# Keep your damned cats at home! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 13, 2002, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-your-damned-cats-at-home/98106 "2002-03-13T19:45:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![tetsusaru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f14d63/32.png) [@tetsusaru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tetsusaru)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2002, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-your-damned-cats-at-home/98106/21 "2002-03-14T08:23:06Z")
Reminds me for some reason of an old Judge Dredd strip. Dredd busts into someone`s apartment, tears it apart, then picks up the goldfish bowl, glowers at it, says “Checks out with the license description.”, and leaves. ---
**Author:** ![AngelFelina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c2a13f/32.png) [@AngelFelina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelFelina)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2002, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-your-damned-cats-at-home/98106/22 "2002-03-14T16:29:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by obfusciatrist \* > \*\*You have different cats in your area than I do if cats are shitting on lawns. In flowerbeds yet, but I’ve never seen a cat shit out in the open on grass. > > I also live in an area rife with feral cats and can’t say that environmental havoc has ensued; though they obviously aren’t doing their jobs and eating pigeons. \*\* As the owner of a cat that shits in the neighbour’s flowerbed, the person (and I use that term loosely) could be responsible for a lot of harm to an innocent party. What if the gardener is pregnant? Huh? Ever hear of toxoplasmosis? It’s an infection caused by a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. The parasite multiplies in the intestine of cats and is shed in cat feces, mainly into litter boxes and **garden soil**. Infected babies may become very ill, with serious brain and eye damage. Zappa told us not to eat that yellow snow. Did he mention that humid patch of sand in the backyard sandbox? Do ALL parents cover up the sandbox when not in use? Should we put actual walls around our yards to protect our families against the few unthinking, irresponsible persons who can’t see the harm in letting their pet run wild? And the idea that my cat would eat pigeons grosses me out - pigeons are disease-carrying pests. Actually, the cat doesn’t even need to EAT the pigeon - fleas, ticks, all kinds of nasty diseases; surprisingly, a lot of cat owners don’t get their cats vaccinated regularly. So you also expose your cat to a bunch of feline diseases which it wouldn’t come in contact with in your home. Millions and millions and millions of reasons to keep your cat indoors. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2002, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-your-damned-cats-at-home/98106/23 "2002-03-14T18:16:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Miller \* > \*\* > > Yep, that’s what I said. Oh, sorry this _isn’t_ the thread where we make judgmental assertions about how other people raise their pets? My bad. \*\* Hmm, I asserted that I don’t like other people’s cats bugging my cats in their own house; that doesn’t seem judgemental to me. I also asserted that the people letting their cats run free are breaking the local by-laws; that may be considered judgemental, but I have laws backing me up on that judgement. The judgement on cats running free in Calgary has been rendered already; it’s illegal. You know, there’s this thing called “society”, and when you are a part of a society, you are expected to comply with the rules that that society has decided are necessary for the co-habitation of large amounts of humans and their pets. If you don’t like those rules, you are free to find a society that suits you better. ---
**Author:** ![Spritle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Spritle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spritle)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2002, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-your-damned-cats-at-home/98106/24 "2002-03-14T19:08:44Z")
God, the other day I was in line at the post office and some twit let her cats run around throwing excrement all over the place. They were mewoing and carrying on like they owned the place and 'ole cumsop just ignored the fact that they were running amok and wreaking havoc (not to mention havoc!) Cat’s are a responsibility, people! You chose to get them, now continue your responsibility! “It takes a whole village is fine”, but that doesn’t exonerate you of your duties!! I was so pissed off with the encounter, I went to a bar and there was another irresponsible cat owner letting her cat swing from the velvet rope divider. (Don’t ask me why there was a velvet rope in a bar.) When the cat fell and bumped it’s head, I drank my vodka and laughed my ass right off. That’s right, my ass was laughed right off. The left cheek got wedged under the brass foot rail and the right cheek rolled behind the juke box. Both dust but still useable. Oops, where am I? ---
