Advice - UK members please

I've asked for UK members on this one as I think it's more common in the UK for cats to go out?

I have 2 cats - Villy, 10 years old, and Roxy, 9 months old. Villy can go out as and when she wants, when we are home, as we don't have a cat flap, she doesn't seem to wander too far, mostly around our garden and across to the neighbours. I only let Roxy out when I am there and can be outside and watch over her, as I'm too nervous to let her go on her own.
I brought Villy home when she was 7 years old, so she'd already learned all about going outside, whereas I've had Roxy since she was weeks old, so she still has to learn.
The trouble is, when Roxy sees Villy out and about she cries as she wants to go out too, understandably. What do I do? How do I teach Roxy about staying away from the road etc? Am I being cruel keeping Roxy in all the time? I usually take her out at the weekends, for a little while. We live in a village, so the road is not too busy.

None of mine go out, but i can see how hard it is for you

I don't know how or if you could teach Roxy to stay away from the road to be honest?, but i don't think your being cruel keeping her in either.

My husband allows Bijou to go outside (much against my wishes), but Mika (who belongs to our daughter) is not allowed out. Our daughter has made it very clear to hubby that Mika is her cat and is not to be allowed outside so basically we have the same situation as you. I don't feel that we are being unfair to Mika - I feel we are keeping her safe. I worry constantly the whole time Bijou is outside but that has no effect on hubby - he just tells me I worry too much.

Originally Posted by Yosemite

My husband allows Bijou to go outside (much against my wishes), but Mika (who belongs to our daughter) is not allowed out. Our daughter has made it very clear to hubby that Mika is her cat and is not to be allowed outside so basically we have the same situation as you. I don't feel that we are being unfair to Mika - I feel we are keeping her safe. I worry constantly the whole time Bijou is outside but that has no effect on hubby - he just tells me I worry too much.

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I apologize in advance for the thread hijack, but I have to ask. Didn't hubby learn a lesson from when Bijou disappeared for several days???? Weren't you both sure then that an animal had taken him?

I agree with Susan, I honestly don't know how you can teach a cat not to go near the road and I also agree with her that keeping a cat inside isn't cruel in the least...we have three and they never go outside.
But on the other hand I can understand that you have a dilemma on your hands.

I understand that some people let their cats in and out, it's not something I would ever even consider for a second, but that's just me and I have no control or say over what others do...I just wanted to share this story with you about a cat who "supposedly" was "smart enough to stay away from the road".

What follows is not meant to be "Preachy" in any way, it's just a cats story.

We bought this house almost two years ago, the first thing I saw was a beautiful white cat.
At first I thought he belonged to the people across the street because he was always hanging out in their back yard.
I got to talking to them one day and the Woman told me the story of "Kidd".
He had been dumped the previous June as a kitten who was no more than two months old.
They tried to bring him inside but their male cat went nuts, attacking Kidd and even though their cat was neutered and had NEVER sprayed before he started...so Kidd had to stay outside.

I wanted to bring him in from the second I saw him.
I talked to my Husband and to the couple who were feeding him and voiced my concerns about the street we live on...it's a dead end street and not all that busy.. but people seem to think it's a racetrack.
The guy told me that "Kidd, is smart about the road he never crosses in front of cars."
Kidd was a very nervous boy and would run a mile from anyone or anything he didn't know.

One day the neighborhood bully tom cat started running after Kidd...Kidd was scared to death and screaming at the top of his lungs...Kidd the cat who was "Smart about the road" ran out in front of a car followed closely by the bully cat.
I heard brakes, looked out the window and that car missed Kidd and the bully by no more than a hair.


That was it for me and that's how Kidd the 18 month old outside only cat became Elliott our almost 3 year old happy as a clam housecat.

I was told by people that I cat that had been outside all of it's life would NEVER get used to being inside only...nothing could have been farther from the truth.
He screamed for the first 15 or 20 minutes he was in and hasn't made a peep about going outside since.
When our front door opens he runs as far and as fast as he can the other way...he doesn't want to go outside.

I guess the point of my long drawn out story is that even if you could somehow teach a cat to stay away from the road that you never know when something could spook the cat and the only way it can see to get away from what scared it is to run right out in the middle of the road...and even if you're right there they maybe nothing at all you can do to stop the cat.

Again, I'm not trying to preach at you about the indoor/outdoor issue because whatever decision you make is up to you, but I just wanted to tell Kidd aka Elliott's story so that you'd be aware that no matter how hard you try or how careful you are sometimes tragic or near tragic things can happen.

Originally Posted by mschauer

I apologize in advance for the thread hijack, but I have to ask. Didn't hubby learn a lesson from when Bijou disappeared for several days???? Weren't you both sure then that an animal had taken him?

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To answer your question, hubby DID NOT learn a lesson. He does, however, now put his collar with our phone number and his microchip tag not that it would help if he ran in front of a car.

I honestly thought after that 4 days of us both in tears that he would have learned something but apparently not. We were both very concerned that he had been taken by a coyote.

Hi ! I live in greece in a rural area, with a dirt road and just a few cars per day, usually other people living in the area...
My 3 indoor cats go outside for a few hours sundays that i am home all day.

They are 16.5, 11 and 2
They just know to stay in area, the 16.5 does not go far or for a long time, she just stays a little time in the garden, anyway, they are affraid to death of the engines so when they hear one they just hide in a bush in the garden..

I only let them out because I know that there are not many cars circulating, otherwise I would NEVERlet them out.
I also have a way of calling them in with a treat, they know this call so they come running for their treat.

Take care of your kitties !