this post was submitted on 21 May 2025
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Reminder if you have an outdoor cat that you feed in your house, you are subsidizing it killing birds. Outdoor cats who are fed at home don't usually eat the birds they catch since they have a more reliable source of food at home, so they kill almost as many birds as a feral cat with no other food source but don't eat any of them and just leave them to die once they they're not fun to chase anymore. So outdoor cats killing birds is not "nature," they're an invasive species being fed farm-raised invasive species by the most widespread invasive species of all so they can go out and kill native birds that they won't eat.
I find this to be a very cultural thing as to whether it's acceptable or not. Where I live cats roam the streets, if an American visited here they would be horrified.
Definitely. In the UK it's generally normalised that letting your cat roam outside is the more humane way of keeping them. The majority of cat owners have "moggies" (unknown mix) and only people with purebreds tend to keep them inside for fear of theft.
This is relatively modest compared to e.g. Istanbul where there's essentially an informal arrangement to look collectively after the semi-feral cat population.
The US anti outdoor cat thing strikes me as a very suburban HOA viewpoint.
cats in this way of living have literally exterminated entire species
Ok I will grant that in areas where cats were more recently introduced because of colonisation the indoor cat drive may have more merit
It’s actually quite rare for cats to kill birds, it’s a skill very few cats have. None of our cats has ever brought back a dead bird, while they have gone on an absolute killing spree among the local mouse population.
The birds around our house (mainly jackdaws, which are wicked smart) like to taunt the cats though.
So the best way to keep a cat is to make it miserable by keeping it inside and make your place smell like cat turds. How nice.
If you can't provide sufficient enrichment to a pet that you own and made a personal commitment to care for, rethink your decision to have a pet. My dog would go crazy in the house too if I spent as little time interacting with her as most outdoor cat owners seem to spend from comments like yours. You can also take your cat out on supervised outings like people do with dogs.
Studies show that indoor cats not only live longer, they have lower amounts of stress related hormones in their blood, suggesting that they are less stressed/scared or don't get stressed/scared as often. You can subjectively claim that your cat is miserable when inside and you're probably right about your cat and its specific personality, but the data shows that the majority of indoor cats are doing fine provided they have an owner that doesn't ignore them.
Also, you know where outdoor cats take their shits so your house doesn't smell like cat turds? Other people's yards and gardens. I pick up my dog's shit like a pet owner should and you're proud of the fact that you just let your cat shit wherever it wants?
It always amuses me when people comment on how cuddly, friendly, and playful my cats are. Turns out when you love, care, and more importantly play with a pet it shows reciprocal kindness.
I hope you never have a cat.