Indoor cats.

just thought that I would add that I have 5 cats, only 1 is aloud outside, but very rarely. 2 cats are caged at night together. 1 cat is caged separately. The other two sleep on our bed. I cage the cats at night because it gives them a chance to sleep and they cant fight with each other. The 2 in together are a 3 year old pair of ragdolls and dont fight with each other,but they pick on the other 3. I have had people tell me that it is terrible to cage them but I think that they are happier because of it. They are given the run of separate areas of the house during the day and all seem very happy. I am saving up to buy a catmax enclosure very safe and secure but expensive. And yes cats arn't well thought of in the main, here in Australia, dont now why.Just enjoy your cats your way.

I am from Britain, where confining cats indoors is relatively unheard of, and you will probably get many funny looks if you walk into a park with a cat on a leash! I personally think that, like humans, cats need the experience of being outdoors, seeing the 'real' world around them, and the opportunity to act naturally. For example, take those ghastly orphanages in China. Children there never see the outside world, and as a result of this, they become mentally retarded. Why should it not be so with cats? A cat may be well-fed and safe in their house, but so is the baby in the orphanage. The baby could live a long and happy life in their little orphanage, but the caretaker of the baby is denying that baby a normal human existence. It is the same with the owner of the cat. Watching a cat who never left the house they were reared in pining for the experience of the outside world almost brings tears to my eyes. I aware of all the dangers of the 'real' world, dangers that both the cat and the baby face. But I'm sure any cat kept entirely inside would benefit from living a natural cat existance.

That's my two er.. pence. Peace.

Erm hello!!!! This British bird keeps hers indoors and you'd be very suprised at how many are these days in the UK!.

And i'll repeat what i stated in the thread that you started in the fact that they have been indoor cats from the age of 6 weeks so they don't know any different, and i can tell you that they don't sit and cry at the door pining to be out.

Originally Posted by calvinandhobbes

I am from Britain, where confining cats indoors is relatively unheard of, and you will probably get many funny looks if you walk into a park with a cat on a leash!

I personally think that, like humans, cats need the experience of being outdoors, seeing the 'real' world around them, and the opportunity to act naturally. For example, take those ghastly orphanages in China. Children there never see the outside world, and as a result of this, they become mentally retarded. Why should it not be so with cats? A cat may be well-fed and safe in their house, but so is the baby in the orphanage. The baby could live a long and happy life in their little orphanage, but the caretaker of the baby is denying that baby a normal human existence. It is the same with the owner of the cat. Watching a cat who never left the house they were reared in pining for the experience of the outside world almost brings tears to my eyes. I aware of all the dangers of the 'real' world, dangers that both the cat and the baby face. But I'm sure any cat kept entirely inside would benefit from living a natural cat existance.

That's my two er.. pence. Peace.

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Because a human brain is significantly different than a feline brain? You can't compare a human to a cat. A person has a much greater capacity for imagination and desire than a cat has.

Extract from Do Cats Have Intelligence

So do cats think? They don't think in the human sense of the term, but (apart from some hard-wired reflexes) they perform mental processing on incoming information and make decisions on how to act. They have an internal representation of the physical world, they comprehend certain physical laws (that objects don't cease to exist when out of sight), they have a good sense of time, they can identify other cats, a number of humans and a range of objects. These are the sort of things most humans do without conscious effort.

Intelligence is defined by human beings and is judged against human abilities. Children learn to look where someone is pointing. With cats, if you point at an object, your cat looks at your finger, not at where your finger is pointing. To attract a cat's attention to an object, you have to tap the object itself.

One measure of intelligence is self-awareness. The test for self-awareness is to see how an animal reacts to its own reflection. Humans and higher primates recognise their own image in a mirror. If you put some paint powder on a child's nose or a chimp's face and let it look in a mirror, the child or chimp will rub the blob on its own face, not the mirror. Cats first check behind the mirror for the strange cat, but soon learn that the mirror cat is not real and ignore it (learning to ignore it is necessary, otherwise its own reflection in a puddle might stop the cat from drinking). Unlike humans and higher primates, they do not appear to understand that the mirror cat is itself.

Just because a cat considered not self-aware, does not make it non-intelligent. Feline intelligence is geared to the cat's ecological niche and is constrained by physical limitations and by innate behaviours. Those innate behaviours are hard-wired into the brain for survival reasons and to free up thinking areas of the brain. In its lifetime, your cat hones its innate behaviours and learns many things that evolution did not anticipate - opening doors, mastering cat flaps, tricks (if you have the time and patience), recognising the sound of your car engine and waking you up at a set time each morning.

I'm on the fence on this one...because I know ways are different country by country but I'll just add this...

