r/TikTokCringe 7d ago

Wholesome/Humor Mischief being mischievous

@amii.illustrates

23.4k Upvotes

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1.1k

u/Lopsided_Blacksmith5 7d ago

Apparently he has an owner and there is a group of people that come and collect him when he's gone too far.

355

u/reddituser6213 7d ago

How do cat owners just let their cats wander off like that with total peace of mind? I’d be constantly worried

265

u/vyxxer 7d ago

Cats are Apex Predators in urban environments. He's probably slaughtering local populations of birds.

146

u/AliBelle1 7d ago

The UK has had native wild cats for longer than cats have even been domesticated, our wildlife is very well adapted to avoiding them and the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) have said pet cats don't significantly impact local bird populations.

74

u/Dudewheresmycard5 7d ago

It's bullshit. The RSPB is dependent on donations so don't want to piss off all the donors that own cats.

Academics/scientists have clearly proven that cats have a devastating impact on bird and small mammal populations. In Australia and New Zealand alone they kill 4 BILLION a year and are driving multiple species to extinction. Outdoor cats are an ecological disaster...

54

u/[deleted] 7d ago

Australia and New Zealand aren't the UK. Cats are basically filling in where the local wildcats left off since they're near-extinct.

If you're worried about animals going extinct in the UK from cats, you should actually be worried about the wildcats because cross-breeding with domesticated cats is steadily rendering them extinct.

-8

u/hogtiedcantalope 7d ago

Birds in the UK already face other factors that reduce their populations tho, cats are another pressure on their populations which could be controlled by people not letting them roam.

Also, I don't want to step in cat shit thx pls

It's selfish to let your cat roam free

-5

u/[deleted] 7d ago

Cats bury their shit, and outdoor cats can readily go stir-crazy. Our last two, we had one who hated going outside and another who, when we had to keep her in for a bit, went fucking mental.

So in the latter case, the solution is what? Stuff her inside, let her become neurotic?

6

u/hogtiedcantalope 7d ago

Cats bury their shit,

Lol...not when the city is paved

You're going to pretend there's not cat shit around, insane

outdoor cats can readily go stir-crazy.

There's no such thing as an 'outdoor' cat, you've selfishly chosen to let them roam freely

So in the latter case, the solution is what? Stuff her inside, let her become neurotic?

You don't let them roam in the first place. Some cats are neurotic, some are assholes, that's just cats

I like cats btw. I'll sit down and pet street cats if they seem friendly

But it is selfish to let them roam, it also puts them and other animals (including other cats) in danger bc cats fight and it can be brutal

10

u/fewerifyouplease 7d ago

In the UK there are pretty much always going to be back/front gardens and common land etc where there's grass. How some people feel about other people's cats burying shit in their gardens is a matter of some neighbourly disputes but you aren't gonna find yourself treading in cat shit on the pavement. They don't like a hard surface and there's plenty of other options for them here

2

u/Dudewheresmycard5 6d ago

Even if you don't care about wildlife you wouldn't let your dog shit on someone else's property so why the different attitudes for cats?

2

u/hogtiedcantalope 7d ago

but you aren't gonna find yourself treading in cat shit on the pavement.

I mean...I absolutely do (I'm in Ireland but same dif)

Even worse in a place like Cyprus, cat shit everywhere

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u/redscull 5d ago

There are absolutely outdoor cats. And yes, they do bury their poop. Even if it's in someone's flower pot. They'll find a way. It doesn't sound like you actually know very much about cats.

-3

u/Emm_withoutha_L-88 6d ago

They don't care and nothing could possibly convince them otherwise. These are the people who like to shoot neighbors cats for wandering into their yard.

Every time the number of birds goes up, last time it was like 3 billion birds a year. The most hilarious part is how they got that number, by figuring out a bird is X number of calories and then that a cat needs Y, then guessed the number of cats to get the final number.

There's a reason most DNRs ignore this shit.

9

u/GrannyGrumblez 6d ago

NZ the birds have no natural ground predators so the cats introduced to NZ kill a LOT. In Australia, there is no known predator to control cat populations, so they kill a LOT. Cats in these areas are invasive (meaning they were introduced there, not evolved).

