i ask this question because i am wondering weather to let socks out, my mum keeps her cat indoors only, and she just wants to get out all of the time.. so i was just wondering?

Sierra is strictly indoor only! :nod: She has rare ever so carefully supervised outside visits so she can explore a bit and enjoy rolling around in the sunlight on the soft grass. She also enjoys rolling around on the porch steps in the sun! :)

My boys are indoor cats only. I do take them out to walk on a leash and harness and they love it. It took me awhile to get them to walk on the leash and sometimes poor Oscar is still scared to death of the grass and all that but he likes it. The Sammycat was hissing and growling at my neighbors kids the other day when I was walking him. But they did try to run up and pet him:( He doesn't like children too much.

I have never had an outdoor cat. Rowdy has a harness and leash and I take her out into the backyard, now and again. Buddy and Opie wouldn't go out, if you paid them. THEY are quite happy, lolling on comfy furniture, eating whenever they like and not having to deal with the dogs.

Charlotte is an indoor only cat. I live in a 2nd floor apartment next to a very busy main street. It's just not safe to let her outside and she would bolt if given the chance....cuz she's sooooo nosey!! I've thought about getting a harness for her but I'm afraid she'd slip out of it.

I would never let Dori go outside, she is strictly an indoor kitty. I tried to do the harness thing, but she was too scared. I think cats are so much safer inside. If you have plenty of toys, places for them to scratch and climb, etc. I think they are just as happy being inside than out. Dori is perfectly happy where she is :nod:

My four are all indoor cats. Tara and Pebbles used to go out before I had them. I have had them 7 months now and they have never wanted to go out. The four of them are quite happy driving me nuts inside. I would never let them out because of the traffic, foxes, dogs and mad people, plus they would be more vulnerable to viruses. :wavey:

Fluffy and Socks are indoor. They do like to sit on the chairs on the patio though.

I had 5 outdoor cats and sadly 2 were poision and one is missing :bawling: . So I still have 2 outside cats . But I would never let any cats be a outside cat again beside the two , never again . There is to many danger out there and lets not talk about all the sickness like feline leukemia ect ect .....

All the rest of my cats are save inside and enjoy the outdoors in the cat enclosure my husband build for them .

My kid Patches is strictly an indoor cat:).... Me and roomie live in an apt complex with a lot of kids and fast cars so she stays indoors where it is safer for her. I do occasionally let her go in the hallway of our apartment building where she climbs on top of the washer and dryer:lol:.

My cats are indoors only, and every now and then I let them come out with me on my enclosed porch. I just make sure and play with them ALOT so they get alot of mental stimulation, and thats actually why I have more than one cat... My first cat started to kind of mope around like he was lonely while we were gone, so I got a buddy for him. I really think that provides them with enough interaction to kind of make up for some of the fun they would have outside. But otherwise there are just too many dangers outside. In addition to all the cars, there are too many wild animals here in Texas, and not to mention other cats with coodies. Its just not worth the risk.

i ask this question because i am wondering weather to let socks out, my mum keeps her cat indoors only, and she just wants to get out all of the time.. so i was just wondering?
Carrie,

If you love Socks you will keep her indoors. A poll here on TCS comparing how long outdoor cats survive as compared to indoor cats would probably dramatically demonstrate why Socks should remain indoors. That is a dangerous world out there for furbabies.

We are speaking, of course, about cats who are permitted to roam free outdoors. If they are restrained with a harness or such at all times when outdoors that is a differenct story.

All the very best,

My cats are strictly indoors. I live in town on a semi-busy street and there are alot of dogs that run loose as well as stray cats. The outdoors to them is sitting on the screened in backporch.

JC is an indoor cat. He has constant access to an enclosed balcony, and I take him out in the backyard on a harness and leash every day. He does get the same vaccinations an outdoor cat would, though, because he interacts (in a negative fashion) with neighborhood cats that hang out in our yard, and always manages to catch mice, shrews and an occasional rat.

Hi I'm new to the Forum. My cat Patches is almost 21 years old and has been an indoor cat since she was seven. My vet says this is why she has lived so long. when she crosses the Rainbow (I pray it isn't any time soon), I'll get more cats but they'll be be INDOOR cats only!

Kitty and Robin are both indoors. Leash is ok, but the harnesses we have now are risky. We'll be getting SafKat when we have the money.

BTW, good point about hunting. But it's not just disease I'm worried about in that respect--there's also poison. A lot of people try to poison "pest" animals that cats can catch, and some cats eat what they hunt, so they can be poisoned even apart from poisonous plants, antifreeze, eating "pest" poison directly, and such. Besides which, if it's a toy vs a living, feeling animal, I'd rather the toy "die."

