Many cat owners struggle with the decision of whether to allow their cats outside. Cats require the exercise and mental stimulation that an outside environment offers, but it’s also necessary to keep cats inside for the protection of both cats and the other animals that can serve as their prey, such as the neighbor’s canary or hamster. You might wonder what the neighbor’s canary or hamster is doing outside. Well, your neighbor might be wondering the same about your cat. In any case, it is better to be safe than sorry.
Cats who venture outside face enormous risks of harm and illness and have much shorter lifespans than indoor cats. Also, it was determined that cats provide the single-largest threat to the continued existence of wild birds in cities. Man is responsible for this hazard. According to the American Society for the Protection of Birds, cats kill roughly 2.4 billion birds annually in just America. It can be challenging for many cat owners to accept this reality. When it comes to attitudes toward letting their cats out to wander and hunt, researchers divide cat owners into one of five groups. The opinions range from those who are worried about the extinction of biodiversity, including birds and other creatures, to others who support freedom and believe that cats should be free.
Do any of these cat owners remind you of yourself?
1. An anxious protector
This cat owner fears that stray cats may be murdered, stolen, or lost; believes that keeping cats inside is safer for them. He has no strong feelings regarding cats hunting other animals, and he wouldn’t keep a cat inside solely to stop it from going outside.
2. Supporter of liberty
This cat lover believes that cats should have the same freedom as wild animals to roam freely, that hunting is a natural instinct for cats and reduces the population of rodents and they should be allowed to roam freely. He strongly opposes any restrictions on cat mobility, including bans.
3. A compassionate protector
Loves animals and is unhappy that cats hunt other animals, but he feels it’s something cats just do, it is in their nature. He sees no way that owners could regulate the predatory behavior of cats. Also, they believe that allowing cats to roam freely benefits them more than it harms them.
4. Responsible parental figure
The predatory nature of cats truly worries this cat owner, and he is particularly concerned about cats hunting birds. He believes that owners carry a certain duty in limiting the predatory behavior of their cats. Yet, he is not opposed to restricting a cat’s freedom to some level. How considerate of him, right?
5. A “landlord” in repose
This cat owner has never given much thought to how cats affect other animal species. If he witnessed his cat killing another animal, he would be more motivated to prevent the behavior. He believes that cats should be outside and that accidents resulting from this are natural. This is the “nature usually takes care of things” type of owner, who is not much likely to interfere with his cat’s “choices”.
