To think letting a cat go outside is NOT "Cruel" or "Abusive"?

[SneakyGremlins]

Had a heated debate polite discussion with an American last night about cats. Said American - and their friends - think cats should be permanently kept indoors, and it's cruel and animal abuse to let them go outside because, I quote, "There's bears, snakes, wolves and coyotes, people putting down poisoned food, cars and all sorts of dangers".

I snappily politely pointed out that America does not equal the world, and while I concluded that cars are indeed a danger for pets, Living IN ENGLAND I have yet to see any coyotes or bears or wolves. I've never come across poisoned food either - although again this does happen rarely, I admit.

I also pointed out that cats can get depressed/stressed being cooped up inside all day, which was met with "You just need to play with them all day, then they won't be bored! It's cruel and heartless to make a cat go outside into the dangerous wilderness!"

AIBU to think that it is not a bad thing to let a cat go outside?

Cats are definitely independent animals and as such should be allowed to roam free. It's cruel imo to keep them permanently indoors!
Mine have a cat flap and come and go when they want to.

Wow, look at that tail!

If you have a cat which you insist on allowing out, I think you should be willing to cat proof your own garden to keep them out of the neighbours garden and house

Just tell the UK cats are hard as nails and would see off any bear or coyote.....

....coz that's as a batshit a statement, as saying it's cruel to let them out

I often read varying versions of the following on the community Facebook page here (not in UK):

'I've found this cat. it looks well loved. Does it belong to anyone and how can i get him back to you?'

Cue response from a fellow Brit.

'Yeah, its my cat. He's outside because he's a cat. He'll come home when he's hungry'

I think there's a balance and it's cruel to keep them indoors 24/7 - although most American houses outside of urban centres are much bigger than ours so it's not the same as cooping up a cat in a standard UK terrace.

But one of our cats was run over on a quiet side street and it was very upsetting. We decided to cat-proof our garden. It has worked very well and they enjoy coming in and out as they please, plus aren't bothering the neighbours. They've coped very well with curtailed territory!

We actually used to bring them in at night and shut the cat flap but now they can go in and out at any time.

A lot of Americans think it's OK to declaw cats too, which I think is barbaric.

Gide Sat 17-Feb-18 12:15:40

"They’re not wrong about the bird population. They are vicious
Iittle bastards, my two used to present me with sacrifices all the time. Don’t Americans de-voice cats and de-claw them so they can’t climb?"

I am American and I have NEVER encountered or heard of a cat being "de-voiced"...except on Mumsnet, where people post rumors they've heard from who-knows-where. What an absurd thing.

Most American vets will not declaw, and declawing is regarded as cruel and disgusting by the majority of Americans themselves. I understand that British people believe all Americans routinely declaw (and "de-voice", whatever that means), but this isn't the case. A person who declaws their cat in America would be regarded in the same light as a person who puts Pepsi in their baby's bottle, etc. If I WANTED to declaw a cat in my home city, I don't know where I would go: I doubt there are ANY vets who declaw there.

When I was a little girl, I had a beloved cat who we let outdoors, and I will never forget the Sunday morning I found her mauled on the ground. She was still alive, but had been torn apart by some animal (raccoon? fox? dog? bear? something else? ). My brother, remembering this incident, now keeps his cat indoors, and this is probably for the best because he and his wife recently photographed a LYNX that was hanging out in their yard. They also see bears. So it really isn't the same situation at all: try to be a little bit open-minded to the fact that the entire world isn't like your own small corner of it.

I live in Europe now and my cat is allowed outside. She prefers to stay indoors, but she does sometimes make use of her cat flap.

Americans keep cats in because there are racoons and nasty bitey things around, so you can't really let them out. Probably wild animals like foxes with rabies too. Certainly Texas and Florida has rabies.

Likewise dogs are often kept in the yard, not taken for walks like ours. There is poison ivy in woodlands, chiggers and ticks in the soil which work their way under the skin. Also spikey cactii in hot places.

I'm sure there are places safe for dogs eg maybe city parks. But they are keeping them in because they have to.

