Indoor/outdoor cat, now indoor

Isabel is about 9 months old now.  I swore I was never going to let her outside.  I had decided that because with former cats once they were out all they wanted was out.  But I started considering it.  First on a leash when she was young but soon I just thought the heck with it and let her out without a leash.  I have a 6 foot high fence around my entire back yard.   So all was good.  Until she got out of the yard one day.  I was like, how did she do that.  I do clip her nails although not religiously.   I try.   So I figured there would be no way she could get up and over the fence.  I was suspicious on how she did it but I caught her in the act one day.   She just took a running leap and up and over.  It wasn't easy because her claws didn't grip real well but she did it.  

She is an indoor cat now for the last week.  She hasn't created as much of a fuss as I thought she would.  But I just am not comfortable with letting her roam.  

What are you guys all doing?    Have yours always been inside only cats, or do you let them roam?  

Well, I am one of the very few on this site whose cats go outside.   They're all fixed and do not wander far from home. Actually, my garden is pretty big and it keeps them well entertained.   I never experienced having an outdoor cat who prefers to stay out. They come in to sleep at night or when the weather is too hot or too cold. Meal times of course and hang around with me when I am at the computer, doing house chores, watching TV. They love it when I join them in the garden. All in all, things work out fine. I find there is no need to have them cooped up indoors. 

So most of you keep your's inside?   And what are the reasons?  I'm really torn on this.  

Yeah, it's not like she prefered to be outside.  But she definately liked being out.  She always came back  inside and actually spent alot of time inside.    She enjoys that also.  But perhaps if she was allowed to roam she might spend more time out.      And with my  previous cats that went outside always came back.  I guess that is a bit of my fear that they will be attacked out there and not come back or at the least get beat up.    Of course there are alot of cats in the neighborhood that I notice are loose.  

I feel a little bad now not letting her out.   She hasn't created that much of a fit about it.  She runs to the door every time my dogs go in or out but I just block her and she just backs off.   I am kind or torn.  

Mine are indoor/outdoor.  They have an automatic cat door that lets them go out between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m.  During the evening/night, I know they're shut safely inside.  Truth be told, they stay inside or close to home voluntarily most of the time anyway--they like to be where their humans are.  And we live on a cul-de-sac with very little vehicle traffic and only three other houses.  We rarely see other cats or dogs around.

We started them off being indoor/outdoor when they were kittens so they're used to life inside and out and I wouldn't want to try to keep them in 100% now.  

Having said that,  if I were to get a new cat, though, I'd seriously consider keeping it indoors only--that way, there's NO worry about predators, other people's pets, vehicles, eating some plant they shouldn't, and things like that.  If your cat is not that upset being inside, I'd keep her in.  She'll be safer and if as you say, there are other cats around the neighborhood, you won't have to worry about her getting into a fight or anything like that.  

I keep my two indoors simply because its safer and easier to monitor their health. The average lifespan of a cat goes down dramatically as soon as you let them outside without constant supervision. I have also heard so many stories of "my cat got hit by car" or "a dog/wild animal killed my cat" from friends that it scares me.

Having said that, cats that are used to be being outside can get stressed by being inside only. Thats why its easier to simply keep the cat indoors unless you see a total need for it to be outside as well.

Sunflowers said:

 
I keep my two indoors simply because its safer and easier to monitor their health. The average lifespan of a cat goes down dramatically as soon as you let them outside without constant supervision. I have also heard so many stories of "my cat got hit by car" or "a dog/wild animal killed my cat" from friends that it scares me.

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This for me too. It's not worth the worry. We used to have outdoor/indoor cats, and these things happened to us all the time. It took a while for us to learn.

A cat enclosure ("catio") is a good way to go. The kitties are indoor, but have a enclosed area where they can eat grass, smell the fresh air, and survey their domain. The kitties seem pretty happy about it, though there is one girl who is extremely vexing and likes to escape. But she always comes back in after a few hours.

My first three cats were allowed to go out whenever they wanted, and they would come in for the night (usually), and typically didn't go far from the house. However, after two of those cats died young from being hit by cars, I decided all my future cats would be indoors only, unless supervised so I can make sure they don't leave the backyard.  I read so many posts on here from people whose cats were badly injured or killed by a car or a dog or other predator, and it reinforces my decision to keep them in. 

Our 2 cats are strictly indoor .  I feel that it is safer for them .  I always know where they are ..

  Good decision.  Don't feel guilty. You said she seems okay inside.  Do you have the option of building her a catio?  Those are great, too.

Not sure on the catio.  I think I will just leave it alone and totally keep her in to not take the chance she will want out more.  All is well.  

My boy used to roam before we built our enclosure, he was in/out for 6 years. We have a lot of cats in our neighbourhood and the amount of times he would come home with fight wounds is too many to count! He had both of his ears ripped, puncture wounds and clumps of fur missing to name but a few. When we got Sasha we decided to keep her confined to the garden so along came the enclosure. When we first kept my boy in he hated it, he would pace up and down and yowl and get quite agitated. I nearly caved in many times but stuck with it and after a couple of weeks he got used to it.
I do feel an element of guilt about keeping them confined but it's for their own safety and as my 2 girls have never roamed they don't know any different and are quite happy.
I think if all the fences surrounding our garden belonged to us I would probably have preferred to install something like this: http://oscillot.com.au/ as this is not so in your face and obvious as having a cage over your garden. We do get some odd looks when we have visitors. :lol3:
I think it's a personal choice weather you let your cat out or not, you know your cat and the area you live and I definitely think it's easier to keep them in/confined from kittens as they have never had the experience of the outside world so don't know what they are missing.
Good luck with whatever you choose to do!

Yes, I think she is going to be fine with it.  She certainly is not agitated at all.  Of course she is at the door when it is opened but doesn't make as issue of it.  I just block her and she backs off.   That railing over the fence looks super but I don't see how I could do it either.