Patchesmommy, how wonderful that Patches is almost 21 years old. He must be a very happy and well loved cat. :clap:

Carrie...if you are considering allowing your cat outdoors...the safest way to do this is to have an enclosed porch. That way your cat can enjoy the scents of outdoors but cannot get lost or end up being killed. I lost my indoor/outdoor cat as a kid and I will not go through that again..so my cats are strictly indoors.

Katie

I have 4 indoor cats. I grew up with indoor/outside cats and have always pleaded with my parents to keep them indoor only cuz it's safer.

As I grew up, I have seen my old indoor/outdoor cats getting in fights so we'd have to take them to the vet to have the wounds cleaned (some would get infected so that didn't help either). I always worried about people stealing the cats, dogs catching the cats, etc so i never had peace of mind when I had indoor/outdoor cats.

One cat almost had to be put to sleep by the pound. My parents and I had to fight real hard to get her back-she had caught a bat. That's a LONG story which I won't get into but the point is that cats are exposed to many dangers outside.

My mom often complains about finding dead birds and mouses in the house and I keep telling her that I have had NO problems with that with my indoor cats! :lol3:

Now, when with my indoor cats ONLY, I have almost NO worries cuz I KNOW they are inside SAFE from harm.

I STRONGLY recommend keeping ur cats indoor. Be sure to have plenty of toys, cat trees, give them attention and they will be happy! :clap:

Beau and Felicia don't go outside. Except in their carrier.

I have to agree with everyone here. I have four inside/outside cats and I very much wish they were inside only. My first 2 cats were inside/outside cats before I knew better. As the other cats came along, they were also inside/outside cats as it's almost impossible to have inside/outside cats as well as inside only cats. I have had to lock everyone inside if there's a vet visit or if one of the cats has had surgery and two of my cats have actually make their paws bloody from trying to get out, so I haven't tried to make them indoor only cats. Yes, I have had 2 cats die from being hit by a car and another miraculously survive being hit by a car, which is absolutely awful. That's why I want them all to be inside only cats but I don't want them to have to be heavily medicated so they're happy inside. So, at the moment, they are let out at 7am and come in for dinner at 5pm and stay in until the next morning. This is not an ideal arrangement but I feel I have no choice at the moment. :(

Both my boys are indoor cats only; they do get to go out on the deck with me when I go I just keep an eye on them to make sure they don't try to get off it. They both know the drill though they head to the stairs too often then they have to go back inside.

:bigthumb: thans everyone, but after reading your posts, ive decided im gonna keep socks indoors only :rolleyes: i think he'll be alot safer that way :nod:

Rosie and Sophie, indoors!.

I get the sun through the back of the house where they like to lie because it's warm.

Through advice from a guy at work, now and again i put Rosie in a harness and take her for a sniff around the back yard. the reason being should she ever escape she would recognise the smell of home?!.

Socks will be safer indoors and he will be fine with it. :bigthumb:

Moving this discussion to the cat care forum. If you search there, I'm sure you can find older threads that deal with the exact same question too. :)

My two cats are indoor-outdoor. They roam freely when outdoors, though I keep them in at night. Had I got them as kittens, I would keep them indoors only. But one of my cats had been strictly an outdoor cat for one year before I got him; before that he had been abandoned by a neighbor, and had been either an indoor-outdoor or strictly outdoor for his first two years. My second cat had been wandering as a stray in our neighborhood for at least six months before I took him in. So both knew freedom and obviously love it.

I cannot see taking away the freedom of cats that have known freedom if the risk is within reason. Just like after my father had a stroke and was able to use only one arm, he still chose to live alone on a farm, even driving the tractor with his one good arm. Of course there was risk in doing so, but one must consider quality of life versus just quantity. For cats and for humans.

In my case, though I live in town, it is in an area with relatively little traffic, and my cats are so frightened by other people and cars that it minimizes risk of that problem. (However, if one was trying to chase another cat from his territory, I can see the possibility of running across the street when a car was coming.) Our town has about four undeveloped lots for every developed one, so the cats have wonderful opportunities to chase mice and birds, climb trees, wander in the woods. A wonderful life for a cat.

