To ask why cats roaming is acceptable?

[PengAly]

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

@Flowerpot2005 how exactly have i been passive agressive about cats? i actually said thank you to a lot of PPs who said they were considerate about their cats pooing and only called out those who said it "isnt an issue" or accused me of hating animals. Im obviously annoyed at the cat owners who think its ok for their cats to shit in my garden so no idea how that isn't clear

My cats basically go out for a potter (usually just in my garden and the wall of next doors for an hour) and then come home to eat, sleep and crap (usually 23 hours a day).
My neighbour was stood next to her dog leaving a pile of crap right by my gate and then walked off and left it. My neighbour is human with opposable thumbs, she is capable of using a bag to dispose of her pets poo (as per law).

@Zofloramummy i dont understand why opposable thumbs matter....cat owners are also human. I wasnt suggesting a damn cat picks up its shit! I was suggesting a cat owner at least show some consideration when a neighbours complains about their cat...

I think if you know who owns the cat crapping in your garden belongs to then fair enough speak to them! Can you not also see how I might be annoyed at dog owners who don’t pick up their dogs poo?

If you have a cat you aren't legally responsible for it; who it bites, where it shits

If you have a dog, you are

How could I possibly stop my cat from shitting in someone else's garden? Impressively.

And it matters in the context of my neighbour being stood next to her dog and not doing her legal duty of cleaning up dog poo. If I was stood next to my cat/dog/rabbit/ferret or any other pet who craps then I would pick the goddam poo up and not leave it on the street!!
As I said my cats are 95% indoor and definitely use their trays (as I’m forever cleaning them!)

What happens when an off lead dog poos somewhere you don't see?

Chumley keeping me company whilst DH stayed up late. Cats are very affectionate.

That is unavoidable but my neighbour WAS STOOD NEXT TO HER DOG!!! How can that be anything other than ducking disrespectful as I was sat in my car watching. She walked back to her gate, I got out of my car and called her on it. She denied it was her dog!!

Ive had neighbours deny its their cat when ive watched the car take a shit. I agree that dog shit being left on the street is bad pet ownership but i think cat owners not caring is just as bad

Cat obvs not car!

I’d love to see a car take a shit! sorry couldn’t resist.
There are bad dog owners and bad cat owners. Ultimately any animal will poo wherever they need to.

I personally feel sorry for the dog left outside most of the day in all weathers near me. And the cat I keep feeding because his owners seem to go away a lot and don’t sort a sitter

Tildame
You are wasted on here. You should contact the government and work for them - your skills must be better used to assist the country, since you can tell from a picture what type of animal did the poo. In fact, you could tell the person who has seen it, seen many of them and smelt it that she is wrong and it’s what you say it is! Amazing!
Plus you can also tell that a pp , who says she lost her baby because of toxamasplosis that ( although she says she caught it from a cat poo) she didnt get it from a cat but from raw meat....but definatly not a cat. Your medical powers are utterly amazing. You can diagnose from a second hand ( mine) description and know better than the patient and the ( presumably) trained doctors who looked after her. Quite quite amazing. Almost unbelievable in fact.

Zodloramummy
Do people do that? Go away and just leave their cat to fend for itself?? That’s awful. Poor bloody cat. It’s just cruel. If you can afford to go away you can afford to arrange someone to look after your pets.

@Zofloramummy i agree that there are bad owners for both cats and dogs but my point is the bad cat owners seem to be more accepted which isnt right

Yes this particular family do leave their cat. It’s only a young one and he hangs around my back door hoping for food (when mine are inside). He looks bedraggled poor thing. I can only leave food outside my garden gate as my cats don’t tolerate other cats in their garden and chase him off. I see him popping into a house down the road usually so I know who the owners are. It’s sad that they leave him to fend for himself when they go away. They shouldn’t have a pet.

Neither should the people who never walk their dog, about at it all the time and leave him outside in all weathers. I have reported but sadly no one seems to be interested or the owners put a good show on when visited!

Dogs shit over the pavements, cats over my garden. Dogs bark and piss me off, cats kill birds which pisses me off more. I'm actually an animal lover, but something seems wrong.

@CottonSock im an animal lover too as i understand its not the animals fault when these things happen (its the owners, who I'm annoyed at)

I have 19 cats, and live extremely rurally. My cats can go outdoors as we have no roads or houses anywhere near us. I used to keep my (fewer!) cats mainly confined to the garden when I lived on an estate and had neighbours.

However...I'm SICK of people ranting on Facebook about car drivers being dangerous bastards because their cat got run over. If you live near a road and choose to let your cat out, then it's a risk that you should accept. Don't create a vigilante atmosphere against poor bloody drivers when your cat decides to play on the road. It's a terrible double standard - if a dog gets hit, the owner is seen as neglectful and careless. If a cat gets run over, it's seen as the drivers fault entirely (in my locality anyway)

Rant over, deep breath!

@Peacocking agreed! They dont have the be the same animal for double standards to exist.

Cats are no more selfish than dogs.

Cats need feeding so humans give them food; dogs need feeding so humans give them food.

Cats need cleaning up after, whether they poo in a box or a flower bed; dogs need cleaning up after, whether it's in a garden or quite literally in the street (which I find more disgusting than a litter box!)

Cats need to be played with; dogs need to be played with.

Given the chance, a dog not tightly controlled by humans will run about, shit where it wants and eat what it wants. Cats just happen to be more difficult to put on a lead. They're no more needy and neither is that different.

I think cats needs and traits a much different to dogs. I do mean this in a negative way, just that its really not as black and white as you have put it.

Ahhh typos! I meant i DONT mean this in a negative way!

They aren't that much different beyond the whole walking thing. Cats are a bit more self sufficient in that you can leave them overnight with a cat flap and an automatic feeder.