Cats keep eating snakes in the yard....

[totheend]

Originally Posted by Lankyrob

Yes it is okay, most if not all of the natural predators in our country have been exterminated and without cats doing their role of keeping rodent levels down we would be over run imo. We used to have wolves, foxes, polecats, ferrets all killing of rodents but now foxes that are still living are city based living of human rubbish and the others are all extinct in nature.

If my cats were dumb enough to go into a garden with a dog that is a threat to them ( there are three in our neighbourhood that are known cat killers) then thats life.

As for the flowerbeds, whats wrong with some free fertiliser

I think you need to do some research on what cats can do to wildlife. Please.

Maybe cats aren't for you? Because I would be devistated if my pet was killed.

[mark24]

The problem with keeping cats outside is the kill native animals and/or get eaten by coyotes then people blame the coyotes and try to get them removed when it was the persons fault for letting their cat/s run free do the responsible thing and keep them in side I've been attacked by my own cat because someone let their cat run free and came in my backyard which my cat didn't like other cats so tried to get my cat away from the door and that's when I got attacked cats are meant to be pets which means you keep them locked up not let them run free I personally hate cats and wish they would be band as pets because I seem running around all time in reality there's nothing good that comes out of keeping cats out side

[Lankyrob]

Originally Posted by totheend

I think you need to do some research on what cats can do to wildlife. Please.

Maybe cats aren't for you? Because I would be devistated if my pet was killed.

I know exactly what they can do to wildlife but i dont think it is an issue, certainly not here, maybe around the world there are additional concerns but not here.

Would i be sad if a cat was killed - most definitely BUT as i have said a few times now i dont see them as domesticated animals that you can relate to like a dog, they choose when they want affection and they choose when they want to stay away for a while, the relationship balance is 100% in their favour. We have never really had one of those cats that are really homey and cuddly and sleep on your lap etc, i much prefer the more independant, arsey, aggressive want to rip your face off if you look at me wrong type of cat.

[exwizard]

Originally Posted by Lankyrob

...We have never really had one of those cats that are really homey and cuddly and sleep on your lap etc, i much prefer the more independant, arsey, aggressive want to rip your face off if you look at me wrong type of cat.

Ive had both kinds and I much prefer the cuddly lap cat as they are so much more fun to have around. We used to have a real nasty tempered cat long ago and I must tell you, she was a real challenge to have around to say the least.

Rmf's cat is one of those cats like you have Rob except when shes with me. She lets me pet her and she has jumped up on top of me when I was reclined, purring and cuddling with me. Cats are funny like that sometimes.

[Lankyrob]

Both of our current cats will have cuddles (especially if its cold and raining outside ) but it is a rare occurrence rather than a normality. They prefer to sleep on top of thevivs where it is nice and warm

[Roadtrash]

Feral cats can be a problem but well fed pets when outside don't harm the wildlife that much. As I mentioned earlier if they are neutered they will react with the wildlife even less. When I was a young lad growing up in Georgia we never saw a coyote but now they are overrunning the area and take a lot bigger toll on the wildlife than a cat ever would. They also take a lot of the new born deer and even young calves and if they take a cat now and then so be it. Now days the large population of wild hogs are killing off a lot of the local wildlife as well. Between the coyotes and hogs we are very quickly losing our quail population as they are ground nesting birds and their eggs and young are quickly grabbed by the coyotes and hogs.

[Philmul]

Please, do what's best for your cat, your wildlife, and your neighborhood and keep your cats indoors.[/QUOTE]

I live in a rural area and I have 5 cats they catch rats and mice which I don't mind. It would drive me mad if they were in doors with my two dogs. Lol

[Jay]

I'll have to side with Rob on this one.

[Skumbo]

Originally Posted by BarelyBreathing

Cats are in fact the number one most destructive animals to native animal populations. In some countries, they are the number one reason why wildlife is on the brink of extinction. Some places make it illegal to let your cat wander.

