AIBU to think cats should not roam unsupervised like dogs?

Why lock your cats in a garage at night? I couldn't do that knowing that garages are hot in summer and freezing in winter. My cats have a cat flap do they can come in and out the house at leisure.

But they shouldn’t be part of the ecosystem, that’s part of the point. If they kill 55 million birds a year, maybe they shouldn’t be allowed to be kept as pets given they are apparently so uncontrollable.

It really annoys me when people like you think we can put cats on leads! You've no appreciation for cats that are ex-ferals or ex strays!.it doesn't work! Why do you think you don't see cats on leads! Why do you think you don't see people pretending their cats are dogs. And by the way theres plenty of countries out there where dogs roam too!

Good luck telling a cat what to do 😂

I took my kitten out in a harness on a lead and she was attacked by a dog.

OP, I may have missed it, but has a particular cat bothered you in some way?

As you should.

🤣🤣🤣

You realise that cats and dogs are entirely different species, right? Should we keep our dogs in hutches because we keep the rabbit in one?

It blows my mind that people can be this ignorant.

In '72, we moved to a new housing estate. A group of dogs formed a pack - possibly some had been abandoned as their owners moved house.

Eventually, they were trapped and put down. They were dangerous - the leader had started to target small children.

I recall as an older teenager in '76 chasing it away from a little girl. I realise that this might sound ridiculous, but it was attempting to mount her - it had done the same to a little boy who lived near us. In that case, his mother threw a bucket of water over the dog. I'm assuming that she called the police. The other dogs were standing around watching. It's one of the most bizarre, unsettling and sinister things that I've ever seen. Even now, I hesitate to write it down.

That was the end of them running about loose in Fife. I don't recall seeing anything about it in the local press - they simply disappeared without trace, presumably rounded up during school hours.

The next and last time that I saw a pack of dogs running around loose was in Krasnodar, Russia, 1980. One of them bit a British student and she had to have a series of rabies shots.

He he, no they don't, they're not stupid are they?😆😆 My cat was in the back garden the other evening minding her own business, when this hedgehog waddled past, it was inches from her and she was watching it like a hawk but knew not to go near it.

In Canada as well. Started changing probably in the mid 1970's.

It used to happen in the '60s and very early '70s where I lived - a town in Fife.

‘Roaming’ is not the same as being ‘taken for a walk’.

Are you suggesting that people walk their cats?

Wildlife kills wildlife. Cat's are just part of the ecosystem.

Long term cat owner here.

I never had an opinion one way or another until we had DC. DH built a sandpit for them to play in and of course it became the cat litter box of the road.

Toxoplasmosis is a major worry apart from the just yuk factor.

Second moment of concern was my current cats being severely attacked on our property earlier this year. Both ended up at the vets, one more serious than the other. Stitches, AB's and pain relief.

I received the vet bill which was only reduced because I have them enrolled in a programme at the vets which I pay a small monthly fee for reduced/free visits.

The owner of the cat did not offer to reimburse me my costs and it was still wandering thereafter.

For the record my two were humanely trapped on rural property as kittens. they are now 2 years old and at 4.45 - 5.00 know its time for bed so they (generally) wander to the garage where it is warm and toys, bedding and food is provided. They get let out again around 7.00 in the morning for breakfast in the house.

Cats adapt if they are provided for nicely.

It really comes down to the risk. We have coyotes where we live, and they definitely eat cats. They get super aggressive in the summer, especially when they have pups. They actually hunt in pairs—one coyote will chase a cat right toward another one hiding in the bushes, waiting to ambush it. I know you have foxes in England, but from what I hear, they usually leave cats alone. Plus, our neighborhood has grown a ton since we moved here, so the traffic is really heavy now. We live right by a river, so if the cats stick to that side, they're safe from cars. But male cats, even neutered ones, love to wander way more than females. So yeah, it's just a lot more risky for our cats which is why we have a catio.

Letting teenagers wander about puts them at risk.

Should they be locked up because of that? If not, why not?

Because it’s not the same level of risk. If I let my guinea pig out a fox will get it asap, if I let my dog out it could injure someone. Despite all the protections around dogs many are still injured or killed on the roads.

I wouldn’t have a cat if I lived near a fast road but i’m in London & it’s 20mph here, my cat wears a bell & stays in at night.

I was just answering the question on why we have cat curfews in Australia. We don't have any native animals that are as effective natural predators as cats are so they had a significant negative impact on native marsupials, birds and reptiles here (effectively all sitting ducks).

How on earth can you supervise a cat?

They usually supervise you.

No, I'm very glad to say I'm not your neighbour. I'm also glad to say that none of my current neighbours have cats.

Oh she does

and judging by her waistline she is getting extra dreamies elsewhere 😬🥰

Twice, very recently.

That's really sad. Look at it looking at the fence 😡 it really wants to climb which is it's natural instinct.