I have several pet peeves…no pun intended. One is when people let their cats outdoor. I have 2 cats...they stay inside at all times except when I let them on my front deck, which they can’t escape from, and I watch over them at all times. They love to be outside and letting them on the deck makes them happy…I have a potted smorgasbord of cat grass and catnip for them out there (and indoor), a tree stump for them to shed their claws on, and I keep a pile of leaves for them to roll around in. Its fine to let your cats outside if you watch them and stay with them, but letting them out unattended is irresponsible. What’s the statistic, cats kill how many millions of birds each year? If you are a birder, or someone who cares about birds, please keep your cats inside…please.

Some people think cats can’t be happy unless they are outside, but that is not true. My cats are as happy as cats could be, I couldn’t let them out unattended even if I wanted to, there are rattlesnakes and coyotes in my yard (besides, the cars going by). When people say (about cats going outside or killing birds) "but that's nature...", it pisses me off. Yes, cats have natural instincts, but it’s not “natural” to have DOMESTIC cats killing wild birds. I’m not judging anyone who lets their cats out, I just care about birds.

My neighbors got a cat last year and asked me advice on what type of food to get, what kind of cat litter …etc, etc. One piece of advice I gave them was “keep the cat indoors, she’ll be safer that way, and she won’t kill all the squirrels and birds in the neighborhood”. Needless to say, the cat was stalking my yard every day, killed all the baby squirrels that summer and several birds. I couldn’t get mad at the cat, it wasn’t her fault…and she was adorable and sweet. What’s worse though is that the cat went missing a few months later. I’m guessing a rattlesnake bit her or coyote got her…she often wandered up onto the hillside. Sucks not only for the owner, but for us as well…even though she killed birds, we were pretty attached to her.