My cat would be outraged.

[Shehasadiamondinthesky]

news.sky.com/story/australian-council-in-freemantle-to-ban-cats-outside-unless-they-are-on-a-lead-12479278

Ha ha ha, like that is going to happen!

FFS let me in. The man in the cat detector van has spotted me outside without my lead.

Leroy is looking to see what the fuss is about 😂

Interesting that quite a number of cat owners agree with containment. Maybe to do with the extent of the damage to animals that did not evolve to deal with cats. They (actually the European settlers that brought them are to blame) are thought to have caused 12 species to go extinct

Cat containment is a contentious issue, however, as a survey which was part of the review of the state Cat Act in 2019 found there was a split among owners on the topic.

“Seventy-three per cent of respondents supported the confinement of cats to the owner’s property,” the review said.

“It should be noted that among cat owners, there was only 49 per cent support, with 39 per cent of cat owners opposing cat confinement.”

amp.watoday.com.au/politics/western-australia/lock-up-your-fur-babies-fremantle-cat-ban-would-restrict-felines-to-leashes-and-cages-outside-homes-20211123-p59be0.html

www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/australias-cats-kill-two-billion-animals-annually-180977235/

I remember when a cat loving friend moved to Melbourne Australia with her 2 cats. This was in the 70’s. She was advised by the Cats Protection League not to let her cats out because theft of cats to use as bait in training greyhounds was rife.
Officials are pretty anti-feline anyway because of wildlife issues.
I think these best way to go anywhere is to have a reasonably sized run for one’s cats for the cats protection, wildlife protection and to maintain cordial relations with the neighbours

It's interesting how in many countries, indoor cats are actually the norm, and outdoor cats are seen as a really bad thing or even a sign of neglectful owners.

It's only really the UK that appears to get so offended at the idea of cats being contained on the owners property.

Actually, cats that are well socialised and bonded to their “owner” are in my experience quite content not to roam the neighbourhood. Generally a cat which has this “freedom” to get into fights, catch diseases from other cats, and have road accidents will miss going out but if raised inside with maybe a run outside that isa different matter.
There is plenty of exercise to be had and more company and comfort.
And their is peace of mind for the owner who isn’t seizedwithworryevery time the cat fails to arrive home for a meal etc.

cats that are well socialised and bonded to their “owner” are in my experience quite content not to roam the neighbourhood.

It's fair to say that is not my experience. All my cats love their free access to the outside world, and it isn't unusual for one or more of them to stay out all night. I can confirm however that they are all well socialised and bonded to us.

Being currently ‘between cats’ I would miss the odd brief glance at a furry friend strolling up the street!

I’d love to take a cat for a walk on a lead, my last two were not into it, trying to get through fences into gardens, perhaps my next cat will be more up for it!

Thanks to the cat pic posters, one can never have enough cat pics!

If cats had to be kept on the lead in my neighbourhood things would certainly be different. How would NDN’s cat come out to play with my boy cat? At the moment she sits on our dustbins and peers through our windows until the boy cat takes the hint and joins her outside - it’s fine for a cat to do this but a bit freaky if there was a human at the other end of the lead! 😂

How would the bonkers bengal cat down the road carry on with her usual attempt to break into my house if she were on a lead? She’s mastered the art of digging her claws into the rubber sealant around the front door windows whilst, at the same time, trying to open the doorknob and lets be honest this dexterity would be possible if she were in a harness.

How on earth would the gorgeous ginger cat who lives at the other end of the road harass my dear boy cat by just daring to sit in our garden - it would be even more menacing to my boy cat if there was a human sitting nonchalantly in the garden holding the lead?

Also I would miss seeing random neighbourhood cats on my walk home from work. I can indulge my cat fondness when it’s just me and the random cat but it’s not as much fun if I have to talk to the human holding the lead 😜

On the other hand my neighbour who isn’t fond of cats would love my cats to be indoor cats!