To think having an indoor cat is cruel?

[Catnope]

I was looking after my mother’s cat last week - feeding him while she was on holiday and changing the litter tray - and I felt so incredibly sorry for the cat. It’s not the first time I’ve looked after him for her, and not the first time I’ve thought that.

What a shit life for the cat.

Of course I don’t like the idea of cats killing wildlife out there, but to be a prisoner indoors 100% of the time your whole life?!

It’s cruel. Right?! Just me?

Of course I was nothing but lovely to my mother and took good care of the cat. My mother doesn’t let him out because she fears he’ll get stolen or run over. She lives on a quiet and safe street, so I don’t think anyone will want to steal him. At this point, I also think he wouldn’t have a clue how to kill a bird.

I don't think I would say it is cruel, but it's not something I would consider for any of my cats. They love to be outside, basking in the sun or watching what is happening in the neighbourhood. I live in a flat and my neighbour has a half acre section - the cats disappear there everyday and I only see them at food time or night time. There were four of them at one stage and they could all go next door and keep out of each other's way (they are not friends!).

These people who think it is cruel to keep animals as pets! I wonder if they have any idea what the life of a stray cat is like - it really isn't the pleasant idyll they seem to imagine! Probably the same could be said for most animals traditionally kept as pets.

If it weren’t for pets there wouldn’t be any stray cats…. that’s part of the point 🤦🏻‍♀️

Again, in your opinion I don’t care, because your belief is that my cats are negatively impacting other people.

Except in my opinion they aren’t negatively impacting other people (they don’t leave my back yard so they don’t come into contact with other people) so there isn’t an issue there for me to care about.

If mice or rats come into my yard the cat might kill them- I wouldn’t care about that because I’d rather not have rats or mice getting into my property and causing damage.

If a bird flew down and landed in our yard the cat might try and catch it- I wouldn’t massively care about that either, because as I said in my very first post- I’m more concerned with my cat having a good life than I am with wild birds. If I was more concerned about the birds I wouldn’t have rescued the cat, I’d have got a bird table instead.

As it happens I haven’t seen a bird in our backyard ever- there aren’t any trees, plants or sources of food and water (no crumbs or whatever, we don’t eat out there, the kids don’t play out there and drop food- it’s just cats)- nothing to draw a bird in, not even the possibility of worms because there isn’t any soil- and a massive obvious predator sitting there.

Please explain. There have always been stray cats, and they are stray simply because they aren't pets. They live in colonies and continue to breed. How does a person not wanting to have a cat as a pet stop there being stray cats? It's a bit too late to return to a catless society.

My sister had mice in her garden, and put poison down. I tried to stop her incase it poisoned a cat, but she didn't care. I saw a cat in her garden later and acted like I was going to attack it and shouted at it and I didn't see it again for a while. A lot of people probably accidentally poison cats. One of mine came home not walking properly once. I think it was poison. But I still think it's a shame for them indoors. I just wish people would be more caring not to harm them

Yes, it’s far too late. You may notice that I haven’t said any such thing about making it a catless (or petless) society, just that my views on pet ownership have changed since I’ve grown up as many pets are not given what they need. That’s simply how I feel about it, not a suggestion to act on it. However if we hadn’t entered into pet keeping, there would be no domestic cats, therefore no strays suffering as a result of the usual human failure.

If breeding domestic pets was banned tomorrow, I wouldn’t be sad about it.

Maybe people think mass culling is the answer- massive concern for non domestic animals, but only the right ones.

Ok, I’ll take your word that your cats don’t roam. That’s fair enough, and I sincerely hope that it’s true. However you clearly still support roaming cats, and show no empathy whatsoever for those who suffer in various ways, just sympathy for someone who has deliberately put their cat in danger, leading to its death at just one year old.

Strays are still domestic. They don’t become wild by virtue of not having a home. They are feral.

