Indoor or outdoor?

Hello,

I'm sorry if this is in the wrong place, I just wanted to ask some other people's opinions. I live in the UK where it is quite normal for cats to be allowed outside to roam around. I've read a lot of things online saying that it's better to keep cats indoor only because there are less dangers and the cats tend to live longer and so I'd decided I would keep mine indoor only.

Both my kittens (around 7 1/2 months old now) are due to be spayed on Tuesday and Chloe had her pre-op checkup on Wednesday (Sophie has been having treatment for a broken leg so she didn't need another pre-op check). The vet asked me if they've been outdoors at all (I guess to just make sure there's no chance of them being pregnant when the spay is performed and I explained they haven't and I plan to keep them indoor only and explained about all the risks letting them outside that I'd read about.

The vet said it's a personal choice but he believes that cat's should be allowed out so they have a nice quality of life and can chase around butterflies (his words) and things (In reality though, they'd probably chase and eat birds/mice I guess!). My little girls have plenty of toys and also have each other to play with, and I'm at home 99% of the time because I have a lot of problems with depression and anxiety and I'm not working because of it and spend most my time at home unless I have to go shopping.

I just wondered if other people could give their opinions on the topic because I want to make sure my little girls have a long and healthy life, but also a good quality of life!

Thanks,

Sarah

These are my little girls Sophie (with the black nose) and Chloe:

What beautiful kitties! It does seem to be more prevalent to have indoor/outdoor kitties in the UK, but I don't think it's fair to say that cats cannot have a good quality of life strictly indoors. First, it is a LOT safer as an indoor only kitty. No cars, predators (both animal and human), poisons/toxins, etc. to worry about. Secondly, you can provide an enriching environment indoors with window perches, cat trees, scratching posts and lots of play sessions. I don't think you should feel bad about keeping indoor only kitties at all!

I agree with vball91.  My cats are indoor only and are much better off for it.  They have each other, and no one to hurt them in my home.  They can see out of windows, I have a tall cat tree for them, scratching posts, etc.  They stick their heads out when I walk in and out of the front door, but they know they are to not go out.  They really don't try to get out either.  They have it good here.  Whatever room I'm in, so are they.  So I must be doing something right! 

Some people don't like cats as much as we do.  A little over a block away is an owner who's proud of his cat-killing black Labrador.  Others are buffoons behind the wheel and have almost hit me in the street.  Again they have it good as indoor-only cats.

peaches08 said:

 
I agree with vball91.  My cats are indoor only and are much better off for it.  They have each other, and no one to hurt them in my home.  They can see out of windows, I have a tall cat tree for them, scratching posts, etc.  They stick their heads out when I walk in and out of the front door, but they know they are to not go out.  They really don't try to get out either.  They have it good here.  Whatever room I'm in, so are they.  So I must be doing something right! 

Some people don't like cats as much as we do.  A little over a block away is an owner who's proud of his cat-killing black Labrador.  Others are buffoons behind the wheel and have almost hit me in the street.  Again they have it good as indoor-only cats.

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This is how mine are too.  My one cat will come out when I open the door and look around to survey the scene, but as soon as I'm in he pops right back in too   I think maybe he thinks he's protecting me or the house or something.

Either way I agree with what's been said so far.  Cats are much safer indoors and can live very happy lives there.  Just makes ure they get playtime and have some vertical space to play around with and they will be happy and healthy! It is great that they will also have each other 

tulosai said:

 
This is how mine are too.  My one cat will come out when I open the door and look around to survey the scene, but as soon as I'm in he pops right back in too 

 I think maybe he thinks he's protecting me or the house or something.

Either way I agree with what's been said so far.  Cats are much safer indoors and can live very happy lives there.  Just makes ure they get playtime and have some vertical space to play around with and they will be happy and healthy! It is great that they will also have each other 

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Me too.    Sophie and Chloe are definitely cute and it is great that you are checking out what might be best for them.  I'd love to know who has the cute dark nose and who has the fabulous big ears BTW.      I'm in the UK so know about all the negative talk you get around the subject of indoor outdoor.    

I had 2 tabby girls before my current boy and they were indoor for 18 and 22 years give or take a couple of months and always looked happy to me.  No mad escape attempts or sad, withdrawn behaviour or bored aggression,and they had their own areas within the home.   They only had to compete with each other, no nasty aggressive fights, and no cars or cat haters with air riffles shooting at them like my friends cats have had.   

My current boy is also in door and think he makes it really clear why can work.  He does not have to compete with other cats for his territory, like my girls he is in safe place where he knows he belongs and it is his territory. There is up space and floor space and he races about hunting and checking out every corner to make sure he's on top of it all.  He is calm and confident in his space and is a very happy cat that does not feel frightened of anything he has met  in his 3 year life.  If I take him out he is a very different cat.  He is still confident but he does not feel confident roaming about and does not like to be outside.  He is on edge outdoors. He does not want to to out of the front door on his leash and I have to put him in a carrier so he feels secure.

