All my kitties are indoor only!!I worry too much and if they were outside I would worry myself to death that something bad was going to happen to them.
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Are your cats inside, outside, or both?
- Thread starter carolina
- Start Date
Their inside, really this idea was stated pretty clearly from the breeder being their all ragdolls...
now last summer, while painting outside basements walls, we did let them come wander the fenced area but we were right there... i would never leave them out alone, we're in the country, so loose dogs, other cats plus wolves, coyotes all live here.
now last summer, while painting outside basements walls, we did let them come wander the fenced area but we were right there... i would never leave them out alone, we're in the country, so loose dogs, other cats plus wolves, coyotes all live here.
I usually don't give a flip whether I am in the majority. I am happy to see however that with plenty of responses the inside only cats command an 83% majority.
Thanks for taking this poll.
Thanks for taking this poll.
My cats are really strange I see...
Hurley and Gooch are indoor cats but they both like to hang out in the backyard whenever I go back there. They dont ever leave the confines of my yard though...they have always been content to stay in the vicinity of the yard for some reason. They will walk along the top of the fence but they dont venture over it for whatever reason. Gooch is a tree climber and will pretty much stay up in the tree the entire time she is outside.
I adopted Hurley in 2001 right before I started dental school, so she is my oldest. She has always been different, and is a really cool cat. She loves to go to the lake and ride on the boat in the summer. She LOVES the boat. She's never really minded water either....she will go down to the second step of my pool, but wont just jump in. Its pretty funny....she has to inch her way into the water. She stays on the boat when at the lake though....I have a small box I use as a litter box that I keep in the V berth of the cabin. Shes thinks shes a dog and loves to stick her face in the wind.....its a trip.
Hurley and Gooch are indoor cats but they both like to hang out in the backyard whenever I go back there. They dont ever leave the confines of my yard though...they have always been content to stay in the vicinity of the yard for some reason. They will walk along the top of the fence but they dont venture over it for whatever reason. Gooch is a tree climber and will pretty much stay up in the tree the entire time she is outside.
I adopted Hurley in 2001 right before I started dental school, so she is my oldest. She has always been different, and is a really cool cat. She loves to go to the lake and ride on the boat in the summer. She LOVES the boat. She's never really minded water either....she will go down to the second step of my pool, but wont just jump in. Its pretty funny....she has to inch her way into the water. She stays on the boat when at the lake though....I have a small box I use as a litter box that I keep in the V berth of the cabin. Shes thinks shes a dog and loves to stick her face in the wind.....its a trip.
Inside only. I would worry about Gizmo constantly if I let him roam freely outside. The only time I would ever consider letting him out is if I had some kind of cat enclosure but without that I just wouldn't feel comfortable.
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I think there's a huge difference in letting them roam free and being out under supervisionOriginally Posted by Dr. Gabe DMD
My cats are really strange I see...
Hurley and Gooch are indoor cats but they both like to hang out in the backyard whenever I go back there.
I have 3 cats that are inside/outside. One prefers to stay outside most of the time. She just comes in mainly in colder weather. When its warm she doesn't like to be inside. The oldest of them who is 8, is mainly inside but does like to go out and sit on the deck or run around the yard for a while. The youngest was supposed to be completely inside but she kept running outside. She goes in and out very often and will scratch on the door until she gets what she wants. I've never had a cat that stayed completely inside. I think I've had 6 that were inside/outside and 3 that were completely outside(2 of which were strays that showed up and were unaltered males).
BA is inside! I won't let him in the stairwell to the apartment! I'm too afraid some a-hole will hurt him!
All of my cats are indoors. I have taken them outside in a leash couple of times, but they don't like it at all.
My girlies are strictly inside only
We live on 2 acres and have a cat door that is unlocked all the time, they love sneaking around in the sage brush/aspen trees. Jack keeps the rodent population down (~200 mice a summer, lots of snow in the winter though) and Leenya just likes to go sleep under the lilac bush, she even has her own "Cat sized" trail worn into the tall grass around the lilac.
Leenya has the ability to walk out of the sage and greet you 2/3rds of the time you pull into the driveway.
Leenya has the ability to walk out of the sage and greet you 2/3rds of the time you pull into the driveway.
Our seven feral rescues are all inside only. Billy and Tuxedo, who spent the most time outside (both over a year) before we rescued them, are perfectly happy inside. Billy's still pretty young - Tuxie is seven this year, Billy will be two - so we have to play with him more than the others, but he RUNS from the door when it opens. NONE of them show any interest in ever going back outside. I think they had hard lives and are happy, comfortable, and we make sure they are well entertained.
I'm not so sure we'd build an outdoor enclosure for them if we could. Tuxie has an autoimmune disease that at first we thought might have been Bartonella - a tick borne disease. We live in a rural area, and I just wouldn't want any of them to be exposed to the parasites they could get, even if confined to an enclosure.
We did try to leash train several of them. They had NO interest in doing anything but getting back inside or into the crate, even once they were comfortable with the leash!
