- cross-posted to:
- environment@aussie.zone
- cross-posted to:
- environment@aussie.zone
I am not here to make the case that cats should be kept indoors for the sake of local wildlife – that case has been made over and over and over and over again. Cat owners know these arguments, and if they have not been persuaded by the fact that cats kill more than 6 million native animals in Australia a day they will not be persuaded by me.
There is a fairly tedious assumption that if you love wildlife you must hate cats, and visa versa. And nothing will turn cat people off faster than encountering a person who hates cats.
I understand this. I also hate people who hate cats. So let’s set the birds and the bettongs to one side for the moment, and consider the other, obvious fact: cats should be kept indoors for the sake of cats.
When I adopted my cats the shelter and foster people asked if the cats will stay inside or go outside and when I said inside they all made a sigh of releave and the shelter workers said “thank god, thats definitely the best for them”. I build them a small cage that I put up at the window in my old flat, now I have a balcony where they can roam and when I live in a house with a garden at some point they will get a big catio.
I think that them being able to safely go outside a little bit is important, the outside world gives them so much different experiences. Wind, fresh air, outside noices, smells from neighbors barbecuing. But yeah, leaving them completely outside is not good
deleted by creator
I’ll just harness my cat up, and take them for a brief morning drag…
I get what you’re saying, but you’re just wrong. In my unscientific and anecdotal-driven opinion, there are too many cats outside as-is. They upset ecosystems. If you don’t have the space for a cat to wander inside, you shouldn’t be adopting a cat.
deleted by creator
I mean, a couple seconds of googling gives you actual data, rather than your butt hurt feelings…
https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms2380
https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/pan3.10073
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/91280/8-ways-domestic-cats-are-serious-threat-nature
I can keep going, or you can actually do a little reading. Just because you don’t like my point, that doesn’t make your point valid.
deleted by creator
Cool. Doubling down is your call to make.
deleted by creator