AIBU to think cats should not roam unsupervised like dogs?

I do voluntary gardening behind my home at a church. There's a person who keeps letting their dog poop which is driving me nuts. There's also fox poop. Huge difference in poop, consistency, colour and most of all...smell. Fox poop stinks.

What a silly post. Are you ten?
You can easily Google all this.

Dog licences were abolished almost 40 years ago! If I saw a dog roaming around 20 odd years ago, I would assume it was lost.

You are not wrong that some dog owners do not pick up their dog's poo.

BUT bear in mind that some of the poos that you see out and about could be foxes (or other animals?), as well. Obvs big dogs such as labs, shepherds etc give a tell tale kind of turd though 😂 small dogs and foxes excrement often looks similiar.

It's impossible to be out in the world where there are living things, and expect to never see a poo on the ground.

Not saying that is your expectation, you sound quite balanced, but I do get the impression that a lot of people find it unacceptable to come across any animal excrement at all.

Anyway Enough poo chat for a Sunday...!

ETA - I have told my neighboir to turn their music down and other benign things but I dont tell them their cat is annoyingly crapping in my front garden flower beds (and jumping through the windows in my house!) because realistically... what are they going to do? There's no point saying anything because they cannot do anything. Just because someone isnt saying something doesnt mean they dont find it annoying.

I have a cat who is indoor. I live near a busy road and railway line. He has a catio, 6 cat trees across the house, we play every day and he is harness trained which he goes on when im out in the garden. So previous posters who say harness training isnt possible, as with dogs you need to start young. He only seems bothered about going outside to 1, eat grass or 2 if im outside.

Respectfully, we are a small street and we all know each other and nobody has ever complained that my cats are using their gardens as a toilet and they are quite happy to mention about other things so I doubt it's a case of them just being polite. They are happy to complain that our ex stray has been into their bin bags or that my partners voice is too loud etc!

I do know where they go for a crap, they jump over the hedge at the bottom of our garden and into a field, there is a river a few feet from the hedge which separates them from the actual field where there are livestock, they toilet in a dense scrubby area that people can't access because of small thorny trees etc. They also have a litter box inside the house they use on wet days.

Though of course you are right, I'm not watching them constantly and doubt anyone else is either, so potentially they could crap somewhere inconvenient, but its certainly not as obvious a problem as dog owners are causing. There is dog poo out on the roads in our village daily that somebody isn't picking up, the moors are littered with it. Our local town is a lovely and quite affluent market town where we regularly have to play "Dodge the Turds and puddles of wee". At least cats try to do it away from prying eyes and to cover it up.

The thing is that dogs are very domesticated, and a long way removed from their wolf ancestors.
Cats are barely domesticated and are still basically wild animals who have learned to exist alongside us ratherthan adapting to us.
I had 7 cats a few years ago so I am well aware of the dangers they face when allowed to roam but would still rather they have slightly risky but happy lives instead of miserable safe ones.

One is very much a hunter and I try to restrict her, but it's mainly rats and mice she gets anyway, rarely a bird thank goodness. I know there are good arguments for protecting wildlife, but other than banning cats how can we address theis issue?

Respectfully, if by your admission your cats go where they like then you have no idea where they crap. This is just how it is and one of those things, cats are cats afterall, and this is part of the roaming thing.

But you do sound silly saying with great authority that your cats never leave stinking piles of poo that are inconvenient to people.

If they are out and about without any supervision from you, then you cant really be sure. Just own it.

Always had cats and always will, they are free to do what they want wether that be indoors or out, trying to keep them in is impossible and they hate it, particularly in this warm weather, and have multiple acres and fields to roam, catch mice and live a fabulous life.

Kid of the 70 and 80s sane experience.

erm, no, we are dismissing your idea with a great deal of critical thinking.
Hth!

Thank you

I am very sorry to hear about your cat 💐

Thank you.

Like you say, I am well aware of the risks and know how awful it is to lose them, but ultimately I would rather take that chance than keep them locked up indoors, which comes with its' own issues anyway.

That's more like it! Sensible cat.

I went out in the garden with my cat when I first let her out.

She stayed in the garden for about 15 minutes and then jumped over a 6 foot fence to go and explore a bit more of the neighbourhood.

I was unable to follow her and trying to tempt her back with treats didn't work.

Cats aren't like dogs. They roam independently. I've also never heard of cats attacking humans and causing serious injury or death light sadly some dogs have done.

Hence why I said I wouldn’t have said it like that, but they do have a point that it is the owners responsibility, which the posted agreed with.

However, I have just seen that the person they were talking to sadly lost a cat to a car accident recently, and as they are in agreement the responsibility falls on the owner for letting the cat out I don’t think there’s much point going over this subject again and again, I’m sure they feel guilty enough for what happened to their other cat without debating if it would be their fault or not if something happened to their other one. There’s no point rubbing salt in the wound as they are aware of the risks of letting a cat out.

I don’t think it’s an either/or situation. Both are problems. Domestic cats kill 55 million birds a year.

But given these are domestic cats (so pets), it might be argued that this is a human issue as much as a cat issue. But trying to deflect away from cats completely (as you seem to be doing) is nonsense.

Some cats like mine do. Several years ago she had an accident and after that I tried to cat proof the garden to keep her safe. She was constantly escaping, finding ways to escape, weeing everywhere and pawing at the windows. She was totally miserable so I gave up and let her out.

When we moved she lasted a week before climbing the walls to be let out.

She's older now and doesn't go out much but if she has to be kept in for any reason she goes mental again.
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Cats aren't trainable like dogs, in my experience having indoor cats means it's a military operation every time you want to open the door because they try to escape. You could have a cat proofed garden the size of 2 football fields but they will be desperate to see what's on the other side.

Waking them is hit and miss, they can easily escape harnesses if they want to and I wouldn't trust a dog not to try attack it.

Some cats are docile enough to be kept in and are happy with it but not a chance mine is so for her sanity and mine she is allowed out.

Oh, I read it too. Then reported it as a personal attack, with which MNHQ agreed.

You have to weigh up the risk. We let our children out despite the risks, as much as they’d be safer indoors, it isn’t natural for them, they also come across dangerous dogs, speeding cars, general sickos. And yes I am comparing cats to children. 😅

I read the comment myself and it did not say that.

It isn’t what I would have said but it definitely did not wish a nasty death to the cat. It said the owner should feel guilty if the cat dies but did not say they hope the cat dies a nasty death. I obviously would not have posted saying what they said was correct otherwise.

🤣

When was the last time you saw someone taking their cat for a walk on a lead?

You aren't comparing like for like.

X

I’m pretty sure you’re not my neighbour, I only have two and one of them is a vet and isn’t the least bit bothered by my cats. Neither is the other one.
My cats are free to roam in the countryside and are no bother to anyone. They have the best life.