Thread: First time owner

Hiya!

I agree with Antonia about the risks to cats even in the countryside. I actually live in a country cottage but - very sadly for me - I am not able to let my cats roam free. They live in the house and have an outside run accessed from the kitchen.

Added to the risks Antonia mentioned, nowadays crops are sprayed with all sorts of nasty chemicals, there's farm machinery etc - and although theft may seem rather unlikely, I do actually know of Maine Coons that have been stolen. This is an area where land owners allow hunters to come and shoot anything that moves....the list of dangers is endless.

The majority of breeders will ask you to sign an agreement that you do not intend to let their cats roam and there are very good reasons for this. There may be exceptions but in general MC's are not very street-wise.

My previous cats were free roaming former strays - moggies both of them. Both of them dragged themselves home to me seriously injured on separate occasions. One recovered after emergency surgery but the other - the most wonderful sweet natured cat I ever knew - died an agonised death on the vet's operating table. I could never face that again.