Cataphobia.

[xyzzy@bok]

Recent media talk; cats were voted number two hated animal after rats. That surprised me.. also 92% of owners said cats should not be let out at night.. Why? Aren't cats flavour of the month anymore? This being 2 separate questions. is that ok? can you deal?

[sddsddean]

Reading between the lines, I don't think its hatred of cats per se, but what they do. This comes in 2 parts. Defecation etc in other peoples gardens, which annoys everyone (including me!), and the apparent increase in the amount of birds/small animals they kill(this being the reason for the proposed curfew). One report I read estimated 28 million birds/animals are killed by cats in the UK per annum.

[treaclefight]

another recent survey showed that cats are now the most popular pet, having overtaken dogs in our nation of dog lovers. so although i've seen these stats that you've mentioned, they relate to quite a specific context, especially when you consider that the people the statistc comprised of were the viewers of a wildlife program who were motivated to make a phone call after they'd just had a half hour lecture on the carnage caused by cats at night. i suspect that a less emotive survey of the population as a whole would show that cats are very popular. i live next to a bakery and part of the reason i have a cat is precisely because of it's ability to control the local population of small diease spreading animals.... anyway i think the point i was making is that cats are still very popular and surveys often say more about the surveyors than the population as a whole

[rekstout]

I believe the reason why cats are so despised by many is threefold and has more to do with our changing attitudes than a change in cat behaviour.

Firstly we are becoming increasingly obsessed with maintaining ludicrous levels of hygeine which is difficult to obtain when a cat walks on every flat surface and refuses to use the footbath of Dettol by the catflap.

This in turn leads to an increase in allergies - cat hair being a common culprit.

The third reason is the complete unwillingness of people to accept natural bahaviour (nature red in tooth and claw etc) of cats - hunting and killing small prey. It amazes me that nowadays people are so squeamish about things such as killing rats and mice, shooting pest birds and grey squirrels. I approve of working cats e.g. vermin control on farms. I disapprove of house cats - it's not natural - they should be free to come and go as they please and owners should accpet the occassionally gory consequences..

[Cathy]

There seem to be two different types of people, the ones who generally hate cats and the ones who generally love them. It annoys me that I have to clear my garden (especially the gravel area) of another person's pet's mess. It woundn't be accepted with any other pet. It also annoys me that I can't even do this at the moment because of the risk of miscarriage associated with cat faeces. And while I am aware of the cruelty of nature and the necessity for pest control I despise the massacre of small animals and birds so that cats have something to play with at night. Remember, they are not selective about what they kill. They may kill mice, rats, and other pests but they will also kill rare birds and animals, eventually driving them to extinction. So I'm sorry, but if it's a choice between seeing a robin's nest in the garden with chicks inside or seeing their bodies left all over the lawn I would have to go for the former.

[xyzzy@bok]

thanks for replies; personally i more like cats than not like. However, i now realise that cats have more rights than people. If i cr@pped in your garden there'd be a ruckus. If i sat on the bonnet of your car and scratched it, more trouble.. Also, the cat owner can not be held legally responsible for cat's misdeeds, unlike dog owners, who are legaly responsible for their pets. Cats got it made in the shade. Been revered since before Tutenkhamun. If you believe in reincarnation, and i didn't last time, ask to come back as a cat. :-)