Cats banned from going outside in Australia, could it happen here?

[JamBiscuitBun]

I'm interested to hear thoughts on this. Article here I can't ever see it working in the UK. I also remember Australian farmers having apocalyptic mice problems on some of their farms, so I'm not sure how this fits in with that. Though there are many people who'd love to never have the neighbour's cat pooing in their garden again. What d'you think?

How rude. Also proves my point. You don’t like cats!! 😂😂😂😂😂😂

We should probably just ban all pets. I mean, what is the point of them? They are nothing but a huge drain on the planets resources, eating tons and tons of meat each year, and polluting our towns and cities with their faeces. Vets would have more time to look after essential farm animals if they weren’t stacked out diagnosing arthritis in ancient cats.

Actually I think the vast majority of dogs are kept in conditions which aren't really great for them either which is why I don't own one.

There may be specific breeds suitable to dozing on the sofa for a lot of the day with a dull as dishwasher walk at each end of it but a lot of dogs are smart creatures and the current infantilisation of them does them no good whatsoever. A dog which has been bred to do a job - be that herding or hunting or guarding - is not going to be physically or mentally suited to spending most of its life doing not very much. It's like raising a small human with nothing very much wrong with it with the expectation it should never have to work or think for itself. Bad all round.

Oh I'm serious.

Cats are EVIL.

It would improve the mental health of many others.

Other pets are also available.

Nah. Only humans are capable of evil

There is one fundamental difference though. Cats are not native to Australia.

Some indigenous species are at threat of extinction because humans have introduced non-native species including cats, rabbits (and camels of all things) to Australia. Australians need to do something about it.

What a stupid question. For a start pets are company for people on their own. My Mum would have been lost without her cat, towards the end of her life he was her reason for getting up in the morning.

I'm sure my vet is quite happy diagnosing arthritis in my ancient cat as it pays him a good salary without having to regularly shove his arm up a cows arse!

@neitherofthem - cats aren’t native to England either are they? Most domestic cats came from Egypt or Northern Africa.

Hear, hear!

All of the lawns I see paved / blocked/ tarmac'd over to put a car on, or to make the garden "tidy".

Complaints about trees because they drop leaves and sap.

Poisoning anything that peeps a tiny tendril between the paving flags, and people even cutting council verges themselves (which are intended to provide "wildlife corridors") because they don't like the weeds - dandelions, daisies etc - that grow on them.

I agree. You need to know that there is a difference between good and evil in order to behave one way or the other.

Animal behaviour is no more "evil" than weather is - terrible and destructive sometimes by our standards - but not malicious because there is no awareness.

If people didn't drive like idiots and shitty little bastard kids didn't think it's fun to maim or kill animals with catapults and air rifles then I doubt I would have cat proofed my garden. My cats safety is the most important thing to me so I can't encourage wildlife unfortunately.

I'd love to have a wild area in the garden but it's so small it's not possible. I envy my friend with her wild garden and frog pond but it's not possible 😢

Of course they’re not evil, they are natural predators following their instincts. They are not capable of understanding right and wrong, any more than a dog who kills a child should be considered the same as Ian Huntley.

I don’t want a different pet, mice/rats/hamsters/gerbils don’t live long enough. I don’t want a caged bird. I don’t want a dog in the same house as my small child. Stick insects and fish are dull. I’m not really into snakes. Horses can fuck off. My cats bring a lot of pleasure to my life and no downside to yours.

I agree with both your posts. Cat proofing sounds tough for other species too.

There’s some bitter people on this thread. I hope the ones who are so against cats are at least vegan, don’t drive cars and don’t flush their shit down the toilet and pollute.

I haven't seen anyone against cats, just the lazy owners who cba to care for them properly.

Out of interest what would you like folk to do with shit if not indeed flush it down the loo. Would you perhaps like it dumped in your garden as your cat no doubt does to others?

I don’t want a different pet, mice/rats/hamsters/gerbils don’t live long enough. I don’t want a caged bird. I don’t want a dog in the same house as my small child. Stick insects and fish are dull. I’m not really into snakes. Horses can fuck off. My cats bring a lot of pleasure to my life and no downside to yours.

This. I do like Guinea pigs but DH has firmly vetoed that idea! My cat is affectionate, entertaining and I bloody love him. I'm afraid his safety comes before looking after the local wildlife.

I haven't seen anyone against cats, just the lazy owners who cba to care for them properly.

And now people are saying cat proofing is bad. Cat owners are damned if we do and damned if we don't.

I don't know if you were being ironic. If so, I am sorry, I actually agree with this.

Although we probably need to get rid of cows first (which I would hate as I do like dairy, I don't like "fake" milk and I like cheese).

I agree. I said at the outset that I think the biggest threat to birds is us!

And then some birds thrive despite or because of humans, and in turn eat other birds.

The law is that dog owners pick up dog shit. Dog owners breaking that law isn’t an excuse for cat owners to not have a law introduced holding them to the same standards dog owners are expected to adhere to

Dogs and cats are not the same! Cats roam freely, dogs don't (or at least shouldn't).

I really don't get the MN hysteria about cat poo. Dog poo is a much bigger problem and then there is a lot of poo from animals like foxes, badgers, take your pick.

Cats should bury their poo anyway. If they don't they are being taken away from their mums too soon. Which comes back to the issue of whether it's fair to have pets.

Gardeners aren't keen on you letting your cats bury their shit in our gardens. I have to buy disposable gloves to dig my garden.

You keep your cats in your garden. Thanks.

It's noticeable where we live [East Sussex] that there are many fewer cats than 10 years ago so maybe other people are thinking the same way

No, they're just not the right sort of "fur baby" these days. Everyone has to have a dog. FOMO, innit.

I agree cat poo can cause toxoplasmosis (so can fox poo) but you need to wear gloves when gardening anyway!

Typical selfish cat owner.

How can you tell if someone is a lazy cat owner? Who even said I have a cat and it goes outdoors?

I stand by my point, humans are far worse, selfish and lazy. What I’m saying is how people complain about cat shit whilst polluting with their own shit, hypocrisy at its finest.