**Author:** ![Spritle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Spritle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spritle)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2002, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-your-damned-cats-at-home/98106/25 "2002-03-14T19:08:48Z")
God, the other day I was in line at the post office and some twit let her cats run around throwing excrement all over the place. They were mewoing and carrying on like they owned the place and 'ole cumsop just ignored the fact that they were running amok and wreaking havoc (not to mention havoc!) Cat’s are a responsibility, people! You chose to get them, now continue your responsibility! “It takes a whole village is fine”, but that doesn’t exonerate you of your duties!! I was so pissed off with the encounter, I went to a bar and there was another irresponsible cat owner letting her cat swing from the velvet rope divider. (Don’t ask me why there was a velvet rope in a bar.) When the cat fell and bumped it’s head, I drank my vodka and laughed my ass right off. That’s right, my ass was laughed right off. The left cheek got wedged under the brass foot rail and the right cheek rolled behind the juke box. Both dusty but still useable. Oops, where am I? ---
**Author:** ![Spritle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Spritle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spritle)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2002, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-your-damned-cats-at-home/98106/26 "2002-03-14T19:12:12Z")
Well, it would seem that I’m in the land of double posts!! ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2002, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-your-damned-cats-at-home/98106/27 "2002-03-14T20:28:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Miller \* > \*\* > > Yep, that’s what I said. Oh, sorry this _isn’t_ the thread where we make judgmental assertions about how other people raise their pets? My bad. \*\* Oh, you’re right. There is no implication of that in your statement: “Sounds too much like animal cruelty to me” in reference to keeping your cat indoors. What a huge leap on my part. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2002, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-your-damned-cats-at-home/98106/28 "2002-03-14T21:53:09Z")
Well, let’s see, my cats aren’t likely to be shot, hit by cars, tortured by neighbors, beaten up or killed by other animals. Yep, sounds like cruelty to me! ---
**Author:** ![Winnowill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/4491bb/32.png) [@Winnowill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winnowill)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2002, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-your-damned-cats-at-home/98106/29 "2002-03-14T22:21:08Z")
My two cats are indoors all the time. I think it’s crueler to subject them to FELV & FIV and the resulting diseases than to cause them a few moments’ worth of wanting to go outside. They sleep in sunny spots, they sniff the air when the windows are open, they chase their toys and they play. They have high spots next to windows where they can watch the world go by. What would they be doing outside that they can’t do inside other than catch birds and mice and piss on people’s tires? (That’s what gets me - the paw prints on my windshield and the cat whiz on my wheels that makes the whole car smell like a litterbox.) ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2002, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-your-damned-cats-at-home/98106/30 "2002-03-15T05:38:41Z")
I saw a cat by the side of the road yesterday. Dead. Very obviously dead. I cried. I’m sorry, but I love cats, and I especially love _my_ cats. And since I love them, I’m not letting them outside. I don’t want them to get hit by a car. I don’t want to have to wonder where they are, I don’t want to just have them never come home again. I’ve seen too many bodies by the roadside. I’ve heard too many horror stories. Last week, my uncle found his cat in a ditch with a broken leg. Sheer dumb luck that he found her before she died. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2002, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-your-damned-cats-at-home/98106/31 "2002-03-15T08:06:47Z")
Cats die, then you get a new one. Personal preference, but when I have cats I would prefer to allow them to roam with greater chance of death than to keep them indoors. Your preferences may vary. ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2002, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-your-damned-cats-at-home/98106/32 "2002-03-15T11:49:27Z")
My cats go out. They catch little animals, climb trees, run, play, eat grass, sleep on the sidewalk, and do lots of other cat-type things. Maybe it’s because they were ferals, or that I’ve seen what they would do to the house if they were never let out, but I think it’d be wrong to keep them inside 24/7. It’s been their life for 12 years, and they seem to like it OK. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2002, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-your-damned-cats-at-home/98106/33 "2002-03-15T14:49:36Z")
