I’m checking in to make sure I don’t get lost. Everything is going great except this weather is terrible. The wind is so high beating everything up and it’s gonna get cold tonight and tomorrow night so I am attempting to water the orchard. If the wind would die down, it would make a lot easier on that sprinkler. What are y’all planting?

The kids were here today, and we had a great time. I gave my grand daughter two gallon jugs with seeds sprouting in them, and told her about winter sowing, I think it is great for someone that has a job, and not a lot of time to mess with starting seeds in the house.

Looks like our low here for the night, will be 22* .

Last year, our last night below freezing was in late February.

You're right, Kim. The weather has been terrible. The winds are unlike anything that I remember experiencing for such a duration. I came in from work yesterday and had to pick up and secure even more things that had blown off. The little coop had blown open and those chickens were out.

I covered the Vego bed with the root veg. Brought in the coleus and herbs. Double covered the snapdragons, calendula, strawberries and cabbage. Even so, they're probably goners. Quick inspection before work this morning. I feel sick about it. I should have taken those trays to the shop. I spent a lot of time on those little plants. Not sure if the lettuces in the hoop house and Greenstalk survived and they were covered. Supposedly those plants can survive down to 20 to 25. But, it's probably established plants in the ground.

I can pick up a few cabbage plants to replace mine. Only if I find them cheap enough otherwise it's more cost effective to just buy cabbage at the store. I won't be able to find calendula or snapdragons more than likely. I had their spot in the garden all ready too. I'm so disappointed in myself.

So...after work I'll check it all out and see if anything survived.

Inside, on the light shelf, the tomatoes and peppers are looking great. The bell pepper (It's Olympus) is beginning to germinate. It looks like we'll have 3. And that is just fine with me. I would like to find some pimento plants. Do you ever see those at nurseries?

Life has been busy. I overdid it and now my wrist/hand is acting up again. Maybe it's the weather change but I was so sleepy yesterday after getting a good 7 hours of sleep. Ended up taking a 2 hour nap in the late afternoon before going to my event last night. AND, could barely keep my eyes open all evening.

We were able to get the little coop cleaned finally on Saturday and fixed it so the hens wouldn't roost where I didn't want them to roost because it was right over the nesting box. It feels good to get little things accomplished.

Its March in Oklahoma. We get whip sawed by the wind. One day its a cold front from the north, next day its from the south. And vice versa.

The 90's this week will be unusual. But I recall it getting to 90* in February 1981. I was working in the oil field and we were shedding clothes. Its not unprecedented, though many will be calling it extreme weather from climate change.

And its a good bet it happened a lot in the 1930's. Almost that entire decade set high heat records. Okies thought the climate had permanently changed and moved to California. The climate alarmists want to ignore the 30's. When they make their charts of rising temps, they start in the 1940's or 50's .

And weather historians say the 1870's were even hotter.

Jennifer, I wish I were closer to you.

The bottom row of peppers should be Ashe County pimento's. I am trying to get my daughter and grand daughter to save and start seeds. The bottom row is some seeds that my daughter brought over marked "Ashton". When I told her that she did not get any Ashdon peppers from me, she told me that they were ash something. Anyway there are 26 plants in that row, and that is more than we need, but I think I will go ahead and plant the rest of the seeds that are in the container, I should be able to give the plants away, they seem to be a hit to everyone who tries them.. I planted that tray on the night of the 9th, so I should have enough time to get the others up. I first need to go ro the Co-op for more potting soil, I am out of the Pro mix.

I would love to buy some of your AC pimentos, Larry! Too bad we don't live closer to each other.

Good news! It appears the plants I was worried about survived after all.

I'm heading over to the north side of OKC to visit a friend today. Taking her some of my marjoram and thyme seedlings. I have way too many of each of those.

I won't have time to do much today at home between visiting my friend and Pilates, but I'm hoping to up-pot tomatoes tomorrow. The butterfly peas too maybe as well as the sage.

What are y'all up to today?

Jennifer, I am not sure if you are referring to your to your AC pimentos , or something else. I was planning on planting the rest of the seed that Emmy brought over to me today after I get back from the clinic, but if you will send me, or Madge a message today with your address, if you still want the seeds I will send them to you instead. I don't like to sell anything because God has blessed me with friends that like to share, and I feel that I must do the same.

My Facebook messenger is messed up, but Kim knows how to contact Madge. I don't even know how to text anymore.

The date 3-17-25 comes to mind when I think about planting last year. I think I placed some sweet potatoes in potting soil, or up potter some. But, anyway, here is a picture of my sweet potatoes 3-17-26, I placed these in a flat on 3-12-26, most of them were just the sprouting ends of some sweet potatoes ( Madge cooked my slip potatoes) Anyway, I should still have time to get all the slips that I want by May.

The sprouts are just starting to show through the soil. I want to have at least 36 slips in the ground by the last of May. Last year I started over 400 slips, surely I can get 36+ this year.

I ask Madge to make some sweet potato bread with nuts and raisins, I may have to dig out some more sweet potatoes, because Madge has frozen all of those that I cut the ends off of.

Thanks, Larry, but I was referring to buying some of your plants. I probably won't start more pepper seed this year. It's okay, tho, I'll try Ashe County again next year. Thanks for the offer, tho!

I need Madge's recipe for sweet potato bread. That sounds delicious. It's funny because I woke up this morning thinking that I want to make pumpkin bread with the remaining butternut squashes that I have.

I'm off Whole 30 now. But am easing back in. I did have Ezekiel bread yesterday and today. It's weird to be off bread and sugar for 30 days. I don't eat a lot of those things, but do enjoy them. A lot.

Looks like I am going to get my day off tomorrow. For awhile it looked like I was going to need to cover for someone. There's so many options of things to do on a day off. It's so good and so hard to make decisions on what to focus on.

Rebecca, my pecan tree is showing no signs yet.

Greenstalk has their green colored towers and accessories on sale today, so I ordered a couple of their lids. Unfortunately they don't have the Snow colored lids, so I just did green. I've been trying to decide which color of lid would look best on the Snow towers. Green was on sale, so green it is.

Its so predictable, I'm already seeing these next few days being attributed to climate change. Its like clockwork. Every , and I mean every, weather event becomes politicized.

Here's a list of the warmest days on record in Oklahoma City. A good number of them occurred around or over a 100 years ago. Why did it get so warm back then ? Must've been all that CO2 in the atmosphere ?

1904 must've been a really warm month of March. It had two days in the 90's .

Highest March Temperatures in Oklahoma City

Henry ford did it Lynn, that Ford was a real polluter.

Just turn the news off, Lynn.

So here I go-- a day off with no real plan. But, (I think) I'll begin with starting some zinnia seed. Then move outside to up-pot tomatoes.

But, I also want to put out my few Easter/spring decor.

A friend was gifted some duck eggs. She thinks they taste bad so gave them to me. Just ate one and it tastes like my chicken eggs. First duck egg I've ever eaten.

Have a good day, Friends.

Jennifer, your duck eggs are about me eating goat meat. When I was young I had heard that goat meat was not fit to eat, when I tried some, I felt that it was fine. I doubt that I would have know it was goat meat if I had not been told so. But, on the other hand, dad went hunting and killed a duck. Mom did not know how to cook the duck, and it was terrible. But I remember my grand mother making goose and dressing one time and it was great.

I bought some Bloom booster at Ace today, I think that I will sweeten some potting soil with it and up pot a few plants. Some of my potting soil has been sitting outside all winter, and I think it needs a little food in it.

The tomatoes are in the hoop house now. I had 19, but now have 18 because I snapped one. ERRR! I popped it into a cup of water to see if I can get roots growing on it. The rest are all potted up. I'll probably only plant 10 to 12 of those 18, tho. The others will be give aways.

The sage and butterfly peas were up-potted too.

I'm afraid my sweet peas aren't going to make it. The wind was so hard on them. And now we're having the weather be dumb in the opposite way. No one needs 90+ degree weather in March. It's going to be difficult to keep the cool season things happy.

However, I'm sure we'll have another frost before it's all over. Probably on Easter weekend when everyone is trying to have family get-togethers and egg hunts. lol

The day off yesterday was so good. I didn't get everything done, but got a lot tackled. The butternut squashes are all pureed and put in the freezer now. Some was used for making pumpkin bread. Not really the season for it, but yum.

I won't start as many winter squash seeds this year. There's enough in the freezer to get me through the upcoming fall/winter.

That's about all of the gardening things that I did other than watering and will probably do more watering after work.

I can't believe it's already March 19. The first quarter of the year has flown by. I hear people saying January feels so long but it never does for me. I've been enjoying my evenings of hot tea and reading, but those will come to an end very soon....and move to iced herbal teas in the garden.

Time is flying by. This is my oldest son's birthday, he is 63 today.

I worked up a flower bed along the north side of our driveway yesterday, and worked up a couple of flower beds in the wildlife garden to day. One of the beds will be about 100' long. I don't always have a bed in the wildlife garden. Most years I am in such a rush getting ground ready because of such a wet winter and spring. This is the first year that I can remember getting ground ready this early. If the rest of the year continues like this, my garden will burn up by July.

I have 17 tomatoes ready to plant, and at least that many that I can up pot, but it is too early for me to put plants in the soil, because it is too hard for me to give them frost protection, and this valley is very unpredictable about frost.

Jennifer. I have a row approx. 30' long ready for butternut, I expect that will be all of the winter squash that I will plant. I plan on cutting back on the number of row feet that I will have panted this year. I am planning on my rows to be much farther apart this year, and using things like sweet potatoes and winter squash to sort of work and a living mulch of ground cover, I have done that with sweet potatoes and peas in the past, but have never used squash like that. I have also piled up a good bit of hay to use as a mulch.

Glenda, Look at my sweet potato slips just 7 days after placing them in the flat, I should have no problem getting the 36+ plants by planting time.

Jennifer, when I went into the center bed room to check on my plants I had another 24 Ashe County peppers sprouting., and about a dozen Red pimentos sprouting+ other peppers, plus I have flower plants everywhere. I had planned on cutting back this year, and I thought that I had, but it looks like I will still have more plants than I had planned on having.

I'm at the stage where I take everything outside, then turn around and take it back inside. I have entirely too many tomatoes, but I did thin out a lot of old seeds. Hopefully it isn't too windy this weekend and I can start extending their time outside.

Jen, I think that collecting seed is an addiction. I have way too many seed, and my old body is not going to last long enough to use them all, so some of the peas I plan on planting between the rows and sorta using them as a ground cover. If you plant peas in that manner you have to be comfortable of walking on them or stepping over them, or even just mowing them. Sometimes I get a pretty good crop like that, some times almost nothing. Some of my seeds will just be tossed out for the birds.

One thing I was unhappy about yesterday when I checked the pasture garden, and the south garden was the amount of freeze damage that I had. My plum, and peach trees, plus my hollyhocks had been frozen, hopefully they will come back out. Madge was happy about so man peonies grow, some even budding out, some just now coming through the soil surface.

Larry I agree. Seeds are addicting. I donated a bunch to my work. Some came up some didn’t. I really want to get everything planted now that it’s warm and it’s gonna stay warm. I will not plant cow peas, peppers, and eggplants until about April 15. I think that’s when the ground temperature is gonna be nice and warm.

Kim, I hate to say this, but Madge and I went to Ft. Smith to eat, and being as we were that close to the Co-op I had to go in to check their seed supply. You would not believe it, but the Co-op had some seeds that I did not have, so I bought several packs, they were mostly flower seeds, but I want to make some flower beds in the lawn, and the wildlife garden.

Pretty sure I've never ran the sprinkler in March. Ever.

But, ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

It's the first day of spring but feels like mid summer. Just hoping my lettuce and other greens can hang in there to give me a good harvest. Funny because my lettuce in the Greenstalk is recovering from the frost last week. Now, it's being hit with extreme heat.

I've started a half dozen sweet potato slips and will do a half dozen more. We seem to not eat the sweet potatoes quickly enough. We had an excellent harvest last year.