My biggest concern is the risk of being caught by a coyote. Yes, we do have coyotes right in town; not many, but last year a neighbor saw one cross my back yard. We had fox a few years ago, too, but animal control tells me they are now gone. My next biggest concern is the possibility of getting into poison. But it is a risk I have chosen to take at this point. It would break me up if that should happen, but my babies have had one heck of a good life in their years here so far, (both are about eight) and I am hoping they will live to 22, as did my neighbor's indoor-outdoor cat. If I lived in a more developed community, though, I expect I'd make a different decision, as the risks would be much greater.

You sound alot like me with your cat. I have a former stray and he loves his freedom. I have guilt about him roaming, the neighbors and all. But if I try to keep him in he cries and cries...he loves it out there. He gets all wound up if he can't go out and when he has been out his temprament is so calm. He is chasing bugs all the time and just visiting the neighbor cats. I do worry and today I started a thread here cause he stayed out longer than he ever has, 7 hours. I was worried. But he came back. All is fine. But i know it's a risk, I do know that. But I had all indoor/outdoor cats and all my other cats lived to at least 15, one to 20.

I know the humane societies while perhaps recommending indoor only do know cats go out. I mean at the local shelter here I visited once i saw that they noted one cat was "indoor outdoor" . and even some of the rescue groups I know of realize that some cats need to go out.

Some people may disagree with me, but I think it depends entirely on the cat. Grissom will be indoor only. Bobo, my previous kitty, was rescued by us when he was three. He had been feral, and therefore we were more lenient on the indoor outdoor thing, becuase he always wanted to go out. However, we lived in the country away from traffic and we were always watchful of him. Chaos, my mother's kitty was a feral we brought in, but since she was a kitten, we were able to train her to be indoors only.

For those of you who have indoor/outdoor cats...please have your cat wear a collar and have them microchipped. Additionally, if possible...build an outdoor enclosure or cat friendly fencing. I believe it is ok to have an indoor/outdoor cat as long as they are 1. fixed 2. idetified by collar and microchipping and 3. you live in an area that would not put your cat at danger.

Again...you cannot think simply about your cat's freedom...but your cat's safety...please make sure you "know" the neighbors and their pets so that you can avoid 1. poisoning 2. dog attack 3. pellet guns....

Katie

Buffy and Willow are both indoor cats. We had a cat who lived 8 years indoor/outdoor (played/slept outside during the day, and came in at night to eat and sleep). Unfortunately, he got caught by a cat trap 3 years ago so our cats are indoor cats now. We let Buffy and Willow go outside as often as we can, but only if they're harnessed with a leash attached. Even then, they have to be watched. Last week, I left Buffy for only 10-15 minutes (I was searching for the second harness, to put on Willow) and Buffy pretty much hanged herself. She did a figure-8 around two bush/trees, and then jumped 3 feet up in the air into the big bush by the front door, but she must have slipped (the branch is no match for Buffy's 7 pounds) so she was just hanging there. Imagine if she'd been wearing the collar! (we lost the collar, which is why she was wearing the harness)

oh, Buffy didn't die or anything. She was just hanging there, the straps probably really tight around her belly. Jake was barking because she was crying (awwwww)

My Stinky cat (and Tank, while he was with us) is an indoor kitty. I wanted to keep them indoors because we live in an apartment complex, it's just not safe for them out there. I do let her out onto our patio (we live on the top floor), and there's really no way for them to get down unless they fall. Stinky actually did fall down, once. I came home from work at around 1 am, and heard a cat crying up in a tree right next to our kitchen window. I felt sad for it, but there wasn't anything I could do immediately for it. So I went inside, and Stinkpot is always right at the door waiting for me when I get home. Weird, only Tank was there. I searched the apartment, and realized it was her up in that tree. I woke up my boyfriend (he was thrilled), and he ended up climbing the tree, grabbing her, and bringing her down. At the time, she didn't really like him and was a little scared of him, so I was suprised she just let him grab her and bring her down. Perhaps she knew he was rescuing her? Anyhow, when we brought her in, Tank growled and hissed at her, but then we bathed her, and he chilled out. After that, she was quite traumatized for a while and wouldn't go out on the deck. Now she loves it out there again, but is very careful!

Oh yes, definitely have your cat microchipped if it is going to be an indoor/outdoor cat. I think that is one of the best things I've done for my kitties. Also, use a breakaway collar. Being outside and crawling through the brush, cats collars can get stuck and choke them. Definitely need to use a break away collar.

Both of mine are mostly indoors but do go out on our semi-enclosed porch (I rent so they landlord won't let us completely enclose it) or out the front door on-leash or carrier only. They are never allowed to go anywhere unescorted due to the busy street and some people that may have a grudge against any animal. They both have collars with tags. There aren't any dogs allowed on the complex except service dogs.