Steve Mensing, Editor
♦ The other day I watched the Rowan County Commission meeting’s public commentary where two persons spoke up about the challenges of unleashed dogs harming other pets in the Fulton Heights area of Salisbury. Mr. Wainwright spoke about losing his family’s pet cat “Buddy” to a pair of mixed breed pit-bulls. Losing any pet cat or dog we’ve bonded with can be an emotionally painful experience.
I recall in my teenage years back in Philly taking my 12 year-old cat Igor to the veterinarian to have Igor checked out for an unknown illness, then less than 24 hours later the pet clinic called and told me that Igor expired. Apparently he ate a squirrel and it’s punctured Igor’s intestine leading to life ending infection. I missed Igor immensely–we were buddies. He curled up purring beside me every night.
Animal Control in Salisbury must have their hands full. I used to live on West Bank Street in Salisbury’s historic district and often sat out on our porch in the wee hours of the morning. I saw much animal activity that usually goes unnoticed during daylight hours. I noticed packs of feral dogs roaming the street, hunting for quarry. If you’ve ever seen feral dogs under a street light they are often mangy and emaciated. They live on house cats, feral cats, garbage, and small mammals.
In the early morning hours I’ve seen coyotes on West Bank the year before I moved. They and feral dogs wiped-out most of the feral cats living in our area. And infrequently I saw home-kept dogs running free off the leash day or night. Some of those animals, because of their size and breed, posed a threat to other pets and to small children. I’m talking about pit bulls, German Shepherds, and Rotweilers.
What I really want to stress here is that putting a cat outside in Salisbury or in any urban environment is risky business. Street life is dangerous for cats and greatly diminishes their “shelf life”.
Here are but a few of the dangerous obstacles to a cat’s long and healthy life and why we keep our cat “Artie” indoors and out of harm’s way.
• Getting hit by cars is a strong possibility for an urban cat.
• Feral dogs, dogs roaming off the leash, and coyotes pose a major life threat to cats.
• Tangling with free roaming cats can lead to bites and scratches, injuring and infecting our feline friends. Outdoor cats, who survive several years, will show battle scars from street combat. Ever see a one-eyed cat or a tomcat with a permanent gimp? Raccoons and possums provide nasty bites. They will duke it out with a cat.
• Eating squirrels and other small mammals is not so great for feline intestinal health. Neither is finding spoiled food and poisoned bait left out for rat control in Salisbury.
• Feline leukemia, rabies, and other communicable diseases confront a cat going outdoors. All can lessen feline mortality.
• Disturbed youngsters and adults who shoot or torture pet cats and dogs. They’re out there.
• Parasites like pinworm, hookworm, and killer heartworm are more likely to occur to an outdoor cat.
If you want your cats to live long and healthy lives, keep them indoors and out of harm’s way.
A WebMD.com article: “Should You Have an Indoor Cat or an Outdoor Cat?”:
http://pets.webmd.com/cats/features/should-you-have-an-indoor-cat-or-an-outdoor-cat
Growing Numbers of Coyotes Marauding through Salisbury’s Historic District. Feral Cat and Dog Populations Thinning:
