Quote:
Originally Posted by mtdjed
I recall that my grandfather had a farm. He always had cats around but they never had names other than descriptive. They never got dental or medical treatment. They were on their own and he let them forage for themselves. Some would disappear and new ones would show up.
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Other than fleas, ticks (and a traumatic paralysis that can come with certain diseases that ticks can give to cats and dogs), distemper, FPV, feline leukemia, mange, infections and death to the females if they breed too young and too often, and being prey of almost every predatorial animal in the vicinity, farm cats can live a long time in relative health. They don't forage though. They are predators, and will eat only other animals if they're outdoor cats. They chew on grasses as a method of settling their stomach or forcing regurgitation if they eat something that doesn't agree with their digestive system. Sort of how we eat a mint after dinner.