Cards and Cats

The last time we discussed the card issue I posted a copy of the Republican Party membership card, and also reported that the Democratic Party of Cook County doesn't issue cards, but that their members are all enrolled on a list.  You have to pay something to get the Republican card, and one way you can get on the Democrat's list is to give them money.  Maybe they call it a donation rather than dues, but it's the same difference.  My main point is that you can't become a member of any organization by unilaterally declaring that you are one.  You have to apply and they have to accept your application.  If the Democratic Party doesn't have Uncle Ken's name on their list, he is not a member.  Ipso facto, case closed.

There are three ways to keep cats: inside, outside, or inside/outside.  Inside cats are usually not comfortable outdoors and, if they get out accidently, bad things can happen to them.  Outside cats, sometimes called "barn cats", are usually not comfortable indoors and some of them will not tolerate being handled by humans.  Inside/outside cats are comfortable in both domains, although they are known to linger in an open doorway for an inordinate amount of time trying to make up their mind if they really want to cross over into their alternate habitat.  Inside cats probably make the best pets, but they seldom are useful for mouse control.  If mice have the free run of your house, it will take more than a cat to get rid of them.  Outside cats are the better mousers, especially if you don't feed them excessively.  One would think that inside/outside cats provide the best of both worlds, but one drawback is that they occasionally bring outside mice home with them, and those mice are not always dead.  I saw something on TV once that said feral cats bring home live mice to teach their kittens how to hunt, and it may be that inside/outside cats are following this instinctual imperative.  Another theory is that they think they are bringing you a present, I suppose in gratitude for all the food you provide for them.

Speaking of food, if you feed your cats outside, they will likely invite other cats over for dinner.  This is usually not a problem with barn cats because they tend to have short lifespans, and you almost can't have too many barn cats.  With inside/outside cats, if your cat is not neutered and one of their visitors is of the opposite gender, there will be kittens.  Kittens are cute when they're little, but they soon grow up and have kittens of their own.  When most wild animals grow up, they disperse and establish new territories in which to make babies of their own.  With cats, not so much.  While each successive generation becomes more wild and unapproachable, they still hang around the house, eating your original cat's food and anything else they can drag home from the surrounding countryside.  After a while, the property starts to smell really bad, and something has to be done.  As I said, these cats are generally unapproachable, but they will readily enter a cage trap, provided by your local animal control agency,  that has been baited with ham, or so I have been told.