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AIBU?

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Cats everywhere!

360 replies

GoldfinchFeather · 25/06/2025 14:39

Since we have plenty of threads to moan about dogs and dog owners, how about a bit of balance and a thread for the same about cats?

I, for one, am not a fan of the things and think there are too many around. And sure, while the problems they cause may be less obvious than dogs/dog ownership, I personally think they're worse in many ways. Particularly for the terrible effect they have on local wildlife and birds in particular.

On numerous occasions I've had the misfortune to come across birds and animals that have clearly been attacked by cats. One distressing incident occurred just a few weeks ago - on an evening walk I came across a domestic cat that had just attacked a tiny baby wild rabbit. Despite shooing the cat off and it still being alive when I got to it, it didn't survive.

Seeing that made me just want to go and give the bloody thing a boot up the backside.

Yet many cat owners seem to find this behaviour either a mildly amusing part of their cat ownership ("you'll never guess what my Tiddles caught the other day!"), or have no qualms about letting their cats roam freely and slowly kill all wildlife within a several mile radius. When really, they should just be kept indoors.

And if they were, there'd be far less of them that were always going bloody missing or being stupid enough to get themselves run over on the road.

Surely I can't be alone in my hatred of cats?!

OP posts:
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AInightingale · 26/06/2025 13:11

Howmanycatsistoomany · 26/06/2025 12:33

One of my cats was feral (and very pregnant when she turned up here, hence the rest of my cats 😂). She plays with her kills (she has a preference for rodents).

I looked it up and apparently they all do, something to do with 'tiring them out'. Poor prey though.

Howmanycatsistoomany · 26/06/2025 12:33

AInightingale · 26/06/2025 12:01

Do cats in the wild 'toy' with their prey in the same way domestic cats do? Or do they kill it immediately?

One of my cats was feral (and very pregnant when she turned up here, hence the rest of my cats 😂). She plays with her kills (she has a preference for rodents).

Wynter25 · 26/06/2025 12:27

Yabu

Heretobenosy · 26/06/2025 12:27

Psychopathic creatures lol

Sounds like you need to meet the right cat. You can’t tar them alll with the same brush: not all cats are psychopathic killers lol. Just some… Oh wait no I’m thinking about men!

AInightingale · 26/06/2025 12:01

Do cats in the wild 'toy' with their prey in the same way domestic cats do? Or do they kill it immediately?

Esgaroth · 26/06/2025 11:55

All carnivores enjoy hunting and will engage in hunting behaviour even if they are being fed. It's very strange anthropomorphising to think of that as a character flaw.

WutheringShites86 · 26/06/2025 11:53

GoldfinchFeather · 26/06/2025 11:40

'Cats desire killing them'.

Wow, you really aren't making them sound any better. 😂Why on earth would you want a pet like that?!

Awful, psychopathic creatures.

Awful, psychopathic creatures? Because they enjoy hunting? It's an evolutionary feature for survival.

You sound increasingly unhinged.

DrPrunesqualer · 26/06/2025 11:44

GoldfinchFeather · 26/06/2025 11:40

'Cats desire killing them'.

Wow, you really aren't making them sound any better. 😂Why on earth would you want a pet like that?!

Awful, psychopathic creatures.

Appreciate I’m not exactly doing them any favours 🫤

Just pointing out we don’t actually need to eat animals to survive. So we are no better.

GoldfinchFeather · 26/06/2025 11:40

DrPrunesqualer · 25/06/2025 22:29

We humans can all survive without eating animals.
So there isn’t an actual purpose to it. Just a disire

People desire eating animals, cats desire killing them. Theres No difference.

'Cats desire killing them'.

Wow, you really aren't making them sound any better. 😂Why on earth would you want a pet like that?!

Awful, psychopathic creatures.

OP posts:
GoldfinchFeather · 26/06/2025 11:38

lemonraspberry · 25/06/2025 21:47

And dogs don’t run & kill wildlife, livestock (lambs etc), baby rabbits, cats, people, children, other dogs?

snd people are never cruel & treat animals badly?

really?

When did I say any of this? You're forming strawman arguments around something I haven't even said. This thread is specifically about cats and the effect they have on wildlife, not dogs, humans or aliens from another galaxy.

OP posts:
BloominNora · 26/06/2025 11:24

GoldfinchFeather · 25/06/2025 15:14

Yes, for human consumption. As in, there's an actual purpose to it - whether you agree with it or not.

There is no purpose to allowing cats to kill that much wildlife, putting certain species (particularly ground nesting birds) at risk of extinction in future. Because they don't need to do it to survive, they're fed extremely well at home anyway.

You seriously can't be making a direct comparison between the two?!

Humans don't need meat to survive - they can live perfectly well as vegetarians or vegans, so that is a total straw man argument.

Loss of habitat and climate change are a much much bigger threat to wildlife. Wetland drainage is a huge risk to ground nesting birds and destroys entire ecosystems - the threat from cats is localised and short term

Humans who fly anywhere, drive cars or buy anything that is imported (contributing to climate change), buy new build houses, have concreted over their garden or eat anything that isn't organic (contributing to habitat loss) are much more of a threat to wildlife as the destruction wrought by all of that is bigger and more long term than anything cats could ever do.

