Are your cats inside, outside, or both?

carolina

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Hi,
I am curious to know about your cats... I have noticed that in the last decades cats have become more and more inside pets. I remember growing up, and all my cats were inside during the day, as they were sleeping, and outside during the night. I was already on my late teens when I had a completely inside cat, and only because I lived in the 4th floor in an apartment building.
Today I couldn't have an outside cat, as I would freak out every time they went out... I still take them outside on a harness, but they seem to be WAY more comfortable within the safety of the house...
So, are your cats inside, outside, or both? And was this a conscious decision, or just because?
 

sharky

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My whole life (31 yrs ) of being owned by cats they have been 80 inside 20 outside...

Currently I have 1 indoor / outdoor and 4 inside only s ..

Come spring I will have 2 indoor / outdoor( both are semi feral ) and 3 that go out in a cat enclosure or on a harness 2 of 3 are trained .... My back yard is cat proofed to the semi feral who is trained to stay in the backyard ( all my cats were trained to property except one who went next door and behind )

I should note I live a sub rural to sub urban area
 

catmom2wires

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Mine are inside/outside with a cat containment fence. They go out at will through the pet flap along with the dogs. There are water bowls inside and out, a litter box outside and a Litter Robot inside, a 2 story home for rest and relaxation and almost 1/4 of an acre of lawn, shrubs and mature trees for them to enjoy just "being a cat."

My kitties tend to be almost totally indoor cats during the winter and the opposite the rest of the time, except in extremely hot weather.

Cally
 

whuckleberry

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My boy is inside-only. The dangers of outdoors (traffic in particular, as I live in the city) are of great concern. If I had my own yard where I could build an enclosure, I would love to do that. Until then, the windowsill is as far as he gets!
 

wellingtoncats

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My breeding cats Fluffy, Flutterby & Tales are strictly indoors unless I'm outside doing the washing they love to come and play on the grass.

My desexed cats Sophie & Elmo are indoor/outdoor - Sophie spends 90% of her time outside (we've got lots of native bush behind our property) and Elmo probably spends about 20% of his time outside, just going out to use the toilet.

The reason I have two cats that go outside is because my Mum thinks it's cruel to keep them locked up
(I don't agree with her logic, but never mind)
 

meowqueensdaddy

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Mine are strictly indoor*. We're on a major thoroughfare in town, with four lanes of traffic in front of the house. There are a lot of losers in town, and I've actually *seen* folks swerve to try to hit small animals. Finding a member of my family lying dead in the road is not something I'm willing to risk, so they stay inside.



* I say strictly indoor, but Pumpkin occasionally gets to go out in the backyard on a leash. She loves it.
 

strange_wings

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I have 3 that live with us inside only, and 2 that stay with my in-laws that we provide food and vet care for. We have a lot of work to do on our backyard and now that taxes are back will be starting that soon. After the rest of the fence is built it will be cat proofed for the ones that cannot come inside.

I may allow my 3 boys out some, at least on the deck, under supervision later if they wish it. But Sho is a klutz who's curious naivety gets him into trouble, Tomas is scared of outside (shakes, hisses at things like flowers, and wants back inside immediately), and Sherman who was left by his owner outside to fend for himself. Sherman has shown no interest in outside other than watching birds in the backyard.

MewMew and Max have major attitude issues, and Max only sprays to urinate. MewMew I may be able to work on and let her come in some, but Max has aggression issues too.
 

jaffacake

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Both mine are indoor. Sooty can go out in the tiny back yard if he wants. It`s very small and completley walled in because we are in the basement so I know he can`t escape.

Maisie I sometimes carry outside for a breath of fresh air when it`s sunny


Kitty used to be indoor/outdoor and had a cat flap but he went nuts if I had to keep him inside so as he was outside when I got him I let him go out. He thought he was the big cheese of the neighbourhood
 

natalie_ca

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My cats have always been strictly indoor kitties. I live in the city and it's irresponsible to let an animal roam around streets where they can get hit by cars or eat poison or any number of other hazards. I am highly protective of my babies and inside is safe and I can control the environment so that it's safe for them IE: get rid of poisonous plants, chemicals etc.
 

momofmany

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I have 1 feral cat that I can't convert to the inside. I have 2 semi-feral cats that still go inside and out. The rest (9 of them) all stay inside permanently. I don't like that I have cats that go outside, but based on who they are and where they came from, it is the most stress free choice for them. I've made conscious decisions on all of them.
 

plebayo

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My cats are both indoors. I'm working on an indoor play structure as well as an outdoor enclosure for them. They seem to like the indoors well enough and at least are safe.
 

lil maggie

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Mine is strictly indoors because someone declawed her before I got her
She does hang out in my large screened in porch. It's kind of 'outdoorsy' and she loves it
 

anjhest

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All 3 of my babies are strictly indoor.

Every now and then an outdoor cat will come around and I'll feed it and try not to get attached. Never works! But I always end up getting them fixed and finding a home for them.
 

optionken

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My cats are indoor/outdoor. They have to be in when I will be gone for hours or before I go to sleep otherwise they can choose what they want to do. They go out the through the backyard and all except for the kitten come back when called. (Working on the kitten)
 

furryfriends50

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the barn cats generally stay in the barn though i would call that outside due to the fact that it is the same temp. as outside.

milo and mikey who live at my house go outside at night. marty goes out for a while during the day, he comes back when called, and is about 6 months old.
 

trouts mom

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Originally Posted by whuckleberry

My boy is inside-only. The dangers of outdoors (traffic in particular, as I live in the city) are of great concern. If I had my own yard where I could build an enclosure, I would love to do that. Until then, the windowsill is as far as he gets!
Same here. I would be scared all day if she were outside.
 

Moz

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Both of my cats are indoor only. When Scratch was little I used to take her outside on a leash, but stopped doing that 'just because'. A few years later I decided to keep her indoors only. Squee is indoors only too.

Our Rainbow Bridge kitty Flash was indoor-outdoor (went outside sometimes, slept indoors) and she lived until age 14, and RB kitty JC was indoor only.
 

white cat lover

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I live in the country, on a 4 acre farm (and my cats are all spayed/neutered). I have 7 inside cats, Squishy who comes & goes (inside he has to be confined to the bathroom due to an extreme spraying issue) & 7 outdoor cats. The outside kitties, the tame ones, mostly live in the garage all the time. I rarely see 2 of the outside kitties, as they're pretty semi-feral.
 
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