Don't feed any cats that are not yours. not even once.
this post was submitted on 11 Jan 2025
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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.
Nah
Don’t let your cats roam, it’s a dick move in so so many ways. Be responsible and keep and eye on your pet on your property, if you don’t think cats are indoor animals, don’t get one
This a thousand times. Allowing a cat outdoors is the single worst thing for the environment the average person is capable of doing.
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.
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.
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?
How is it terrible for the cat? Their natural habitat is outside!
Their natural habitat is outside in the near-east and egypt, not anywhere else. That's not to mention, most people live in urbanized areas with a lot of hazards that aren't natural.
Mostly cars, but it's also how they end up getting lost or grabbed by people thinking they are lost, and also wildlife like coyotes or owls and raccoons often can kill them because they don't have a natural sense of fear for predators anymore. As well as transfer of disease from mingling with other outdoors cats. Or getting pregnant by meeting up with other outdoor cats while not being fixed themselves.
"fixing" is such a weird way to describe breaking something
It’s fixing a problem.
No it isn't. Cats are domesticated. They have no natural habitat because they aren't wild animals.
Cats do not have cars in their natural habitat.
time to get rid of cars then
also, you let your children play outside? how terrible!!! they might be hit by a car! be a responsible parent and lock your child up so they are not exposed to any danger ever
If the child is not old enough to understand what a car is and that it's dangerous and moves fast and what roads are and to keep off them then yes, don't let the kid outside unless supervised.
Cats don't and can't understand any of that.
Cats are smarter than you think. Sure, they won't be looking both ways before crossing the street. But they will know which streets are too dangerous to cross and they can usually hear incoming vehicles using those pointy things on top of their heads called 'ears'.
Now if you live close to a very busy street I can understand you want to keep your cat inside. However, I live in a more rural area where people drive more cautiously and it's really fine to let cats roam freely.
Their natural habitat is outside!
A cat's natural habitat is not North America. They are very destructive to our local ecology.
I get that they can harm the environment (especially when there is an overpopulation); that's not what I'm asking. The question was how is it bad for the cat?
After they domesticated themselves I am pretty sure their natural habitat is whatever we decide it should be. We already are deciding if they can breed at all so....
All the cats in my neighborhood that were outdoor cats have been killed within a week. Coyote has had some good eats this week.
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I’ve had 3 cats(all rescued), one that refused to stay inside and would run out the door before I knew. I live in a house now with him and he goes out with the dog. He’s outlived his siblings and keeps the mouse population from the field behind my house from getting inside. I also keep a loud bell collar on him to assist those wild critters.
The smart reply isn’t to keep(force) your pets inside, it’s to get them spayed or neutered and stop having so many fucking cats.
If you care about your pet or neighbours keep it inside. Don’t make your pet other peoples pests. Can you imagine if dog owners just opened their doors at night to let them roam? Why do cast people think they’re special?
P.s. i found a cat leg in my yard the other day, since we have coyotes and birds of prey in my area. So there’s some consequences for you
Not to mention how much damage cats do to wildlife populations.
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Adorable little asshole!
Cat moment
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