English/German as always. Expand for full album
Miez has gotten quite used to going outside on her own while I keep track of her via GPS. I have this window that is divided into two parts, the smaller of which opens first. So this is the perfect exit and entry point for her.
Nachdem ich endlich verstanden habe, dass meine Miez nicht auf das etwaig nasse Fensterbrett hüpfen möchte, also habe ich ihr eine Katzentreppe mit Durchgangsschleuse gebaut.
Miez hat sich super dran gewöhnt alleine raus zu gehen, während ich per GPS genau weiß, wo sie sich rum treibt. Ich habe dieses geteilte Fenster von dem der kleinere Teil sich zuerst öffnen lässt. Das ist perfekt als Durchgang für sie.
Lately however she went outside here, then waited to be let in at the terrace (other side of the house). She refused to go back in by this window. So today I gave in and upcycled the rest of a living room wall I got from a friend (the majority went into another project).
Seit Herbst ist hat sie jedoch damit angefangen, zwar noch hinten raus zu gehen, will dann aber unbedingt vorne zur Terasse wieder rein gelassen werden, und weigert sich strikt das Fenster zu benutzen. Also hab ich ihrer Bitte Gewähr geleistet und habe den Rest der alten Wohnzimmerwand eines Freundes verbastelt (den Großteil hab ich für ein anderes Projekt gebraucht).
Miez kept a close look at every step, even defying the noise of my jigsaw at times. I think by now she knows that most of the stuff I build is for her.
Miez hat mir trotz Stichsäge stets zugeschaut. Ich denke sie weiß, dass das meiste das ich baue für sie ist.
Most of the times she interrupts me like this is to demand cuddles though.
Meistens wenn sie so nah kommt, will sie für Kuschelpausen sorgen.
As the raw material is really practical I had finished this in just a couple of hours. I'm contemplating giving the wood some additional protection, but I don't think it's worth the effort. I built the entrance way like this so less heat escapes. Once she's used to it, I'll make the openings smaller, possibly with some cat flap.
Da das Rohmaterial sehr praktisch ist, hat mich das ganze nur wenige Stunden gekostet. Ich überlege, das Holz noch besser zu schützen, aber bin mir unsicher ob es den Mehraufwand wert ist. Ich habe so eine Schleuse gebaut, damit weniger Heizwarme flöten geht. Wenn sie sich dran gewöhnt hat, mach ich die Öffnungen noch kleiner, wahrscheinlich mit ner Katzenklappe.
With a little encouragement, she went for it. Sorry for the imgur upload, I currently don't have any other video hoster (that actually deletes files when I remove them).
Mit etwas Ermutigung hat es schnell geklappt. Sorry dass ich noch imgur verwende, hab noch keine neue gute Plattform für Videouploads (die entfernte Sachen auch wirklich löscht).
if you posted this on reddit you would be flamed into oblivion by virtue signalling blowhards how letting a cat out is literally Satan and you are personally responsible for the destruction of the environment and not their own rampant consumption and pollution.
I am well aware of that, these holier-than-though people exist here as well. Also, my conscience is clear as Miez only hunts mice by sitting in front of their entrances. She is way too old, slow and limping to learn catching birds.
I'd be more worried for her safety then if that's true
To people like me it's a risk reward calculation, to others it's about eliminating even the slightest risk. It's a question of mindset. To me, the other mindset doesn't make sense and is even a slippery slope, as this is how you end up with helicopter parents, surveillance states etc., all because of giving yourself an impossible task.
I have considered the risks, have watched how she behaves, and have come to the conclusion that it's worth the risk as long as her hearing and eyesight are still good.
Worth it to gain what?
You are not re-wilding an animal that's gotten used to being in a zoo.
Your logic is like overfeeding a pet because it likes the food enough to keep eating it.
Your cat is not a toddler that will one day need to be a functioning member of society. You can and should make decisions that ensure its safety in exchange for its freedoms.
It's the same reasoning behind why you don't let a child hit the town until they're old enough. The difference, is that a cat is never "old enough". It's a pet.
Classic bad faith arguing: Not understanding the other party, not knowing which pros and cons, neither understanding why I used these examples, so assuming the most braindead argument you can come up with. But you're not at all willing to even consider my point, which is why there is no use talking to you.
Then you are guilty of the same thing. The above is a retort to the idea that my side has any relation to authoritarian thinking. It's not based on my assumptions around your reasoning, but literally a point you just tried to make.
There are legitimate reasons to give a creature the opportunity to learn to fend for itself and as such expose it to the risks of doing so. Children who must one day become independent adults. Animals to be re-wilded and released back into nature.
Neither, nor any other that I'm aware of, apply to domestic pets.
I am perfectly willing to consider your mindset. My very first sentence is a question requesting you elaborate on what exactly it is you gain by trading in the safety of your cat. Because you don't actually mention what that is.
We're not in the American wilderness, tho.
Like the other guy said.
How can your conscience be clear, if the one in danger is Miez?
This is Germany. What's going to eat her, a blue tit? Wolves don't come this close to houses and kites don't eat cats.
Parasites. Disease. Pest traps. Poisons. Traffic. Dangerous climbs. Other cats. People.
I know someone who had three cats get run over before they learned to keep them inside. They live on an island in the finnish archipelago that barely even has roads let alone traffic.
Another friend lost two cats to a neighbour who fed them poisoned chicken.
Go on. Tell me there's zero risk.
Life is risky. You should probably go outside today without fearing that a meteor will strike you... And so should that cat. By all means, take reasonable precautions, but your comment is over the top.
Listing five preventably dead cats I personally knew is over the top?
Why is taking the risk important?
You are not re-wilding an animal that's gotten used to being in a zoo, in order to restore an endangered species.
You are releasing a domestic pet into an uncontrolled environment.
Why is it important to do that? And why does this importance only apply to cats?
It's still not good. Not gonna call op Satan, and I had outdoor cats as a kiddo.
I like that you imply people should do whatever they want, regardless of consequences, if there's other bad things happening too. Fuck that. Do the right thing as often as you can. It doesn't matter if that's being more conscious of pollution and consumption, keeping cats indoors (for their health and for the environment), or whatever else you can do to improve yourself and the world. Just because other people do bad things doesn't give you an excuse to also. If you can recognize the failure of others then you're perfectly capable of recognizing it in yourself too.