Kittens...

[annwfyn]

So, cats should be allowed outside, right?

My kittens have now been carefully shown the balcony and garden twice today. Both times they have peered at me to see whether I was going outside, observed me lurking by the door, and then refused to take another step further. They have sniffed at the air, and then headed back towards the warmth of my bedroom, which appears to be their favourite place in the house.

I think this 'letting the cats outside' thing may need to wait til the weather is warmer.

In other news, this writing thing is going very slowly today. I seem to have complete brainblock re: archaeology, and keep finding myself more and more things to do instead. Such as playing with the cats, going for a jog, researching house prices; almost anything.

I'm going to turn off the internet for an hour and make myself write something. Anything. At all.

Comments

[silverclear.livejournal.com]

you'll look like a twit, but sometimes kittens take to the outdoors better if you take them for a walk with a lead around their territory a few times.

good luck writing :-)

[molez.livejournal.com]

I often considered doing this with my pet rat, but thought that perhaps people might not appreciate it...

[headinclouds.livejournal.com]

Warmth is good. Kittens know this. If you keep giving them the chance to get outside, they'll go in their own time, but really, who can blame them for not wanting to be outside on a day like today?

(says the girl who arrived at work today having accumulated an impressive coating of frost on the way)

[annwfyn.livejournal.com]

You do have a point. I was definitely not intending to go outside with them.

Oh, btw, I appear to have sponsored a dog as a present for you. One of jez's fundraisers was having a really bad time of it, and while I couldn't really justify sponsoring another dog, I thought you might find it entertaining and I probably owe you birthday/Christmas presents from all the times I haven't gotten you anything!

So, if something from the Dog's Trust arrives, that's my fault.

[headinclouds.livejournal.com]

Oh, cool, thank you. :)

I used to have a sponsored dog with the NCDL, but stopped when I was unemployed for so long, which I was quite sad about.

Dogs good. :)

[commlal.livejournal.com]

Mine never go out and really arnt that interested in going out, its cold, there is no food and its not their space. They are quite happy just as they are.

[twicedead.livejournal.com]

Hope the writing is going well. I'm slowly mailbombing you at the moment, with more to follow.

[castorpollux23.livejournal.com]

Ah, the writing of the thesis! I'm prepping for it now. So much fun!

Anyway, I'd say, if you want to introduce the kitties to outside, do it slowly. Cats have different personalities, and some will like outdoors, and some will hate outdoors. Just take it slowly,and they should get the hang of it. They may feel better if you're with them.

Aww, pwecious kitties.

Good luck on writing the thesis fun stuff. ;)

[lanfykins.livejournal.com]

They may not be interested now, but just you wait until the first sunny day and an open first floor window...

<looks meaningfully at Cirrus>

Try them again in the spring, when they've got bored of the house. And make sure they have no way (and I include holes too small for a rat to get through) of getting out of the garden. The first time I ever let my brainless twits out, they both got so excited that they explored their way out of the garden, then got scared and agoraphobic and ran away and hid rather than finding their way back...

[ravenseer.livejournal.com]

Pic's of you and Jez playing with the kitties???? Please? Please? If Jez objects just one to send to me? I've missed seeing you both, and i just love kitties....... :)

[annwfyn.livejournal.com]

I'd love to, but our digital camera is busted. I'll try and get someone to take some.

[arimenthe.livejournal.com]

Um, I don't know what it's like there.

*sigh* It's my profession, I feel obligated to write - There are many bad things for kitties out there. They are incredibly safer in the house. They really won't be missing much of anything ot there besides cars, predators or disease (etc, etc)

If you have a place where they can't get into trouble, then thats one thing - and if you do let them out, just be careful :)

[annwfyn.livejournal.com]

Hmmmm....

I was partly raised on a farm and entirely raised in the countryside. As I kid we had three cats at different times. None of them ever had a thing wrong with them - one lived til she was 18, the other two are still alive and well and on a farm in Devon. All were outside cats.

I have kept one cat in the city which I mostly kept outside. He always seemed incredibly eagar to get out into the sunlight, and wound up falling out of the bedroom window on the 4th floor because he wanted to bask in the sunlight. After that I vowed I'd only keep cats somewhere they had access to the outdoors - sunlight, fresh air etc. That was my main reason for getting this house, with a garden, in a quiet area with little traffic.

I dunno. If they aren't much interested in the outside I won't push them, but I really don't want to have unhappy cats. I've also always been told that it improves a cat's quality of life to have some outdoors access.