Indoor or outdoor cats just a question - Page 4  

No one who has listed their reasons for keeping their cats indoors has derided outdoor kitty owners, on the contrary, many (including me) have empathized and/or sympathized with them - and I resent being called "simple" simply because you disagree with my choice, Johnny GSX-R.

Letting a cat out, to my mind, is equitable to letting a child out. Sure, both the kid and the cat will cry and cry to go out, and sure, sometimes, maybe many times, they'll come back whole and happy, but it's JUST as dangerous for the cat as it is the kid. The only difference is that one is morally reprehensible and the other is not.

And, as has also been mentioned, a lot of the joy of cat ownership, the one-on-one time that I, personally, find irreplaceable, is lost when the cats are allowed to become indoor/outdoor kitties.

Without a shred of doubt, I say my cats are as happy and well-adjusted as yours, PLUS mine will likely enjoy their lives longer and with less suffering.

Good way to put it.

You could say the same about dogs. Do you think dogs should be allowed to roam the streets freely too?

My cats are indoor cats, though I take Molly out on a harness and leash (not Polly, though, because she shows absolutely no interest in going outside and I'm not going to force her.) There are far too many common dangers here: coyotes, javelina, vultures, hawks, ranchers (who will shoot anything that shows up on their land uninvited), mountain lions, loose dogs, rattlesnakes, etc. Then if they went a bit further there would be the risk of getting hit by a car, stolen and used for any plausible and horrible purpose, poisoned, shot- you name it. I've seen all those things happen to people's pets since I've lived here.
My neighbors (before they moved) had 5 indoor/outdoor cats during the time I knew them. Only one lasted longer than 6 months, and even he got killed recently.
I've found a balance that works well for my animals and me and that's what matters. Polly stays in because she's happiest indoors. Molly loves the outdoors but due to the dangers I refuse to let her out loose and unsupervised, so she walks on a harness with me (or rather, she walks me ), and loves it.

It sounds unfair to say that if the cat has no interest in going out there is no need to force her/him but if it wants out, the kitty is not permitted to do so.
I like this discussion but being in the minority I'm not eager to say anything because the opinions of the opposition sound like scoldings

All my cats are indoor only. I have tried to take them out in a leash but they hate going outside and are clearly afraid so I don't do it anymore. I live in an apartment complex in a middle of a city and very busy road, so it would be incredibly stupid to let them go outside. It's also ILLEGAL in this country to let your pet (cat or dog) to go outside alone/unsupervised, it's animal cruelty and if the animal leaves it's owners property, then it's abandonment. But still I see flat furry spots on the roads..
I do know an indoor/outdoor cat who is 17+ years old, but she lives in the country and the only predators in that area are foxes and she is the one hunting them.... Her job is to keep mice out of the house, the few neighbours they have know the cat and are happy that she keeps the rodents away.

If you are unable to provide safe activities to your pet without dumping it outside so that it has to entertain itself, don't get a pet.

They do sound similar, but they aren't really. In the former, you are personally, actively forcing the cat to do something it doesn't want to do and/or is afraid to do. In the latter, you're simply preventing the cat from doing something it wants to do, and typically in an impersonal, non-confrontational manner - a shut door - that the cat doesn't associate with you.

Do you see the difference?

As long as you don't insult me, I won't insult you. And, as I've said before, I actually do understand why some folks allow their kitties to come and go freely, I just don't do it for mine.

I'm in the minority here because most of my cats are indoor/outdoor cats. HOWEVER, I also live in the country on a dirt road with 5 acres. My neighbors are my MIL and DH's aunt and uncle and they are huge animal lovers and wouldn't hurt my kitties. The only other neighbor is the little old lady at the end of the road and she only goes to church on sunday so traffic is basically non-existant. Also, all of them were barn cats and other than the 5 that were bottle fed (I have 12 now) they were all used to being outside and MIL's barn was their home to begin with so they are familiar with the area. I have 4 that have NO desire to go out...3 of the bottle fed (all female) and a male barn cat that was injured in a fight and we nursed back to health. I guess he had enough and is enjoying the cozy life.

