ShiftyBagLady
Thinks she is a flower to be looked at
i have found cat shit in my garden but its very easily cleared up, much less unpleasant than bird poo
cant see what other damage they do
cant see what other damage they do
letting kitty out
- Thread starter ShiftyBagLady
- Start date
ChrisFilter
Like a boss.
Exactly. My cats bring in the occasional mice (for torture, they never eat them) but I'm sure mice aren't on the endangered list just yet.
I appreciate the problems in America and Australia, but cats have been native to the UK for more than long enough for the ecosystems to have adapted.
coccinelle
Active Member
Spot on...
Chairman Meow
Perth, WA
My cat is four months old and due to get his second jabs in two weeks. The vet won't neuter him till he is six months though, and has told us to keep him in until then. There are loads of cats in my neighbourhood and loads of gardens and green space for them to roam, so I will be letting him out in time, especially as the main road is a good distance away. I don't think its neccessarily cruel to keep indoor cats though, not unless they have previously had access to the outside. Certainly, some pedigree dealers won't sell to you if you allow cats to roam outside (probably cos they'd get nicked).
coccinelle
Active Member
My neighbour used to complain about cat shit but it was fox poo.
Even when my cat couldn't get out one time and she shit on the bed, she dragged part of then the quilt neatly over it so I wouldn't see it until it was too late....
How's that work then? How can ecosystems adapt to predators that are looked after and cosseted by humans? We feed them, give them helpful supplements and medicines, shelter them and protect them from any harm. It's not as though potentail predators (eg dogs) are allowed to contol their numbers
Cats outside do have noticeable effects on local wildlife - tracking exercises suggest that some cats kill up to 1000 animal in a year - although the effects on local environments are much disputed by different animal welfare groups. Speaking personally, seeing our friendly garden-partner robin (the most friendly and territorial of birds) ripped apart from by the local fat mog was a little gutting.
ChrisFilter
Like a boss.
I find the whole pedigree thing a bit odd anyway to be honest. They're not a product!
ChrisFilter
Like a boss.
I can appreciate that, but insisting cats are kept indoors isn't the answer.
I know that other people have already dealt with this, but I just wanted to add "WHAT A LOAD OF BOLLOCKS"
Cat leads then? Or some kind of fenced off area, like used for rabbits?
I know that other people have already dealt with this, but I just wanted to add "WHAT A LOAD OF BOLLOCKS"
To be fair, I think there's actually some truth in DC's number, but he's talking about feral cats in the US, not ones well pampered and looked after by their doting owners.
ChrisFilter
Like a boss.
I'm more thinking bells. Cats should be allowed freedom. If a bird, mouse or rat gets caught with warning, they were a danger to their species anyway.
Not that I'll be putting a collar or a bell on my cats.
KeyboardJockey
Clowns to the Left of me
I think that that figure applies to uneutered Toms in cities with a lot of cats as Toms will fight and roam much more when they are intact.
seeformiles
Lost in the wood
Cats generally love the outdoors. Our cat was a stray - living underneath our hedge in the middle of winter until we took her in. She's an outdoor cat through and through and when summer comes we don't expect to see her much as there's other cats to see off and territory to defend - v.cruel otherwise.
We've got a book on cat health written by an American. It's a good book but insists that if I let the cat out at night she'll be eaten by coyotes! We've tried to get her to come in at dusk (which she does pretty willingly unless she's found a frog or a mouse to torture) in order to preserve the local bird life.
We've got a book on cat health written by an American. It's a good book but insists that if I let the cat out at night she'll be eaten by coyotes! We've tried to get her to come in at dusk (which she does pretty willingly unless she's found a frog or a mouse to torture) in order to preserve the local bird life.
Chairman Meow
Perth, WA
Unfortunately recent studies from the US suggest that cat bells ain't that helpful anyway,
What man wouldn't look macho with a cat on a lead:
That cat looks sad and ashamed.
seeformiles
Lost in the wood
Unfortunately recent studies from the US suggest that cat bells ain't that helpful anyway,
What man wouldn't look macho with a cat on a lead:
A colleague of mine emigrated to Canada and apparently they're not allowed to let their cats out unless they've got one of those contraptions about them - mind you, won't bother her cats since they're the laziest idle moggies I've ever seen.
(My cat wouldn't have any truck with a harness - I tried to put one of those lampshade collars on her once and I still bear the scars.....)
astral
author unknown
Actually the current biggest threat to the killer for otters in the UK is cat's piss being washed into the rivers and them catching toxoplasmosis.
Poor otters.
ahem... as you were
seeformiles
Lost in the wood
Actually the current biggest threat to the killer for otters in the UK is cat's piss being washed into the rivers and them catching toxoplasmosis.
Poor otters.
ahem... as you were
tricky one - maybe we need a poll for Cats vs Otters to settle it?
Robins. Mice and now they blind otters too. The BASTARDS
Enjoying the idea that cats 'love the outdoors' more than other pets based ont he fact that they like being let out, just as they have been since nippers. You could say the same for most other domestic animals, not least dogs and cats
There's a strange British perception that cats are some kind of unique pet of independent means, which certainly ain't shared globally. At the end of the day they graze around during the day and come home to eat from a convenient feeding spot, like cows returning from their shed after a day on pasture.
Enjoying the idea that cats 'love the outdoors' more than other pets based ont he fact that they like being let out, just as they have been since nippers. You could say the same for most other domestic animals, not least dogs and cats
There's a strange British perception that cats are some kind of unique pet of independent means, which certainly ain't shared globally. At the end of the day they graze around during the day and come home to eat from a convenient feeding spot, like cows returning from their shed after a day on pasture.
ChrisFilter
Like a boss.
Why is a cat any more deserving of 'freedom' than a dog, parakeet or rabbit btw?
I didn't say it was. But for the record I wouldn't keep a parakeet or a rabbit as a pet and if I had a dog I'd make sure it had as much access to a garden as a cat. They also get walks and day trips..
Also, cats are far more indepedent than dogs.
ChrisFilter
Like a boss.
It doesn't matter why they're allowed out in the UK, the fact is they are, and for cats that have been brought up that way, anything else is cruel.
Not really, albeit that dogs are pack animals.
The whole myth of cat 'independence' seems to be based on the fact that they'll go out and then return to you. Which ain't that surprising seeing as they're fed at the same place and are creatures of habit.
Dogs are arguably more independent. We tend to keep those controlled because they're a little more dangerous potentially, but also because dogs are also more than capable of wandering independently. The difference being that they'll tend to form worrying size packs if left to their own devices, becoming far more 'independent' that Mr Mogs returning home for Whiskas, like a short range homing pigeon in search of a meal.
toggle
wobbly
he's talking about areas where they have predators that can kill cats. Most US based animal rescues don't allow rehoming of cats unless the owners plan to keep them indoors.
The figures and the reasoning for this just don't apply to the UK where we don't have large predators
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