By Adria L. Henderson

and Lisa Peterson

It was 8:00 AM last Wednesday when I heard a car driving down my driveway.  My two dogs were barking, letting me know that a stranger was approaching. I wasn’t expecting anyone. As I peered out the window, I saw a woman I knew who lived a few streets away getting out of her car. She looked very troubled.

Seeing how distraught she was, I walked out to meet her at her car.

“Do you own a gray and white cat?” she asked.

“Yes,” I said. One of my 6 cats happens to be sort of gray and white, but I knew I had just left him curled up, asleep on my bed. Even so, my heart skipped a beat.

“There was a gray and white cat lying in the middle of the street near your driveway,” she said. “He was still breathing when I got to him, but he died soon after. I don’t know what to do. I’ve tried to find the owner. I’ve knocked on every door around but no one is home.”

Apparently someone’s car hit the cat and either he or she didn’t know or didn’t care, and just kept on going.

Every cat owner’s worst nightmare!  At least every cat owner who lets his or her cats roam. Judging by the numbers of cats that are hit by cars or killed by predators, opening the back door and just letting your cat out may need a closer look. Is your cat a less loved pet than his house buddy, your dog?  Why is it okay to let Felix out in the morning when you leave for work to fend for himself all day when you wouldn’t think of doing the same thing to your dog?

There are some pet owners who maintain that cats can be left to on their own, that they are completely self-sufficient. Everyone has heard at least one story of a neighbor moving away and just leaving his cat at the old house, thinking, “Oh, he’ll be okay. He can always hunt for food.”

But this is one of the many “old wives tales” that have been passed down through generations, like allowing a black cat to cross your path will bring you bad luck. Well, maybe that’s not a good example.

In most cases, unless the kitten’s mother has taught the kittens to hunt for food to survive, your house cat would not have the slightest idea of how to keep his belly full. Your cat may  “play” at hunting. He may even be a great mouser. But does he look at his catch as food, or do you usually just find his “gift” to you waiting at the font door when you return from work? If your cat has always had his dish filled from the pantry, he is not suddenly going to develop the necessary skills to fill his stomach in the wild. There are no cans of “Fancy Feast” hanging from the trees. And where’s the can opener?

Some people even think its okay to leave their cats for a four-day weekend with a big bowl of food and water. Would these same people think of doing the same to their dogs? I suppose part of the reason is that cats have a littler box for elimination so they don’t need to be walked, and with enough food, all their needs are met. Left to himself for several days, a house cat gets lonely and may even become depressed. He may stop eating and he will certainly be anxious and stressed without his family around. If your dog had a “doggie door” and was able to go in and out at will, would you leave your dog for the weekend by himself? Probably not.

Cats, like dogs, need people and affection. Just like every other warm-blooded animal your cat needs to know that he is wanted and loved. There are cats kept on farms and cats kept in barns that have little human contact and survive just fine. But these cats usually develop some antisocial behavior patterns.  We would too, if we were isolated from society. Because cats appear to be more aloof, less demanding of our constant attention and affection that we react in kind. Perhaps we should not think of how we as humans dote on affection but try to understand that a cat’s need for physical affection is on a different plane.  Don’t compare their needs to ours.

And don’t compare them to dogs.  Cats are not dogs in cat’s fur. They are not meant to be dogs. Just as a cat’s dietary needs are completely different from a dog’s dietary needs, cat’s emotional needs are different too. Cats and dogs personality types are also vastly different. In fact, cats are a completely different species.

Your cat’s personality may not seem to be conducive to learning “tricks”, but this is not because cats are not intelligent. With the right training techniques and a lot of patience your old cat can learn new tricks. Some cats willingly learn to fetch and return objects, open and close cabinets, and jump through hoops. You’ll probably not be able to teach your cat to heel but you can teach him to come and sit. You certainly can teach him not to jump on your tables and counters.  

But, to the heart of the matter here. If you live on a high traffic, busy street should you just open the door and let “the cat out” hoping the next morning he’ll be there at the door waiting for his breakfast.  The obvious answer is no.

Recently there was some legislation (that was not passed) requiring cats to be licensed and to wear a current rabies tag. Cats who were found and picked up without a current rabies’ tag could be euthanized.  Protecting the public and our other pets from rabies could be regulated in a less severe manner. However, licensing cats may make cat owners more responsible.  

If you live on a street where there is little or no traffic, no neighborhood dogs waiting for the chance to get your cat, no forest creatures who consider your cat a quick meal, no chance that there might be a sudden downpour stranding your cat outside, and your cat doesn’t wander, letting him out during the day is probably okay. We’ve all done it. Me included. But doesn’t your heart skip a little beat when you call your cat to come in and he’s not right there? Why take the chance?

In the last 10 years, cats have surpassed dogs as America’s favorite pet. For every one-dog household there are two cats, mostly a combination of both. Perhaps its because most people think of cats as the lazy man’s pet. Cats seem to be more self-sufficient and require less care. But could it be because people have finally learned that cats are warm, loving, funny, serene, beautiful, rambunctious and terribly clever creatures? 

By the way, I did know who owned that poor little gray and white cat. I watched my neighbor’s little boy growing up with that cat. The family got her as a kitten right after their son was born. I didn’t want that little boy to find his pet kitty lying on the side of the road when he came home later that afternoon. With the help of a friend the little cat was given a special place to rest forever. And the little boy would not have to be welcomed home by that horrible sight.   

This week my little neighbor picked out his new 8-week-old kitty, Badminton. Fortunately for him there are many kittens available that need homes, too many in fact.

But that’s another column.

Animal Lifestyles is contributed by Adria L. Henderson and Lisa Peterson owners of Safe at Home a Newtown based Pet sitting business.  You can contact us by phone at 203-426-5784 or 426-4682.  Write to us at PO Box 427 Botsford, Ct. 06404 or e-mail us at animallifestyles @ usa.net. We welcome our reader’s response.