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?

Australia has an especially unique biodiversity, especially birds. There are dozens of species there that don’t exist anywhere else on the planet, many of which are rare and/or endangered. So it makes sense that they would need a bit of extra protection for those species from cats. I can’t see it happening in the UK.

Dogs have been domesticated for ever, should we keep them inside? I'm sure they'll be fine. What about humans - we're meant to be both domesticated and humane and yet somehow a bunch of Russian humans appear intent on killing a load on Ukrainian humans; and a bunch of UK humans seem keen on send a load of migrant humans to an inhuman country as punishment for wanting a better life. Not to mention that the pretty songbirds in their turn eat the chirpy mice who eat the clicking insects who devour the juiciest of worms who just adore microbe filled soil etc...

Domestication does not translate to "I love being indoors and only want to eat Whiskas (other brands are available)" - it generally means little more than "I've learned to try to get along with humans". The difference when our cats go outside to explore vs when they are inside mostly sleeping and seemingly a bit bored is immense. They love it in the garden. To assume that we know what's best for them and would try to control their natural roaming is such a human trait. We do love a good domination scenario.

We live rurally and keep cats for their rat killing powers. The purr and cattitude are just a bonus.

With the argument that cats are outdoor creatures, there's a reason we don't allow many animals as pets. Wouldn't it be nice if we all had monkeys and they were allowed to roam because they needed the exercise? Actually, yes i would like that a little bit!

I think OP has started an out of date thread for an epic bun fight....

The RSPB report that there’s no evidence cats in the UK have an impact on songbird populations

it’s very ecosystem dependent.

habitat loss due to hedgerow destruction and the conversion of gardens to decking/fake grass monstrosities is a bigger problem in the UK

Cats are animals, that roam and have territories and play outside to explore - it would be cruel to suddenly only keep them indoors, especially as not everyone has the space for all of these catios / wall mounted cat play zones etc.

My cats only ever bring in mice, they wouldn't know what to do with a "songbird" 😂 we're rural, they're our pest control!

I've just googled at there's approx 11 million cats in the UK - the RSPB says approx 27 million birds (not knowing what's not observed obviously) are killed by cats each spring / summer season. Only about two and a third birds per cat!

Australia has much more diverse and specific birds than we do too, it's hardly the pigeon conservation they're worried about.

Cats kill birds, but presumably mostly from.species which are far from endangered, and whose natural predators have largely been wiped out by human activity.

@CalistoNoSolo

What on Earth do you think humans are??

This post hilarious. Complete lack of self awareness

Interesting. I sort of agree with the principle, but people have kept cats (worldwide) for centuries, and allowed them to roam, so I feel it's too late to curb that now....The cat's out of the bag, so to speak!

Svalbard, an island near the N Pole, bans inhabitants from owning cats altogether, due to the problems they cause for local wildlife.

I see curbs similar to this - although not as extreme - coming to the UK, for cats and dogs.

I moved to my current town 5 years ago and, in that time, the number of places where I can walk my dog off of the lead has dramatically shrunk. I see an 'all dogs on leads in public spaces' rule coming in eventually and, for that reason, will proactively stick with breeds that don't have huge exercise requirements.

It's all a curbing of civil liberties by the government, which I don't like one bit. But on the other hand, people are such selfish, inconsiderate fuckers these days 🤷🏼‍♀️

Maybe the OP found the neighbours cat shitting in her raised flowerbeds

It's awful. I don't have a cat but love talking to them. I can just about tolerate the odd cat poo in the garden.

It does not prevent cats from being outside. It simply says owners are responsible for keeping them contained, just like dogs.

cat fencing and leash training can be used to allow cats outdoors.

i love cats. Allowing them to hunt at will is irresponsible. Allowing them to do whatever they feel like to your neighbors property is irresponsible.

Being a pet owner means overseeing your pet 24/7.

And the first one is from a year ago and not surprisingly for a Daily Mail article, it seems it was click bait as nothing has happened since.

I'm in Australia. When I get a place with a garden, I will be building a catio (outdoor enclosure) for the cat - good for him to get out but good for the wildlife as he won't be able to kill them.

Cats do not lead happy lives inside. What a rediculous thing to say. Their nature is to be outside. Would you be perfectly happy never being let out ....no...idiot!

It’s a great idea and I wish this country would do the same. No more cat shit in the garden, no more scratches or paw prints on the car, no more Facebook posts or posters everywhere about missing cats making everyone feel obliged to constantly check their sheds.

Everyone moaning about how their cats wouldn’t like it can cat proof their gardens, have house cats, or get a different pet.

Not sure if it still applies, but I enquired about adding insurance to our household policy in case our cats caused damage. I was told they wouldn't offer as cats were free to roam and therefore there was very little comeback on owners.

Honestly, cats roaming outside is neither here nor there, to me. I don't have a cat but don't tend to have too much trouble with them in the garden: probably because of the threat of real harm, should the dog get hold of one. And he will try, so they are wise enough not to bother.

But it is one of quirks of humankind that cats are allowed to roam and (small) dogs are not. Both species have similar history of domestication, both animals have roaming and territory building in their natural behaviours, both would generally prefer freedom over being cooped up and only allowed out under control.

The flip side, I suppose, is that it if you hit a dog with a car you need to report it. If you hit a cat, you do not - so they have greater freedoms but not the same protections.

It was on Radio 4 this morning

And cats are fucking useless in a mouse plague even if this policy applied to private property.

I have fond memories of our cats during a plague, extraordinarily fat, staring in total exhaustion as a stream of mice moseyed past.

luckyottershaven.com/2014/12/23/do-psychopaths-hate-cats/

for the PP’s posting here saying they hate cats - people that hate cats are psychopaths. There is evidence. I’d be a bit quieter about your dislike towards them 😁

Cats are absolutely appalling for native wildlife in Australia. If cats can't be kept happily in a way that prevents them killing wildlife, the question becomes should they be kept at all? How many native species should be allowed to go extinct to enable people to keep outdoor cats as pets?

Good call. Pet cats should be under control... not sure about rural/ farm cats that actually have a job to do.

We'll it's not in my area, because my neighbour's cat still plays chicken with my car at least once a day & it still fights with the other neighbour's cat outside my window at 3am.

Everyone is encouraged to keep cats indoors. It's about the danger to native wildlife (not just birds) and, in some rural areas, being able to safely catch feral cats (which outnumber domestic cats) without accidentally catching your family moggy. It's not about neighbour annoyance at all. It's protecting an already endangered ecosystem.

As for staying inside, most homes have outdoor space & elaborate cat runs are all the rage. Some are huge, and can be changed around to make them different. No one is saying cats can't feel the sun on their face - just not allowed to roam free to kill wildlife, as asking people to keep cats inside after dark failed (obviously).