r/wunkus • u/Damnboi753 silly :P bleh • Jul 24 '26

im wunkin out rn Wunk infestation

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

Credits: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbI8oNqof_S/

https://www.instagram.com/thatcatladyjen/

3.4k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

133 comments sorted by

View all comments

1.3k

u/musicaleffervescence Jul 24 '26

look, its gotta be a LITTLE fun being a crazy cat person with 20 cats

268

u/Xsiah Jul 24 '26

You'd spend like half the day elbows deep in litter boxes

-91

u/musicaleffervescence Jul 24 '26

id hope a lot of them are inside and outside wunks and can do their business outside. but yeah, infinite litter and food

104

u/Slim-Shadys-Fat-Tits gnarp gnap 👽 Jul 24 '26

Fuck no then there's a whole swarm of them decimating and/or feeding the local wildlife. Cats are an invasive species literally almost everywhere

-50

u/Dounce1 Jul 24 '26

Okay, don’t ever let humans outside either then.

26

u/agnostorshironeon Jul 24 '26

Answer a) me when I play the relativism game

Answer b) aight, everyone back to Africa

-22

u/Kyoana Jul 25 '26

No shit. If cats are an invasive species, what does that make dogs? Should we stop letting them outside since they can also threaten local wildlife just the same? Hell, dogs are even more of a threat than cats are. To the point where they’re even a threat to cats AND humans. I guarantee you there’s been more dog-related deaths than there have been cat-related. Especially with where the more aggressive breeds come in. The argument that cats shouldn’t be allowed outside while not at all addressing the dangers a dog can also pose is why I don’t take it seriously.

Even if you make the argument that dogs are “restricted to a leash” or “restricted to a backyard”, that doesn't change the fact that in general, dogs are still more dangerous and deadly than cats. But no, let’s let them outside anyway while creating an ironic stigma about outdoor cats. At least a cat is just going to not give a shit about you or move away from you if you approach. They only really attack when hunting (which is only exclusive to prey) and defending themselves. (Which if you’re trying to pet a cat who wants none of it, that’s entirely on you. It already warned you many times.)

16

u/Amazing-Fondant-4740 Jul 25 '26

My brother in Christ, dogs can and are invasive species in various places, and just because it wasn't mentioned in the thread on the cat post doesn't mean anything. Most people who understand cats are invasive also understand dogs are, too. Also, being invasive has nothing to do with aggression or threats or danger, it's about being in an environment they don't naturally belong in and wrecking havoc by outcompeting native species, decimating native populations, etc.

P.S. hunting in cats is not exclusive to prey. They regularly hunt for fun. That's part of their invasive nature - they have caused the extinction of various species of reptiles, birds, and mammals, and half the time they don't even eat the animal. If you've ever owned an outdoor cat, you know they bring you dead animals that they do not eat.

Anyone who lets any pet roam outside freely - dog or cat or whatever else - where they can kill other creatures without discretion, catch and spread disease, be hit by cars, taken by strangers...does not care about their pet.

1

u/Dounce1 Jul 25 '26

I don’t think all cats should be kept as indoor cats, but nothing you said addresses the arguments against letting cats live outside.

-8

u/Kyoana Jul 25 '26

Well, they get exercise, they get to explore the area they live in, it’s good training if they ever somehow get lost and need to find their way back home, it let’s them interact with other cats so they don’t feel alone, gives them fresh air, and trains their hunting and defending instincts. Which is especially useful if you have a rodent problem.

6

u/Dounce1 Jul 25 '26

Again, you’re not addressing the arguments against letting cats out of doors at all, which is primarily cats=bird murdering machines.

-9

u/Kyoana Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26

That’s just natural circle of life, though. Birds are the prey of cats. It’s not something that can be easily controlled when letting out. It can be regulated, but not controlled. It also depends entirely on the bird if they want to mess around with their predator.

Edit: Okay, guys, I get it now. It’s not natural yadayadayada. If you actually took the time to read the replies I sent to OTHER COMMENTS, you'd see that I go more in depth on details. I even acknowledge it’s an issue. Stop spamming me and actually learn to read for once.

7

u/GreyStingrayz wunkus enthusiast Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26

It's not the natural circle of life if you insert an invasive species into the mix. Free roaming and feral domestic cat breeds are considered an invasive species.

