Yes, that is the problem in my neighbourhood. I don't understand how EVIL you have to be to toss around extremelly dangerous poison around because you are bothered by pigeons, cats or stray dogs. I think that shouldbe considered serious crime.

My mother relayed to me how, when she was a teenager, a couple of boys from her school poured gasoline on a stray cat and lit it on fire. The girls doused the flames and saved the cat..then they turned their attention to the boys..who they promptly kicked the c**p out of. She said word of what the boys did got back to her school and they were expelled. The girls never got in trouble because the boys didn't want to admit that they had their asses handed to them by a bunch of girls.

@Samhhain Cat Dip them in oil and light them on fire!? Wtf my mind doesn't even process that! How cruel and insane.

Well these are also reasons not to let your children or even yourself outside, but we've still got to live a little.

Oh, you just wait untill it doesn't come home anymore. Been there multiple times...

@Constantin All of our cats were outdoor cats because the area we lived in had problems with mice and shrews. They were necessary to keep the rodents out of the house. We lost one cat to a fight with another cat (neighborhood stray) and another cat lost her tail when she tried to jump over a slick chain link fence during a violent thunderstorm (We'd been trying to call them in all night.) Other than those two incidents, we had a total of 9 cats during our childhood and none of them were victims of predators..and we had a lot of those in the neighborhood including coyotes and stray dogs. Cats are resourceful and know how to protect themselves. It's in their nature.

I've had to clean up the carnage when a weasel gets to the cats hanging out in the barn. They are adorable little murderers.

Then you're ignorant. All of those things could easily kill a cat.

It's not just that they can kill them. Injuries can get infected and damage internal organs. That's what happened to oneof my cats growing up. A bite from another animal got infected, it damaged his heart and other organs and he started having seizures. I lost him when he was only 7. Now my cats stay inside where they are safe. And the birds outside are safe too.

We had a problem with coyotes and fox killing cats AND dogs in my Dad's neighborhood. A dog, even a big one, is no match for them when they group together to pack hunt a pet. And to say that anyone who lives in an area with coyotes shouldn't own a cat in the first place is like saying people who live in areas with coyotes shouldn't have children. Most of the time, the coyotes, wolves and cougars will leave children alone...but there's always that one predator that's hungry enough and desperate enough to try.

If you are really concerned about wildlife, then support your local feral population control programs. Feral cats have a FAR greater impact on wildlife than pets because they hunt to survive.

Plot twist: cats ARE local wildlife. Cats eat birds, whether it's the sparrow they caught in the backyard or the chicken that was processed into pellets in a kitchen bowl. "Lock up all the predators" isn't really an ecosystem solution.

Hello Foxxy, people have no idea the risk of letting their animals roam. So well put by u. Thank you for having pointed this out.

Daylight Amy, my whole point about letting my dogs roam is people wouldn’t appreciate it so why should we be expected to put up with cats roaming the streets and into our yards. Cats are natural hunters and if they are allowed to roam they will still kill wildlife so please don’t tell me roaming cats aren’t an issue. There are millions of pet cats and you cannot seriously think that it wouldn’t make a dent to our wildlife, especially the vulnerable. And why are we talking about rabbits, rabbits are generally kept in hutches and owners don’t just let them roam the streets, THAT IS THE POINT. Feral cats and feral rabbits are both issues in different ways but this post is about domestic CATS. If you wanna have a discussion about the issues and damage rabbits cause then create another post. I also think that cats should be registered like dogs and that there should be a maximum number of cats per household.

And why would a loving cat owner put their pets in unecessary risks. Outdoor cats have higher risks of catching many diseases like feline leukaemia, feline aids, upper respiratory infections, feline infectious peritonitis and feline distemper. Then you have parasites like ticks, fleas, ear mites, intestinal worms and ringworm. Add the fact of injuries and death from other cats, cars, dogs and other wildlife predators, animal cruelty, toxins, baits and poisons etc. Indoor cats live an average of 3x longer than outdoor cats. So why would a responsible pet owner put their cats at risk like that.

