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.

Perhaps if the post was actually a intelligent post that was worth critical thinking, we would have some?
Cats are not dogs.

Dogs are a terrible danger to humans. Cats are not. Plus you can't 'walk' a cat in the same way you can control a dog's exercise. It's very simple OP.

You’re odd and you clearly enjoy winding people up. If you really care about wildlife or animal welfare, go and do something useful to help.

I’m not arguing that, you said that post was vile and all I’m saying is whilst the post wasn’t worded as nicely as it could have been, it was correct.

If an outdoor cat dies as as result of being outdoors the fault is only that of the owner and not of the car who hit it, the person who’s slug killer poisoned it or anything else (unless deliberately) as the owner is ultimately the one who made the decision to let them access the outdoors and it could have been avoided.

Of course if you have weighed up the risk to your cat and decided there is less of a risk of that than your cat having a medical episode then that is your right as a pet owner. I’m just saying that a lot of people like to blame everyone else but themselves. I would be devastated if I hit a cat with my car, genuinely heart broken, but unless I could have safely avoided it, it wouldn’t be my fault.

Because cats are not dogs? They have different needs as a species and are not domesticated in the same way. Keeping them locked up is cruel. If you can’t allow a cat to roam safely, don’t have a cat.

Good luck with that.

I assume you have never met a cat because they are very different from dogs...

Where I live cats cause zero issues. Dogs however, I’m sick of fucking listening to. 4am barking pisses me off.

My cat doesn’t go out. It was a condition of her adoption.

I used to have a cat that went outside. She was friends with the birds and it was lovely watching them jumping around her paws while she was laid watching them. Did make me worry they would get too close to other cats though. She caught mice and rats regularly so it wasn’t a case of having no killer instinct.

She was killed by a twat driving too fast on our cul de sac. He didn’t even stop. I’d quite happily lock that fucker up rather than cats.

Don't know why folks bother engaging with such a repetitive, dense, obtuse argument from OP. It's not a real discussion.

Do they? What about house cats, also cats that are kept in the garden via a catio or similar? Why don’t they need to roam? Genuine question. Is this cruel?

They are domesticated pets, they don’t need to hunt to survive.

The amount of cats on our estate is a pita! NDN knows that we throw water towards her cat if it sets foot in our garden, she actually doesn’t mind it, we have bird feeders in the trees and I’ve witnessed her cat launch itself, with great agility’ towards a wood pigeon eating high up (it’s half bengal, the cat not the pigeon)! Unfortunately it’s predated many fledgling birds. Twat!

Still happens in my village. Lots of dogs taking themselves for walks.

Responsible owners put a bell on the collar. They’re very different animals with different needs.
They also help keep rats and mice away.
I have never had a cat but I really enjoy my neighbours cat popping in for a visit, she’s smart enough to tease my springer spaniel by sitting up high, she jumps in if the dog is inside. Very cute.
My next pet will be a cat.

What are you on about?

Every cat owner knows (and accepts) that having an outdoor cat comes with risks.

Perhaps people who don't have a suitable, secure outside space should be told not to get a cat, the way dog owners are advised not to.
I really don't want your cat in my garden, just because it's easier for you to let it wander all over.

I put my cat in a harness and lead to take her for a walk. She lay on the floor on her side and refused to move.

Because they are an introduced predator species that can destroy indigenous species - like New Zealand with so many ground nesting birds that can't survive cats or rats.

That's completely different to ecosystems that have always had cats.

Cats and dogs have different behavioural and dietary needs. They aren't comparable.

I think it depends on the cat and the location. Most cats are fine to roam where I live (rural village), the only time I’ve had a problem with it was when these people had two very large and aggressive Bengals and they let them do what they want all day….they caused chaos!! They almost killed my next door neighbours elderly cat, they tried to scratch his eyes out and almost drowned him one day. I love cats but those two I really didn’t like. One ended up being hit by a car :(

I think one danger we need to think about when it comes to cats which we’ve only recently had to consider is electric cars. I know multiple people who’s cats have been asleep under or near an electric car and then been run over as they haven’t woken up due to them making no noise :(

I bang on my car before I leave now.

Cat-Proof Garden? Like stapling jelly to a wall.

School holidays are bloody tiresome.

Isn’t the point obvious? Stop demonising cats and start focusing on the humans desecrating the animals habitats. They are a much bigger threat to the birds than roaming cats are.
Start there.

We thought we had a cat proof garden, and were quite smug about how we had found the perfect compromise as we had a cat that didn't roam and bother others, but could enjoy being outside. Then we got another cat, and it turned out that what we had wasn't a cat proof garden, it was a cat who wasn't fussed about going beyond the garden. The second cat had broken through the defences on day one. He would also be deeply miserable if not allowed further than the garden.

Oh, and the cat who will not be caged is also the cat who will not wear a collar. He can get them off in minutes.

Exactly..
and the average lifespan of an indoor-outdoor cat is 10-14 years. Someone posted nonsense!

It can happen with any cat, not just Bengals. There tends to be a 'top cat' in the neighbourhood and they will fight on occasion, much more often if not neutered.

My cat now is a rehomed bengal, she's as timid and as frightened as anything, if she sees another cat she runs home.

NDN’s Twat cat who I mentioned upthread is half bengal! She’s definitely ‘top cat’ in the neighbourhood. She’s a big old fighting/killing machine! I’ve had to intervene on many occasions (usually at some ridiculous hour) when she’s been ready to see off an unsuspecting cat who has wandered into her territory! The noises they make could wake the dead!

Have you ever met a cat?
They do what they want.