Letting Your Cat Outside???

As a cat lover, I beg all other cat owners, PLEASE do not allow your cats outside!!!

It is soooooo dangerous for them.  There are other predators out there.  They could get chased into the street and hit by a car.  They could get into a fight with a cat who has feline AIDS (F.I.V.) or leukemia.  There are sick, cruel humans out there.  I trap cats & kittens to T.N.R. them, or find homes for them if they are adoptable.  If a cat is trapped by someone like me, they are very fortumate because my intentions are to T.N.R., rescue, get medical attention or (if kittens, socialize & find homes).  But, they could just as easily be trapped by a psychopath.  Or poisoned!  I have read many articles on studies that show it is best for pet cats to be kept indoors.  Please, please, please do not let your cats outside!!!  kacey 

Hi Kacey and welcome to TCS!! 

I agree with you. My cats are all indoor only for the reasons that you mention. I also have a very busy street behind my house that is not well lit at night. Not a good combination when you have 3 black cats. 

Most members here agree with you that it's best for most house cats to remain indoors, but not every situation is the same and we do have members who have indoor/outdoor cats who are thriving beautifully and have been for quite a while.

Thank you for being a part of the TNR process and for helping homeless cats. The world would be a better place if more people did that. 

It is true that inside is best.  Yet when doing TNR on true ferals, the option to bring them inside is usually not an option.  Caring for them outside is difficult and worrisome, but shelters and food are provided.  If you are working with adult feral cats, the option to care for them inside a home is usually not available.  Kittens are a different story if you can get them early and get them socialized. 

Thank you for rescuing cats and caring for them.  It is a hard job. 

It really depends on the cat. Many ferals simply cannot adjust to being indoor only cats, and would find that kind of existence stressful and unhappy. Imagine someone who is another species confining you indoors for the rest of your life because of the dangers associated with being outside, such as getting into a car crash and dying. Alley Cats even recommends that ferals remain outdoors because of the stress involved in trying to change their nature by making them stay inside. I have in fact successfully domesticated two ferals and they are indoor only cats. The one I took in while he was still a kitten (3-4 months old), so after a few rocky months I was able to tame him and he adjusted to being indoors. The other was a 10 month old female when I took her in. She has a crooked leg due to a gun shot wound, and is unable to take care of herself outside, and knows this, so she is content to remain indoors. Healthy, adult ferals are a different story, though. I guess is boils down to a quality of life issue. Is it better for a feral to be happy for 7 years outside, or to be forced to live indoors for 14 years and be unhappy?

I'm dealing with this issue again because of a rescued cat I took in about 7 months ago. He was part of a group of cats that were always wandering outside near my work place. When I picked him up and took him in, he wasn't neutered, and he had a bad flea and parasite infestation and other issues which were resolved with multiple vet visits and medications. Seven months later and he's still having a hard time adjusting to being only indoors, and he cries by the windows and a few times has gotten out my front door and enjoyed  brief romps rolling around in the grass. I would actually allow him to be an indoor/outdoor cat if it weren't for the fact that I have a feral who lives on my porch, and I fear they would fight. So I'm going to get a harness and leash and leash train him so I can let him out sometimes, because being outside has been a BIG part of his life for so long and he clearly misses it. However, he will have a name tag with my phone number on his collar and I'm thinking of getting him micro-chipped because he has gotten past me and outside on a few occasions.

It's important for indoor/outdoor cats to get monthly flea/tick medication and occasional de-wormers. It's also important to inform neighbors that the cat is legally your cat so they know not to pick him up and take him in, or do any harm to the cat. It's important to keep the cat indoors in frigid weather, and to be religious about vaccinations. If a cat owner is responsible for their outdoor cat, I don't feel I'm in a position to judge them.    

I have 3 black cats too! It's funny because the only one who shows interest in tentatively poking theit head outside and sometimes getting as far as the front porch (not far! like 3 feet outside) is my house born cat.  The 2 that I trapped outside as kittens have no interest whatsoever in going outside! Maybe they remember the 1st 8 weeks of their life and know they got it made, living indoors.  

But, I definately understand about ferals, as I am the main caretaker of a colony in my neighborhood.  I T.N.R.ed everyone and let them back out.  But lately, "green collar" has been eating the food I leave for the ferals.  Is he an indoor / outdoor cat?  Is he lost?  Idk if I should trap him.  I don't relish the idea of spending money feeding a cat that has a home!  Plus, even though Hershey, a member of my colony, has been neutered, he still feels the need to defend his territory.  I witnessed Hershey and green collar posturing one morning, then Hershey chased him away.  I was worried about both of them.  So that is another reason I don't agree with letting a cat that is a pet, outside.  He is upsetting the balance of my colony!  If he is lost, I would love to reunite him with his owner.  I guess I will call animal control and see if anyone is looking for a large black & white male (I assume he is male, but Idk).  Otherwise, I hope Hershey will chill out.  I thought getting him neutered would decrease his desire to fight?    

