Edit: I see the word “local” was added before “environment” later… To be clear, I’m not advocating keeping cats inside and feeding them vegan food. I was just stating their food has a significant impact on the environment, also if you keep them indoors.
Then you might as well off yourself too because there’s no way for you to keep living without destroying the environment either… And don’t tell me that you can do it by eating sustainable vegetarian food because we both know that you live somewhere and you clearly have some piece of technology capable connecting to the Internet so you’re just as guilty of environmental destruction is my cat is.
No, the difference is that cats are kept as a fun companion. It’s a choice. The choice of killing yourself is a bit different I’d say. That’s a false comparison.
I’m not advocating for anyone to have or not have cats because of the environment. There’s no problem with any single individual cat, just like there is no problem with an individual owning a car. It is every household having one that is causing problems. But no one is going to forbid a certain individual from owning a car, neither am I judging anyone for owning a cat.
For a choice of having a pet it’s worth considering the effect on the environment I’d say. Albeit on a different level than whether one should consider killing him- or herself.
And again, I’m merely replying to a statement made above. I’m not telling anyone what to do.
Look, you’re being an ass and I wish that you would just admit that you’re being an ass. My cat eats in a week what I eat in a meal. There is no comparison and unless you are actually saying that cats should be euthanized then there is no fucking choice but to keep them either.
Well fed cats allowed to roam still stalk and kill prey, it’s both instinct and play. Keeping them inside (or under control/on a leash) does prevent damage to the environment.
But it does prevent huge amounts of environmental damage which can be helped, while we cannot help that cats require food. The only thing we could do about that is farm chickens for them or something.
Most cats are quite content being indoors, it’s certainly better for them and the world to keep them indoors. They live much longer as indoor cats as well, and could always still go outside for supervised outside time.
Yep, indoor is much safer and healthier for the cats. It’s not like cats have goals and ambitions out in the big wide world. They spend most of their time laying around and doing that on a couch vs under a bush is only meaningfully different in that one location comes with a much higher risk of parasites and being eaten.
Not to mention that it is much easier to monitor the health of indoor cats. Tracking weight, litter box usage, and food and water intake can easily add years to the life of a cat. Though, outdoor cats probably need to worry more about cars and bobcats than kidney disease.
Keeping cats inside is more of a challenge, for sure, but not an insurmountable one. You have to put more effort into enrichment for them, or they’ll get bored and destroy everything. We have two VERY active cats we’re keeping indoors, and we have to play with them a lot (oh no). We’d like to build a catio, but space is limited.
And feed them sustainable, vegetarian food?
Edit: I see the word “local” was added before “environment” later… To be clear, I’m not advocating keeping cats inside and feeding them vegan food. I was just stating their food has a significant impact on the environment, also if you keep them indoors.
Then you might as well off yourself too because there’s no way for you to keep living without destroying the environment either… And don’t tell me that you can do it by eating sustainable vegetarian food because we both know that you live somewhere and you clearly have some piece of technology capable connecting to the Internet so you’re just as guilty of environmental destruction is my cat is.
No, the difference is that cats are kept as a fun companion. It’s a choice. The choice of killing yourself is a bit different I’d say. That’s a false comparison.
I’m not advocating for anyone to have or not have cats because of the environment. There’s no problem with any single individual cat, just like there is no problem with an individual owning a car. It is every household having one that is causing problems. But no one is going to forbid a certain individual from owning a car, neither am I judging anyone for owning a cat.
For a choice of having a pet it’s worth considering the effect on the environment I’d say. Albeit on a different level than whether one should consider killing him- or herself.
And again, I’m merely replying to a statement made above. I’m not telling anyone what to do.
Cats are better for the environment than kids and fill some of the same human instincts
Lol, tell that to a couple who can’t have kids. “Just get a cat”. See how they respond.
Look, you’re being an ass and I wish that you would just admit that you’re being an ass. My cat eats in a week what I eat in a meal. There is no comparison and unless you are actually saying that cats should be euthanized then there is no fucking choice but to keep them either.
No you only had the choice before you got the cat, I agree it’s a bit late to kill it now.
But also: I’m not even telling you to kill your cat, that’s your doing.
The cat showed up under my shed… My choices were take the cat to a euthanizing shelter or keep the cat. Seriously stop being a dumbass.
Your specific cat being a rescue says nothing about the significant environmental impact of pet food production
What is anyone supposed to do with that information? Ie what is your point?
The point is keeping them inside doesn’t prevent damage to the environment, as a reply to what is said above. Is that not how this works?
Well fed cats allowed to roam still stalk and kill prey, it’s both instinct and play. Keeping them inside (or under control/on a leash) does prevent damage to the environment.
But it does prevent huge amounts of environmental damage which can be helped, while we cannot help that cats require food. The only thing we could do about that is farm chickens for them or something.
And de-claw them presumably, in the states that still allow it.
Edit for people who didn’t get the context:
I’m not advocating it! I think it’s barbaric, our country made it illegal years ago.
But I also think trapping them indoors and feeding them vegan food is wrong.
Most cats are quite content being indoors, it’s certainly better for them and the world to keep them indoors. They live much longer as indoor cats as well, and could always still go outside for supervised outside time.
Yep, indoor is much safer and healthier for the cats. It’s not like cats have goals and ambitions out in the big wide world. They spend most of their time laying around and doing that on a couch vs under a bush is only meaningfully different in that one location comes with a much higher risk of parasites and being eaten.
Not to mention that it is much easier to monitor the health of indoor cats. Tracking weight, litter box usage, and food and water intake can easily add years to the life of a cat. Though, outdoor cats probably need to worry more about cars and bobcats than kidney disease.
That’s like cutting their fingertips off, not their nails.
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Keeping cats inside is more of a challenge, for sure, but not an insurmountable one. You have to put more effort into enrichment for them, or they’ll get bored and destroy everything. We have two VERY active cats we’re keeping indoors, and we have to play with them a lot (oh no). We’d like to build a catio, but space is limited.