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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask why cats roaming is acceptable?

537 replies

PengAly · 16/12/2018 23:05

Just want to hear opinions on this. Firstly i should be honest, i am a dog person, 100% love dogs and i really dont understand how people like cats (seems like they are a tad selfish of a pet) but i am an animal lover so obviously wish no harm to any cat and will play with one given the opportunity. This is JUST my opinion. But back to my original question...

Why does it seem universally accepted that cats can roam on other peoples properties and poop in the garden- even digging up flowers?! Now Im certain mainy people would get up in arms if a dog on a lead stepped one paw on their front garden or god forbid came within 3 feet of them or their child(I've seen many dog hating threads on MN) yet cat owners get a free pass for their cats doing as they please?

Im honestly not trying to start an argument i just dont understand it Confused

OP posts:
SciFiScream · 17/12/2018 17:48

I love cats and dogs equally. Have had both. Grown up with both. My two cats I had when I was a teenager always came inside to use the litter tray (i could tell be how much and what I had to clean out of it!)
My new two cats are showing the same habit. Both were outside this morning, both came back to use the litter tray.
So not all cats are like that. NACALT.

TrickyKid · 17/12/2018 17:49

I don't know either but it bugs me too. I really dislike cats and the mess they leave in my garden. Cat owners never seem bothered about the annoyance they cause others.

Original poster
PengAly · 17/12/2018 17:49

@Chloe84 those insults are completely unnecessary and rude. You know nothing about me and have no right to accuse me of being a danger to my dog

OP posts:
LittleLionMansMummy · 17/12/2018 17:50

Mine just shit in their own garden. I think they must be defective.

Ollivander84 · 17/12/2018 17:51

My cat doesn't roam really. He likes to nap under the neighbours bush (don't ask, not a clue)
He won't go to the toilet outside, comes back in to use his litter tray Confused

Ollivander84 · 17/12/2018 17:52

Oh and he doesn't catch anything ever. He brought me a crisp packet once, and a leaf Grin
I've seen him trying to catch a spider by waving his paw at it so the wildlife are in absolutely no danger

Original poster
PengAly · 17/12/2018 17:53

@Ollivander84 we had a neighbours that liked to nap under our garden bench, was quite sweet really. Didnt mind him being there, just minded the fact that he ruined my vegtable patch

OP posts:
katseyes7 · 17/12/2018 17:53

My friend has three cats. She says she doesn't need a litter tray in the house because "they just go when they're out."
ln somebody else's garden, presumably.

onemorego2019 · 17/12/2018 17:54

Oh good grief @PengAly this looked like a light hearted post until I read the comments. Sure you didn't intend for that sort of response! I'll steer the flames my way... it's because they're duckers that won't do as they're told 🙄😂 I have both btw 😂

Ollivander84 · 17/12/2018 17:59

@PengAly I have no idea why he likes this bush as it's dead HmmConfusedGrin
He clambers in it and sleeps for hours and then trots back home when he needs a wee. He can also do sit, paw and say mama but I fully accept he is the weirdest cat I've ever met

ronatheseal · 17/12/2018 18:04

I absolutely love both cats and dogs contrary to insinuations otherwise. Dogs should be on leads at virtually all times, use a long lead if you need it, it's what a grown up does and it's safer for a dog, for owner, for everyone else, but I personally don't mind roaming cats. Actually, I love to see the familiar cats doing their circuit of the neighbourhood through my garden every day. In the US this is not acceptable like it is here and your cat may get shot if it goes into the wrong garden, and it's sad and you have lots of morbidly obese indoor cats who never go out. Breaks my heart to see an animal like that. On the other hand, you can't argue with a person's right to their garden. I like the relaxed way we do it here, but I don't think it's a simple matter.

TeaAddict235 · 17/12/2018 18:06

Following on from what @Augusta2012 said "Practically speaking, I’m guessing it’s because roaming dogs can potentially kill people and roaming cats can’t. "

When dogs are left wild they become a pack. Research (ample) has shown that even the most well trained dog quickly loses all manners and reasoning when it joins a pack. Their behaviour quickly descends to the lowest (think of it as a race to the bottom). This is exceptionally dangerous as it means that under normal (non pack) circumstances, rules are obeyed which are ignored and different behavioural patterns are assumed. The behaviour is seen in hyenas which are wild dogs. As such babies and children,and those with limited abilities are most vulnerable. OP, the next time you get the chance I encourage you to visit either the British museum or the natural history museum if and when there are canine expositions. It is fascinating!

Tame dogs can lose their "good" nature within hours of joining a pack and it poses a significant risk to humans. E.g. If you have been lucky to meet 3 dog owners in the park/ street, it is hard for the owners to gain control of their 'normally submissive' pet.

