and she will just run faster.
We would never give our dogs such free rein but cats are independant little critters

Touch wood.....the majority of cats seem to survive the big outdoors.

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www.overthegate.co.uk

Goodness, another of my favourites topics (micro chipping), and we are running a campaign regarding this, on our website.

Did you you know that a lot of vets do not routinely scan for micro chips? It really is crazy. Sorry to keep quoting my clients, but it clearly demonstrates the necessity for microchipping.

Dogs are the worse sufferers, since certain breeds are stolen to order. We had a case recently where a client's dog went missing, and was reported to the local police station within 10 minutes of his dissapearance. He was picked up within the hour, taken to the station and not scanned. From there he was taken by the dog warden (not scanned), and driven 2 hours away to a rescue centre where believe it or not, he still was not scanned! I suggested my client contact Dog Lost, who immediately suggested she check at said rescue centre. Her dog was just hours away from being re homed!

So why oh why, are we encouraged to microchip our cats and dogs, if the authorities do not routinely scan? It is utter madness.

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Speaking to one of my clients this morning who has two Bengal cats. It appears that you CAN cat proof your garden. I have been pondering this for a while now, looking to see how this can be done.

If anyone else has any information on this subject, would very much appreciate it.

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my cat spends most of his time out,then he comes in for a feed and a nap then off he goes again

I have both, I have a five year old female who loves being outside, comes in to be fed 10 minutes later she's back outside again! Although with the weather turning much colders she's started using this place as a home again, instead of a hotel

I have 3 male cats, that will not go out they like being home birds Or should I say mummy's boys

I don't own cats but my step-great-grandmother kept Siamese indoors and one big fluffy cat who's breed I don't know of. My nan and her partner still have two, a red point and a torti Siamese. I believe its just what best fits an owners lifestyle to be honest. My nan and her partner are retired OAP's, live a relatively laid-back life and so do the cats. I live in a quiet little village in an estate about three roads from any main roads. I've got a neighbour who has had the same cat for as long as I moved to this house 15 yrs ago, he's aloud outside. She got a little girl about 5 years ago I'd say, she's been missing for about 2 of those years. A friend of mine has lost about 8 cats on the roads in our village, another friend of mine had a kitten knocked down right outside her house by a car, and that road has at least one car go down it per 15 minutes. Sometimes it is drivers being careless because cars have breaks, but on the other hand, yes, cats are stupid when it comes to road sense because they have none at all. If it were my cat, I'd rather have them inside the majority of the time, but for them to have access outside too if they wanna stretch their legs and go back to its roots by chasing a bird or whatever lol

Hi,

I'm new to this forum and was interested to read the comments on this post.

When my beloved moggie was killed on a quiet road outside my house, I vowed never to let any of my cats outside unsupervised again, I couldn't bear the heartbreak and guilt as I felt responsible. Some time later I got myself 2 pedigree cats and had a small run built on the patio which they could access via a cat door, they loved it, I could have the door open letting in fresh air and the cats could come and go as they wanted.

Over the years I have adopted this system with my cats in different ways, they have always had safe access to the outside, giving them the benefit of fresh air and sunshine, and giving me peace of mind knowing they were safe.

They have come into my home as house cats with the limited access to the outside, and they have all been quite happy. I also rescued a moggie girl who roamed the fields and came to me for feeding every day. and she adapted very well to the situation.

So it can and does work, I'm happy that my cats are safe from accidents and from people who steal cats and deliberately hurt them.

Shelleybee