It's good that these days peeps on the forum can have a reasoned discussion about cat management without shouting and insults.
I was always impressed by how Songbird Survival changed its approach to cats. They were regarded as a very hardline charity at one point but their cat study was actually very positive from all sides. This was work that the RSPB could have been undertaking at a much grander scale years ago but decided to ignore the issue instead...
A follow up study of how many cat owners do a single one of their recommendations would be interesting, and of course it doesn't address the other nuisances caused by cats but it does show that collaboration gets better results than threats.
Bear in mind when the results say that there can be a reduction in cat predation by up to 40% this is 40% of the circa 270million animals killed by cats in the UK annually. This being at a time when more than one in seven native species face extinction and more than 40% are in decline and with the UK ranking at number 189 out of the 218 countries assessed for nature depletion. The government has 7 years to halt nature's decline by law and if stopping 270million animals being killed by cats isn't part of that then they must have some really good plans up their sleeves to compensate for them.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
Both @wild edges and @Fire have a valid point. Cats are too often seen by many as the "easy option" pet - ie no effort involved other than feeding and a cat flap. To say that training a cat is not possible is simply an excuse. As long ago as the early 80's a neighbour in France regularly took his cat, on a lead, out for daily walks. No free roaming for his pet. It wasn't simply that he was concerned about his pet defacating in nearby gardens but he also cared about the native wildlife and, more than anything else, he wanted to ensure his pet's health and safety. Not a new concept and it can actually be done if the pet owner can be bothered. To keep carping on about a cat being a wild animal is just nonsensical. If you regard your cat as a wild animal rather than a domestic pet, then you would need to obtain a licence for it along with complying with various rules and regulations Without a doubt, there are caring and practical cat owners - several on this forum and cats make wonderful companions but in built up areas particularly, letting any pet roam freely be it dog, cat, tortoise or anything else, is simply asking for trouble - either from annoyed/upset neighbours or finding your pet squished on the road or suffering from deliberate poisoning. A pet owner has the same duty of responsibility towards their pet as they do towards their children. You do everything you can to ensure their wellbeinng and that should include not allowing them to annoy your neighbours or generally letting them run riot. There's always the odd incident but continual nuisance is not acceptable. I'm sure things have altered since the 70's ( at least I hope so ) but when a cat or dog owner had allowed their pet to breed without a thought for the consequences, they would bring in their kittens/pups to a well known veterinary charity for disposal. This was done by lifting up each tiny animal by the scruff, injecting Euthasate into the abdomen and putting the little one in a secure box to expire. The DIY method would be to drown them in a water butt. Want a pet ?.......then think on ..........get responsible.
The RSPB will not engage in the Cat issue as they rely on donations from cat owners. It's been like that for years and isn't likely to change any time soon.
Pretty sure I read something - maybe a couple of years ago - that Australia had clamped down on cat ownership in some way ?
Edit Ha - I'm way behind on this one but it's got to worth a tenner to @Hostafan1 at least
It's an interesting one, @philippasmith2, . I'm not sure I would be regarded as a good mother if I kept my children in the house and only took them out for little walks on leads.
There IS a problem with cats but I'm inclined to feel that you shouldn't keep them unless you are able to allow them to live as cats. Like battery hens, they need to express their natural behaviours, even the ones we don't like. It's a conundrum, to be sure.
In Finland, a free-roaming cat on someone else's property is considered a stray. It's the cat owner's legal responsibility to keep the cat on their own land; how they do this is up to them, so flat owners will have an indoor animal, but those with gardens have to provide them with cat-proof boundaries if they want to let their cat out of the house.
It's the mindset which has to change in the UK. Cats are adaptable creatures, and accept boundaries imposed on them, particularly if this is done while they are young.
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
... I suspect that the forum had a visitor in the middle of the night who just wanted to 'stir things up' ... aka a WUM.
Can I suggest we don't play her game ...
perhaps an over consumption of " falling down water " ?
Or a lack of a meaningful social life ... I mean, most folk have better things to do on a Saturday night than trawl t'internet looking for gardeners to annoy ... even at our age ... there's always a book to read ...
That's quite ironic coming from someone with a 79,157 post count who seems to spend all their waking hours here. I don't think anyone has the right to dictate what ignites a debate, new or old as long as the content is relevant/educational/enjoyable.
