Is it cruel to keep cats?

howiepoohs said:
LOL no. I love cats and I think they are amazing. I have two, Daisy and Dusty. A right pair of little tarts they are when it suits them. But it is always on their terms only. Like the expression herding cats, they do as they please. They own you really.
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Very cute :D.

I do somewhat agree with your statement. I have two one is exactly as you describe the other is the complete opposite. Unsure if it's because I found him rather than bought from a shop/shelter or it's just luck of the draw. Second one is annoyingly affectionate.
 
I don't think it is cruel on the cats themselves, they're usually pretty happy to be kept by humans. On the other hand if they're not house cats then they will have a tendency to decimate the local wildlife, the keeping of cats in general isn't so good for the UK's bird population etc.. if you're going to chose only one or the other then a dog is a much better option in that respect.
 
dannyjo22 said:
How are cats "decimating" wildlife or bad for the bird population? I doubt a cat kills 1 bird per week? Tweety pie did ok.
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well killing birds is bad for the local bird population

tweety pie is a cartoon

http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/01/31/the-biggest-threat-to-u-s-wildlife-cats/

According to a new study, published Jan. 29 by the journal Nature Communications, things may be even worse than Morgan thought. Cats are apparently responsible for killing birds and mammals on a massive scale. Based on a systematic review and quantitative estimates never before conducted in the mainland U.S., researchers found that house cats were responsible for the deaths of between 1.4 and 3.7 billion birds and between 7 and 20 billion mammals each year.

The cute, purring bundles of fur have long been recognized for their killer instinct and excellent hunting ability, and have been blamed for the global extinction of up to 33 species, reports the BBC.
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obviously feral cats kill more but domestic cats, especially those without bells fitted to their collars, kill frequently too

FlakGunna said:
Lol at decimating wildlife. We as humans do a lot more damage to the wildlife and the planet than a roaming cat in the garden would do.
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that is fairly irrelevant
 
Cats are basically pets for people who don't like animals.
You either keep them as "house cats" which is unkind on the cat but really great for the human, or let them roam freely which either results in them getting run over / lost if you live in a city or killing birds & rodents if you live in the country.
As a kid i grew up in the country and lost count of the number of maimed small animals my dear cat would bring into the house to play with.
But yeah they are really cool and get you lots of likes on Facebook and Youtube right?
 
I remember seeing a cat get hit by a car as a kid, the poor thing was flopping up and down in the middle of the road, a sight which has always stuck in my mind.
 
I bet you the people saying it's cruel to keep them inside have never kept an indoor cat. Convinced that they are correct but with no actual data or having done any research, just "my gut feeling is its cruel".
 
Ocean Breeze said:
I don’t think domestic cats can survive in the wild can they?

They have been bred to be domestic animals for hundreds/thousands of years have they not?

You should allow them to go outside. I thinks it’s wrong to keep the as indoor cats.
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I used to think that too until my cat got hit and split open all the way down her side by a car. Surgery cost more than a motorcycle.
 
OP you got it wrong!:eek:

Cats domesticate you, you don't domesticate them... lol :D

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In the four years we've had our current cat, she's probably taken one or two birds at most. Over the thirty years or so of total ownership, probably less than half a dozen "kills" if you discount the ones that got away. I seriously doubt a domestic cat forced out of the home would last very long - if hunger didn't get them a local fox or mishap with a road vehicle probably would.

A domestic cat is unlikely to know life in the wild anyway, more than likely offspring from an another cat's unwanted litter who ended up in a sanctuary waiting to be re-homed.

We have always taken out cat ownership seriously - provide a litter tray which is cleaned after use and the cat will actually return to the house to use it, rather than peeing or pooping outside. I would rather deal with that than dog mess which ends up anywhere but a contained box where it can be hygienically removed and binned.

On a more light hearted note, domestic cats are very much in charge of their own destiny. They understand English very well, even if they can't vocalise it in return. They are clever, adaptive and problem solving - often with a very dry sense of humour. (Usually going back upstairs to open the divan drawer and pull the contents out five minutes after you put it back from the previous time). Cats are fine as they are.
 
Rimsy said:
Cats are basically pets for people who don't like animals.
You either keep them as "house cats" which is unkind on the cat but really great for the human, or let them roam freely which either results in them getting run over / lost if you live in a city or killing birds & rodents if you live in the country.
As a kid i grew up in the country and lost count of the number of maimed small animals my dear cat would bring into the house to play with.
But yeah they are really cool and get you lots of likes on Facebook and Youtube right?
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Holy false dichotomy batman. We live in a town and our cat neither kills scores of animals (one bird, two mice in over 12 years) nor has she been run over. I doubt we’re alone in this experience.
 
Ocean Breeze said:
I don’t think domestic cats can survive in the wild can they?

They have been bred to be domestic animals for hundreds/thousands of years have they not?

You should allow them to go outside. I thinks it’s wrong to keep the as indoor cats.
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I had a cat for six years of comfortable domestic bliss. During a house move he ran off not to be seen again for nearly a year! Had a phone call from a vet who had scanned his tag. Cat had been living rough for a year and seemed to cope well with catching his own food.

Died of a tumour six months later ....
 
Our cat was crossing a dual carriage way a mile away daily to what we think was hunt in the farmland so knowing that is a death sentance we built a large catio for him at the rear of the house he seems very content and a lot more affectionate than he was before, He has lots of plants, shelves and grass to enjoy the kids play with him to burn off all his excess energy and even when one of them leave a door open by mistake he will just sit by it has no interest in going out anymore.
 
Rimsy said:
Cats are basically pets for people who don't like animals.
You either keep them as "house cats" which is unkind on the cat but really great for the human, or let them roam freely which either results in them getting run over / lost if you live in a city or killing birds & rodents if you live in the country.
As a kid i grew up in the country and lost count of the number of maimed small animals my dear cat would bring into the house to play with.
But yeah they are really cool and get you lots of likes on Facebook and Youtube right?
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Lol did your cat hurt you. Are you ok. Do you need to go to your safe place. We are here for you.
 
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