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Cats

On 25 Nov 2017 at 6:53pm Pedro wrote:

So....mercifully, Jon was re-united with his moggy after she recently went missing. This is terrific news and a nice happy ending. The stress and anxiety of a missing cat is something I know all too well. However, I think its worthy of discussion as to how our society looks after its pets, and in this case cats....the only domesticated animal I can think of, that the majority of of us allow unfettered freedom to roam, no supervision or rules.

Unfortunately, this has led to thousands of cats going missing in the UK, some of them returning, some of them not, and sadly far too many of them getting killed on our roads. Other significant risks include access to poisonous substances (such as antifreeze), as well as disease/infections, fighting with other animals/cats. There is also the consequence of having so many free-roaming cats causing havoc on wildlife, particularly birds. Many cats also go out un-neutered which is creating further overpopulation of cats, many then become unwanted and sadly either ending up in shelters, and/or being euthanised as a result.

So the big question is should we consider keeping cats more indoors? We know statistically they live significantly longer lives than those allowed to roam outdoors. Our national mindset seems to be that its cruel to contain these cats indoors, but this doesn't appear to be the same as in other countries or even in the views of many animal welfare advocates and professionals. I've decided to keep my cat indoors, but with frequent supervised garden "outings" - she seems happy and healthy to me with that compromise. What does the rest of the forum think (forum goons/trolls aside...)??

On 25 Nov 2017 at 6:59pm Dog wrote:

Paranoid controlled freak.

On 25 Nov 2017 at 7:14pm Billy wrote:

Pedro, would you like to be kept indoors with only supervised visits to the "great outdoors"? No, I didn't think so.

On 25 Nov 2017 at 7:50pm Pedro wrote:

@ Billy. I'm a responsible human adult, who understands how roads work. I wouldn't allow a toddler to go outdoors unsupervised. We apply similar logic and rules to every other animal we have as a pet, other than the cat. That is curious....but then again, so are cats!

@ Dog - I've had cats for most of my life. They've all been allowed out freely through a catflap as and when they please. Apart from the one now. She is just as happy as they were (probably the sweetest and happiest of the lot though, in my opinion)....and crucially alive. Some of those cats were killed by cars or went missing, sometimes at a young age.

On 25 Nov 2017 at 8:30pm Roving cat reporter wrote:

Are your cats rescue cats pedro?

On 25 Nov 2017 at 8:41pm Cats crap wrote:

Cats crap in your garden, not their owners, cats kill birds in your garden, and maybe not in their owners, so indoors is the place cats should stay. after all its a domesticated cat not a wild cat. Cats use to go missing all the time in Bradford, your chicken curry was not chicken.

On 25 Nov 2017 at 8:52pm Pedro wrote:

@ roving cat reporter. Yes, she is a rescue cat.

On 25 Nov 2017 at 9:18pm Hl wrote:

Pedro been on the drugs again....waffle drone waffle zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

On 25 Nov 2017 at 9:27pm @Hl wrote:

"forum goons/trolls aside" - you've been warned.

On 26 Nov 2017 at 12:35am Catlady wrote:

My cat goes crazy if he can't go outside. He gets really stressed out and is so distressed about it that I feel like the worst owner in the world! We keep him in at night but he can roman freely in and out during daylight, and I couldn't imagine keeping him in all the time when he so desperately wants to be out. That's not to say I don't worry though, and fear for him. And it took a long time and lots of courage to take the plunge and let him out of the house for the first time when he was a kitten!
Can totally understand your pov Pedro but to me, if it feels cruel to do so, then it probably is. Also what if they get out by accident? Surely that's more dangerous?
Incidentally, my other cat likes being outside but would probably cope just fine if we kept him indoors all the time. But I don't think it would suit all cats and could be at the cost of their health. I'd hate for something to happen to one of my cats outdoors, it's so horrible to think about. But it's the risk I've taken for the benefit of their overall wellbeing and enjoyment of their little catlives

On 26 Nov 2017 at 10:28am Scoobydoo wrote:

I myself have got a cat missing currently 16 months now . All my cats are neutered and micro chipped I have some that go out and others I have a makeshift catio for them to go in ....
I know the heartache of a cat missing and a cat killed as I had that all within a month of each other I don't live on a main road at all so I thought my cats would be safe but clearly not !!
There will always be an argument to wether cats should free roam or be kept it the same could be said for a dog or any animal it distressed an animal if they don't get that choice my cats either way are happy and that's what any pet owner would like .
The police class any cat as free roamed hence why they is no help from them when your cat gets killed or disappears until the law is change no cat is checked for a microchip when it dies but councils or any authority when the law changes then hopefully people's attitudes to cats might change !!

On 26 Nov 2017 at 10:57am Feline wrote:

I think the issue with domestic cats is that they aren't fully domesticated. As any cat lover knows, you are honoured to have them live with you. They can leave at any time and look for somewhere better! People who don't like them see this as evidence of their deviousness, cat lovers see it as evidence of their intelligence and superiority! I'm a great believer in the saying that dogs have owners, children have staff and cats have slaves!

On 26 Nov 2017 at 1:26pm Pedro wrote:

@ Feline, valid points and I truly respect how smart and wiley they are! However, we live in a very human-orientated world, and our pet cats often live in busy towns, villages and cities where they don't quite have the intelligence to grasp man-made roads and cars. This outdoor world can be quite intimidating to cats, sometimes enjoyable, but also dangerous.

On balance, I think we should be more cautious with our cats than we are, and this would lead to fewer missing cats, far fewer premature deaths, and less heartache and anxiety. I always thought indoor cats would be deeply sad, lonely and distressed, but this hasn't borne out from the reality of my own experiences now of other people with predominantly indoor cats and having seen both sides. My skepticism has been resolved on this and although I respect any cat owners decision to allow their cat ultimate freedom, I fear their decision is far more likely to bring round a tragic and premature end

On 26 Nov 2017 at 1:55pm Feline wrote:

Pedro, yes I completely take your point. I have to admit we always choose to live somewhere super safe for cats, it's our priority, but we are fortunate in being able to afford to do that and we've never had a road casualty.

On 26 Nov 2017 at 2:30pm Pedro wrote:

@ feline - I felt we were significantly far away from roads and in cat-heaven, but sadly one of them still got killed, and one or two have gone missing in the past and not knowing their fate. Bear in mind, cats can roam well over a mile from home being not uncommon - plus all the other risks of catching feline AIDs and consuming toxic substances remain. Certainly the more open space and lighter surrounding traffic can mitigate some of the risks, but sadly it doesn't really change the fact that cats still have about as much awareness of certain dangers as a human infant and we wouldn't allow a toddler to do that unsupervised no matter where we live.

I'd err on the side of caution, as while cats have an independence about their nature, we are their guardians in a very unnatural habitat (a very human world) and should do what we can to protect them. Its our responsibility to find a good balance.