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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:
Lovingbenidorm · 16/12/2018 23:34

cats CAN injure people ??
Of course a cat could rip your face off if necessary but they generally don’t!
They are lone hunters. Dogs are pack animals and like any pack there is the potential for disaster.
Growing up we had an elderly moggie, much loved.
Next door neighbors had 3 dogs (lovely when you saw them individually, all waggy tails)
One day the 3 of them cornered our cat and ripped her to shreds

Yabbers · 16/12/2018 23:34

OP it’s likely that once you have a dog the cats will stay away anyway because your dog will mark its territory.
Would love to but with us both working full time, it’s not fair on a young dog (or a rescue) to be left alone IMO.

Plus, DD is scared of dogs too. We’re working on it and hope to be able to get one, one day!

You never see a cat turd just sitting in the street do you?
My neigbours’ dogs don’t shit in my garden. I have seen a cat shit on our front lawn though.

ShovingLeopard · 16/12/2018 23:35

What a horrible thread this has become.

Roaming is natural behavuour for a cat, and I personally believe it is cruel to keep them permanently indoors, though I appreciate opinion is divided on this, and they do have an effect on local wildlife.

I have had both cats and dogs, love them both, and appreciate both species for their own attributes. I don't currently have a cat, but if I got one again, would be happy to retrieve its poo from other gardens, should the neighbors wish/allow me to. I am delighted when neighbouring cats visit my own garden. A little bit of poo is a small price to pay for this, IMO.

busybarbara · 16/12/2018 23:35

Consider that the trade off of cats being more free is that if someone runs one over it doesn't have to be reported

ChristmasWrappingTheWaitresses · 16/12/2018 23:36

If we're going on about poo than my pet hate is The selfish dog owners who carry their little bags around, their dogs poo in them and then they hang them from trees or stuff them in hedges. Why do they do this?

ShovingLeopard · 16/12/2018 23:36

personally i dont see the issue with cats being house cats. Ive known a few and they are happy

The ones I have known have all been palpably miserable/depressed.

Original poster
PengAly · 16/12/2018 23:36

There seems to be some confusion...for the record i dont think dogs OR cats should be free roaming. If course a roaming dog is a threat but cats cause damage to properties so they should be kept as house cats.

OP posts:
Lovingbenidorm · 16/12/2018 23:37

It’s ridiculous to suggest all pet cats should be kept in all the time!

Original poster
PengAly · 16/12/2018 23:38

Again people complaining about dog shit but what about cat shit on peoples PRIVATE property??

OP posts:
YerAuntFanny · 16/12/2018 23:38

The OP stated this was specifically about cats shitting in her personal property, I'm really not sure why people are so quick to jump on the defence of this.

Bizarre.

CandyCreeper · 16/12/2018 23:39

I dont see where all this cat shit is that people seem to constantly complain about. There is way more dog shit than cat shit! Infact i had to push my son out of the way earlier today just as he was about to step in a massive one that had been left on the pavement.

Augusta2012 · 16/12/2018 23:40

Practically speaking, I’m guessing it’s because roaming dogs can potentially kill people and roaming cats can’t. There was a bad mauling of multiple people in Liverpool last Friday by an escaped dog.

That’s pretty logical. And because nobody has a right to complain about outdoor shit because all sorts of creatures do it, foxes, badgers, birds. Unless you want to ban wildlife, it’s a given. Besides, at least cats do it in earth and bury it. The dogs near me seem to delight in shitting right in the middle of the road near schools and nurseries.

Maybe you could invent a cat nappy and have it made compulsory OP? You could make a killing.

Original poster
PengAly · 16/12/2018 23:40

@dogs and horses would like to roam naturally but we domesticated them so why cant the same happen for cats? They can be outside but should be controlled. Pet hamsters and birds like to be outside but that doesnt happen either

OP posts:
Original poster
PengAly · 16/12/2018 23:41

Meant @Lovingbenidorm

OP posts:
YerAuntFanny · 16/12/2018 23:41

If they can't be trained then why bother to domesticate them and give them a "home".

They're either outdoor living wild animals or they are domestic pets which need to be trained to fit in with societal expectations!

This is why I don't have pets 😂

WaxOnFeckOff · 16/12/2018 23:42

I'm not so much comparing the two but asking WHY cat owners think their cat ruining peoples gardens and roaming on other peoples property is ok?

So why do dog owners think it's okay to allow their dogs to shit on the pavement/the playpark etc, why do they think it's okay to allow them to bark for fucking hours on end, why do they think it's okay to allow them to kill other peoples pets/bite their children or other dogs?

The answer is that not all dog owners do that and equally not all cat owners do either.

Lovingbenidorm · 16/12/2018 23:42

Ok so only answers are

  • keep cat inside at all times (cruel)
  • find out where your cat shits and clear it (tricky)
  • fit a kitty colostomy bag (😳)
  • sew up cats bum
  • stop cats being cats 🤨
Butchyrestingface · 16/12/2018 23:42

I'm with you, OP.

But then, my dislike of cats merely extends to chasing them from the garden and where possible thwarting their efforts to kill little birds.

My ever loving papa, on the other hand, likes to wax lyrical about his plans to place antifreeze around his garden to eliminate the "cat problem".

I hope he is just talking his usual shite but people like him exist.

Jux · 16/12/2018 23:42

We have 3. They have a flap and go out whenever they want. It's true they mostly snooze indoors in comfy, warm places in the winter and only go out to shit/piss (in our garden usually), but in summer they're off roaming with the best of them. Shoot me.

BoebePhuffay · 16/12/2018 23:42

You won’t find cat shit on the street because cats naturally like to bury their poo. So go for sand/gravel/flower beds. You see dog shit in streets because that’s where people walk their dogs and leave it instead of picking it up.

Purpleartichoke · 16/12/2018 23:43

Our cars stay inside because I realized letting them out made me a crappy neighbor. The cats are fine.

Thesearmsofmine · 16/12/2018 23:43

I hate cats crapping in my garden, it really annoys me. They also come into my house if the door is open(imagine if a random unaccompanied dog did that!). Recently had a cat bring a half dead squirrel into our garden to finish off, I had to physically go out and frighten the cat away and deal with the poor squirrel.

Original poster
PengAly · 16/12/2018 23:43

@YerAuntFanny this is how i feel about cats! Why are they "pets" if the basically act like wildlife? It annoys me because they have owners! Wild fox shit doesn't bother me because no person is responsible for that fox

OP posts:
Nancy268 · 16/12/2018 23:44

I would rather have cat poop in my garden than mice in my house. Having cats roaming around catching mice is great when you live in more rural areas.

angelikacpickles · 16/12/2018 23:45

@OneStepMoreFun

Cats aren't trainable as dogs are. You can't prevent a cat from roaming unless you shut it in and most cats don't thrive as house pets. They need fresh air.

Surely these are very good reasons why cats should not be kept as pets.

(I like neither dogs nor cats, but wish neither any ill will.)