It's for indoors only..

Ironically, my question is that

do you allow your cats outside in your backyard for a short time? Well, I do consider my furry boys to be indoors but i do allow them outside in our backyard with our supervise there. We just want to make sure that they do not contact with any strange furries at all. Our boys like to hang out outside getting some tan or hide into lots of plants around in our backyard. They stay outside soemtimes half hour or hour. It depends on our moods since we have to watch them.

We know that we are taking big risks for our boys but they certainly love outside.

They have been doing like that for almost three years. So far, it was pretty good except the couples of times, Jude jumped and over the fence but he was so scared and stayed there till my dh went to someonese' backyard and got Jude back to our backyard. We have fence in our backyard.

I have been searching for pictures of them in our backyard but couldnt find one.. I ll keep searching for them. I think they looks so adorable.

So, how about your babiesfur, girlies?

All of mine are free to roam inside or out. They were all ferals at one time, so denying them access to the outside is out of the question really. We have a lot of land, and not a lot of danger around our place and we never use our front door, so the kitties all hang out in the back on the acres we have. If I didn't rescue, didn't have so many, lived in the city or something, I would have indoor cats, but I don't, I live out in the country and have barns and shops and a creek and lots of trees and it is kitty paradise for ferals.

Hissy, you are lucky to have a big land around.. I have a nice big enough backyard for furry boys to hang out which is better than nothing.. You are right that they once were ferals too. When we first adopted them when we lived in DC. We lived on top of row house, and small apartment but we have roof in our backyard. We did let our furry boys in our backyard. WE know we are CRAZY. Surprisedly, they did great and obey us very well. I think because they were only few months old. Until we moved to syr NY and have a house with a backyard. They are soo thrilled about the backyard. GOSH!!

My 3 current cats do not go outside, unless they are onleash. I grew up with a lot of indoor outdoor cats, my parents swore that they never really went out of the yard and certainly never across the street. Odd enough I saw my cats come running across the road from far beyond our neighbors yard all the time, I even had tje privlage of watching one of my cats get hit by a car and die in front of me, (and yes we lived in a nice barn house out in the country).

I have lost many cats to the outdoors, cats that are born indoors, or others that can be reabilitated into indoor cats, stay indoor cats.

It's just like all those dog owners who say they don't need leashes for their dogs, they don't need to restain them in their cars because "they never go anywhere," or "they come when they are called." Until that day when pup gets loose and doesn't listen, runs down a highway ultimatly killing itself, or some innocent driver that swivers to prevent hitting the dog but killing themselves instead. My views should be self explanitory by now.

Opie wouldn't go outside, if the house was on fire. Rowdy is always trying to make a break for it so, we got her a harness and leash. When its nice out, I take her out onto the patio and backyard. She doesn't get around much because the dogs pin her down and want to play.

I don't have a kitty yet, but when I do, it will be a strictly indoor cat. But that's because I live in a metro area, and there would be too great a risk that the cat would get hit by a car. I have considered trying to leash-train my kitty, though, if it acts interested in going outside. Is it very hard to do that?

Auroa: No it's not really hard, just some cats take longer to getting used to it then others, and some cats like the outdoors, others not so much, hee hee.

There are some good websites about how to do it, and at least a few of us here, including myself have done it and we could help yeah out with some tips.

Nakita will only be allowed out in my backyard and when we go to my cottage. But both places she will have a leash on and supervised!



The earlier you start leash training the better. I started training Nakita around 2 - 3 months ago. I just introduced it to her slowly, and always made it a really fun experience (ie: lots of treats!). I would put her in the harness for 10 minutes at a time, every other day for a two week period. Then after two weeks I attached the leash.

I just took Nakita outside for the first time on Sunday. She loved going outside and enjoying all the new sights and smells!

Ours are indoor only kitties. Midnight got out once a few years ago and has still not gotten over the emotional trauma He was petrified, he climbed up on the windowsill of my bedroom window and yowled til I woke up. It seems he had busted out the corner of a window screen and decided to explore, then realized he DIDN'T want to explore, after all...

We take the cats outside once in a while, with leash and harness, but they all seem to be terrified. They love to watch the birds and squirrels, but it would appear that all they want to do, after all, is watch!

