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I happen to live in a suburban area where the animal control ordinance specifies that cats and dogs must be restricted to their owners property. If/when they leave that owners property they have to be restrained either by a leash or in a travel box.
We also have a large population of coyotes and raptors that both kill and eat small mammals. Traffic is via 4 lane divided roads outside the neighborhoods and there are a LOT of cats turned into ground meat on the road.
Why do cat owners still open the door and let their cats out to roam and then act surprised when dear old kitty fails to show up and they never find it again?
I would have figured that the cat would have no respect for property lines it cannot understand. The owner of the cat should, but, no, not at all for owners of free range cats. Secondarily, I would have figured animal control laws saying "DO NOT DO THIS" would affect decision making, no, not that either. Ultimately, I would have figured Wiley E. Coyote, Sam the Eagle, and Ford Motor Company would have settled the question with the statistically reasonable expectation of mortality for the cat. No, not that either.
Why do cat owners still open the door and let their cats out to roam and then act surprised when dear old kitty fails to show up and they never find it again?
I get it if the owner lives on 10 acres in the country and has a barn infested with mice. The cat isn't going to go to far. But in a densely packed suburban area with laws against free range cats, hawks, coyotes, and a lot of traffic....I fail to see the mystery or how so many cat owners can be so arrogant about the imposition of their pet on other people. What gives?
Some don't care. "Plenty more where that one came from."
Some say they believe cats need to be "free" and better a short life, ended violently by being smashed or eaten, than a life kept "trapped" inside.
Or lazy, they don't want to put in any effort to enhance the cat's indoor environment, it's easier to say "oh he just WON'T stay inside" and open the door.
And any other number of reasons as there are people. I have never had cats that "roam free" and never would. Not only is it, as you say, an imposition on the neighbors, I value my cats' lives and happiness way too much to put them at risk.
( Also there are plenty who do the same with their dogs. Probably not as many as with cats, but there are some. Some people are just plain irresponsible when it comes to pet ownership.)
Last edited by catsmom21; 09-14-2016 at 03:37 PM..
You'll discover in this forum that there's a division of philosophy when it comes to cat owners. Some believe a strict indoor-only policy is best, while others follow an indoor/outdoor but only outdoors with supervision. Then there are others who feel strongly that cats' mental welfare is only served well if they are allowed outside to roam.
In a suburban residential area it is selfish on the part of a cat owner to allow a cat outside to roam. I dearly and undeniably adore cats, but outdoor cats are a Nuisance. (Yes, capital letter for emphasis.) Roaming cats do not know that their territories are bounded by invisible property lines, and they especially keep on going when they know where indoor cats reside. Gardens and children's sandboxes are ruined by the deposits of roaming cats. Foundations, porch screens, and deck posts get sprayed.
Anyone who thinks a roaming cat is happy with such a life is misled. Having to establish a territory day in and day out is stressful.
For the indoor cats who perceive that their territories are being invaded by these roaming cats, it's also stressful. Some start spraying inside the house. Some run from window to window trying to figure out how to protect their territories.
I won't get into a debate about whether or not it's domestic cats who have decimated the songbird population. However, it is fact that roaming cats will go on a easy hunt, stalking the birds that someone invites by putting out feeders. Roaming cats will also hunt baby bunnies.
Every time a cat steps outside he takes his life in his hands. Wileys, Sams, Fords, and let's not forget Fidos. As well, any other cats roaming are ready to do battle. Perhaps even worse, there are the romantic interludes that produce more cats unless the cats involved have been neutered or spayed.
There are so many options for indoor cats to enjoy a safe, healthy, happy, and stress-free life without going outdoors. The actual truth is that some cats prefer it. Case in point - Callie. She was an intact female roaming our neighborhood and often trysting with the neighborhood's roaming stud we called Spot. Spot was a major annoyance always visiting our yard, spraying our porch screen, and in turn causing one of my male cats Pharaoh to start marking inside our house.
We finally caught Callie and her most recent litter of kittens. The kittens were adopted out, we kept Callie, and unfortunately for him Spot was eaten by an alligator. Callie is now strictly indoors and she prefers it. When the porch door is accidently left open she doesn't bolt. She's actually been seen sitting at the open door with zero interest in stepping out.
So, ssgncng, your question "What gives?" is a good one, but one without an answer. I don't know. And I'll catch a lot of flack for this, but reasons to allow roaming such as "but he cries at the door to go out" or "he sits at the window so sad" or "cats belong outside" are not valid ones. Cat owners cannot take the path that's easiest for themselves. The commitment is to do the right thing for the cat which is to provide a safe, healthy, happy, and stress-free life. If they still stubbornly believe that their cat is smart enough to avoid Wiley, Sam, Ford, and Fido, then they should also think about where their cat is going and whose life is being negatively affected by a Nuisance.
