Question about indoor/outdoor for UK members

cinder

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I saw this posted in another thread

Originally Posted by Sims2fan
Some one from the UK started a thread about X and happened to mention that her cat was indoors/outdoors (as is quite common in the UK) and everyone started lecturing her.
I didn't know this. Those of you in the UK, are your cats primarily indoor/outdoor?

Mine are indoor only because leaving them outside would be like ringing the dinnerbell for the coyotes. And if the coyotes didn't get them, the cars zipping by at about 40 miles above the speed limit would. But I would love to leave them out in a safer environment. I guess my question is...do you have a safer environment, or is being mousers important, or is that just the way it is.

BTW...I'm not being facetious. It's an honest question.
 
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cinder

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Wow...this blew me away. So very different from what shelters require here.

Your cat must be able to access the outdoors daily; a cat flap is the best option to ensure the cat maintains independence.
I have to finish reading the rest of it.

Okay, finished reading now...

I think the major difference I see is that their vision includes that the cat maintain independence. I can't remember seeing that as a requirement at any shelter/rescue I've visited. (well, maybe to a degree for some feral operations) I will have to admit that my cats are 100% dependent on me...the tradeoff being their safety. In addition to their safety is my peace of mind knowing (usually) where they're at. I'm sure it'd be an interesting debate from a cat's point of view though.

I thought this was good, and I doubt if some people I know what have gotten pets from the shelter here if they did the same.

Before adopting an animal from The Mayhew you will be required to undergo a home visit.
 

urbantigers

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Mine are indoor cats as I live in an apartment. Indoor/outdoor is the norm here, although an increasing number are being kept indoors. Policies vary from shelter to shelter - some will be happy rehoming to indoor homes, others will only home special needs cats to indoor homes. Even within organisations such as Cats Protection, you'll find the attitude towards indoor cats will vary from branch to branch. It is becoming more common though - when I got my first 2 cats 9 years ago I didn't know anyone else who kept theirs indoors, whereas now I know several people. Breeders usually request that pure bred cats are kept indoors.

I think more people live in houses here than in the US (as opposed to apartments) so cat proofing the garden is becoming a popular option, allowing outside access but keeping them safe.
 

mooficat

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Ex - UK resident now Spainish resident, so I would like to comment

I totally understand & accept about the safety of cats, but I cannot bear to think of mine of what I would called - locked in -it seems so un-natural. This has been a MAJOR factor when house purchasing, always far from roads as possible, and well wild animals in the UK (except maybe foxes & weasels ) arent much of a threat to cats. Yes I have lost a cat to a road accident and it was very distressing
BUT it never, never stopped me letting my cats outside.

Now living in Spain is much the same. I live on an urbanization on one of the outer roads, so whilst there is traffic, it is only local residents and the odd van, but there are roads humps so they do not whizz down the road. All my cats are very street wise and I have seen their behaviour when cars approach - they know what to do. I love to see my cats enjoying the outdoors, sitting in trees, laying in the shady garden or just moochin about - they love it !
and well that gives me pleasure too.

So I am a massive fan of outdoor kitties, but I do realise that this is not always the case or practical for the owners. The I was I see it, if a kitty gets a loving, safe environment to live in then I am all for that too


 

shelleybik

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Originally Posted by mooficat

Ex - UK resident now Spainish resident, so I would like to comment

I totally understand & accept about the safety of cats, but I cannot bear to think of mine of what I would called - locked in -it seems so un-natural. This has been a MAJOR factor when house purchasing, always far from roads as possible, and well wild animals in the UK (except maybe foxes & weasels ) arent much of a threat to cats. Yes I have lost a cat to a road accident and it was very distressing
BUT it never, never stopped me letting my cats outside.

Now living in Spain is much the same. I live on an urbanization on one of the outer roads, so whilst there is traffic, it is only local residents and the odd van, but there are roads humps so they do not whizz down the road. All my cats are very street wise and I have seen their behaviour when cars approach - they know what to do. I love to see my cats enjoying the outdoors, sitting in trees, laying in the shady garden or just moochin about - they love it !
and well that gives me pleasure too.

