Keep Your Cat Inside: the Risks and Ethics of Outdoor Cats

[@joseantoniosalazar4640]

Severely underrated content, keep making it. 👍

[@Kwood10]

My cat just got killed by a predator right on my front porch 😢 I feel so horrible of what a brutal end she came to . The guilt is killing me that I let her outside , I miss her so much. My heart is broken 💔

[@stephiis8882]

I wholeheartedly agree, although I believe cats should be restricted to indoors mainly within city limits. Rural settings are far less dangerous for cats and are much more similar to how cats would have lived throughout much of our history together. And in rural settings, they are far less likely to have such a significant impact on wild life or on the public when compared to outdoor cats within city limits, where their population is condensed into one small area that greatly overlaps with people. While I have long been opposed to government control over the personal lives and choices of people in general, believing that the government's main function is to oversee that which relates to public - not private - affairs, it is the case today that outdoor cats blur the lines between the public and private, and that it is not solely a personal matter. By choosing to live in a city, where you are closer to other people and where your personal choices impact the lives of others to a far greater degree - you are also choosing to restrict your freedom of personal choice more than you would by living in a more sparcely populated rural area. I think the topic of outdoor cats fits perfectly into the list of liberties you sacrifice in order to live in densely populated city areas.

[@platannapipidae9621]

you got recommended to me. i feel like your channel will blow up any day now.

[@captaindelta43]

Thanks for this ❤

[@junchan_3200]

I am all about animal welfare but cats sure don’t need to be outside unintended to be happy and fulfill. Also if it accidentally became or creat feral cats because of fighting or breeding its not a good welfare😅

[@papaya123ification]

But what do you think cats desire?

[@zoognosiswithjoy]

I think cats want to live happy, healthy long lives. The best way to do that is to ensure that the cat is provided good nutrition, good exercise, safe shelter, and play, all of which can be provided to an indoor cat. Animal guardians have a responsibility to ensure this for their animals.

[@TheRubsi]

I grew up in Germany in a suburban area with some farmland. There was literally 0 reasons not to let our cats outside. Rabies has been exterminated and for flees and ticks there are convenient collars that keep them away.

[@zoognosiswithjoy]

Germany is rabies free, true. I would keep in mind the heartworm risk; Germany is becoming heartworm endemic and cats are at risk. If you do let your cat outdoors, it's a good idea to have them on a heartworm preventative as there is no cure for feline heartworm and it's often fatal. Traffic accidents can also still occur for any outdoor cat. Songbirds in Germany are still at risk from outdoor cats. Last year, the town of Walldorf seasonally banned outdoor cats to help the crested larks. I think it's a reasonable decision given that the crested lark population is rapidly declining in Western Europe. They're lifting the ban each winter, which is when the birds are no longer nesting or fledging young.