cats

yeah, feeding the wrong food wil give them liver disease in the long run, and they cant handle suddenly switching food sources. They'll also get way to fat which gives them depression and also kills them. being 'nice' to a cat that has an owner by feeding it shortens their life by ~3 years.

There are cats that definitely come with pre-conditions. For example our last cat was abandoned and he chose us next. But first he spent about 4 months learning to like being outside. So until we moved* he wouldn't let us keep him inside. He'd literally climb out the window, up the wood framing, to the roof, get into the pine trees and work his way down from there. Eventually we'd just get a meow at the front door when we thought he was still chilling in the living room.

If you're adopting a shelter cat or bringing up a kitten you should absolutely keep them inside. But some cats will let you know they have terms and conditions to your relationship.

Note - Once we moved he no longer wanted to roam so much and was content with being a balcony cat. Which strongly suggests it was tied to some idea of territory or familiarity with that area.

This a thousand times. Allowing a cat outdoors is the single worst thing for the environment the average person is capable of doing.

Woah, is lemmy pro letting cats outside? It's so terrible for the cats and local wildlife why would you be in favor of it?

I’m always amazed cat owners let them roam. You’re putting a LOT of trust in both the animal as well as your greater environment. Just the other week I read a message from our local animal shelter. They had found a cat which had gotten poisoned. Either intentionally or unintentionally, that couldn’t be determined.

They had to put it down before the owner was found, it was that sick. I’d feel pretty guilty if that was my cat.

Cats can get run over, abducted, get hurt, etc. Even ignoring the fact that it’s a living creature, it’s also an expensive piece of property and vet bills aren’t cheap either.

Instead of a catio I installed fences around my property so my cats could enjoy the outside without roaming outside. It wouldn't work for everyone because my property is half walled to (not the regular american layout) but it works like a charm.