All of our kitties over the years have been strictly indoor cats. Not only do I not want them getting hurt or killed outside, but I respect my neighbors and cats know no boundaries. They also bring fleas, ticks, and other problems back into the house when they re-enter.They are also exposed to a lot of diseases from other animals they encounter.
We are racking our brains for a way to get Mama Cat at our shop adopted somewhere so she can come in from living a feral life. She has survived 4 years, but I know every day her odds get worse of making it long term.
Well for the first part of your question- any ordinances are frequently ignored by the populations and also rarely enforced. In my town we aren't allowed to have over a certain amount of pets or have any livestock. Yet I know people who exceed the number of pets and I've been seeing a lot of chickens crossing the roads lately. If something is not enforced and no one is complaining then the ordinances are basically meaningless.
The second part of your question- why owners still let cats out when it can be predated on or injured- that part is more complicated but here are my thoughts on it:
*People let their cats out because that is how they grew up keeping animals. In the dark ages of pet ownership people regularly saw animals as belonging outside.
*People are anthropomorphizing their pets by thinking the cat needs a sense of freedom and connection with nature.
*Owners might also believe keeping a cat indoors will deny it from all it's animal instincts and see this as cruel.
*Some people are lazy. They don't want to go through the hassle of the period of adjustment a cat needs to adjust to a purely indoor life. It could take months for a cat to stop meowing and scratching at the door.
* Ignorance. Some are completely unaware that coyotes, raptors and cars could kill their pet.
* Denial. Some people agree that these things can- in theory- kill a cat. It just won't be their cat. Thier cat is too smart/ quick and tough to let that happen.
* It's not actually their cat. It just wandered in one day. The humans enjoy the cat and feed it regularly when it is around but assume someone else is the real owner so they continue to let it out so it can go to it's real home.
* The cat has a genuine behavior problem inside with marking/ toileting despite being vet checked and spayed/ neutered and allowing the cat outside is the only alternative the owner can think of other than euthanizing the animal.
* They are from an area where letting cats outside is the norm. This is especially common outside of the US.
If it's not already clear I will state it openly that I am a proponent of keeping cats indoors. Not every one who lets their cats out is a bad person but I feel that if a cat can have a home inside it is always a better option.
Some don't care. "Plenty more where that one came from."
Some say they believe cats need to be "free" and better a short life, ended violently by being smashed or eaten, than a life kept "trapped" inside.
Or lazy, they don't want to put in any effort to enhance the cat's indoor environment, it's easier to say "oh he just WON'T stay inside" and open the door.
And any other number of reasons as there are people. I have never had cats that "roam free" and never would. Not only is it, as you say, an imposition on the neighbors, I value my cats' lives and happiness way too much to put them at risk.
( Also there are plenty who do the same with their dogs. Probably not as many as with cats, but there are some. Some people are just plain irresponsible when it comes to pet ownership.)
YES to all of the above. And yes, the same can happen with dogs. We have a dog who is always loose in the neighborhood. He poops in our yard and is aggressive to me *in my own yard*.
There are many dangers outdoors, but some people seem to thing they can "fend for themselves."
Okay, these are all great responses, some reinforced my initial thoughts but a lot of it was points I had not considered.
We do have a few dog owners near us who free range their dog but that is much more rare than free range cats. Animal control in our city does no enforce the animal control ordinances on types or breeds of animals they find cute. Pit Bull owners will get the hammer brought down on them, usually rightfully so, while cocker spaniel owners are above and beyond any controlling legal authority. Cat owners as well.
ssgncng - ever considered changing your status of "non-cat owner" to "cat owner"? You get it!
Never.
As a Joe I can tell you for a fact that one item in the "LIST OF THINGS YOU WILL NEVER HEAR A GI SAY" is as they are stepping on the battlefield: "I wish we had a cat with us." Never been said.
I have no use for them and would never expend any energy caring for them, to me, they are the proverbial football bat. Completely useless. Others feel differently and that's fine, I just resent the imposition of free range cats on me. I have bird feeders, I set out bird nesting boxes. I have a lot of sandy areas in my yard for growing palm trees and such. I have problems because of cats and I really don't like them or the problems they cause.
I just don't understand why so many cat owners refuse to accept the reality that a LOT of other people don't want their precious kitty causing them problems. Your cat, your problem, your property - NOT my cat, NOT my problem, NOT on my property. The response is usually a stream of profanities from cat owners. Dog owners have a similar capacity for selfishness/self-centeredness. You know the song... MEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEME, MEMEMEMEMEMEMEME, MEMEMEMEMEMEME....
how so many cat owners can be so arrogant about the imposition of their pet on other people. What gives?
Like pet owners who won't fix their pets, some people are just jerks.
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