I live in a small town in NJ, with one main road...one wouldn't think it's not heavily populated but as I was coming to work the other day, I passed yet another cat on the side of the road that had been hit by a car. I see this atleast once a month and it makes me so SAD and SOOOO ANGRY. And then Wed night, I heard a cat being attacked in the woods behind my house, probably by a raccoon or another cat. It just broke my heart because both of these things could have been prevented if these cats were just kept indoors.

So basically, my advice would be, if you live in a populated area with cars, busy streets, roaming dogs, raccoons and other hazardous things in your environment, keep your cat indoors. If you live out in the country, you may not have to deal with these things. It would only be CRUEL to your cat if you let her outside, fully knowing, she may not come home at the end of the day.

If you are looking for an 'acceptable' reason you can offer when your neighbours question why you keep your cats inside, you can always fall back on one many people can understand: money. You have spent a lot of money on these cats - you have neutered them, provided them with veterinary care and vaccinations,- and if you need to find some additional justification for keeping them safe inside, just tell people you are protecting your investment because you don't like to waste good money:-). Sometimes that seems to make more sense to some people than the obvious and true statement, 'because I love them and I want to keep them safe from the dangers lurking outdoors':-).

Kathryn

Really at the end of the day i couldn't care less if people think it's cruel or not to keep them indoors because their my cats!.

My cats are stricly indoor. I live next to a busy road. This is why they are only indoor cats:

1. I have had 3 cats in my life hit by cars and killed instantly.
2. I lived two doors down from my best friend, who's pet was injected with poison, and the other pet was stolen, and she never saw her again.
3. Stray dogs have come around my house and beat up on my dog while he was on a chain run, absolutely defenseless. We were lucky we were there to let him off, else he would've died.
4. Our neighbors have shot bee bee's at our pet.
5. I have had a cat stuck under a neighbors electrical wire, literally frying, but luckily, somehow survived.
6. I have had a pet lost before.
7. I have had a cat get out, and come back pregnant, because we didn't have the money, at that time, to spay her, else we would have.
8. I watched some kid give a dog a hot jalepeno pepper, just to watch it throw up. (I yelled like crazy at him, too!)
9. My mother has had someone swerve just to hit and kill her puppy.
10. I've had two cats both attacked by hawks. They come back with claws marks on their neck and face, and are so scared of everything. Also, their kittens were killed by hawks, coons, or possums.

So, as you can see, I don't approve of cats being allowed outdoors, unless they are on a secluded farm or some sort. If anything, I think I'm doing them a huge favor by not letting them out. That's something I feel strongly about. I know they are free spirited creatures, but man has polluted this world so much, it would harm them.

Also, Billy and CJ stare out the window all the time. When they get to the door, they freeze, look around outside, and come back in.

I'll move this to Care & Grooming.

Let them complain, they are your cats. If you are living in the outback, your cats face more dangers than most, snakes, spiders, poisonous bugs, not to mention the heat, and when they do come the torrential rains. Living in the outback I doubt you have the luxury of a vet clinic being near you for emergencies?

I used to have inside/outside cats. Now I have strictly inside cats with the enclosure being finished. I know my neighbors think I am wacked to have invested so much money into this 18' x 36' structure. But my cats have ramps and condos, and perches and beds and they are fully safe. In the mornings I go inside and have my first cup of coffee with them and know they are safe and being monitored.

In two years, I have lost cats to poisonings, car collisions, salmonella, or they simply wandered off and didn't come home to eat. Squirrel who we thought we were going to lose a few months ago, is now in full health and doing well. Does she like the idea of the outside being off limits to her? Not at all, but she is adjusting.

If anyone hasn't seen this enclosure my husband and I built you can see it here:

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49260


I'll take the knowledge that my cats are safer over what the neighbors or townspeople say about me any day-

Originally Posted by rosiemac

Really at the end of the day i couldn't care less if people think it's cruel or not to keep them indoors because their my cats!.

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well said susan

If you live on a very busy road, then without question, you must keep your cat indoors or it will almost always result in a very unpleasant SQUISH. I live on a dead end road where there are maybe only 5 houses a nice grassy hill and a peaceful church and no dogs so mine are all indoor/outdoors. I have a friend who keeps their two kitties inside, but I really can't blame them because they practically live next to a motorway. But I guess the bottom line is, just do what you want with you think is best for your cat's health AND Happiness (this is a VERY important factor too!), and I'll do what I want with mine.

Originally Posted by pandybear

i have two indoor only cats, the oldest one bonnie used to be an outdoor cat when we lived down south, it was a quiet neighborhood with lots of people around.

iv'e since moved to outback Australia with my husband for his work, the place we live in is so isolated, it's nearly a three hour drive just to get to the store, there is red dirt for miles and not much else, there are heaps of stray dogs and people who don't really like cats.

because of all this i decided to keep my cat indoors while i live here and brought another kitten to keep her company.

