[Claire Halliday]

They’re notoriously aloof, difficult to train, their poop contains can spread dangerous toxoplasmosis AND they kill wildlife at an alarming rate. So, is it time we stopped owning cats as pets?
According to research from the University of Sydney a few years ago, Australian cats are responsible for killing as many as 390 million animals per year.
And, with the average cost of keeping a cat hovering around $1800 per year, and the fact that the average pet moggie lives to between 12–18 years, that’s a lot of money on cat litter and tinned tuna.
Yes, there are positives, including cuddles, cuteness and the chance to communicate with the wider world via your kitty’s Instagram page, but … as environmental concerns continue to be taken more seriously, and cost-of-living expenses keep climbing, is ‘soon’ a good time to rethink owning cats as pets?

Do you own a cat? Do you keep it indoors, or let it roam? How much does it cost you to keep each year? Share your experiences in the comments below.

[mitchell lowe]

MAYBE we should stop eating meat as cats have a right to live on whatever they can get
how many chickens are killed by humans
How many sheep
HOW MANY CATTLE
HOW MANY fish How many protected animals .LIONS TIGERS ELEPHANTS ETC
HUMANS are biggest offenders of murdering animals so on your way of thinking maybe humans should not be born to save the animals GET REAL

[Lynda]

No not time to stop owning cats, there are other things that need to be corrected before this extreme measure. My cats are inside, have their own outdoor enclosure, and are well looked after. They are better cared for, as is my dog, than some people.
For some people their cat is the only company they have.

How about reducing the cost of fuel to start with; and giving those with solar a decent feedback tarifff, govt is quick to grab money of those feeding solar back into the grid, and making them pay exhorbatent rate to buy back electricity.

[Connie]

ITS QUITE CLEAR THE AUTHOR IS NOT A CAT LOVER…
I HAVE A SIAMESE & SHE IS NOT AFTER THE BIRDS
THEY GIVE HER A HARD TIME SHE SEATS THERE & JUST WATCHERS THEM AS THEY ARE IN GROUPS
SHE ALSO LETS THE BLUE TONGUE DRINK HER WATER ON THE DECK

NOT ALL CATS KILL BIRDS EVERYDAY

AND YOU CAN TRAIN CAT
IT JUST TAKE TIME
I RATTLE THE HOUSE KEYS SHE KNOWS I AM CALLING HER TO COME WHICH SHE DOES
SHE SLEEPS ON THE DECK DURING THE DAY & SHE COME IN AT 4 PM
HUMANS DO MORE KILLING THAN CATS THAT A FACT…

[David Ryder]

Our cat costs about $5 a week to feed and maybe another $2 weekly to cover her quarterly flea and worm treatments.
She is free to roam but chooses to never leave our yard. Sleeps on our bed most nights. Catches the odd rat or mouse and very rarely a lizard or bird which our large yard in a regional town is full of anyway.
So I don’t agree with anything the article states because it does not apply to our situation and experience with the cat.

[KSS]

All the usual facetious comments from obvious cat lovers who ALL think their pussy can do no wrong! And they continually display total ignorance of the real dangers cats pose to other animals and yes even their neighbours. Have your cat if you must but stop inflicting them and their behaviours on others. And before you start, no I am not a cat hater and no I don’t have a dog! I am just sick of animal owners thinking their animal does no wrong – much like parents never accept their child is the class bully!

[Rob Lenton]

I’m 81 years of age, have always loved cats, since I was a little boy. I’ve been married for over 50 years, and have had cats in this house since then, they bring immense pleasure. When my children were young, we had a Siamese seal point (old style). They use to dress him up in clothes and wheel him around in a toy pram. And now you’re seriously asking is it time to stop owning cats. Tell that to millions of people who have had immense pleasure and comfort with owning a cat. You also say that it costs $1800 a year to keep a cat, so what, people spend more than this on coffee, a year, so are we going to ban coffee!?. My present cat is a chocolate Burmese, he’s 16 years old and we love him dearly. I can assure you that when his time comes I will be buying another cat, probably a Siamese, to continue my love of cats. And as far as the enviorement goes, all of our cats were kept inside of a night. Sure some of them had caught and killed some birds, but we also saved a lot when caught. Suppose you haven’t heard about collars with bells to help give birds a bit of a warning, And by the way I’m also a bird lover (parrots) as well as dogs. Do these have to go too!?

[bearlyable]

I like pets and I’ve had both cats and dogs.
I’m sick of irresponsble owners of both dogs and cats
Dog crap on the walking tracks so you have to look down instead of enjoying the walk!
Another pile of bird feathers in my fully fenced rear yard,another roaming cat yet again!

[MissP]

Hi everyone, I’m a cat lover, wildlife carer, and an animal welfare advocate.

I understand that everyone loves their animals! Some people are great with their cats, provide enriched environments, keep them indoors etc. … and here comes the “but”. Unfortunately, my experience as a volunteer with a companion animal welfare organisation tells me that most people are uneducated about caring for cats and their affect on our fragile wildlife. The stats tell us that most cats hunt, and the numbers of endangered or threatened native animals taken each year is staggering.

SO please, if you are a cat owner and love our wildlife too, please, please keep you cat indoors at night and in an outdoor enclosure during the day. There are plenty of cheap, DIY enclosure options, and ideas on the net. Or if thats not an option you can try letting them freelance outdoors for half an hour, morning and night prior to a meal – they will return happily (or not get fed) – its an easy routine to develop. It keeps your cat on your property – you don’t even need a cat tray in the house, as they will prefer to toilet outside during that half-hour period. It really works, and I’ve trained my own and many fostered cats in care to this routine.

This will keep your cat safe, healthy and under your control – no car accidents, no fighting injuries and no cranky neighbours throwing poison baits over your fence!

[Claire Halliday]

Thanks, everyone for their replies. I actually do own a cat (the fourth in my lifetime) but have recently made the decision that it will be my last. I also own two dogs. Our cat is a beautiful, loving (and much-loved) member of our family. She is 12. We made the decision to start keeping her exclusively inside a few years ago after her lifetime of being allowed out during the day but always being locked inside at sunset.
Despite our curfew on her, I was still horrified at the killing she did during daylight hours. It was horrible. It is not her fault, just her instinct. But it still doesn’t make me feel positively about it. Now she lives her life inside and seems happy enough but I still consider it a half-life I feel guilty about imposing on her. So…she will be our last cat.
The statistics on how much wildlife cats kill are truly depressing.
Yes, they are cute and cuddly and give important companionship. But other pets also do that and don’t wreak the same havoc on the natural environment.

[Author]

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