Do you keep your cats indoors or outdoors?

simca

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Oct 6, 2002
Messages
12
Purraise
1
I haven't let my 7 year old baby outside since last summer....my 4 year old only went out on a harness. I do not want to let them out this spring/summer because it is safer indoors....

It is safer and healthier to keep the fur babies indoors from all that I have read and experienced...fleas, cars, etc.

Just wondering....all in agreement???

I feel guilty.....but want my babies to stay healthy and safe.
 

white cat lover

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Nov 17, 2005
Messages
22,206
Purraise
35
It is safer indoors. I spend far more on vet bills for the (spayed/neutered) outdoors farm kitties than I do for the housecats.
 

sharky

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jan 30, 2005
Messages
27,231
Purraise
38
Safer indoors yes... and in many cases ie living in a city or near a busy street then DO NOT let them out ... I live in a sub rural area and a cat proofed yard so I do let her out
 

missymotus

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
May 8, 2005
Messages
9,234
Purraise
254
Mine are indoors unless out on harness and I'm going to start building an enclosure soon.

If you can plenty of toys, cat trees etc. most cats are perfectly happy to be indoors or sitting at the window. I have a bird feeder in the yard, the cats spend lots of time at the screen door chattering to the birds.
 

okiron

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Jan 5, 2008
Messages
405
Purraise
1
I let Dahmer out once thanks to me feeling guilty. Got in a horrid fight with the neighborhood tomcat (Dahmer won) after about 15 minutes of being let out. I worried sick the entire time and ran out the second I heard yeowling. Yeah..me worrying overweighed any guilt I ever felt. No one has ever been allowed outside since.
 

plainjane

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Apr 11, 2008
Messages
399
Purraise
1
Indoors, indoors, indoors....Health reasons, longevity reasons, safety reasons...Cats may not be completely 'tamed,' but I do believe they are not meant to survive on their own nowdays.
 

yayi

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Oct 9, 2003
Messages
12,110
Purraise
91
Location
W/ the best cats
All my 11 cats go outside. They're fixed and they do not wander far. I am aware of the dangers and they seem to know them too. I've had cats that survived being poisoned and sick and both were caused from being inside. The poison was an accident and the sickness was because a visitor transferred the germs of her sick cat to mine.
Although my furniture is not 100% protected, their climbing and running outside, naturally trims their claws. I do not spend too much on cat litter or cat toys. Curtains are safe unless a bird accidentally flies inside.
I admit they are a bit overweight but I've been told that muscles are heavier than fat.

Perhaps I do have more vet bills than those with indoor cats. But I am willing to shoulder them rather than keep my babies away from their enjoyment of the outdoors.
 

goldenkitty45

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 29, 2005
Messages
19,900
Purraise
44
Location
SW Minnesota
Most in the US will keep them indoors year round or train to a harness/leash. Overseas, its more common to let them go in and out.

I keep mine inside year round. They sit in the windows when they are open (with screens of course). Eventually we plan on building or buying a screened in porch where we will have table/chairs and the dog and cats will be taken out there. That's the closest my cats will be to "outside"
 

clumsy kitty

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 2, 2008
Messages
81
Purraise
0
Location
North West
I let mine go outside. I am in the UK, so it's less controversial over here. Oscar would be upset if he couldn't go out - he rarely goes far, I call him and he comes in mostly. Except at night time, he loves the night time. But he does have a little tent outside so he can take shelter from anything big and bad weather. It keeps him nice and fit too. He has had his jabs so he's OK.
 

persi & alley

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 27, 2006
Messages
6,313
Purraise
15
Location
Farmers Branch, Texas
Originally Posted by simca

I haven't let my 7 year old baby outside since last summer....my 4 year old only went out on a harness. I do not want to let them out this spring/summer because it is safer indoors....

It is safer and healthier to keep the fur babies indoors from all that I have read and experienced...fleas, cars, etc.

Just wondering....all in agreement???

