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Original poster

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

534 replies

JamBiscuitBun · 08/03/2023 07:33

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?

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RedToothBrush · 09/03/2023 07:54

My cats bring a lot of pleasure to my life and no downside to yours.

How exactly are you qualified to decide that cats bring no downside to my life. How long have you been living my life?

My mum is extremely allergic to the damn things. She'd come out in hives if she went to a house where they were living. This has a certain impact. It meant we couldn't visit certain people growing up.

Then there are the occasions where they've got into our house (parents and mine). They've come in doors and windows. Never had any other animal come in. Are we supposed to keep them closed at all times? I think that might count as a downside. Getting them out has been a bloody nightmare.

And I do think that the harm they do to wildlife is a downside to me. An over population of any animal is an issue. There's too many cats in the UK. We know that there is massive issues with wildlife in the UK. My garden is deliberately set up as wildlife friendly for a reason (which includes NOT having cat proofing).

Cat scarers are supposed to be inaudible. DH can hear them and they give him significant pain. (They've been used in the past in areas where teens hang out because teenagers have better hearing and it's been found to help with stopping them hang out). So cats being a nuisance has an impact and downside in this way as the measures to stop them do affect some people.

So don't presume to tell me cats have no downside to my life. It's ignorant bullshit.

Evil creatures.

HeyJudeNanananana · 09/03/2023 07:56

So we are canceilling cats because they kill birds.
Dogs are too getting cancelled because they kill humans.
Humans are cancelled as we also kill humans.

The planet would probably be better off without the lot of us anyway Grin

whyhere · 09/03/2023 08:20

This...

There's a lot of truly gobsmacking ignorance on this thread when it comes to cats, based in parochialism - the 'reasoning' goes that cats are allowed to roam freely in the UK, so therefore letting them roam Is absolutely and unquestionably the best thing a cat owner could do for a cat. Yet millions and millions of cats live long and healthy and happy lives in apartments all over the world (and even in the UK, where quite a few flat dwellers own indoor cats). Cats live in apartments in Japan, China, Russia, all over Europe, Australia, and North and South America... There are probably more indoor cats in New York City than the entire UK.

Oh, and I have an indoor rabbit as well. Even more so than cats, they live for YEARS longer than those abandoned to a hutch at the end of the garden. I guess you're either an animal lover or an animal keeper....

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Cats
AllThingsServeTheBeam · 09/03/2023 08:25

whyhere · 09/03/2023 08:20

This...

There's a lot of truly gobsmacking ignorance on this thread when it comes to cats, based in parochialism - the 'reasoning' goes that cats are allowed to roam freely in the UK, so therefore letting them roam Is absolutely and unquestionably the best thing a cat owner could do for a cat. Yet millions and millions of cats live long and healthy and happy lives in apartments all over the world (and even in the UK, where quite a few flat dwellers own indoor cats). Cats live in apartments in Japan, China, Russia, all over Europe, Australia, and North and South America... There are probably more indoor cats in New York City than the entire UK.

Oh, and I have an indoor rabbit as well. Even more so than cats, they live for YEARS longer than those abandoned to a hutch at the end of the garden. I guess you're either an animal lover or an animal keeper....

I'm an animal lover. And I extend that to ALL animals, not just the cute fluffy ones. That is why I let my cats be cats.

Coffeeandcake15 · 09/03/2023 08:52

@Whyhere People could say the same about you that you don’t have your cats best interests at heart by allowing them to do what is natural to them. Just because other people across the continent keep indoor cats, it doesn’t mean anything.
Your thinking is very black and white, my Dad rescued a male stray cat many years ago who had been abandoned, he would have been extremely stressed being kept indoors, even keeping him indoors for the time he was being neutered was difficult, he’s recently passed away at the age of 18. A cat lover is someone who has the cats best interests at heart and picks up the pieces when people abandon and neglect their cats, honestly, widen your thinking a bit.

Coffeeandcake15 · 09/03/2023 08:55

RedToothBrush · 09/03/2023 07:54

My cats bring a lot of pleasure to my life and no downside to yours.

How exactly are you qualified to decide that cats bring no downside to my life. How long have you been living my life?

My mum is extremely allergic to the damn things. She'd come out in hives if she went to a house where they were living. This has a certain impact. It meant we couldn't visit certain people growing up.

Then there are the occasions where they've got into our house (parents and mine). They've come in doors and windows. Never had any other animal come in. Are we supposed to keep them closed at all times? I think that might count as a downside. Getting them out has been a bloody nightmare.

And I do think that the harm they do to wildlife is a downside to me. An over population of any animal is an issue. There's too many cats in the UK. We know that there is massive issues with wildlife in the UK. My garden is deliberately set up as wildlife friendly for a reason (which includes NOT having cat proofing).

