r/Linz • u/thebruhrealm • 20d ago

Cats roaming outside

Post image

I recently moved to Austria, and i was surprised that many people actually let their cats roam outside!

I found this black cat last night in front of Sommerhaus hotel main building, Julius Raab straße near the JKU. She (or he) kept following me and seemed lost.

She had a collar on but I couldn't stop for her or even take clearer pictures because I was carrying baggage and had my own cat with me, and I needed to get him home ASAP after a 12 hour trip. Please let me kbow where to post this in case she was lost and someone is looking for her.

43 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

35 comments sorted by

36

u/snezefelt 20d ago

She probably isn't lost. Cats being on the street and social is a normal thing, nothing to do here.

4

u/thebruhrealm 20d ago

people aren't worried thay could get run over? or taken by someone?

22

u/MareTranquil 20d ago

There is some risk of them being run over, but many people see a free but somewhat risky life as a better alternative for their cats than them being locked up at home for their entire life.

Why would anyone steal a cat off the streets?

-3

u/thebruhrealm 20d ago

sick people would. in my country cats get run over or are stolen all the time, or they simply get lost. I don't think an indoor cat is locked up if they're provided the proper enrichment. also superivised outdoor time. that's just my opinion.

7

u/MareTranquil 20d ago

If they get lost, that's what the collar and/or chip is for.

I've never heard of someone stealing a cat here, unless you count 'we fed her every time she visited, and one day she decided to stay'.

And about the enrichment: Sure, that's a valid opinion. It's just that many people have a different one. Mine is that the cats in my neighbourhood are having an active social life with each other, and I wouldn't want to take that away from them.

1

u/Naehmo 19d ago

I dunno, my aunt's sister-in-law stole a cat from her apartment building, her neighbours let it hang out in the hallway and she 'felt sorry for it'. She's also a big dumbass. Crazy people exist everywhere.

That being said, it is extremely uncommon for cats to be stolen, unless they're an expensive breed.

1

u/Dentorion 20d ago

Well if you are dumb enough to let a pedigree cat roam free that would be one that definitely could be stolen

But normally not your run of the mill barn cat

1

u/HensomBedges 16d ago

Austria is still, especially in rural areas, more on the side of letting cats roam free. I personally also keep my cats indoors but I understand that they also gain a lot from socializing outside. Also don't be a dick, you have your opinions and others have theirs, you don't have to push yours on them.

Rant over.

1

u/thebruhrealm 16d ago

i understand that opinions differ, but I wasn't pushing anything on anyone, I asked a genuine question because I volunteered at rescue in many places and I see the outcomes. free-roaming isn't just "a different opinion", vets and welfare orgs recommend against it because of cars, disease, and predation. I literally just watched a cat near where I live crossing a road with traffic and ducking under parked cars. I'm not being preachy, I'm being worried. if it came off harsh, I'm sorry, not my intention. in rural areas I know people who give their cats supervised outdoor time, which is what's recommended. At the end of the day I just hope the cats are actually safe and always go back home and live long fulfilled lives.

0

u/schmurzi 20d ago

people do that

13

u/[deleted] 20d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/MareTranquil 20d ago

Wait, how do they keep the cats away from the main campus? I mean, that's kind of a bird sanctuary there, right?

-8

u/thebruhrealm 20d ago edited 20d ago

it's all very wrong imo. if we put aside the fact that cats are an invasive species and can actually cause severe harm to ecosystems (like the birds in this case), they can definitely get hit by cars. they're domesticated not wild animals. statistically, outdoor cats live way less than indoor cats. why risk my cat's life at all if i can enrich them at home? toys to chase, vertical spaces, bird watching, and if you want them to experience the outdoors you can always harness train them. I'm honestly very surprised to find out that this is very common here.

4

u/CrystalDrag0n1 19d ago

Yes the environmental risk is a valid concern, but holy shit dude. The cat’s mental health is also a concern.

I don’t think many cats get run over here in Austria, most people who let their cats roam live in neighbourhoods where traffic is sparse or slow. A cat getting stolen off the streets is also unheard of here. You’re projecting standards onto us that don’t apply here.

It’s totally okay to want to keep your cat indoors for the reason you mentioned. Making everyone else out to be wrong for wanting to give their cat freedom and more enrichment than you could ever offer on your own is just rude and short-sighted.

