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Effects of cat ownership on the gut microbiota of owners

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Re: Effects of cat ownership on the gut microbiota of owners

#131

Post by teekert »

laurowyn wrote: post #114
teekert wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where I live most people with dogs either let them poop in nature or clean it up. They certainly don't come into my garden to do their business. Telling someone to take a huge pet with huge responsibilities just to get rid of neighborhood cats pooping in their garden is a bit of a non-solution. But I guess, it's all funny when you own and love cats. But, please try to imagine what it can be like for your neighbors wh…

This, in my opinion, is why we can't have nice things. Calling for the death of any living thing that we disagree with isn't okay. And trapping an animal indoors where it can't exercise its natural tendencies is also a non-solution. I completely understand the want and need to protect your property from intruders, animal or human. But calling for the death of any and all animals that enter your property is borderline…

I'm not killing any animals, I wouldn't even kill the rats, I was just indicating the arbitrary line between vermin and pets. We have frogs, hedgehogs and in parts of our town sometimes even a fox (and they kill chickens if you don't close the hen). I think it's beautiful. Not the same as the high concentration of cats we have in our urban area. One of our neighbors has 4 cats, and they all shit in the area directly around her yard. And they are the reason I can't leave the chickens alone outside during the day.

And believe me, nothing deters cats, me and my cat-less neighbors have tried everything under the sun. I splashed them with water multiple times already. Sure, it's all fun when the cat sits in a box and is cuddly. But it's a roaming predator that spreads excrement and disease. And if you don't cuddle with it regularly, that's all it is.

And how can you tell me to keep my soil moist, do you know what an amount of work that is? Cat owners should come and keep my soil moist. Or, just keep their cat inside.

If you love your animals, go live on a farm or in the woods. The city is no place for pets like cats.

Re: Effects of cat ownership on the gut microbiota of owners

#132

Post by teekert »

nosianu wrote: post #128
teekert wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where I live most people with dogs either let them poop in nature or clean it up. They certainly don't come into my garden to do their business. Telling someone to take a huge pet with huge responsibilities just to get rid of neighborhood cats pooping in their garden is a bit of a non-solution. But I guess, it's all funny when you own and love cats. But, please try to imagine what it can be like for your neighbors wh…

> They certainly don't come into my garden to do their business. It's only a small fraction of dog owners but in my city - and a lot more after COVID isolation which seems to have increased pet dog population noticeably around here - dog poop is regularly found on city side walks. I can find articles with complaints about dog poop on (for me, German) sidewalks easily, much harder than finding complaints about cat poo…

I guess we agree, it's not about cats v dogs, people that let their dog poop on the street without cleaning it up should also go straight to jail...

Re: Effects of cat ownership on the gut microbiota of owners

#133

Post by gjhh244 »

gambiting wrote: post #122
teekert wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As long as you keep it inside (where it isn't defecating in my garden, hunting my chickens or trying to get inside where I may lock it in by accident causing mayhem, etc, I'd like my pregnant wife to still be able to do gardening and also I like eating things from my garden). I live in a country where it is legal to just keep you cat outside all day. It's madness.

>>I live in a country where it is legal to just keep you cat outside all day. It's madness. As someone who lived most of my life in the countryside and our cats only lived outside, I will echo some of the other comments - is there anywhere where you can't keep a cat outside???? That's madness.

Keeping a cat outside can be pretty bad for wildlife, such as birds.

Re: Effects of cat ownership on the gut microbiota of owners

#134

Post by gambiting »

gjhh244 wrote: post #133
gambiting wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>>I live in a country where it is legal to just keep you cat outside all day. It's madness. As someone who lived most of my life in the countryside and our cats only lived outside, I will echo some of the other comments - is there anywhere where you can't keep a cat outside???? That's madness.

Keeping a cat outside can be pretty bad for wildlife, such as birds.

In my experience yes, but only if you don't feed them. Then they go and hunt birds and other animals. If you give them plenty of food then they just chill all day.

Re: Effects of cat ownership on the gut microbiota of owners

#135

Post by astura »

jnwatson wrote: post #71
dylan604 wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

you must really not like pets, or at least cats to suggest this. cats are just tasty snacks for most of the other animal night life

It strongly depends on where you live. There are plenty of places where it is relatively safe for an animal to occasionally live outdoors.

It's never safe for the local wildlife population (birds, rodents, etc)

Re: Effects of cat ownership on the gut microbiota of owners

#136

Post by gilbetron »

bregma wrote: post #118
gilbetron wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We learned years ago that our cats get put in the lower part of our house with the door closed at night. We felt bad about it, but being able to sleep all night made up for it. Quick story: for several nights, I'd wake up in the middle of the night with horrendous stomach pains. I was thinking I needed to see the doctor it was so painful. Then on the fourth night when the pain hit I woke up fast enough to notice our…

A 15 lb cat? You need to see a vet, not a doctor.

He's down to 12 lbs, we adopted him when he was 7 years old and weighed 17 lbs as his previous owners kept him in a single room. But thanks for judging me sans facts, internet stranger!

Re: Effects of cat ownership on the gut microbiota of owners

#137

Post by gilbetron »

gadders wrote: post #109
gilbetron wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We learned years ago that our cats get put in the lower part of our house with the door closed at night. We felt bad about it, but being able to sleep all night made up for it. Quick story: for several nights, I'd wake up in the middle of the night with horrendous stomach pains. I was thinking I needed to see the doctor it was so painful. Then on the fourth night when the pain hit I woke up fast enough to notice our…

How did that not wake you up?

Oh it did, but apparently he would jump on me and then quickly scamper away without me realizing it. Consciousness is weird.

Re: Effects of cat ownership on the gut microbiota of owners

#138

Post by spiffotron »

ZEFuVQU3WpZz wrote: post #45

My family and I are all sound sleepers who sleep on our backs. Our cat, from the first day we acquired her at the pound until her last, would go from chest to chest during the night. There are few things nicer than waking up in the morning to a cat purring on your chest.

Our cat has taken to sitting on us and patting our face until we wake up rather than waiting for us to wake up naturally.

Re: Effects of cat ownership on the gut microbiota of owners

#139

Post by nix23 »

Tenoke wrote: post #121
nix23 wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Actually, keeping your cat inside should be the norm. Not in Europe, maybe new zealand. But in Europe we had/have wildcats until we destroyed the large forests. And nearly ever farmer depends on a cat to keep vermin's in check, if you have to keep your cat inside DONT BUY A CAT.

I live in a city and letting my cats outside is not feasible. They are also perfectly happy indoors and I doubt that street cats live better lives.

>I doubt that street cats live better lives.

I don't talk about street-cats, i talk about cats who can come and go as they wish.

Re: Effects of cat ownership on the gut microbiota of owners

#140

Post by tryauuum »

thrill wrote: post #44
jv22222 wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "Sixty percent of cat owners sleep with their cats, which may enhance their sense of security and improve their quality of sleep" I regularly open my eyes in the middle of the night and my cat's face is about 5 inches away from mine, just sitting there perfectly still, staring at me.

When I was a teenager I was having an odd dream of my nose really tickling as I came out of a deep sleep. I finally opened my eyes to see my Siamese sitting on my chest holding a struggling mouse by the tail over my snoring mouth. Its front paws had been scrabbling just on the edge of my upper lip.

"an average cat owner swallows 4-6 mice per year while sleeping"
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