this post was submitted on 06 Sep 2024
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To be fair i frequently consider the ethics of owning pets.
I am not vegan and have multiple pets. There has only be a short section of my life i lived without.
I don't think i could personally choose to own a dog, though i love the one my partner came with and have fond memories of those from my youth.
its just how restrictive their freedoms are. Almost always in a closed area or on a leash. It’s a conscious adult animal who are we to say its wrong for it to act on its instincts. They cant leave or complain much, Its practically enslavement.
Cats however can roam freely and it’s not uncommon here for cats to visit multiple homes, possible finding a different house to live. Cats only listen if they want to and instinctively act with no regard of your human ideal. So i see much less issue there having them a part of a family.
Now before every online wildlife enthusiast screams at me for not oppressing their roaming space. Wild cats are native where i live.. locking them in is locally considered very cruel.
The fact we have to discuss that is an argument for just not owning any pets though.
Outdoor cats kill many native animals and most places consider them an invasive species.
They are only a meaningful problem where no native feline species are present. Asia, Africa and Europe (excluding islands) have native wild cats. House cats are a direct descendant of the African wild cat and have been domesticated and spread since ancient times. They can be a danger to the "genetic distinctiveness" of wild cats in some places. But they mostly are not the same level of danger to native species like they are in America and Australia.
I am aware and the damage they can do is legit, but people seem to automatically assume everyone lives in such place and i have been burned before.
As far as i am aware the concept of the family cat being a wild/stray that decides to just live at your house is an ancient dynamic here.
I once found a cat in need and took it to a vet where they found it had a chip. Returned it to the official owner, they already considered it the neighbors cat more than theirs and those neighbors hadn’t seen it for 3 months. They assumed it found some better place like rich lonely elders.
I assume you'll concede absolutely nothing to the "what about cats who roam free but come back of their own free will" point, as you don't think cats count because they're cruel invasive bird massacring demon monsters?