Why are cats not required to be on a leash, like dogs?

Just a guess here, but I would be more afraid of a vicious dog on the loose than a vicious cat. One can tear you up a lot faster.

@laureth Cats can hurt.

Oh, I agree! In close quarters, when they have your hand in their claws, ow! But I’ve never been chased down by a calico outside the way I’ve heard of people being attacked by, say, a pitbull.

I think it’s mostly due to a security issue. Dogs cause a lot more damage when they attack than a cat might…or at least, dogs can often do just that; attack folks outta nowhere.
Even if a cat could rip your arm off, the only way the majority of cats will attack anyone is if you attack THEM and they find themselves unable to run away.

Also, generally, a loose dog causes more damage than a loose cat too, and cats are supposed to bury their poop as far as I know.

It’s all general really though, I’m sure there plenty of much more legit reasons than what I mentioned, when you consider small, harmless dogs and all. :/

In what situation is a cat out with its people?

Dogs are supposed to be leashed when they’re out because it’s common for them to be out. It’s not common for people to take their cats out in public, is it? Seems like it would be weird to have a law so flowerbeds aren’t pooped in and mice aren’t chased. Dogs can do so much more damage.

Valid question.

Probably because people never consider situations, like you describe, where an owner allows a cat to deface someone’s property.

Because they are not big and intimidating. Bottomline.

I don’t think someone can be killed by a house cat

REVENGE OF THE PSYCHO KILLER HOUSE CAT LULZ

>_>

@Violet that’s not funny, my brother died that way

@PretentiousArtist it wasn’t supposed to be funny. I said “I don’t think”, and I can’t tell if you are serious or not

Cats are adults, dogs are children.

Because nobody cares about cats.

Not every dog is aggressive, but there are others situations that require a leash. Like traffic safety. Cats seem to be ‘smarter’ when it comes to crossing a street. Obviously getting your pet killed is of first concern, but should they run loose.. a cat makes a small dent in your car’s bodywork, some bigger dogs can cause horrible accidents involving multiple cars.

I beg to differ about being afraid of cats. A neighbor called me when I was president of our HOA. She had been gardening in her back yard when a large cat jumped her fence and took a big bite on her then ran away. The woman was scared as this was an unusual act and the cat could have had rabies. She needed to know who owned this vicious cat or go to the hospital. I’m a dog person so didn’t know any of the cats in our small neighborhood.
Who would? It dawned on me that kids would! I told her I would get back to her and I went out front. I spotted a group of kids playing down the street. When I reached them, I described the cat to them. Everyone of those kids knew who owned the cat! I called the lady back and she went to the cat owner’s home. They were horrified that their cat had attacked her in her own back yard. They took their cat to their Vet who verified that the cat did not have rabies. Thank goodness but my neighbor never felt safe again when outside.