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!

I have hated them since one jumped on my back as a toddler and started eating my hair. My neighbours cats shit all over my garden. I've seen them do it. One also killed a fledgling robin.

I love cats. Even the annoying local cat who is terrorising my cat.

Cats are brilliant.

Dogs are smelly (yes, dog owners all of your homes smell). Dogs jump up and lick your face. Some dogs are big and scary and can do you some real damage if they fancy it.

But the main problem with dogs are their owners. I do not love your dog so please keep it the fuck away from me when you are out in public. You saying "don't worry, he's fine" is not sufficient; he is not fine if he is coming near me. And there are loads of fuckers who don't pick up their dog poo. At least cats bury their poo and it doesn't contain parasites that can blind you. And it doesn't smell as bad. I could continue.

So both dogs and cats can be annoying to others in some way, but they give their owners a lot of pleasure so I think we need to be as tolerant as possible of both cat and dog owners.

I had such a lovely robin in my garden and next door’s cat killed it. It’s silly but it made me so sad. Cats kill so many birds. I can’t understand how anyone would keep one. Grim.

I'm a cat person. I realised this after we had to put our lovely but very difficult dog down in January. Cats are easier to keep (and you can keep them indoors only), I tolerate cats much better and they never kill people (unlike dogs can).
I do agree on wildlife... they've been proven to decimate wild bird population. That'd bother me if my cats went outside.
The pooing.... well... the amount of people who don't pick up after their dog is also quite high, unfortunately. You could try sonic deterrents or some fake cat sculpture etc.

Cats are intelligent. Which is why they rarely poo in their own yards, unfortunately for you. Though I have both, the dog is the dirtier animal by far and causes the most mess and havoc in the house and garden.
You are more likely to step in dog poo outside the home than cat poo. Cats at least attempt to bury it.

I love cats! Mine does poop in the garden but is very regular so I just scoop it up every morning. Same as a dog really but far more independent.

I'm neither cat or dog person but dogs cause me more grief personally, cos of all the shit everywhere

YANBU

Because cats are beautiful creatures, just like dogs.

We have both and I've never lived anywhere without a cat. They're so loving and have such funny personalities.

You can train them to poop and pee in a litter box, you can put a net over ponds where tadpoles are and frankly, until I see any evidence of cats being a threat to human life in the same way that an uncontrolled, untrained dog can be, I can't offer much agreement to the OP.

This is so weird, I had this conversation with dm the other day. She has 2 cats coming to visit and I told her to give them a chance and she told me she hates them, how could anyone like them etc. I was never a cat person but a few months ago two very nervous kittens started coming by and bit by bit started to come closer and watch the kids. After a while they let us pet them, soon they were running across the field next to us when we got home. They follow the kids about and lie near them. They purr and rub off us but are happy to just lie and watch everything going on then walk off when we're going in. On very wet days we sometimes let them in (checked it was okay with the neighbors). I absolutely love them so much.

I feel like I got sidetracked declaring my love there- forgot what I meant to say!!!

Bloody love my moggies, they are lovely. I'd rather they didn't kill local mice or rabbits, but I've not found a way of stopping them.

At least one of my neighbours allows there dog to shit in my front garden, there's dog poo all over local footpaths.

I'm don't mind cats in general but I don't want other people's pets in my garden. When we first moved in a neighbour's cat would regularly stalk birds on our lawn but a few pebbles thrown in it's direction & it soon stopped coming.
My friends have house cats which I have no issue with - if I'm honest I don't see the point of having a pet if it spends most of the tine roaming around elsewhere anyway.

Just look........

She buries her poop too 👍

There's a lot more dog shit around than cat shit.

I like to see it as cats are wild animals that people choose to vaccinate, neuter and feed, a bit like people feed birds and hedgehogs. My NDN has bird feeders all along the side of her garden by my fence, so the bird droppings on my fence, lawn, conservatory etc are constant. She has decided to encourage them to live in her garden by feeding them so could be described as "keeping" them. But I don't expect her to come over with a hosepipe and clean it up. I just see it as an inevitable part of having my own garden - sometimes I'll have to clean up some shit!

Tadpoles make a nice meal for many wild animals and birds.
If you want to protect them you need to cover the pond with netting.

I totally agree with you op and could have written your post.

Tbh theres more cats who are stray than there are who have homes so yabu to think it's a case of peoples pets just wandering around crapping and killing etc. foxes do the same thing and if theres poo in an open space that's more than likely not a cat, they dont like to leave themselves vulnerable whilst doing their business.

I'm with you, OP! I love cats, and have owned them in the past. I'd love another cat now but as I've got older and generally more aware and less selfish I can't reconcile the fact that my enjoyment of my cat will in a likelihood come at the cost of someone else having its shit in their garden (and I don't think keeping a cat indoors is a great alternative). So I don't have a cat.

Yeah and I’m sick of dodging the disgusting dog shot left all over the pavements and local beauty spots - cats pooing in your garden is annoying but I’m far more worried about the large amount of dog who owners who seem think it’s acceptable to let their dogs shit in playgrounds and on paths.

Cats are awesome.

Biggest threat to wildlife and wild animals is humans.

Humans have decimated the bird, animal and fish populations in this country by building houses and roads, driving vehicles, cultivating and farming land.

Local hedgehog rescue is currently overun with injuries from strimmers, lawnmowers and other garden implements.

They aren’t even natural predators, they just trot to the shop for their dinner.

Aibu to not understand why these beings think their species is more important than every other?

Hate dogs they bark shit all over ground and if owners are horrible they dont clean it up where as a cat buries it. If u are so concerned about u fish then put a net on?

Do I need to say more?