I'm not sure how this reflects badly on Americans. It is far from the only country with access to hunting equipment and where people will shoot random animals, including pet animals, for entertainment. How many of those countries make a big deal out of and how many of them would it even be in the news? It would be kind of sad if this reputation you speak of comes from there being an outcry of support for the animals as opposed to some place where it just goes unnoticed. It is also kind of awkward if you are perpetuating the reputation because of the actions of two jerks.
And what areas of the country have people told you not to let cats outside because they would be shot? I've heard of several areas where the winter climate can be harsh, so outside cats can be a bad idea. I've seen people decide to have indoor cats because of difference in life expectancy and health. I've even seen neighbour conflicts about a cats making messes on the neighbour's property, but that only amounted to risk of the animal getting picked up and taken to animal control, to be later retrieved by an annoyed owner. I've never heard of this fear of outside cats being shot, including people from rural to urban areas.
I'm not sure how this reflects badly on Americans. It is far from the only country with access to hunting equipment and where people will shoot random animals, including pet animals, for entertainment. How many of those countries make a big deal out of and how many of them would it even be in the news? It would be kind of sad if this reputation you speak of comes from there being an outcry of support for the animals as opposed to some place where it just goes unnoticed. It is also kind of awkward if you are perpetuating the reputation because of the actions of two jerks.
And what areas of the country have people told you not to let cats outside because they would be shot? I've heard of several areas where the winter climate can be harsh, so outside cats can be a bad idea. I've seen people decide to have indoor cats because of difference in life expectancy and health. I've even seen neighbour conflicts about a cats making messes on the neighbour's property, but that only amounted to risk of the animal getting picked up and taken to animal control, to be later retrieved by an annoyed owner. I've never heard of this fear of outside cats being shot, including people from rural to urban areas.