Is this irresponsible behavior?

[Chicks_N_Horses]

Well I think opinions will differ....Depends on where you live too, I think.

I have always lived out in the country. Everyone here lets cats and dogs roam free...unless you have an unruly one.

All my cats and dogs are free range. I do live on 10 acres in the middle of the woods over 10 miles from the nearest town too though. There are others within a mile or two of us and their dogs come down our dirtroad and driveways...don't bother us at all. Vice Versa. I grew up on Conecuh river which wasn't as in the boon docks as I am now but still, everyone let their animals free roam then as well...so..it may just depend on your location and the folks/animals nature....IDK....

I WOULD NEVER let a dog or cat live in my house though. Nor would my DH...he won't even let them come in at all when he is here.

 

[OlliOlliOlli]

I would rather someone let them out during the day and claimed RESPONSIBILITY as a pet owner unlike what the next door neighbors do.

They decided to start feeding 2 strays...so we've got 2 fat, healthy females that I'm sure are not spayed and prime to reproduce, that I've nearly run over at 1am in MY driveway several times...and the males scream and fight over while I'm trying to sleep...and that my normally silent labs bark hysterically half the night over.

Of course, knowing the way things work, I'll get complaints over the labs barking even though it's someone else's irresponsibility making them bark.

 

[peeplessinNC]

While I think cats are fascinating creatures, I will never have one because I am very allergic to their hair/dander. I enjoy some of the cats in my neighborhood w/o touching them. It does make me sad when a neighbor cat is killed by a car on our street. Three times I have had to report a dead cat to one family across from me, once early in the morning so their small children would not come out and find it in the street.

Do I consider this to be irresponsible behavior? Well, yes in a way. I always have my dog on a leash when he is outside so he won't run into the street and be hit by a car. If cat owners were really being responsible, why wouldn't they have their cat on a leash too?

 

[Dandy Acres]

It is a bad idea if you have bird feeders up. Take the bird feeders down and there would be less of a problem.

 

[Wifezilla]

Some do use leashes. My friend had a leash trained cat named Cricket. He had a runner lead in the back yard.

I have another friend who had an indoor cat due to living in apartments for 7 years. Now she has a house she is renting, but she doesn't want clueless indoor cat to do anything stupid, so she is getting a "run" for the cat and attaching it to a ground floor window.
http://www.petpetsupplies.com/kitocooucate.html

Here is a cool outdoor run someone built for their kitties
http://www.xmission.com/~emailbox/catrun.htm

 

[PotterWatch]

I don't really think it's irresponsible, but you have to be prepared for the possible consequences. We trap cats on our property from time to time (don't have to do it much now that we have dogs), because all the neighborhood cats were using our yard as their through-way and litter box. Our play set was getting sprayed every night and there was cat poop in the yard that had to be cleaned up every day. That was a major nuisance and a health concern for my kids. Most people here don't put collars on their cats, so there were probably some pets that ended up at the shelter.

Our neighbor next door asked us once if we could make sure our dogs didn't chase his cat

. My response was "keep your cat out of our yard and they won't have to chase it".

 

[Brindlebtch]

If you value and love your cat dearly, I would keep it inside.

Lots of animals and circumstances can kill a cat, even in the country.

I live in a subdivision where people regularly let their cats out day and night. I have a dog in my fenced yard. If this dog finds a cat in her backyard that cat is going to die. So far she has done away with 5 cats, and she is not an outside dog. This is usually when we let her out at night to relieve herself right before we go to bed. None of the cats had collars so I was unable to notify any one that their cat was killed. I'm sure the owner loved their cat and will always wonder what happened to it.

I have three cats and they stay inside ALWAYS.

Is it irresponsible to let your cat out? I don't know, but if you love that cat I would keep it inside.

 

[Rolsjo]

Quote:
Lol! That is so true. Our cat considered the bird feeder his personal bait pile. He'd just go hang out under the bushes and wait for the birds. We took down the feeder. Poor birdies! Now they know to stay high up in the trees.

His catch of the day today was a huge bumblebee. I wish I could have seen him nab that one.

 

[Mary Of Exeter]

All of my cats have always been strictly outdoor cats (we dont like furry animals in the house). But by having them roam as they please, if someone were to shoot it for destroying their property/birds/pets, I wouldn't say a single thing about it. Mostly because we have the policy ourselves. If someone's cat or dog is killing our birds, I don't care who's it is, if they don't keep their animals under control (of course we let them know what happened before we jump to doing anything), next time the touch my birds their pet is gone.

So, by saying that, if you're willing to accept that your cat could get hurt or killed, by cars or whatever, then no, there's absolutely no problem with it. But you are responsible for what the cat does....so if you're going to be upset and/or complain, then yes, it is irresponsible. Just know what to expect.

 

[hollyclyff]

I think, like many other things, it depends on the circumstances. I don't have a cat, but where I live, outdoor cats aren't in any grave danger. There are always more dangers outside yes, but there are no busy streets or any loose dogs that are cat killers. So in that regard, I think it is a personal choice. But if the cats are not sterilized or are causing a nuisance to neighbors, then I do think it is irresponsible. Especially when you leave it to your neighbors to find homes for the kittens as happened to someone I know when one of the mother cats took up residence at her house.

I once had a neighbor whose cat was so insistent on coming in my house that she regularly got past me when I opened my door. On one occasion she got behind my washer and sliced the water hose with her claws. I was left to clean up the mess and buy a new hose and when I told my neighbor, she just shrugged. I consider that irresponsible.

If the cat isn't bothering anyone and isn't in any special danger and you accept that there are added risks with being outside, then I think it's fine. I'd love to have a barn cat myself, but my husband is so allergic that even being in the barn might be a problem for him.