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The Impact of Cats on the Environment 16 Aug 2023 8:00 AM (2 years ago)

Cats are cherished members of many households worldwide. Their playful nature and companionship bring joy to countless families. However, the lifestyle choices made for domestic cats can have a profound impact on the environment, particularly concerning outdoor vs. indoor living, effects on wildlife, and what it means to be a responsible cat owner. This article explores these dimensions to understand the full environmental impact of our feline friends.

Outdoor vs. Indoor Cats

The debate of whether it’s better to let your cat roam outdoors or keep them indoors is a long-running one and can get quite heated. If you’re lucky enough to have a big garden then your cat will gladly spend hours in the space and fresh air. They might even return home to you when they’re hungry or cold. It’s not all good though, and the impact on local wildlife cannot be ignored.

On the other hand, cats can live quite happily in apartments if they’re given enough room to roam and have things to play with and people to meow at, but that comes at the expense of their instincts to roam and hunt.

Outdoor Cats

Outdoor cats have more freedom to roam and explore their natural instincts. They can engage in activities such as hunting, climbing, and interacting with other cats. However, this lifestyle poses several environmental challenges:

• Hunting Impact: Cats are natural predators, and their hunting activities can disrupt the local ecosystem. They prey on birds, rodents, and other small wildlife, potentially leading to declines in native species. Like it or not, cats love to hunt small animals and there’s little you can do to dissuade them.
• Spread of Diseases: Outdoor cats are more likely to contract and spread diseases like feline leukaemia, rabies, or FIV, posing a threat to other cats and sometimes wildlife. Vaccinations will help to reduce this risk.
• Traffic Hazards: Roaming cats are at higher risk of traffic accidents, posing a danger to themselves and drivers. You’ll never teach a cat how to cross a road safely so it’s a risk you’ll have to live with.
• Waste Management: Cat waste, if not properly managed, can pollute soil and water systems. Neighbours won’t appreciate your cat using their flower beds as its toilet every morning. Even outdoor cats will enjoy having a litter tray to come home to and you can then dispose of their waste safely.

Indoor Cats

Keeping cats indoors eliminates many of the environmental concerns associated with outdoor living. Indoor cats:

• Have Lower Impact on Wildlife: By being restricted from hunting, they don’t affect native species to the same extent.
• Are Generally Healthier: Indoor cats are less exposed to diseases and parasites, ensuring better well-being. The chance of fleas and ticks being brought int your home is negligible.
• Face Fewer Risks: Being indoors, they are protected from traffic and other outdoor hazards.

However, indoor living may require more energy and resources for activities, toys, and environmental enrichment to keep cats stimulated and happy. That means as an owner you have to make more effort to interact with your cat.

Wildlife Concerns

Cats’ predatory instincts are among the major environmental concerns. Their impact on wildlife is substantial:

• Decline in Bird Populations: Cats kill billions of birds annually in some regions, contributing to the decline of endangered bird species.
• Rodent Control Paradox: While cats do control rodent populations, they can also disrupt the balance of the ecosystem, leading to unintended consequences for other species.
• Endangered Wildlife: In some areas, cats prey on endangered reptiles or amphibians, further risking their survival.

Responsible Pet Ownership

Responsible cat ownership entails considering the environmental impacts and making choices that minimize negative effects. Some strategies include:

• Spaying/Neutering: This helps control the cat population, reducing potential environmental strain.
• Limiting Outdoor Time: Try not to leave your cat out overnight. Think twice about fitting a cat flap and only let the cat out when you’re around.
• Providing Safe Outdoor Spaces: Building cat enclosures or “catios” allows cats to enjoy the outdoors without the risks associated with free roaming. A great compromise for indoor cats.
• Adopting from Shelters: Adopting cats from shelters supports responsible pet ownership by not encouraging potential overbreeding.
• Using Sustainable Products: Choosing eco-friendly cat food, litter, and toys contributes to minimizing environmental impact.
• Educating Yourself and Others: Being aware of local wildlife and understanding how cats might impact them allows for better-informed decisions.

Conclusion

Cats, like any other pets, have an environmental footprint that depends on how they are cared for. The decision to keep a cat indoors or allow it outdoor access is multifaceted, affecting not only the cat’s well-being but also the surrounding ecosystem.

By understanding the potential environmental impacts and making responsible choices, cat owners can ensure the well-being of their beloved pets and the planet. Embracing responsible cat ownership, including careful consideration of indoor vs. outdoor living, attention to wildlife concerns, and thoughtful product selection, contributes to a harmonious relationship between cats and the environment.

