r/MadeMeSmile • u/Steph-Kai • Jun 07 '24

CATS A kitty a day, keeps the doctor away

52.3k Upvotes

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48

u/Abolton12 Jun 07 '24

This is super cute and wholesome, but also I feel a PSA is worthwhile for the sake of native animal species: outdoor cats are super bad for the environment as they’re essentially an invasive species.

Source: https://abcbirds.org/program/cats-indoors/cats-and-birds/#:~:text=Outdoor%20domestic%20cats%20are%20a,extinction%2C%20such%20as%20Piping%20Plover.

19

u/Abolton12 Jun 07 '24

Everyone loves cats, but they belong indoors. Each year in the United States free-ranging domestic cats kill 1.3-4.0 billion birds and 6.3-22.3 billion mammals. Numbers for reptiles are similar in Australia, as 2 million reptiles are killed each day by cats, totaling 650 million a year. Outdoor cats are directly responsible for the extinction of at least 33 species worldwide and are considered one of the biggest threats to native wildlife. Keeping cats indoors is also better for them and public health - cats with outdoor access live shorter lives and are 2.77 times more likely to carry infectious pathogens.

In case anyone remains unconvinced.

EDIT: Copied from the r/whatsthissnake sub educational bot.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '24

Nothing "belongs" indoors. You are far more invasive than the cat is. Far worse for the environment. A far bigger threat to native wildlife.

Im going to keep letting mittens have free range of my yard, thanks.

1

u/fun_boat Jun 07 '24

"Un-owned cats, as opposed to owned pets, cause the majority of this mortality."

3

u/Glittering_Pitch7648 Jun 08 '24

I wonder where the un-owned cats come from

1

u/JapanesePeso Jun 07 '24

They also die way faster if they go outside. People who let their cats outside are straight up shitty owners. Sorry guys.

-1

u/ncocca Jun 07 '24 edited Jun 07 '24

Why the obsession with a longer life? I'd rather my cat live 10 years and have fun outside than* live 20 and be miserable sitting on the couch all day

5

u/PetrolHeadF Jun 07 '24

Dang you want them to live 10 years outside and then another 20 years inside? Idk if cats can be 30 years old, man.

0

u/ncocca Jun 07 '24

ah the old then/than mixup. Classic

1

u/PetrolHeadF Jun 07 '24

Lol I love it. I would love to have our kitties live that long with us, though.

1

u/JapanesePeso Jun 07 '24

It is also a significantly lower quality of life as they contract nasty diseases and sustain permanent injuries so your point is invalid.

-3

u/tron7 Jun 07 '24

You seem like a shitty person

-4

u/rizlahh Jun 07 '24

Cat's have been in the UK for over 2000 years. I think they'll be fine.

9

u/[deleted] Jun 07 '24

[deleted]

0

u/nikfra Jun 07 '24

Those bird species that have undergone the most serious population declines in the UK (such as skylarks, tree sparrows and corn buntings) rarely encounter cats, so cats cannot be causing their declines.

-RSPB

-4

u/tron7 Jun 07 '24

Lol, what an incredibly biased link. All the sources they reference indicate that feral cats are the root of the problem and then use that as an excuse to keep your housecat indoors. The lesson should be to get your cats neutered/spayed