It's an interesting one, @philippasmith2, . I'm not sure I would be regarded as a good mother if I kept my children in the house and only took them out for little walks on leads.
There IS a problem with cats but I'm inclined to feel that you shouldn't keep them unless you are able to allow them to live as cats. Like battery hens, they need to express their natural behaviours, even the ones we don't like. It's a conundrum, to be sure.
@Posy I suspect you probably know what I was attempting to say - however badly put and apologies for that if you or others didn't grasp my meaning. Simply put, if you choose to bring someone/something into your household, you are responsible not only for it's safety and wellbeing but also trying to ensure that he/she/it doesn't cause a problem to others. The basic idea is to take responsibility. I'm not suggesting you keep a child confined to the house ( altho I imagine many children would be quite happy as long as they had their mobile devices to play with ) but then presumably you wouldn't let your child defacate in your neighbour's garden nor would you allow it to attack/mutilate/kill another child. I can't claim to have child experience but I have seen toddlers on leads/reins when out for a walk - not an unusual sight by any means. Most people should be aware of a cat's nature by now but the majority of cats kept as pets are no longer "wild" animals and do not need to be treated as such. The cats have probably realised this - it's their owners who haven't Battery hens are unable to express their natural behaviour. If they are lucky enough to be rehomed, they will gradually begin to act normally and enjoy life. Granted, people taking the hens on can be subject to neighbour's worrying about the possibility of rat attraction but I don't think that is as prevalent as the issue of cats. As you infer, no easy answer really. As with our other problems, it's up to us to do something and educate all pet owners rather than blame the cats
Posts
Without a doubt, there are caring and practical cat owners - several on this forum and cats make wonderful companions but in built up areas particularly, letting any pet roam freely be it dog, cat, tortoise or anything else, is simply asking for trouble - either from annoyed/upset neighbours or finding your pet squished on the road or suffering from deliberate poisoning. A pet owner has the same duty of responsibility towards their pet as they do towards their children. You do everything you can to ensure their wellbeinng and that should include not allowing them to annoy your neighbours or generally letting them run riot. There's always the odd incident but continual nuisance is not acceptable.
I'm sure things have altered since the 70's ( at least I hope so ) but when a cat or dog owner had allowed their pet to breed without a thought for the consequences, they would bring in their kittens/pups to a well known veterinary charity for disposal. This was done by lifting up each tiny animal by the scruff, injecting Euthasate into the abdomen and putting the little one in a secure box to expire. The DIY method would be to drown them in a water butt.
Want a pet ?.......then think on ..........get responsible.
The RSPB will not engage in the Cat issue as they rely on donations from cat owners. It's been like that for years and isn't likely to change any time soon.
Pretty sure I read something - maybe a couple of years ago - that Australia had clamped down on cat ownership in some way ?
Edit Ha - I'm way behind on this one but it's got to worth a tenner to @Hostafan1 at least
There IS a problem with cats but I'm inclined to feel that you shouldn't keep them unless you are able to allow them to live as cats. Like battery hens, they need to express their natural behaviours, even the ones we don't like. It's a conundrum, to be sure.
It's the mindset which has to change in the UK. Cats are adaptable creatures, and accept boundaries imposed on them, particularly if this is done while they are young.
I don't think anyone has the right to dictate what ignites a debate, new or old as long as the content is relevant/educational/enjoyable.
Simply put, if you choose to bring someone/something into your household, you are responsible not only for it's safety and wellbeing but also trying to ensure that he/she/it doesn't cause a problem to others. The basic idea is to take responsibility. I'm not suggesting you keep a child confined to the house ( altho I imagine many children would be quite happy as long as they had their mobile devices to play with ) but then presumably you wouldn't let your child defacate in your neighbour's garden nor would you allow it to attack/mutilate/kill another child. I can't claim to have child experience but I have seen toddlers on leads/reins when out for a walk - not an unusual sight by any means.
Most people should be aware of a cat's nature by now but the majority of cats kept as pets are no longer "wild" animals and do not need to be treated as such. The cats have probably realised this - it's their owners who haven't
Battery hens are unable to express their natural behaviour. If they are lucky enough to be rehomed, they will gradually begin to act normally and enjoy life. Granted, people taking the hens on can be subject to neighbour's worrying about the possibility of rat attraction but I don't think that is as prevalent as the issue of cats.
As you infer, no easy answer really. As with our other problems, it's up to us to do something and educate all pet owners rather than blame the cats