The connection between humans, pets, and nature is complex. Still, with thoughtful care and consideration, it’s possible to enjoy the companionship of our feline friends without compromising the environmental balance that sustains us all.

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Cat Arched Massaging And Scratching Post 22 Oct 2017 1:27 PM (7 years ago)

Cat’s fur is the bane of every cat owners life. They’re not fussy where they moult, nor how much fur they let loose on to your sofa or dining table. There are few ways to get rid of all this fuzz, so if you aren’t a fan of cat brushing (or your cat hates the sight of the brush) then you’re a little stuck. Hence why I’m showing you this little angel.

Your cat will absolutely love this arched massaging and scratching post. Its soft bristles and comfortable base make it a wonderful place for your Feline to relax and massage his back. You can even add catnip into a small hole in the bottom of the base to make it much more appealing for your cat. Why they haven’t made a larger version for us humans I’ll never know. Just look at his face!

A majority of your cat’s moulting fur will be rubbed onto the base and bristles, so your cat will no longer have to bear the horror of the cat brush, and you won’t have to bear hours of hissing and scratching. Win win! My cat’s loved the thing.

The one problem is that the biggest fights they ever have are over who gets to sit on it. More than once I’ve had to step in and stop them squabbling over whose turn it is to brush their fur. Yet despite the fights, they love the thing. If they’re not outside, they’re lolling around inside, scratching their back and purring like crazy. I assure you, your cats will absolutely love an arched scratching post!

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Cat Santa Hats Bring Festive Cheer 28 Oct 2009 9:42 AM (15 years ago)

If there’s one thing that’s hard to resist at Christmas time, it’s dressing up your cat in a lovely Santa hat.

I’ve done it so many times now and the novelty still doesn’t wear off, the little kitties look so cute in that red and white hat. You can even get some that include a white fluffy beard or a lacy ruff, making for an even better picture for the family album.

Just make sure that the hat fits properly and the elastic isn’t too tight, and if your kitty really doesn’t like it then please take it off. Otherwise, have fun!

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Catit Senses Play Circuit 16 Sep 2009 2:53 AM (16 years ago)

The Catit Senses range is a group of products aimed at stimulating and entertaining your cat. The range forms a sort of playground with different toys to play with, each providing different textures, surfaces and sensations for your cat. Some of the products even allow you to add catnip to liven up your cat even more (assuming they’re the sort of cat that responds to catnip).

One of the products is the Catit Senses Play Cicruit, a cat ball track much like the Bergan Turbo track. Made up of a series of hollow plastic tubes, the play circuit holds a ball that can roll up and down the inside of the tube. There are slits and gaps along the sides of the tubes which are just the right size for an inquisitive paw to poke through, allowing kitty to give a palyful swipe at the ball as it rolls past.

As with so many cat toys, how much fun the Catit Senses track will offer depends very much on how energetic or curious your cat is, but if you don’t try these things you’ll never know what your cats will think.

Both Arthur and Kitty took a little while to get used to it, as they didn’t immediately realise they could poke their paws into the tubes. In this respect the Bergan Turbo track is better, as it’s open-top track makes it easier to get at the ball.

However, with some gentle tuition Arthur and Kitty soon got to grips with it and they loved it. Arthur, being a lively fellow, would just go bonkers chasing the ball up and down the tube, bashing it from end to end. Kitty, on the other hand, likes to take a more thoughtful approach and she would give the ball a spirited whack and then wait for it to roll back to her.

They both seemed to get more enjoyment when the track was laid out in a single wavey line rather than in a circuit. This is helped by the end pieces which have a sharp incline that sends the ball rolling back in the direction it came from.

To see the Catit Senses track in action check out the video below. This isn’t Arthur or Kitty, just a video I found on Youtube, but it shows how much fun can be had .

One great way of enhancing the circuit is to add different ball toys. With Arthur and Kitty I found that adding a ball with a bell in it was particularly appealing. Either that or they just found it really annoying and wanted to stop the ringing, but either way they bashed away at the ringing ball more than they did the plain ones that came with the circuit.

The tubes are quite strong and can easily cope with the chewing and scratching of an eager cat. In fact there’s very little you can say against the Catit Senses Play Circuit, it does exactly what it says on the box and does it well.

I bought my Catit Senses circuit from Amazon for just $18.99 where I got their usual speedy delivery service.

