Outdoor cats are fine if they are taken care of, amirite?

No, cats are evasive predators that decimate small animal populations. There's been cases where a single cat has wiped out an entire species. Cats live perfectly healthy and happy lives inside, responsible owners keep their cats inside.

by Lonely-Flan 1 day ago

A study by the Smithsonian Institution and the US Fish and Wildlife Service estimated that domestic cats kill about 2.4 billion birds and 12.3 billion small mammals annually in the lower 48 states.

by Repulsive_Fly931 1 day ago

I stand by what I said. Better TNR programs will do more to combat this than hounding good pet owners who take care of their cats.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Better TNR programs will do more to combat this than hounding on pet owners who take care of their animals.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Trap the ferals Keep your pet inside

by Lonely-Flan 1 day ago

Yes, trap neuter release. No, i will not keep my cats inside.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Even if the cat does not reproduce it still has a long life of killing off the bird population, especially when they are fledging. They are highly invasive and detrimental to wildlife even when not directly killing things as their feces are water contaminants and they can spread a parasite to other animals (look up the damage they have done to the monk seal population in Hawaii). People want dog owners to pick up dog waste in no small part because of the pollutant effect it has, but it's ok for hundreds more outdoor cats to do even more damage? It's also incredibly inconsiderate, they are known to leave "presents" in people's flower beds, they can access other people's yards and mess with their animals on their own property.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

The crazy thing is if you put a litter box outside the cats will use it

by Anonymous 1 day ago

The cat might use it, but not exclusively.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

And sometimes the dog poops twice in one walk but you only had one bag. Are you against dog walking too?

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Most dog owners I've seen waking their dogs have a roll with them, because they come in convenient little rolls with a leash attachment, and there are waste bag dispensers around a lot of neighbourhoods. "Sometimes" is still not everyday. Ok that note, why shouldn't cat owners have to be attentive and pick up after their pets in the same way. Your comparison doesn't really make sense. Dog owners should always pick up after then dogs, always, but, dog poo doesn't even contain the parasite that cat poo does, which is exclusively spread by cats and one of the most harmful to wildlife, harmful to pregnant women (so the flower bed problem is actually worse than just a disgusting present), pregnant animals in general (horses have been known to lose foals because of this).

by Anonymous 1 day ago

I pick up my cats poo every time i scoop the litter box.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

And the times it poops away from home?

by Anonymous 1 day ago

What makes you think they poop away from home? They poop where it's safest. In their litterbox.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

You can't be serious.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

I live near a busy road and we have coyotes in my town . My cat only goes outside with me in attendance.

by Limp_Importance4307 1 day ago

That is totally reasonable and understandable.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

My cat was an indoor cat for a long time. We recently started letting him outside for a few days. Sadly, on the last day we planned to let him out before deciding to keep him indoors for good, he was hit by a car and passed away. If you choose to let your cat outside, that is your decision, but please be careful.

by gerardogottlieb 1 day ago

I am so sorry this happened to your family.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Cats are invasive animals who will hunt and kill for entertainment even if their stomachs are fed. No TNR program will deter their aggression towards the local ecosystem.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Yes it will, when one female has the capacity to produce over a hundred kittens in a year i would say it does a damn good job.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

I highly doubt one singular cat caused the extinction of an entire species. That is hyperbolic language.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

and keep them out of my yard

by Dangerous-Tip 1 day ago

The problem is them catching birds and decimating local populations. They do that as instinct and will keep doing that even if fed properly.

by Worried-History 1 day ago

Granted that common sense legislation to protect endangered wildlife (like Kiwis in NZ for example) would be reasonable but would not apply to all areas.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

ya cant legislate cats lol.

by Worried-History 1 day ago

Cat's are the number one killers of wild birds. Keep your bird assassins inside...

by Repulsive_Fly931 1 day ago

And yet I still have bird in my yard. TONS of them. They aren't decimating anything.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

I used to agree with this until our cat got killed by a car. It's probably the main cause of deaths for outdoor cats.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

I'm sorry you had to experience this. It's truly sad.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

My cat likes being outside in the fenced in back yard and is too stupid to catch animals. Seems fine to me

by angelinagreenho 1 day ago

No, it's really unpopular.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Only with people who care about their cats

by Anonymous 1 day ago

That is your opinion and you're allowed to have it.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Indoor cats live 13-20 years on average. Outdoor cats live 2-5 years on average. That's not an opinion. What could you possibly be getting in return that makes this a good trade for your cat?

by Anonymous 1 day ago

I had an outdoor cat that lived to be 17 and another that lived to be 12. They are happy, poodle. My cats are happy.

by Anonymous 1 day ago