So I am a massive fan of outdoor kitties, but I do realise that this is not always the case or practical for the owners. The I was I see it, if a kitty gets a loving, safe environment to live in then I am all for that too


PLEASE SEE MY THREAD ON THE CAT LOUNGE...(I NEED TO SHARE) IT COULD WELL CHANGE YOUR MIND.
 

mooficat

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read it.................and no, sorry doesnt change my mind,

Miss Moofi was bitten by a rat (here in Spain) and well it was very upsetting but the vets were great and after a week of injections she was back to normal - It is hard, cos we do worry about them BUT for me its more natural for them to be outside........cats are great survivors and they have their wild instincts, and they are very, very intelligent. All I can say is I absolutely hate it, if for some reason, my cats are locked in.........I cant wait to get home to let them out

there are posts here about indoor cat owners whose cats have been strangled by blind cords, so I guess it can be just as dangerous in the house too..

As I mentioned I believe in indoor cats too, as letting them is not always practical, safe or otherwise, BUT for me...............outdoor every time !
 

shelleybik

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Originally Posted by mooficat

read it.................and no, sorry doesnt change my mind,

Miss Moofi was bitten by a rat (here in Spain) and well it was very upsetting but the vets were great and after a week of injections she was back to normal - It is hard, cos we do worry about them BUT for me its more natural for them to be outside........cats are great survivors and they have their wild instincts, and they are very, very intelligent. All I can say is I absolutely hate it, if for some reason, my cats are locked in.........I cant wait to get home to let them out

there are posts here about indoor cat owners whose cats have been strangled by blind cords, so I guess it can be just as dangerous in the house too..

As I mentioned I believe in indoor cats too, as letting them is not always practical, safe or otherwise, BUT for me...............outdoor every time !
i know its hard isnt it,i know if i where to shut the cat flap up id have 3 cats going berserk to ger out we have a garden and we live in a cul-de-sac its not cars im worried about its dogs and foxes,my cats love to go out and roll in the dirt dust in the sunshine but when something like this hapens,i dont know ya know what i dont know what to do.i have a cat-flap,but it didnt stop gaspard being badly hurt.
 
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cinder

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I read your thread Shelley. I hope he's doing well.

I don't think there's any argument that there is more danger outside than in, and there's risk and consequences to just about everything we do. In an ideal world, my cats would be indoor/outdoor. In the real world, my real world, they've got to stay indoors. Mofficat has already lost a kitty to the road and understands the risk, but believes the access to the outdoors increases the quality of their lives. At least that's how I interpret it. And I can't say that's not correct.

I do remember a conversation I had with someone about this once. I was feeling a bit unhappy about not letting the herd outside. We talked about cats ability to adjust to their world...that their world became whatever you made it. (kind of like people) For the most part, I agree with this. I have 11 cats remaining in the *cat barn* (still working on posting that story) and when I come to the door, not a single one has ever tried to run outside. Most of them meet me there, but because they want petted, brushed, fed... Their world is the inside of that building. Same with my two housecats. When I carry wood or packages in and leave the door open, they look outside like it's another dimension...one they're not interested in checking out.

Still, if I could without fear, I'd let them out in a heartbeat.
 

anakat

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Mine are indoor/outdoor cats, I have fencing that confines them to the garden and they are only allowed out during the day. I feel this combines the best of both worlds and I get endless pleasure from watching them play.
 

icklemiss21

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I am also ex-UK, but it is definitely the norm for people to allow their kitties outside (some people supervise some don't) back home compared to here in Canada.

In highschool, once of my friends had an indoor only cat and everyone told her she was doing skittles a great harm by keeping her inside all the time, when they live in London in a high traffic area
 

pippy-pops

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My kitty is an ex indoor/outdoor kitty and although he was very street savvy it wasn't him that I knew I couldn't trust to wait for the car to pass it's the cars on the road I don't trust!

