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.

Hence why I said I wouldn’t have said it like that, but they do have a point that it is the owners responsibility, which the posted agreed with.

However, I have just seen that the person they were talking to sadly lost a cat to a car accident recently, and as they are in agreement the responsibility falls on the owner for letting the cat out I don’t think there’s much point going over this subject again and again, I’m sure they feel guilty enough for what happened to their other cat without debating if it would be their fault or not if something happened to their other one. There’s no point rubbing salt in the wound as they are aware of the risks of letting a cat out.

I went out in the garden with my cat when I first let her out.

She stayed in the garden for about 15 minutes and then jumped over a 6 foot fence to go and explore a bit more of the neighbourhood.

I was unable to follow her and trying to tempt her back with treats didn't work.

Cats aren't like dogs. They roam independently. I've also never heard of cats attacking humans and causing serious injury or death light sadly some dogs have done.

That's more like it! Sensible cat.

Thank you.

Like you say, I am well aware of the risks and know how awful it is to lose them, but ultimately I would rather take that chance than keep them locked up indoors, which comes with its' own issues anyway.

I am very sorry to hear about your cat 💐

Thank you

erm, no, we are dismissing your idea with a great deal of critical thinking.
Hth!

Kid of the 70 and 80s sane experience.

Always had cats and always will, they are free to do what they want wether that be indoors or out, trying to keep them in is impossible and they hate it, particularly in this warm weather, and have multiple acres and fields to roam, catch mice and live a fabulous life.

Respectfully, if by your admission your cats go where they like then you have no idea where they crap. This is just how it is and one of those things, cats are cats afterall, and this is part of the roaming thing.

But you do sound silly saying with great authority that your cats never leave stinking piles of poo that are inconvenient to people.

If they are out and about without any supervision from you, then you cant really be sure. Just own it.

The thing is that dogs are very domesticated, and a long way removed from their wolf ancestors.
Cats are barely domesticated and are still basically wild animals who have learned to exist alongside us ratherthan adapting to us.
I had 7 cats a few years ago so I am well aware of the dangers they face when allowed to roam but would still rather they have slightly risky but happy lives instead of miserable safe ones.

One is very much a hunter and I try to restrict her, but it's mainly rats and mice she gets anyway, rarely a bird thank goodness. I know there are good arguments for protecting wildlife, but other than banning cats how can we address theis issue?

Respectfully, we are a small street and we all know each other and nobody has ever complained that my cats are using their gardens as a toilet and they are quite happy to mention about other things so I doubt it's a case of them just being polite. They are happy to complain that our ex stray has been into their bin bags or that my partners voice is too loud etc!

I do know where they go for a crap, they jump over the hedge at the bottom of our garden and into a field, there is a river a few feet from the hedge which separates them from the actual field where there are livestock, they toilet in a dense scrubby area that people can't access because of small thorny trees etc. They also have a litter box inside the house they use on wet days.

Though of course you are right, I'm not watching them constantly and doubt anyone else is either, so potentially they could crap somewhere inconvenient, but its certainly not as obvious a problem as dog owners are causing. There is dog poo out on the roads in our village daily that somebody isn't picking up, the moors are littered with it. Our local town is a lovely and quite affluent market town where we regularly have to play "Dodge the Turds and puddles of wee". At least cats try to do it away from prying eyes and to cover it up.

I have a cat who is indoor. I live near a busy road and railway line. He has a catio, 6 cat trees across the house, we play every day and he is harness trained which he goes on when im out in the garden. So previous posters who say harness training isnt possible, as with dogs you need to start young. He only seems bothered about going outside to 1, eat grass or 2 if im outside.

You are not wrong that some dog owners do not pick up their dog's poo.

BUT bear in mind that some of the poos that you see out and about could be foxes (or other animals?), as well. Obvs big dogs such as labs, shepherds etc give a tell tale kind of turd though 😂 small dogs and foxes excrement often looks similiar.

It's impossible to be out in the world where there are living things, and expect to never see a poo on the ground.

Not saying that is your expectation, you sound quite balanced, but I do get the impression that a lot of people find it unacceptable to come across any animal excrement at all.

Anyway Enough poo chat for a Sunday...!

ETA - I have told my neighboir to turn their music down and other benign things but I dont tell them their cat is annoyingly crapping in my front garden flower beds (and jumping through the windows in my house!) because realistically... what are they going to do? There's no point saying anything because they cannot do anything. Just because someone isnt saying something doesnt mean they dont find it annoying.

Dog licences were abolished almost 40 years ago! If I saw a dog roaming around 20 odd years ago, I would assume it was lost.

What a silly post. Are you ten?
You can easily Google all this.

I do voluntary gardening behind my home at a church. There's a person who keeps letting their dog poop which is driving me nuts. There's also fox poop. Huge difference in poop, consistency, colour and most of all...smell. Fox poop stinks.

I have a primitive breed of hunting dog who is also not especially domesticated. I have to take him into our garden on a leash in case the many neighbourhood cats are visiting because he will 100% kill them. I'm not sure the "instincts" argument would fly with the cat owners and I don't want to find out.

Most cat owners allow their cats to roam because this is what the cats' instints tell them to do. Some indoor cats may be happy never to go outside, but in my experience most are desperate to get out. My local FB is full of missing indoor cats who have seized the opportunity and escaped. Of course, the prospects of these runaway indoor cats are poor because they haven't gradually built up their experience of and exposure to the outside world in the way that indoor/outdoor cats do and they are often very frightened and don't know how to find their way home.

Do you know any cat owners in the USA, OP? A large proportion of American cats are indoors-only, because of coyotes etc - but these indoor cats have high rates of behavioural problems such as aggression to their owners. For this reason, many American cats are declawed (a horrible operation which actually involves the surgical removal of the furthest section of each toe - not just the claw itself).

I live in a quiet road. My cat goes in and out as she likes during the day, although I do keep her in overnight. There is a slight risk to her going out, but I feel that the benefits to her physical and mental health outweigh the risks. I would no more keep my cat in the house "for her own safety" than I would keep my kids in all the time for their own safety either.

🤣🤣

Cats have far too much pride and street-cred to be seen dead on a lead 🤣

And I’m sure they’d be horrified if their owner tried to make them wear a coat outside just because it was a bit cold or it was raining like dog owners do.

Cats are far more streetwise and resilient to the world than dogs are which is why they’re happy to roam and independent enough to enjoy it.

Gosh OP you’d hate where I live. There is a local cat with her own FB page who likes to roam into the village and hang around outside, but sometimes inside the Tesco local 😂 she’s quite famous locally and her owner knows where she is, people always recognise her and the Tesco staff are always trying to eject her 😂

Have you ever owned a cat? I suspect not. Good luck with trying to get them to do anything they don't want to 😂

Forgot to say that when I went to Zante there were cats everywhere. They even wandered into the restaurant of the hotel where I was staying and people, including me, were feeding them. You would've hated it OP! 😁

I’ve had two cats
both kept in at night, neither hunted and both have come back in to use their litter tray
currently cats idea of roaming is sitting in next doors garden, he has a range of about 3 metres and then runs back in!

My childhood was the 70s and 80s which were over 40 years ago! 20 years ago brings you into this century, which counts as yesterday to me!
I don't know when people stopped letting the dog out to roam, certainly still going on in the 90s but I haven't noticed it since.