Should cats be allowed to roam freely? (male, feline, dogs)
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As requested I will start a thread on the topic of cats roaming uncontroled.
I asked the question on another thread and some folks felt I should start a seperate thread.
Many people feel its ok to allow their cats unrestricted freedom of the neighborhood. They don't seem to feel that it places an unfair burden upon those of us who don't want to manage kitty problems. I myself am not a cat hater. I just don't want one.
The issues of free roaming cats:
They scent other peoples property.
Tear open trash bags.
Dig in the landscaping
Defecate in gardens
Jump on or walk on other peoples cars, porches, fences.
Kill baby rabbits ( normally after torturing the animal first).
These are but a few of the issues I myself have. Another concern is that so many cats get turned into road pizza. How many accidents has this caused? Then the clean up. The cat is killed 2 streets over. No one knows whose kitty it is. But someone gets stuck cleaning it up.
Now I understand some folks feel cats are a free spirit. I myself as a life long dog owner feel an owner of any pet must maintain control of your pet at all times. Mosly for your pet's safety. But also as a good neighbor.
I take care of my property. My vehicles,landscaping and garden. I don't want cat tracks on my cars paint. I don't want cat urine on my house or cars. I certainly don't want cat dung in my garden.
The question that begs to be asked is simple. Is it unreasonable for owners of cats to control their animals to the same extent as dog owners?
I feel that it is more than reasonable.
Let's not forget cat fights, feline leukemia, aids and FIA. If you love your kitties, keep them inside. They do live longer and you have peace of mind knowing they will never be roadkill.
In the edn most cts are free roamrs. If you think your neighborhood does have them then spends a nite out doors with a spotlight. There was a very interesting documantary on this on cats on discovery channel a few years ago. Cats bascially can never be made to be subserviant like dogs, Just another breed altogether,
In the edn most cts are free roamrs. If you think your neighborhood does have them then spends a nite out doors with a spotlight. There was a very interesting documantary on this on cats on discovery channel a few years ago. Cats bascially can never be made to be subserviant like dogs, Just another breed altogether,
But as owners of a cat do you not have a responcibility to control your animal? Is it unreasonable to expect cat owners to respect their neighbors?
To own a pet means taking the responsibility to keep the pet under control. Cats tend to have certain behaviors not compatable to everyone.
Like scenting their terratory. I for one don't like the stink of cat scent. Thus I don't own a cat. My neighbor who owns 3 outdoor cats doesn't seem to mind the smell. Thats fine but why impose it upon everyone else?
As we know many cat owners keep their felines indoors and under control. Its not impossible and not at all harmful to the cat. Obviously its beneficial as indoor cats are healthier longer lived animals.
To me its like dog owners who tie their animals outside 24/7. The dog is controled except that they tend to bark non-stop 24/7. Once again owners forcing neighbors to endure their pets. Not to mention the cruelty to the dog.
All of our cats have come to us as strays. We have 8 now. Some of them stay in an enclosed pen outside and some are inside cats. We put the outside cats in a shed when the weather is too cold for them. All are fixed except for the newest and his day is soon to come. We still have "visiting" cats who come for conversation and food. If they stay and spend more time here, they will become members of the family as well.
My neighbor has 2 cats that come and go. I worry the poor things will get run over but they like their freedom.
My dog loves to see them through the back door! She goes nuts.
I see your point in some respects but would like to add just a couple of small comments. First, cat owners should absolutely spay and neuter them. Unaltered male cats "spray" and the stench is quite intolerable. Although even some altered males (and sometimes females too!) "spray" to delineate their territory, the odor is far worse where the male urine is concerned when the male isn't fixed.
Cat "dung?" "Dung" is an expression usually associated with the fecal droppings of large animals, Horses do the "dung" routine and Lord knows in a previous life I shoveled lots of it. Cats are by nature very fastidious - they dig a hole, take a poop and then meticulously cover up. Dogs do not. Dogs poop randomly and leave it all up front. As an animal owner for too many years than I care to remember I think I may have stepped in cat poop less than a dozen times but unfortunately have stepped in nasty dog poop too many times to remember.
Cats who are well cared for and fed but who are allowed out on reasonable liberty rarely tear open trash bags. Again, that's a dog thing. And a raccoon thing and a rat thing. In any case your household garbage really should be contained properly and not just left on the curb in simple plastic bags ...
I'm sorry that some people object to a couple of paw prints on their vehicles from curious cats. They're easily wiped off. Not sure I understand the objection to cats walking on people's fences. If cats walk on the porches of people who don't want them there, there are numerous OTC remedies available to "protect" the porch from such unwarranted intrusion.
Cats are hunters by nature but apart from killing "baby rabbits" (I'm not now in an area where we have rabbits but even when I was it was a very rare occasion when little bunnies were a hunting source) they also are pretty good at catching mice and rats which, to the best of my knowledge, the majority of human beings would rather not have around their homestead.
Road pizza? I would venture to guess that roaming dogs are responsible for WAY more car accidents than roaming cats. Cats are pretty canny when it comes to crossing roads and if a cat is unfortunate enough for whatever reason to be hit by a motor vehicle, the vehicle driver will hardly notice the slight thud if he or she even sees that a cat is in the road. Dogs are generally rather larger than cats and can do much more damage to a vehicle if hit than the average-sized cat, don't you agree?
As far as clean-up of the "road pizza" is concerned, does this affect you personally? I mean, do you feel somehow obligated to walk "two streets over" to pick up a dead kitty who may or may not have come from your area? Hey, I'm just asking! If the kitty was killed on your own street, right outside your house that would be one thing - but two streets over? Maybe I'm missing a point there somewhere so feel free to correct me.
Obviously I'm an animal lover. Each species and each individual within that species has its own character as do humans in their diversity.
Just my comments and please don't take offense about what I'm going to say in closing! You use the phrase, "I myself.." a bit and I'm in all honesty not making fun in any sense about that turn of phrase but it reminded me of my Auntie Marjorie and one of her classic poses. I'm going back DONKEY'S years and Auntie Marjorie is very long gone. But I remember as a child in post WW2 England that this diminutive lady would lean up against the mantlepiece of the home she shared with her mother and one of her brothers who was a damaged WW2 veteran, strike a pose and proclaim, "I myself personally as an individual believe that Hitler is still alive!"
I personally think there are a lot of other un-neighborly things that are far worse than freely roaming cats. We have one ourselves (he would NEVER stay indoors and there's no reason to keep him in the house all the time) and a lot of neighbors also have indoor/outdoor cats (all of them neutered) that come into our garden. Did I ever step into cat poop? No, I actually did not even SEE cat poop. Do we have paw prints on the cars? Yes, all of us have them, nobody cares.
Last edited by CBB; 11-08-2008 at 03:36 AM..
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