They adore negotiating the obstacle course of three cat doors, two sets of stairs and the stretch of rec room between to present us with live worms when it rains and moths to munch at their leisure. True, Ross admitted. But a pingpong ball in the bathtub can keep a kitty entertained for hours. OK, maybe 750,000 if you discount for picture windows and cell-phone towers, Audubon estimates. Belling doesn't work.
Cats know how to slink without tinkling.
And birds aren't bell-conditioned, anyway. And cats that kill birds bring home more pathogens than cats that stay inside flinging fake fur balls into the air. I asked all this feeling defensive, like a working mother debating the latest anti-day care study. Well, the point of this six-agency push for indoor felines is not to make people feel like bad cat parents if they let their cats out occasionally, Ross said, soothing my ruffled feathers. I know how they feel, I thought.