What is it about cats

They are bums wandering around with no purpose whatsoever. What gets me is that their owners let them outside, if they have owners. If it was my pet I would be afraid it would get hit by a car or something. I don't get it. The strays though as in the USA are a cat overpopulation problem- they tear up my garden too but I don't have the heart to lay down poison so I let them be and feed them sometimes.

my cats are all indoor cats. But I have had friends that have had outdoor kitties and they were nice and sociable what was really funny was watching them stalk things and just being plan silly and goofy, Having cats around actually decrease the snake and rodent population. they obviously flock to you because your are a great person.. Cats are a really good judge of character as I have found out over the years. LOL!!! If the really bother you that much there are traps that you can set that will cat them so that you can take them to the humane society and then the owners will have to go find them and get them out and sometimes it will cost the owners money and then they will be more app to keep their kitties indoors.

We have breed cats to be pets. People that let them out and let them go feral are doing to a diservice to the animal. They are outside and unfixed so they are making the noises and breeding. The best thing you could do for these cats is to trap them and fix them. If you feed them they will leave the birds and the trash alone. They aren't going to hunt hard prey if they are hungry, they are going for the easy food - but that rat might get caught if they aren't that hungry.

Aww poor cats! My wittle Tia wouldn't do that - in fact we always put food out for the birds and they take the mickey out of her! lol She doesn't make noise outside at night, she likes to sleep on the bed all night in the warm! She might ruin some vegggie Patches but all my neighbours garden are intact as is mine! lol Seriously I do know what you mean as my Grandad was a gardener and hated cats . although when Tia was a kitten he used to babysit for her! Cats are arrogant and like to rule, or think they rule a household but they can be very calming! Did you know that if you are a cat owner there is less chance of having a heart attack? Hope one catches that rat soon! xxx

Outdoor cats hmmmmm? A nuisance to be sure. I think their only viable purpose is to impregnate our domestic indoor cats and continue the cycle of life. Still a nuisance. Too ornery to be indoor cats I guess. I used to be bothered by them too when I lived in an over cat populated area. The noise! One night I couldn't take it and went outside to shoo them away and hopefully have them take their amorous expressions elsewhere. Turned out to be my neighbour, a woman not his wife, and a whoopie cushion. Don't ask. I moved. Enough said.

I actually have outdoor cats, and they're very sociable if handled properly. A lot of people that own outdoor pets do so in the hopes that they'll have a low maintenance pet, but they really end up creating a nuisance for the neighbors. Our oldest cat stays on the property and keeps the rats, mice, chipmunks, and squirrels from breaking into the house during the colder months. Aside from that, he's an absolute sweetheart and he'll even walk down the street with me like you'd expect a dog to do! Outdoor cats can be wonderful, but a lot of people aren't willing to devote enough attention to raising animals properly.

Cats serve one purpose only and that is for those of us who don't like dogs to have something to love. :) Or for those who want a pet but don't actually want to look after one because cats aren't stupid like dogs and will fend for themselves if their slave won't tend to their every need! We have a fat cat who comes into our garden. We don't feed it or anything, looks like he gets plenty! But stiill he insists on visiting us. It must be quite warm and comfortable underneath the trees at the bottom of our garden. It is bad that cats are so horrible to you though. The thing with cats is that you know where you stand. As the saying goes "dogs have owners, cats have slaves". They won't play catch and such like because it is far too much effort.

I personally think that Cats are one of the Goddess's best creatures whether they are outside or in. They are wonderfully engineered to be predators and boy have they got that down pat. But beyond that I have 2 indoor cats and much prefer them to the mutt that barks constantly next door. I love my cats as if they were my kids, and they give me lots of companionship while making sure there are no rats or mice in my apartment. Now Whether a cat is social or not totally depends on how their owners handle them when they are young. Lots of human contact equals a quite socialable cat. My family had outdoor cats when I was young and they were all sociable and we handled them all the time. I can understand your frustration about them tearing up your garden, but give them a break they don't know it is wrong. And as for the birds, well if they all lived the bird population would get out of control. Cats are also good for snake control as well.

