6 ms·

As long as you keep it inside (where it isn't defecating in my garden, hunting my chickens or trying to get inside where I may lock it in by accident causing ma

As long as you keep it inside (where it isn't defecating in my garden, hunting my chickens or trying to get inside where I may lock it in by accident causing mayhem, etc, I'd like my pregnant wife to still be able to do gardening and also I like eating things from my garden). I live in a country where it is legal to just keep you cat outside all day. It's madness.

bauc 5y ago
We have the same here, I think a lot of cat owners who let their cats out don't appreciate the amount of downsides their neighbours have to deal with.
croo 5y ago
I must be living on the other side of the planet! Is there a place where keeping a cat outside is illegal? Poor cats :( I have a garden and sandbox for kids and the soultion for cat poop was a dog. Is there a similiar research for dogs?
- smilespray 5y ago
  Poor dog. At least feed it proper dog food once in a while.
  - remix2000 5y ago
    Comedy genius
  - MisterTea 5y ago
    Until you have cleaned up cat litter dog vomit you will never know the true meaning of the word vile.
- rich_sasha 5y ago
  There are widely known effects of growing up with a dog on immune system strength and proneness to allergies [0]. I have never seen these associated with gut fauna, but the implication is that some of the 'dog gross' gets onto you and trains your system. [0] https://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/features/health-benefits-of-pets#1 https://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/featu...
  - basq 5y ago
    How odd. I spent my childhood inna constant state of hayfever. A major revelation for me was going off to university, where I was no longer around the household dogs, and my allergies all but disapated.
- DocTomoe 5y ago
  Actually, keeping your cat inside should be the norm. Cats are, essentially, a highly invasive species that has been linked to massive decline and sometimes extinctions of local fauna.
  - nix23 5y ago
    >Actually, keeping your cat inside should be the norm. Not in Europe, maybe new zealand. But in Europe we had/have wildcats until we destroyed the large forests. And nearly ever farmer depends on a cat to keep vermin's in check, if you have to keep your cat inside DONT BUY A CAT.
    - clydethefrog 5y ago
      The majority of cats in Europe is city cats that demolish the local bird and critter population. https://academic.oup.com/jel/article/32/3/391/5640440 https://academic.oup.com/jel/article/32/3/391/5640440
      - pvaldes 5y ago
        Still autochtonous (more or less) species. Old world birds evolved with them for thousands years and somehow they will not have problems to survive. We know to do more research about the cat effect on that fauna instead to just repeat one preliminary study. We need to know for example, if there is a percentage of those migrant birds allegedly chased by cats in US that just crashed against a window or were stunded by pesticides. The problem in that case is not the cat, is the glass pane, or the absence of trees. ............... Second point. Some scientists hypothesize that Toxoplasmosis remain in the body alive for years and is a chronic disease. We should however take in mind that this is not the main current of thinking. We know that parasites don't survive usually when end in the wrong host because immune response works "like this" and "like that" and because the temperature, organ structure or life cycle of the true host, matter for the parasite survival. I can't see why Toxoplasma should behave different that the other ten thousands of cases, or why the immune system should make an excepcion here.
- teekert 5y ago
  Where I live most people with dogs either let them poop in nature or clean it up. They certainly don't come into my garden to do their business. Telling someone to take a huge pet with huge responsibilities just to get rid of neighborhood cats pooping in their garden is a bit of a non-solution. But I guess, it's all funny when you own and love cats. But, please try to imagine what it can be like for your neighbors who only experience the down sides of your pet. To me there is no difference between (huge) rats or cats coming into my garden, except the government allows me to kill the rats.
  - laurowyn 5y ago
