We’ve got one cat 6months and the other 3months old, currently both using the litterbox. However we’re going to move to a new house soon, and eventually try to transition them to getting used to doing their business outdoors instead of the litterbox. Does anyone have any tips or best practices for this transition?
Edit: I dont live in the US, I live in Scandinavia - huge garden and away from traffic. The cats are fine being outside - most cats here are in fact outside. We have norwegian forest cats and they’re meant to be both indoors and outdoors - even during winter!
ITT - tons of evidence that letting cats outside is harmful in many ways.
OP - shrug
Literally 90% of cats in Norway live and enjoy being outdoors. If it had been a major problem the government would have said something about it. In fact, it’s looked bad upon keeping cats indoors here.
Your government knows it’s a problem but doesn’t care.
"A report by the Norwegian Ornithological Association (NOF) from 2018 states that there were about 770,000 cats in Norway in 2016, and that these together kill circa 7 million birds each year. "
https://vkm.no/download/18.6c03f64d17795a5f8697c4f0/1613629055590/Mandate_the risk domestic cats pose to biodiversity in Norway ToR.pdf
So you would rather they cull the cats i take it? The cats have been around since 1000AD per the Wiki article. Sounds to me like at this point they are a native species.
Id understand if you were advocating for laws similar to how wolves/deer are treated. Yes keeping populations in check is important… Though it sounds like you would rather kill all the now “Native” cats.
There is no need to kill the cats.
Spay and neutering feral cats has become the cultural norm among environmentally conscious youth.
But the problem isn’t true feral cats. The problem is pet owners who allow their cats to be outdoor cats. Pet cats aren’t subject to normal predator/prey population constraints. They are fed at home and will then kill all native small fauna beyond natural recovery. Because after all small fauna is gone, the cats go inside to eat as much as they want. The environment can never achieve a natural balance.
An what if the native cats are the same as the house cats? Are you still saying its better to just not have a cat at all? Even if your own cat is spayed and neutered, its better to keep it trapped inside a house all day?
Humans fucked up, over a few thousand years ago. I don’t understand why you think cats shout suffer today, for a mistake we made 1000s of years ago.
Also id like to point out that I agree with you. When it comes to America, or other countries where we can still correct our mistake. Picking on a country where its the societal norm doesn’t seem like the right place to start.
That the native cat is also a house cat is irrelevant to the problem. House cats destroy the ecosystem because they eat food you provide after they’ve depopulated the local environment. It doesn’t matter what breed they are.
Would you let your dog run completely free too? No boundaries, no leash, day or night?
A responsible cat owner can let their cat outside but do it supervised.
And if you are not getting your cat from a shelter, you are perpetuating the problem today. It’s not something from 1000 years ago if you bought from a breeder.
“My countrymen need a lot of this education I’m ignoring”
You better stay in your house, too. Use a home trainer for exercise. Consume media for distraction.
Maybe you can crack a window once in a while when the weather is nice.
It’s dangerous out there.
Maybe you do, but I don’t personally go on bird, rodent, and reptile murder sprees when I leave my house so I should be okay.
So you’re vegan and don’t drive a car? Cause otherwise you’re killing a hell of a lot more animals just for your pleasure and convenience.
bingo!
Well, me too. And I’ll only ever have cats that are from a shelter and sterilized. So I’m not increasing the number of cats by owning one. But I won’t lock up an animal either just for existing and living according to its nature.
You can let it outside but do it supervised.