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.

Ah so if you were imprisoned but with some nice flowers and treats in there you wouldn’t mind?

Cats are not trainable like dogs. They are completely different animals. I can’t believe I’m having to explain this to an adult.

it’s like insisting a pet rabbit or parrot or mouse can be trained to do what dogs can do.

dogs are pack animals. They are companion pets. Cats are not.

I’m really not a pet person, and don’t particularly like cats or dogs, so I have no skin in this game.

But are you under the impression that people let cats roam because of convenience? Every single cat owner with a roaming cat is just lazy? Have you met cat owners?

its not nonsense pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12033825/

You shouldn't be exercising coercive control over a dog, either.

I have had 6 cats over the years, all have lived to at least 12-14 years, none of which have been killed by cars. A small sample perhaps. But of all the cats I’ve ever known it’s been well over 2 years, don’t know where you got that from !

I agree.

I love cats so don’t agree due to hating them. But the amount of posts that come up on the local Facebook groups daily about missing cats, cats being hit by cars, cats being poisoned I don’t know why anyone lets them out and I think it’s really irresponsible pet ownership. I have a friend whose parents are on their fourth cat because their previous 3 have been killed on the same road! It’s insane.

Cats can be happy as indoor pets as long as they are kept enriched. If you can’t keep one entertained then maybe you shouldn’t have one.

You can buy Cattery’s, outdoor play pens and cat proof your gardens to begin with.

Our cat died last year (old age). He was a come and go as you please kinda cat. He would sunbathe in the garden whilst the blackbirds pecked around near him and a Robin even landed on him. The only bird he ever chased was a pigeon who was flapping around annoying the other birds. Didn't catch it just chased it away. He just couldn't be bothered to hunt! We've had 5 cats in 40 years (several at one time and one who we knew we wouldn't have for long as he was terminal when we adopted him) and only one of them was a hunter. Not all cats are the same and I'd be in ICU if I'd tried to put a harness on any of the cats we've had living with us!

Where though? I was also a kid then and we never let our dogs roam. Not did anyone else in my experience. Were you rural?

Eh? I haven't read the whole report but it says near the beginning: "Of 2444 cats recruited into the ‘Bristol Cats’ study, at least 362 died before reaching the age of 9 years." I'm not sure how that can mean that the average cat life span is 2.

My dad used to knock on the neighbours door to let the dog out to play in the 50’s and that was in a city.

as pp said, dogs and kids would be let out in the morning and be home for tea!

That is not what that study shows.

I can't answer for the pp, but I was also a child of the 60s and 70s and remembering free roaming dogs. Central Southern England. Not rural.

No I think it’s that the lack of convenience for the owners makes them treat other pets in ways that aren’t great.

Plenty of animals bred to be pets have miserable lives in too small cages (hamsters, gerbils, rabbits come to mind. But I’m sure someone will be along to tell me their hamster loves its cage from pets at home). They can’t be let out because it’s not safe and if they managed to survive, they won’t come home. So people keep buying these badly bred animals so their children can be mildly entertained by a pet in its cage. The question shouldn’t be why is it acceptable to have cats as pets and let them roam, it should be why is it acceptable to have these other pets when they generally cant be allowed to live in the way that would be best for them (I’m sure some people have their rabbits in a big enough enclosure. But I doubt it’s that many)

Cats can take care of themselves and will come home. So the best thing for them is also achievable for the owners.

I’m really not an animal person, I’ll happily eat meat etc. But I can’t bear small pets sold as “good for children” kept in tiny cages so a child can be mildly entertained for a bit.

I remember some dogs roaming too. They weren't pets.

That literally doesn’t say anything close to the average lifespan of a pet cat being 2 years.

My local Facebook page is full of posts about lost cats (at least one a day) or cats who have been killed or badly injured on the roads (at least one a week), and I know it’s the same in other urban areas. Both types of post are quite upsetting to read, let alone to write. I don’t understand why anyone seeing those posts would want to let their cat outside.

That cat cause of death study is very interesting. The poster needs to learn to understand statistics as it does NOT conclude that average lifespan for UK cats is 2!

It also says this:
“an indoor-only lifestyle may challenge reliably meeting all of a cat’s behavioural needs (eg, engagement in play, exploring, hunting, climbing and scratching), potentially inducing stress.13,14 While indoor-only living could effectively increase longevity, ensuring access to adequate environmental resources is essential to support normal feline behaviours.13,15”

No new town in Hertfordshire.

It’s cultural. In some countries cats are indoor pets, in the UK it is (generally) considered ok to let them out.

The impact on local wildlife is the main reason why they are kept indoors in countries like Australia, the cat’s own safety is why they are kept indoors in the US.

British cat owners do not consider either their cat’s safety or the impact on local wildlife important enough to keep them indoors.

Yes, as I’ve already posted, ours did in the 70’s ! Seems unbelievable now.

Did you even read that before you posted it? 🫣

Like show early in Finding Nemo, life comes with risks, you could keep cats completely safe by never letting them outdoors, but they like going out.

Moronic post.

I was born in the 90’s and several of my neighbours dogs were free roaming, just like cats. I remember my Mum telling me stories of our next door neighbours dog chasing my pram and biting her ankles as she pushed me.

There was an absolutely horrific aggressive Shepard like dog that used to chase us all snarling when we were playing as kids. My Mum rang the warden a few times but either nothing was done or it was released back to the owners as this went on for at least two summers.

I grew up in a town in the north west, not too far away from a big city so definitely not rural. It wasn’t common as I remember thinking it was weird at the time as we kept our dogs in doors, but it was definitely a thing that was accepted in a way it wouldn’t be now.