discussion Is it cruel to have house cats?

[cockatoo]

I feel like this idea of keeping your cat inside the house at all times and not allowing them to go outside at all is a relatively recent trend. It seems bizarre to me, surely one of the perks of having a cat is that you can kind of leave it to its own devices most of the time? Keeping it locked up inside also seems a bit cruel, seeing as cats are meant to roam around outside.

 

I even recently saw a video on tiktok of someone putting their cat on a lead and taking it for a walk which was just 

Edited May 23, 2023 by cockatoo

[beautiful player]

Yes. It's no different than keeping a prisoner. Saddening how many people are indifferent to that.

[Phaunzie]

That just sounds like a bad pet owner to me, 

 

[perpetual novice]

It depends where you live, but in many cases it's not better for your cat to roam outside. Most people live near roads, which are extremely dangerous for cats, and cats are also incredibly invasive to local wildlife and ecosystems. Just put some effort into building an enriching environment for your cat inside, give them toys, hiding spots, things to climb and scratch.

[Venice B]

I'm not a cat owner but I thought keeping your cat inside the house was like... the norm? Specially in big cities like there are tons of situations out there that can get your cat killed 

[cockatoo]

6 minutes ago, Phaunzie said:

That just sounds like a bad pet owner to me, 

 

It's surprisingly common actually

 

Quote

In the United States of America (USA), 63% of domestic cats are kept entirely indoors 

 

The UK is seeing a rapid increase in the number of indoor-only cats, with the PDSA (People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals) producing estimates of 15% in 2011, increasing to 24% in 2015, and a more recent UK study indicating 26.1% in 2019

Source

Edited May 23, 2023 by cockatoo

[on the line]

Outdoor cats are a menace, absolutely devastating to local wildlife, and spread diseases.

 

If you don't live in a rural setting, do not let your cats out to roam. It's completely irresponsible. Cats are domesticated enough to be homebound.

[Vixen Eyes]

At that point, so is keeping dogs inside since their natural ancestors are wolves

[Vixen Eyes]

4 minutes ago, Venice B said:

I'm not a cat owner but I thought keeping your cat inside the house was like... the norm? Specially in big cities like there are tons of situations out there that can get your cat killed 

This. I've never heard of having housecats inside being cruel.

[#Beautiful]

? dumbest question ive seen all day. of  course not? lol

[cockatoo]

Just now, Vixen Eyes said:

At that point, so is keeping dogs inside since their natural ancestors are wolves

But people take dogs out for walks/can run around in the park etc. House cats literally never go outside.

[GentleEarthquake]

[hallucinate]

it depends on the cat

but generally speaking the answer is no

Edited May 23, 2023 by hallucinate

[KLatz]

Not the outdoor cat owners shaming the indoor cat owners for creating an environment inside the house where they can be safe from other wildlife and diseases  Sure, letting them outside with some guidance can be beneficial to the cat’s life, but they don’t need to be outside all the time. Also, some cats just aren’t cut out for that outdoor lifestyle (like my cat, who always preferred to be indoor despite attempts to bring him out/let him explore).

[yonsé]

Some cats, like mine, are horrified to go outside even when you try.

 

so no 

[Mikeymoonshine]

 What's weird is that there are so many people adamant that either letting your cats out is cruel or that not letting them out is cruel when it depends entirely on the situation. Outdoor cats have much shorter average lifespans due to all the hazards outside (mostly cars but also accidents, diseases, poison ect). Outdoor cats can also get lost or stolen, they also tend to kill a lot of local wildlife. On the other hand cats do usually like going out. 

 

So generally I say if it's a relatively safe area let your cats out. If it's like my area where I live then no it isn't safe they would be hit by cars. I used to let my two cats out when I lived somewhere safer for them and they both did get sicknesses one of them quite badly. One of them was also stolen by a neighbour but she escaped and she actually didn't like going out much since then anyway so it was only the one that had to adapt to it and she's adapted now. 

 

If you have an indoor cat it's good to have like one of those climbing things for them and also worth thinking about having another cat so they don't get lonely. Unless someone's gonna be in most of the time. 

Edited May 23, 2023 by Mikeymoonshine

[Vixen Eyes]

8 minutes ago, cockatoo said:

But people take dogs out for walks/can run around in the park etc. House cats literally never go outside.

Taking cats out for walks do happen, it's just that not every cat wants that:

24 minutes ago, cockatoo said:

I even recently saw a video on tiktok of someone putting their cat on a lead and taking it for a walk

 

[Cyanide]

Mine doesn’t even want to go outside

 

This is also a terrible idea in a big city 

[cockatoo]

18 minutes ago, Venice B said:

I'm not a cat owner but I thought keeping your cat inside the house was like... the norm? Specially in big cities like there are tons of situations out there that can get your cat killed 

Idk until very recently (like the last 5 years or so) I'd literally never heard of it as a concept and I live in London. All cat owners I knew growing up had a cat flap and I rarely even saw friends' cats as they'd normally be out.

[scenekiller]

What is this thread? yall will really just say anything to feel superior to others

[Wrecked]

My cat used to go outside but I live on a cul-de-sac so I didn’t have to worry about him being near busy roads. I think it’s nice to allow them out to explore, but my cat used to get in fights a lot which made my vet bills skyrocket as he was catching infections from cat bites etc that needed medication and sometimes he had to stay in overnight if he got an abscess from a cat bite, so in terms of their health, it’s probably safer to keep them inside. 
 

A lot of it comes down to where you live as my mums friend lived next to a really busy road that lead to an airport, so her cats were mostly house cats due to safety reasons but they would sometimes go into her garden for a few hours but they’d never venture out of it.  

[perfect blue]

They're considered an invasive species in North America.. If you cared about your cat and the earth then you'd keep them inside.

[magazine]

Pretty sure most cats don't ever leave their house 

[TaggedGalaxy]

Cats are invasive and a menace when they are outdoors. Keeping cats indoors is the best option if you have a cat as a pet

[enchanted0]

What a bizarre thing to say.  So many cats don’t even want to go outside. Their human family’s house is their territory and they’re more than happy with it

Edited May 23, 2023 by enchanted0