2025 Frugal Living Challenge

Bluegreen143

I think if you have a big house and walled courtyard that’s a great set up. No judgement to anyone meant as I had my own cat in a small flat and others may feel it’s safer for cats and less likely to get hit by cars etc. However I would not keep a cat again because I personally feel uncomfortable now with the keeping of pets unless they can have lots of room to move around and explore. Nothing personal meant and your indoor cat sounds very lucky with a great set up Auti! 

The worst for me was when my MIL gave us her canary because she had no room for it when she moved to sheltered accommodation and we felt we had to say yes to help her out. He’s passed on now but caged birds are not something I am into at all and I felt very sorry for him while he was here. I think because we keep hens and I felt that they have such a freer life outdoors in comparison. 

basketcase

Cats are not being banned or restricted in Scotland!

There was a report from the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission stating that cats have a significant impact on wildlife - which they do, tens of millions a year, including the Scottish wildcat and birds.  Also, Scotland has other endangered species - eg the red squirrel - which need to be considered  They asked the Scottish Government to commission a report into the advantages and disadvantages for wildlife of introducing cat containment areas in "vulnerable areas" , along with the pros and cons of compulsorily neutering cats in vulnerable areas.  (Feral cats can be a huge problem). The report also suggested registration and chipping of cats, same as dogs.

To reassure you, @Bluegreen143 , there was never any suggestion to mandate that "cats ought to be kept indoors in all circumstances".   The suggestions included that new builds in rural areas could stipulate that cats can't be kept in conservation sensitive areas or near endangered species.  This is already done in other countries - eg Australia. It would seem sensible if, for example, it's an area where ospreys have just started breeding again.

There were a lot of hysterical headlines from all the usual suspects making wild claims about things that weren't actually said and not saying half of what was. It gets tedious after a while, so I rarely bother with newspapers, radio or TV news these (especially, I'm afraid, the News Where I Am).  Fact checking would help.

The Scottish Government said it would fully consider all these suggestions. (Which you will note don't include banning cats.)  And they will fully consider all the pros and cons, trying to balance ensuring cats don't suffer with wildlife flourishing.

In the meantime John Swinney, the First Minister, has said "We have absolutely no intention of banning cats. There's no way that's going to happen." 

Hope this reassures cat lovers.

Cassingtonbear

Bluegreen143 said:

When I was much younger I used to have a cat who was a house cat when we lived in a flat, but my opinion has changed now. I reckon as a society we ought to have far fewer pets, but if you do have a pet you should ideally give them as natural a life as possible, including as unprocessed food as you can and lots of time outdoors. It doesn’t seem right to mandate that cats ought to be kept indoors in all circumstances. I know some cats are afraid to go out or it’s not safe.

My cat ended up with diabetes etc and no wonder as she didn’t get enough exercise and would only eat a certain brand of cheap food (I tried to switch her to more natural food as I became more informed but she wouldn’t eat it!). If we stayed indoors all day and ate only junk food our health would suffer and it’s the same for animals… I do appreciate the need to protect wildlife so I know it’s a tricky question. 

"but if you do have a pet you should ideally give them as natural a life as possible, including as unprocessed food as you can and lots of time outdoors."

I agree with you in theory, completely, but I struggle to even treat my children that well

Prudent

@ basketcase that is what I had meant to encapsulate in my brief sentence, but I should have included your fuller description.  I agree that all animals need to live closer to their natural state. @Frugaldom does a fantastic job of giving her animals a natural environment. I have learned so much from her about wildlife and pony tracks. 

This morning I have been browsing saucepan sets. Mine are so old now that the handles are dangerous. I am looking for three saucepans, two frying pans and at least one stock pot with a view to replacing everything. I also use a steamer pan, but was lucky to get a decent one in a charity shop recently. I have a small kitchen so a set that is designed to stack would be better than assorted individual saucepans. Any suggestions most welcome. For me this is the kind of time that frugality is about buying a product that does a good job and will last for years rather than a cheap set that will be replaced too quickly. My workplace used to call this a 'spend to save' approach.

Bluegreen143

Thanks for all the info basketcase.

That made me laugh Cassingtonbear 🤣. Tbf another reason I wouldn’t have a cat or dog currently is that I definitely don’t have the energy to look after another living thing during these years of having small kids to keep alive! Last thing I need is anything else depending on me for food 🤣

Frugaldom

@Prudent I was gifted a set of cast iron pans (not new) which stack. They aren't the original big brand name but they're heavy and orange in colour. I love them and would definitely have the matching casseroles and larger frying pan. I've had them for well over 10 years and don't know how long friend had them prior to that. They hold the heat so well that I turn off the ring much sooner than when using metal pans and they're also as safe on the logburner as they are on gas ring for cooking in the hut.

For the benefits of those who don't know me or what I do, all our animals are what I refer to as 'spares and repairs'. We are currently funding the care of 8 ponies (1 is currently with another friend), 2 goats, 6 cats, 3 ducks and supplementing the feed/providing a safe haven for a clan of badgers, several pine martens, foxes... And all the associated wildlife and wild birds that we can attract to the project by way of our rewilding (although I dislike that term) of otherwise scrap land. Keeping up with animal and wildlife legislation is vitally important and it saddens me that there are so many used, abused and discarded animals and house pets. I have, over the years, developed a very low tolerance for breeders who see animals as income through sales and cannot, for the life of me, understand why so many pay so much when our rescue centres, sanctuaries and animal retirement homes are bursting at the seems, many of them without actual funding. Lady year, I gave up my licence as an Animal Welfare Establishment for rescuing as we simply cannot and will not take on any more discarded or unwanted animals. Despite this, we are regularly asked if we can help individual owners who have found themselves in dire financial situations and my only way of coming to terms with this awful situation and battling on to cope with the costs of what we have is by thinking of all those other places with many, many times the numbers (sometimes hundreds more) and then thinking, in despair, of the plight of humans, especially children, displaced, cast out, neglected and abused... The world is a mess and all that we can do to help that is to do whatever little we can do with whatever we have. Sorry for the long and waffling post, yet again. I'll now return to the wind, rain, mud and wheelbarrows of poop.

Debsnewbudget

I have just bought a set of hexclad pans and split them with my son.
very expensive. But he did the research and reckoned they were the best.  We are putting the lifetime guarantee in my granddaughter’s name as she is 4 years old 😂
Working well up to now but I still shudder at the price. 

MissRikkiC

We purchased a set of stainless steel prestige pans, we have 3 pans, a milk pan and a frying pan. They are very good, I more than often cook everything on 9 on my hob and I’m terribly guilty of burning food to the pan. Especially rice of late. They always come up clean and sparkling new. We’ve had them for about 5 years now and they’re very hardworking. 

Quantaqa

I use the Le Creuset ones. Expensive I know but they are great.  There is an outlet shop near me where we get them so slight seconds but nothing you'd notice.  Had them 10 years plus and still going strong. They are so versatile and get used for so many things. 

annieb64

I still use the Le Creuset casserole that I got as a wedding present in 1977.