The thing is, everyone says it's cruel or wrong to have indoor cats only and i sometimes feel i should just let them out so people don't complain.

we are only going to be here another year then we will be moving somewhere nice so they can go outside again...

what is everyone elses opinions on this subject?

thankyou



pandybear

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I keep my cats indoors-and a lot of people here do as well. As I live in a big citiy, it would be impossible for my cats to be outdoors. However, I wouldn't let them out even if I lived in a country somewhere-it's just too dangerous. You are not being cruel, you are being a responcible pet owner. And if somebody says you are being cruel by not letting your cats outside-tell that somebody it's none of his/hers business. They are your cats, after all. I know would not listen to anyone who would tell me to let my cats outside, and would not be afraid to tell them that. What business do these people have coming into your home telling you to let your cats out? If they got their own cats, and let them out, most likely the cats don't make it to ripe old age. Those people obviously view their pets as disposable. We used to let cats out a long time ago, and now I understand we were being very irresponcible towards the cats. I can clearly see now the outdoor cats were not any happier, and one of them was very unhappy as he was neutered so he got constantly beat up by un-neutered cats in the neighborhood. One day, this cat dissapeared never to bee seen again. Now, my cats are neutered but as they never come in contact with un-neutered cats they don't get beat up, and they are perfectly content being inside.

I live in So. California. Here outdoor cats are called "coyote food." An indoor environment is the only safe option. My kitties love their home. They have fresh air, sunshine windows to watch bugs & birds, toys for play & exercise...and most of all love.

Originally Posted by calvinandhobbes

I am from Britain, where confining cats indoors is relatively unheard of, and you will probably get many funny looks if you walk into a park with a cat on a leash!

I personally think that, like humans, cats need the experience of being outdoors, seeing the 'real' world around them, and the opportunity to act naturally. For example, take those ghastly orphanages in China. Children there never see the outside world, and as a result of this, they become mentally retarded. Why should it not be so with cats? A cat may be well-fed and safe in their house, but so is the baby in the orphanage. The baby could live a long and happy life in their little orphanage, but the caretaker of the baby is denying that baby a normal human existence. It is the same with the owner of the cat. Watching a cat who never left the house they were reared in pining for the experience of the outside world almost brings tears to my eyes. I aware of all the dangers of the 'real' world, dangers that both the cat and the baby face. But I'm sure any cat kept entirely inside would benefit from living a natural cat existance.

That's my two er.. pence. Peace.

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Would you consider having your human kids spayed or neutered? How about declawed? Would you put your kids to sleep if they get very sick? Would you put your kids dishes on the floor? Would you put your kids in a cage sometimes? Would you spray your kids with water if they mis-behave? No? Do you expect your cats to go to school? Do you expect your cats will one day leave you and go to college? Do you expect your cats to get a good job so they can make a living? Do you look forward to your cats getting married one day? No? So, please don't compare cats to kids in that way. Cats are not human, they won't get retarded if they stay inside. In fact, if your human kid was only walking on all fours, couldn't talk and liked to sleep under the bed, he would not be considered a genius anyway, but these behaviours are perfectly normal for a cat.

Originally Posted by elizwithcat

Would you consider having your human kids spayed or neutered? How about declawed? Would you put your kids to sleep if they get very sick? Would you put your kids dishes on the floor? Would you put your kids in a cage sometimes? Would you spray your kids with water if they mis-behave? No? Do you expect your cats to go to school? Do you expect your cats will one day leave you and go to college? Do you expect your cats to get a good job so they can make a living? Do you look forward to your cats getting married one day? No? So, please don't compare cats to kids in that way.

Cats are not human, they won't get retarded if they stay inside. In fact, if your human kid was only walking on all fours, couldn't talk and liked to sleep under the bed, he would not be considered a genius anyway, but these behaviours are perfectly normal for a cat.

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Well put!!!

I would never have an outdoor cat. I am way to afraid that something would happen to them and they would never come home. As long as you have a window they can sit in and see outside they are fine. I just don't trust my cats to let them outside.

i have 2 inside cats, and i don't feel bad, they have plenty to do and they're happy, keeping them inside is making sure they're protected and that is never wrong!

The outdoors is too dangerous for cats.
I'd only do it if I had barn cats that just ended up there and were not the "house" cats (but still wouldnt like it).

I lost my childhood cat to a car running him over.

My current cat has a defective paw from an injury as a stray that didnt heal right and there is nothing they can do for her. The vet INSISTED she be indoor only, which is the way it should be.

I make the house as friendly as possible for a cat though and the worst that may happen to her is boredom or overweight issues. People have those too, whether indoor or outdoor people . The trade off isnt worth IMO, and I also think it means she will longer and healthier.