Cross Breeds

Do you think keeping dogs and cats in small cages is cruel?

Dogs and cats like to run around and be free just like humans (and people wonder why dog whimper in the pet shops so much). That is why they act a fool when they get out. How would you like to be locked in a cage your whole life except to urinate and defecate? Do you think this is a cruel act? if not why?

Public Comments

1. yes.. yes i do. and at petstores and stuff have you noticed that they are in really tiny cages?? i hate that. and when i asked a question about petstore pets i got yelled at for supporting puppy mills. soo if i absolutly have to buy from shelters like the people on this website say i do what is to come of the poor dogs in the petstore that have to live in those tiny cages for the rest of their life. they should have like one big fenced in area where the dogs can roam and do what they please.
2. Yes, it is cruel to keep animals in small cages, but at times they need to be locked up. Not for extended periods, but for when no one is around to watch the pet. If they're not caged, they can get into some pretty deadly situations. It only takes one electric wire to kill a puppy.
3. If they have to LIVE in the cage then yeah I think it is. Especially if it's too small. But if someone keeps a cat or dog in a crate (like crate training) while they aren't home or something I don't have a problem with it as long as the animal has enough room.
4. yes its the worst thing you could do to a cat or dog
5. "locked in a cage your whole life except to urinate and defecate" - yes, this is cruel. But if this is a subtle subtext that crating is cruel then, no, I don't agree with that. Done properly, crating keeps the dog safe and secure.
6. Yes, very cruel. Have you seen Rihanna's video for Disturbia, where she has her arms and legs are tied to the chair so she cannot move? That must be so frustrating, and I bet that is how dogs feel confined to small cages 24/7. Strange example I know, but that was the best one I could think of.
7. So, keeping a dog in a crate for a few hours to potty train the dog(because whaddya know, they won't poo in their "den"), even though the dog LOVES it because it's kind of like their room, is cruel? When used well, crates are EXCELLENT tools for non-humanizing people. When used wrongly, a bad tool. More often than not, they are used correctly.
8. yes i do! Dogs and cats are very active and playful animals. Like all animals and humans, they need their place to run and be free! HAve you ever wondered why puppy mills, a lot of pet keepers and pet stores are much hated in certain places? there you go. Poor dogs and cats that are kept in tiny cages at pet stores are barely taken care of and loved for and all they get is a tiny cage , just enough place to fit a food bowl. I think it is cruel and if i could, i would change it all. Imagine it was humans in cages, what would the world be like now...! even though they are careless animals, it is the same thing for them as it is for us!
9. it is the most cruel thing. all this world cares about is children and humans, of course they are important but we don't consider our best friends! they have no room to exercise, they become aggravated and enraged. they live in there own bacteria, they become sick. they are lonely and sad. this is absolutely appalling and unacceptable! i hate it with a passion.
10. if tis forever then yes if not then no, many people may have to travel and have to put their dogs in small cages so that they dont get hurt when the car moves or so that they dont hurt themselves. but it has to be reasonable they have to atleast have room to make a complete circle. other than that its just cruel
11. It is cruel. The puppies and kitties are from breeding mills. It doesn't matter what the pet shop says. All puppies are from puppy mills. Reputable breeders do not sell their puppies to shops. Pure bred Puppies and Pure bred kitties , in pet stores, come from farms where the parents are kept in cages and bred over and over. Even if they follow FDA Agricultural guidelines and keep the breeders clean. fed and healthy they never ever know love. They live their lives out in the breeding and whelping cages until they are too old and then they are killed. THAT'S WHAT IS CRUEL. Not spaying and neutering, that's what's cruel. Boycott pet shops. Yes, shelters have dogs and cats in cages too. What are they going to do with them? There are so many and so many who do not get to live to see tomorrow because they are not in a no kill shelter. Nearly 10,000 are killed daily in the US. I love dogs, cats, kittens and puppies! I don't want them to be killed!! All three of my cats are rescues and are fixed! RESCUE SHELTER PETS! SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR PETS! Thank you
12. Yes its cruel.whoever does that shouldnt own a dog.The person above me is kinda nuts.I agree with the person below me.
13. I'm not going to lecture you about purchasing a pet from a pet store. (And to the poster who said that all shelter animals are put in small cages - this isn't necessarily true: the shelter I used to volunteer at had reasonable sized runs, large rooms for the cats to mingle with one another and some pets were faced with families or individuals via foster care if there were enough volunteers for it). Yes, keeping dogs and cats in SMALL cages for their entire lives is cruel. Animals need exercise, just like people do and being trapped in a small cage could easily lead to things like bed sores or muscle deterioration. Also, not all pet stores keep their animals locked in those tiny cages 24/7. Crating, on the other hand, as some people put it is a useful tool which is used for potty training, safety, and reducing destructive behavior in pets.
14. In the situation you describe, it is absolutely cruel. No animal should have to live like that. It's not really a life anyway. Makes me want to go out and buy all the animals stuck in cages.
15. If you mean to keep a dog and cat in a cage at all times EXCEPT to be let out to urinate and defectate then most definetly. However, on that same note, I have crate trained all of my dogs and have successfully housetrained them and wouldn't try to housetrain any dog/puppy any other way. At the most, my puppies would have been left in the crate for 4 hours, hardly anything cruel in my opinion.