Is it common for people to let your cat roam outside where you live?

[Ad_Quid_Orator]

I live in the Melbourne area (Australia) many local councils have passed laws which state that cats have to be kept inside at all times. Although a lot of people still let their cats roam freely and according to the stats, 71% of Australian cat owners let their pets outside. This is a controversial issue because pet owners want to give their cats stimulation but on the other hand they have been devastating native wildlife.

Europeans who I've met say everyone lets their cats roam outside like it's nothing and no one bats an eye. I'm originally from the USA and there is a big stigma against letting cats roam freely but it's for a very different (or you could say "opposite") reason that it's stigmatized in Australia.

[Lliam]

My wife and I live in a rural area of northern California. We have had indoor-outdoor cats that we let out during the day and brought in at night. We needed them to control voles and mice in the garden and they did a great job. We didn't have to worry about them killing endangered animals and, to my knowledge, they didn't kill birds.

We have also had indoor-only kitties. Right now, we have a super fluffy, marmalade-orange boy named POTUS (Poatie) that we keep indoors because his fur picks up too many stickers. Plus, he isn't very wise to being outdoors.

[goaded]

It's common here, but we're in the country. Australia has different problems.

[purplepoppy]

I read that in the USA the best thing for birds is the coyote, because people don't let their cats roam. Coyote neighbourhoods have higher bird diversity and numbers than Coyote free places.

Here in the UK most cats roam although many would like to see them not to protect wildlife. We've a semi feral farm cat that lives outside so he's a roamer.

[AviatorTom]

@purplepoppy I think you're onto something. We have a wide variety of birds, many types and numbers, that frequent our bird feeders They don't have to worry about cats eating them.

[KtownSlapps]

Once it's an outdoor cat... it'll always be an outdoor cat. What a crazy law

[WhiteSteve]

Between the coyotes, foxes, and fisher cats…. they wouldn’t last long outside in my neighborhood

[BobbieBoy666]

My cat won't use the three litter boxes we have in the house. She goes' outside to use the bathroom then comes inside after a few hours. But if she in at night she kept in intel daytime.

[molonski2]

I'm from Melbourne too , I mean some of these Councils , what a joke.

So , I'm in Thailand , so its pretty much self regulation , but as there are quite a few strays , people probably watch their cats more , but no one thinks about anything native , I had a cat kill a pigeon , but pigeons are not natives.

The out of town dogs are more of an issue for sure.

[RavVid]

Likewise in Melbourne. My cat did a fair bit of damage to the dove population on the balcony. I consider doves vermin so I was proud of him. City people are only likely to see doves seagulls and possums and think that is wild life. We need our cats to keep them under control in my view.

[DaBiggestBird]

Yeah, two of ours stay outside most of the time now and Nala stays inside. If only Pretzel would stop scratching the damn couch, she just never learns. I love her and she’s my favorite of the three but she’s a dumbass for that for real for real. I know she sees Nala use the scratching post, she does it all the time.

[DrPepper12]

I'm from the Northeast United States and there are both outdoor and indoor cats but it seems to me the prevalence is more towards indoor cats However from something I read a few weeks ago apparently by keeping them indoors were killing them over the long term

[lightbulb27]

wow, that was fast.

yes, cats roam freely. they often don't survive where I'm at now, but some do. they are tough, but not always so lucky or smart.

cats murder other animals, it's fair in nature.

[AviatorTom]

No, people don't let their cats or dogs roam free in our neighborhood. We have a few coyotes in the area, and roaming pets make an excellent meal.

[purplepoppy]

Haitians say the same thing

[Dargil]

I feed 10-15 cats. They all live outside but have access to my garage and tropical greenhouse. 3 are mostly full time lap cats. The others come and go.

[genericname85]

I live in the outskirts of a city. So somewhat less densely populated urban area. People do let their cats roam here but not so much a bit closer to the city center.

[exitseven]

I used to let my cats roam around during the day but made sure they were inside at night. Still, one of them was killed by a coyote.

[DryGermanGuy]

Yeah, most cats are outdoor cats.

[Agape93]

Not really. Too many predators.

[KostasKouvalis]

My neighbors do it all the time

[MarjorieJ]

vBler

[MarjorieJ]

Very common