Even though I lived in the big city for a while, I’ve lived in generally rural areas most of my life. Cats outside seems as natural as Massengail Douche to me. I’ve had two cats in my life. The first was actually more my roommate’s cat. He let it outside all the time. In fact, except for the fact that the little bastard came in for food on the average of once a month, you’d never know anybody owned it. It was a cool cat though – didn’t take any shit from anybody. Nice low maintenance pet, if you don’t mind getting gored when trying to pet it. The other cat I owned – I was paranoid to let it outside, afraid for all the concerns listed … cars, dogs, disease, etc. That little fucker drove me nuts inside with me all day. It tore up my furniture, slept on my head, knocked her food all over the place, freaked out at the window whenever a bird happen past … then when I moved with it one time, damned if that little flea-bag didn’t piss all over my bed, to “show me she was upset”. I showed her how upset I was by getting rid of her. No, I didn’t rub her out; I gave her away. I’m not a Michael Corleone, ferchrisakes. Get a dog. They’re easier to keep in line. ---
**Author:** ![kabbes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e99b99/32.png) [@kabbes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kabbes)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2002, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-your-damned-cats-at-home/98106/34 "2002-03-15T15:52:38Z")
Oh. My. God. This thread seems to crop up more times than gun control and vegetarianism combined. And it’s **always the same people involved**. Is it _really_ worth doing it again? For the record, every cat book I’ve read _here in the UK_ has suggested that all things considered _making_ your cat stay indoors _when it doesn’t want to_ is far crueller than letting them out. I have no doubts however that in the US your books say otherwise. That’s the thing about such notions - they are fundamentally cultural. While we’re on the subject of such things, you may also be interested to know that those same books unequivically condemn the declawing of cats as hideous cruelty. The practice is banned in the UK. I’ve no doubt many of you disagree with that too. It really is horses for courses and there’s no way you’re going to convince a cat owner one way or the other. We all do what **we** think is the best thing for our kitty because we **all** love our cats and want to do the best thing for them. And the best thing for them undoubtedly depends on the character of the cat, the owner and the surrounding situation too. Condemning others is fruitless. Walk a mile in their shoes then see what you think. **Featherlou** - if the law states that cats aren’t allowed outside where you live, then your neighbours should abide by that law. Plane and simple. Personally I think that law is dumb, but that simply means that I wouldn’t live where you live. You pays your money and you makes your choice. However I’m going with **obfus** all the way on the shitting-on-lawns thing. Sometimes I wonder if people in this debate have ever even _seen_ a cat, or maybe have animals that I wouldn’t recognise as such. I have _never_ seen a cat shit in the middle of a lawn and I’ve _always_ lived in places with a loooot of outdoor cats. Cat’s like to cover up their mess - how the hell are they going to do that on a lawn? Cat’s don’t like being observed going to the loo - there’s no way they’re going to do it in the most visible open place possible. Hysterical nonsense extrapolated from people’s fears. When it comes to teeth-gnashing over other people’s cats in your garden, I’m afraid that is simply one place with those of us in Blighty look with disbelief on our American cousins. You all seem to always be getting worked up over _something_. I’ve never comes across anyone over here with a negative attitude towards cats in their garden. But hey - that simply means that I wouldn’t live where you live too. If culturally you’re that territorial then good luck to you - why don’t y’all go and sue eachother over it or something 😛 Or buy a bucket and hose, of course. pan ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2002, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-your-damned-cats-at-home/98106/35 "2002-03-15T22:22:21Z")
A few things: obfusciatrist : I have very rarely agreed with you on anything, and this is no different. In fact your attitude “cats die and then you get a new one” actually sickens me. In fact, people who think of animals as objects in general sicken me. kabbes: regarding cats in the garden… well if a pregnant woman is exposed to cat feces, it can cause severe birth defects. True, severe birth defects aren’t anything to actually worry about, but that’s just us Americans are oversensitive about, I guess. As for my cats, they don’t even try to go outside. I’m not sure they even know that “outside” even exists. They sleep and play and run around and are has happy as can be. On the odd occassion when I have to take one outside, they cling to me and can’t wait to get back indoors. When I was growing up, we had indoor/outdoor cats. One died of poisoning, the other died of feline leukemia. The other two I took with me when I left home and they became indoor only cats. Unfortunately, they were carrying feline leukemia and they both died several years later, as did another cat of mine who caught it from them. Yes, they were vaccinated. The feline leukemia vaccination is a very iffy thing. It only works some of the time. I’d much rather not hold another one of my cats while it dies of a horrible disease it needn’t have ever been exposed to, so I’ll be keeping my cats indoors. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2002, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-your-damned-cats-at-home/98106/36 "2002-03-15T23:04:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by obfusciatrist \* > \*\*Cats die, then you get a new one. Personal preference, but when I have cats I would prefer to allow them to roam with greater chance of death than to keep them indoors. Your preferences may vary. \*\* And once again you show what a cold, unfeeling mofo you truly are. ---