The indoor environment is not large but it is interesting and varied, and boxes, climbing frames, scratching posts, shelves and furniture that he can run or hide under are always present.  He has spaces he likes best and feels safest if he is unwell, and can choose to share space with me or be off on his own - though usually chooses sharing.  He hunts insects and spiders, mice and toys. He has toys that are rotated so he doesn't bore of them, and ones he can play on his own with and ones I play with too.  His biscuits are thrown so he has to chase and catch his main food as well.  He is confident, curious, physically fit and is the master of his home. He allows me to stay with him, along with any other humans I introduce, and he checks out all callers at the main door to make sure they meet his approval.  He makes sure he has access to all areas of the home so he knows what's going on, and if a door is shut he will be sure to sneek in when it opens for a little nose around before it closes again.  I do not believe he would be any happier or any fitter if he went out, but I do think he would meet a lot more physical and emotional dangers and probably be far less confident and curious than he is. 

I believe people should choose what is right for them and their cats: if you feel confident and safe with your choice your cat will too.  If you are anxious then your cats sense this and will feel anxious too.

My cats live indoors too..They a condo and places to hide and seek and high places to enjoy the view from above..and they are both happy cats and playing around most of the time...and when they are no longer playing....I played with them too and give both of them equal petting moments....

Anyway, I just wanna say that about once a week I bring them out when we go to church and go to the mall afterwards...They seems to enjoy it ....but they are in a leash most of the time...and i follow them all the time too....and my daughters friends are just so happy to see them..and walk them around the garden...and in the malls...they love it too...peoole a

Our cat lives indoors, but we take him out to our yard every once in a while. We don't leave him unsupervised. He seems to love it, to the extent that he sits by the door and meows until we take him out. We do have to be very careful as we come and go, because he will take every opportunity to go out. Going outside seems to be doing him good - he roams around and sniffs for a while, then walks back towards the door to tell us that he is ready to go back inside.

My only advice for having cats who explore outdoors on own is to have a bit of money saved.  Really that is good advice for having pets in general(trust me I do not have much saved).  I had a cat who was hit about a uyear ago.  He did not die but dragged himself home.  It was NOT pretty. He broke pelvis and his back leg was broke at a bad angle.

I had him euthanized as it was beyond my budget.  And in my opinion beyond humane to fix had I had the money.  I would have ended up with same issue of he WANTED to be out.  Looking back only thing is I wish I had found him sooner but he lived a very full happy life up until.  

Major difference is I believe a kitten/cat who is gotten as an inside only raised kitten/cat does  not know what it is missing.  The ONLY cats I CONSIDER letting having access to outside is the ones I got as outside cats/kittens.  I currently have 2 that are allowed out. The rest of the bunch is quite happy from what I can tell inside.  Once you expose them to going out they beg to go again and again in my experience.

Also as someone with anxiety to point I will not leave house some times when I want to go out consider how you will take it if they wander and you do not see one a few days.  

I go with what your veterinarian said - it is a personal choice and cats get that "special joy" outdoors. My cats are indoor outdoor and I never tried keeping one inside 24/7. Because I live in a tropical country, the weather is fairly constant and there's always grass, trees and bugs the whole year. Awesome setting for curious kitties!   

It is becoming more common in Australia to have indoor only cats. There are people who believe it is cruel to keep a cat indoors. About ten years my son (who was four at the time) and I witnessed our cat get hit by car (he didn't survive). I vowed that day that I'd only ever have indoor cats from now on. Our last cat was trained to walk on a harness and leash, so he would go outside in our yard on that. He was raised as indoor, and he let us know when he wanted to go outside by sitting at the door an meowing, then walking to the drawer his harness was kept in. He learnt he wasn't allowed outside without his harness, so you could open a door even if he was laying in front of it, and he wouldn't try to get out. He didn't really want to go outside all that often.
It is a personal choice, though. I know they are trying to make it law here that cats can't be out between dusk and dawn, and there are laws stating it's illegal for cats to trespass on someone else's property, so they are within their rights to call the pound to have them taken away, in which case you'd have to pay a fee to get them back.

Borh of my cats are indoor only. I won't ever have an outdoor cat. I don't need the worry of them not coming home or getting hit by a car.

Indoors only. I previously worked for animal control and we had so many instances where people would bring in animals that had been run over, or call us to retrieve an animal that had been run over and died. They will live much longer indoors, with adequate cat toys, treat balls, and a cat tree to keep them occupied. If you'd like, you can teach them how to walk on a proper fitting harness and leash so they can safely enjoy some fresh air while supervised.

I've had cats my whole life, and up until recently they've all been indoors, though plenty of people tell me I'm "not letting them be cats", but it's stupidity. Over the years I've had nine cats, four of those are my recent outdoor cats. The other five have lived long, LONG, perfectly happy lives. Three of them are still alive. They would be let outside occasionally with supervision, and they were fine with that. In fact two of them didn't even want to go outside. I would open the door and they would just sit there, or walk away. 

