Keep your filthy disgusting cats at home!

[SelkieQualia]

My 3yo son just ran across my front lawn and jumped in the car. On the way, he's trodden in cat poo ( there's a regular offender, and no, it's not fox ). There's now cat poo all across the back seat of my car. I'm first trimester, and horrified at the prospect of toxoplasma, even though I know the risk is low.

This is on the background of my aracuana chicks being stolen by cats from my own back yard. I don't care how lazy you think your cat is - research has shown that even the most placid cat will kill 2-3 animals per night if allowed to roam.

Keep them locked up ffs! If you can't keep them inside, make a run. If you can't do that, keep rabbits instead.

I am not trying to build some legal case at all, I'm not going to call the sodding police, I merely asked an open question to cat owners what they would do if they were challenged over damage their pet had caused. It is infrequent that I find cats in my home but it happens three or four times a year and yes it is annoying as my wife is allergic to them and yeah I was pretty pissed off when I caught the neighbours cat using my sofa as a scratching post. I find it curious that me objecting to someone else's pet in my home is now having an 'arsey' attitude and the onus is also on me to keep my windows closed to stop your cats exploring.

As a lover of all animals, I don't think you should have pets of any kind op. I completely understand why you're so pissed off however you sound horrible, I can't imagine you treat animals that well.

Agree it’s so horrible! I just saw a cat in my garden for the first time today. Already been frantic googling how to keep it the fuck out!

The people who owned this house before us had cat proof fencing put up. I don't think it was that expensive and it does keep the birds safe.

Agree some people need to find some real problems to worry about

Amen @Emmapeeler2

@Sweetk0987poiu

Absolutely agree. I have a house cat .. cats lives 17+ years indoors whereas cats who aren’t on average live 2-5 years. They’re not an animal who can survive very long in populated areas yet it seems to be just fine! Weird to me! Annoyingly we have cats constantly shit in our garden! Not even our own 😫😫

Tosh! Outdoor cats have a shorter life expectancy it's true, but as 90% of UK cats live outdoors for some of the time, it's not possible for the overall life expectancy to be 14 years if what you say is true.

www.vets-now.com/pet-care-advice/how-long-do-cats-live/

I like cats but I'm with you - I wish bells on their neck were mandatory.

It would be lovely @willoman if cats would agree to this. Good luck!

cats lives 17+ years indoors whereas cats who aren’t on average live 2-5 years

Yeah, no, that's stray cats. Not cats who go outside.

@sweet you better tell all my cats they are living waaaaaay too long.

Dogs can be trained. They were used as human helpers. Working animals to assist their owners. They are 'useful' . ie have a use. Therefore need to be trained.

Cats however are not 'useful'. They have become domesticated over the centuries to the degree that they will live with humans. (Because they supply food and warmth)That's where it ends. You cannot train a cat.. to do anything but very rudimentary tricks' based on food reward. Nothing more.

The idea that you can somehow 'train' your cat to shit on demand in a place of your choosing is bizarre. Cats are wild animals that live in your house. Sleep on your bed and eat the food you buy them. Part of their joy is their complete single mindedness in pleasing themselves.
Some are kept inside. This doesn't make them 'house cats' . There is no such thing. A cat naturally wants to go out but can be conditioned to stay inside over a long period of time provides all its comforts are met. It's not 'natural' but works for some - especially if sick or infirm. Given an open door from a young age , no cat would keep itself isolated from the world.
So to all those people getting all swivel eyed about cat poo.. how do you feel about fox poo ? Badger poo, ? Deer poo ? All of which I have to traverse each day.

Would you have them all exterminates for shitting on 'your land' because they can't be (and should t be) trained not to ?

Humane deterrents for all of the above by all means. However animals have as much right to exist in this planet as humans.

All the animal lovers on this this thread! Cat shit in bags isn't thrown into tress and hedgerows.

I just let my cat out.. I don't follow it to see where it poos but its not in my garden!

Given an open door from a young age , no cat would keep itself isolated from the world.

Actually mine do. They've full access to the garden and have done since kittens. They don't go out there.

@Nonamesavail

I just let my cat out.. I don't follow it to see where it poos but its not in my garden!

In your neighbour's kid's sandpit, I suspect.

@Bailey0703

Dogs can be trained. They were used as human helpers. Working animals to assist their owners. They are 'useful' . ie have a use. Therefore need to be trained.

Cats however are not 'useful'. They have become domesticated over the centuries to the degree that they will live with humans. (Because they supply food and warmth)That's where it ends. You cannot train a cat.. to do anything but very rudimentary tricks' based on food reward. Nothing more.