Cat scarers are supposed to be inaudible. DH can hear them and they give him significant pain. (They've been used in the past in areas where teens hang out because teenagers have better hearing and it's been found to help with stopping them hang out). So cats being a nuisance has an impact and downside in this way as the measures to stop them do affect some people.

So don't presume to tell me cats have no downside to my life. It's ignorant bullshit.

Evil creatures.

Are you vegan? Do you drive a car?
I guess you’re innocent, you can do no wrong, a typical human being who thinks only humans have the right to exist.

Evil humans.

Coffeeandcake15 · 09/03/2023 08:56

HeyJudeNanananana · 09/03/2023 07:56

So we are canceilling cats because they kill birds.
Dogs are too getting cancelled because they kill humans.
Humans are cancelled as we also kill humans.

The planet would probably be better off without the lot of us anyway Grin

I say get rid off a lot of humans, the world would thrive without us.

TomeTome · 09/03/2023 09:14

I’d put keeping cars inside in the same bracket as keeping captive dolphins or tigers in zoos. Of course they can live like that but it’s not ideal and certainly we wouldn’t say people can survive inside all the time implies it’s fine to keep them that way. I’m not sure I would keep a cat in a busy city but rurally they are seen as working animals and preferably to poison or snap traps both of which are less effective and kill beyond their target population.

TomeTome · 09/03/2023 09:19

Keeping cars inside would be problematic too but I meant to type Cats sorry

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 09/03/2023 09:54

My mum is extremely allergic to the damn things. She'd come out in hives if she went to a house where they were living. This has a certain impact. It meant we couldn't visit certain people growing up.

So people are expected not to have cats as pets in case someone is allergic. I have family who are allergic so they don't visit, I see them elsewhere. I'm not going to go without having a pet on the off chance someone who's allergic might want to visit occasionally.

My garden is deliberately set up as wildlife friendly for a reason (which includes NOT having cat proofing).

So what do you want cat owners to do? We clearly can't get rid of existing pets but if we don't cat proof we're irresponsible, if we do we're responsible for killing nature and we can't keep them indoors in case someone with an allergy might want to visit!

lieselotte · 09/03/2023 10:21

mathanxiety · 09/03/2023 03:02

The argument for outdoor cats is of course an argument based on the very middle class conceit that everyone lives in a house with garden or at least access straight out to the outdoors.

It's not middle class to have a garden. But in any event, cats roam, they don't need a garden, they just need a cat flap/open window/open door!

lieselotte · 09/03/2023 10:22

My mum is extremely allergic to the damn things. She'd come out in hives if she went to a house where they were living. This has a certain impact. It meant we couldn't visit certain people growing up

I have a minor allergy to cats too but they aren't a problem because the people I visit make sure they hoover etc well and they don't hassle me outside.

Dogs are a much bigger problem for people with allergies because they genuinely are everywhere.

lieselotte · 09/03/2023 10:25

Oh, and I have an indoor rabbit as well. Even more so than cats, they live for YEARS longer than those abandoned to a hutch at the end of the garden. I guess you're either an animal lover or an animal keeper.

If you truly love them, you don't exploit them as pets at all. There is a justification for working animals like guide dogs even though that is also exploitation. Not FOMO though which most pet ownership is.

lieselotte · 09/03/2023 10:27

I don't know where Red TB lives to be constantly invaded by cats. I have been in my current house 20 years and in that time a cat has come in just once, and only because my DH invited it!

ReadersD1gest · 09/03/2023 10:29

lieselotte · 09/03/2023 10:27

I don't know where Red TB lives to be constantly invaded by cats. I have been in my current house 20 years and in that time a cat has come in just once, and only because my DH invited it!

Well personally, I live in London and have had cats climbing through my open windows (upstairs ones included).
Maybe I'm just unlucky. Or maybe my neighbours have particularly dickish cats. They're a nightmare.

RedToothBrush · 09/03/2023 11:21

HeyJudeNanananana · 09/03/2023 07:56

So we are canceilling cats because they kill birds.
Dogs are too getting cancelled because they kill humans.
Humans are cancelled as we also kill humans.

The planet would probably be better off without the lot of us anyway Grin

It seems generally fair enough to reduce their numbers.

RedToothBrush · 09/03/2023 11:23

lieselotte · 09/03/2023 10:27

I don't know where Red TB lives to be constantly invaded by cats. I have been in my current house 20 years and in that time a cat has come in just once, and only because my DH invited it!

Are you calling me a liar? I chase them off if I see them. But yes numerous times. My parents had it considerably more and did have to go through a phase of keeping everything closed which wasn't much fun.

RedToothBrush · 09/03/2023 11:25

lieselotte · 09/03/2023 10:22

My mum is extremely allergic to the damn things. She'd come out in hives if she went to a house where they were living. This has a certain impact. It meant we couldn't visit certain people growing up

I have a minor allergy to cats too but they aren't a problem because the people I visit make sure they hoover etc well and they don't hassle me outside.