    This, in my opinion, is why we can't have nice things. Calling for the death of any living thing that we disagree with isn't okay. And trapping an animal indoors where it can't exercise its natural tendencies is also a non-solution. I completely understand the want and need to protect your property from intruders, animal or human. But calling for the death of any and all animals that enter your property is borderline psychopathic IMO. There are humane ways to deter animals from entering your property. Something as simple as spraying a cat with water will deter it effectively - no need to murder it. Other options include putting down plastic spikes (that don't cause injury) on garden fences, growing certain plants which cats dislike the smell of, or even sprays that cats dislike. And for future reference; if your neighbours cats are pooping in your garden beds, keep the surface of the soil moist. Cats (generally) won't dig in wet soil, and will instead find somewhere else to go. And your plants will appreciate the extra water.
    - teekert 5y ago
      I'm not killing any animals, I wouldn't even kill the rats, I was just indicating the arbitrary line between vermin and pets. We have frogs, hedgehogs and in parts of our town sometimes even a fox (and they kill chickens if you don't close the hen). I think it's beautiful. Not the same as the high concentration of cats we have in our urban area. One of our neighbors has 4 cats, and they all shit in the area directly around her yard. And they are the reason I can't leave the chickens alone outside during the day. And believe me, nothing deters cats, me and my cat-less neighbors have tried everything under the sun. I splashed them with water multiple times already. Sure, it's all fun when the cat sits in a box and is cuddly. But it's a roaming predator that spreads excrement and disease. And if you don't cuddle with it regularly, that's all it is. And how can you tell me to keep my soil moist, do you know what an amount of work that is? Cat owners should come and keep my soil moist. Or, just keep their cat inside. If you love your animals, go live on a farm or in the woods. The city is no place for pets like cats.
- bluefirebrand 5y ago
  Yes, my city doesn't allow you to have outdoor cats, any pet cats must be kept inside. Owners can be fined.
  - k12sosse 5y ago
    It's not my cat, but it is a cat. It comes over for dinner sometimes.
    - bluefirebrand 5y ago
      Well, if it's not your cat then it's going to a shelter.
gadders 5y ago
Cats are supposed to be outdoor animals. Ours never attack our chickens.
- tincanned 5y ago
  Humans are supposed to be outdoor animals.
  - laurowyn 5y ago
    What is this even supposed to mean? Humans are outdoor animals. Yes. Well done. A+. We even have opposable thumbs, which means we can operate door handles and make our own way outside. Or are you asking us to demolish our houses and live out in the farmland now? We build homes for warmth and security. Even our nomadic ancestors built movable homes (tents, teepees, caravans, mobile homes, RVs etc.). Just because an animal is supposed to be outside, doesn't mean it has no benefit from access to an indoor area. The rules for survival fit animals just as much; 3 minutes without air, 3 hours without shelter, 3 days without water, 3 weeks without food. The numbers will be different, but if an animal cannot find shelter on a cold night, it's unlikely to survive (unless specifically adapted for that situation).
gambiting 5y ago
>>I live in a country where it is legal to just keep you cat outside all day. It's madness. As someone who lived most of my life in the countryside and our cats only lived outside, I will echo some of the other comments - is there anywhere where you can't keep a cat outside???? That's madness.
- gjhh244 5y ago
  Keeping a cat outside can be pretty bad for wildlife, such as birds.
  - gambiting 5y ago
    In my experience yes, but only if you don't feed them. Then they go and hunt birds and other animals. If you give them plenty of food then they just chill all day.
    - mixedCase 5y ago
      That's not really the case and the degree depends on the cat, but observe well-fed cats for a while and you will see they essentially kill for sport. The claim that this is somehow a bad thing that will wreak existential havoc sounds like unfounded alarmism to me.
- Tiktaalik 5y ago
  Not every place is the same situation, but I can definitely think of a lot of reasons why a particular area wouldn't be appropriate to let cats roam about. * places where there are endangered birds * urban places with lots of car traffic * places with coyotes or other cat predators.
BasicObject 5y ago
I live in a downtown area where there are many cats walking around. They used to poop all over my garden, but I think I may have found a solution but I am not sure. I read that cats dislike the smell of coffee. So to experiment, I would cover the pile of cat poop with a large pile of coffee grounds. In my experience so far the cats do not return to poop in that spot like they would before. It is also not illegal to add plants that are poisonous to cats on the border of your property.

