Outside or Inside
 

Are most cat’s house cats or outside cats or put it this way should cats stay inside?:tongue2:

Hi Bing,

I moved you from the Breeders Forum as your question is more appropriate to the general population here. We have had this discussion before on here, many times. :) It basically boils down to the individual who owns the cat, the location (is it safe?) and the cat itself.

YOu can do a search in the forums for inside/outside and find oh probably 6-8 threads about this.

My Opinion About Cat's Staying Indoors
 

In My opinion I think cats are safer indoors , as they can get hit by a car or hurt. Our kitty is afraid of outside. You put your jacket on or grab your keys, she thinks she is going to the vet.

Could be that when she was a kitten my son put her under his caot to take her to the vet. She spends alot of her time laying on the back of my couch or laying in the windows watchign birds and squirrels and everything else !

I Learned the Hard Way
 

When I was growing up, our cats always went out. My darling Leo, who was an Abyssinian/Siamese cross, was the king of the neighborhood. He would lounge on our deck, prowl in the woods, chase dogs off our property, and was an expert hunter. He LOVED going outside, and he slept with me at night.

The sad part is, when Leo was seven years old he became sick. The vet confirmed that Leo had contracted Feline Leukemia from another cat - a cat that he met outside. The news was grim, as there is no treatment and no cure. Leo had to be put to sleep immediately, so as to not let him suffer - there was also the very real danger of him infecting our other three cats.

It was a hard lesson, but one that I never forgot. I will never take that chance with my cats' lives again. My babies are now housecats, and always will be.

If they never know what it is like to roam outside, they will never miss it.

here are some past debates on this:

Inside/Outside

healthier to have indoor cats?

I prefer my cats to be inside. But I do have some outside kitties that don't want to be in. If I was adopting a cat or kitten out it would only go to an inside only home.

My cats are indoors only. I've lost too many beloved pets that have went out doors. I just get too attached to them!

I saw a bumper sticker that summed it up pretty well:

Better inside and fat
Than outside and flat

Kind of crudely put, but to the point. It had a picture of a big fat cat on it. I think one of the humane societies put that out.

I have four inside/outside cats. Two of the cats have always been that way and when two others came along, there was no way to let the first two keep being inside/outside cats while keeping the other two as inside cats only. It felt cruel to keep all four as inside cats only when the other two had been allowed out all their lives. At times when I've had to keep them in after an operation or for any reason, they will cry and scream at the door and actually make their paws bleed, trying to get out. So they're allowed out in the morning and come inside at 5pm. I have learnt the hard way though, I lost a cat, Peppa Boy, when he was hit by a car and after I moved house, into a very quiet street, my lovely Honey Boy was also hit by a car and died :(

So, I believe, if you can do it, keep a cat inside, as long as you provide lots of toys( homemade ones are great like toilet rolls, balled up paper, boxes etc) and lots of attention. No matter how quiet you think your street is, one car is enough to cause heartbreak.

INSIDE

I live in apartment and all my cats get to go on the balcony. I have pigeon net on my balcony so my cats won't jump on the railing. It all depends on the cat, if he/she won't go to far, the location (is it safe around your neigbourhood) but I think it is healthier for cats to stay in this way they would pick up dieases and they would live healthier lives but it is really up to you because some cats love to out and will bug you until you let them out.

i think inside is better, but i keep mine outside because where i live i am not permitted to have indoor animals. i wouldn't have purposely GOTTEN a cat for this reason, but the cat kinda showed up and adopted ME, and no shelters around here would either accept or promise not to kill him and I just couldn't let him die.. Besides I live in the middle of nowhere and I'm planning on moving so when I do he'll come inside with me :)