Cyprus-Forum.com

[suegwyn]

lots of traffic in Paphos and lots of cats! Even though Lannate is banned it still gets used, we had a cat come into our garden dying from it, not apretty sight and now we're told that there is a new poison out there even worse than Lannate.

[Lee A Kada]

..............and don't forget that many a cat in Cyprus has had an encounter with a snake and lost

[Oracle]

..............and don't forget that many a cat in Cyprus has had an encounter with a snake and lost

That is a real worry .... silly, playful things!

[Tim Drayton]

For what it's worth, I know two people who brought cats to Cyprus and both these folk have told me if they had the benefit of prior knowledge they would not have done so.

The stress for the animals involved in bringing cats and having over 4 hours travel is enormous. They are usually drugged for well over 6 hours to cover check in time etc and are in a box for over that time until collected.

Perhaps my friends didn't research things very well but one of her cats died due to what she said was stress and the other friend finds that apartment living with cats that have been used to running free outside stressful for her as constant cat litter changing is quite a chore or the stench of cat urine becomes awful.

We all love our pets but you have to ask yourself, would you subject a human to that sort of ordeal.

I refresh my cats' litter every day - I don't find it that much of a chore, to be honest, and if you change it on a daily basis there is not much smell.

PS Sorry to add to all the negativity, but there is one more point. Cats find the hot Cyprus summers very hard to bear. Remember that they cannot sweat and they cannot take off their fur coats. The result is that during the hottest months they spend most of the day flopped over the coolest surface they can find. I would imagine that cats used to the British climate would find it even harder to adapt.

[Tim Drayton]

The following article presents things in a differnt light.

http://www.catsplay.com/thedailycat/200 ... doors.html

Should Cats Live Indoors?

From the Editors of Cat Facts

Cats live happily in many different kinds of homes. Whether it's a mansion or an efficiency apartment, a houseboat or a camper, cats accommodate well.

The strongly conditioned comforts of home include warmth and shelter, food, at least one reliably cleaned litter box, soft places in which to sleep and groom, and a kind, social atmosphere with both human and animal family members. Throw in some good petting and scratching, and perhaps some toys to bat around, and you have the formula for feline contentment. But what about the fun of the outdoors? Do cats need to go outside, perhaps to hunt? What about exercise and sunshine? In fact, cats can have all their needs met while safely indoors.

Safety is the most important issue, and for this reason many veterinarians recommend keeping cats exclusively indoors. It's just simple math: The average lifespan of an indoor cat is 12 to 16 years, while the average lifespan of an outdoor cat is three to five years. Why the big difference? First, cats are among the most frequently killed animals on the road, and this is especially true in rural areas where cars travel particularly fast. Cats may fall prey to neighborhood predators, including dogs, birds of prey and coyotes. The social life of an outdoor cat also includes other cats, and injuries resulting from cat fights are not uncommon. The outside world also harbors many hidden toxins. Although feline taste buds are much more fastidious than those of dogs or small children, cats do fall victim to such poisons as automotive anti-freeze, rodent bait, or metaldehyde, a slug poison. There are also health issues to consider -- susceptible cats can fall victim to feline leukemia virus, feline immunodeficiency virus, rabies virus, parasites and other diseases.

In addition to the risks to safety and health, behavior problems may develop as a result of going outdoors. Cats no longer need to hunt in order to be happy, any more than they need to breed. As territorial creatures, cats are very sensitive to the presence, even the smells or sounds, of other cats in the neighborhood. Once back indoors, they are then more likely to spray urine or pick a fight with other cats in their own home.

Given all these cautions, then, how do we convince cats that it is best to just watch the world from the window ledge? The easiest way is to decide before bringing them home, and to raise them indoors. Cats accustomed to the indoors usually make no attempt to escape because of their innate caution about the unknown. But for cats who have experienced the outdoors, the transition from indoor-and-outdoor to indoor-only takes some planning and a few precautions.

Although some cats appear to accept this change with little protest, for others the transition may be a little more difficult. Owners can help by making the outdoor-to-indoor transition gradual (for example, by letting the cat out later each morning and calling her in earlier each evening). Whether the changeover is gradual or abrupt, some protest is to be expected. Be prepared for escape attempts -- these can be minimized if family members come and go through a different door for awhile. Cats can also be distracted by a dish of delicious food just before owners leave the house.

Cats are creatures of habit who live habitual lives, but habits can be changed. Learning to live indoors is ultimately the safest choice.

Couldn't you try confining your cats to the house for a few weeks as an experiment to see how they react? I know from experience that SOME cats can adapt very well to living indoors 100% of the time.

[rotate]

Dont believe everything that you are told about Cypriots and their treatment of animals, cats in particular.
My neighbours who are all Cypriot do not poison shoot burn lynch or run over cats or stray dogs, most have cats/dogs of their own which are generally well fed and looked after. Our one village shop sells cat and dog food faster than it can be re-ordered, and I doubt very much that it is used for anything other than animal consumption.

We do have a ferral cat population which is for the most part tolerated as in the countryside these cats help to keep down other less welcome species whereas domesticated cats like to bring the results of their foraging home 'alive' to either impress the people that they control or scare the living daylights out of them

As for the air transportation of animals, I saw some pretty sorry sights in the years that I worked in the industry but others on this forum and elsewhere have since said that things are now much improved

Possibly my Cypriot brother-in-law could be prosecuted for animal cruelty, his cats and dogs are so well fed that its odds on evens within the family if he or one of his pets is the first to suffer a Myocardial Infarction

[melwood]

Thankyou for your constructive reply, it really reenforced the way I'm feeling about the whole thing. I just will find it so hard to leave them behind but I will if it's for the bestm

[INGALILL]

I had same dillema like you Melwood but Ive decided to leave them at home with my parents. Both of them are adult males and I think they wouldnt adopt to Cyprus and make some cat friendships :/ Plus i was kinda afraid to travel with them by plane. Its a big shock for an animal if you are doing this for a first time, so they will stay in my country. Same with my dog...Sure I will miss them as hell but I think its best for them.