Cat been swimming. Cover your water butts, please!

Glad your cat is OK grandtante.

An opinion that I'm sure will incur the wrath of some, but I really do believe cats like any other animal should be confined to their own property. I cannot understand why people allow their cats to roam at their will and often to their detriment. Surely if you have a loved pet you want to keep it safe.

Our cat fell in our swimming pool a few times. He used to love drinking the chlorine.

Spice101 how may I ask do I do that? My cat who is 16 years olf age can jump over a 6 foot fence. She thinks and acts like a 4 year old. Do I tie her to a chair?

Cats will be cats and are inquisitive by nature. Glad there were no lasting effects.

A neighbour’s beautiful, exotic cat spent yesterday afternoon asleep on a chair in our sunroom. Something he’d never done before, it was lovely to have such a polite visitor.

Whenever we go away we fill plastic dustbins full of water so someone can use it to water the pots, but I make a point of having tops to them. Not water but even worse: many years ago a neighbours cat died when it fell into a tub of something awful (I think it was creosote) and that always stuck in my mind.

Some breeds of cats positively like water. The Turkish Van pedigree cats will swim in the sea off Turkey. I had a beautiful cat who was half Turkish Van and she liked nothing better than sitting in a puddle.

I UK law, animals, including dogs, must be kept under control. The exception is cats which have the right to roam.

Unfortunately imo.

Years ago our beautiful Burmese cat returned home saturated in what smelt like car engine oil. He had obviously fallen into a vat of it. He was depressed for ages afterwards! (We lived in the middle of nowhere so it was very strange.)

Oh, the poor thing. I hope he's ok now.

A neighbour of mine left the grandchildren's paddling pool out (full) and a squirrel drowned in it.

Spice101 I disagree. I believe that all animals should be free to feel fresh air, and to live in an environment suited to their needs - birds in the sky/trees, cattle in fields, etc.

my friend got 2 kittens 2 years ago, and one of them went missing (about 1 year old) - they share a garden with the owner of the house and ... I'll spare you the details. The pool now has a cover.

If it makes anyone feel better, my cats only poo on my lawn, which is unfair as so does everyone else's...

One did come back with a raw sausage once which probably ruined someone's dinner.

People feeding other peoples cats annoys me because I have a cat with allergies and it costs me a fortune but he gets depressed if he isn't allowed out and over grooms.

One of my adopted kittens loves water and I have already rescued her from the bath and the toilet and I have to check the washing machine very thoroughly as she is fascinated by it. She likes to sleep on wet towels too. I didn't even think about that as a danger but I'm hoping they will stay as housecats really..

I’m less in favour of cats running wild, given they kill wild birds. My dogs are kept in my yard and on leash until we get to an open part of the park where they are within eyesight. My neighbours cats I’m constantly having to shoo out of my garden as they leave revolting deposits behind.

PinkCakes

Spice101 I disagree. I believe that all animals should be free to feel fresh air, and to live in an environment suited to their needs - birds in the sky/trees, cattle in fields, etc.

Pinkcakes keeping an animal on one's own property does not necessarily prevent it from fresh air.
If we used your belief with regard to dogs we would have them roaming around and wandering onto properties at their leisure. Imagine the outrage.

There are very elaborate or very simple enclosures you can buy or build that will contain cats and these can be connected to your house so the cat can come and go at will but is still contained on your property. Cat is safe, native animals and birds are safe and neighbours are not bothered by cat fouling their gardens. And Charleygirl these would mean you don't need to tie your cat to a chair.

'Oh, the poor thing. I hope he's ok now.'
Thank you PinkCakes, he got over it but is now in pussycat Heaven having lived to a ripe old age once he got his dignity back. If you have a Burmese you'll know what I mean.

If I have a water feature in my fenced in yard, is the suggestion then that if a cat (who should not be in my yard) drowns, it’s my fault for not ensuring cats/wildlife have a plank to walk out on?

That seems a little extreme to me.

If you choose to let your cat wander freely, surely you’re taking a risk that it won’t come home?

I'd put one in for hedgehogs, Summerlove as they can drown in garden ponds.

But I take your point about cats.
They can use the plank, though, but I would hope they get a soaking and don't come back for more.

It's really annoying to prepare a garden bed, go to plant something and sink your hands into buried cat faeces.

If I have a water feature in my fenced in yard, is the suggestion then that if a cat (who should not be in my yard) drowns, it’s my fault for not ensuring cats/wildlife have a plank to walk out on?

There should always be a means for any animal to get out of a 'water feature'. Even frogs can drown, as a local primary school discovered when the escape log was removed by someone who thought they were being helpful!

How very unpleasant Summerlove - so what about the wildlife? Perhaps I should post the photo of my friends drowned kitten and the photo of their young daughter when she found out.

I live in a flat and my cat is a house cat in the winter and doesn’t seem to mind. At the moment she is fast asleep on a blanket on the balcony chair and loves the fresh air in spring and summer. She has a litter tray and bothers nobody. I have opened the door for a bit in winter but she wanders out, shivers and wanders in again!

My daughters two cats go outside but are completely different. One stays close to home, the other goes walk about all over the place. They both come running when they hear their food bowl.

It’s not meant to be unpleasant, more than someone choosing to let pets roam should take accountability for that.

Of course I feel for wild life, I do not in fact have a water feature.

Just that it’s not someone else’s responsibility to care for someone’s roaming pet.

If I had a cat (I’m allergic) it’s my responsibility to keep it safe. Same as a dog. It’s not my neighbours job.

it’s my fault for not ensuring cats/wildlife have a plank to walk out on?

Your words Summerlove!! You mentioned wildlife.

Summerlove, honestly I wouldn't think to do a lot of things that don't pose risk to myself but, I wouldn't mind doing it for anyone who pointed it out and asked me nicely. Like when someone knocks and asks me to check my shed for missing kitties.

I remember when I found out slug pellets are dangerous and kill birds and animals.. It just never occurred to me because why would people sell nature murder pellets to keep slugs off my begonias (I don't even know what a begonia is I just needed a quick flower name).

Saying that, there is a slug lover out there who thinks I'm evil for that too so....

I've forgotten what my point was now

My cats are house cats but this summer have decided they will both make concerted bids for freedom. The female has jumped out of an upstairs window and the male has taken to sidling between legs at open doors and getting the toddler to let him out.

We can do our best to keep them in but accidents happen.