I feel guilty.....but want my babies to stay healthy and safe.
I have very strong emotions about keeping cats inside. It literally adds years to a cat's life span.
 

cc12

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 6, 2007
Messages
3,370
Purraise
4
Location
Pacific Northwest
I have strong feelings too. All of my cats live indoors and will always live indoors. Any cats I adopt in the future will live indoors too.
There are somethings outside of a cat's control and people are one of them. There are people in this world that hate cats and take pleasure in harming them. When I went to adopt both of the best shelters in the area will not let anyone take the cats if you plan on having them outdoors.
My cats are content with ledges, cat trees, toys and good food.
Once I found out about people catching cats for laboratories, people catching cats to teach their dogs to fight and cat hating people who put out poison and so forth...I was convinced. The horror stories are bone chilling.
I don't even have to vaccinate.

So we are all happy inside with open windows.
 

mrblanche

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jan 28, 2008
Messages
12,578
Purraise
119
Location
Texas
In the years since we have been married, my wife and I have lost one cat at less than 15 years of age, and he had a stroke at about 6. And they were all indoor cats. My brother's indoor cats have lived to 15 with no problems, but his outdoor cats rarely make it to 3; he just lost one a couple of weeks ago to some wild animal. My sister lost a number of cats, until she started keeping them indoors; now they all make it to 15+.

Do you begin to see a pattern here?
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #14

simca

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Oct 6, 2002
Messages
12
Purraise
1
I am feeling much less anxious....I will definately keep my boys inside. Keep the replies coming please.....the more the merrier!!!!!
 

isabel

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Dec 20, 2007
Messages
237
Purraise
10
Indoors only! I used to live in the country and I let my cats out then...I lost two to cars even though we lived on a little traveled, gravel PRIVATE road (only the 5 houses on the road used it).
Another cat came home after he'd been missing for a week with a broken pelvis - the vet said either car or someone kicked him, hard.
Thank goodness he recovered.

I had another cat go missing for 5 days, and I was an emotional wreck the whole time until he came back safely.

Plus, indoor cats don't usually get fleas or other nasty parasites, and it is much easier to monitor health problems via litterbox and eating habits.

Finally, keeping your cats indoors means it is not out killing other creatures. So many people are down on cats because they are such efficient predators and can't tell the difference between a hummingbird and a starling. They can kill them all. Bird lovers get angry.

So, IMHO keeping cats indoors is best both for them, and for me.
 

naia

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Jul 28, 2007
Messages
516
Purraise
1
My cats are indoors only.

I don't want to expose them to the dangers outside the house.
 

laureen227

Darksome Duo!
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 3, 2003
Messages
19,260
Purraise
387
Location
Denton TX
mine are all indoor only... 4 were 'found' outside, but they don't go out any longer. upside for me - no flea treatment necessary [i have issues w/the smell of insecticides of all types] & no fleas, either!
 

mrblanche

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jan 28, 2008
Messages
12,578
Purraise
119
Location
Texas
In addition to what I said earlier about cats being indoors, there is another important point. Not only do the indoor cats not get exposed to parasites and diseases, they don't expose YOU to those, either. Ever get a carpet full of fleas?
 

clumsy kitty

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 2, 2008
Messages
81
Purraise
0
Location
North West
Admittedly, it is tempting to me to keep the cat inside, I'm so super paranoid about worms! But, I practice scrupulous hygiene with him and keep up to date with his tablets. Fleas are nasty little blighters - I'm the first to know if a cat has fleas, I think I must have super tasty blood or something

I can totally understand why people keep their cats indoors when they've had such hideous experiences with them in the past. Vets are not cheap.
 

missymotus

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
May 8, 2005
Messages
9,234
Purraise
254
Originally Posted by mrblanche

Not only do the indoor cats not get exposed to parasites and diseases, they don't expose YOU to those, either.
I'm sorry, but that is not true. Indoor cats can and do still get worms and diseases, you can carry disease into the house on your shoes etc.
 
Top