To really not understand why people are OK with cats

[Duvetstay]

Full disclosure, I'm allergic to cats and also very much a dog person but I really don't understand how it's acceptable for cats to go round decimating local wildlife and crapping in gardens.

I've lost count of how many times I've had to pick cat poo off the lawn and my daughter came in yesterday with cat sick all over her feet as a local moggie had vommed on our patio. I'm sick of it. It's a health hazard and you shouldn't have to wear a hazmat suit to go in your own garden.

We have tadpoles outside which are about to froglet and I've just seen a fat cat with its head in the water. I'm fuming, a few of the tadpoles are injured and this is the same cat I had to get off a terrified bird last week.

I'm not remotely sentimental about nature, if a hungry creature kills another then that's how life works. However I cannot understand how people can let these cats out knowing that they're injuring animals for no reason and causing health hazards to other people in their own home.

I couldn't take my dog for a shit in your garden so why can your cat do that in mine? They're not even natural predators as they just trot home to get their whiskers.

I DON'T UNDERSTAND!

[Rezie]

@Duvetstay Welcome up north to the Nordics technically cats are allowed to roam free hit they are not allowed to go to private properties, parks, beaches etc. Which is impossible to control and therefore you should have them on a lead. Obviously a lot of people living on te outskirts of cities don't follow this but in the cities you see cat walkers.

Funnily enough it was in the news that someone "walked" their snake and it didn't have to be in lead cause the rules only apply to dogs and cats.

[Mangofandangoo]

They shit in my garden and then they go and wipe their feet all over their owners kitchen work surfaces/ sofa/ bed/ dining table 🤢

[torthecatlady]

OP, have you ever tried telling a cat what to do? They do what they want, when they want. All we can do worship them and give them treats.

[isseywith4vampirecats]

just asked my cats why I like them they looked at me as if to say because of all the reasons people have put in posts above mine don't hunt too lazy and go out all day and come home to crap in the litter trays this is their normal modus operandi

[lyralalala]

they're not wild animals?

They are. That's why you don't need to report it to anyone if you hit one with a car and why being microchipped doesn't actually mean you'll get it back if someone steals it (if they claim the cat moved in with them not a lot will happen unless you steal it back).

[isseywith4vampirecats]

sorry lost the pic

[Koddii]

I love cats.

But I know what you mean. I hate finding poo in my garden too. Never sure what kind of animal has left it there.

I like that my cat is an indoor cat who only goes out occasionally to our garden.

I still love all cats though.

[PippinStar]

I have cats. I didn't go looking for them, I came across them all, starving or injured or as babies with their mother dead on the road beside them. They are living, breathing creatures who aren't designed to survive in the while on their own. What else can I do? Almost everyone I know who has cats came across them in a similar way. Most are reluctant cat owners (but very much cat lovers).

(FWIW I also neuter and rehome every stray I come across to bring the cat population down).

The way I see it - humans domesticated them, it's our job to take care of them.

[Booboodisney]

I have never stopped in cat vomit and I’ve always had cats! Very weird that your dd just stepped in it without looking

[Srictlybakeoff]

Where I live there are poo bags full of dog shit overflowing from bins and the stench is awful. Dogs off the lead have savaged a couple of young deer. They can be more destructive than cats .
We were out for a walk recently and a small dog off the lead attacked another dog. It’s owner had a terrible time trying to protect it.
So I don’t like dogs- and I feel very strongly that they should always be on leads when out. But I can accept that other people think they are wonderful , and I wouldn’t start a thread against them

[Flumo]

Personal opinion I guess 🤷🏻‍♀️ I love both cats and dogs.

[MouthBreathingRage]

I don't know why anyone like humans. All they do is go around decimating all other living things around them. I don't know why they are allowed at all, perhaps some sort of lockdown should be in order...

[TheGoatIsHere]

When I first moved in to this house, I soon realised that my garden was the local hangout for cats - crapping in flower beds, in the veg patch, sometimes on the lawn, lazing around like they owned the place. I bought a Nerf water gun - nicknamed Cat Blaster. Soaked a fair few moggies that summer - cats no longer a problem (well, not my problem).

