To think cats shouldn’t be allowed out without owners

[DoBeDoBeDooo]

The other thread about cats vs dogs has made me realise I’m not alone in my feelings about cats being allowed to roam freely, kill wildlife, and crap all over the place.

Why is it one rule for dogs and another for cats? It’s doesn’t make any sense really, when you think about it.

Shouldn’t the same rules apply: cats can be walked on leads and owners must pick up after them or risk fines etc?

Cats aren't - legally - considered in the same league as dogs. Cats are not considered livestock / property in the same way that dogs are.

This is also why if you run a dog over you have to report it but you don't if you hit a cat.

I'd like to see anyone try to walk my younger cat, let alone try to get a lead or harness on him. He made it clear at 8 weeks old that he wasn't going to tolerate a collar.

I can tell that the OP knows nothing about cats.

FWIW my two toilet in their litter tray or in a designated spot in their own garden.

I am a good law abiding citizen. I volunteer. Pay my taxes. Have raised children who are assets to society. Let me have my cat and let him be a cat. It’s all I ask. Luckily my neighbours seem very fond of him.

So you don’t like animals and support cruelty. Interesting stance.

Mine are fond of my two too.

I mean, lots of places have successfully stopped cats free roaming:

Parts of Australia, USA, New Zealand, Canada. There are restrictions in Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, etc.

Why should pets be allowed to cause nuisance for anyone except their owners?

Why should they be allowed to kill wildlife?

Who decided free roaming is better for the cats wellbeing? Many cats are killed by traffic or by eating rodents that have been poisoned.

My cat doesn’t poo outside or kill things
he mostly sits watching for people walking past to ask for fuss
I think he’s secretly not a cat

The Humane Society in the U.S. strongly urges cat owners to keep them inside. The evidence is quite robust that outdoor cats have much shorter lifespans and often die in terrible ways. Modern society is not a safe place for them. If you enrich the indoor environment cats can be happy and stimulated enough. If I get another cat I'm thinking of rigging up a 'cat' patio, a small outdoor space that keeps them in and other cats out.

Where have I said I don’t like animals or support cruelty?

cats are free roaming in NZ

Funnily enough I was going to say the same about my cat who is currently lay like a dog next to me snoring beautifully

Not true…the law changed recently concerning this.

OP - you exist on this earth as one of the most dangerous and destructive of all species. Your individual existence has and will cause so much destruction to insect life, wildlife and the environment. Your waste gets pumped into rivers. Countless creatures suffer unimaginable cruelty so you can eat, shop, get well, live. Your child will be a similar stain on this planet.

Can you tell me why you personally should be able to roam free?

Do you know what happens when we stop killing wild rats and mice

Really? I can't find anything about this and the guidance still seems to say if you run over a cat you don't (legally) have to report it.

Oh no not again.
Soon we're going to have someone who says that a cat killed their grandma, another one that a chihuahua started a world conflict and someone else would come saying "yes but ny ASD child is scared of bees"

I'm sure all those concerned by the wildlife don't have a car or shop at Zara / Shein / Temu etc...

The impact of cats on the environment is negligible compared to overpopulation, 2 cars households, hen / stag dos in Croatia, eating bananas from Costa Rica all year round, tat in christmas socks at christmas etc...

Yes but my garden...Well all your precious wildlife poop too.
The mice you don't like: wildlife. The pigeon that poops on your precious car: wildlife. The spider you scream about: Wildlife. Slugs that destroy your plants, wildlife.

Stop with the faux concern. You just want to complain, and have zero nuisance from anything whilst having the comfort of living in a human settlement. Cats and dogs have been around for millenia they're not going anywhere.

Yeah, I was surprised when I found out that cats roaming all over the place is common in the UK. Maybe it’s because US transportation can be so car-centric, but over here, it’s seen as borderline negligent to just let your cat out of the house to go wherever. That’s how they get run over by cars or picked off by larger wildlife (I realize the UK has different wildlife) or just inexplicably vanish.

I can’t blame anyone who’s pissed off by dead birds and cat feces on their property.

The people on these threads who have an issue with cat poo clearly don't live anywhere near me - where the dog poo is a massive massive issue and often not cleaned up by the owners.
Dogs also piss on gates/lampposts, etc.

There are many many more humans that I would prefer didn't go out on their own than cats.

You know, some scientists are saying now that dogs and cats are different species with different needs, instincts and risk.

Madness I know, both have fur and can be stroked but yet here we are.

Cat owners tend to be rather selfish people.

Na .. my dog is thick as shit - he’d be in the road chasing a leaf
My cat can find her way home every time .

But a many dogs like a lot of vigorous exercise. I’ve had both cats and dogs, but have yet to meet a cat who will joyfully run endlessly after a ball, or who’ll happily swim into the sea or a lake to retrieve a stick. Prowling stealthily round gardens and lurking under a shrub in the hope of pouncing on an unwary bird, is more like it.

Some cats kill wildlife but plenty don’t.

Plenty of dog owners leave their dog’s shit without picking it up. Dog poo is also dangerous to humans, including pregnant women. At least cats often bury their poo.

New Zealand has issues with cats killing protected wildlife, as cats are not native to New Zealand.

i live in the fens. Every farm around here has a few cats. They’re generally semi feral and eat mice and rats. They are useful round here.

Not everyone would be able to have a pet if they had to walk it, for example if they had limited mobility, but you would deny those people the joy of having a pet and how much owning a pet can improve mental health.

A quick google will show you that intensive farming methods are much much much worse for wildlife than cats.