Part of the issue is we also had a good winter squash harvest. I use sweet potatoes and winter squash interchangeably in some recipes.

Anyway, I'll only do a dozen slips.

Trying to decide when to plant my strawberries, calendula, snapdragons and borage. Probably need to wait on a cooler day with some clouds.

Larry my sweet potato has zero growth, even though I put it on the heat mat. Looking at your picture i may not have it planted deep enough. Maybe they will have a small bunch of slips somewhere - they are hard to find around here. Just in case I will stick a sweet potato in a jar of water and hope for the best. I lost most of my lettuce, spinach, radishes, and greens as well as the sugar snaps. I’m not sure what damaged the most - freeze, wind, or now the heat. Jennifer I am watering every day and haven’t watered any of my flowerbeds. Bill has torn his rotator cuff and we have been on the road constantly to one doctor or another - I’ve neglected a lot in house and gardens just keeping up with chores and daily necessities, New baby calf today, always a good thing.

Jennifer I have ran the sprinklers at work almost every day I work. Lots of water just to keep everything happy and get a good stand. My green beans got nipped in the frost. Will they recover or should I replant?

Glenda, have you and Bill talked about a Depuy Delta reverse shoulder joint? I really messed up my right shoulder several years ago, and waited much too long to have it check out. By the time I did go to the Dr. I was told that they did not even know if my shoulder could be repaired. Anyway a garden web member told me about a DR in northwest Arkansas. Dr. Andrew Heinzelmann installed a Depuy Extend delta reverse joint in my right shoulder. I was told that this joint was probably the last choice in joints, but because my rotator cuff was past repair, the reverse joint was my only option. The Dr. told me that he would expect other joints would fail in less than a year, and this one might give me 10 years. I have abused my joint, but I am going on 13 years with it.

The PT, and recovery is not a cake walk, but I went from a arm that I could not even raise enough to wash under it, to an arm that I can reach up and change a light bulb with. I have had both shoulders repaired, but no hardware was added to my left shoulder. The Dr. told me that he did not install this joint in anyone under 70 year old, but he would make an exception in my case. I go for check ups from time to time, and the Dr. told me that he did not use the same joint that I have anymore, because the new revisions have better range of motion, but what I had was still a good joint.

Glenda, I think that the potatoes that I just cut the sprouting end off and placed under the potting soil may be sprouting faster then the whole potato. I did not use the heating mat on these potatoes, but they are coming along fast. It seems as tho a damaged potato may sprout faster.

I have got to move some plants. I would like to plant some flowers, and I have beds ready, but Madge does not want to use what I already have. I think that I will just re-name the plants that I have and plant them anyway. I think that I will just make tags of the plants Madge want, and stick them in the ground near the plants, and tell her how pretty they are.

I need to make a quick trip to town to buy fuel, compost, and potting soil. With all of this BULL that is going on around the world I want to have a little extra on hand.

So I went to the farmers market and bought 15 plant starts not sure if I really needed them but they were so cheap. I could not pass them up and I don’t have time to start anything at home.

My purple leaf sand cherries are at least one week late to bloom. Same with the Korean Spice vibernum. I like shrubs that bloom in the early spring or late winter. I did not think all winter, that I should've kept them watered. Its been so dry.

The little bunnies did not make it two nights. Lost one the first night and the cats got the other three Thursday night. Its on my security cams. Its not pleasant to watch. The tiny little rabbits did not have a chance. Two cats came through during the night.

I'm sure this happens in the wild daily. Animals in the wild have to eat to survive and rabbits are part of the food chain. But if these are domestic pets, the owners should be feeding them. And if so, then the cats are killing because they are killers.

This is partly my fault for not trapping and relocating those cats. I saw this coming. I saw the cats coming through almost every night. I'm almost sure they're feral but I did not want to take someone's pet. When I catch them in the yard, they don't act domestic, they run.

But they've really pissed me off now. If I wanted a damn cat in my yard, I'd get a damned cat.

Will be breaking out my new roto tiller Monday or Tuesday. I think its safe now to go to the ground with tomatoes. The 10 day doesn't show anything close to a freeze. I generally plan on the last week of March.

