man, I have very little sympathy for people who’re like “I gotta let them play in traffic, my cat WAILS and acts MISERABLE unless I let them outside!”
because like……….so does mine? at a certain point each day Grim decides she wants out, and until that happens she a) follows me about SCREAMING, and b) sits atop whatever I’m doing and bites my hands. this is not an exageration
wanna know what I do? I take her out. either supervised in my backyard or on leash in the front
she naps in the sunlight, eats copious amounts of grass, rolls in dirt, and murders butterflies. after 15-30 minutes (equivalent to the time you’d spend on a neighbourhood dog walk) I take Grim back in, and she happily sleeps/plays/cuddles indoors for the remainder of the day
it’s legitimately low-effort
Outdoor cat owners: but my cat whines when I don’t let them outside
Rational people: so why don’t you just watch them to make sure they’re not going to get hurt
Outdoor cat owners:
…. Play in traffic? I’m guessing this is about cat owners in the city bc I live in the middle of nowhere and we let the cats go in and out as they please bc they’re not in danger. If you live in the city, please do like op does but if you don’t live near a heavily populated area with a lot of traffic, and danger to cats, then I’d say it’s ok to let the cats go free outside
NO IT AINT
because there is still
- Disease
- Parasites
- Feral cats
- Feral dogs
- Coyotes
- Hawks
- Other predators
- They are decimating local wildlife! Bunnies! Birds! Lizards! 63+ species have been driven extinct just by cats! They are INVASIVE
- And more!
Keep your animal inside!
I’ve had cats my whole life and live in a pretty suburban neighborhood and never had much issue with them going outside. A few of them even exclusively lived outdoors.
I also don’t live in a place with hawks, coyotes, and numerous feral cats and dogs, so use some common sense on whether it’s safe or not to have your cat outside.