Do your cats go outside?

roobear

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I've had cats all my life, never pedigrees just bog standard moggies but i love them. I'd never even thought of cats not going outside until i met my boyfriend whose parents are ex-breeders of pedigrees and show cats and i was told their cats didn't go out, i was really surprised but after explaining i understand why, what with the demand for pedigrees as trophy cats, cat theft and what not. Do your cats go out or not and if not what are your reasons?
 

sarahp

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I have 3 kitties. 2 are inside only cats, and one is allowed outside while I'm home. She never goes far, and just likes to sit in the sun and watch the birds and squirrels.

Outside is too dangerous a place for cats as far as I'm concerned. I have had 5 cats before my current ones - one was killed by a car, one was killed by a snake, and one was hit by a car, and needed his jaw wired back together and had to be syringe fed for a long time. My current partially outside kitty had been hit by a car before I got her and suffered a broken pelvis, and broken tail which was amputated.

She is only allowed outside now because I feel it's a fairly safe environment, I know she doesn't go far, she now stays away from cars, and she goes bonkers if she's kept inside permanently - she needs the time outside.

I know it's a risk, but it's one I'm willing to take to keep her happy.
 
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roobear

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I understand about outside being dangerous, my mum's cat has had quite a few injuries from fighting recently and my cat had chunk taken out of his tail a few years ago. My mums first cat lost her tail on a railway line before i was born and was later killed by a car when i was 9. Her son was put to sleep when i was 12. But my cat doesn't really go far, if we are in the garden he prefers to sit with us, he will occasionally explore the jungle of next doors garden. My mums cat prefers to play in the Rope Walk (large grassy area surrounded by wall and trees belonging to next door). We keep them in at night.
 

forensic

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My kitty is indoors only, as is the norm here.

Too many cars, too many crazy people willing to 'adopt' a cat with tags, and too many bored, wicked high school/middle school kids...

Had a puppy in a backyard get stomped on so hard it broke his hip a few months back...
 

harlowquin

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I have three Ragdoll kitties. My oldest male would love to go out.(I have to keep an eye on the door when coming and going.) I don't let him out however, as he is totally trusting and would lie down anywhere and not move. He is used to me stepping over him. I would love to let him out, but we live on a farm and I will not risk it. We do have several barn cats and I can tell you that their life span is realitively short. They are killed on the road, stepped on by cows, disappear while out hunting ect. I have thought about building a large caged in area off the mud room so he could go out and sun himself. As for now he can only sit on the window that is at ground level and just wish. I have a co-worker who has a male cat that goes out all day and then comes in at night. He is around 10 years old so he has become very wise to the ways of the dangers. Thing is I think he had several cats that died before his male came along.
 

laureen227

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the only outside cats here are the ferals. my personal 5 are all inside only.
 

tari

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Mine are inside only. We live on a major street, so the traffic is just too dangerous. There is also a population of feral cats in the area and we know that at least some have distemper (hence Forest's CH).
 

luvmyfurbabys

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*Warning Strong Opinion Alert *

Regardless of breed ( because its the soul we are protecting not the pedigree ) In my opinion cats should remain indoors. The world is a harsh place between , cars , trucks etc to people who will walk off with your feline friend .Also cats with FIV and owners who could care less.

Its kinder to keep them in .... thats not to say a cat on a leash or other such is a bad thing ... I think it can be a good thing with proper supervision.

Our growing brood likes our enclosed sun porch they feel like they are outside but are safely indoors.
 

buzbyjlc10

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I think letting kitties outside is more commonplace in the UK - here in the US more and more people are agreeing that there are too many dangers to let cats outside regularly and I agree with that.

My cat was an outside cat that I rescued, now he only goes outside on his harness and gets hooked to a dog tie out that's attached to the deck and he's only allowed out for like an hour or so at a time and we keep an eye on him

My cat is FIV+ which is assumed to have happened by fighting as a stray as he had a cut ear when I found him
 

catstorm

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I have two cats one goes outside once a week at night only the other is a female wich is an indoor cat.Already lost a cat when i let it go outside when there was daylight, not sure what happend to him though.I let tiger out so he can go hunting at night.He has brought home lizards, baby bunnys, gophers and birds.I think cats should be let out once in a while for hunting,
 

judi

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Originally Posted by roobear

I've had cats all my life, never pedigrees just bog standard moggies but i love them. I'd never even thought of cats not going outside until i met my boyfriend whose parents are ex-breeders of pedigrees and show cats and i was told their cats didn't go out, i was really surprised but after explaining i understand why, what with the demand for pedigrees as trophy cats, cat theft and what not. Do your cats go out or not and if not what are your reasons?
My two cats are indoor cats.
I never want to have one hit by a car again and die!
 

faith's_mom

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My kitties only go out on a leash; so yes and no to your question...Lol! They do go outside, but never without supervision and a lead. My kitties are pampered city housepets...to let them go outdoors would just be asking for trouble; I don't want to lose them due to the dangers lurking outside my apartment door; cars, thieves (of varying sorts), stray dogs, etc...