Now, when we lived in town and had out first 3 (Harley, Monster and Little One) they were NOT allowed outside...although Harley did get away from us a time or two. But there were too many dangers like people have mentioned. I think a lot has to do with the area you live in and the space you have.

I know the dangers of letting them outside here. But, there are dangers inside too. What if one of my 4 dogs (3 are big dogs) decides to attack one of my kitties that is annoying her while I'm in the shower? What if one of the cats chews on an electrical cord and fries herself while we're at work? What if one of them crawls into the refrigerator without me noticing and I close the door and go shopping for hours? (I've done that...well, not the going shopping part but Harley learned to stay away from the fridge!). I think if you have a safe enviornment to let your cats outside it is fine, but to each their own.

Calico2222 , great post , have you got room for a lodger

Puddles is never thrown out , the door is open and he can please himself. He spends every night curled up right next to me on my bed, he greets me when i come back from the gym as he hears my Land Rover pulling up.

Northern glow "If you are unable to provide safe activities to your pet without dumping it outside so that it has to entertain itself, don't get a pet. "

Of course i can provide safe activities for him, he's never DUMPED outside to entertain himself.......he's not a pet for MY own self gratitude and to be there when i click my fingers, he's a free character who knows where he's loved, fed, watered and has a warm bed.
I got a 'pet' because he was abandoned by his last owner and placed in rescue........i think i'm doing a damn fine job thanks.
If i didn't care do you seriously think i'd give up my precious time arguing with you lot over the merits of an indoor / outdoor cat

It was good of you to rescue Puddles. I am happy you are satisfied with your arrangement. That it works for you does not make other people's choices wrong Different does not mean wrong, it means different.

We have very different way of treating animals over here. If you get a cat from a shelter/rescue you have to sign a contract where you promise not to let the cat go outdoors alone, so that's propably why I can't understand your way of thinking.
My cats live indoors as I said, they don't come to me if I snap my fingers or live as a decoration on my couch. Even if they are indoor cats, they still are cats. You make it sound like they turn into objects if they don't go outside.

I must admit your right 'NG' it does come across like they are a trophy and YES i'm saddened to see that so many are house bound.

Yeh its my view, its a strong view and i'm just showing it whilst facing a mob, please excuse me for defending myself.

Let me just clarify something here. Right now, letting the cats go outside when they want to works for us because of where we live and who we live by. However, I also said when we lived in town and had different neighbors and more traffice, I DIDN'T let them outside because of the mentioned dangers. That's why I said it depends on where you live and what safety hazards are around outside.

People who keep their kitties inside due to safety depending on where they live are responsible owners. I would not let my kitties go play in a highway or interstate, but they can lay on my dirt road because (except of Sundays) we're the only one's driving on it.

Just wanted to make that clear.

Johnny GSX-R you are not the only one who feels this way, many people I know in real life feel the same way you do, it's just that on this site, hearing about cats being run over so frequently on the "over the bridge" section, well it is just one of the worst nightmares that can be happen to any of us so most of us are against letting cats roam free. It would be okay to let your cat run free if you were living in a very rural area, but a city isn't a natural environment for a cat, even if cats aren't as tame and domesticated as dogs are and they have strong instincts and survival skills, those only apply to their natural environment.
You can let your cat out in a responsible way with a harness, or build an enclosure or a very tall fence....

It's a cold, cruel world out there and bad things WILL happen to cats that go outside!

With the right toys and other distractions, the indoor environment can be made just as interesting for cats.

They should be indoors with the people who love them!

Others have already pointed this out, but I just want to reiterate, this is a site dedicated to cat welfare. I'm not admin or anything, but the very beginning of the forum rules states:

There are ways of expressing opinions without calling the people with differing opinions idiots or simpletons.

You feel strongly about letting your kitty go out. I said I understood that. I'm so sorry you're not able to see that cats can be happy when indoors only, or the logic of working so hard to make them happy indoors.