**Author:** ![Spavined\_Gelding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@Spavined\_Gelding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spavined_Gelding)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2002, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-your-damned-cats-at-home/98106/37 "2002-03-15T23:16:02Z")
Cat keepers (nobody “owns” a cat) and cat lovers, take notice: Out here in farm country there is an overwhelming excess of semi-feral cats. Driven by instinct they are hunters and their favorite prey is fledgling pheasants and grouse. The policy of many bird hunters is to shoot any cat that is more than a couple hundred yards from the nearest set of buildings. Coyotes are tough on far ranging cats too, as are Great Northern Owls and hawks. If you love your cat and you are in a rural area, keep Fluffy at home. ---
**Author:** ![Tansu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@Tansu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tansu)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2002, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-your-damned-cats-at-home/98106/38 "2002-03-15T23:34:21Z")
Elderly, possibly senile cats _may_ shit on lawns. I have known one cat who started off by shitting on the lawn, and then began shitting on low shrubs. There was a kind of densely foliated shrub in my parent’s garden onto which the cat (God rest him) would climb and then shit. Next door’s cats shit in my garden soil, but they cover it up afterwards. I find that if I wave at them through the window while they are shitting, it puts them off. They don’t just shit. They also play games, and I like to watch them. Otherwise, what **kabbes** said. We have different ideas about what is best for cats. We all do what we think is best. By the way, in the UK, pregnant ladies _are_ advised to avoid cat litter and cat faeces in the garden. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2002, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-your-damned-cats-at-home/98106/39 "2002-03-15T23:39:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by OpalCat \* > **obfusciatrist : I have very rarely agreed with you on anything, and this is no different. In fact your attitude “cats die and then you get a new one” actually sickens me. In fact, people who think of animals as objects in general sicken me.** I’ve confirmed your feelings about me, and you confirm my feelings about you. You are still an overly sensitive person prone to taking things personally that have little to do with you. What the hell does it mean to say that I think of cats as “objects”? I think of cats as “cats”. Am I supposed to think about them as people (probably, but I should let you know that I allow my wife to drive to work, even though it statistically shortens her life expectancy)? Am I supposed to worship at the feline altar and less loose with such treacle as “my cats are my children! I love them so!” > [@](#): > > \*\*I’d much rather not hold another one of my cats while it dies of a horrible disease it needn’t have ever been exposed to, so I’ll be keeping my cats indoors. \*\* Fine, so don’t let your cats outdoors. I understand, though, that at some point I am going to hold all of my pets while they die (except for those alive when I finally die). With cats I am willing to take the risk that this will happen more often than if I kept them indoors. I don’t begrudge you your choice, though. > [@](#): > > **_Originally posted by Guinestasia_ > And once again you show what a cold, unfeeling mofo you truly are.** And once again you show how quick you are to label those with opinions different than yours. I assume this means that when your cat dies, you have vowed to never get another one. Pets die. Odds are pets will die while you have them. Because, you see, except for turtles and some birds, pets are relatively short-lived. I think outdoor cats live fundamentally happier lives than indoor cats. I accept that outdoor cats live significantly shorter lives than indoor cats. If you opinion is different, then don’t let your cat go outside. I fail to see how my view is cruel or heartless, however. I love my pets when I have them, but I also accept that they are going to die. We’re just bickering about when. But I doubt you can be reasoned with, you cry at the sight of random dead animals. Apparently your grasp on the ultimate destination of life is weak. ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2002, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-your-damned-cats-at-home/98106/40 "2002-03-16T00:13:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kabbes \* > > Oh. My. God. This thread seems to crop up more times than gun control and vegetarianism combined. And it’s **always the same people involved**. Is it _really_ worth doing it again? Apparently so, as the “cats belong outdoors” people still don’t seem to get it. Of course you could say the same about the “cats belong indoors” people, but I genuinely believe that those of us who feel that way are both morally and ethically right about this issue. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kabbes \* > > For the record, every cat book I’ve read _here in the UK_ has suggested that all things considered _making_ your cat stay indoors _when it doesn’t want to_ is far crueller than letting them out. I have no doubts however that in the US your books say otherwise. That’s the thing about such notions - they are fundamentally cultural. I’m sure if there are books in print that make such a claim, you can certainly find a reference online that will say much the same thing. Please provide a cite for this statement, as I don’t believe it’s true in the least. In fact, please see the following references, all from UK resources… > [@](#): > > [http://www.siamese-cats-uk.com/breed/info.html#indoor](http://www.siamese-cats-uk.com/breed/info.html#indoor) > > INDOORS OR OUTDOORS > > It’s important that you decide whether your cat will live indoors or outdoors. I personally do not believe that they should be outdoor cats. Siamese cats are perfectly happy to live indoors and it is safer for them. When Siamese go outside, they are more vulnerable to accidents, poisons, and theft. If you would prefer your cat to live indoors but would like it to be outside safely, then I suggest you train the kitten to walk on a harness and leash. (this is how I take my Siamese cat outdoors) or the alternative is to build a cat run. These are effective, can be cheap to make, and most of all they are safe. I know many other people will disagree with me about outdoor cats, but my Siamese have always been indoors, they have thrived and had happy, healthy lives. > [@](#): > > [http://maxshouse.com/Healthy+Happy\_Indoors.htm](http://maxshouse.com/Healthy+Happy_Indoors.htm) > > Peter Neville, world renowned feline behaviorist: > _ **Bristol University, Department of Veterinary Medicine** _, Langford House, Langford, Avon BS18 7DU, UK > (Excerpted from: Handbook of Feline Medicine, Willis J, Wolf A; Pergamon Press, Oxford OX3 OBW, England) > > "The human/cat relationship is based on many, often contrasting factors. Indoors the cat is valued for its cleanliness, affection and playfulness, and admired for its highly evolved play behaviour. Although not a group hunter, the cat retains an enormous capacity to be sociable and accepts the benefits of living in the human family and den without compromising its self-determining and independent behaviour. > [@](#): > > [http://www.catworld.co.uk/articlecatworld.asp?artid=206&cat=General%20Features&pre=0](http://www.catworld.co.uk/articlecatworld.asp?artid=206&cat=General%20Features&pre=0) > > Cats in the garden > > Advice taken from a question in ask the experts > > A cat does not exercise in the way that a dog does. That is to say, it does not go for a walk. A cat will have its mad moment, wherever it is. It will rush around for a few minutes and then go to sleep. It appreciates a scratch post and will use one if it is provided. It also appreciates a warm bed beside a radiator. It does not need the entire neighbourhood for that amount of activity. Cats are actually rather lazy animals; they sleep for most of the day, and their instinct to hunt manifests itself at night, which is precisely the time when they should not be out. It is also a creature of habit, and if you train it from kittenhood, it will be perfectly happy. > > No self-respecting dog owner would let his dog run around free all day, so why should cat owners allow it? A cat causes a lot of damage, especially to other people’s gardens. It is a very efficient predator and its prey is frequently young nestlings. It is instinct, not hunger, that drives a cat to kill, but the end result is the same. In the country where people raise birds, a cat can cause complete havoc and consequently many much-loved pet has gone missing. The gamekeeper also has a job to do. > > It is rather anti-social behaviour, which makes enemies for the cat, and we as cat lovers, should really try to save it from itself. The problems caused by cats are growing, and in some parts of the world very hard legislation is being enacted against our favourite animal. > > I have lived with and bred cats for over 25 years, and have never allowed any of them to run free. I do have some outside penning, so they do go outdoors but their liberty is limited. My cats are healthy, happy and affectionate despite having these restrictions. Is that enough? If not, I can find more, I’m sure. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kabbes \* > > While we’re on the subject of such things, you may also be interested to know that those same books unequivically condemn the declawing of cats as hideous cruelty. The practice is banned in the UK. I’ve no doubt many of you disagree with that too. Completely off-subject for this thread, so I’m not even going to address it. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kabbes \* > > It really is horses for courses and there’s no way you’re going to convince a cat owner one way or the other. We all do what **we** think is the best thing for our kitty because we **all** love our cats and want to do the best thing for them. And the best thing for them undoubtedly depends on the character of the cat, the owner and the surrounding situation too. Condemning others is fruitless. Walk a mile in their shoes then see what you think. I respectfully submit that you’re wrong. A cat owner who is ruled by the whims of their pet animal (it’s “character”), should not be a cat owner. It is the owner’s responsibility to not only care for their pets, but to ensure that their pets do not do harm to their neighbors. It’s not about _just_ doing what’s best for your pet, but about being a part of a community and giving a hoot about the safety and well-being of your neighbors. IMNSHO, people come first, not pets. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kabbes \* > > However I’m going with **obfus** all the way on the shitting-on-lawns thing. Sometimes I wonder if people in this debate have ever even _seen_ a cat, or maybe have animals that I wouldn’t recognise as such. I have _never_ seen a cat shit in the middle of a lawn and I’ve _always_ lived in places with a loooot of outdoor cats. Cat’s like to cover up their mess - how the hell are they going to do that on a lawn? Cat’s don’t like being observed going to the loo - there’s no way they’re going to do it in the most visible open place possible. Hysterical nonsense extrapolated from people’s fears. > > When it comes to teeth-gnashing over other people’s cats in your garden, I’m afraid that is simply one place with those of us in Blighty look with disbelief on our American cousins. You all seem to always be getting worked up over _something_. I’ve never comes across anyone over here with a negative attitude towards cats in their garden. But hey - that simply means that I wouldn’t live where you live too. If culturally you’re that territorial then good luck to you - why don’t y’all go and sue eachother over it or something 😛 Or buy a bucket and hose, of course. Just because _you_ have never seen a cat shit in the middle of a lawn, doesn’t mean it never happens. I’d invite you to come to my place and witness the cat shit in the middle of the lawn first-hand. And while you’re here, you’re welcome to clean it up, too, thanks. And for the record, toxoplasmosis isn’t the only nasty thing you can get from cat feces, nor do the dangers affect only pregnant women. Intestinal parasites (worms) are also a big hazard… > [@](#): > > [UT Southwestern Medical Center](http://www3.utsouthwestern.edu/library/consumer/illpets.htm) > > Intestinal parasites, such as tapeworm, carried by pets can be transmitted to humans through contact with pet feces. Children who play outdoors barefoot in areas contaminated by pet feces risk picking up worms. Oh, but you like UK cites. Alrighty, then… > [@](#): > > [inkabijou.co.uk](http://www.inkabijou.co.uk/worms.htm) > > What Is The Public Health Significance Of Roundworms? > > Although it doesn’t happen commonly, roundworms can sometimes infect humans, resulting in a condition called Visceral Larva Migrans. In this condition roundworm larvae migrate around in the tissue of a person’s abdominal organs, causing damage to the organs which can sometimes be severe and even fatal. Since the human being is not the definitive host, roundworms will not develop into adult worms in the human. People most at risk of developing Visceral Larva Migrans are children, especially if they have been eating dirt. > [@](#): > > [http://www.uni-ulm.de/uni/fak/medizin/biodok/abteilung/echiweb.htm](http://www.uni-ulm.de/uni/fak/medizin/biodok/abteilung/echiweb.htm) > > The European Register of Alveolar Echinococcosis > > Human Alveolar Echinococcosis (AE), which is the infection with the larval stage of the tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis, is a rare but severe disease. In Central Europe, the parasite in its natural sylvatic cycle is now emerging in regions where it had not been known previously. Transmission to humans occurs when eggs of the worm, excreted by the definitive hosts (foxes, dogs or cats), are ingested accidentally. And I can personally attest to the fact that humans, especially children, can get worms from cat feces – it happened to me when I was about 5 years old and I stupidly played in a neighbor’s sandbox which the neighborhood cats thought was a lovely litterbox. I consider my cats to be like children - they’re like little furry people to me. However, they _aren’t_ people. And in any and every circumstance, my **human** neighbors’ rights exceed in every way the rights of my animals. Anyone who would respond with such incredible disregard for their fellow humans, just because they think their little bootsie would be happier outdoors is someone I would rather not have as a neighbor (in spite of the fact that I like you, otherwise 🙂 ). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-your-damned-cats-at-home/98106.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keep-your-damned-cats-at-home/98106.md?page=3)