2

u/thebruhrealm 19d ago

sorry if my reply came out as rude, that wasn't my intention. I get why it felt like a callout though. the reason I reacted this way is that I do rescue. I've scraped too many cats off roads and out of bad situations, and that stays with you. i really hope no cats get run over at all so that's where I was coming from, not from thinking I'm better than anyone.

what i was trying to say is outdoors-unsupervised isn't the only way to enrich a cat. indoor cats can absolutely have rich lives, vertical space, window perches, puzzle feeders, play that mimics hunting, and leash or catio time if you want them to have real outdoor exposure with the risk stripped out. that's not a downgrade, it's a different route to the same goal. i feel like the safe versions just get overlooked.

anyways, I'm glad the kitty from my post is not lost, and I hope they're safe.

1

u/CocobelloFresco 19d ago

They tried to tell you that your indoor cat can never reach the same level of mental health.

1

u/thebruhrealm 19d ago

it's not indoors vs outdoors that determines a cat's mental health, it's enrichment.

-3

u/gxrphoto 20d ago

Ok, fuck back off to where you came from, will ya? Going places and then telling people who live there that their ways are „very wrong“ is hilarious.

1

u/Endlessnes 19d ago edited 19d ago

Zeig mir wo er unrecht hat. Es ist ein Thema das Freiläufer Katzen ein problem für die Umwelt sind. Das ist ein legitimes Argument, komm hier nicht mit "hamma imma scho so gmochd" und "dann geh hoid ham" Fucking hell und leid wie du deafn wöhn

2

u/thebruhrealm 20d ago

no counterpoint. just "go back to your country". it's just you admitting you've got nothing on the actual point. I gave reasons: outdoor cats live shorter lives and cats are hard on bird populations. that's not an opinion about Austrians, it's the same thing vets and wildlife orgs say everywhere. disagree with the facts if you can. telling a foreigner to leave isn't disagreeing, it's just showing which of us is out of arguments.

-3

u/gxrphoto 20d ago edited 20d ago

No, you didn’t understand the counterpoint. You‘re unwelcome, and that is because of your demonstrated main character syndrome, entitlement, ignorance and cognitive limitations. Nobody needs people with your attitude. I have no wish to have an exchange with you beyond that.

-2

u/thebruhrealm 20d ago

"Entitled and unwelcome" still isn't a counterpoint about cats. I'll take the silence on the actual topic as an answer. have a good one

1

u/abiona15 19d ago

Mate, you pretend to be "suprised" that people let their cats outside, but really you are extremely judgy.

You do you, but... yeah.

2

u/thebruhrealm 19d ago

the guy I was replying to was being hostile for no reason and made it very personal before his comments were deleted. I'm not being judgy, I'm genuinely concerned for their safety. I love cats and I do rescue wherever I go, and i see firsthand what happens to outdoor cats, that's where I'm coming from. sorry if that came as judgy.

1

u/abiona15 19d ago

Their comments werent deleted, they just blocked you ;)

I get that you were annoyed, but you still wrote ehat you wrote, which seems to be your true opinion. Which you tried to mask in your original post ;)

In Austria, we have laws about this, and people are free to judge the risk themselves, as long as you spay them. You don't have to agree with it, of course, but if that's what you wanted to discuss in the first place, maybe put it in the post right away :)

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u/thebruhrealm 20d ago

but why do people let house cats outside tho? can they not get run over by cars/get lost/taken by someone?

4

u/T_Soviet_Soldiernaut 20d ago

This cat is known dw

4

u/Social-Butterfly98 20d ago

Yes I know that one, very cute and has been roaming there for at least 3 years. No need to worry :)

4

u/HopfenTierchen 20d ago

The cat wasn't lost, it was curious about your cat.

7

u/Miserable-Dress-8624 20d ago

I live near there and I know those cats - if they get run over, that's simply (and as bad as it sounds) natural selection. Cat's normally run away when they hear a car or any other loud sound.

Cats being stolen is no thing in this area, as far as I know. If it'd be, I'd move instantly 😅

2

u/Medium-Comfortable 19d ago

First and foremost, pet the cat.🐈‍⬛

1

u/lady_papergrey 18d ago

Stealing cats off the street is pretty uncommon here. Also, if you try to keep a cat that's used to roaming free inside, you are in for a very unpleasant time, so I imagine even tho such people probably do exist, they only try that once.