My purple leaf sand cherries on Mar 14 last year, compared to today

I'm sorry about the bunnies, Lynn. Cats are definitely killers. I have a shop cat and know that he kills bunnies and squirrels, as well as mice and rats. I love bunnies, tho. Future Jennifer will only have one inside cat and possibly a shop cat that has an enclosed catio for outdoor time. Currently, I have 2 indoor cats and one that lives in a small catio in the shop (and comes to the house for a couple of hours in the evening) and the shop cat who just showed up a few years ago. I should only have 1 cat, but people give me their animals. (I'm saying "no" now.) All of mine are well fed. It's just the nature of cats to be killers. Honestly a lot of dogs are killers too. They kill the above plus cats...and my chickens.

Speaking of....my hen, Jorie, was dead in a nesting box this morning. She hatched in 2019 in our coop.

And...chickens are killers too. I've seen them eat mice and small snakes. Gross.

Anyway, I'm down to 23 chickens. Twenty-one hens and two roosters.

Kim, what plants did you purchase? I'm so interested.

Larry, that's too funny! I think Madge will notice the flowers aren't what she wants, tho!

Rebecca, my pecan tree is waking up. Have we had our last frost after all?

My tomatoes aren't ready to put in, tho.

I am so disappointed by this heat. Shade cloth probably won't save everything. I've considered starting more of the Muir lettuce just in case we have a cool April and May. Yeah...I'm gonna do that.

We picked up a bit more compost and soil for the strawberry bed and the area where the snapdragons and calendula will go. The strawberry bed is ready to plant but today is not the day for putting new plants in the garden. Probably will do that tomorrow evening. And possibly the snapdragons and calendula too. I saw snapdragons at Home Depot today but didn't buy any. And the borage and cabbage should be planted tomorrow.

I just had this bad thought. One of my red hens was out of the chicken yard yesterday. I wonder if she ate one of the sweet peas. I could have been Jorie, but I didn't look closely. It's too hot for the sweet peas anyways. They look horrible.

Anyway...

Ran the sprinkler on the other side of the kitchen garden this morning. Everything is good and soaked now. In that garden.

I picked up spearmint, stevia, and cilantro plants at Marcums. I want the cilantro to bolt and drop seed, but need for the plant to stay alive for awhile to be able to do that. Marcums and Home Depot was packed.

Jennifer I got Swiss chard, collards, sungold, marigolds, kale. I picked up 5/10. Visited picked out 5 more. Repeat. finally said I got to go before I get more.

Larry, either Madge will laugh and accept the flowers as you have renamed them or I see an expensive trip to the nursery. Haha

I have not heard of that shoulder procedure. The tear is “significant” but hoping with an injection, exercises and some TLC it will heal without surgery. Well the shot helped so of course today he’s trying to catch up on stuff - I’ve given up on preaching. He will be 79 next month and he isn’t going to start listening now.

Lynn, we have a cat adopted as a pitiful stray that came from who knows where. She is now spayed, well fed, a good mouser and kills moles, gophers, and mice. Unfortunately she also kills birds and seems to favor the same ones I do, the bluebirds and wrens and dove. That’s just in her nature and although I don’t like it, she’s a farm cat - not a house cat. Nature can be cruel, but there’s usually not a way to change some instinctive behavior. She’s a valuable asset getting rid of the others so I’m not going to keep her locked up.

I need to feed my plants, they are looking good and strong, but need a little boost. They should be perfect size to put out in another 2 weeks. I went to TLC and got a bag of potting soil last week. I mix it about 1/2& 1/2 for planters and hanging baskets. While I was there I got a Patio tomato loaded with blooms to have a few early bites of tomato and a pepper called Snackabell Red. My sweet peppers didn’t germinate well this year so I got a couple of Marconi and banana peppers. I sure am glad I raise 98% of my own plants otherwise I’d have a much much smaller garden. Today I started about 7:00 cleaning up my grainary and greenhouse, worked till noon. It will be several days before I get them in shape. I have a bad habit of keeping various containers to use for planting and for giving to others but I have an abundance so some have to go. I also am a seed-a-holic. I can’t pass a rack of seeds without getting at least one of something. The mill in Stillwater where we get feed has very reasonable prices on seeds so I plant a lot of extra vegetables strictly to give away. It’s part of the joy of raising it.

