Cat lovers have been left hissing at a proposal to restrict areas where their beloved pets are allowed to roam and hunt wildlife.
With some 27 million birds slain each year, a new report is advising the Scottish Government to take drastic measures that include keeping cats locked inside - and even banning ownership altogether.
The Scottish Animal Welfare Commission (SAWC) also suggested setting up ‘cat containment areas’ - designated parts of the country where compulsory restrictions could be put in place to prevent pet cats from roaming and hunting.
I’d agree but it needs to be gradual. If you already have a cat that goes outside it will be tough to keep it from heading out again. Any new cats should be inside only.
Edit: I am guessing people that downvote me for this are people who never had a cat. You’ll have a bad time with your cat acting up like crazy if you deny them something they had access to. Maybe that can be trained away but the average person having a cat will likely not be able to do that. Doing something drastic like just telling all cat owners their cats cannot go outside anymore will just fill up the animal shelters. It’s not that easy.
About 2 years ago my cat went outside on a Thursday and didn’t come back until Monday morning. Shortly after that he went out and came back limping, yowling his head off and unable to put weight on one of his front legs.
After a weekend racked with worry frantically searching my neighbourhood was followed by a 4 hour round trip to the closest “out of hours” vet and almost £1000 I decided the risk of letting him outside was too great, so I’ve kept him inside ever since. Pretty sure he’d like to go outside but it hasn’t been that bad. I just try to play with him as much as possible to keep him entertained. I did hang bird feeders by the window for him to watch but didn’t get any customers.
I don’t think it would be difficult for the average person to train out of a cat. It’s not like keeping them off a desk or counter top where they need to be supervised because there isn’t much else that can be done to stop them. You just need to keep doors and windows closed. The cat probably isn’t going to be thrilled but I feel like it would get over it soon albeit with the occasional attempt to dash out the door.
Shouldn’t’ve let your cat outside in the first place. They’re ecoterrorists and it’s dangerous for them as well.
I say this as a lifelong cat owner. Outdoor cats live significantly shorter and more stressful lives.
I feel like letting cats roam free is a big reason why I see so many missing cat posters. I doubt most of them are from cats sneaking outside
I feel like a relaxed attitude towards something like that would just further perpetuate the problem. People don’t realize that letting your cat out is a shitty thing to do