Are your cats inside, outside, or both?

[althekitty]

My kitty is indoor/outdoor. We live on a lovely quiet private estate where he has acres and acres of people free fields to roam although he always stays close to the house. We don't have any predatory animals around either so I am happy for him to be out. He loves to run around and come and go as he pleases, he's happy and fit and healthy. I never let him out when I am not there though and I would always keep him in overnight. When we go to bed, so does he!

 

[yosemite]

Originally Posted by Leporine

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.

Sometimes it's what we've allowed them to get used to. My hubby always insisted that Bijou could not be happy indoors only and would let him out. I would be walking on egg shells until Bijou came inside, worrying if he was OK. Hubby would just pass it off and tell me I worried too much. Then Bijou went missing for 4 days - terrified by a dog and hiding in a neighbour's back yard for those 4 days. Then when we got him home hubby still insisted on letting him out. Next he obviously got in a fight and got bitten by something and ended up with a huge abscess on his back which had to be drained - vet bill $500 which hubby said he wouldn't pay. I paid and now Bijou does not go out any more. Does he still want to? Yes - but he only stands at the door and cries to go out if my husband is around. He never cries to me to go out because he knows I won't let him out - he's a smart cat. If he is at the door I just need to say "No, Bijou" and he comes away from the door.

I've seen too many cats dead on the roads and friends and neighbours with missing cats (we have coyotes in the area where we live).

 

[cococat]

after much thought, inside only

 

[lostmary]

my 4 ferals are outside cats. 1 has never been in, but you can't pick her up. She loves to be petter, and can stand on her hind legs to give kisses, but doesn't like to be picked up. The other 2 females and 1 male have all spent time inside for health reason. When they are better they go back to the barn. I currenty have 2 feral kitten 5 mo old. Actually my daughter took the smallest one and she will be indoor only, and I still have the other one. She will be spayed next week and will recover in the house. I really don't want to send her to the barn, but she hates the dogs and the feeling is mutual. So I'm going to allow her to be adopted as an indoor cat only. If I feel the need for another barn cat I will rescue another feral .

Mary

 

[yosemite]

Originally Posted by lostmary

my 4 ferals are outside cats. 1 has never been in, but you can't pick her up. She loves to be petter, and can stand on her hind legs to give kisses, but doesn't like to be picked up. The other 2 females and 1 male have all spent time inside for health reason. When they are better they go back to the barn. I currenty have 2 feral kitten 5 mo old. Actually my daughter took the smallest one and she will be indoor only, and I still have the other one. She will be spayed next week and will recover in the house. I really don't want to send her to the barn, but she hates the dogs and the feeling is mutual. So I'm going to allow her to be adopted as an indoor cat only. If I feel the need for another barn cat I will rescue another feral .
Mary

I like the way you think Mary.

 

[kittybernard]

Inside only. My very first cat had been an outdoor cat, and that changed the day he come home with me. Needless to day he died of FIP, FIV & FeLV within months. I know it's not like that for every cat, but it was a horrible experience I won't chance again!

There have been so many times my dogs start barking & flipping in the middle of the night, so I go out to find a dead, mangled cat dropped by a coyote. Can't even keep the window open at night anymore because you can hear them being attacked every so often.

I've gotten to the point where it really ticks me off, mostly because of the area in which I live where there are coyotes in the drive-thrus, for God's sake, not to mention the neighborhoods.