It’s rained all around us, even close as a mile away but we are so so dry. Having to feed hay now where if we had rain the grass would be green and saving hay.

Looking forward to cooler more normal temperatures. I’m not replanting cool crops, don’t see the point.

Lynn, I use to use a pet deterrent fence charger to keep pets out of my flower beds. The charger only put out about 1/8 J of energy, but it is enough to jump start a cat, or a dog .

I have 17 tomato plants like this one, which is too large for my light shelf. I called my daughter today and told her that I needed to get rid of some tomato plants. These plants are starting to put on buds, and will be going out side tomorrow. I will feed them a little bloom booster and let them sit in the sun for a week, they should be ready for my daughter to put containers by the 29th. I also have others that need up potting.

Also in this picture are Shasta Daisies and marigolds that were planted on the same day.

Grok AI

Is it necessary for a cat to be let out to prowl all night

No, **it is not necessary** for a cat to be let out to prowl all night—or even at all. Domestic cats (including those that act like they desperately need to roam) do not require outdoor access to thrive, be happy, or stay healthy. In fact, the vast majority of veterinary organizations, animal welfare groups (like the ASPCA, Cats Protection, and Humane Society), and studies strongly recommend keeping cats **indoors full-time** (or at minimum, indoors at night) for safety reasons.

### Why It's Not Necessary

- Cats are **crepuscular** (most active at dawn and dusk), not strictly nocturnal. Their "prowling" instinct comes from hunting small prey, but indoor cats can satisfy this through play, toys, puzzle feeders, laser pointers, or window perches for bird-watching.

- No biological need exists for outdoor roaming—millions of happy, long-lived indoor cats prove it. Outdoor access is more about expressing natural behaviors than a requirement for survival or well-being.

### Risks of Letting Cats Out at Night (Especially High)

Nighttime roaming amps up dangers significantly:

- **Traffic accidents** — More common at night due to lower visibility; studies show higher road injury/fatality rates for cats after dark.

- **Predators** — Coyotes, owls, raccoons, dogs, and other animals are more active at night and pose serious threats.

- **Fights and injuries** — Territorial disputes with other cats lead to abscesses, infections, or worse.

- **Disease and parasites** — Exposure to FIV, FeLV, rabies, fleas, ticks, worms, etc., increases dramatically outdoors.

- **Other hazards** — Getting lost, trapped, poisoned (antifreeze, rodenticides), or harmed by people/weather.

- **Shorter lifespan** — Outdoor-roaming cats live dramatically shorter lives (often 2–5 years vs. 10–15+ for indoor cats), per multiple studies.

### Potential Benefits (But They Don't Outweigh Risks)

Some owners note outdoor cats seem more "stimulated" or get natural exercise/hunting fulfillment. However, these can be replicated safely indoors:

- More playtime and enrichment reduces boredom/stress.

- Indoor cats are often just as (or more) content when provided with vertical space, scratching posts, interactive toys, and routine.

### Safer Alternatives to "Prowling All Night"

If your cat begs to go out or seems restless at night:

- **Enrichment indoors** — Scheduled play sessions before bed, automatic toys, or a "catio" (enclosed outdoor patio) for safe fresh air.

- **Supervised outings** — Leash walks or harness time during the day.

- **Microchip and ID** — If you do allow limited outdoor time, ensure they're chipped and collared.

- **Bring them in at night** — Many experts advise this year-round, especially in urban/suburban areas like Oklahoma City (traffic, wildlife, extreme weather).

Bottom line: Keeping your cat indoors (especially at night) is the safest, healthiest choice for most pet cats. They don't "need" to prowl outside—it's a preference, not a necessity, and the risks far outweigh any perceived benefits. If your cat is an indoor/outdoor one already or shows signs of stress indoors, a vet or behaviorist can help tailor enrichment. What's your cat's current setup like?