Troux if that’s the case then my dog should be allowed to wander since they are also part of our local wildlife. Also cats eating food made for them is different to them killing and endangering native animals. Today’s Cats are actually bred to be DOMESTIC animals and should be kept that way especially since cat numbers are extremely high. Cats domestic and feral are estimated to eat tens of millions of native animals each night in Australia. But what kinds of wildlife are they eating? In research published in the Journal of Biogeography it shows that cats kill hundreds of different kinds of animals, including at least 16 species considered globally threatened. Cats are a serious threat to wildlife globally, contributing to the extinction of numerous birds, mammals and reptiles worldwide. In Australia, cats have been implicated in the extinction of at least 20 mammal species and sub-species, including the lesser bilby and desert bandicoot. Cats, especially males, can roam many kilometres and in doing so may hunt wildlife. Remember that our native wildlife isn't just restricted to parks and reserves. Many species of native mammals, birds and lizards are found in our suburban back gardens. A wide variety of native animals, ranging from the more common species like possums, kangaroos, wallabies, lizards and many species of bird, to rarer or threatened species such as bandicoots, koalas and quolls, may be at risk from domestic pets in urban areas. Cats are by nature instinctive hunters and are more likely to kill birds and lizards. Even though their human owners carefully meet their pet's requirements for food and shelter, instinctive hunting and chasing behaviour will continue. Domestic pets also occur in high numbers in urban areas, where native animal numbers are fewer. So even though each individual animal may only kill or injure a small number of native animals, it has a bigger effect on the already reduced population

My cats are indoor only and I wish that for all cats, but I just can't with people who go "maybe I should let my dogs roam". Maybe you bloody should. See what happens. You'll find that people are cruel and will feel justified harming your dog because of said 'wildlife'. The problem is desexing and population control, not roaming, by the way. If desexing was mandatory for everyone but licensed breeders, there wouldn't be enough cats to make a serious dent in any wildlife population. Not to mention there are far more harmful non-native species at work that I hear so few people care so passionately about. Here in Australia, rabbits are actually a serious threat to wombats (because they beat them to the same food). I don't hear anyone passionately arguing about rabbits not being allowed as pets anymore.

Foxxy I'm with you, they leave headless birds that look like an explosion around, poop in my garden and crush the flowers. I don't want cat poop tomatoes.

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But they still go into other peoples yards, have you no consideration of other people. I am allergic to cats and can’t have any outdoor furniture in case cats sit on it and effects my allergies. I also have areas around my yard that absolutely stinks like cat p**s and I have had my garden dug up by cats burying their s**t. We have had cat paw prints on our car, our tyres smell like cat urine etc. I hear cats regularly fighting and mating, I have had remnants of bird, possum and rat remains in my yard from cats etc. I have to make sure my sons sandpit is covered to stop cats from using it as a litter box. Why should I have to put up with irresponsible cat owners. You have been lucky your cats have lived long lives because it is a FACT that generally cats who roam the streets have shorter life spans.

I'm sure you have foxy, and I'm sure you have the perfect vantage point up there on that high-horse. What I'm saying is there are situations in which it is appropriate to have outdoor cats. There a GOVERNMENT FUNDED programs in my area that support it. Your blanket generalizations don't apply in all situations. Deal with it, lol.

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Ever heard of Bush Heritage, they are a great organisation helping keep Australian animals alive and combatting the feral cat issues scientifically. I have donated to them on numerous occasions thank you. Not that I have to justify myself. I am stating facts. Sorry if this offends you but feral cats are NOT the only problem so how about stop being ignorant. There is NO situation where cats should be able to roam outdoors it is extremely selfish to the wildlife, cats themselves and other people. Seems like the cat owners who let their cats wander are on their high horses and are inconsiderate w@nkers. Also this post isn’t actually about feral cats. How about be a decent cat owner and human being and stop being so selfish. Deal with it.