this post was submitted on 06 Oct 2023
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MEOW_IRL
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Memes for "cats of the soul". Post relatable, weird, funny cats.
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According to your logic people don't need more than one room and they'll be fine. It's some shitty logic though.
It turns out a reasonable amount of space is good. Access to prey is not really healthy for cats, nor for their prey. It doesn't do any good to let them roam freely. They may enjoy it, but if they aren't stimulated at home then that's on you. We don't let children make decisions for themselves, and we also shouldn't let our pets.
Yeah I know the downsides to letting cats outside but I my point is that there is a benefit to an animals quality of life with some space to roam in nature. Same as humans and all animals. We've had cats that were hunters and would kill birds every chance they got so we stopped letting them outside. Also had cats that sat next to birds in the yard and paid them no mind.
It's frustrating when people frame issues like these as dichotomies ie no cats should ever be let outside or all cats should be able to roam freely at will.
No cats should ever be let outside unless you're watching them the entire time. You can't know what they're killing away from you. They're literally genetically predisposed killers. If you don't want to keep your cat inside, or outside on a leash or in view at least, then you shouldn't have a cat. If you think their quality of life will be ruined staying indoors then just don't own one. It's easy.
As I said before I've had a cat that literally lay next to a bird without doing anything. Now that's obviously not normal cat behavior but I would know if my cats were killing animals outside after living with them for years. Some cats are hunters and some not so much. I've had both and we kept the hunter inside.
You can also get a cat bell for their collar which helps if they do hunt.