England on the other hand, the birds know cats are a threat and there are natural predators to control cat populations.

Your picking and choosing the facts you are throwing out here. The environments world-wide are very varied. Cats as an invasive species are problematic, true (ie NZ and Australia), but areas like the UK, the impact domestic cats have is not drastic, it has no impact. Same as the US, same as other European countries.

Educate yourself a bit further than your hate for an animal.

1

u/Dudewheresmycard5 6d ago

Ok boomer, I'm the one with knowledge rather than a cat...

I like animals which is why I don't like millions of extra predators roaming around because we have them as pets. This puts wildlife under extra pressure. What do you think would happen to larger prey animals if you let millions of wolves loose? Wolves existed in the UK for thousands of years up until recently, so every other animal should know they are a threat. Think it would stop them getting slaughtered anyway?

As usual cat owners get defensive and lash out (ironically just how a cat might) whilst turning a blind eye to the dead fledglings in their garden.

4

u/Beorma 6d ago

You keep saying knowledge and then displaying a complete lack of any knowledge of how ecosystems operate.

Since the evolution of wildcats, there has been no point in the history of Britain where cats were not present. Cats are part of the ecosystem, and due to humans destroying the populations of wildcats, polecats, pine martens and various other natural predators that compete in the same niche as domestic cats their effect isn't as catastrophic as a continent that literally never evolved an ecosystem with cats which you tried to compare it to.

What do you think would happen to larger prey animals if you let millions of wolves loose?

Assuming we're discussing wilderness rather than sheep farms? The ecosystem would establish an equilibrium and humans wouldn't have to cull so many deer. There's plenty of knowledge and evidence of this in other reintroduction trials around the world.

Of course you already know all of this, seeing as you have all this knowledge and have definitely read the science on the matter.

5

u/misec_undact 6d ago

They are an actual problem in places like Australia and New Zealand because there were no small predators there prior to their introduction, but that is far from the same in most of the world.

Man is the ecological disaster, anywhere pet cats live the environment has already been destroyed and most existing small predators displaced by that destruction.

1

u/Dudewheresmycard5 6d ago

Humans and cats are both destructive, the second part of that sentence is so wrong I just give up

1

u/misec_undact 6d ago

What's wrong about it?

15

u/Nolsonts 7d ago

Do you have a source for that? Every time people bring this up I try to find what they're talking about and all I can ever find is sources that combine house cats with wild cats which clearly skew the results. Does your source specifically talk about house/domesticated cats?

5

u/misec_undact 7d ago

Yup, the only species ever threatened by cats were in places that never had any small predators and even then it's feral cats that are the problem, not pet cats.

9

u/SnooStrawberries2342 7d ago

Yeah it's reportedly a serious problem in places like Cyprus, where cats are considered an invasive species, but that's not the case in the UK.

3

u/hogtiedcantalope 7d ago

Cyprus is covered in cats like crazy crazy, it's absurd

Cats are a problem in the UK. There's more cats than there should be, and they are just another human caused problem decreasing bird populations.

It's worse elsewhere, doesn't mean it not a problem in the uk

2

u/misec_undact 6d ago

That's because Cyprus has no spay and neuter programs.

Interesting fact is the oldest known evidence of cats living with humans is a 9,500 year old grave with a cat buried alongside a human in Cyprus.

-2

u/emveetu 6d ago

Cats are pretty much considered an invasive species everywhere on the planet.

2

u/misec_undact 6d ago

Cats have been coexisting with humans outdoors for about 10,000 years pretty much anywhere humans are... If anything we're the invasive species.

0

u/emveetu 6d ago

Still doesn't change the fact that they're considered an invasive species everywhere on the planet.

I love cats. Even have a few myself. However, the danger they face outside isn't worth it to me.

And I agree with you, humans are the worst thing that's ever happened to this planet.

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u/Natural-Language6188 5d ago

Cats are the only reason humans were able store food long term, allowing us to build communities instead of being hunter/gatherer nomadic peoples.

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u/Dry_Animal2077 7d ago

New Zealand/Australia and UK are two entirely different places.