[olivehater]

Cats mostly cover their Pooh in the garden. Ok the odd one they don’t.. Dogs shit on the floor and don’t cover it and a lot of their disgusting Irresponsible owners leave it as well ( or out it in a plastic bag and leave it there: wtf it that all about). Not many deaths or hospitalizations from cats attacks either.
There is nothing more soothing than stroking a purring cat in your lap.

[cherry2727]

I can't stand the dog owners in my neighbourhood who never pick up their dog poo from the sidewalks! Not all cat are left to roam - my cat is an indoor cat and isn't allowed outside .
Each to their own but dogs are not completely innocent either . The number of deaths by dogs per year in this country is shocking not forgetting dog bites( 740 per 100,000 per year !!)

[dicksplash]

I love cars but hate when the parents don't littler train their furballs. My cats have always used a tray and I would hate to think of them pooing in others gardens.

No dogs I don't get. They are not cute, they smell, there fur isn't soft, they don't clean themselves and they are so bloody needy. Give me a cat any day of the week.

[Flowersniffer]

My cat's never been out, for his own safety. I see too many cats dead in the road. My friends cat lost a leg in a trap in a nearby field. He isn't picking up fleas or disease. Or getting into fights. I think my cat's a happy boy. Theres no need to let a cat get used to going out. You just need to put the effort into keeping their environment enriched. My cat is perfectly happy on his towers watching the birds on the table outside the french window. He also got a feeder attached to a window. I've potted up interesting cat safe plants for him to smell/chew and dotted them around the house. We have put out tunnels and boxes for him to explore. He's got a window that can only open certain width, so he gets plenty of fresh air. I have a dvd especially for cats he will sit and watch for hours. He get's played with, I rotate his toys every so often to keep interest. He sends his days laying on the spare bed that gets all the sun.

[whenwillthemadnessend]

Because they are so pretty

[ItsSpittingEverybodyIn]

We've got a cat, and I love her to bits, she's gorgeous and lovely but I agree, her poo absolutely stinks and they are cheeky little buggers cats.

[AwkwardSquad]

And I really resent having to fork out MY hard earned cash to deter them

Not crazy about the fact that some of my tax money goes towards cleaning up after filthy lazy dog owners who don’t pick up after their dogs, for supplying and emptying dog bins, for enforcement for antisocial noise from dogs (although frankly there’s not nearly enough enforcement) and costs to the NHS because of dog bites. But there we are.

[Blueswede]

@Duvetstay this will make you laugh. I trained my three cats off the litter trays during lockdown. Two of them are now doing their business properly, we live very rurally so they have our huge garden, flower beds, under shrubs etc to shit.Two of them do and cover it up because we don’t see their poop. One of them has decided our gravel patio is his new litter tray 🤦🏼‍♀️ How do I know which cat it is...? This particular cat used to piss in his own bed and never ever ever covers his shit up. His sister always used to go in the litter tray after him to cover for him! So now thanks to mr moron whiskers, I have essentially swapped a small litter tray for a large one (have to rake the patch of gravel he likes every day). Sigh. Still... before we let them out we had bloody mice chewing our water pipes under the floor boards and now the cats frequently present us with dead mice presents and we haven’t heard mice in the house for months so given the choice between having flooded house and playing sieve for poo I’ll take the poo!

[AwkwardSquad]

OTOH, I do think all cat owners should supply litter trays. Don’t understand the mentality of people who actively encourage their cats to go outside and don’t provide a regularly cleaned alternative. And yes yes I know, you cant make them use one blah blah blah, but at least try.

[AwkwardSquad]

Slightly unfortunate timing for my post there. I can see that if you live in middle of nowhere etc it’s a bit different.

[LST]

Because they are ace little individuals that have their own characteristics just like dogs.

[WhenItIsOver]

The poo I pick off the lawn is fox poo.

When we had tadpoles/froglets I thought about keeping them safe from other creatures, like birds not just cats, by putting raised netting over the water. I didn't just leave them to be picked out.

I have to be careful where I walk because of dog shit on the pavements. And poo bags (full) left at the side of the pavement, in the gutter and also in the middle of the pavement. People push buggies through them, they burst, shit goes all over the pavement. I don't see how that is worse.