Indoor vs. Outdoor cats and world perspective
I am cutting and pasting this from another web forum I frequent. There was some debate about letting domesticated cats outside, and this came up from a woman who has a PH D in the environmental science field:
Please keep in mind that you can be fined 10,000 for letting your cat eat a
migratory bird per the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. I am sorry that you value the
freedom of your domestic cat over the lives of the native wildlife of our
region. Many of the birds in your yard and neighbors yards are migratory birds.
And you are knowingly breaking the law.
I do feel that anyone that lets their cats out is irresponsible. I know that is
a strong statement, but letting your cats out with such strong scientific
evidence from multiple countries is very strong evidence of the degree of the
problem. I have a M.S. and a Ph.D. relating to issues affecting wildlife
populations, particularly birds. I am not writing on this issue with a lack of
background. I have provided ample references and you choose not to read and
understand the material. I hope you take the time to think about this issue for
a larger perspective then you currently exhibit.
Have you ever though about the deadly parasites your cat gets from eating
wildlife? Maybe you should talk with some zoo officials in charge of feeding
large cats. They are not given freshly killed wildlife or allowed to kill their
own food because of the potential dangers to the cats.
How about the effects of cats peeing in children's sandboxes?
http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/ZoonoticDisease.html
I also have written Ingles and encouraged them to charge for plastic bags. The
US lags behind in many environmental issues. We as a nation have a lot to learn
from other countries that are doing much better. Please keep in mind that you
are bring up many other issues to justify your irresponsibility over the cats
you choose to take on as pets. These are important issues, but they do not take
away importance from the environmental damage free-ranging domesticated cats do
to our world.
Just wondering what you might think about this. I am starting to fall in the category of thinking that pet ownership is not necessarily a good thing. On the other hand, humans have been so irresponsible and let the populations of dogs and cats get out of control, so it might be the right thing to do to give one a home. I'm torn. Although I am pretty sure when my cat dies, I will not get another.
i feel the same as you do. I think I'm going to inevitably let them decide if they like cold weather, lol. I do keep them in when I know it's going to be a really nasty day outdoors though (AKA tornados, hail, bad storms, below freezing temps).
That sucks about dogs....I never really thought about that. People see a cat walking around and they're like oh... a cat. But when people see dogs walking around they tend to flip out and call the humane society and stuff. Poor doggies.
i feel the same as you do. I think I'm going to inevitably let them decide if they like cold weather, lol. I do keep them in when I know it's going to be a really nasty day outdoors though (AKA tornados, hail, bad storms, below freezing temps).
That sucks about dogs....I never really thought about that. People see a cat walking around and they're like oh... a cat. But when people see dogs walking around they tend to flip out and call the humane society and stuff. Poor doggies.
My cousins cats are indoor and outdoor... they come and go as they please. They cry to be let out, and stand at the door to be let in.
They're inside during a lot of winter, and that's understandable. But they definitely still go outside when they want. :)
I think about it a lot, oddly enough. I just tend to think about those sort of things.
dessie,
The background about letting cats outside isn't so much about the cats or the humans. It's about a concentrated number of cats doing environmental damage - specifically to sensitive / bird / amphibian populations.
That sucks about dogs....I never really thought about that. People see a cat walking around and they're like oh... a cat. But when people see dogs walking around they tend to flip out and call the humane society and stuff. Poor doggies.
personally, I don't care how badly my dogs wanted to be outside, I'd never let them just roam the streets. that seems crazy to me - just like people who get dogs and leave them outside all of the time....I just don't get it....
Sorry, back to cats....
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