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Comment by Fleusal | Hacker News Reader

The cat would have a terribly boring life.

How much more boring is our world becoming without our songbirds?

https://daily.jstor.org/environmental-danger-outdoor-cats/

There’s the academic source, and for my anecdotal one my family’s yard in Connecticut is much quieter on a June afternoon today than it was 20 years ago.

There are responsible ways to keep indoor cats entertained. If someone can’t do that, then it seems to me they’re just as unsuited to having a pet as if they couldn’t keep it fed.

you can walk your cat on a leash. you can play with it to give it stimulation. letting your cat roam outside isn't a replacement for your laziness.

Even if you have a good point people are going to be less likely to listen to you if you start calling them lazy. This comment would be better without the last sentence

fair. projection on my part. i interpret seeing people say indoor cats lives are miserable (and using that idea uncritically to affirm their own choices) are doing so from a holier-than-thou position. to me, it's an uncreative and lazy view on pet ownership, but i getcha: flies, honey, and vinegar and all that.

> walk your cat on a leash

I doubt any of the cats I've ever had would approve of this

I live in an apartment complex with lots of animals and I see several of my neighbors leash-walk their cats regularly.

It just takes some time to train them usually. It's much easier if you get them used to it early in their lifetime, though.

Mine adores her leash walks. Cats are naturally skittish animals, being both prey and predator. So if they trust you as a source of protection the comfort of walking without worries is a benefit that outweighs the restriction of the harness. Plus it's high quality bonding time.

Sure, if you don't take care of it or provide any stimulation. Part of having pets is taking care of them.

How do you purport to know such a thing?

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