Where do you sit on the cat fence?

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city cat || cityhippyfarmgirl

I posed this question on instagram recently and was interested in the answers it might create here as well.

Cats what do you think of them?

Where do you sit on the cat fence? Native animal killer or small sized bundle of therapeutic pet love?

20 thoughts on “Where do you sit on the cat fence?”

  1. It’s entirely down to how the owner chooses to employ said cats. We have a poor feral female cat on our property. She is the result of about 7 years of inbreeding and an original dumping on our property. We have to “deal with” the cats on a regular basis (can’t ever find or get them all) and it is heartbreaking for us to have to do this. We once had 21 cats on our property killing everything that they could find. Life is horrible when you are a feral cat but that first female came from “somewhere” out there and the males that impregnated her were not desexed. It’s all about the owners. I don’t think anyone can blame “cats” for any of this do you?

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    • Wow, that’s a huge amount of feral cats to have to deal with, especially so as it’s on an ongoing basis. Are the dogs bothered by them at all, I do the cats keep well away?
      And I think it does come down to the responsibility of the owners. So many people seem to by pass that tiny part, responsibility.

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      • If people can’t be responsible for an animal in their charge, look after it, give it the care and love and attention that it needs. They probably shouldn’t be allowed to be responsible for that animal and should hand it over to someone who is willing to put in the effort. Having a pet has an amazing amount of rewards, but it also comes with responsibilities. People keep forgetting about that bit…

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  2. I adore cats — and dogs. My 18 year old cat Charlie Brown and his predecessor Killer (I know!) are/were both indoor cats and, as you can tell, live/d long lives. Initially we kept them in because of traffic, now our decision rests more in green decisions for bird and other life.

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  4. It seems to me that people are either on Team Dog or Team Cat. As for me… I think you know where my loyalty lies. That’s not to say I don’t like cats, it’s just a seem to be able to communicate so much better with dogs xx

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  5. It all boils down to being a responsible pet owner. Desex your animals, keep them inside or give them an enclosed outdoor run, a bell on the neck if they have outdoor access during the day… Cats aren’t the problem, irresponsible owners are

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  6. Since you asked…we are dog people. We have never owned a pet cat and are probably not likely to. I have had dead birds on my lawn for the last two mornings including a beautiful parrot and I am blaming (without concrete evidence) a feral cat.

    I think Kate nailed it, it is all about responsible owners. Gorgeous photo by the way.

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  7. I’m more of a dog person but I loved patting cats on my walk home from work back in my inner city days but here in the Kosciuszko National Park we have feral ones and the Parks Field Officers catch them in cages and they then they are disposed of. I’m remembering though that my ex and I were very concerned about birds in my Newtown days. We thought those cat windows and tunnels were a good idea. Gosh I forget it was so long ago and it had changed to possums trying to get in my kitchen or garden!

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  8. Feral cats are definitely a problem and must be addressed humanely. Domestic cats killing birds, etc, well, there I am sitting on “The Fence”!! How many native birds are killed every day by cars? How many by the destruction of native habitat by our need for food? I sometimes think that being angry at domestic cats for their natural instincts is a way some people assuage their unconscious concerns that our everyday actions kill a lot of our environment. I wonder if this is about shifting the blame onto an animal that we see as being so emotional close to us and yet acting contrary as our strongly held human beliefs about the value of beautiful things. Would we care as much when cats kill feral pigeons? … Actually, I do get as upset about feral pigeons as native birds!! But then I am normal human being, full of contradictions!!! 🙂

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  9. Aw. It’s hard to answer this question (or is it just me and my inner Libran?) I love cats and would like to own one. It would just be a mostly inside cat with a bell, and she would eat mice and sleep on my bed lol :). However, I live with someone who thinks that they are environmental terrorists and should not be owned by anyone, ever. So.

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  11. I’m a dog person first and foremost although I’ve always loved the idea of having a “barncat”, so long as all it caught was mice and it left my chickens and other animals alone.
    I see cats as native animal killers as well as pets….just as much as dogs. We’ve experienced wild dogs, not dingoes, cause a lot of damage to our stock in the past and result in lots of dead calves. So I think both domesticated dogs and cats, when allowed to go wild or feral, are as bad as each other.
    I had a neighbour once who owned a delightful cat named Forest. He was the sweetest, loveliest cat and never killed a thing in his life. I think it comes down to the personality of the cat, and the care the owner takes with it.

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  13. Our mogster, Bonnie (8) can go months without catching a bird and bringing it to our doorstep or can kill 3 in a week, I know – not good! We live on 2.5 acres and rarely have mice and have never seen a snake in 11 years. My husband has a love/hate relationship with her (she loves him, he hates her) but always makes sure she is fed and shut in the garage at night…
    We’ve never owned a dog.

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