Roaming cats – draw the line
Should cats be allowed to roam freely? It’s an emotive question with lots of underlying factors. For example, are we talking about cherished cats or feral cats – pets or pests? Does this matter? Legally, dogs must be under control at all times but it’s generally accepted that cats can wander onto neighbouring properties. Even if roaming is legal, is this safe or ethical?
Cat lurking in the grass
Is this cat a pet or a pest? Is it lurking or simply observing its environment? How do words like pet, pest or lurking influence your thinking about the cat in this image?
In this activity, students consider nine statements regarding cats and the freedom to roam and decide if the statements are personally acceptable or unacceptable.
By the end of this activity, students should be able to:
read a variety of statements about cats and their movements
consider the language used to write the statements
consider the positive and negative implications of cats wandering freely
consider te ao Māori concepts and perspectives
consider the ethics of allowing cats to wander freely
arrange the statements as personally acceptable or unacceptable
consider what the arrangement shows about their perception of animals
justify why they’ve arranged the statements as acceptable or unacceptable.
Download the Word file (see link below).
