@zoologicallyobsessed this is all I can think about while watching/participating in these stupid arguments about outdoor cats
@slightlyunderokayartist I can’t believe you genuinely think the “enrichment” your cat gets from going outside is worth him possibly being run over, mauled by a dog/raccoon/possum/etc, being poisoned, or otherwise being severely hurt or killed. What’s it like caring that little for the well-being of your cat?
You are not a cat. Your cat does not understand the risks of the outside, nor does he understand the ecological damage every time he hunts birds or other animals for fun. You may be able to conceptualize the idea of taking risks and doing risky things, but your cat does not. He does not understand it is risky to stand in the middle of the road, or eat strange food left outside by assholes that purposefully poison cats. He isn’t capable of weighing the risks and benefits of walking out your door. YOU are his owner, and it is YOUR job to make decisions that keep him safe and healthy.
If you genuinely cared about the value of enrichment for your cat you would give him that enrichment indoors, harness train him, or have an enclosure for him outside.
Cats are cats. They aren’t dogs, or babies, or hamsters, or teddies, or antique china ornaments. They are wild animals that also enjoy hugs.
If you have objections to letting them go outside, choose another pet.
fandom is so weird you never know how old anyone is but you just kinda assume most of them are around your age until proven otherwise and then one day someone is talking about their 9 year old kid on your dash and another person is saying they just finished 10th grade. wild.
reblog and tag with your age, so your mutuals know
There’s a reason lots of good parents say to babies stuff like
“You’re excited to go to the park!”
“Oh, it makes you mad that we can’t go outside.”
And then when the babies get a little bit older the parents can say
“You seem upset. Are you sad?”
“Are you excited that gramma is coming over today?”
Which lets the kid (who is learning to utilize speech) respond with yes or no, which may prompt more questions, like
“So you aren’t sad, are you angry?”
“Yes, does it make you happy when gramma is here?”
And then, finally, when the child is learning to use language in a more complex way, the parents can say,
“How does it make you feel?”
“Why are you feeling like that?”
And it’s all about teaching emotional awareness. I really reccomend using the process on yourself. Learn to ask, “am I happy?” “Am I sad?” “Am I anxious?”
Then practice identifying, out loud or on paper if you can, “I’m happy.” “I’m upset.” “I’m sad.” “I’m anxious.”
Final step: “Why am I feeling anxious? I’m still thinking about that awkward conversation earlier.” “Why am I happy? It’s such a beautiful day outside.” “Why am I sad? None of my friends are responding to my messages.”
It really helps you notice patterns (“I’m more likely to be happy when I’m around this person.” “When I haven’t eaten, I often feel angry.” “If I don’t plan ahead, I get anxious.”) which is the first step in avoiding things and people that are bad for you and encouraging things and people that are good.
Basically don’t forget that you’re just a baby who got more complicated.
so what did muggles think was happening during the voldemort wars? i mean surely they had to have seen some of it, they can’t just write it off as
you know what i just remembered that we had killer clown sightings all over last year and our reaction was ‘huh that’s weird/creepy anyway let’s not wonder about that any more’