Laurie
I'm not so sure we'd build an outdoor enclosure for them if we could. Tuxie has an autoimmune disease that at first we thought might have been Bartonella - a tick borne disease. We live in a rural area, and I just wouldn't want any of them to be exposed to the parasites they could get, even if confined to an enclosure.
We did try to leash train several of them. They had NO interest in doing anything but getting back inside or into the crate, even once they were comfortable with the leash!
Laurie
If a cat has spent more than three years of its life primarily outside, it will likely not transition into a happy indoor kitty. But cats raised as indoor-only, or brought in at a pretty young age to the indoor-only environment can lead happy, fulfilled lives. So many of the kitties at TCS are a testament to that!
It is sad how many cats lose their homes because of the problems you mention - but they are all problems that can be addressed by people who care, who make the effort, and who want to keep their kitties safe. Cats that enter shelters are outside because people put them there, often because they got fed up and put kitty outside. They shouldn't have bought or adopted a cat if they did not expect it to be any work.
If they are feral, most shelters simply murder them.
Spraying is primarily done by cats that are not sterilized. 85% of the time, a litter box problem is because of a health problem - with a kitty going potty outside, you might never be aware of the problem. Three of our cats would be dead.
As it is, outside is a dangerous place for cats. Cars are not the only problem! We live in a rural area, and parasites, disease-bearing parasites, poison, and poisoning/disease/illness from garbage, giardia, and neighbors who hate cats are all dangers.
It was great watching feral kittens chase crickets and moths and such - but they're just as happy inside chasing feathers on a wand toy.
I just think it is too much of a generalization to say "indoor only cats develop behavior problems." Some do. Many of them are simply due to lack of knowledge on behalf of their guardians. And as Natalie pointed out, plenty of outdoor kitties have the same problems - they just aren't as apparent.
Laurie
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Our 4 pet cats are indoors-only, and our one former feral is primarily an outdoor cat, only because she's not comfortable inside - she'll come a few feet into the house but gets very anxious if we close the door. She used to be completely wild and I fed her for quite some time before she'd let me anywhere near her. She'll let me handle her now, but I've been feeding her for 13 years (she was an adult when she showed up).
I made the decision to keep my 3 pet cats indoors after I worked in an emergency vet clinic years ago & saw some of the horrible things that can happen to outdoor cats (aside from accidents, some evil people can do terribly cruel things to cats). My husband's cat used to be indoor/outdoor, but I talked him into keeping him indoors after he suffered 2 urinary blockages in a row.
I made the decision to keep my 3 pet cats indoors after I worked in an emergency vet clinic years ago & saw some of the horrible things that can happen to outdoor cats (aside from accidents, some evil people can do terribly cruel things to cats). My husband's cat used to be indoor/outdoor, but I talked him into keeping him indoors after he suffered 2 urinary blockages in a row.
Outdoor cats can suffer the same problems, you just don't see it. They are also then exposed to cats carrying FIV and FeLv. [Feline Aids and Leukemia]. They are also able to get into fights with neighboring cats causing them to get abscesses. They are exposed to the dangers of cars, dogs, and other larger predators.
I do agree cats should be allowed outside. I also know some cats HAVE to be outside or they will be unhappy. I do however think as an owner it is our job to make sure their outside expirience is a safe one.
The Squeakster is an indoor kitty, but whenever we crack the window, she's there in a flash, pressing herself against the screen. We're planning on starting to harness train her, and come spring when all the mud is dried, we'll take her outside to play.
Two of my girls are inside only, as I don't feel the outside world is safe for them, and they are very happy with that arrangement. My other cat needs more space, and enjoys being outside, which she gets to do when I'm home. She usually just either sits on the back balcony watching the world go by, or goes and hangs out in my neighbours townhouses - she just invites herself in.
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My cat is kept indoors only. Our ferals are outside because we lack the space to keep them in our apartment. If I had my own property, they would be in an outdoor enclosure with plenty of places to climb and hide.
Mine are basically indoors. They got outside on accident a few times, but stayed within the yard. Since then, I let them go out when I'm going outside too, and they keep nearby and come back inside when I do. I'm not sure if that constitutes indoor/outdoor, since they're not unsupervised outside. Basically I treat them the same as my dogs in that respect- always in a fenced yard if outside, always wearing ID. Since my first cat disappeared, who was indoor/outdoor, I just don't want to risk it.
Whenever this issue comes up, I always see such defensiveness on both sides. People- there's risks and benefits to everything, and the indoor/outdoor debate is no different. It's just a matter of which risks, and which benefits, outweigh the others to you. And it's not the same for every cat, either- some don't care to go outside and never want to, others act like they'll die if they don't.
Whenever this issue comes up, I always see such defensiveness on both sides. People- there's risks and benefits to everything, and the indoor/outdoor debate is no different. It's just a matter of which risks, and which benefits, outweigh the others to you. And it's not the same for every cat, either- some don't care to go outside and never want to, others act like they'll die if they don't.