We have cared for many ferals in various colonies over the years. Whenever one doesn't show up, we're always left wondering what happened and it's just another heartbreak.

I think we all need to remember, that just as most shelters in the US / Canada will not adopt to people who will let their cats outdoors, many shelters in the UK will not adopt to cats that will not be allowed outdoors.

There is scientific evidence that outdoor cats get more stimulation and are less likely to be obese (the size of cats over here shocked me when I first moved here)

However, personally I will not risk the lives of my cats to the dangers that lie outside my front door, whether in the city or out in the country - all too often we see posts that 'my cat was hit by a car' or 'my cat was eaten by a coyote / whatever' or they just never came home and no one knows what happened to them.

Yesterday at the shelter, I took 12 lost reports from people whose cats are missing, only two of those were indoor cats - I couldnt bear not knowing what happened to one of mine

Just like every thing else, this depends on every individual situation. As LDG said many people work hard at keeping their indoor cats' lives stimulating and healthy.

I know a family whose cats go out. One is morbidly obese, and has been most of her life. She's almost 14 now, should weigh about 10 pounds, but weighs 19. She pants just walking across the kitchen floor to get to the door to ask to go out. It's disgusting. So going outside certainly hasn't kept her fit.

Not only that she's always covered with mats and burrs gets (I cut them out on a regular basis) and gets worms several times a year.

Their other cat is a couple years old, so far he's stayed fairly slim, but he injured his left front leg outside, somehow, with other evidence of fighting with something (big wound on his mouth too) and now has a fairly bad limp, which seems like it is going to last forever. He's beginning to gain weight now, too.

They free feed crap for food, "whatever is on sale", and don't pay much attention to them at all.

Most of the indoor cats I know are at a healthy weight, and all receive plenty of attention care and stimulation from their people.

Yes, I see that a lot too in all the forums I visit. I don't consider those type of serious injuries or deaths "freedom"

Like you I couldn't bear to not know what happened to one of my cats. I'd probably lose my mind. Nor could I bear not knowing they are safe in their home every minute of the day.

But I know many people think differently. We are who we are <shrug> but I have been able to change a mind or two about this over the years, so I'll keep preaching.

Personally, we will deny any application at the shelter where the person says they will allow the cat outdoors or have other outdoor cats (within reason with the other cats as we have had a few - and I mean just a few - where the people were making the choice between letting them out or euthanising over elimination issues and their vet confirmed the details)

But back in the UK my local shelter would deny any application for an indoor only cat

No, it's a good subject, and there are many opinions. In every forum I visit the indoor/outdoor question makes for long threads.

Ummm...my girls are indoor only and are FAR from unhappy.They also don't try getting outside.They play all the time,pur when I am around,love affection...they are clearly happy cats.So Johnny...you cannot tell me my cats are unhappy for staying inside.They are also NOT obese.

I lost a beloved cat that got outside.He was not fixed,but the week after he went missing he had an appointment to be neutered.But he got out accidentally and I never seen him again.He was 8 months old,still a kitten.It PAINS me to this day that I have no idea where he went or what had happened to him.The shelters were on my side looking and my beloved cat did not turn up.

Any cat that goes outside is at risk.Sure some live to a ripe old age and don't have problems,but that does not mean they are not at risk for being outside.I live in the city and it is definatly not safe for cats to roam here,I hear stories all the time...not to mention our family cat was poisoned before and I seen dead cats on the side of the road that were hit by cars...

It is your opinion.If you want to let your cats out,thats your choice.But do not tell us our cats are unhappy and fat because they are kept indoors.

I have to say that I'm often made to feel VERY guilty for keeping my cats inside. It's a whole different kitty culture in the UK!

I think this discussion has run its course and am closing it. There were some very good points made.

Responsible owners will do what is best for their cats. This means fully understanding the risks of letting the cats out and meeting the challenges of stimulating indoor cats. (maybe borrow a kitty cam to see what yours do all day )

TCS also strongly advises spaying and neutering whether they are indoor or outdoor.