AIBU to think cats should not roam unsupervised like dogs?

[estrogone]

AIBU to think that if you dont leave your dog to roam streets unsupervised, then you shouldn't let other pets (cats), for the same reasons.

It blows my mind that people let their cats out because their sleep is disrupted and I wonder why they think its OK, when its highly unlikely they would put Fido outside if he kept the family up.

I believe science has recently uncovered the startling fact that cats and dogs are actually not the same animals...

And black is not white. Shocking 😉

For a throwback to roaming dog culture, and dogs meeting up with friends, I recommend people read the Hairy Maclary series of books by Lynley Dodd. Set in New Zealand, first published in the 80s but possibly harking back to earlier times.

If you care about wildlife, or cat welfare, there are far better ways to improve these than posting pointless threads about it. This issue is not a priority in the UK today.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a ridiculous Aibu. And that’s really saying something.

Thank you to whoever reported that vile post by a PP directed at me :)

Humans are behind even cats in this country. Brought over by the Romans I believe, that's a very long time ago to think it's in an environment it doesn't belong.

We valued cats because of their hunting skills so we kept them and the Victorians started to value them as pets.
Too many people don't neuter cats, creating colonies, so many of them over the UK. So many intact cats wandering the streets without owners.
That's a lot of cats having to hunt for dinner.

As I said, humans are behind pretty much all the destruction of wildlife. Control humans perhaps?

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/oct/28/uk-has-almost-250000-urban-stray-cats-claims-first-detailed-study
Neuter your cats people!

The simple response is culture and habit.

In some countries dogs get off lead in the cities, somewhere only in fenced dogs parks.
In some countries cats roam and in some they don't.
Some people keep guinea pigs in small cages and some let them roam in a room or garden.

Cats happen to be in a happy spot where they are relatively able to survive outside without endangering people too much.
Guinea pigs wouldn't survive and dogs are more dangerous.
As for a wildlife, the law hasn't catch up. In past cats were working animals - rodent control around crops, stables... if they had eaten enough mice, a few extra birds were overlooked. Now there are too many pet cats around who hunt everything. It's not right, but changing people's habits is hard.

Your title doesn't make sense. Cats don't "roam unsupervised like dogs". Suggests dogs are roaming, unsupervised. Which they aren't.

There's different laws for cats vs dogs. If you don't like it, email your MP.

All pets are different. Shall we put cats and dogs in cages because that's what we do with hamsters?
A cat is related to tigers and other big cats so it's in a cats nature to roam and it's more cruel to restrict that. When we had cats sometimes they went out at night sometimes they didn't but it was nothing to do with keeping us up at night
They do kill wildlife but so do other animals and it's part of nature.

So we should say nothing? That's odd.

YABU Cats gonna cat.

So you wouldn't advise the poster to stop the cause of the UTI? Why on earth not?
I wonder if your cat needs to go outside too...

One of the biggest causes of a cat UTI is stress. Take away the stress and hopefully a healthy and happy cat.

Well thank you.

Read the thread before dismissing it outright. Cats are routinely not given the same standard of care as other pets. My assertion is based on the fact that LOTS of people think its OK to let them face injury by traffic, fighting and related disease transmission, just because they are cats. Do you usually dismiss other people's ideas with such a lack of critical thinking?

I saw the post and whilst I don’t think the PP worded it the best I do think they have a point.

Cat owners have a habit of not taking responsibility when something happens to their cat. Facebook is often flooded with posts and trying to find drivers who hit their cat, calling them heartless and murderers. If you have an outdoor cat and something sadly happens to it because they are outdoors and die or cannot get home, responsibility ultimately does fall with the owner who let them outside.

OK. But dogs not going dog.

Why the double standard?

Hello OP, have you ever met a cat? Do they strike you as being the same or different to dogs?

I haven’t once said otherwise.

But ultimately keeping him inside was more dangerous to his health than letting him out. The fact that he’s never once had a urinary blockage since he started being allowed to roam tells me I did the right thing.

Somebody forgot to tell the government this in 2020, with the mania for keeping people alive at all costs. Dying is indeed a normal, natural part of life, yet there was a mania to keep people in extremely lonely and miserable existences, by forcibly isolating them from their own families, for months on end… but at least they were alive.

An unsupervised dog can kill someone. I think it's that simple really.

Because for the hundredth time on here, they are not the same.

Exactly. The OP doesn't understand that. My cats also go out during the day and are kept in at night.

You seem to think anyone with a different view is wrong and only your view is correct 🤣🤣🤣