bauc 5y ago

We have the same here, I think a lot of cat owners who let their cats out don't appreciate the amount of downsides their neighbours have to deal with.

croo 5y ago

I must be living on the other side of the planet! Is there a place where keeping a cat outside is illegal? Poor cats :( I have a garden and sandbox for kids and the soultion for cat poop was a dog. Is there a similiar research for dogs?

smilespray 5y ago
Poor dog. At least feed it proper dog food once in a while.
- remix2000 5y ago
  Comedy genius
- MisterTea 5y ago
  Until you have cleaned up cat litter dog vomit you will never know the true meaning of the word vile.
rich_sasha 5y ago
There are widely known effects of growing up with a dog on immune system strength and proneness to allergies [0]. I have never seen these associated with gut fauna, but the implication is that some of the 'dog gross' gets onto you and trains your system. [0] https://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/features/health-benefits-of-pets#1 https://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/featu...
- basq 5y ago
  How odd. I spent my childhood inna constant state of hayfever. A major revelation for me was going off to university, where I was no longer around the household dogs, and my allergies all but disapated.
DocTomoe 5y ago
Actually, keeping your cat inside should be the norm. Cats are, essentially, a highly invasive species that has been linked to massive decline and sometimes extinctions of local fauna.
- nix23 5y ago
  >Actually, keeping your cat inside should be the norm. Not in Europe, maybe new zealand. But in Europe we had/have wildcats until we destroyed the large forests. And nearly ever farmer depends on a cat to keep vermin's in check, if you have to keep your cat inside DONT BUY A CAT.
  - clydethefrog 5y ago
    The majority of cats in Europe is city cats that demolish the local bird and critter population. https://academic.oup.com/jel/article/32/3/391/5640440 https://academic.oup.com/jel/article/32/3/391/5640440
    - pvaldes 5y ago
      Still autochtonous (more or less) species. Old world birds evolved with them for thousands years and somehow they will not have problems to survive. We know to do more research about the cat effect on that fauna instead to just repeat one preliminary study. We need to know for example, if there is a percentage of those migrant birds allegedly chased by cats in US that just crashed against a window or were stunded by pesticides. The problem in that case is not the cat, is the glass pane, or the absence of trees. ............... Second point. Some scientists hypothesize that Toxoplasmosis remain in the body alive for years and is a chronic disease. We should however take in mind that this is not the main current of thinking. We know that parasites don't survive usually when end in the wrong host because immune response works "like this" and "like that" and because the temperature, organ structure or life cycle of the true host, matter for the parasite survival. I can't see why Toxoplasma should behave different that the other ten thousands of cases, or why the immune system should make an excepcion here.
teekert 5y ago
Where I live most people with dogs either let them poop in nature or clean it up. They certainly don't come into my garden to do their business. Telling someone to take a huge pet with huge responsibilities just to get rid of neighborhood cats pooping in their garden is a bit of a non-solution. But I guess, it's all funny when you own and love cats. But, please try to imagine what it can be like for your neighbors who only experience the down sides of your pet. To me there is no difference between (huge) rats or cats coming into my garden, except the government allows me to kill the rats.
- laurowyn 5y ago
  This, in my opinion, is why we can't have nice things. Calling for the death of any living thing that we disagree with isn't okay. And trapping an animal indoors where it can't exercise its natural tendencies is also a non-solution. I completely understand the want and need to protect your property from intruders, animal or human. But calling for the death of any and all animals that enter your property is borderline psychopathic IMO. There are humane ways to deter animals from entering your property. Something as simple as spraying a cat with water will deter it effectively - no need to murder it. Other options include putting down plastic spikes (that don't cause injury) on garden fences, growing certain plants which cats dislike the smell of, or even sprays that cats dislike. And for future reference; if your neighbours cats are pooping in your garden beds, keep the surface of the soil moist. Cats (generally) won't dig in wet soil, and will instead find somewhere else to go. And your plants will appreciate the extra water.
  - teekert 5y ago
    I'm not killing any animals, I wouldn't even kill the rats, I was just indicating the arbitrary line between vermin and pets. We have frogs, hedgehogs and in parts of our town sometimes even a fox (and they kill chickens if you don't close the hen). I think it's beautiful. Not the same as the high concentration of cats we have in our urban area. One of our neighbors has 4 cats, and they all shit in the area directly around her yard. And they are the reason I can't leave the chickens alone outside during the day. And believe me, nothing deters cats, me and my cat-less neighbors have tried everything under the sun. I splashed them with water multiple times already. Sure, it's all fun when the cat sits in a box and is cuddly. But it's a roaming predator that spreads excrement and disease. And if you don't cuddle with it regularly, that's all it is. And how can you tell me to keep my soil moist, do you know what an amount of work that is? Cat owners should come and keep my soil moist. Or, just keep their cat inside. If you love your animals, go live on a farm or in the woods. The city is no place for pets like cats.
bluefirebrand 5y ago
Yes, my city doesn't allow you to have outdoor cats, any pet cats must be kept inside. Owners can be fined.
- k12sosse 5y ago
  It's not my cat, but it is a cat. It comes over for dinner sometimes.
  - bluefirebrand 5y ago
    Well, if it's not your cat then it's going to a shelter.