I've stood and watched, from the bus stop, a car actually swerve to intentionally HIT Pippin while he was waiting on the sidewalk to cross after the car passed him! What sick person would do that? If I were closer and a better runner, I would have run after the car and beaten the hell out of him! Luckily Pippin was clever enough to see this happening and ran in the opposite direction!

Pippin is now an indoor kitty and he's slowly beginning to adjust - with the help of TCS - to the different routine we had no choice but to make!

As an ex South African, I'd never heard of keeping any pet, be it cat or dog, indoors completely, let alone ever heard of caging an animal (mostly dogs) so it was automatic for me to allow Pippin outside immediatly after he'd settled into our home! With current circumstances as they are, he's unfortunatly had to become indoor only! He'll make his own choice though... one day he'll find his way out of the flat and there is nothing I can do to stopp him.
 

sims2fan

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My cats will be soon indoor/outdoor. I live in a flat right now so they are indoor but I will be moving to a quieter area in the suburbs of London. The neighbourhood is very cat friendly and many of the cats wander around. They have speed bumps of the road (no one drives SUVs in the area). So I will be trying it out. If they or I don't feel happy with the situation I will use fencing like Anakat and confine their outdoor to the garden.
 

jennyr

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Everyone has to make their own decisions on this depending on their own circumstances and beliefs. My cats have always been indoor/outdoor and I have been lucky in being able to live in safe ( well, as much as possible) places. There will always be risks, wherever you are, but for me I do believe that they are happier outside - I watch them chasing each other up and down trees and catching butterflies, and I accept the risks in order for them to fulfil their nature as cats as much as they can. But I do not let them out at night as that is when most accidents happen, and I can fully understand people who live where there are predators not allowing their cats out at any time. I will keep mine in at weekends during the hunting season, as I have heard that some hunters will target cats deliberately, as some drivers will.
 

booktigger

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Apart from fosters, mine are indoor/outdoor - and the subject of catflaps did come up when I had a home check, fortunately they were happy that I had a neighbour who was around most of the time - but that particular cat didn't go out a lot, and mainly in the evenings when it was quiet. i live in a safe area (the only cat that starts fights is Tom, one of mine!!), and it is the norm to let cats go out. Apart from Ginger, they aren't left out when I go to work and are in at night though (Ginger spends the day in my neighbours house, and sometimes refuses to come in - he is an ex street cat). We will home cats to indoor only homes though, I have one here that needs to be indoor only.
 

anakat

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Having read this thread and the one that triggered this, I just wanted to add that I think it great that 'Cinder' was interested, and open minded enough to ask about the differences beween the US and the UK.
 

gizmocat

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It's an easier choice for European people since you don't have the tick, chigger, and flea problem (?) that we have in the USA. Unfortunately cruel people and careless drivers are everywhere. My Gizmo is terrified to go out in the hallway of an apartment building for very long...and so she's going to be an indoor cat since it's the safest option for her.
 

jennyr

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I second the fleas and ticks! All mine pick up ticks regularly - Frontline Combo kills them within a few hours though. But we don't have coyotes and raccoons and other large predators - foxes can be a problem but usually only for kittens who should definitely not be out, IMO. I am keeping mine in at weekends for hte next few weeks as the hunting season has begun, and I am told that the hunters can be trigger-happy when it comes to cats.
 
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cinder

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Thanks to everyone for answering. I really had no clue that UK shelters promoted/required having outdoor access for kitties. In a safe environment, I think it is a wonderful gift to allow a cat to be a part of nature. I didn't always keep my cats indoors, in fact I came from a home where they were seldom allowed inside. There was no specific triggering event that caused me to keep them inside. It was more of a combination of many things... a few kitties that I have no idea what ever became of them, the changes in society (increased population, traffic, cruelty) and some of the deaths and injuries I witnessed working at the veterinary clinic. I suppose the fact that I'm older now and financially able to support and make choices for my cats that I could not have done 20 years ago makes a difference too.

Okay, now I have another question. You all have lovely kitties, but I've got to know... Anakat, Tolley is one of the most interesting looking cats I have ever seen. He looks like a little panther. What is he?
 
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