gay-jesus-probably:no-more-mediation:talesfromtreatment: novaeagle:agro-carnist:talking to outdoor c
gay-jesus-probably:no-more-mediation:talesfromtreatment: novaeagle:agro-carnist:talking to outdoor cat defenders like Cats are wild animals just like dogs. Cats are also PRIDE animals, meaning they survive much longer with more of them around. I’ve had one outdoor cat die by dogs and it was the last time we only had one cat. We always adopt two or three, and have witnessed MULTIPLE cases of them defending each other from foxes, coyotes, and even the neighbors dog when it broke free. Don’t leave one cat out on it’s own, adopt a brother or sister for it so they can survive. Cats and dogs are DOMESTICATED animals. They are not wild. The domestic cat is indeed one of the more social small felines, but they absolutely do NOT form ‘prides’. They can form colonies, in which the members are quite independent from each other AND will have unrelated females AND multiple intact males. Colony formation depends on resource availability. In low resource areas, colonies will NOT form and cats will fight any other cat. And despite having been inseparable ‘best friends’ with Boyfriend, Bob-Bob did NOT go to his rescue when they were both chased by a dog that the owner let off-leash at my shelter. Boyfriend ended up needing to be euthanised from the wounds he received. I don’t think it’s 100% safe for cats to go outside but I also don’t think that is the same percentage everywhere (shot by humans? Poison!?) and also it’s individuals choices. People weigh risks differently sorry not everyone wants the absolute safest option. In countries where it is lower risk, some people value the stimulation and freedom that it provides their cats, despite the risks. …Did you not notice the risk of ‘hunting animals to extinction’. Because they do that. The domestic house cat is not native to anywhere at this point. They are an invasive species everywhere, and an invasive predator wandering around loose hunting wildlife will have an impact on the ecosystem. There’s been incidencts of outdoor cats getting into endangered bird sanctuaries and wiping out a good chunk of the species.But yknow, setting an invasive predator species loose on the ecosystem is an individuals choice. I mean what, are all cat owners supposed to actually take care of their cats and provide them with stimulation? That’s insane, why the fuck would anyone choose to be a cat owner if they actually wanted to have a cat around the house. I did notice. But, it *is* currently individual choice. Sharing info on risks really helps but it’s not going to change all minds, is my main point. We are all individuals and people’s expectations of cats are very different. Edut: even the biggest UK bird charity does not claim cat predation disproportionately affects wild populations. This surprised me but it just shows how important fact checking other references are. https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/advice/gardening-for-wildlife/animal-deterrents/cats-and-garden-birds/are-cats-causing-bird-declines/ -- source link