gadders 5y ago

Cats are supposed to be outdoor animals. Ours never attack our chickens.

tincanned 5y ago
Humans are supposed to be outdoor animals.
- laurowyn 5y ago
  What is this even supposed to mean? Humans are outdoor animals. Yes. Well done. A+. We even have opposable thumbs, which means we can operate door handles and make our own way outside. Or are you asking us to demolish our houses and live out in the farmland now? We build homes for warmth and security. Even our nomadic ancestors built movable homes (tents, teepees, caravans, mobile homes, RVs etc.). Just because an animal is supposed to be outside, doesn't mean it has no benefit from access to an indoor area. The rules for survival fit animals just as much; 3 minutes without air, 3 hours without shelter, 3 days without water, 3 weeks without food. The numbers will be different, but if an animal cannot find shelter on a cold night, it's unlikely to survive (unless specifically adapted for that situation).

gambiting 5y ago

>>I live in a country where it is legal to just keep you cat outside all day. It's madness. As someone who lived most of my life in the countryside and our cats only lived outside, I will echo some of the other comments - is there anywhere where you can't keep a cat outside???? That's madness.

gjhh244 5y ago
Keeping a cat outside can be pretty bad for wildlife, such as birds.
- gambiting 5y ago
  In my experience yes, but only if you don't feed them. Then they go and hunt birds and other animals. If you give them plenty of food then they just chill all day.
  - mixedCase 5y ago
    That's not really the case and the degree depends on the cat, but observe well-fed cats for a while and you will see they essentially kill for sport. The claim that this is somehow a bad thing that will wreak existential havoc sounds like unfounded alarmism to me.
Tiktaalik 5y ago
Not every place is the same situation, but I can definitely think of a lot of reasons why a particular area wouldn't be appropriate to let cats roam about. * places where there are endangered birds * urban places with lots of car traffic * places with coyotes or other cat predators.

BasicObject 5y ago

I live in a downtown area where there are many cats walking around. They used to poop all over my garden, but I think I may have found a solution but I am not sure. I read that cats dislike the smell of coffee. So to experiment, I would cover the pile of cat poop with a large pile of coffee grounds. In my experience so far the cats do not return to poop in that spot like they would before. It is also not illegal to add plants that are poisonous to cats on the border of your property.