Dogs are a much bigger problem for people with allergies because they genuinely are everywhere.

Everyone used to say "I'll hoover" to my mum.

She still couldn't go in their house because her allergy was that bad. It being an allergy rather than having a slight intolerance and all that.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 09/03/2023 11:59

You can't expect other people to live their lives around someone's allergy when they're not in the same house. It's one thing bringing a cat home when someone living there is allergic but it's ridiculous to think people living elsewhere shouldn't be able to have pets in their own home.

RedToothBrush · 09/03/2023 12:45

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 09/03/2023 11:59

You can't expect other people to live their lives around someone's allergy when they're not in the same house. It's one thing bringing a cat home when someone living there is allergic but it's ridiculous to think people living elsewhere shouldn't be able to have pets in their own home.

The reason I made the point was in response to someone saying cats havent had a negative effect on my life. That's bullshit.

Given that my mum is massively allergic, cats getting into her house due to irresponsible owners who aren't prepared to even recognise that cats are a problem, I do think it's bloody fair to say no cats outdoors.

If you want to do you in your home and grounds, that's one thing. But when your creature invades someone else's personal space that's not ok.

Honestly horrible creatures.

Cat owners who think the whole world should share their love and then are a nuisance to others are not ok. That's the bottom line for me.

AllThingsServeTheBeam · 09/03/2023 12:47

RedToothBrush · 09/03/2023 12:45

The reason I made the point was in response to someone saying cats havent had a negative effect on my life. That's bullshit.

Given that my mum is massively allergic, cats getting into her house due to irresponsible owners who aren't prepared to even recognise that cats are a problem, I do think it's bloody fair to say no cats outdoors.

If you want to do you in your home and grounds, that's one thing. But when your creature invades someone else's personal space that's not ok.

Honestly horrible creatures.

Cat owners who think the whole world should share their love and then are a nuisance to others are not ok. That's the bottom line for me.

Show quote history

Why are they horrible creatures? Is it just cats you hate or do other animals make the cut as well?

Coffeeandcake15 · 09/03/2023 12:59

RedToothBrush · 09/03/2023 12:45

The reason I made the point was in response to someone saying cats havent had a negative effect on my life. That's bullshit.

Given that my mum is massively allergic, cats getting into her house due to irresponsible owners who aren't prepared to even recognise that cats are a problem, I do think it's bloody fair to say no cats outdoors.

If you want to do you in your home and grounds, that's one thing. But when your creature invades someone else's personal space that's not ok.

Honestly horrible creatures.

Cat owners who think the whole world should share their love and then are a nuisance to others are not ok. That's the bottom line for me.

Show quote history

🤣

Coffeeandcake15 · 09/03/2023 13:02

RedToothBrush · 09/03/2023 12:45

The reason I made the point was in response to someone saying cats havent had a negative effect on my life. That's bullshit.

Given that my mum is massively allergic, cats getting into her house due to irresponsible owners who aren't prepared to even recognise that cats are a problem, I do think it's bloody fair to say no cats outdoors.

If you want to do you in your home and grounds, that's one thing. But when your creature invades someone else's personal space that's not ok.

Honestly horrible creatures.

Cat owners who think the whole world should share their love and then are a nuisance to others are not ok. That's the bottom line for me.

Show quote history

You sound angry with life, I actually feel sorry for you, so much frustration. I feel the same about humans, do you ever think about how your actions have an affect on animals? Or do you live blissfully ignorant?

ReadersD1gest · 09/03/2023 13:21

Coffeeandcake15 · 09/03/2023 13:02

You sound angry with life, I actually feel sorry for you, so much frustration. I feel the same about humans, do you ever think about how your actions have an affect on animals? Or do you live blissfully ignorant?

Show quote history

Completely dickish response @Coffeeandcake15
Shame on you.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 09/03/2023 13:22

RedToothBrush · 09/03/2023 12:45

The reason I made the point was in response to someone saying cats havent had a negative effect on my life. That's bullshit.

Given that my mum is massively allergic, cats getting into her house due to irresponsible owners who aren't prepared to even recognise that cats are a problem, I do think it's bloody fair to say no cats outdoors.

If you want to do you in your home and grounds, that's one thing. But when your creature invades someone else's personal space that's not ok.

Honestly horrible creatures.

Cat owners who think the whole world should share their love and then are a nuisance to others are not ok. That's the bottom line for me.

Show quote history

What exactly do you want? You say no cats outdoors and then they can be in our home and grounds. You pointed out in an earlier post how virtuous you are as your garden is wildlife friendly and not cat proofed so what do you expect cat owners to do? I live in a one bed flat so it's not big enough to keep him in so I chose him over the wildlife. My garden is cat proofed so isn't wildlife friendly but at least I know he's safe from people who might hurt him.