I remember in my last town of residence, a bunch of cats\\dogs went missing and later these animals were found but they weren't safe and sound...they had been used for ritualistic morbid things
So no...my cats do not spend time outside alone. A bored dog I could handle because cats can tend to turn into 'prey' in a dog's eyes; so chasing is normal for the dog, but to find my kitties killed due to the hand of another person...not so sure!
 

missymotus

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My 3 only go out on harness, I walk them 3-4 times a week.

My current cats are all pedigreed, but the moggies I had in the past only went out harnessed too.
 

mews2much

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My Cats are only indoor Cats and the breeder the Sphynx is coming from will not sell to people taht let their Cats out. My poor Lucy got out once and got very sick with fia because teh screen broke on the window. Coco got the fia from her and almost died even though she haf never been out. My Lucy died.
I always saw the neighbors Cat dead from bring hit. I have seen so many taht were ht by Cars and died. My other neighbors Cat got Feline Leukemia from going out.
 

yayi

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11 cats - all allowed to go out. They've been fixed so they do not roam and stay within the property.

Here's a photo of the wall facing the street. The cats like Joji in the picture just sit there and watch the people, cars, dogs, etc. pass by.
Oops, Joji is facing the house but you get the picture.
 

bnwalker2

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My cats are indoors but I do take them out on the back steps occasionally so they can sit in the sunshine and watch the birds. We live out in the country but there's still a road, plus hawks and coyotes. We have one old barn cat... a Siamese that someone dropped off a couple years ago. He's at least 11-12 and he lives in the barn by his choice only, he just refused to be made into an indoor cat.
 

miso

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Hello! I have my very first kitten (hence my very first post). Miso is a mix from the SPCA and she is around 4 months. She's had her first vaccines and a flea treatment, and will be spayed in a few months. I have taken her out on a harness (she really doesn't mind wearing it) but she now meows at the door and the screen because she wan
ts to me let out. I am happy to take her out once or even twice a day, but do you think she will get used to the idea that she can *only* go out with me, and that her whining gets her nowhere? I have tried to discourage the meowing with a squirt bottle and firm no's, then I distract her with toys, and it seems to work ok.

I'd like to hear more from people who walk their cats!

Thanks!
 

epona

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My 3 are all indoor cats, I have 2 pedigree Oriental Shorthairs and a Moggie x Cornish Rex accidental crossbreed. Although I live in a very safe area with no nearby roads, few other cats, and no risky wildlife, the risk of theft is too great especially for the pedigrees. The other one has too little common sense to be safe outdoors, and has white ears so is at high risk of skin cancer. If I had a garden I would have an enclosure of some sort so that they could enjoy some fresh air in safety
 

purrrplej

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Originally Posted by roobear

I've had cats all my life, never pedigrees just bog standard moggies but i love them. I'd never even thought of cats not going outside until i met my boyfriend whose parents are ex-breeders of pedigrees and show cats and i was told their cats didn't go out, i was really surprised but after explaining i understand why, what with the demand for pedigrees as trophy cats, cat theft and what not. Do your cats go out or not and if not what are your reasons?
I would never dream of letting my cats outside. There are so many dangers - traffic, dogs, wild animals in some places, other cats who might fight and/or have diseases like FIV, even mean people who kidnap/torture/kill cats (yes, there are sickos out there who do that sort of thing). My Simba has been an indoor cat all his life and never shows any interest in going out. Murray, on the other hand, was a stray, so he knows the outdoor life, and when I first let him start living with me he would cry sometimes in the night wanting to go out, but he got out of the habit relatively quickly. He's gotten past me out the door a couple times, but he either quickly ran back inside or I was able to grab him and bring him back in.

It's documented that indoor-only cats live a lot longer on average than cats with "outdoor privileges," probably because of all the dangers I listed above...
 
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