The idea that you can somehow 'train' your cat to shit on demand in a place of your choosing is bizarre. Cats are wild animals that live in your house. Sleep on your bed and eat the food you buy them. Part of their joy is their complete single mindedness in pleasing themselves.
Some are kept inside. This doesn't make them 'house cats' . There is no such thing. A cat naturally wants to go out but can be conditioned to stay inside over a long period of time provides all its comforts are met. It's not 'natural' but works for some - especially if sick or infirm. Given an open door from a young age , no cat would keep itself isolated from the world.
So to all those people getting all swivel eyed about cat poo.. how do you feel about fox poo ? Badger poo, ? Deer poo ? All of which I have to traverse each day.

Would you have them all exterminates for shitting on 'your land' because they can't be (and should t be) trained not to ?

Humane deterrents for all of the above by all means. However animals have as much right to exist in this planet as humans.

See, the thing is, 30 years ago, it was "natural" for dogs to roam. It was "necessary" for their exercise and mental health. This has changed. It's now expected that dog owners provide the exercise and mental simulation.

And this is an Australian thing, but cats DON'T belong here. It's not natural.

Actually, they don't belong in the UK either. The presence of domestic cats has lead to the virtual extinction of the Scottish wild cat in the wild, which is a great shame.

Here’s a little article on the impact of dogs on wildlife. Just to redress the balance.
www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/amp/science-environment-47062959

And here’s one citing that in Australia dogs cause more of an impact on native wildlife than cats....
www.australasianscience.com.au/news/january-2012/domestic-dogs-are-bigger-problem-cats-our-native-wildlife.html

And here, in Cumbria where I live, dogs attacking livestock is a huge problem and causes huge amounts of damage. So while you may think cats are the main culprit, it’s Not entirely true. Added to this dog excrement in the Lake District is another massive problem, vast majority of people leave it or hang it up in bushes. Dog poo causes cows ( when ingested) to abort/die and spreads all sorts of diseases to humans and livestock.

Here’s a helpful info graphic www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/sites/default/files/2018-06/dog-fouling-infographic-visual.pdf

[quote Tadpolesandfroglets]And here’s one citing that in Australia dogs cause more of an impact on native wildlife than cats....
www.australasianscience.com.au/news/january-2012/domestic-dogs-are-bigger-problem-cats-our-native-wildlife.html[/quote]
That's a very specific study, under very specific circumstances. It concludes that dogs should be leashed in ecologically important areas - which of course I agree with! It's just that cats should be, too.

@DillonPanthersTexas I feel for you I really do. It's annoying and unfair. But I feel like you're waning to attribute blame because the cat has an owner. If mice got into your house and chewed through your electrics you'd accept it and probably just claim on your home insurance (which you can do regarding your sofa surely?) because they are wild and don't belong to anyone.

But because of the law that says cats are allowed to roam people need to drop this attitude if their owners being responsible for their every move. You might not like it or agree with it but it's a law. It doesn't make the owners uncaring or irresponsible if they let their cats outside.

Cats exist. You don't have to like them but you do have to share the planet with them and if you really feel strongly about keeping him off your property there are loads of cheap and harmless deterrents you can use.

[quote Tadpolesandfroglets]Here’s a little article on the impact of dogs on wildlife. Just to redress the balance.
www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/amp/science-environment-47062959[/quote]
What balance needs addressing? This is a thread about cats shitting in others peoples gardens. Dogs have nothing to do with it apart from all the cat owners trying to shift the spotlight onto dogs.

The fact is, you either own a cat or you don't. If you insist on your cat roaming around then you have to accept that people might take steps to keep them off their property - they may get hurt from cat spikes, or dogs or cars on the roads.
If you do then take some responsibility for the impact your animal has on your neighbours and your local area.

So to all those people getting all swivel eyed about cat poo.. how do you feel about fox poo ? Badger poo, ? Deer poo ? All of which I have to traverse each day.

Ditto. But apparently because we 'own' cats, they deserve to be locked up

@DuaneBenziesvoice plenty of people during this thread have tried to blame cats for all sorts of bizarre stuff. I’m just pointing out dogs do equally as much harm but they are supposedly being kept under control. I have a right to do so on a thread that has been pretty ridiculously biased. In my area dogs are not kept under control, they have entered my garden, run at my kids and chickens, they shit everywhere ( the local parish council have had to spend hundreds on signs telling irresponsible dog owners to stop their animals pooing on the road up to the school and on the playground) Sheep and lambs are frequently dismembered. Dogs have bitten local kids and wildlife destroyed. I’m countering an argument put forth from the OP that it’s cats killing all the wildlife, it’s just not true and one that it’s just cats that shit everywhere. So if cats have to be kept in doors permanently then so do dogs or we just don’t keep any animals as pets. Or we do and just accept it and shut up moaning about it.