I guess it comes down to personal preference but to me, cats are indoor creatures. They simply belong inside, they're domestic, not wild. It's much much safer inside than outside, and for me it's very stressful to have outdoor cats. I worry constantly that something bad is going to happen to them. There are so many outdoor threats like cars, other animals, other animals with illnesses they could pass on(for instance my neighbors cat has FIDS), not to mention people. Where I live people will throw things or even shoot at stray cats, or any cats. If I hear rowdy kids walking down the street I run outside and put my cats out of sight. 

I was convinced once to allow my cats to roam wherever they pleased. Of course, since they were kittens at the time, I put them up at night, regardless of what everyone else was saying. It was awful. We had a horrible time with raccoons trying to get to them, and then one night one of them didn't come home for bed. We found her later in the road. Now I keep the others in the yard with regular checks to make sure they're still there, since they're still not allowed inside. I'm building them an enclosure so they don't have to be locked in a crate at night and when I'm away. I don't care what the family says, I'm keeping these cats safe. 

When I was growing up, our cats were always indoor/ outdoor. All my cats have been indoor/outdor--it just never occurred to me to keep them inside.  We do live on a quiet cul-de-sac with very little traffic. Their cat door is programmed so that it shuts at 6 PM and doesn't open again until 6 AM, so they are safely in doors at night.

If I were to start over with kittens now, I would probably keep them indoors only. But my three have had the run of our property since they were babies. I'm not going to try to keep them in at this point.  The four older cats we took in last year are indoor only so of course I didn't start letting them go outside. They do have a catio, though, so they can get outside for some fresh air and still be safe.

I live in UK and yes it is more normal here to let cats out.  If you live in a fairly safe area, not near  a busy road I agree with your vet, they will have better quality of life if they can go outdoors for a little while.  I have always made sure I lived somewhere that was fairly safe for a cat so definitely not near busy roads.  I used to let my previous cats go out fairly early in the morning then get them in when I went out and let them out again when I came home.  I have never gone out and left my cat out, I have always wanted to get them in before I left the house and I have never let my cat stay out at night..  I personally think that if you are in a reasonably safe area it is kinder to let them go out for short periods.

I would advise you to get them microchipped aswell.

I wonder, does this same vet tell people with expensive birds to release them outside?  I don't mean to stray too far off topic but I'm curious.

Thanks for the replies everyone! It's nice to see the point of view of other people and hear both from people who think indoor only is best and from people who allow their cats outside. I think I'm going to keep them indoor only and maybe in the future look into some way to be able to let them out in an enclosed area where they're safe but able to enjoy sitting outside in the sun and fresh air, or maybe even get a harness and see if they'd like to go for walks occasionally.

vball91: The one with the black nose is Sophie and the other is Chloe. I don't think the picture really does them justice though! They're so much more beautiful in person and both have such lovely personalities! Sophie is very confident and affectionate and will come running to me if I call her name and loves to try groom me. Chloe is a little more reserved and not quite as confident but she'll come for cuddles when it suits her and she's also such a sweet little girl!

catsallaround: I think you're right about that.. If I did let them out and one of them went missing or just stayed out longer than usual I'd probably start to panic a bit. I probably seem a bit of a loser, but over the last 9 or 10 months or so I've had lots of problems with depression and anxiety to the point where I struggle to even go outside a lot of the time and my little girls are basically my world and I don't think I could cope without them!

peaches08: I don't think he was trying to pressure me to let them outside, just wanted to say his point of view. He's such a fantastic vet and really cares about cats! Whenever I have to go to the vet, I always want to see him if possible! I'm a little sad that he wont be doing their spay operations, but that's because Sophie broke her leg around 7 weeks ago now and had surgery to put pins in and so their orthopedic vet will be removing the pins from Sophie's leg and doing the spay at the same time. Their orthopedic vet is also at one of their other branches so she'll be doing Chloe's spay at the same time, since that's much easier than taking Sophie to one of the branches and Chloe to the other. David (The vet I like to see) seems to really loves cat's and the first time I saw him for Sophie and Chloe's vaccinations he was telling me all about his cat's, and when Chloe went for her pre-op checkup last Wednesday he could tell she felt very stressed and nervous (She doesn't like going to the vet and cries almost constantly when she's in the cat carrier) so the first thing he did was give her a cuddle which I thought was really sweet I'm quite surprised she even let him because if I pick her up and try give her a cuddle she'll struggle until I put her back down hehe

Oh I don't mean to insist that the vet is some kind of manipulative meanie.  I think it would be cool if my cats could climb the old oak in my backyard but I can't trust my neighbors or other drivers in the neighborhood.  And I really wonder what he thinks about birds staying caged or even having full run of the house at times...would that not be similar to his argument about cats being indoor only?

SarahD1987 said:

 
Thanks for the replies everyone! It's nice to see the point of view of other people and hear both from people who think indoor only is best and from people who allow their cats outside. I think I'm going to keep them indoor only and maybe in the future look into some way to be able to let them out in an enclosed area where they're safe but able to enjoy sitting outside in the sun and fresh air, or maybe even get a harness and see if they'd like to go for walks occasionally.

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Yes, if they're indoor only already and don't mind being in all the time, I wouldn't change that.