Some people say that cats are sneaky, evil, and cruel. True, and they have many other fine qualities as well. I am not a lover of cats. We had one when I was young that used to sit above the curtains and take a swipe at you with its claws everytime you passed by. The darn thing had a good aim. Are they social? No, not at all. Dogs come when they're called; cats take a message and get back to you later. What purpose do they serve? To have something less to bathe.

They keep you on your toes, maybe that's the purpose they serve. You've got to think of ways to keep them out of the garden and trash, keeps your mind active. Yeah, like you need your mind to be any more active than it already is, sure you do. But they are attracted to you, p1ke, like so many other creatures out here in the world, they just can't help it. Just be sweet to them, and enjoy watching their hunts and their graceful running about, and the rest will take care of itself. Good point that someone made about feeding them, too. That might just take care of the trash problem. But the rat? I dunno, he might just be a little too big for them to deal with. I have an immense soft spot for cats, indoors and outdoors, all breeds, shapes, sizes and colors and temperments and as you know, have three of them at home, who are most fiercely loved and spoiled to the core. The ones you speak of need what every other cat out there needs - love. Plain and simple - love. And you could make them their own little kitty burrito, you know. A tortilla wrapped around some fish, some sour cream, they'd love it and would consider you their own Burrito King and you would be hailed far and wide for your generosity and loving nature. Think about it. (not too bad for the burrito angle, hmmm?)

I keep all of my cats indoors because it extends their lives by several years, and possibly even a decade or 2...yes, cats can live very long. So, I don't understand outdoor cats either. They can be a nuisance and, that is coming from someone who loves the heck out of cats. I just know that I would worry all day long about my cats if they were outdoor cats. I would worry about the bigger predators out there they could hurt them. I would worry about any other animals they might chase and get into a fight with and the fact that they could get bitten by a rabid animal had end up with rabies and have to be put down. I would worry about them getting run over or taken in by a stranger. And, I would worry about other diseases outdoor cats have to be more concerned about than indoor cats. So, an outdoor cat is as much of an enigma to me as it is to you. Sorry I couldn't be of more help!

The may have failed to catch that particular rat but you can rest assured they do control the vermin population, yes including birds which are passive disease vectors unlike cats. If you keep your trash bags in something with a lid they don't get into them, not to mention I would bet that as often as not the culprit for that are possums and raccoons. If you put up some bird netting and squirrel fence it will keep the cats as well as birds and squirrels away. You need to face one hard fact of life, our ancestors went out of their way to eliminate the predators in this country and now we are stuck with cats as the apex predator in most areas. if you want to keep particular cats from your yard and know who the owner is you simply get nasty and file a small claims case against them ordering they keep them inside or get them fixed and pay damages. It will only take once or twice before people start taking care of their pets.

You're talking about alley cats,the animals that are probably abandoned. Cats that are pets are usually more mannered. If those cats had homes they probably wouldn't be doing that.

There are cats like that here, too! It's too annoying, especially if they try to sneak in our lot so they could steal some of our cat's foods. I am not generally a greedy person, but these cats bully our cats and in the end, they're the ones eating the food! Talking about our own cats, they just love to sleep all day! They can catch rats, but funny, they can't catch a "walking" cockroach. Ah, cats!

Well they are alot better than indoor cats to me because with indoor cats they are nothing but a problem from what i have seen in the past from where i have had them before...personally i do prefer outdoor cats becuase you can go out during the daytime and get osme sun and then pet htem at the same time you are doing that!

HaHa! The way you describe the situation is very funny. Nowadays, cats are getting lazy just like human beings. My family once kept a cat when I was a child. she just lived for the meal with fish in it, and paid no attention to rats. There was a time when we caught a mouse, and put it in front of the cat. Yet she wouldn't even taste it.