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SmartCat Tick Tock Teaser 4 Sep 2009 10:31 PM (16 years ago)

I’ve already looked at the SmartCat Peek and Play toy box and this is another quality item from the same company. Called the Tick Tock Teaser it uses the same lovely wooden construction but features a bit more variety in the toys on offer.

As you can it’s a vertical triangle and it features three fun kitty toys, all attached to a single pole that’s hinged in the middle. At one end is a wand with some tassles, at the other end is a stuffed mouse, and in the middle, partially obscured inside a hole, is a ball.

The pole works just like a musical metronome and moves back and forth on its axis. As kitty bashes a toy it will swing away and then bounce back again. Also, as one of the toys move so do the other two, giving kitty a choice of three moving targets to play with. Down the sides of the Tick Tock Teaser are additional holes, allowing kitty to wave her paws around inside to try and catch the moving toys.

It’s another nicely built toy from SmartCat, with nice smooth wood and no nasty edges. One thing I would recommend is loosening the fastening screws for the wand to let it move a little more freely, it’s got quite a stiff action straight out of the box.

Both of my cats played with this, although it has to be said that Arthur got a lot more fun out of it than Kitty did. But then Arthur does like bashing things while Kitty is more thoughtful!

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Cat Water Fountain 13 Aug 2009 12:54 AM (16 years ago)

One of the most important things you can do for your cat is to ensure that it has a plentiful supply of fresh water and one of the easiest ways you can encourage your cat to drink more is to use a cat water fountain.

The idea behind a cat water fountain is that it provides a steady stream of fresh water, something your cat will enjoy, and stops it going stagnant as it can do in a normal water bowl.

For Arthur and Kitty I chose the Drinkwell cat fountain. It features a constant free-falling stream of water (about 5 inches high) that collects in a bowl. A pump then extracts the water from the bowl and passes it through a charcoal filter that cleans the water, removing impurities and bad tastes, and then returns it through the fountain. It holds 50 oz. (about 1.5 liters) of water but you can order a separate reservoir to increase that capacity to 120 oz. although I haven’t tried that.

At first I thought it was going to be a noisy device, but it’s surprisingly quiet (although it sometimes get noisy, but more of that in a minute). It’s really easy to setup and in no you’ll have your cat water fountain up and running. Both Arthur and Kitty were a bit wary of it at first, but they quickly came round and are now very happy drinking from it. I’m pretty sure that both of them are drinking more than they used to from their old water bowl.

You can vary the speed of the water flow, but I quite like it on full. At this speed it makes a gentle trickling sound which I (oddly?) find quite soothing, and you’re also sure that it’s still flowing. Even at full speed it doesn’t splash water around, and it’s quite stable too so there’s no danger of you or your cat knocking it over.

OK, the downsides. First of all don’t place it directly next to your cat’s food bowl or you might find small bits of food finding their way into the water. If this is allowed to build up it can cause problems for the pump which could eventually burn out if you don’t do something. The same with cat hair, as this can build up and clog the pipework. For this reason you need to clean the fountain about once a week.

It takes me about fifteen minutes to do. It’s not particularly difficult, but the Drinkwell obviously wasn’t designed for easy cleaning. There are some nooks and crannies that need extra care, but you’ll soon get the hang of it.

Also, you need to make sure you top up the water regularly. Not because it’s running out, but because if the water level drops below the intake for the pump it will start to make slurping and sucking noises. At this point there is still water in the bowl so your cat still has a drink, but if the water level falls below the intake the motor will burn out. So keep it topped up and it will run smoothly and quietly.

Overall I’m very pleased with my new cat water fountain, and I can highly recommend the Drinkwell in particular. I bought the Drinkwell Original from Amazon for $50, although there is a more expensive Platinum version that looks a bit nicer and holds more water, but that’s the only difference.

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SmartCat Peek And Play Toy Box 4 Aug 2009 8:49 PM (16 years ago)

Cats love sticking their paws in holes, and the Smartcat Toy Box has got lots of them to choose from!

It’s essentially a wooden box with holes cut into it, into which you can drop balls, treats, pom-poms … anything really. The idea is that your cat will then try to fish out the items or just have fun knocking them around through the holes.

It’s a simple idea for a kitty toy but sometimes that’s the best thing. The box is very nicely made from pale wood, with no rough edges for waving paws to pick up splinters. I think it really looks quite smart and is strong enough to last for years.

