Do you think people who live in cities or urban areas and have no gardens should be allowed to keep pets?

Question

such as cats and dogs that need space to run around, explore and go to the 'toilet'? Many of my neighbours have dogs - small terraced houses with NO gardens and I think it is cruel. Is it any wonder they bark all day and drive us all mad - it's cos they are going mad themselves.

And poor cats with no-where to explore, hunt and be cats? Their territories are so close that they fight constantly. What life is that for an animal? I'd love a dog or a cat but there's no way I could be that cruel.

Interested in opinions from both sides - for and against.

Answer 1

No, definitely not. It's not fair on the animals. But I also disagree with keeping caged birds or rabbits that aren't free for most of the day or other animals in small cages.

Answer 2

It is absolutely not cruel for cats to be totally indoor cats. I don't know if you're in the U.S. or U.K., but here in the U.S., the average life span of an outdoor cat is 18 months, compared with an 18 year life span of an indoor cat. Keeping a cat indoors also helps prevent them catching diseases, being wounded by ferral cats or roaming dogs, or being hit by a car. When they catch and eat a mouse outside, that mouse might have been poisened recently and would make the cat sick as well.

There are lots of ways to keep a cat interested during the day - keeping the tv on animal planet (my cats love merkat manor), having a cat "tree", lots of toys, and making interactive toys all help. One thing my cats love is when I take a toilet paper tube, and cut small holes in it, and fold down each end then put cat treats inside - they bat it around and have to work to get the treats out, so they get lots of stimulation from that. I also build structures for them with boxes (the best are those boxes with lids that copy paper comes in at work), they climb over them, go inside the ones left on their sides, and have a great time.

Answer 3

I think that as long as you are responsible and take your dog out for long walks multiple times a day and let it get exercise, then I think a dog can still be happy in a home with no garden.

As for cats, I am all about having indoor cats. People say they NEED to go outside, but they are domesticated animals and I do not believe they need to go out. When they do, there is the risk of being hit by a car, poisoned by sick people, fighting with other cats, flees and in some areas (I used to live in a mountainous area) there is the threat of bears, cougars etc.

Growing up we always had indoor cats and they lived long and were very content and happy cats. The one cat we had that had come from a different home and was used to the outdoors, and we let her go outside, was killed by a car.

Addition: I often see cats wondering at night near our place and meowing at peoples houses, longing to get in. That and dogs chained outside in backyards, who never seem to be let in.

Answer 4

Our neighbors have a big fenced in yard, and their dog barks all the time. Their have been many complains. So just because a dog has a yard doesn't mean he's happy. It is easy to forget about a dog when he is in a big yard. Dogs still need to be walked and played with. So if a dog is living in a loving home where he doesn't have a yeard, but has owners who take him on walks and spend time with him, then that is better than my neighbors dog.

Cats, indoors...outdoors...That is a difficult one. If there is nowhere for them to run and hunt in safty, then I feel they should stay indoors. Our cats have always been in/out cats. But we have always live out of town. My sister in law live in the city and keeps her cats indoors. And the cats don't seem to care. They don't even try to get out, and if they do they sit by the door and meow till someone lets them in.

Answer 5

It sounds like you have several who really shouldn't have their pets, but it's hard to control.

Cats can explore inside an apartment. They can have exercise & gym items bought for them.

You really can't have laws passed telling people they can't have a pet if they don't have a garden. That just won't work.

If animals in the cities are constantly bothering neighbors, usually those neighbors call the spca to complain and the spca goes and talks to the owners.

Some cities have dog parks, so there are solutions. Getting the right kind of dog and giving them proper attention is the main solution that's needed.

Answer 6

I agree on the part about dogs, although RESPONSIBLE dog owners will take their pets DAILY to go for walks and will clean up after their pals.

Cats on the other hand can life perfectly happy lives as indoor animals. This is why there's the distinction between indoor and outdoor cats. I've had perfectly happy indoor cats and I've had cats that were allowed outside, and both were equally content in their specified environment.

Answer 7

Cats can live happily as indoor cats, but you can't guarantee that the one you're going to get will be one of these.

I always recommend that people who live in urban areas get an FIV-positive cat from a shelter, as these have to be kept inside to keep from infecting other cats. A shelter I worked at had a special block for FIV cats and they would only rehome them to people who would keep them inside. They were crying out for people in such a position!

As for the dogs - hmm. I do not think dog's should be confined, they need exercise to stay healthy and happy. Do these people not walk their dogs?

It does annoy me when people say that cats should NEVER be let outside. I mean what is this attitude? Yes of course there are risks - it's called LIFE. Do the people with this attitude themselves cower inside, afraid of venturing out in case they meet a mugger or a drunk driver? Cats are essentially wild animals, much more so than dogs, and if you do have a cat that wants to be outside it's cruel not to let it LIVE. What's the point in trying to potentially extend a cat's life by keeping it indoors if it's going to be miserable?! Quality of life is far more important than quantity.

Chalice

Answer 8

I live in an apartment complex and own a cat. He is an indoor cat (I believe that all cats should be kept indoors as it extends their life and keeps them away from diseases, fleas, ticks, cars, mean people, etc.). We play with him for about half an hour every day and it doesn't seem to bother him that he can't go outdoors.

We have dogs that also reside in the apartment complex and I believe that if you own a small dog (e.g., poodles, Jack Russell terriers), they can get along just fine with being indoors...as long as people play with them and give them attention. I believe that larger and more energetic dogs (e.g., German shepherds, rottweilers, boxers) should have large back yards to play in but as long as they are taken for a walk and played with every day, I don't see it as cruel. It may bring on behavioral problems to leave a large, energetic dog alone for long periods of time indoors, but as long as they have an outlet to take their energy out on (e.g., play time, toys), those "problems" shouldn't raise too high.

There are many animals that do not have loving homes, people to feed them, and/or people to play with. I believe that as long as they are treated well, kept properly and have people who love them, they are perfectly fine and are far from having a cruel life.

Answer 9

Come on now, that's just ridiculous. These days, there's so many outlets for you to be able to get your dog outside even if you don't have a personal garden; i.e., parks and grassy fenced in dog parks that many complexes have where dogs and people congregate. My cat stays safely inside as I'd fear the worst for her to be let loose, but in the evenings she'll stretch out and nap on the balcony for an hour or so. I have rabbits and they are INDOOR ONLY pets.

Answer 10

Yes they should. Cats should not live outdoors. They get run over by cars, breed with strays, pick up diseases. It shortens their lifespans considerably. Mature cats sleep all day anyway. They just need a warm, cozy home.

Dogs can live indoors as long as the owner spends a lot of time walking them. I am in an apartment, but I walk my dog 3-5 times a day. He is a happy, healthy little guy.