If that's not reason enough to keep your cat inside, think of these statistics:
-Outdoor cats have shown to have more health problems than those kept indoors.
-On average, outdoor cats live a fraction of the normal expected life span. Most won't see their second birthdays due to cars, predators, poisoning, and disease.
-A terrifyingly large number of outdoor cats in the US have been exposed to FIV.

Please, do what's best for your cat, your wildlife, and your neighborhood and keep your cats indoors.

^ This!

I personally hate cats, but i wont judge on anybodies animal choice as long as you're responsible.

As for pets killing things, my parents dog keeps killing baby bunnies in the yard (cant catch adult ones apparently) and we found them in the pool filters. Just stop letting them outside..? I told my parents I wouldn't mind if the dogs were eating the rabbits (it is food you know) but killing them and leaving them there is a waste, imo.

[brooksy]

So we can all agree the best stimulation for ANY animal is their own wild environment. However we completely change their lives by making them pets. Once they are a pet, IMO they should be kept "contained" in some way (tanks/racks for reptiles, a house for a dog/cat). If you choose to let your animals free roam, you must be 100% okay if they get killed, abused or taken into someone else's home. You give up your rights to your animals when you release them into the public (again this is just my opinion).
I am okay if someone builds their dog or cat a run (that they can't escape) or use a harness and tether it to stay in the yard. I know people who have built huge custom cage/runs for their cats so that the cat can go from a window to outside but cannot escape or worry about predators/ neighbors killing it. This is the perfect solution to allow the cat room yo roam but not invade your neighbors property.
I love my cat dearly (he's a cuddly one) and one day will build him a run once we are in a full sized house, but for now we play with him and take him outside on his harness for excersize. Even all the cat behavior specialists say to keep your cat your pet and not the neighborhood's problem.

[JimiSellars]

I have seen many different numbers and even the low accounts are too many. It is estimated that millions of birds are killed by cats (pets and feral) daily in north America.
This is very serious and is not just about your cat being happy.

New Studies Highlight Impact of Outdoor Cats on Birds and Other Wildlife : Wildlife Promise

[Lankyrob]

Reading through all this there seems to be a definite split in cases.

IF you have predators that will readily eat your cat then it is a simple choice to keep them indoors

IF you have prey that the cat will readily hunt that are endangered then keep your cat indoors or make it wear a "warning collar"

IF the only prey the cat will take are pest animals - pigeons, rats, mice - then let the cat do what nature intended it do

We are all adults here and, hopefully, all mature enough to make the right decision for the area that we live in. The arguments that are being made both for and against all make sense to the area that the person making that argument lives.

An example, the only coyote or wolf type predators in the uk that would threaten cats in the wild are kept in zoos - the only cat predator we need to worry about are other humans

[StudentoReptile]

Indoor cats I have no problem with. Cats that enter my property without collars are fair game to any dogs I may have at the time, and/or a well-aimed rock, pinecone or stick. One of these days I am going to invest in a pellet gun (need one for the squirrels anyway).

I concur that unleashed cats allowed to roam the outdoors are a real problem with native wildlife. They prey upon small critters, including my beloved fence lizard colony that calls my yard home. They compete with similar-sized critters for food. I also frown upon them coming in my yard and leaving their poop in my tortoise pens. I don't know if there any pathogens to be transmitted from a cat to a tortoise, but I really don't want to find out either.

I like cats, and have had them as pets in the past. But dear God, keep them FIXED and keep them INDOORS.

[totheend]

Originally Posted by Lankyrob

IF you have predators that will readily eat your cat then it is a simple choice to keep them indoors

IF you have prey that the cat will readily hunt that are endangered then keep your cat indoors or make it wear a "warning collar"

IF the only prey the cat will take are pest animals - pigeons, rats, mice - then let the cat do what nature intended it do

You forgot one.... IF you have neighbours respect them and keep your cat indoors.

[Lankyrob]

Originally Posted by totheend

You forgot one.... IF you have neighbours YOU LIKE, respect them and keep your cat indoors.

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