4 ms·

> Letting your cat roam free is a tacit acknowledgment that one doesn’t really care that much for the animal, because they will make time to monitor it. I woul

> Letting your cat roam free is a tacit acknowledgment that one doesn’t really care that much for the animal, because they will make time to monitor it. I would never be able to walk my cat on a leash. No chance at all. I got her from a shelter and she's around 10-11 years of age (nobody quite knows, actually), I strongly suspect she's been without an owner for at least a few years. Meaning, she's a loner in general, incredibly stubborn, a little bit shy and very cautious when it comes to just me touching her outside of petting (and even that took months of getting used to me). Furthermore, there's no way I could keep her in my apartment for much longer than a few days. So I let her out on her own. Keeping her inside would make her unhappy pretty quickly - pets can and do get depressed in such cases - and probably also lead to her tearing through my furniture after a while :) Also, it's actually work for me to do this. Because of the way my apartment is set up, I can't have a cat door installed. So, I wait for her to return, sometimes until pretty late at night, because I don't want her to have to be outside for the night. Well, at least not when it's cold or raining out, she can deal pretty well with warm summer nights, as long as I put some food out. So, I think the assertion that owners who let their cats roam free therefore don't care about them as much...that just doesn't follow at all, imho. Now, about the potential ecological impact on the other hand, I'm not going to argue (even though I live in Germany and as far as I know, the situation is different here than in the US - but I'm not sure about that.).

bredren 5y ago
First, it’s great you took that animal in and I find no fault with the thing your doing. It is normal in this time. > Also, it's actually work for me to do this. This is the key point. It is work to give a cat outdoor experiences but not allow the cat to roam freely. The same goes for having a dog. But there is a general acceptance that the two animals should be treated completely differently. A wild dog would also not take well to indoor only life. However, the concept of adopting a feral dog is far less familiar because dogs are generally not allowed to roam cities unattended. (In the US at least) As for not caring about the animal, I need to clarify: They must care differently about that animal. It is more like the relationship between a farmer and farm animals than a companion relationship you might see dramatized in a cat food commercial. The reason I say that is because it is far more likely an “outdoor” cat will be eaten by a predator or hit by a car. The cat “owner” accepts letting the cat live it’s best life is more important than protecting it against these dangers that is a choice. So I suppose these folks care differently than other people, because the relationship is different.
- NanoCoaster 5y ago
  > The reason I say that is because it is far more likely an “outdoor” cat will be eaten by a predator or hit by a car. > The cat “owner” accepts letting the cat live it’s best life is more important than protecting it against these dangers that is a choice. Indeed, I agree with you on that. These risks absolutely have to be kept in mind. As you said, it really depends on the animal in question. Whatever works for you and your pet, I'm totally fine with other approaches. As for my cat, I don't really have a choice. She would probably rip a hole through the wall if I forced her to stay inside for more than a week :)
nessus42 5y ago
> So, I wait for her to return, sometimes until pretty late at night, because I don't want her to have to be outside for the night. I've bell-trained cats that I've owned. I.e., I ring a bell every time before I give them a treat. When I've wanted them to come indoors, I ring the bell, and they've always come running.
- NanoCoaster 5y ago
  That seems like a smart idea! Probably wouldn't work for my cat, though. For some reason, she isn't interested in treats at all. She eats normally, but only out of her bowl and only when it suits her. Very hard to train a pet to do even the simplest things when you don't have a simple mechanism for rewards. Luckily, she doesn't really need training.

bredren 5y ago

First, it’s great you took that animal in and I find no fault with the thing your doing. It is normal in this time. > Also, it's actually work for me to do this. This is the key point. It is work to give a cat outdoor experiences but not allow the cat to roam freely. The same goes for having a dog. But there is a general acceptance that the two animals should be treated completely differently. A wild dog would also not take well to indoor only life. However, the concept of adopting a feral dog is far less familiar because dogs are generally not allowed to roam cities unattended. (In the US at least) As for not caring about the animal, I need to clarify: They must care differently about that animal. It is more like the relationship between a farmer and farm animals than a companion relationship you might see dramatized in a cat food commercial. The reason I say that is because it is far more likely an “outdoor” cat will be eaten by a predator or hit by a car. The cat “owner” accepts letting the cat live it’s best life is more important than protecting it against these dangers that is a choice. So I suppose these folks care differently than other people, because the relationship is different.

NanoCoaster 5y ago
> The reason I say that is because it is far more likely an “outdoor” cat will be eaten by a predator or hit by a car. > The cat “owner” accepts letting the cat live it’s best life is more important than protecting it against these dangers that is a choice. Indeed, I agree with you on that. These risks absolutely have to be kept in mind. As you said, it really depends on the animal in question. Whatever works for you and your pet, I'm totally fine with other approaches. As for my cat, I don't really have a choice. She would probably rip a hole through the wall if I forced her to stay inside for more than a week :)

nessus42 5y ago

> So, I wait for her to return, sometimes until pretty late at night, because I don't want her to have to be outside for the night. I've bell-trained cats that I've owned. I.e., I ring a bell every time before I give them a treat. When I've wanted them to come indoors, I ring the bell, and they've always come running.

NanoCoaster 5y ago
That seems like a smart idea! Probably wouldn't work for my cat, though. For some reason, she isn't interested in treats at all. She eats normally, but only out of her bowl and only when it suits her. Very hard to train a pet to do even the simplest things when you don't have a simple mechanism for rewards. Luckily, she doesn't really need training.