3 ms·

...why not let them outdoors during night?

by 3np 5y ago

thrill 5y ago
The coyotes agree with this premise.
- Sylamore 5y ago
  Was awakened one morning by a horrible shrieking noise coming from somewhere else in the house. When I got up to check what had happened my wife was freaking out because there was something under one of the orange trees in the back yard that she didn't like. One of the neighbors had a very fluffy cat they would let outside, who liked to loaf in the lower branches of our orange trees and my wife likes watching cats lounge about. Well that particular morning she witnesses a coyote appear from nowhere and snatch the cat. By the time I ran it off, the only thing left of the cat was a pile of fur and it's tail. The coyote jumped over the 6ft tall cinder block fence with the rest of the cat like it wasn't there and ran off. It was pretty common for cats to go missing in the area and very few folks would heed the warnings about small pets being allowed out.
- 3np 5y ago
  There are roughly 0 coyotes and very little in terms of predators dangerous for cats in, for example, Norway.
  - abraae 5y ago
    Cats are literally the apex predator in New Zealand.
    - dragonsky67 5y ago
      Same in Australia, is considered irresponsible to let them roam unrestricted, especially at night.
      - TedDoesntTalk 5y ago
        Dingoes?
dylan604 5y ago
you must really not like pets, or at least cats to suggest this. cats are just tasty snacks for most of the other animal night life
- jnwatson 5y ago
  It strongly depends on where you live. There are plenty of places where it is relatively safe for an animal to occasionally live outdoors.
  - astura 5y ago
    It's never safe for the local wildlife population (birds, rodents, etc)
gilbetron 5y ago
Letting your cat outdoors for a significant amount of time is a great way not to have a cat: https://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/sites/g/files/dgvnsk491/files/inline-files/Cats-Indoors_or_Outdoors.pdf https://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/sites/g/files/dgvnsk491/files...
- 3np 5y ago
  Thanks for replying. I'd contest that this is true in general but depend a lot on location - most of the points there don't apply everywhere (albeit I can just assume the vast majority of residential houses in the US). One more thing that's not mentioned explicitly in that paper that can be good to keep in mind is also that cats can be territorial with the core territory generally having a diameter of 100m - so any neighboring cats close enough can often become an issue. In general I do think that cats are thriving best when they can roam the outdoors, but it's a very small and shrinking amount of global human-habitated land where that is a good idea. Thinking of this makes me a bit sad for the species. Growing up we had cats who could come in and out as they wanted. Very rural area in Europe with little traffic or predators. One got hit by a car, one got taken by a fox (both within their first 5 years), one disappeared at 10 (also fox?), one lived to 17 until she died of old age, and one is still around at ~12 (estimated; local stray cat that came included with my parents' new house). That being said, I am sure you have considered everything and is doing what's best for the cat within your abilities. But maybe see if you can get him some exercise ;)
astura 5y ago
Coyotes are plentiful nowadays and they eat lots of cats, cats are a major source of food for urban coyotes. That's not even mentioning other mortal dangers to cats outside like getting hit by a car The corollary to that is I don't want my cat to endanger/kill wildlife or bother my neighbors
DanHulton 5y ago
In addition to the coyotes that everyone else has mentioned, this is also terrible for other animals in the neighborhood. Cats are FEROCIOUS hunters, and can quickly have a deleterious effect on the local small wildlife. On top of this, they frequently patrol other people's property, and, if they have indoor cats, can cause serious stress to said indoor cats. It's just not a great idea.
fulafel 5y ago
Because they are an invasive species and will decimate birds and other critters, messing up the ecosystem in your neighbourhood and causing a lot of animal suffering. Also they will acquire toxoplasmosis and transmit it to you and your family.

...why not let them outdoors during night?

by 3np 5y ago

...why not let them outdoors during night?

thrill 5y ago

The coyotes agree with this premise.

Sylamore 5y ago
Was awakened one morning by a horrible shrieking noise coming from somewhere else in the house. When I got up to check what had happened my wife was freaking out because there was something under one of the orange trees in the back yard that she didn't like. One of the neighbors had a very fluffy cat they would let outside, who liked to loaf in the lower branches of our orange trees and my wife likes watching cats lounge about. Well that particular morning she witnesses a coyote appear from nowhere and snatch the cat. By the time I ran it off, the only thing left of the cat was a pile of fur and it's tail. The coyote jumped over the 6ft tall cinder block fence with the rest of the cat like it wasn't there and ran off. It was pretty common for cats to go missing in the area and very few folks would heed the warnings about small pets being allowed out.
3np 5y ago
There are roughly 0 coyotes and very little in terms of predators dangerous for cats in, for example, Norway.
- abraae 5y ago
  Cats are literally the apex predator in New Zealand.
  - dragonsky67 5y ago
    Same in Australia, is considered irresponsible to let them roam unrestricted, especially at night.
    - TedDoesntTalk 5y ago
      Dingoes?

dylan604 5y ago

you must really not like pets, or at least cats to suggest this. cats are just tasty snacks for most of the other animal night life

jnwatson 5y ago
It strongly depends on where you live. There are plenty of places where it is relatively safe for an animal to occasionally live outdoors.
- astura 5y ago
  It's never safe for the local wildlife population (birds, rodents, etc)

gilbetron 5y ago

Letting your cat outdoors for a significant amount of time is a great way not to have a cat: https://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/sites/g/files/dgvnsk491/files/inline-files/Cats-Indoors_or_Outdoors.pdf https://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/sites/g/files/dgvnsk491/files...

3np 5y ago
Thanks for replying. I'd contest that this is true in general but depend a lot on location - most of the points there don't apply everywhere (albeit I can just assume the vast majority of residential houses in the US). One more thing that's not mentioned explicitly in that paper that can be good to keep in mind is also that cats can be territorial with the core territory generally having a diameter of 100m - so any neighboring cats close enough can often become an issue. In general I do think that cats are thriving best when they can roam the outdoors, but it's a very small and shrinking amount of global human-habitated land where that is a good idea. Thinking of this makes me a bit sad for the species. Growing up we had cats who could come in and out as they wanted. Very rural area in Europe with little traffic or predators. One got hit by a car, one got taken by a fox (both within their first 5 years), one disappeared at 10 (also fox?), one lived to 17 until she died of old age, and one is still around at ~12 (estimated; local stray cat that came included with my parents' new house). That being said, I am sure you have considered everything and is doing what's best for the cat within your abilities. But maybe see if you can get him some exercise ;)

astura 5y ago

Coyotes are plentiful nowadays and they eat lots of cats, cats are a major source of food for urban coyotes. That's not even mentioning other mortal dangers to cats outside like getting hit by a car The corollary to that is I don't want my cat to endanger/kill wildlife or bother my neighbors

DanHulton 5y ago

In addition to the coyotes that everyone else has mentioned, this is also terrible for other animals in the neighborhood. Cats are FEROCIOUS hunters, and can quickly have a deleterious effect on the local small wildlife. On top of this, they frequently patrol other people's property, and, if they have indoor cats, can cause serious stress to said indoor cats. It's just not a great idea.

fulafel 5y ago

Because they are an invasive species and will decimate birds and other critters, messing up the ecosystem in your neighbourhood and causing a lot of animal suffering. Also they will acquire toxoplasmosis and transmit it to you and your family.