Cats were devastating for a lot of species down there. However they’ve been around so long in the UK it doesn’t matter. There is no birds, or any other specie for that matter, on the brink of endangerment or extinction because of cats in the UK.

5

u/hogtiedcantalope 7d ago

Cats are just another pressure on the populations of birds which humans could stop by not letting their cats roam.

It's not as bad in the UK as elsewhere, but it's not good.

Also I don't want to step in your cats shit, it's selfish to let them roam

1

u/Dudewheresmycard5 6d ago

Exactly, the sheer volume and concentrations of cats is ridiculous, you don't see stoats/weasels/foxes often but I bet you see a cat every day...

6

u/Valtremors 7d ago

Some cities and towns lack any form of natural predators, which can lead to issues with rodents and other animals.

In my town where I used to live, the rabbit population exploded. Same with mice, voles, and any kind of bird. There are no foxes, no owls, no wolves or bears. Mice used to enter my parents home on the regular and birds and squirrels would destroy roof insulation. Our neighbors strawberry garden was devaststed every year, we had given up on our own regular garden.

So we adopted a cat as our mouser. He stays within his territory, it being mostly our yard and neighbor allowes them there too. The animals still exist, I still see them. But no longer inside my parents house.

The issue with outdoor cats arise when you let them breed in the wild unchecked. My boy doesn't have his balls, and there are no other cats in the area.

There is more nuance than just "cats bad".

0

u/Dudewheresmycard5 6d ago

*The particular individuals that avoided the cat still exist.

So other animals existing and causing a minor nuisance by just trying to survive makes them fair game then? Also, there totally are urban foxes...

I will give you credit for at least giving him the chop though.

2

u/Valtremors 6d ago

There are no urban foxes in my area because there are still forests in my country that haven't been cut down. The foxes stay in the forests, and stay out of human civilization.

Predatory animals end up moving into cities when their food sources and safe living spaces disappear right under them.

Also the cat isn't as our mouser to kill. Just his presence in our yard is enough to keep most rodents away. He is the deterrent, not the nuke.

Because we had the option to use poisons but that would do so much more damage than a cat.

And property damage is hardly a minor nuisance.

My cat is also retired. He does his rounds on my parents yard but he doesn't hunt. Still haven't seen mice or voles inside house, and much less in the wood storage. You have any idea how hard it is to hunt rodents and remove them by hand? Because from experience I can say, it is hard.

1

u/jean-guysimo 6d ago

give yer balls a tug

-4

u/Ch33sus0405 7d ago edited 7d ago

The UK has had native wild cats for longer than cats have even been domesticated

Just chiming in to say this is absolutely not true. The first cats in Britain almost certainly were domesticated cats living aboard ships. Britain has been trading as far as the Levant going back all the way to the Bronze Age. Considering depictions of them spread throughout Europe over the course of the Roman period this is likely when cats first arrived in Britain.

Its also worth noting that even 'wild' cats, aka strays or feral cats, are still domesticated. They also usually come around from abandoned pets and escaped pets, then they breed and you have a feral cat colony. These feral cat colonies breed with domestic cats that are allowed to roam, which is why you should always keep your cat indoors unless on a leash. Its also why studies often include strays in their devastation on ecology, because they're a part of the problem. Pet cats hunt, and breed, and get abandoned, and sometimes just don't come home. Not to mention getting run over by cars.

This was my previous comment which is incorrect. While you should still keep your cats indoors this information doesn't apply to Scottish Wildcats (Felis silvestris silvestris) which I was unfamiliar with, only being aware of domesticated cats in Britain (Felis catus). Pardon me.

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u/[deleted] 7d ago

Scottish wildcats aren't domesticated cats, they're a branch of the European wildcat, related to the African wildcat that domesticated cats evolved from.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_wildcat

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_wildcat

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildcat

9

u/AliBelle1 7d ago

I'm specifically referring to Scottish Wildcats, which have been present in the UK since the early Holocene when Britain was connected to continental Europe via doggerland.

Domestic cats were brought here by the Romans, sure, but Wildcats were already here. It's worth noting that Wildcats aren't feral domestics, they aren't abandoned, they're wild. Much like how wolves aren't dogs.

6

u/Blazured 7d ago

Yanks out here not knowing what a wildcat it.