Americans probably dont' realise that we don't have rabies and that our wildlife is scared.

It just depends on the cat. Ours is so lively that it would be impossible to keep him cooped up all day, but other cats don’t show much interest in the outside world so it wouldn’t make much difference. I do worry a bit about our cat but it’s about his quality of life

crunchymint Sat 17-Feb-18 12:34:15

"Americans routinely declaw cats to stop them damaging furniture."

No, they don't.

I know SOME British people who mistreat their pets, but not many. I understand that the majority of British people are not like this. See how that works?

Personally I think it’s wrong wrong wrong that cats are allowed to roam free. Dogs arnt, dog owners get fined if their dog craps and they don’t pick it up. Cats go into everybody’s garden, dig and shit all over.

I hate the way that cats kill our birds. If I hear ‘ it’s in their nature, they are hunters’ from one of my neighbours again I will scream. What if 8 had a dog whose nature it was to chase a cat and rip it’s head off and then bring me it as a ‘gift’. Is that acceptable?

Cats also carry toxamasplosis. I simply do not understand why a pet is allowed to roam free, shitting and killing when no other pet is.
So I think it’s unreasonable and cruel to other people/animals t9 let a cat roam free.

Indoor cats live longer healthier lives, this is a known fact. Its also far less cruel for wildlife

YANBU.

I think putting a cat outside and shutting it out is cruel, cats like a warm dry house as much as we do, but letting it use a cat flap or being around to open the door for it is absolutely not. But equally I'd say keeping it inside for its own safety or to protect local wildlife isn't cruel either.

The rspca say it is crueller to allow cats to roam.

I think the RSPCA is wrong. Lots of cats love going out. Agree with cat flap point.

Do they? Have you got a link you can share @Damnthatonestaken

Hey hey hey, not all Americans! Some of us are not crazy, no matter what our current political situation may suggest.

Basically, on indoor vs outdoor, depends on the cat, depends on the living situation. Too many factors to ever make a blanket rule; just consider things sensibly.

Now declawing is awful, and thankfully I think is much less common than it used to be in the US. Every single American cat owner I've known has been vehemently opposed to declawing.

I would not keep a cat unless it had the opportunity to go outside.

YesItsMeIDontCare what a beautiful, magnificent floof! 😍

I've got two cats; one goes out, but generally doesn't stay out long and as far as I can recall has never brought us any offerings back, and the other has never shown any interest in going outside (and I wouldn't feel comfortable letting her outside as she's a complete wuss bag and scared of her own shadow).

Only arseholes declaw their cats, too. Let's cut your fingers off at the knuckles and see how you like it.

Interesting to see all these opinions!

This is one of the great cultural divides between the US and Britain - and it is totally impossible to change either side's opinion.

I've got two cats that were part of Cats Protection's TNR scheme. When it's cold and wet and they don't want to go out, they go stir crazy indoors. During the summer I can go 3 days without even seeing them. But, they have about 200 yards before they get to a tarmac road and hundreds of acres of fields and woodland to roam in free from cars.

It isn't one size fits all, but my personal choice would be not to have an indoor cat and only to have cats that could roam reasonably safely. As for hunting things to extinction, given what humans get up to I think we can wind our necks in about that one. No animal is as destructive or invasive as humans. I doubt cats would be able to hunt anything to extinction where cats have evolved to be, rather than where they have been introduced by us. And if they've hunted something to extinction, I'd want to know how much habitat loss had also been caused by humans, allowing the species to reach endangered levels anyway.

As for neighbours, if I were in a built up area I'd cat proof the garden (or not have cats). But in a rural area my neighbours encounter all kinds of animal shit. They're just glad they no longer have mice in the house.

my 11 month old cat basically lives outside. He is either asleep or out, no way would he stay in. it's really cruel to keep them in if they want to go out.

Actually the RSPCA do not say that cats should not be allowed to roam. It says the exact opposite, with the exception of some cats with disabilities or particular medical problems.

www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/cats/environment/indoors