Getting started in a city?

[Beekissed]

You're kidding, right? Your vet told you rodents were bad for cats? Millions of healthy cats down through the ages would probably beg to differ. All the thriving feral cat colonies just stood up and said, "Say what??"

Was he selling this high end cat food in his office, perchance?

Don't mean to make fun but I can't imagine that cats have been primarily eating rodents since the fall of Adam and Eve and this is bad nutrition for them.

 

[tortoise]

Domestic mice and domestic rabbits. Not sick, wild creatures! God knows I have the cat to catch the occassional field mouse getting into my basement... but what cat doesn't do that?

My SO is a vet. Handy!

 

[DianeB]

You're kidding, right? Your vet told you rodents were bad for cats? Millions of healthy cats down through the ages would probably beg to differ. All the thriving feral cat colonies just stood up and said, "Say what??"

Was he selling this high end cat food in his office, perchance?

Don't mean to make fun but I can't imagine that cats have been primarily eating rodents since the fall of Adam and Eve and this is bad nutrition for them.

I agree with the vet. In fact, it was not just one vet but all veterinary professionals I have tlaked to about my cats. It make sense. Rodents are vectors for many diseases. Rabies is a big one that comes to mind. Most rodents are carriers.

BTW, feral cats have very short lives. They are lucky if they make it to their 1st birthday. 4 or 5 is a very old. This is one of the reasons. Outdoor cats don't live much longer. We lost too many indoor/outdoor cats to diseases at young ages. Will never make that mistake, again.

Modern housecats that are kept indoors and fed premium food live 15+ years, easily.

 

[Beekissed]

I've had outside cats all my life and none have ever died of diseases. Killed on the road, shot by hunters, caught in leghold traps, yes...diseases, no. Many have lived to a ripe old age without incident...maybe country mice are cleaner?

Must be a city thing.

Oh....and please don't tell Spike, will ya? He is blissfully unaware that he should be eating cat food and I don't want to spring for the high end stuff!

 

[modern_pioneer]

tortoise, looks like you have been on your way for sometime.



Why come here and fool with what you know?

Maybe, just maybe, you might end up as dinner @ BBH moms house. Of course she has a tortoise, a pet, about the size of a dinner plate. Can't see BBH eating turtle, but you are doing good, and you seem to know it.

I don't need to me, I need 10,000 posting id's......

What's a Alumni panel?

 

[DianeB]

I've had outside cats all my life and none have ever died of diseases. Killed on the road, shot by hunters, caught in leghold traps, yes...diseases, no. Many have lived to a ripe old age without incident...maybe country mice are cleaner?

Must be a city thing.

Oh....and please don't tell Spike, will ya? He is blissfully unaware that he should be eating cat food and I don't want to spring for the high end stuff!

Ours died of Leukemia and FIV. Both were fixed but fought with unfixed males that had contracted disease from females. We did have a cat when I very that was hit with a baseball bat.

I like my cats indoors. Have low vet bills that make up greatly for the cost of food.

 

[Beekissed]

Now, Diane, you've gotten me curious....never had heard of what your vet has said so I did a search and could only find one article that mentions it. Could this be a new school of thought amongst some vet schools?

I found this article:

http://www.provet.co.uk/Petfacts/healthtips/catsrodents.htm

Cats are excellent hunter-killers and - even though they are fed more than enough food - they will still instinctively stalk and kill rodents and other small animals

Domestic cats often bring home the partly eaten remains of mice, voles, rats, birds and other animals. But is this behaviour harmful ?
The short answer is YES - catching small mammals, and rodents in particular, does present a potential health risk for domestic cats. Rodents (mice and rats) carry several diseases which can be transmitted to cats and even to humans.

Two of the most common diseases transmitted from rodents to cats are :

Tapeworms - eg Taenia, Diplopylidium, Echinococcus, Hymenolepis and Spirometra. These worms can live in the intestine of cats without causing any signs of disease although very heavy worm burdens cause weight loss, abdominal distension and discomfort. The type of worms carried by rodents varies in different geographical regions of the world. They can be diagnosed by finding worm eggs or segments in the cats faeces, or when tapeworm segments or whole worms are passed out per rectum. Tapeworm segments often appear like contracting "rice grains" attached to the hair around the anus and tail base. Some of these tapeworms can be transmitted to humans, so they present a human health risk as well.

Leptospirosis - this bacterial infection is common in rodent populations, and blood tests show that many cats have been exposed to leptospires, however very few cats develop clinical signs so cats are naturally resistant to this disease. On the other hand, leptospirosis is an extremely serious infection for other species such as dogs and humans and it can cause kidney or liver disease.
So, whilst catching prey does not present a serious health risk for the cats themselves - it can be a serious risk for other members of the family - including humans and pets which are susceptible to the infections eg dogs.

In conclusion :

catching and eating rodents does present a health risk to cats, but they are quite resistant to most of the infections they may contract, and they may not show any signs of disease even if they do become infected
infections contracted by cats from rodents can present a serious health risk if they are transmitted on to other species including dogs and humans
rodent populations should be kept under control (eg in a cattery) to reduce exposure to infectious diseases
cats that frequently catch prey should be wormed regularly
when handling the remains of prey humans should use protective gloves and equipment which should be disposed of afterwards
rodent-catching cats that are even slightly "off colour" should be examined by a veterinarian in case they have contracted a disease that could be transmitted to humans


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Couldn't find anything else on this subject but sure would like to read up on it. I'm always fascinated to learn new things!

 

[FarmerChick]

my outdoor barn cats and pets live long long lives

my fat cat lived til about 14 yrs old on anything they could eat outside.
and they ate it all!!

a feral cat will probably have a harder life. but anything fed on a regular basis and living outside doesn't always live a short life.

my current pet cat little kitty is going on 12 yrs old. hasn't been inside a day in her life. eats everything out there in the pasture. doing perfect.

life is a crapshoot for any animal outside in the wild, humans included.
but it is never a blanket statement that indoor live longer than outdoor cats.

I feed tons of cats at the barn that are visitors. Some pets that come from other homes and some wild as lions...lol all seem to be OK that I can see. will those live long lives, I don't know....but they are living natural lives.

remember also...in nature--lives are not extended. they live their "natural life" to survive and their natural life span.
only humans and human controlled livestock or pets get the priviledge of "extended life" thru medicine.

 

[patandchickens]

Rodents do not carry rabies; in fact they are the one type of mammal that virtually never gets it. (I am not sure rabies has ever been demonstrated in a rodent outside of experimental infections intentionally-done in a laboratory). (edited to add: except for woodchucks, which do occasionally get rabies)

Rodents are however the intermediate host of a whole buncha parasites that cats can get, which is why some vets discourage letting cats eat rodents.

Not agreeing, just explaining (Frankly, pretty much all carnivore's preferred prey is the host for a variety of that carnivore's parasites, as you would expect; thus saying cats shouldn't eat mice is like saying ANY carnivore would be better off not eating its customary prey, which I find kind of stupidly perverse even though I do understand the reasoning; sort of missing the forest for the trrees, thogh)

Pat

 

[Dace]

I've often wondered why folks don't get those chain link fences with the little privacy strips interwoven in them in which to keep chickens in town. As long as you don't have a roo, how in the world would folks even know you had a chicken? My hens don't make so much noise that it would annoy people.

Check out a book called Square Foot Gardening from your library....it is GREAT for small spaces.

Mine make plenty of noise when they are in a mood! The only reason that I have really noticed is that when the windows are open the sound carries thru the whole house. I am certain that the neighbors can hear!

Bee....you don't have close neighbors, so when your girls are kickin' up a ruckus, it is probably just background noise!