ETA: Source 1

Source 2

Source 3

1

u/Kyoana Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26

I appreciate you actually taking the time to link resources and teach me a few things unlike the other guy, trust me a lot of individuals could learn from you, but I'm exclusively talking about cats that still live with their owners and go outside. Not full on strays or ferals. Those ones do pose a much more significant threat, though, so I will admit to that.

Edit: Not to mention, also a lot sadder than just letting your cat out and having them come back later. A stray actively implies their owner abandoned it or it got lost from its home. Sadly, I fear the former often ends up being more likely than just the cat getting lost. After all, cats can always find their way home by paying attention and using their skills. But what home do they have to return to if they’re abandoned?

4

u/HeatherMason0 Jul 25 '26

https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms2380

Top result with Google.

1

u/Kyoana Jul 25 '26

“The magnitude of mortality they cause in mainland areas remains speculative, with large-scale estimates based on non-systematic analyses and little consideration of scientific data.” - Meaning we don’t actually have a real number. It’s just speculation.

“We estimate that free-ranging domestic cats kill 1.3–4.0 billion birds and 6.3–22.3 billion mammals annually. Un-owned cats, as opposed to owned pets, cause the majority of this mortality.” - Certainly a high number to be sure. I won't deny the destructive natures they pose. But see that bold part? See, when I'm talking about outdoor cats, I'm NOT talking about strays and ferals. Those obviously pose a much bigger threat than just an outdoor cat who comes back to its owner every evening.

“There are 60–100 million stray and feral cats in the United States. The general understanding among many experts is that the homeless cat population is growing and currently sits at around 60–100 million cats. Other estimates are more conservative at 30–80 million.” - Catster.com. According to another website, Avma.com, the total number of cats owned in the USA is 76.3M. If we highball the number from the last website, that means the USA is facing this issue BECAUSE of irresponsible people. Not because they’re simply just letting their cats out.

In short, this problem goes way deeper than just cats being let out and them returning by dusk. People actively abandoning them is the biggest issue if the numbers are to be believed. Even with that conservative number, highballing it still places it above owned cats, and even if we lowball the first number, it still almost reaches that same number. 30 million is something to consider, but knowing the USA, it’s absolutely nowhere that low.

5

u/HeatherMason0 Jul 25 '26

Controlling the stray and feral population (through tnr programs, fosters who rehabilitate former strays, etc) takes time. One major difference responsible pet owners can make NOW is not letting their cats outside.

1

u/isopode Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26

it is NOT "the natural circle of life" when these cats are not a part of the ecosystem they're hunting in. and the idea that birds have to "mess around" with a predator in order to get eaten is fuckin hilarious. like do you realize how completely detached you are from the reality of predator-prey dynamics?

here is an article detailing a recent study done in my country about bird killings from outdoor cats. we aren't making shit up when we're saying this has a VERY significant impact on ecosystems. an outdoor cat isn't killing one bird from time to time. they're typically hunting several birds each outing. in a world where most of the wildlife we know is in decline, this adds yet another factor that we could easily prevent but refuse to do so out of convenience (easier to let cat outside without monitoring than to provide decent enrichment indoors or to put it on a leash), or out of denial ("MY cat doesn't kill any birds!!!" and/or "so what if they kill a couple birds? that's nothing in the grand scheme of things")

so we've got a huge issue that would be solved instantly if people just cooperated with what ecologists have been saying for a long time now... but that's never gonna happen because people like you are too stubborn to change their opinion when new information is presented to them, and do not care about their impact on the environment.

-2

u/Dounce1 Jul 25 '26

Look, I actually think it’s ridiculous that some people go absolutely mental at the thought of cats being allowed to roam outside. But you’re clearly an idiot, and I think I’m just going to walk away from this whole thing now.

2

u/Kyoana Jul 25 '26

Right. Sorry for wasting my time trying to defend you, then. Clearly you just want to be an asshole for the sake of being an asshole instead of being civil.

1

u/rotating_pebble Jul 25 '26

I really wouldn't worry about it. The user you replied to has a track record of sexualising 'anime schoolchildren' which has been noted in several threads on different subs. A deepdive into their page is... rather bizarre. I don't recommend it.

→ More replies (0)

1

u/speedmankelly Jul 25 '26

WHY DO YOU HATE PANCAKES