Per rule #6, please defend your UO position with reasoning.
this post was submitted on 29 Dec 2025
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Unpopular Opinion
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Edited
Cats ESPECIALLY belong inside because they decimate the local wildlife.
I agree - I think it's mean that people keep dogs, for instance, when they're leaving them unattended for most of the day. Personally I wouldn't get a dog unless I had family, a house and a garden for it. Cats have a bit more leeway but I would still want them to have a nice neighbourhood or gardens to explore.
Thats the main argument for me. I keep hearing neighbors dogs barking alone all day, it seems so sad to me...
And I can't tell if its a historical norm or if we've essentially seen a huge increase in the number of lonely pets. I get the feeling that having a family pet is part of the american 'white picket fence' package, but that was conceived in a time when married women were usually SAHM - in which case dogs at home are constantly kept company.
I've often said to people that pets should be shared with neighbours, so they can stay as active as poasible and not be too much of a time drain on one family (E.G some dogs need to walk twice a day, or run once a day) but people don't generally seem interested in a pet's happiness.
Soooooo. You’re gatekeeping other people’s apartments?
Here’s your upvote.
Dumps fish tank outside
Sorry, but pets do not belong inside homes.
Terribly unpopular and stupid opinion. Have an upvote
That exact same reasoning applies to humans as well, but we still let them into the house. However, though from a very weird direction, you have certainly landed on an unpopular opinion.
Cats are healthier and live longer when kept indoors.
Local wildlife are healthier and live longer when cats are kept indoors, too.
There's no evidence that domestic cats put pressure on local wildlife. Most domesticated cats live near urban and suburban humans and can keep household rodent populations down. They also have no impact on urban birds like pigeons, sparrows or crows.
If by domestic, you mean cats that live indoors, agreed. Otherwise there's an extensive amount of evidence:
Upvoted for the opinion being unpopular.
Cats don't belong outside. They will kill local wildlife and have contributed to the extinction of dozens of species.
I don't think fish care either way as long as they get the space and care they need. That is, a tiny pond outside isn't any better than a tank of the same volume indoors, all other things being equal.
Rodents definitely belong inside, if having a rodent as a pet is allowed at all in this scenario. I feel like this doesn't require further explanation.
I could see rabbits liking being outside, as long as they're adequately protected from predators. They do well inside, too. I'd call this one 50:50.
If reptiles and amphibians should be kept as pets at all, indoors is way better.
I imagine almost all invertebrate pets would have to be indoors.
Pets that are livestock species go outside, yeah. No argument here.
Some animals shouldn't be pets at all. Some belong inside. Some belong outside. Some go in and out. It's a mixed bag.
Upvoted and upvoted. It's weird that in c/UO, a truly extremely unpopular opinion gets downvoted!
It should be in the top few of all time!
It's tempting, it's really tempting. It's easy not to downvote an unpopular opinion, but when it's a really fucking stupid opinion as well.... Ooooh I really wanna push that button.
Pets that are livestock species go outside, yeah. No argument here.
Well, they should have a cozy barn if they’re pets. If they’re really pets, with HVAC and all.
Agreed. I generally think of "Indoors" as meaning "within the home" in this case.
I do too, but I’ve seen where some people keep their horses and would gladly move in!
I could see rabbits liking being outside, as long as they’re adequately protected from predators.
Depends on the type of rabbit. Someone had the same thought as you and abandoned their pet rabbit outside where it starved to death. It was really cute, floppy and big.
Other times it is successful, eats all of the vegetation and create burrows in so many places it threatens the structural integrity of all the buildings in the area.
Your reasoning simply seems to reflect the need for additional training and effort on the part of the pet owner. That’s not “reasoning” so much as removed. Pets do perfectly well in human dwellings, so long as care and effort are taken to make it so. It kind of sounds like you shouldn’t own an indoor pet. That’s fine for you. Stop telling other people what to do when they may well be more caring and/or less lazy than you.
Wow that is an unpopular opinion
Right? I'm trying to imagine a similar but even less popular one.
Maybe, "People should have to earn a PhD in Veterinary Medicine and have published post doctoral work in the particular species they keep as pets."
Upvoted because I do disagree, where else they gonna go?
cats outside are a menace, for example. Responsible thing to do is keep them inside.
From the amount of "cats are dangerous if outside", it's starting to sound like we are the only thing keeping them from destroying environments, after introducing them
That’s 100% correct.
Yep. They are adorable fuzzy little psychopaths. So we have to be the adults and look out for nature as well as them...
Absolutely. Plenty of evidence for that.
Though I'm not a fan of the collective responsibility for choices which happened outside of the time and space you and I exist in.
I'll take responsibility for my cat.
Upvoted because unpopular but I personally think youre a boring person. Sure, animals smell but thats why you clean them and your house. Id rather clean my house 5 times a week than not have my dogs.
I'd rather visit someone who's given a loving home to a cat/dog/whatever than someone who lives in a boring, sterile, orderless, pristine home. Children are smelly and messy and destructive too, but people have always managed with them! Clean after your pet regularly, and live life rather than perfection. They're worth it...
At some point in your life, you also required training to make sure you didn't destroy the furniture or shit on the floor
Cleaning is part of the care. I guess that's just what the deal is though
Some people think animals shouldn't live indoors. It's worth reminding those people that humans are animals
We should spend a lot more time outside, too
well then the outside should be nicer
Outside would be nicer if we stopped hating the unhoused.
Yes, we absolutely should.
Upvoted, because you’re totally incorrect.
Are you advocating for the somewhat extreme position that pets shouldn’t exist?
Your reasoning suggests that basic duties of pet ownership such as basic training and grooming are too onerous. Canids do not soil their den in the wild and so easily are trained not to soil indoors, and cats don’t need training to use a litter box.
How dare you. My cat is an angel and I'm lucky to get to clean her fur.
Paws typed this comment
Don't come over.
Why tho?
I mean many pets shouldn't live in a small apartment. Few pets are ok with it. Some pets are okay with living in bigger apartments but then it's more about giving enough enrichment and outdoor or balcony time it it fits the pet
You seem to have a very limited view on what constitutes a "pet".
If by that you meant "I don't like the effect pets have on my living spaces", sure, of course, and you don't have to get one/let them inside if the weather's okay!
What if it's a really sexy one?
Checkmate OP!!
That exact same reasoning applies to humans as well, but we still let them into the house. However, though from a very weird direction, you have landed on an unpopular opinion.
Not so unpopular. I love animals, and BECAUSE of that they don't belong in our home. The suffering the pet-industry creates adds a large layer to that. Also I don't like enslaving creatures and see no reason in caring for a being that will at best be a 3yr old human forever (dog).
The practical problems destroying stuff and leaving dirt would not even phase us overly much, our maid cares for all of that. Still would be wasteful to replace a couch every week just because we had a cat 😁