On freedom of cats

The future is in our past -

Spring seems to have sprung! Well alright, we have had only had a few good days and the animals are more evident in the garden. But we can dream. Perhaps the snow will be gone soon. Still, it will probably be below zero again next week. My mother used to say. "N'er cast a clout before May is out." I would say June myself.

Anyway, Snowsweet, the cat, seems to be losing her winter coat and is venturing out more and staying longer. So, something is on the go. She doesn't like winter much, even though she survived quite well as a kitten outside during the winter, before being rescued.

We brought her in out of the cold six years ago, and she very quickly got the hang of the comfortable life. Because she was a stray cat we took her to the vet for the usual cat things. It was there she was diagnosed with leukemia, and we were told that likely she wouldn't be to live long.

It was probably because of the expectation of a shortened lifespan that we decided to let her be an indoor/outdoor cat. Not everyone agreed with that decision. For one thing, if she were outdoors she would have to keep her claws and be given freedom to come and go as she pleased.

That decision was good for the cat, but not for the furniture. Expecting her life to be short, we didn't discipline her too much. As a consequence, every stick of furniture in the house is the worse for wear, and there is not much point in replacing it.

It's funny how people think about cats. Our friends, with strictly indoor cats, were certain that she would not last long outside. It turned out to be quite the opposite. She is an avid hunter and quite able to survive the perils of the woods. She became one with all she surveys.

There is one peril, however, that she has not been able to conquer - another cat. Snowy was having the time of her life until a male cat turned up and decided that he would dominate her.

Now she pokes her head out the door and sniffs a bit before gingerly putting a paw outside to test the water, so to speak. When she feels the coast is clear she curls up in a ball on the patio. She needs to be sure that she can get back into the house quickly when he is around.

That has not stopped her from resuming her killing spree. If some person is outside in the yard, she feels free to roam the woods and frequently brings back an animal. And if the other cat is not there, when she ventures out, she scurries out of sight. But the fact remains that she is not as free and carefree as she used to be.

This is taking its toll on all of us. Whereas before we let her out and waited for her to return, now we worry if she is not back when we think she should be. If she is not back at bedtime, we have to keep checking. She used to walk with a swagger, but no more.

It breaks my heart to know that she's lost a certain amount of freedom, and we wonder if it will take a toll on her illness. We wonder if its her freedom and the resultant happiness that has helped her live this long. She has certainly lived the life a cat is meant to live. She is a hunter and explorer, and to take that away would have been cruel in the extreme.

But then this tussle with the other cat is part of the cat scene, and maybe it will do her no harm in the end. She had demonstrated that she can take care of herself, and we've decided to let her figure her own way out of predicaments.

It's a cat-eat-cat world out there, and we have to let Snowsweet be herself and take care of herself. The expectation of danger and finding a way to deal with predators is the price we pay for freedom. Does this price take its toll?

There are pros and cons on the merits of freedom for cats - and for humans? Some people swear that cats must remain inside for protection. But Snowsweet has taught me that locking her up in a relatively safe environment wouldn't have been the right thing to do. Taking risks is part of living life to the fullest and no one knows the day nor the hour, even if we do have everything planned perfectly.

The question is, even though our hearts may be in the right place, is it right for us to deny our pets the freedom to follow their instincts and live as they were meant to live? Do we often make choices that pander to our own comfort, instead of the cat's? And do we do the same for everyone around us? The question remains: what is the right and proper thing to do?