It's More Healthy To Have Inside Cats!!

What happened to your cat if you don`t mind me asking? Linda

I agree

True, I agree as well. I have a strictly indoor cat and I have an indoor outdoor cat. I live in a mobile home park, no traffic or loose dogs. She just stays on the porch or in the backyard. So I feel fairly safe...unless she comes in contact with a diseased cat or licks up antifreeze, and yes I would feel guilty if anything bad happened. Linda

I agree also and Im sorry for your loss

I think it depends on the person and the cat. I have three outside cats and I do not think that makes me a bad person. I prefer my cats to be inside only, but when you are dealing with semi wild or feral cats that just is not always possible. I think it is BEST for cats to have food, shelter, and vet care wiether they are inside or out.

Ashton and Lilly are there every morning when I leave for work, and they are there every night when I get home just waiting to be feed. They get petted and loved. They have a large chicken coop and barn to live in and they will NOT come inside. If I pick them up and bring them in they start crying. So what is best for these two cats?? I think it is best for them to be alive living a free life.

I have eight cats that are inside full time right now. Snowwhite will be returning back outside once she is spayed because she just isn't very happy in hear, but we should be getting another kitty in a week or two.

I used to be very closed minded about the inside outside issue, and I would never (and still won't) let any of my inside cats out because I fear for there safty, but I also beleave that some cats are happier outside and if they have always been outside and were raised by an outside or feral cat they will do okay because they know not to go near the road, and how to hide and those important things.

Sorry this got so long!!

I can agree that if the cat was grown up as an outdoor cat or is a feral cat it will probably be happier outside.

But I would never agree with training a cat to be an outside cat If you can get them while they are young and keep them inside they will not even know what they're missing. They will be perfectly happy inside with toys and scratching posts and love.

In my area you can't keep a outside cat very well. We have raccos and wildlife so my guy stays in

Well this is semi-off topic but...

having an outdoor cat isn't just about what YOU choose for your cat.
You're also making a choice for all your neighbors - for your cat to use their yards as litterboxes, deal with your pet, and for your cat to invade their space.

Because of my neighbor's outdoor cat, my dog can't be left in the yard alone, people can't walk their dogs nearby (her cat seriously attacks dogs, she's left me covered in bruises and punctures when I tried to protect a neighbor's lab), I have cat poop in my yard, the cat pees on my plants and kills them, I can't even use chemicals in my front yard because I worry about her cat, and I can't have my kitties in my yard in case her cat comes over and there's a fight. I also really don't appreciate the possibility of her germs/disease if she gets sick, in my yard or the potential for dead birds.

Does that seem fair?

Alicia-No its not fair but not all cat owners are as irresopnible as that one. Have you spoke to your neighnor about it?

What is she supposed to do to be more responsible?
I guess I don't see how this isn't the case with all outdoor cats. I am sure they all at least bug the closest neighbors.

She could keep the cat inside not ALL outdoor cats are bad. Alot of dogs in my neighborhood bark all night,attack people,dig holes,not on leash. Should all dogs be kept inside?

my closet neighbors don't mind my outside cats. The one on the right was actully feeding the mom, and the one of the left doesn't like cats but he doesn't mind me having them. And his DOGS come over an poop in our yard sometimes. Most cats I have seen do not go after people, let alone dogs.

So what are people supposed to do? Have cats that aren't suited to be inside put to sleep? that doesn't seem right.

Alicia - I had a similar situation. My porch, backyard and driveway smelled strongly of cat urine from the cats next door.....lucky for me that neighbor ended up moving and I no longer had to deal with it.

PrincessPurr - I definately understand your point. I agree that in certain situations you simply can't make a feral cat or a cat that has lived outside all of its life an indoor cat. As someone mentioned above I don't agree with getting a cat and training it to be an outside cat and I assumed that was what the original poster was referring to.
Last year I picked up 2 adult cats that were dumped on a farm...they remained there for a few months until the owner of the farm started getting fed up with them urinating in the garage. I went and picked them up with the intention of taking them to the SPCA but all the cat rescues and the SPCA's here were overcrowded due to it being the end of the summer and they had no room for them so I ended up keeping them after trying to rehome them on my own for about 6 months without any luck. To this day it suprises me that I was able to make them "indoor cats" so easily. I think they were just so happy to be loved and fed that they did'nt mind staying inside. They seem very happy here and show no signs of wanting to go outside and never have since I brought them in. I know its never this easy for most people so I guess I was lucky...they have proved to be wonderful house cats. And from reading many of your posts...I personally feel that you are a wonderful, responsible owner that is doing the best you can for these cats.

When we adopted Bella, the shelter told us she was an inside/outside cat. However, we decided to have her as an inside girl for safety reasons (we live on a fairly busy street, and there is also a huge (compared to Bella) cat who considers the whole block as his territory). One of my friends said I was being incredibly selfish keeping Bella inside, as cats need to be able to go outside when they feel like it. However, we give Bella opportunities to go outside for a snuffle, wearing one of those H-shaped harnesses. She seems to quite like this, and I feel less guilty.
As an aside, this is a great forum - I'm really glad I found it!

I think it is healthier for cats to live inside but that sometimes there's no choice. I have a mostly outdoor cat who is that way because (1) he was raised in the wild and freaks out if he's cooped up too much and (2) where I live at now doesn't allow indoor cats. At first I tried to find him a good indoor family but it was impossible and all the no-kill shelters are full so I would rather my cat live outside then die. I am living on a farm road right now so he has lots of room without any neighbors for the most part. I have an old garage that I put him in at night because I don't like him running around because my road gets busier at night with dunk people trying to flee the cops.. When I move out I will try to find a place that will take cats and then hopefully he will adjust to being an indoor cat. But until then my hands are tied, I can just insure he gets good food, water, shelter, love, vet appts, toys, and whatever else I can possibly supply. I feel guilty that he is outside but I would feel even more guilty if I took him to the pound where he would be killed. And my last two cats were strictly outside, one lived to be around 17 and the other was an adult when she was dropped off on our road and she lived with us for 18 years so she could have been 20+. I guess these are the exceptions rather than the rule, but where I live cats seem to thrive outside..

Outdoors with no chance of escape is okay....
like with proper feincing etc...
But not to roam.
But it depends on the cat/owner...
If it were me, i'd have them fenced in before letting them out.

alicat613

I would call animal control about this cat. If it is attacking other animals and has caused harm to people, it need serious help. This cat is a danger to itself and others and MUST be kept indoors. If this person gets enough tickets to comply, she may reconsider her outdoor statis of her cat.

There are products you can use to repel the cat from your yard. I have heard of putting moth crystals in your garden to keep the cats out as they smell bad.

Do a little research and see what can be dome to help this kitty, it may be as simple as prozac for kitties.

I adopted a strict indoor only policy after losing Cotton several years ago. He was an indoor cat that had a pet door from the kitchen to the garage and then a pet door from the garage to outside. I don't even know what happened to him . The wondering, the driving around looking for him drove me into tears so many times. But after reading Princess Purr's post earlier I have to agree with her. It depends on more things than what I want and in some cases having an indoory/outside or even an outside cat might be appropriate

If you have outdoor/feral cats that won't come in I understand (I have one too), but if you can keep your cat indoors, I would strongly recommend it (especially in cities). My little feral would never go up to a stranger and is very cautious about dogs, etc.

Too many horrible things can happen to outdoor kitties. Cars on the road, dogs, cruel people , other cats & disease, poisons, etc..

Also, cats will crawl up under car engines in the winter to keep warm (bang on your hood in the winter before you start your car, in case a neighborhood cat is hiding in there!).