Is it cruel to keep cats?

howiepoohs said:
Have you ever owned a cat? Cats are parasitical lifeforms. They thrive when leaching off a human. It isn't cruel, it's a one way street in favor of the cat. They get all the fuss, attention, grooming and food from us while we will get some affection back but only on the cat's own terms.
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Well Cats would traditionally killed mice and rats that ate human food and spread disease
 
I wondered this about dogs, leaving them inside even for a short period could stress them out, obviously it depends on the dog but I read something about it quote recently.
 
We have a cat, it's fed 3-4 times a day (plus Dreamies), though doesn't eat it all, nice places to sleep all over the house, can go in and out when she likes, though she doesn't enjoy the cold, wind and hates the rain. She get's a handful of birds each summer, 4 this year. Access to vets and is insured on petplan. She is asleep in the other room now, has been since 10:30am, spent the early morning looking out the window's downstairs and upstairs. I'd swap for that existence tbh :D
 
There are plenty of cat breeds well suited to living indoors, especially if you have a house with lots of areas to explore and toys and climbing frames, and they get a lot of play.

Ragdolls are an excellent example and aren't generally recommended as outdoor cats.
 
Ours is indoor only, well he does go into the garden for 30 mins or so every so often.
He seems to love his life, great company. Loves to play with toys.
 
sigma said:
I wondered this about dogs, leaving them inside even for a short period could stress them out, obviously it depends on the dog but I read something about it quote recently.
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Dogs are totally different to cats. Dogs are pack animals, and their owners and their families become their pack. Being alone is not natural for them. Cats are solitary animals. Cats need a lot of “personal space” and will make it abundantly clear when they want to be left alone.
 
Vonhelmet said:
Dogs are totally different to cats. Dogs are pack animals, and their owners and their families become their pack. Being alone is not natural for them. Cats are solitary animals. Cats need a lot of “personal space” and will make it abundantly clear when they want to be left alone.
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Yeah that's why I'd rather not have a cat. I want a pack not a drifter.
 
Vonhelmet said:
Dogs are totally different to cats. Dogs are pack animals, and their owners and their families become their pack. Being alone is not natural for them. Cats are solitary animals. Cats need a lot of “personal space” and will make it abundantly clear when they want to be left alone.
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Disagree with have a few cats, and certainly siblings like to stay together, and cats are social animals. Brother/sister cat certainly do like to stay together.

Also cats are effectionate, not all but one is on my lap now. When I go to work she misses me, and she has a set pattern now, go under the duvet, follows me into the room, sits on my lap etc.
 
FlakGunna said:
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.
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I ran over a cat once that darted out in front of my car and I couldn't stop in time. Did the same, not pretty.
 
Vonhelmet said:
Dogs are totally different to cats. Dogs are pack animals, and their owners and their families become their pack. Being alone is not natural for them. Cats are solitary animals. Cats need a lot of “personal space” and will make it abundantly clear when they want to be left alone.
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About cats being solitary... it's just not true. See farm cats, for example, who live in extended family groups and even help raise each other's young.

Cats raised on their own can/might become solitary. Cats raised in a multi-cat situation can become very social. They aren't "pack animals" as they hunt on their own. Believe lions are the only felines that hunt as a pack.

There have been a lot of good studies on cat behaviour, but it seems most people would just prefer to stick to believing the common misconceptions.
 
Keeping cats isn't cruel, they've been domesticated for hundreds and hundreds of years! My cat who is fed up, goes outside and can sleep wherever he wants in the house certainly doesn't appear stressed ;)
 
jsmoke said:
Serious question. Grew up with cats and dogs years ago so remember it to a degree. Recently acquired a cat about 3 years old. Usual stuff. They start to become more and more human like by the day, however their wild instincts kick in now and again and it reminds you that they are not human and are pure instinctive survivalists.

So should even, 'domestic cats', still be left in the wild. Of course we can feed them and pet them but ultimately by doing so are we downgrading their natural instincts for our own selfish purposes.
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Short answer, no it not cruel, silly question. They're free to come and go and they always come back so we must be doing something right or they wouldn't be back for more.

Long answer, I know what you're getting at, kind of. But you could argue the same about dogs since they're descended from wolves so should we let them behave like their ancestors? Well there aren't any wolves left in this country so that should tell you something. Cats, or at least european wildcats were almost persecuted to extinction in this country so like it or not we do have an impact on the environment there is very little thats still "wild" about this country. So yes they're becoming more and more domesticated and probably wouldn't even exist if it weren't for us keeping them as pets.

Survive and adapt to the changing world or die out. They seem to managing quite well.

Vern1961 said:
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
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Seems to depend very much on the cat someone I knew had a cat that was born on a farm and was semi feral caught anything that moved, on the other hand I once had a big ginger tom and he couldn't catch a cold, and had even less interest in doing so...
 
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Blackjack Davy said:
Short answer, no it not cruel, silly question. They're free to come and go and they always come back so we must be doing something right or they wouldn't be back for more.

Long answer, I know what you're getting at, kind of. But you could argue the same about dogs since they're descended from wolves so should we let them behave like their ancestors? Well there aren't any wolves left in this country so that should tell you something. Cats, or at least european wildcats were almost persecuted to extinction in this country so like it or not we do have an impact on the environment there is very little thats still "wild" about this country. So yes they're becoming more and more domesticated and probably wouldn't even exist if it weren't for us keeping them as pets.

Survive and adapt to the changing world or die out. They seem to managing quite well.
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The latest research suggests dogs may not be descended from (what we know as) wolves after all.
 
Depends what you mean by "a walk". I take mine outside on a harness, and typically she finds her favourite sunny spot near the bird feeder and sits there, quite content, watching the birds come and go. Typically I have to pick her up and take her on a guided tour of her "territory", otherwise she'd just stay in one spot :p

Maybe that doesn't count as "taking her for a walk" :p She never leaves the boundaries of the garden, but the choice of where to go is hers. I only stop her climbing over the fence into next door's.
 
hornetstinger said:
Disagree with have a few cats, and certainly siblings like to stay together, and cats are social animals. Brother/sister cat certainly do like to stay together.

Also cats are effectionate, not all but one is on my lap now. When I go to work she misses me, and she has a set pattern now, go under the duvet, follows me into the room, sits on my lap etc.
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FoxEye said:
About cats being solitary... it's just not true. See farm cats, for example, who live in extended family groups and even help raise each other's young.

Cats raised on their own can/might become solitary. Cats raised in a multi-cat situation can become very social. They aren't "pack animals" as they hunt on their own. Believe lions are the only felines that hunt as a pack.

There have been a lot of good studies on cat behaviour, but it seems most people would just prefer to stick to believing the common misconceptions.
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Ok, I guess it’s fairer to say that cats adapt better to a lack of company, like they can take or leave it. Dogs definitely don’t like it.
 
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