this post was submitted on 11 Jan 2025
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Don’t let your cats roam, it’s a dick move in so so many ways. Be responsible and keep and eye on your pet on your property, if you don’t think cats are indoor animals, don’t get one
There are cats that definitely come with pre-conditions. For example our last cat was abandoned and he chose us next. But first he spent about 4 months learning to like being outside. So until we moved* he wouldn't let us keep him inside. He'd literally climb out the window, up the wood framing, to the roof, get into the pine trees and work his way down from there. Eventually we'd just get a meow at the front door when we thought he was still chilling in the living room.
If you're adopting a shelter cat or bringing up a kitten you should absolutely keep them inside. But some cats will let you know they have terms and conditions to your relationship.
Note - Once we moved he no longer wanted to roam so much and was content with being a balcony cat. Which strongly suggests it was tied to some idea of territory or familiarity with that area.
Woah, is lemmy pro letting cats outside? It's so terrible for the cats and local wildlife why would you be in favor of it?
How is it terrible for the cat? Their natural habitat is outside!
Cats do not have cars in their natural habitat.
How do you know?
cat, in line at the drive thru to grab a whopper
Mostly cars, but it's also how they end up getting lost or grabbed by people thinking they are lost, and also wildlife like coyotes or owls and raccoons often can kill them because they don't have a natural sense of fear for predators anymore. As well as transfer of disease from mingling with other outdoors cats. Or getting pregnant by meeting up with other outdoor cats while not being fixed themselves.
"fixing" is such a weird way to describe breaking something
It’s fixing a problem.
That we created in the first place.
No it isn't. Cats are domesticated. They have no natural habitat because they aren't wild animals.
A cat's natural habitat is not North America. They are very destructive to our local ecology.
Yup. The hard truth is that we shouldn't have pet cats at all over here.
I get that they can harm the environment (especially when there is an overpopulation); that's not what I'm asking. The question was how is it bad for the cat?
cats can easily get FIV and other viruses, and outdoor cats live shorter lifespans
After they domesticated themselves I am pretty sure their natural habitat is whatever we decide it should be. We already are deciding if they can breed at all so....
All the cats in my neighborhood that were outdoor cats have been killed within a week. Coyote has had some good eats this week.
Their natural habitat is outside in the near-east and egypt, not anywhere else. That's not to mention, most people live in urbanized areas with a lot of hazards that aren't natural.
No, it isn't. Domestic cats do not belong outside. The exposure to numerous hazards literally cuts their average life expectancy by half.
Lots of animals live longer in captivity. That doesn't mean it's right to restrict their freedom.
If you think it’s wrong to keep a cat inside then you shouldn’t have a cat. They’re an invasive species in most of the world and it’s unethical to put them outside regardless of what justifications you come up with
I agree. I don't you should have a pet cat in places where they aren't native.
Sounds perfectly reasonable to me
As moral agents that understand the impacts of letting species go extinct due to human activity ruining native habitats and transplanting invasive species, we need to weigh the odds of reducing their freedom for the sake of conserving the population. Think how the California Condor was revived after being declared extinct in the wild in the late 1980s.
What ends up happening with zoos however is that capitalism sinks it's claws in and influences these zoos to prefer profit over the well being of the animals, even going so far as to ignore scientist/veterinarian advice in favor of their trainers.
So long as it remains profitable to restrict the freedoms of animals (and humans), it will happen. At least until we do something about capitalism
How many animals live longer in a zoo compared to the wilderness? Is that a valid reason for keeping them enclosed?
I'm not pro letting cats outside (in urban areas, anyway), but your argument is a bit lacking. Maybe mention that the hazards are things like cars and people actively trying to kill cats, because otherwise it'll seem like you're just against animals being animals (I.e dying because other predators)
Your rebuttal is worse. We shouldn't let cats wander outside for the same reasons we shouldn't let zoo animals wander outside the zoo. They are not wild animals and they are not native to the environments we keep them in. It is bad for them and it is bad for the rest of the ecology. If someone thinks cats should be treated like wild animals they have no business keeping a cat in their home at all.
This a thousand times. Allowing a cat outdoors is the single worst thing for the environment the average person is capable of doing.
Instead of a catio I installed fences around my property so my cats could enjoy the outside without roaming outside. It wouldn't work for everyone because my property is half walled to (not the regular american layout) but it works like a charm.
I’m always amazed cat owners let them roam. You’re putting a LOT of trust in both the animal as well as your greater environment. Just the other week I read a message from our local animal shelter. They had found a cat which had gotten poisoned. Either intentionally or unintentionally, that couldn’t be determined.
They had to put it down before the owner was found, it was that sick. I’d feel pretty guilty if that was my cat.
Cats can get run over, abducted, get hurt, etc. Even ignoring the fact that it’s a living creature, it’s also an expensive piece of property and vet bills aren’t cheap either.
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If you care about your pet or neighbours keep it inside. Don’t make your pet other peoples pests. Can you imagine if dog owners just opened their doors at night to let them roam? Why do cast people think they’re special?
P.s. i found a cat leg in my yard the other day, since we have coyotes and birds of prey in my area. So there’s some consequences for you
Not to mention how much damage cats do to wildlife populations.