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I_beat_thespians t1_jbi03u4 wrote

Reply to comment by sewankambo in 'Thrilling' success of breeding endangered mouse in captivity, with tiny squeaks heard from nests by Sariel007

From the article

>Threats to the tiny mouse include drought, loss of genetic diversity, and predation from feral cats and foxes.

>They play an important role in spreading seeds and fungal spores.

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HirsuteFruit t1_jbi90c2 wrote

>predation from feral cats

I still see comments from people denying this happens and saying it would be cruel to keep their cats indoor. At least on reddit, public sentiment seems to be swaying in the right direction.

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AchyBreaker t1_jbig1p1 wrote

Yeah cat people are weird about this.

Keep your fucking cats inside. It's good for the cats and SUPER good for the local fauna. If you insist on letting them out, get a leash or a backpack or build a catio. Birds and rodents and reptiles shouldn't suffer because you think your special baby deserves murder playtime.

Signed, a lifelong cat owner with a veterinarian spouse, with two cats now, a catio we built them to safely go outside, and an enclosed backpack that I use to take one of them on walkies because he is my special baby and likes to see new places but is not allowed to kill birds. If I can wrestle an 18lb Bengal mix into a backpack and lug his ass around mountains you can put fluffy in a bag too.

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ElGosso t1_jbinlim wrote

They should make those bags out of cardboard boxes so cats want to sit in them.

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Atiggerx33 t1_jbjldb3 wrote

We have a catio for our cat.

We used to have outdoor cats when I was a kid (not my choice and my mom didn't know better at the time, she is more environmentally aware now). We had 1 get hit by a car, 1 poisoned, and 1 beaten to death by some psycho (vet said the trauma was indicative of blunt force but not what would be expected if a car hit him) all in a period of two weeks and after years without incident.

Even if you don't care about the environment please keep your cats inside for their own sake.

Also, in many towns if your cat (or dog) has killed native wildlife the town is allowed to seize your pet and euthanize it or rehome it in addition to fining you. Just as you are held legally responsible for your pet attacking a person you can also be held legally responsible when they attack a non-pet animal. As an example robins are protected under the Migratory Bird Protection Act, killing robins can apparently result in a fine of up to $15,000 and up to 2 years in prison. I doubt a judge would throw the book at you for your cat killing a robin, but they'd be well within their rights to fine you $500; as an acquaintance of mine discovered when his cat killed a robin at his neighbor's bird feeder and the neighbor caught it on camera and reported it. The cat was not euthanized, but they were told any future reports would result in the cat being seized and then either killed or rehomed depending on a behavioral evaluation.

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---ShineyHiney--- t1_jbiy0rr wrote

Holy hell

I agree with everything you said, and could not disagree more with everything you said to say it

Wtf, dude

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AchyBreaker t1_jbomh3l wrote

I don't understand what this means. You don't like the way I explained it? You think it's bad that I said fuck on the internet? You think the phrase murder playtime is bad?

Help me understand as I am legitimately confused

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Prettynoises t1_jbiguyx wrote

>feral cats

Feral cats are cats that can no longer be tamed. If a cat is not socialized during kittenhood they have little chance of being friendly towards humans/other cats later on. The only other option besides leaving them outdoors to do their thing is to put them to sleep. This is why TNR operations are so important, and if you ever see any stray cat, report it to a local rescue and check if it's ear is clipped. A clipped ear means it has already been fixed and re-released.

Also, cats can get pregnant as early as 3-4 months old, so it's important to get them spayed/neutered asap (which usually can't happen until about 6 months old I believe) and to not let cats back outdoors if you know they are not fixed (for instance if you happen to see a momma cat with kittens out in the "wild," catching them and turning them into a rescue (or fostering them yourself) is crucial to preventing more feral cats)

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Tiny_Rat t1_jbiiqk2 wrote

It's not entirely true that feral cats can't be acclimated to living indoors or with other cats, but it's not easy to do. My in-laws adopted a feral cat (didn't realize it was feral when they got it), which promptly ran away. However, it stayed in the neighborhood, so they started leaving food out for it, and slowly moved the food closer to the door until the cat would come inside to get fed. Then the cat started to at least occasionally hang out inside, at first when they and their dogs were out, and eventually even with them around. This winter it's been really cold and rainy, and the feral cat is getting older, so it more or less decided to become a mostly indoor cat, and seems fine around them, their dogs, and their other (indoor only) cat. It would probably throw a fit if it couldn't go out on demand; it still runs off when strangers come to visit, especially strange dogs; and it's definitely not a cuddly, pettable sort of cat. However, it does spend a lot more time indoors by the fire than I thought a feral cat ever would!

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Prettynoises t1_jbijd9x wrote

My cat is a barn cat (kinda somewhere between a house cat and a feral cat, I found him outdoors as a young cat and despite being neutered still doesn't get along with other cats, but is also super sweet and cuddly to me and other humans he likes) and I still struggle to keep him indoors. I've only recently started keeping him indoors 24/7 (and I've had him for 2 years now), and there's even rats in the basement for him to catch and eat, and he still isn't happy with it. I'm worried for him because I'm about to move into a one bedroom apartment that's no more than 600 square ft, and right next to a busy road, so even with his leash I am not sure if I'll be able to take him outdoors.

If you've got any tips on how to keep a previously outdoor cat happy inside, I'm all for it. He doesn't like playing with cat toys, lasers, strings, moving toys, really nothing that isn't alive can keep his attention which makes it difficult.

Realistically I know he'd be happiest as a barn cat keeping critters away from food, but he also has separation anxiety and needs to check on me every few hours, so I don't know that he'd be any happier if I gave him away.

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jazzypants t1_jbil8sr wrote

I don't have any ideas or advice. I just wanted to say that it is really sweet how much you obviously care about the cat. This is really difficult. I hate that we can't just talk to them and ask what they want. I had to make a similar decision years ago, and I still wonder if made the right choice.

Good luck.

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