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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:
MerryBear · 17/12/2018 04:45

Oh well, MissBattenberg, I stand corrected.

I still think that, on the whole and by and large, the average cat roaming at will is far less of a threat, disturbance, nuisance then the average dog. And much less insanitary.

Furries · 17/12/2018 04:46

I’ve got both dogs and cats, so no bias here.

Dog is giant, so poo is relative!!

Am lucky with the cats. They are not free roaming, but not confined either. If I’m home then they have outdoor access for hours at a time - thankfully, for my sanity, they never leave the garden. However, they can be outside for ages and then, when they need the loo, they come in and use the litter tray - glad they’re not annoying the neighbours!

Pachyderm1 · 17/12/2018 06:29

OP, you can’t start a thread by saying dogs are so much better than cats and then complain 8 times when people tell you the issues they have with dogs. If that’s a ‘pointless debate’ why did you start it?! You could have made your point about roaming without comparing cats and dogs.

Pachyderm1 · 17/12/2018 06:32

Also I have to say, I live in a neighbourhood with loads of roaming cats but I’ve never once found shit in my garden. My own cats are allowed out if I open a door or window for them, but they still use their indoor litter trays.

Cats bury their shit, which is maybe why I’ve never seen one. That’s why I wonder how much of this is a theoretical concern rather than a practical one?

Nightwatch999 · 17/12/2018 06:43

Cats have roaming rights, dogs have owners, cats have staff!!Grin

missbattenburg · 17/12/2018 06:51

With respect pachyderm (because I for one am rather enjoying the debate) you also can't state it's a hypothetical concern when there are people on the thread who say they know cats shit in their garden. I know because the front border is dug over everyday and during the summer, weeding inevitably revealed cat shit. Digging the autumn bulbs in revealed even more and required careful digging and some glove washing afterwards.

Now, I don't know whether that means I think all cats should contained because I can see they bring pleasure to peoples lives and I expect roaming is enjoyable for them. But I do think most of the arguments why they shouldn't be could also be applied to dogs and/or other domesticated/pet animals.

E.g. roaming is a natural cal behaviour. As it is for dogs, hens, goats

E.g. wild animals also shit in the gardens so cats are ok to do so. But this is not then applied to dogs.

E.g. cats and dogs were domesticated differently when it looks like they both self domesticated.

E.g. dogs are potentially dangerous and cats are less so. But then so are hens and goats.

It's interesting to me (genuinely) how come cats get a free pass than others do not and so am rather enjoying reading all the POV.

Greyhorses · 17/12/2018 06:54

I tried very hard to keep mine inside and gave up as he is incredibly sneaky and escapes constantly. I think some cats are just not meant to be house cats and luckily we live in a quiet area. He still comes in to use the litter tray but I’m not sure what he does or where he goes!

I won’t be getting another once he’s gone though, too much worry.

PurpleFlower1983 · 17/12/2018 06:57

I have three cats and they live indoors, for the reasons you have stated and because I love the bones of them and would never forgive myself if one went missing or got killed/injured outside.

I consider myself more of a dog person but I found my first cat as a stray and fell in love! Mine are all selfish bastards but so affectionate/cute too Grin

PumpkinKitty82 · 17/12/2018 06:58

Sorry but I don’t really get how you are an “animal lover” but don’t understand why people like cats?
And cats aren’t selfish , they’re independent. They didn’t need everything doing for them like a dog.
It’s in cats nature to roam , they are the fraction of the size of most dogs .
I’d take a small pile of cat crap in my garden compared to a massive dog shit and also it’s very rare for cats to crap on the pavement unlike like dogs.
There are numerous ways to stop cats using your garden as a toilet ...
Hundreds of dogs roaming our streets would be dangerous so that would be a stupid idea

bruffin · 17/12/2018 07:00

. I’d rather see birds enjoying my garden than the multiple shitting cats in the area.
I have a cat and loads of birds including ground feeders such as wrens. She never touches the birds, just chatters to them.

Pachyderm1 · 17/12/2018 07:03

@missbattenburg don’t exaggerate - I didn’t state that it’s a hypothetical concern. I said I wonder how much of this is a theoretical concern rather than a practical one? because while I understand that some people have specifically identified issues with cats in their gardens, I also think some people might be complaining about the theoretical possibility rather than any practical issues they’ve had themselves.