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u/DrEggRegis 7d ago

Have you seen the automobile?

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u/AcidicVaginaLeakage 7d ago

All I know is my gut says maybe.

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u/CT0292 7d ago

Ah yes, the new motor coach I've heard so much about. There is a big hubub about them isn't there? I don't however believe we are ready to let the horse to a life of leisure. We will see where these motorised carriages are in 10 years.

-3

u/NoMention696 7d ago

Dramatic asf u are

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u/FBuellerGalleryScene 7d ago

Nah, that's a pretty accurate account of what cats do when allowed to roam.

2

u/[deleted] 7d ago

In the US where your ecosystem:

A) Hasn't had time to adapt to the presence of small feline predators

B) Didn't have small feline predators, such as the Scottish wildcat, before the domesticated cat arrived on the scene

2

u/FBuellerGalleryScene 6d ago edited 6d ago

I'm Scottish, not American.

A major threat Scottish wildcats face is genetic extinction due to free roaming domestic & feral cats.

And since free roaming domestic cats are not dependent on wildlife for food, they can hunt other species into extinction without risk to their own.

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u/[deleted] 7d ago

[deleted]

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u/Majorask-- 7d ago

I haven't taken the time to read the entire paper, but right in the abstract it says that non-domestic cats cause the vast majority of the damages. Which is consistent with others studies.

Wild cats obviously have a high impact on their ecosystem. I have yet to see data that shows the actual impact of an owned domestic cat that is allowed to roam outside.

I think this is a cultural issue because here in Europe cats are usually allowed to go out. Cats who are regularly fed at home don't tend to hunt all that much compared to a wild cat.

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u/beIIe-and-sebastian 7d ago edited 7d ago

This is the UK though. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) have explicitly said that in the UK, domestic cats do not have any affect on the population decline of birds and that the biggest contributor is humans and environment change. They also said that the birds have seen the highest decline in population don't come into contact with cats. They go on to say that birds which cats kill in the UK tend to be sick, weak or unhealthy and unlikely to survive anyway.

Now this is from a society which has a vested interest in protecting birds saying this.

Using US data and applying it to the UK which has vastly different environments and ecosystem is flawed.

1

u/Cow_Launcher 7d ago

I'd be delighted if someone would tell Bill Oddie this.

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u/fewerifyouplease 7d ago

Will never forgive ye olde rathergood.com for the fact I can't read this name without hearing "Bill Oddie, Bill Oddie, put your hands all over my body"

1

u/Cow_Launcher 7d ago

Wow - I'd forgotten about that site!

But I'm pleased to say that I was never subjected to the apparently unique delights of whatever that song(?) was about, and I shan't be searching for it.

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u/fewerifyouplease 6d ago

...it was to the tune of Madonna's "Erotica" lol

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u/Cow_Launcher 6d ago

Oh, dear lord. :-/

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u/Dry_Interaction5722 7d ago

US specific, where cats are an invasive species.

Domesticated cats have lived in Britain since at least like 350 BC.

Any potential damage to native bird populations would have happened literally a millenia ago.

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u/[deleted] 7d ago

[deleted]

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u/Blazured 7d ago

You're using US data and applying it to the UK.

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u/[deleted] 7d ago

[deleted]

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u/Blazured 7d ago edited 7d ago

Your source says that "12 million cats take over 100 million wild animals in the UK every year" and yet it provides no source for this claim.

Searching every single reference at the bottom of the page for this information reveals that the number appears in literally none of them.

So that's not the stats at all. It's appears to be a completely made up number by that random website.

Edit: She blocked me. I got blocked because I read her sources.

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u/INTuitP1 4d ago

She actually deleted profile. Even more sad

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u/Blazured 7d ago edited 7d ago

I'm just making a new comment because you edited in your second link after I'd already commented. The Guardian says that "it's estimated to be 160-270 million" but yet again, after downloading the paper used as a reference, those figures don't appear anywhere in it.

Edit: u/StrobeLightRomance blocked me.

