[Narz]

Can cats, spoiled by daily feedings, learn to survive completely on their own in a rural setting, do you think?

I love my cats (as might be obvious by my avatar) and I want to be able to have them around during tough times (obviously that'd be comforting).

I take really good care of my little fur bundles and I hope they live to 25. I figure even if I couldn't acquire enough meat to feed them on a regular basis I could give 'em fresh chicken eggs and goat's milk and they could catch the difference (they're outdoor cats and know how to hunt).

Thoughts on this topic?

I'd like to have a dog someday too (a big dog, little dogs are for women ) and I imagine keeping a 50-80 pound dog alive would be alot more work (though, being omnivorous might help a little).

[lateralus]

There is an Indian with a sore ass whom I suspect will enter this thread soon enough to chastise you on pet ownership in general. Don’t worry, there are plenty more spankings that can be dished out here as well.

Rice can keep a dog alive quite comfortably and rice keeps very well. Store rice, it can be suppemented with meat from a variety of sources.

[Narz]

You have any pets lateralus?

[lateralus]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Narz', 'Y')ou have any pets lateralus?

[Baldwin]

I am getting a Sib. Husky on Monday. It is a white-tan male.

Siberian huskies are extremely food efficient. Do you think Siberia was a cornucopia of food? A husky can live of a cup of dry food with some extra meat and fat during the winter months.

[lateralus]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Baldwin', 'I') am getting a Sib. Husky on Monday. It is a white-tan male.

[Bas]

how did the cat get so fat?

[Loki]

I've thought a bit about this myself. I take care of a grumpy old cat and will spring a mutt dog out of the pound as soon as my situation allows. Your ability to feed them long term is really dependent on the individual animals and your situation. If you and your loved ones are starving, the animals will come last, it won't be a choice.

But I don't think things will get that bad. Think of how many animals people who are dirt poor have. Dogs are omnivores and can eat just about anything. The early fur traders in my area said dogs were ubiquitous in Indian villages and that they mostly ate fish offal and other throw-away garbage (including the corpses of slaves). Cats can live off of small rodents, of course, which is why we originally had them around. But I know my cat is too old and set in her ways to learn subsistence hunting. Hell, she'd rather starve than eat a new brand of kibble (literally).

[lateralus]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Loki', ' ')Your ability to feed them long term is really dependent on the individual animals and your situation. If you and your loved ones are starving, the animals will come last, it won't be a choice.

[Narz]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('lateralus', 'H')ow will people with children feed their children when formula and bottled baby food runs out?

[lateralus]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Narz', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('lateralus', 'H')ow will people with children feed their children when formula and bottled baby food runs out?

[Baldwin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('lateralus', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Loki', ' ')Your ability to feed them long term is really dependent on the individual animals and your situation. If you and your loved ones are starving, the animals will come last, it won't be a choice.

[lateralus]

Sorry. My wife is a vet. Problem solved.

[Narz]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('lateralus', 'I') give you an A for humour.

[lateralus]

I respect you for your love of your pets Narz. I use this phrase, perhaps to often, but what the fuck.

I salute you.

[jdmartin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Baldwin', '
')Have you seen the vet bills people spend for pets? Those stupid Americans think of their pets (particularly dogs and cats) as their smaller, furrier children. (Although, if the family is Italian, the humans and animals are equally as furry).

[The_Toecutter]

I keep snakes. So long as I have them, no worries about rodents...

[Baldwin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('jdmartin', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Baldwin', '
')Have you seen the vet bills people spend for pets? Those stupid Americans think of their pets (particularly dogs and cats) as their smaller, furrier children. (Although, if the family is Italian, the humans and animals are equally as furry).

[Narz]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('lateralus', 'I') respect you for your love of your pets Narz. I use this phrase, perhaps to often, but what the fuck.

I salute you.

[Newsseeker]

Medical care for both humans and animals will be scarce post-peak (a decade or more after the peak) and so it will be hard to prevent heartworms and other problems. Exotic animals that are averse to cold will not do well but the warm-blooded animals should do alright. Just a few thoughts.