Ironically, the best way to keep cats out of your garden is to get a cat. They’re very territorial. Just a thought for the cat despisers to consider Grin

Unobtainable · 17/12/2018 07:06

@ErollTheDragon

It’s called ‘the prey instinct.’ A cat’s nature is one of a ‘hunter’ so they like to stalk and ambush prey. Anything moving past their field of vision is likely to get pounced on.

WaxOnFeckOff · 17/12/2018 07:07

My favourite stupid comment goes to @waxonfeckoff - no gardens for people who don't want their neighbours cats to shit on them

Maybe you don't recognise sarcasm?

Fluffycloudland77 · 17/12/2018 07:08

I see everyone jumped in to give op the attention they wanted.

It’s a goady fucker thread.

Crispyturtle · 17/12/2018 07:08

I personally wonder how it can be legal to be allowed to take an animal capable of tearing my small child to pieces out in public but there you go.

ViragoKnows · 17/12/2018 07:13

YANBU OP, I read a thread on the pregnancy or conception board recently where one poster was saying that litter trays needn't be a problem for pregnant women and that she had a catflap instead of a litter box (!) and that the person she was talking to could just have the same. Some cat owners are revolting in their assumption that the whole world is a cat toilet.

missbattenburg · 17/12/2018 07:19

Fair does pachyderm. I often wonder the same re anti dogs.

Mayrhofen · 17/12/2018 07:22

@candycreeper. I agree with you, I never see cat shit in my garden, there are lots of cats in our neighbourhood they use our garden at a walk through.

I frequently see dog shit on pavements and worse than that, dog shit that has been picked up in a poop bag and the bag knotted and strategically placed on a garden wall or thrown in the bushes.

I do sometimes get fox poo on my garden path, definitely not cat poo! Damn foxes, why can't people stop them shitting outside?

onefootinthegrave · 17/12/2018 07:23

OP I've only managed 2 pages because you're insufferable. YABU

AmyDowdensLeftLeftShoe · 17/12/2018 07:31

@Itsear when these threads pop up I feel sad over the ignorance of British people. There is information out there that explains the domestication routes of cats and dogs.

Oh and lots of cats stay away from babies and toddlers.

StoppinBy · 17/12/2018 07:31

@tildema pretty big difference between mice poop and cat poop - think I can tell the difference and I imagine that while snap trapping mice is acceptable it's not quite the same for cats.

Actually no we don't always wash everything, my eldest pulls carrots, gives them a quick rinse under the garden tap and eats them, she will eat cucumbers, lettuce and spinach before they have a chance to make it inside.

Just keep your cat at your house and we wont have a problem.

Governoress86 · 17/12/2018 07:44

I love all animals but cats do my head in. My two neighbours cats are forever pooping in my garden which I am sick of cleaning up, they have scratched up my garden furniture and my partners bike, they have attacked me, if I leave my back door open in the summer they wander in to my house then hiss and go for me when I try and get them out, they have even attacked my dog, and I'm sick of clearing up dead birds that they have killed.

Their point can blind children. It doesn't help my neighbour feeds all the stray and owned cats, and then they shit in my garden.

I have told my neighbours who own them what they have done and all i get is well it's cats for you, but I bet they would have it if let my dog do the same in their garden.

ForgotTheBastardElfAgain · 17/12/2018 08:01

Whether the cat buries it or not, my kids dig in my garden with their diggers. I don’t want them unearthing cat shit. If I find out where the cat lives I will be returning it.
And for what it’s worth, when I’ve found dogs shitting in my garden, their owners also had the offer of it being returned if it happened again.
No bias here. If it’s owned, it shouldn’t be in my garden.

Sparklingbrook · 17/12/2018 08:09

Well this thread has certainly got everyone going hasn't it?

Just like all the bajillion threads about this before!

WaxOnFeckOff · 17/12/2018 08:09

Dog poo in bags has killed horses. People leave dog shit everywhere, especially on paths and pavements or hanging in bags everywhere, they are left barking outside or inside and disturb neighbours. That's poor pet ownership as they have control of those things.

People have unsightly/noisy vehicles, crying screaming children, play football and basketball in the street, have squeeky trampolines, have smokey BBQs when you are drying your laundry. We don't get to dictate how other people conduct perfectly normal activities regardless of whether we like them or not.

Allowing cats to roam is legal and normal. There are some cats that are more antisocial than others. I suggest a water pistol.