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?

They also occasionally bring in rats which is always stunning because they’re nearly as big as the cat.

This always impressed me, too @Swg - we don't get rats often because we are semi-rural so thet only coe near the houses when the weather id prohibitively cod, but when they do the cats often come in with one, and they are frequently bliddy massive!

One of my cats even caught and killed a stoat a few years ago - those buggers are big and are savage - I can only assume it was a very elderly stoat and possibly arthritic.

agree.

I absolutely love my cat; I will always have a cat or 2 in my life until I die. I do hate the impact they have on wildlife but don't agree that cats should live an indoor life. Cats are predators and like all predators, they kill other animals. It's life.

We, as humans, have done FAR more damage to this planet than cat killing wildlife could ever do.

I worked for the RSPB on reserves for years. They will never say cats affect songbird populations as it would upset too many cat-owning members and cause them to stop paying. My reserve manager once said RSPB would agree motorcycle scrambling on heathland was good if the participants joined the Society.

*Oh - sweet Jesus - look at all the typos.

Sorry folks.

You know who kills more birds in my garden? Not my cat. He kills mice. Lots and lots of mice.

Magpies are killing machines. I watched so many nests raided in my garden. They hunt in packs, distract the parents and then raid the nests. I have also watched them rip apart a parent blackbird who was doing an excellent job in trying to save his babies. Poor thing. The noise is terrible.

Our other major predator is the sparrow hawk who takes down pigeons mid air. Amazing to watch. Sad about the pigeons though.

My garden continues to be full of several types of bird. Some pretty rare. So honestly, my cat, and the surrounding cats, do not seem to be making much of a difference. We are rural though.

I imagine that those posters calling for cats to be confined to barracks are all in favour of old fashioned zoos where wild animals are kept behind bars.

Some cats may like never going out-that is their choice and it is unusual enough to be remarked upon-most cats want to roam and unnaturally cubing the nature of a creature is plain wrong.

Al these tales of cats bursting into houses and pissing on sofas and shitting on driveways can be taken with a pinch of salt-cats are clean, very rarely foul without burying it .

If your flower bed is so precious that it can't take a cat fouling and burying it, then get your own cat-that's the best deterrent.

Cats are cleaner than many humans and without them, we'd better start training up some Pied Pipers.

Not convinced of this. I'd like to have a cat but don't because I live quite near a busy road. Last year I looked after a friend's indoor cat when they were away, and found it quite nerve-wracking because the cat certainly wanted to go outside and we had to make sure she was shut away before we opened any outside door for fear she'd shoot through it. Before that, I'd been wondering about going for an indoor cat but as a result of the visit I concluded that it wouldn't be kind, because you can't assume that any cat really likes being indoors all the time.

Most people seem to be missing a big point. Cats can o whatever they like in your own garden, but they are not allowed to roam the streets. So your cat can spend all day out in your own garden, but isn't allowed to be roaming the streets. Nowhere does it say you need to keep them indoors, just inside your own property......

I hope not! Cats are outdoor creatures , mine would not be impressed living inside or in a zoo like enclosure in the garden.
Most animals hunt. Actually cats can be very useful if you have mice!
I listened to radio 4 earlier and councillor from Australia said it also kept cats safe so was in their best interests as couldn't get run over or catch diseases.but by that reasoning we should all stay inside and never leave our houses!

The Crows and Parakeets are far more invasive here than cats. They are killing all the songbirds as well as taking over their nesting sites. They used to be culled before Chris Packham with no foresight whatsoever vociferously and misguidedly campaigned to ban the culling of predatory raptors.
It’s like a Hitchcock Horror Film down our way most mornings. The roofs are black with them and the cawing and screeching is unbearable.
We have Howe had Wildcats in the UK for millennia. They are most certainly not an invasive species here they are welcomed, now if we could just train them to kill the Crows and Parakeets….

Gulag Australia.

Yes please. No other pet would be free to roam in others' gardens, shitting everywhere, killing birds etc, and get away with it

I imagine that those posters calling for cats to be confined to barracks are all in favour of old fashioned zoos where wild animals are kept behind bars
Well speaking personally, I'm in favour of choice. I choose to have dogs, this impacts nobody but our family. Likewise if I chose to have Guinea pigs or goldfish.
I would like to be able to choose not to have cats, but countless cats are thrust upon me. They shit in my garden, dig up plants, climb in through open windows, sit on the walls just out of reach of my dogs to annoy them (!)
If my dogs were creating such a public nuisance I'd probably be fined and banned from keeping them.

All those talking about dog owners not picking up their dogs shit, of course it’s wrong, but cats shit all over other peoples gardens all the time. My dad is forever trying new ways to try and prevent cat shit all over his garden (he doesn’t have a cat).

We, as humans, have done FAR more damage to this planet than cat killing wildlife could ever do.

The damage done by pet cats is part of human damage though, not a separate thing to be compared to it.

'I imagine that those posters calling for cats to be confined to barracks are all in favour of old fashioned zoos where wild animals are kept behind bars.'

Well no, our dogs of course go out in the garden. Our garden.

If you have a domestic pet it should be kept under your supervision on your property.

Years ago dogs roamed the streets unattended. That ended, let's hope cats crapping in others peoples gardens will be next.

And one way humans are destructive to wildlife is keeping pets.

I agree.

Humans are allowed to kill all the things. Including each other.

Not cats though.

What about livestock farmers?

It sounds a good idea.
The whole notion of keeping animals for our own amusement is self absorbed.
I appreciate that some animals do help us- service animals, or for company for people living alone, but I think the millions of animals kept as living toys should stop.
They devastate wildlife, contribute to carbon emissions.
I have been guilty in the past of having dogs/cats/guinea pigs, but my mind is changed. I do have two rescue cats who live with me- they are here and they do deserve a good standard of life, but they are neutered, I certainly won't buy any more pets.

however not Howe damn telephone!

I would keep mine indoors if this happens to dog owners. 100%.

I think there are ways that cats can be kept indoors without it being cruel. We've had 2 indoor cats due to living in a flat. One had never been outside so had no idea what he was missing (as far as he was concered OUTSIDE was where the scary vet lived) & our current girl is a former outdoor cat that now lives indoors due to being left mostly blind in one eye due to other cats attacking her. She also doesn't seem bothered about going out - indoors means warm beds, laps and lots of toys!
If you have cats but are worried about them roaming, getting lost/hurt or annoying the neighbours then there are loads of brilliant solutions for either cat proofing your garden so they can't get out or building outdoor cat play areas (catios) so they can still experience outdoors without hurting themselves, getting lost or killing wildlife.
I don't know if a ban on outdoor cats is even enforceable but I do disagree with posters who say that keeping cats indoors is inherently cruel. As long as they have plenty of enrichment, stiumlation and human company then they can be perfectly happy.

You also take your dog for a walk.

Imagine being told you can't do that

A cat is not a domestic pet as such. It may live with us, enjoy homes and some petting but they are not fully domesticated-that's why you don't have to report a cat if you run over it or aren't responsible for any damage it causes.

Their wildness is enshrined in the lack of laws surrounding them.

Rudyard Kipling understood this-read The Cat Who Walks Alone.