catsindoors:

vet-and-wild:

No, it’s not. European cats aren’t magically smarter and less environmentally impactful than American cats, it’s just more socially acceptable to let them roam. Do you not have cars in Europe? Foxes? Raptors? Stray dogs? Rat poison? Parasites? Diseases? What about the Croydon Cat Killer in England, where the dismemberment of over 400 cats was being investigated, and it turned out that foxes were mutilating the bodies of cats that were killed by cars? Suddenly it’s all ok because it was only horrific death via automobile, instead of decapitation like they suspected? Totally acceptable to outdoor cat owners, who cares if your cat gets hit by a car and dies on the side of the road? There is real concern for the hybridization of wildcats in Europe, Asia, and Africa, but sure, it’s just a US problem. How about how outdoor cats are effectively reducing the protective area of a national park in Poland? How about the increased incidence of lungworms and GI parasites in European free roaming cats? How about this small study from Denmark where 90% of free roaming cats tested positive for GI parasites on necropsy (and the risk was higher in rural areas). Not Europe, but for the sake of completeness, free roaming cats kill ~377 MILLION birds per year in Australia, and 61 million of those kills are thought to be from owned cats. You can also talk to @drferox about how problematic outdoor cats are in Australia. Free roaming cats are bad for the environment, and are put in unnecessary danger. Why don’t you provide enrichment for your cat instead of letting them run around unsupervised where they will kill native wildlife and get sick or injured or die (or all of the above).

Other resources from @catsindoors about the impact of domestic cats around the world. Snagged a lot of these links from their blog.

This study in Bristol found that although only 3.9% of cats were involved in a road traffic accident 71.4% were fatal, so if your cat does get hit they’re not likely to survive, and rural locations were associated with higher odds. This is pertinent because a lot of people think that if you don’t live in the city it’s safer and more acceptable to let your cat free-roam.

This study found that the leading cause of death for cats in England is trauma. The study doesn’t differentiate between indoor and free-roaming cats, but given the cultural pravalence of free-roaming cats in England this is telling.

Here’s a small sample of Bad Things that happen to cats in the United Kingdom. The UK even saw a rise in fatal airgun shootings of cats in 2016. In 2011 Ireland faced a “dead cat plague,” due to leaking antifreeze.

-Mod Rufus