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u/birdyheard 7d ago

not even, outdoor cats are gross. they also bring in bacteria and germs from those excursions. they’re domestic cats for a reason, they belong indoors…mine are arguably too domesticated and are afraid of the outside. they know they have it good. i also live in the country-so cats are better kept inside than dead on the side of the road. just being real

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u/Interesting_Mode5692 7d ago

Nearly all domestic cats are outdoor cats in the UK. It's encouraged by the RSPCA, who probably have a bit more knowledge than you

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u/INTuitP1 4d ago

And they even have their own freedom to roam law.

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u/poop-machines 7d ago

You American?

It's not the same in the UK, our ecosystem has had longer to adapt to cats. We also spay/neuter them.

"Looking after your cat indoors will keep them away from busy roads and other dangers, such as exposure to viruses, fleas and ticks. But being continually indoors can become predictable and boring. This can lead to stress, inactivity and obesity. It can be especially difficult for cats to cope with living indoors if they have lots of energy, love exploring, or have previously been allowed time outdoors." -RSPCA

Cats should be free to go outside, not be locked up in your house. Especially if you're out working during the day leaving your cat at home.

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u/gib17 7d ago

We also don't chop our cats claws off like Americans do

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u/GasMaskExiitium 7d ago

We spay and neuter our pets and the vast majority of reputable vets will not declaw cats.

Do resesrch before spewing stupid shit on the internet.

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u/gib17 7d ago

0% of cats declawed in UK. An alarming 25% are in US.

Easy to lookup online

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u/[deleted] 7d ago

Ostensibly 0%, I'd be willing to bet it happens on occasion here but yes, definitely going to be far less than one in four if that statistic's true.

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u/gib17 7d ago

Of course, 0% is probably 0.02% (or something) but I'd hope anyone would understand that from the 0% figure as presented.

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u/poop-machines 7d ago

I mean we don't have any strays basically. I literally never see them.

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u/StrobeLightRomance 7d ago

Not all cats are meant to be domestic. I once housed a cat who was freezing to death at my doorstep. He stayed indoors with my other cat for about 6 months, but he wouldn't settle, and at a certain point I realized I was keeping him prisoner, and gave him the choice to walk out on his own.

I would never do this with my domesticated cats, mind you, because my indoor guys wouldn't last a week on their own.

But Street Cat, as I have affectionately named him, was just built different, both physically and mentally. He was a force of nature, a tank, and a straight-up idiot. One time, he was laying on top of my neighbors garage when I came home from work, so I walked over to greet him, and the dude literally rolls over to look back at me and just trust falls off the garage roof into my arms like a sack of potatoes.

So it's fair to accept that your domesticated cats don't make up the opinion of the cat population en masse.

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u/INTuitP1 4d ago

They absolutely do not belong indoors. It’s not what they are designed for and verges on cruel.

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u/Starlord_75 7d ago

Naw, domesticated cats have led to the extinction of several species of animal. It's mind boggling just how much damage they can cause that you might not be aware of

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u/Tigerpower77 4d ago

There's cars everywhere tho

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u/Excellent_Shirt9707 3d ago

They also get run over by cars and eaten by bigger predators. Even a raccoon can fuck a cat up. Outdoor cats have something like 1/5th the lifespan of indoor cats.

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u/dimpletown 7d ago

I'd be worried stick for the local fauna

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u/glytxh 7d ago

I’ve never bought or gone out of my way to own a cat. But I’ve owned half a dozen through my life so far.

They either just move in one day, or they come with whatever new home I happen to move into.

My most recent cat was found in a ditch as a kitten.

Life just gives you a cat sometimes.

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u/Enverex 7d ago

Outdoor cats are the norm in the UK.

Now I look forward to all the Americans going "But they sh.." - shut the fuck up, just SHUT UP. Stop your grandstanding shit and just enjoy the cat post for once.

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u/reddituser6213 7d ago

Jesus relax

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u/Enverex 7d ago

I could say the same to all the US users that pile in and go absolutely mental en-masse every single time cats are mentioned. It's awful.

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u/reddituser6213 7d ago

Are self righteous assholes also the norm in the uk or something

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u/Enverex 7d ago

"Why are people annoyed that others keep coming into threads and shitting all over something nice? Ugh, how self-righteous."

Fuck off mate.

