Why can't cat owners keep their cat INSIDE?

[i-need-a-martini]

I am so over all the cats roaming through our backyard.

Not only does it mean our pet rabbit can't be outside in his own backyard or that I have to watch out where I put my hands when I am gardening because there is cat c*ap every where or that we get woken up at night because of cat fights.

But today I have spent the afternoon washing down with bleach all the entrances to my house, the perimetre walls and garden pots because the stench of their spraying is unbearable. They are even spraying the cars in the driveway.

And whilst I know that every cat owner on here will say they are responsible cat owners or that their cat is always inside or that they have cat runs so their cats never leave their property, I have yet to meet a cat owner in Sydney that has any of the above.

If you can't keep a cat on YOUR property then you have no business owning a cat in the first place.

[karliandjacko]

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@amber-eyed-girl wrote:

OK

I like cats, in general, and have had a cat as a pet for about ten years. She was well behaved and had a large outdoors enclosure.

she was out and about, with us.

a neighbour's large male cat attacked me last year after making my life a living misery for months, trying to attack me in my own garden, every time I went outside. that cat, dominated the other roving cats, and decided that my home, was his.

I had multiple scratches and bites and developed septicemia, even though they were treated.

The owner, did not give a ****. The council, did nothing, but kept promising to send the ranger out.

cats are not allowed to be out at night where I live, so the owner was breaking the law, as that cat was out whenever it liked.

the owner said " oooh, I hope he doesn't attack me, I'm immunocompromised "

no sorry, no we will get him neutered or try to control his behaviour.

if a dog had done that, the council would have had to take action,

it isn't the cat I blame, but his owner.

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You poor thing. That's a terrible thing to happen to anyone in their own home.  Some people wonder why their cats get attacked and then argue the point about their right to roam the neighbourhood all hours.

[***super_nova***]

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@i-need-a-martini wrote:

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It doesn't have to always be indoors if the owners had a cat run. 

And it doesn't matter if they have been neutered. Cats (both male and female) will still spray. So you may hope he never did that, but I am sure he WAS in your neighbours back yards making a nuisance of himself.

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It is true, all cats will now and then spray, but only entire males have the really  strong smell, and do it constantly. 

Cat run is not really enough, it is not

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@i-need-a-martini wrote:

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@ten*teeny*tiny*toes wrote:

He was always inside at night but I still don't really understand how a cat can be a totally indoors cat.

It just doesn't seem natural to me? I was glad Max went out to poop. 

But spraying and peeing.... I hope he never did that (he was neutered)  I'm so glad I have never lived anywhere where I had to deal with cats like that!

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It doesn't have to always be indoors if the owners had a cat run. 

And it doesn't matter if they have been neutered. Cats (both male and female) will still spray. So you may hope he never did that, but I am sure he WAS in your neighbours back yards making a nuisance of himself.

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just that cats need bit of sun, cats need to run and climb.  I know people who invested thousands in large run, 5 x 8m and the cat spent her time finding ways out, and when she could not she was hanging on the wire yowling.

It sounds like your area has far too many cats, and most are probably strays.  But you know, that is how it is, unless we kill off all the other living creatures we will always have to deal with animal faeces.  Over the past few years, besides mice and rats, we also had here doves and possums in plague proportions.  Now, I like the doves, but when everything in my large garden is covered in layers of white bird droppings, which can carry diseases, I am quickly getting over them.  But not too worry, the dove situation is pretty much under control, because the reason the doves liked my garden was my trees.  The possums have totally killed my almond tree, the apricot is lot bigger so it is still struggling on, but the silver birch is almost gone too.  But possums are killing some huge trees in the inner city parks gardens.  There are so many possums in the inner city suburb where my daughter lives that their lovely courtyard is covered in their droppings & pee, and if not thoroughly swept and hosed down every day it stinks so much it is unusable.  The possums fight at night too, and if they get into your roof, they not just pee there, they also chew on your electric wires.  Possums totally destroyed expensive brand new door that I left in my garage until I can hang them. 

Cats have been in Australia for a long time, now, and there are some scientists that think that they are now part of the ecology.

[cherry*135]

Martini - This is from a NZ website "Cat's to Go' . Legal changes that require Cat owners to register and microchip cats might be the answer, unregistered cats would be eradicated.

"The key things you can actively do RIGHT NOW to minimise cats impacts on the environment are

Get a bell for your cat. They may be less than 50% effective but every bit counts [15]

Get your cat neutered if it has not been already

If you have a cat, keep it inside from now on.

Overcome your denial, domestic cats are an environmental threat, don’t replace your cat.

Sign this petition now lobbying local governments to require registration and micro-chipping of cats, to provide eradication facilities for unregistered cats, and encourage people to trap and turn in unwanted cats on their property

http://garethsworld.com/catstogo/

[cherry*135]

Don't cats control rats and mice?

Yes they do, and rats and mice are also a threat to birds. But the fact is that we need to get rid of cats and rats if we are to achieve our vision of a pest free New Zealand.

We are controlling the rats in some areas and in these areas it seems the cats switch to killing birds.

The fact is that we don’t need cats to control rats any more – we have traps. In cities cats alone are killing native birds faster than they can breed – never mind the rats. We need to control cats and rats together.

http://garethsworld.com/catstogo/

[kabarine]

Registering/Microchipping has been the law for ages, doesnt seem to make much different particularly if people refuse to de sex their cat.    

[azureline**]

If everyone had their cats desexed, we would be soon a cat free country!

[cherry*135]

Registered cat breeders?

[lionrose.7]

I live in NZ and dont have any native birds in my area, only Sparrows, giant Sea Gulls and Indian Myna birds, which are a pest.

Indian Myna birds rob the nests of Native birds.

[kabarine]

Yup! we sure would 🙂

[***super_nova***]

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@am*3 wrote:


The fact is that we don’t need cats to control rats any more – we have traps. In cities cats alone are killing native birds faster than they can breed – never mind the rats. We need to control cats and rats together.

http://garethsworld.com/catstogo/

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Before I got my present cat, I really did not want the responsibility of another cat, and i bought every trap on the market, they did not work very well.  Nor did baits, and I was petrified that my dogs will get some or eat   dead rodent.   I keep all my food in glass jars, my animal feed in strong bins, and I would still have mouse droppings in my kitchen in the morning.  In the end I relented and got another cat; just got the 1st adult cat from gumtree; she caught number of adult rats and mice, while the traps remained set and empty.  By the way, why do you think that releasing such toxins into the environment is a good idea?

My cat is mainly inside, goes for while out into my garden that in the past was cat proof, but the cat proofing is over 20 years old and she knows how to get out.   But she spends most of her day inside, or in the sun on the porch, and I do lock her in at dusk.

Unfortunately, we are destroying the environment native birds and creatures need, then we blame the cat.  There is evidence that cats have been in Australia before the arrival of white people, and that the feral cats in north are genetically related to cats in Asia, not the cats that arrived from Europe.  Which is not surprising, the 1st inhabitants brought with them dogs, why not cats?

I find it hard to believe that many people keep entire males as pets; they do stink and spray all over everything. 

If there is a big stray problem in your area contact a cat protection society, or whatever organisation you have in your state and ask them.  I find it hard to believe that council would be charging for doing something that is their job = stray animal control.