Hi Frisky Feline -
My 4 boys are indoor/outdoor "enclosure" cats.....here's what our cat cage looks like....click here

These images show the cage while under construction. We have had the enclosure for two years and have landscaped since. I don't know what I would do without it.

The boys really love it too. They spend most of there time out there with the freedom to go in and out of the house...they are rotton boys—but hey! Cats are people, too. LOL!

Here's Spot and GoGo being happy little kids


>^,,^<
Kim

Socks is trained to harness and leash, but she gets really scared outside. She's happiest in the summer, at the cottage. We have a screened in deck and she gets free range of it. It's even more fun when a stray chipmunk comes out of the woodpile and Socks is just as scared of him as he is of her!

Originally posted by sockiesmom
It's even more fun when a stray chipmunk comes out of the woodpile and Socks is just as scared of him as he is of her!

Click to expand...

:LOL:

My two cats were inside cats, but I would let them out for a 1/2 hour in the morning most mornings before I fed them. I always slipped their bell collar on them whenever they went out. Never wore them inside though. They never ventured far, but I was amazed at the wildlife they killed in that time if I couldnt rescue it first. Mostly big lizards (12" long). I hated it if they killed something, their hunting instinct was too strong. They never ate their kill, just trophied it to me. The main reason I let them out though was because my male paced the whole house for hours on end looking out at every vantage point unless he had been out for his morning run. If he had been out he would settle and sleep most of the day.

kimward34

I love the huge cage outside. I always want that one. My dh isn't sure. HA But we will wait until we know for sure that we will settle down with the house first. We have a ranch house but we want a bigger house so we either move or expand in the house. We will discuss more about the big cage. I want a nice porch to attach with the cage. porch will have roof but cage does not. SInce cats love getting some tan from sun.

Your cage looks so fanstantic!!! I ll show it to my dh about your pictures.. Then my dh can think of way to attach to the porch. I want them outside without me keep my eyes on them all the time. By the way, your cats are sooo adorable!!! Thank you for sharing this with me!!

Frisky Feline - Thank you. I agree with you—when you build a cage, you might as well be in a place where you plan to live for a while. What's really nice is....the whole project is removable and cheap.

Thank God for Chicken Wire and 4 x 4's. It's really a glorified chicken coop! LOL! My cage is about 500 sq. ft. but the blue prints are made to suite just about any size. Like you said, at least the boys can get a tan or hide in the grass and stalk each other.

We're adding another tree limb inside the cage this summer—we have two big limbs in there right now (about 8" in diameter and about 5 1/2 ft. long. They needed one more because they all want to perch on it an sharpen their claws at the same time. You know, play "King of the Mountain" - lol!

>^,,^<
Kim

If space is a concern, there are smaller enclosures, that fit on a window. They may not have a lot of space, to play but they are ideal for sunbathing.

Pearl and Georgia have never been outside, but Fred was an indoor/outdoor cat for 11 of his 14 years. When we get him over to the new house, I will go out with him. He loves a porch, so I may eventually allow him to go alone to the porch. He is very good for coming when called, so if he goes exploring, I can catch him. It's a quiet street, little traffic, but he is scared of the street. He will visit next door neighbors, but no farther. I think he will be a happy kitty again. He hates a litter box, so he can at least potty outside.

smc: lol, we never had cats like that, ours constantly bothered us to be out side. One of our cats who came to us as a stray would litterally walk out the front door, and not even 30 seconds later would come back up asking us to open it to come in, and then repeat process several times every day!
Not to mention the whaling every night to get out!

My 3 cats that are fixed go outside when it is sunny out.They never leave the yard!They come in at night.My 2 cats that are not fixed never go out.I do want to leash train,Grayski so he can go out on the porch.But I am afaird he will try to go out every time the door is opened,when the grandchildern are here the doos is opened 1000 times a day!I can't be at the door all the time! So do I take him out or not?

Mine wear harnesses and we put a doggy stake in the front yard with 3 'leashes' and we put them out at one time.
It has to be late at night or early in the morning. None of them like noise... they get freaked out. They use to try and run out the door every chance they got but not so much anymore... once in a blue moon they want to go out but it never last for more then a few minutes....

Pepper got out one night (slipped through a window some how) some how and freaked out poor thing. She hasnt tried to go out since...