Which is Better For Them?

So I know the cat community usually has pretty split differing opinions on this. But I im just curious.

Which do you think benefits or is better for a cat. To be an indoor only cat or outdoor (this includes indoor/outdoor cats as well).

I grew up on a farm and none of our cats were indoor cats. Not that I liked it but it was my dads rule. The cats came home often with battle scars from fights with other animals. Some were hit by cars (we lived at the top of a hill so no one ever saw them until it was too late). And then there was the kitten who got into antifreeze and died. Now it wasent all bad they were fit and healthy with lots of mental and physical stimulation. Really the bad experiences were few and far between.

After divorce my mother and I moved into a apartment in the city. That was my first experience with strictly indoor cats. Rooney and Sebastian two orange tabby brothers. Having indoor cats I learned was great because their lives weren't at risk. Well atleast not as much as they were outdoors. Though Sebastian did escape and get hit by a car.

Right now Smidgeon, Wicked , and Quincy are all strictly indoor cats. We now live in a house but in a bad city neighborhood with a busy street. Though they don't get as much physical exercise I feel safer with them inside.

My sister who lives two houses away from me has two indoor/outdoor cats. For the most part it has gone "okay". Until last summer when someone poured acid on her one cats rear end and she lost all her fur. And then not a month later her other cat was attacked by some teenagers and lost her eye.

So which do you think is better. To be indoor or outdoor cats?

In a perfect world I would love to allow my cats outside. But its just not possible .

Originally Posted by LoveMyCatsWSQ

My sister who lives two houses away from me has two indoor/outdoor cats. For the most part it has gone "okay". Until last summer when someone poured acid on her one cats rear end and she lost all her fur. And then not a month later her other cat was attacked by some teenagers and lost her eye.

So which do you think is better. To be indoor or outdoor cats?

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Note: I added the bold...

How can you even ask????

This has been debated often here. You will find regions differ in their approach. In the US, the tendency is toward indoor whereas in the UK, many believe that one is depriving the cat by restricting it to indoors only.

I personally keep mine indoors. There are cars, coyotes, and despicable people outside and they are much safer indoors. And they have lots of window to watch from as well as a lot of toys.

Yeah im not trying to start a debate. Just wanted to see what others opinions were.

For me, its much better to be totally indoors. HOWEVER, I would like for them to have the opportunity to have a screened in porch where they could sit and watch everything and have some fresh air (we do open the windows during the day for them when good weather).

We plan on having a porch added to our house eventually and have it enclosed with screens. Then we will put a treehouse and wide shelves around so the cats and dog can join us when we sit out there

But I think its a lot healthier to keep them safe and indoors.

For me, I would love to have a safe outdoor area where the cats could exercise and hang out. Since that isn't gonna happen any time soon, they get to be indoor cats.

I live one apartment from a busy street and my neighbors all have indoor/outdoor cats. I just cannot do it.

I have indoor cats, & outdoor cats. None of mine are indoors/outdoors. I live in the country on a farm. My outdoor cats are fixed, & receive vet care. They're pretty much too lazy to leave the place. They do catch things like rabbits & birds.

The only one to have been hit by a car in 3 years was an un-neutered feral kitten I was trying to trap & neuter.

I'd like them all to be indoors, but I can't do that. I don't have the space. I've taken home several cats from the shelter to be farm cats to avoid them being euthanized. My Squishy will be going outside to be a farm cat soon, as I have been unable to find him an indoor home. I brought him home when he had less than 12 hours to go before being euthanized.

Mine are indoor, but they go out on harness and I plan to build an enclosure soon.

Indoor only. There are just too many things that can happen to them outdoors. The list is huge so I'm not even going to list them all... Even though we live in the city (Chicago!) we have coyotes and foxes and other predators in the area.

My cats are indoor only unless they are out on leash or in a stroller or carrier. My kittens both enjoy going out in the garden on leash and harness or on walks in their stroller/carrier and that allows me to keep them safe.

If you are really interested in what this community thinks about this question, all you need do is do a search on "indoor", "outdoor" and you'll get more information than you ever wanted to know.

i grew up under the impression that an outside cat is a happy cat. but losing 2 cats to road accidents has made me rethink.

i'm stuck in the middle a bit though cos my tabitha, who will be 9 next month, is an indoor/outdoor cat, has been since she was old enough (vaccinated and spayed) to go out. she would hate to be indoors all the time.

milo and shinobi are indoor cats though. they are happy, healthy and lead fulfilled lives. yes, my house resembles a cat nursery with their toys, cat trees, etc but it means they are stimulated.

also i would add that i see far more play with the boys because they run off their energy in the house rather than outside.

I personally think it is better to have them indoor/outdoor if you have the location for it. We live on a medium-ish sized acreage, down a semi private road. This means almost zero danger of cars, few neighbors around (and the ones close enough to see the cats once in a while dont bother them, because they know the value of them as mouse hunters.), and not too much larger wildlife to bother them(if their adults) if they aren't out during the night. Every one of our cats has been an indoor/outdoor cat since adulthood, and they all live happy, healthy lives. We have only ever had to take one cat to the vet from injuries relating to being outside in all our 20 years of cats, and that was inflicted by a stray that happened through, who managed to bite him on the tail. Other than that one injury, the cats are doing wonderfully, hunting and sitting in the sun when the weather's good, and living in the house/garage during the night and bad weather.

However, in any city or town situation I would say the life of an indoor cat is much better, simply because of all the strays, cars, and people who dont like cats, which could harm your cat or even some people have been known to take cats (even ones with collars) into their homes, and raise them themselves, which is very hard for the original owners, who no doubt miss their kitty horribly.A harness and rope might be right for you, or an outdoor enclosure too. As you can tell, I havent had too much experience with these two, except knowing the potential problems of an unsupervised kitty in a harness and rope.

Honestly, I think cats are happier if at least offered both options. That said, I have one who is extremely afraid of outdoors so I'm sure he would disagree.

If one can provide a truly safe environment, then let them go out. It's difficult to do that without an enclosure or at least monitored on a harness, of course.

I have two that are outdoor only and I do not like it at all. I'm not allowed to build a cat enclosure for them either.

Originally Posted by Yosemite

If you are really interested in what this community thinks about this question, all you need do is do a search on "indoor", "outdoor" and you'll get more information than you ever wanted to know.

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Sorry I never thought to. I never search topics on forums. Once again im not trying to offend or start anything. I was REALLY interested.

Im so confused.



Back to the topic thanks everyone for the opinions and outlooks.