this post was submitted on 27 Jan 2024
1539 points (96.8% liked)

Comic Strips

12964 readers
1573 users here now

Comic Strips is a community for those who love comic stories.

The rules are simple:

Web of links

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 25 points 11 months ago (3 children)

If you want to give your kitty companion the best shot at a long comfortable life, keep them indoors, it's as simple as that.
Leads exist, and so do catios and window boxes if you're lucky enough to have the space, they can still enjoy the sunshine and fresh air without risk of them getting run over, attacked by another animal/person, getting injured otherwise. I know I just couldn't bear it if my baby was outside all on her own and got hurt..

[–] [email protected] 7 points 11 months ago

My cats are indoors because I lived next to a cat hater and in a busy street when I got them. Back then I would let them outside on a leash. During the day they were too scared, but they loved investigating the garden in the evening.

Now I live at a calmer street and have a small walled garden. They love going outside during the day now without a leash. I always stay with them and if they attempt to jump the wall they have to go inside immediately.

My sisters cats are outdoor cats. They are a lot less affectionate than my cats. My cats greet me when I get home, they like to lay on my lap and they love getting pet. My sisters cats only show up when they're hungry or when the weather is too bad and will scratch if you pet them longer than 2 seconds.

[–] cashews_best_nut -2 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (3 children)

I'm guessing your American? If you try finding a rescue cat for indoors they won't let you have one. Most cats in the UK and any given by charities are outdoor cats.

So everyone insisting on one of the other is being very... Annoyingly ignorant!

[–] [email protected] 11 points 11 months ago (1 children)

As an American, I have never seen an animal shelter adoption contract that didn't have a clause about never letting the cat outside. Obviously there are exceptions for leashes and catios, but you get the idea

[–] cashews_best_nut 7 points 11 months ago (1 children)

It's the opposite in the UK where the default is outdoor. So you end up with these very passionate online debates between outdoor vs indoor which are ore due to cultural & geographical differences between countries than any real science.

So it's akin to a religious war.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Except one side is backed up with science, studies, and facts, the other is backed up by.... Tradition.

[–] cashews_best_nut 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Which is which? Because I've seen some show science for keeping cats indoors but I've shared two studies based in the UK that show cats are better outdoors. Like I say it's based on geography too. As some people have pointed out cats have been a wild species in the UK for millenia. So them being outdoors here isn't an issue.

Stop being a dick.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 11 months ago (1 children)

You can't compare the impact of actual native wild cats with the impact of domestic cats. It's such a huge difference in numbers.
As you said, some areas have wild cats and the ecosystem is tuned to that. But even in those areas the comparable extremely high numbers of additional predators (domesticated cats) is damaging to the wildlife.

[–] cashews_best_nut 0 points 10 months ago (1 children)

The RSPB says outdoor cats aren't a problem and I linked to a study done by Bristol University in another comment that states they aren't a problem.

Feel free to fuck off and read them and stop talking like your rules are universal across the globe.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I don't know where the hostility comes from, but here is a good review article that has a global overview of the impact free-ranging cats have: https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pan3.10073
It calls out several studies from the UK that do highlight the impact of cats on the wildlife.
An additional interesting point is chapter 4.4 "The interest of cat owners":

Studies show that many cat owners are opposed to banning the free roaming of domestic cats, although the degree of this opposition varies between countries (Ash & Adams, 2003; Crowley et al., 2019; Lilith et al., 2006; McDonald, Maclean, Evans, & Hodgson, 2015; Thomas et al., 2012). Several UK studies are particularly illustrative. According to Crowley et al. (2019, p. 18), cat owners ‘rarely perceived a strong individual responsibility for preventing or reducing’ predation by their pets. Likewise, McDonald et al. (2015, p. 2751) found that many owners ‘do not accept that cats are harmful’, including owners of highly predatory cats, and moreover found that providing owners with ecological information regarding cats’ wildlife impacts does little or nothing to change their views.

[–] cashews_best_nut 0 points 10 months ago

Like I said - feel free to fuck off,

[–] [email protected] 0 points 10 months ago

Yeah, and it is not the side that you think it is.

[–] stufkes 9 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Yeah I only know this viewpoint from posters in the US. In Europe I only know the prevailing notion that keeping cats indoors is cruel and they should be outside. Exceptions for large cities ofc but I only know social pressure to get cats out, not keep them in.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

I guess Finland is an exception. Here you're not supposed to let cats roam free because they could get hurt or die and it would be irresponsible pet ownership. Some still do it ofc.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago (1 children)

That's not true. I have 2 rescue cats currently indoor only and have had more previously. There's a few rescues I can think of that look for outdoor homes, and a few who are strictly indoor, but most are quite open minded.

[–] cashews_best_nut 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I'm not saying they don't exist. They're just more rare and the default is "outdoor". I've been looking into getting an indoor cat for my flat but couldn't find a single one in Manchester.

I'm probably going to buy a plant instead. :(

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago

Try these guys, they're strictly indoor and many of their cats are Birmingham which is close - https://www.strawberrypersianpedigreecatrescue.co.uk/adoption/

Cats protection is either though and they're everywhere.