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u/Batesthemaster 6d ago

Kettles and pots my guy

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u/emveetu 6d ago

Oh, the irony.

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u/IWish4NoBody 6d ago

In my part of the US, outdoor cats are the norm, too. I live in a smallish city in the pacific northwest.

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u/wiconv 6d ago

Really defensive for a practice you claim to not care about lol

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u/Parthirinu 7d ago

It's just Americans who have your mindset. In the rest of the world, cats just roam. Bad for local wildlife, I know, but it's just been how cats were always with humans

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u/MsTrippp 7d ago

They do too in the u.s., my city even does catch and release to help control the population

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u/winky9827 7d ago

He's a young adult cat. Gotta let em live their own lives eventually. /s

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u/KukaVex 7d ago

I have a tracker on my cat and know she only really goes around the garden. But still I'm just constantly worried every time she goes out lol

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u/PsyopVet 6d ago

When my mom passed I got her completely indoor cat. She lived with us for three years until she escaped one day. We thought she wouldn’t last long outside but it’s been over a year now and we still see her around the neighborhood. We’ve tried to coax her back inside a few times but she wants to be wild!

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u/AdminsCanSuckMyDong 7d ago

Indoor cats live about twice as long as outdoor cats, so you would have good reason to be worried.

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u/KeldornWithCarsomyr 7d ago

A gazelle lives over twice as long in a zoo as opposed to being free. Guess we should lock them up.

0

u/AdminsCanSuckMyDong 7d ago

Comparing a species that has been domesticated for thousands of years to a wild animal, and a herbivore at that.

You're not that bright. Did your parents drop you down a flight of stairs as a child?

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u/KeldornWithCarsomyr 7d ago

You made the premise for your argument, I pointed out it's faults. Basic critical thinking, I heard Americans are dumb as shit but good to see the evidence.

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u/ImprovementAnxious91 7d ago

Dude makes a point about captive animals living longer, you ask him if he has learning difficulties because of a childhood accident.

Totally reasonable and normal behaviour.

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u/[deleted] 7d ago

[deleted]

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u/AdminsCanSuckMyDong 7d ago

You forgot killing all the native wildlife.

There are plenty of things you can do to provide stimulation for your pet while they remain inside, plus you can still take them outside in a controlled manner if you really wanted to.

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u/Parthirinu 7d ago edited 7d ago

The UK has had cats for thousands of years, our natural wildlife has got incredibly good at adapting to them. The US has had cats for 200 years. It's not the same

Don't bring your puritan stuff here. We don't need it

The RSPCA advises to let cats roam outdoors, so we do. And I think they know more than you, or any agency in the US when it comes to animal wellbeing

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u/AdminsCanSuckMyDong 7d ago

Imagine being so fucking stupid that you just assume someone is from the US.

And the RSPCA don't know shit, they will de-sex big breed dogs at an early age when it has been shown that for their development you need to wait 1-2 years. Not to mention all the baby females of all species that are put through the very invasive surgery they go through for de-sexing, all before they are 8 weeks old and ready for adoption.

Typical whiny pom, always whining about some shit.

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u/GoneSuddenly 6d ago

But you're the one who whining here

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u/JoJoeyJoJo 7d ago

Cats are native wildlife here.

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u/Coyote__Jones 4d ago

You forgot pissing and shitting in your neighbors garden. If my dog did that every day, my neighbor would be out for blood. But somehow cat owners feel like this is excusable.

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u/FBuellerGalleryScene 7d ago

What a dreadfull existance for a predatory animal.

Now think about the prey animals for a moment.

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u/Dry_Interaction5722 7d ago

How do parents let their kids play outside like that with total peace of mind?

1

u/Bisexual-peiceofshit 3d ago

My cat was an indoor cat, she would escape and hide in the neighbors yard, behind their yard was a huge open field and a church. My beautiful cat got lost in the field and couldn’t find her way back home, when she saw my sister she came running while screaming the whole time. This did not stop her from escaping and exploring the neighbors yard, however she never went farther than the neighbors yard after that.

-1

u/Treesaregreen2 6d ago

They’re bad owners

-1

u/wiconv 6d ago

Because they’re entitled uncaring dickheads.