Howmanycatsistoomany · 26/06/2025 09:03

GoldfinchFeather · 25/06/2025 14:56

Your sentence seems incomplete. Let me finish it for you:

"Cats are the best at killing wildlife and are responsible for killing an estimated 160-270 million animals annually in this country"

An absolute pest on society.

Your quote seems incomplete. Let me finish it for you:

Studies show that domestic cats in the UK interact significantly with wildlife, catching and killing between 160 to 275 million animals annually*.

*Note: The statistics quoted are based on studies and surveys conducted by various organizations and charities, rather than official UK government estimates.

While I'm not denying domestic cats kills wildlife (mine certainly do despite being well fed), I'm not going to place much credence on these statistics 😉

Stickytreacle · 26/06/2025 08:17

Jenkibuble · 25/06/2025 18:28

I am a dog lover rather than a cat lover . Always have, always will.

That said, I don't dislike cats and wouldn't wish harm on any !

Your point about wildlife is extremely valid . My parents have a dog and where they exercise him (near a river ) there are signs about water voles nesting on the river bank and dogs to be kept on leads so as not to disturb them.
A guy whose garden backs on to the river pointed out that it is in fact the cats that disturb / kill them !

Dog owners - easy targets ?

Dogs do far more damage to ground nesting birds than a hunting cat. Even with signage to keep dogs on short leads I often see them rushing through undergrowth off lead or on an extendable. Most owners seem to think it's lovely to watch their pet having fun chasing the birds.
Irresponsible ownership of both species is the problem, not the animals themselves.

McTootsBagpipes · 26/06/2025 03:06

Fucking hell. No wonder there is no peace on earth with all the hate cats, love dogs v hate dogs, love cats opinions.

pizzaHeart · 26/06/2025 02:59

You are entitled to your opinion but in reality the damage by cats far far less than damage by dogs. And simple prevention measures like putting a collar with a bell on your cat decrease damage completely.
Then cats don’t bother you and just go around their life. As many people pointed out cats don’t jump on you, don’t ask to take them into shops and cafes and don’t shit on pavement.

OneBlossomBee · 26/06/2025 02:38

You go on and on about cats killing wildlife, but the biggest destroyer is staring back in the mirror. Us. Humans. Do you eat meat? If so, imagine the fear and horror a cow, lamb etc feels with the stench of death knowing they will be next to die. You eat that animal and then say about a baby bunny being killed by a cat. We pollute, chop down habitats, build on them and hunt. Cats have sadly affected bird etc population, but humans do far worse. I have a male cat who is 13 and he is an indoor one. He killed some flies and mice once that got in where we lived due to neighbours having hens and mice are attracted to hen droppings! I love my cat and do see some domestic and strays about and worry they are outdoors. I don't hate any animsl but am scared of a few like sharks, snakes etc.

Ketzele · 26/06/2025 01:54

ToHellIGo · 26/06/2025 01:19

Your brother is the problem.

I completely agree.

ToHellIGo · 26/06/2025 01:19

Ketzele · 26/06/2025 01:18

My brother's dog has attacked, and sometimes killed, rabbits, mountjac deer, chickens, pheasants and a swan. He's an absolute menace who will probably (and justifiably) get shot by a farmer one day. I don't buy this idea that cats are unique in killing when not hungry.

Your brother is the problem.

Ketzele · 26/06/2025 01:18

My brother's dog has attacked, and sometimes killed, rabbits, mountjac deer, chickens, pheasants and a swan. He's an absolute menace who will probably (and justifiably) get shot by a farmer one day. I don't buy this idea that cats are unique in killing when not hungry.

whackamole666 · 25/06/2025 22:58

I prefer cats to DOG-PEOPLE ... bleugh

calamin · 25/06/2025 22:52

My cat said you kill more animals than he does. You kill for food, cheap clothes, electronics, shoes, car interiors, furniture, cosmetics testing….

Let he without sin cast the first kill

Fundayout2025 · 25/06/2025 22:32

GoldfinchFeather · 25/06/2025 21:31

Cats aren't 'nature'. They're domesticated animals doing damage to the environment.

Huge difference between animals that kill to eat in the circle of life, and those that kill for no reason at all. Cats DON'T need to kill to eat - they're pets, they're fed.

And excusing it as their 'nature' is such a lazy argument.

Not all cats are pets. Where do you get that idea from? And the biology is the same with pet cats and non pet cats

DrPrunesqualer · 25/06/2025 22:32

ThreenagerCentral · 25/06/2025 22:00

Cats aren’t great for wildlife. But neither are cars, wind turbines, urban development, pollution… etc etc etc. at least cats are just doing what their instincts tell them. The rest is on us.

Agree
My last trip down the A303 eastbound and there were 22 dead dear killed by cars!
22 !!
and I stopped counting before I got to the end.

DrPrunesqualer · 25/06/2025 22:29

GoldfinchFeather · 25/06/2025 15:14

Yes, for human consumption. As in, there's an actual purpose to it - whether you agree with it or not.

There is no purpose to allowing cats to kill that much wildlife, putting certain species (particularly ground nesting birds) at risk of extinction in future. Because they don't need to do it to survive, they're fed extremely well at home anyway.

You seriously can't be making a direct comparison between the two?!

We humans can all survive without eating animals.
So there isn’t an actual purpose to it. Just a disire

People desire eating animals, cats desire killing them. Theres No difference.

AliceM456 · 25/06/2025 22:28

I think we found the cat murderer folks