Another hypocritical comment - as the roaming cat owners only care about their cat, and not anything they kill. This is what’s so frustrating, the constant double standards 🙂

I make sure that no-one else's pet can enter my house, yes.

What's your problem with that?!!

You are trying to get other people to keep their cats indoors. If it wasn't the case that I prefer my cats to be indoors, and they are happy here, posts like yours would be making me leave my back door wide open!!

So WTF do you expect the owners to do???

No, I don't care about anything my cats might have killed. Birds, rats, mice etc. take their chances in life as much as anything else.

As I have already said, it is too late to have a catless society. I would far rather people had cats or dogs as pets and provided them with the comforts of life than have all cats forced to fight for life as a stray.

Cat owners should control their cats. Especially if they don't want them killed on the road, or in the gardens with prey driven dogs.

The problem with that is that no one else’s pet should be on or in my property if I don’t want them to be! If I want to open a window or door to ventilate my home, or while I’m in and out of the house doing jobs, or for any reason whatsoever, of course I should be able to! 🙄

That’s so lovely of you, what a kind and empathetic person. Congratulations 🥳

Just to note, I’ve never said cats should be kicked out as strays, that’s literally the opposite of what I’ve been saying across this whole thread…. but well done for trying I guess 🙂

I do support cats roaming- mine don’t. For some reason one doesn’t bother to leave the house and the other isn’t capable of exiting the yard- I don’t know why, she just has poor coordination.

I feel sorry for cats that suffer in various ways outdoors- I don’t agree that because sometimes bad things happen no cats should be allowed to roam. That isn’t a proportionate response to the risk.

Cats in some situations shouldn’t roam because it’s too dangerous for them- the risk outweighs the benefit. In that situation I wouldn’t have a cat because I also feel sorry for them being kept locked in when they want to go out.

My feelings do not extend to birds- I don’t like them.

I wouldn’t keep caged birds because I don’t think any living creature should be locked up- it’s cruel and unnecessary (with caveats for rescues or breeding purposes for endangered whatevers etc),

and I purposely avoid having anything to attract birds onto my property because of the cats,

Beyond that I am completely unconcerned about birds. I don’t feel concern if other people’s cats kill birds, it not my circus.

Ok, so it’s fine for you to not like birds and be fine with them being killed. But not ok if someone doesn’t like cats, or doesn’t want cats on their property, killing their pets, or killing the wildlife they care for. Gotcha.

Those double standards again, I mean, I didn’t expect anything less 🙂

How? My three are indoors but I absolutely defend the right of cats to be outdoors if that is what they want!

Of course- as my first post said, if you are concerned about wildlife more than your cat then you wouldn’t have a roaming cat.

If someone has a roaming cat then you can take it as read that they care more about the cats enjoyment than about dead rats.

There is no double standard or hypocrisy there- one thing matters to the cat owner more than the other.

Don't be daft - you know anything can come in!

We have numerous bird stations in our garden, and have a huge variety of birds visit them. Our own cats are indoors but the neighbours' cats target the birds in our garden. I hate it when they kill a blue tit or a goldfinch and I do try to monitor it from my dining room where I WFH. It's nature though and much as I would love to, I can't stop it.

But not ok if someone doesn’t like cats, or doesn’t want cats on their property, killing their pets, or killing the wildlife they care for. Gotcha.

It’s absolutely fine for people not to like cats, not to want them on their property and to care about the wildlife- where have I said it isn’t? Loads of people feel that way.

They can give money to wildlife charities, campaign for a law change so cats must be contained, chase cats away if they see them, name and shame people on Facebook, nurse injured crows back to health etc-

What they can’t do is expect cat owners to alter their behaviour to suit them.

You have to accept that people disagree with your opinion, have different values to you and won’t change to suit your agenda.

Well clearly you can't prevent it happening, so why don't you ensure your pets are safe? This is on you!

By all means let them outdoors, but don't have a go at car drivers or dog owners (and by this I mean dogs in their own gardens) if you cat is killed by one of them.