fantasticbeastsandhowtokeepthem:

hajitae:

fantasticbeastsandhowtokeepthem:

People denying that outdoor cats are a problem, regardless of whether you live in the city, suburbs, or country, regardless of what country you live in, is one of the things that can make me see red the fastest. 

Why are outside cats bad? (I don’t have any “outdoor” cats, just wonderin)

It’s bad for cats to be outside because there are a lot of dangers, both in urban and rural areas – examples include attacks & disease spread from other animals (wildlife, cats, and dogs), being hit by cars, being attacked by humans, and eating poisoned prey or other toxic items. At least one of these is a good possibility, regardless of where you live. Many outdoor cats frequently end up with injuries that could have been prevented, or they die very early deaths.

It’s bad for the environment to have cats outside because cats are a domestic animals, so they don’t have a true natural role anywhere – they’re considered an invasive species regardless of where you live. They are extremely efficient hunters & kill birds, small mammals, and small reptiles/amphibians. This is different and more problematic than native predators (like birds of prey, foxes, etc.) hunting these animals because a) they’re not native and b) they have a tendency to kill without need. Even if a cat is fed by their humans or other well-meaning humans, they still usually will hunt & kill prey animals & don’t eat them. Meanwhile, native predators suffer from a decrease in prey, and they don’t have human families to feed them. 

Being outdoors is a very enriching experience for cats, but the risks seriously outweigh the rewards from it. This is especially true because there are ways to provide that enrichment for cats without risking their lives & that of wildlife – they can be taken outside safely via harness/leash (after appropriate training) or in a catio or outdoor enclosure. Alternatively, the owner can provide an enrichment environment indoors by giving them places to climb, perch, view prey (such as a bird feeder placed outside a window they can sit next to), and toys to simulate hunting prey.