It's interesting how different attitudes are in different countries. In the uk indoor/outdoor is the norm. Growing up, all our cats came and went as they pleased (in fact all but 2 of our cats turned up and asked to come in...not to mention a friend's two that we cared for while she was away. She was away longer than planned and we opened the door one night to find them curled up on the doorstep asking if they could stay until their mum came home!). We started indoor only after the road we live on got much busier - we didn't want go lose anyone. Even so, indoor only started with new kittens rather than older cats who'd been used to coming and going.

I was idly looking at cats up for adoption in rescue centres the other day - most refuse to adopt out to homes that don't give cats free outdoor access! I'm not saying there's a right or wrong - I think it largely depends on the individuals (human and feline) involved. I suppose I'm just highlighting different attitudes

My 5 cats (4 female, 1 male and all litter mates plus mama) are spayed\neutered and are indoor/ outdoor. They love climbing the trees outside and finding the highest perches they can. They sit at the windows and try to climb them to get out if I don't let them out. They love the outdoors and I would feel awful if I took away something that gives them so much pleasure. They do interact with one untouchable feral "jack" who has come and gone for a few years but they don't fight thank goodness. We are lucky enough to have a huge backyard with lots of nooks and crannies that keep our cats occupied and a field behind us. We do have a slightly busy road in front of our house but they all steer clear of it. If my cats were caught playing in the road however, I wouldn't let them outside at all.

tails up, it sounds like you have an ideal setup for those cats. The last cat I took in 7 months ago is used to being outdoors, and still cries by the window a lot. I don't let him out on his own because I don't want him to tangle with my outdoor feral, the neighbor's large dog which frequently gets loose, and the raccoons. However, I've taken him out 3 times so far on a harness. He made a lot of progress the third time out. He mostly likes to eat the grass and roll around, lol, but did walk around a while. It's the best compromise I can make right now.

I've been treading this line lately as well.  I live in a city apartment so when the cats are with me, they are 100% indoor no question.  But my mother lives on a quiet suburban street, and I take them to her house often for visits & cat care while I'm out of town.  I trained them both to go for leash walks in the yard.  They love it and are clearly more relaxed and happy after a jaunt outside.   

I wonder if it really wouldn't be such a big deal just to let them wander sometimes.   How often do cats actually come to grief when there are no busy roads or wild animals (except squirrels and rabbits and birds) close by?  And we know all the neighbors within a several house radius.

I'm aware of the different attitudes in the UK, where it's actually considered somewhat cruel to confine cats indoors.  I have to say I kind of agree with that based on what I've observed with my cats.  My preferred solution is to enclose the backyard with cat fencing and stones (to block egress under existing fences), but that's going to run into some time and money.  And I expect one of my two cats won't be thrilled with the fence, since his favorite walking route involves circling the house.

I have grown up with indoor outdoor cats and decided the cats were happy, healthy and always came in for the night. My attitude has completely changed because I have lost 3 cats to coyotes now after a move to a different countryish area in the USA. Now I have 3 semi-ferals that are 1 year old and have made some good progress during the 3 weeks I have had them. I can't take another chance. My kids are all a little older so I am hoping it will be less difficult to keep them from accidentally going outside.

The other thing that comes to mind is the lady from the rescue org that my cats came from is trying to help another adopter that thought his feral would be fine on a harness at his second country home. The kitty was completely comfortable and affectionate so he had made huge progress with the cat. He or she somehow escaped and now they are back to square one because the cat won't come to them and they have been trying to trap the cat for two weeks now.

I think it depends on area. If you live somewhere with low traffic and no large predators it is probably safe to let your cats wander. I have a friend who lives downtown in a large city with indoor outdoor cats, all of whom have lived into their late teens. She's on a relatively quiet night amd makes certain they come home before dark when the drunks come out.
Personally, I live next to a busy highway in an area with several large feral cats, coyotes, big birds of prey, and apparently a cougar. Additionally, there are some exetreme temperature variations. When my neighbours found Tuck in their yard he was nearly a kitty popsicle. There's no way I'd let him wander freely and have that happen to him again.