I’m waiting for mine to express their displeasure by softly murdering me in their sleep.

I think ‘against their will’ is the key phrase. If you have an outdoors cat and try to change things and keep it in, you’re in for trouble, and fair enough – it can’t get to its territory, it’s obviously going to be highly unhappy.

Mine have never been out, and show no interest in going out. No slipper crappage has occurred. Or any other stress behaviours. So far.

The sparrows seem OK with it as well.

I wouldn’t criticise anyone who lets their cats out. It’s a tough call. I’m just saying that the alternative, if applied properly from the start, may not be a rough option for them.

A quick google suggests that hundreds of thousands of cats get run over each year in the UK, too, which is worth taking into consideration alongside wildlife massacres.

Don’t think mice can drive. The issue isn’t the deaths of individual animals it’s that they are putting a substantial pressure on populations, which with all the other pressures on wild birds and mammals is having a a material effect on the viability of them.

Do all the stuff Mr Packham suggests and when your cat shuffles off at a ripe old age consider not getting another one. [addressed in general not to you Msr Hutch)

That wasn’t what I meant – it was an additional reason to consider keeping a house cat rather than an outdoor cat.

I stand corrected.

I just find it amazing that people don’t take a second to think what the cumulative impact is. but that’s not restricted to cats.

I read somewhere that the ‘offerings’ aren’t because they worship you but their way of showing they’re a better hunter than you.

When our inlaws cat got too old to be able to catch anything live it would proudly trot into the house and ‘offer’ a bit of someone’s post-pub KFC from the hedge.

I read somewhere that the ‘offerings’ aren’t because they worship you but their way of showing they’re a better hunter than you.

Show it the contents of the fridge. That’ll teach it who’s boss.

Our cats tend to operate on a one in/one out bsais, with me simply acting as a doorman to them.

If I tried to keep the one that wanted to go out, in, or the one that wanted to stay in, out, I’ve no doubt I’d be dead before the morning

A nice wee infographic..

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMiAQkkLy1E[/video]

Of my 4 cats, 3 are currently inside, the other is on the decking. This is with rear doors wide open, a decent sized garden and a large field just behind that. I think that’s as strong an illustration as you could want that cats, well mine in particular, prefer to be in the house or certainly very close to it.

Not too ‘wild’ anymore…

FWIW we are currently fostering a couple of cats, keeping them indoors doesn’t seem to cause any problems, what is supposed to be difficult or cruel about it?

Been through the outdoor cat bringing stuff back thing. Once he brought back a chuffing canary tweeting it’s little heart out, till he snapped it’s neck.

Another time, shortly after having a house alarm with supposedly cat proof sensors fitted, he brought a live pigeon back and released it in the lounge whilst we were at work…

So now just indoor cats.

Aysgarth (AKA Black Cat MkII, AKA Retard Cat) has spent eight years so far chasing his own feet, and still hasn’t managed to catch them. He poses very litle threat to anything that is brighter than yeast. However he did recently present me with some breakfast that he had caught for me. It was a small wholemeal bread roll.
That was the point at which Nails (AKA Evil Black Cat MkI) decided to disown him 😀

Proper lol. Just got told off for waking my wife up by jiggling next to her.

Innit_Gareth +1

There are too many cats.

I think they’re so popular because they’re a lazy persons pet. All you need to do is put food and water down and they will look after themselves.

If you love cats, why not get a house cat? If you want low maintenance get a goldfish.

The usual response is, ‘well it’s natural for them to hunt and kill’
Well it’s natural for dogs to run around in packs and tear other animals apart, but that doesn’t happen.

Cats devastate local wildlife. People should take responsibility for putting them there. Get them neutered, put a bell on them, don’t leave them out all day and night

My mate’s cat once brought home a steaming, fresh out the oven leg of lamb! Assumption has always been that someone had left it to rest next to an open window, but he’s never dared ask the neighbours.

Same cat did also do away with the family hamster following a security breach – impromptu funeral during half time of the World Cup final iirc.

We used to have a mousetrap under the guinea pig hutch to stop mice nicking their food. Looked out late one night to see that we had caught one, decided to sort it in the morning. Overnight a friendly cat had obviously taken it for me, complete with trap. Waiting for a neighbour to tell me the tale of how their cat was now trapping it’s mice 😆