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Cat Harness 1 Aug 2009 12:49 AM (16 years ago)

When you live in a crowded city you don’t want to worry about what might happen to your cat if you let it out to play. With so many dangers out there, including other cats, cars and stray dogs, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the only way to keep your cat safe is to keep it indoors at all costs. But have you ever thought of trying a cat harness?

It’s actually possible to train your cat to wear a harness, allowing you to take it for a walk on a leash in the same way as you would a dog. It seems incredible, and I was sceptical at first, but cat harnesses are proving really popular.

The most important thing in training your cat to use a harness and leash is patience. The younger your cat the easier it will be, but older cats will be set in their ways and may stubbornly refuse to wear the harness at first. But be persistent, try it on them for a few minutes each day and eventually they will become accustomed to it.

Don’t rush your cat, and don’t force it to wear the harness if it is really frightened by it. If your cat seems irritated try fitting it loosely at first to allow kitty to get used to the sensation of the harness, and then gradually tighten it up over a few days until the harness is eventually fitting properly and your cat is not bothered by the feeling of wearing it.

When your cat is happy with the harness you can try attaching the lead. It is possible to buy extendable leads, but I find it easier to keep my cats under control using a six-foot lead. This way your cat cannot suddenly shoot off in the wrong direction and catch you by surprise, or go and get itself tangled up around trees, fences, gates. park benches or anything else that grabs its fancy.

Cat walking is still something of a rarity and I’m sure you will attract many puzzled looks as you walk down the sidewalk with your cat at your side, but it is a rewarding thing for both of you. You get to spend more time with your cat and she gets to investigate the great outdoors with all of its interesting objects, smells and sights.

Another big advantage if training your cat to wear a harness is that it allows you to take it travelling with you, rather than forcing it stay in kennels while you’re on holiday. You get peace of mind that knowing that your cat is under control (as long as you’re holding the lead!) while your cat gets to enjoy a change of scenery.

Cat Harness

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Cat Leash

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How To Harness A Difficult Cat

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Frolicat Bolt 3 Jul 2009 7:31 AM (16 years ago)

The Frolicat Bolt is a must-have toy for the gadget-loving cat owner!

It’s a laser-based device that generates a red dot on a surface and proceeds to draw out random patterns. This will send even the laziest cat into a red-dot-chasing frenzy, giving him valuable exercise and you plenty of amusement.

The Frolicat can be programmed to run automatically, where it controls the pattern, or you can pick it up and direct the dot yourself much like you would with a laser pen. Whichever mode you choose the laser will shut down after 15 minutes so that don’t exhaust your excited kitty!

The Frolicat Bolt is really easy to use. Just load the batteries (it takes 4 AAs which are not included), press the power button on the top and the Frolicat then runs on its own for the full fifteen minutes. It makes a bit of a whirring noise as the laser moves around which is not so loud as to be annoying but is load enough to tell your cat that the machine is on and it’s playtime!

I found the best place to put the Frolicat was high up on a shelf or table with the mirror directing the beam downwards. This reduced the chance of the cats blocking the beam and losing the dot, and also made it less likely that the cat looked directly into the beam.

One advantage of the Frolicat Bolt over other cat toys is that the cat doesn’t play with the toy itself, just the laser dot. This means the Bolt doesn’t get bitten/scratched/bashed as other toys can do, so as long as the electricals remain reliable it should give your kitty plenty of entertainment for many years to come.

The Frolicat Bolt is available to buy from Amazon and other pet toy retailers.

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Cat Trees 9 May 2009 1:38 PM (16 years ago)

A cat tree is a great toy for your cat as it serves two important functions. One is that it gives your cat something to climb and jump on, and the other is that it gives them something to sharpen their claws on instead of your nice, new sofa.

A cat tree can take many forms, from a straightforward platform on a post to a ‘cat condo’ style maze of posts, platforms, boxes and ladders. The basic idea is that the cat has somewhere to jump onto, scratch and play on.

So what should you be looking for in a cat tree? Probably one of the most important hings is a nice wide base to make sure that it’s stable, otherwise when your crazy cat launches itself onto the top it’s likely to fall over. On the subject of stability, if you go for an enormous 6ft cat tree you may want to look at anchoring it to your wall, just in case it does topple over and injure you/your cat/young child/plasma-screen TV.

Some cat trees will come with toys already bolted on, but even if you get a basic tree you can just attach a spring or piece of string onto it and add a toy of your choice.

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