What do I do?

[gonecountry]

Hi this is my first post. We moved from the city in GA to the country in AL in November of 2007. I now get to "live" with my horses. My delima. I have always had cats and dogs INSIDE. Always up to date on shots, wormings and spay and neuter. Now there is a stray barn cat. She had kittens 2 weeks ago in the barn. She finally let me touch her and I have been feeding her. Then she moved the kittens into some HEAVY brambles and thorns. Missed them a week. Found them and grabbed her and all 4 kittens. They are now inside in their own room. Kittens are 2 weeks old now. Mom and 4 kittens have been inside for 2 days. All are adjusting well. I called vet and will have mom spayed when kittens are 7 weeks old. DELIMA! I will socialize the kittens and have them fixed at 6 months. BUT HOW DO I PUT THEM BACK OUTSIDE? When the mom heals after her surgery, do I just open the door and let them out? We have 2 small inside dogs, 3 boxers inside and 2 inside cats. I have mom and kittens in a back room. they can't stay in there until kittens are 6 months old. I am freaking out over this, I am afraid hawks or owls will eat the babies. Everyone said I should have left the outside and left her alone. I just couldn't help it. Let me know what is the best I should do about trying to get everyone back outside after the mom has healed from her spaying. Thanks!

[Pat]

The following comment is NOT mean spirited.

Rural life is not a Disney production. Reality rules at times. Stuff happens. Life feeds on life. The less you make them into pets and the more wild you let them stay the better their chances of surviving. Predators just do what they have to do to "make a living", and aren't cruel or mean.

Unfortunately there is a constant stream of folks who think the natural laws should be repealed so their vision of a Disneyesque petting zoo will be established in place of the natural world where things eat each other. Sometimes there is just no safe way to have certain pets in the country and have a good chance of them living to old age when they are allowed outdoors.

Rather than to rail against nature's way, perhaps it might be better to keep pets inside or for outdoor pets chose ones with survivability due to their physical ability compared to the resident predators.

I have had various friends lose some really cute little animals that were just so lovable and precious it just about made me sick when they were carried off by coyotes. So what to do, hold neighborhood meetings to organize coyote extermination patrols and put out poison bait and traps and such? Do you try to rid the area of all birds of prey? (not legal) It might be better to get a grip on reality and not breed pets that are too easily confused for predator snacks.

Pat

[gonecountry]

YIKES! What you are saying is the truth! I just have to toughen up my skin. After mom is fixed, whoever of the 4 kittens who survives will be fixed too. They have a barn for shelter. Wish life was Disneyland!

[Pat]

I haven't wished life was like Disneyland since "The Pirates of the Caribbean" were made over to be politically correct and the pirates no longer took liberties with the wenches, hauling them off hoisted over their shoulders or such. Arrrr, me buckos!!!

You can only do so much and then whatever will be will be. Those cute little kittens will grow up into the natural born killers their genetics command. You will be happy if they take rodents because we don't value rodent lives so dearly but perhaps saddened when they take cute little songbirds, which they certainly will try to do.

Who are the good guys and who are the bad guys? I really like birds of prey and NEVER shoot them. They eat a lot of rodents, some snakes, and the occasional "nice" bird or game bird. Coyotes eat tons of rodents, a few rabbits, some persimmons, and on occasion will eat the navel out of a calf while it is being born. (This has been witnessed multiple times by a reliable source not just repeating a myth.) I have never shot at a coyote on my place (yet.) I do not search for poisonous snakes on my place but if I happen across one it is history. Non-poisonous varieties are not harmed. To a degree we all tend to play at being God, setting our own rules and punishments.

There are precious few actions anyone takes that are devoid of consequences, whether or not they are recognized, intended, or wanted. You choose to spend time and money on the kittens, perhaps unmindful of the hundreds of cute little birds they will kill over their collective lives. Another person might have euthanized them (humanely) and saved the birds at the expense of having no natural control over barn rodents.

I'm reminded of the song... "there aren't no good guys there aren't no bad guys, there's just you and me and we just disagree." (Or something close...)

Whether we like it or not, all our actions such as saving kittens, poisoning rats, feeding birds, or whatever, all have consequences. Every living thing in doing anything disturbs the delicate web of life that connects us all. We all, at best, can only do what we can in taking a path that does the least damage. The best you can do is to choose wisely and minimize negative effects.

Pat

[jimbrown]

Open the door and let them out. feedem in the barn if you want. We have three dogs and two cats and they come and go from inside to outside at will. You could not run any of them off. One of the cats (a bengal ) catches mice rats and whatever at an enormous rate. He catches them and feeds them to the dogs which just love the big rats.

Another lunch.

[egon]

Just get some bigger cats! [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

Egon [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[gonecountry]

Pat you are truely killing me. I cried when the 2 mice in the barn died (of what I am not sure) Try to be a little more easier with me. I am looking at my bottle of happy pills........

[Pat]

Egon, Bigger cats are not necessarily easer on mice.

Pat

[egon]

That may be true but they may shift to eating coyotes for lunch! [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Egon [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[kellenw]

jimbrown - Every time you show a pic of that cat, I am amazed by its beauty. Stunning specimen.