**Indoor cats generally live significantly longer** than cats allowed to roam outdoors (or those that are indoor/outdoor). The difference stems primarily from reduced exposure to dangers like traffic, predators, fights, diseases, toxins, and other hazards.

### Average Lifespans (Based on Veterinary and Research Sources)

- **Strictly indoor cats** (full-time indoors, with good care, nutrition, vet visits, spay/neuter, etc.): Typically **12–20 years** or more.

- Common ranges cited: 13–17 years (Chewy, PetMD), 15–17 years or longer (UC Davis research), up to 15–20+ years in many vet estimates.

- Some well-cared-for indoor cats routinely reach their late teens or early 20s.

- **Outdoor or free-roaming cats** (allowed to roam unsupervised, including feral or stray populations): Often **2–5 years** on average.

- Many sources (PetMD, UC Davis, Humane Society affiliates) cite 2–5 years, sometimes as low as 2–3 years for truly outdoor-only cats.

- This includes high risks from cars, predators (coyotes common in Oklahoma City area), infections (FIV/FeLV), parasites, and injuries.

- **Indoor/outdoor cats** (pets that go in and out): Often fall in between or closer to indoor lifespans.

- Some studies show little significant difference from strictly indoor (e.g., median ~9–10 years in one large UC Davis necropsy study of over 3,100 cats), while others place them at 5–14 years depending on how much time they spend out.

- Supervised or limited outdoor access (e.g., leash walks, catio) reduces risks compared to full roaming.

### Key Factors Influencing These Numbers

- **Spay/neuter status** → Dramatically extends life (intact cats often die younger from roaming-related issues).

- **Breed, genetics, and care** → Indoor cats with routine vet care, balanced diet, and enrichment live longest.

- **Study variations** → Averages can differ by population (pet vs. feral) and location. Popular claims of "10–12+ year difference" are common in advocacy sources, while precise studies show outdoor cats shorter-lived but indoor/outdoor sometimes comparable to indoor-only.

- **Exceptions** → Some lucky outdoor cats live 10+ years, but they're outliers.

The consensus from vets (PetMD, ASPCA, Humane Society groups) is clear: **Keeping cats indoors full-time is the safest way to maximize their lifespan**—often doubling or tripling it compared to roaming. If your cat is indoor/outdoor and you're concerned about longevity (or from our earlier chat about night prowling), transitioning to indoor with lots of play/enrichment is a great step for a longer, healthier life.

If your cat has specific health factors or you're in Oklahoma City (where traffic/wildlife risks are real), a local vet can give personalized advice!

There's not a good reason for a cat to be in my backyard.

Looks good Larry

Our shop cat can't be in our house. He doesn't get along with the indoor male cat. We didn't go adopt him. He showed up at our house. He was already an outdoor cat. He has his shots and is neutered. Also, I've had indoor/outdoor cats. The thing is, once they've been outdoors they will not give you relief if they want out. They'll make a huge ruckus to go outside all day and all night. Indoor play with toys doesn't work either once they've been outside.

But, people who dislike cats, dislike cats. And there's nothing anyone can do or say to make them understand. And that's okay. If a cat is on someone's property and they don't want the cat there, it's their rights to take it to a shelter. It's not a good idea to dump it somewhere, tho. Of course, indoors is the safest and best. But, there's a lot of cats that were born and grew up outdoors. In the cooler months, I keep the shop cat in our shop over night. In the summer, it's too hot to lock him up inside the shop. However, I've considered getting him a catio for the backyard. But that's a whole thing that will cost money and will need some figuring out.

And....there is some benefit to having an outdoor cat. We've never had issues with rodents. Not in the coop. Not in the shop. Luckily most of our neighbors have barn cats and no one cares. It's part of life out here.

I think that it's better for dogs to be indoors too. We've had multiple neighbor dogs get bored and escape their yards and kill my chickens.

Wow, Larry! That's a big tomato plant. When did you start it? It all looks so good!

Glenda, there's a variety of lettuce called Muir that is a little more heat tolerant. I use lettuce almost daily. I'm going to start some more of that.