Cats on the other hand are strongly solitary animals. They may spend time in a group but for limited time (think of kitten rearing). Unlike their direct ancestors (lions tend to live in a pride, but not cheetahs, pumas, lynxes or tigers, all subsets of lions). So, when they are released into the wild, they will not assume a dangerous pack mentality and attack.

eliolip · 17/12/2018 18:30

OP can you answer my previous question?

madcatladyforever · 17/12/2018 18:35

My neighbours dog gets into my garden all the time and if I have a hose in my hand you can guarantee that we will end up sprawled in the flower bed together soaking.
You can be sure that my cat has never knowingly sat on my neighbour and soaked him with a hose.
It's a good thing I like the dog.

NameChanger22 · 17/12/2018 18:40

My cat doesn't roam anywhere, she's so lazy. DD wanted to get her a Fitbit for Christmas.

PookieDo · 17/12/2018 18:44

I am just imagining cat owners following their pet around the local neighbourhood preventing any rogue poo incidents. My cat lives indoors anyway but I have no idea how I would monitor where she pooped if she did go out...

Bellatrix14 · 17/12/2018 18:48

I love dogs but they can turn on their owners at any time (see story about 1 month baby mauled to death). When was the last time a cat mauled anyone to death?

@Chloe84 a one month old baby is not a dog’s ‘owner’. And if it’s the family I’m thinking of, the parents have been charged with child neglect/endangerment, so as tragic as that story is it doesn’t really prove anything.
I’m sure if you got cats the size that some dogs can be then there would be instances of cats mauling people to death! Far, more people every year get killed by big cats than they do by wolves, so I imagine it’s in the genes.

For what it’s worth, I like both. And I would be annoyed at someone’s cat messing up my garden, even though I appreciate there’s nothing you can do about it.

Notevenmyrealname · 17/12/2018 19:02

It’s not just the shitting in other people’s gardens and digging up plants. They’re not native to this country and are far more aggressive than most of our natural predators. They are responsible for killing 1000s of birds and small mammals and most of the time don’t even need to as they are well-fed at home. The only natural wild cat here lives in Scotland and is a different species and fairly timid in comparison.

The argument that they are meant to roam free as that’s what they do in the wild is bonkers. So do all animals in the wild. If it’s a pet, it’s not wild. Keep it inside. And you can buy leads and harnesses for cats. You can also train them, people just don’t as it takes a bit more effort to do it than other animals.

It’s so annoying. Keep your cat inside or don’t get one.

rubyslipper1 · 17/12/2018 19:08

i dont have a cat yet i find their bowel movements in my garden. its so annoying and the neighbours just dont care as when ive mentioned it they just sigh and say "what can you do" .
cat owners are lazy pet owners, thats why they have them cos they dont take much work to keep.

ErrolTheDragon · 17/12/2018 19:12

cat owners are lazy pet owners, thats why they have them cos they dont take much work to keep.

True for bad cat owners, maybe - there are clearly many on this thread who aren't lazy, and therefore are less likely to have nuisance cats.

UptownFlunk · 17/12/2018 19:21

OP you started this thread by saying that you can't understand why people have cats as pets and you now been told by multiple posters that cats are often as loving and devoted as dogs - my two certainly are.

You then take umbrage when people criticise dogs but continue to spout shite about cats. For the record, I like most dogs but, like antisocial cats, there are antisocial dogs, each animal is different. It surely doesn't take a genius to understand this?

I'm sure a cat shitting in your garden is a pain, just like birds shitting on my car and dogs shitting and barking in the street are a pain and children screeching and generally being a pest can also be a pain. We all tolerate them because we all recognise that, for all the downsides, it is positive for society in general to have children and pets around. For example, many elderly people who are too infirm to walk dogs can manage having a cat and it provides them with companionship that is invaluable.

My advice to anyone having problems with a cat going to the toilet in their garden is get a dog - or get a cat. You won't see any rogue cats for dust then.

The people that have threatened cats on this thread be very careful whose cat you attempt to hurt, someone once set their dog on my old cat - they never did it again. My cat got the better of the dog and I made sure the owner never hurt another cat.

MarthaArthur · 17/12/2018 19:26

I have been savaged by a cat before and ended up with a flesh eating bug it was horrendous. Also cats are a pain for climbing into cribs so to say they are harmless is not correct. But thats not what this thread is about. I sadly recently learned that you dont legally need to stop if you run over a cat :( so it could lay injured until someone picks it up.

PookieDo · 17/12/2018 19:29

@MarthaArthur

Yes that is how someone killed my pet and left her for hours until my neighbour realised it was my cat and took her body to the vet. I am still haunted by the idea that she died a long slow agonising death on the pavement. I can’t think about it without getting upset

Lettermethis · 17/12/2018 19:32

Wow, these pet threads get tense!

My neighbour has a lovely cat, very affectionate and sweet. I love the cat. I also fucking hate the fact it shits in my garden.

These two things can co-exist. I wouldn't expect the cat (or neighbour) not to.

MarthaArthur · 17/12/2018 19:35

pookie thats so sad Flowers most car related deaths happen very quickly and its likely your cat died outright and didnt suffer . We get a lot of cat deaths on the roads here and its really upsetting to see.