Jennifer, I did not start those plants, I bought (2) six packs that had a total of 17 plants in them. I up potted the plants into 6" pots and placed them under the lights. My kids and friends like to plant larger plants so they can get tomatoes a little earlier, and larger plants cost more, so I bought the 17 plants for $12.00 for the kids and friends. I have more smaller plants than I can use. I may keep a couple of those larger

plants for my own use.

I had rather not have a cat around. I don't really have anything against a cat, but I like birds better, and the two don't mix.

I use to buy those little chargers for around $12.00. I don't think that you can wear out a charger, but you can loose one by loaning it to another person with a cat problem.

This is my largest plants that I have started. These seeds were planted on 3-6, but I should have bought new potting soil, or at least put a little plant food in my last years soil. I expect that I have 100+ plants that I need to up pot.

I live in a housing addition. There's houses 20 feet on both sides. I sit on my patio and look at 6 foot stockade fence. This ain't utopia. I'm only here cause my wife is very happy here, close to her family and she grew up like this. I don't need any more reasons to not like this.

People living this close together, have to respect each other's property.

So in order to not be inconvienced themselves, they turn the cat loose on their neighbors. That's very disrespectful and selfish. Its turning their problem, into a problem for others.

I have more problems with the cats than just baby rabbits. My patio is close to being an outdoor kitchen. I see their paw prints in the dust on my smokers. They go through the trash. They chit on my patio. They spray my smokers. I saw one last night on the cams look for rabbits in the garden and then headed for my patio. Its not real appetizing.

Now that these cats have found food on my property, they will be regular visitors. They don't forget. I saw one in the daytime. They will be even more of a problem.

And they don't get the rats. I've never seen a cat get one of the rats on my cameras. Me and my neighbor take care of the rats. I use traps and he puts out rat poison.

But I don't need a reason more than its my property and I don't want someone's elses cat trespassing on my property. Period. I own a little dab of land, but its mine.

The only reason Animal Control won't come and trap the cats, is we don't have a law against letting them run loose. We have a leash law to help control stray dogs. But cats get exempted. I think we need a law.

There's a legal concept of what constitutes a nuisance. Its when a neighbor is doing something that deprives you of your ability to enjoy your property. Dogs barking. Cats running loose fit into that concept.

Lynn, I agree. When I lived in town I had the same problem, that was when I started using the electric fence charger for critter control. I had a privacy fence that did a good job at keeping the dogs out of the yard, but it did little at keeping the cats out. I also had a wife that had a dog that loved getting into my flower beds. I told my wife that if she did not keep " Freddy" out of flower beds, I would.. that was when I bought my first fence charger.

I had a nice place in town, my EX still enjoys that place, and I live out in the country where I can fire a gun from my porch if I want to. Now if I cant control the critters with electric fence, or a live trap I call on my .22. Animal control wont even come out here to get a stray, but they will come if someone calls about an animal being abused.

Larry, that's what my dad did, he would sit on his patio with a .22 and protect his garden. He did not like rabbits.

That's illegal here. Same with trapping and relocating. So is putting out rat poison. Everything is illegal. There is an organization that does Trap/Neuter/Release ... but they put the cat back where it was trapped. That doesn't help me. And last I read, they only take 50 cats per day, which for a city our size is nothing.

Ive looked into the motion triggered water sprinkler. But what I've read about em, is they backfire a lot. People forget about them and set them off themselves. And I don't know where these cats come in my yard. I'd have to cover the whole back yard.

There's also an idea of putting metal sheaving over the top of the fence, or rollers made from PVC. If the cats can't get their claws into the wood, they can't climb.

Its funny, that fisticuffs can break out over someone's dog crapping in somebody elses front yard. But the cats have free reign.

Its just life here in the city.

Lynn, I have lived in town, and in the country, both have there good, and bad points, but for me, I had rather be in the country at this point. When the kids were small it was easier to take the kids to events, get go school and work when I lived in town. I was raised in the country, and I expect that has molded my thinking somewhat.

I got rid of some of my plants a while ago. My grand daughter from Austin by, and I sent more plants home with her than she needs.

I'll make a new thread.