I only see one kitty boy in the picture in your siggy, HINT HINT!Originally Posted by sphynx
Both my boys are indoor kitties. I signed a contract with the breeder agreeing that they would never go outdoors and never be declawed ~ a deal's a deal.
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Do Your Cats Go Outdoors?
- Thread starter sammiesmom
- Start Date
Do you have neighbors?Originally Posted by yayi
My 11 cats are indoor/outdoor. The oldest cat is 13+ and the youngest will be 2 this June. They are all fixed, street smart catsI am okay with them having the freedom to come and go as they please.
Yes. As far as liking cats, some do and others do not. I think this is normal of a community.
Please be careful, I grew up in a rural neighborhood, everyone had acres of land. Yet my neighbor killed several indoor outdoor kitties because he was upset they were getting in his vegetable garden and walking on his clean cars. I couldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t believe it. For years nothing then one morning they all disappeared, it was so sad.Originally Posted by yayi
Yes. As far as liking cats, some do and others do not. I think this is normal of a community.
Even those who like cats can get tired of finding cat feces in their gardens all the time.
The statistics of 5 years is for completely outdoor cats with no people caring for them.
i am the same. before i joined this site i had 2 cats who chose to stay indoors but the others had always been indoor/outdoor cats.
milo was bought into the family as a friend for my rb cat janet who only ever went into the garden if i was there. he was predominantly an indoor cat. consequently milo has never shown any interest in going out.
shinobi was found in a graveyard when he was about 12 weeks and he is terribly nervous of strangers and 'the outdoors'. it would be signing his death sentence to let him out. we are in the process of designing and building an enclosure for them so they can use that if they please.
tabitha however, has always loved the outdoors. she is just like memphis in that she would hate not having the choice. it's bad enough that i insist on her staying in at night. she grumbles and moans for about half an hour each night when she first comes in. although since we lost janet, who tabby never got on with, she spends much more time indoors. for example it's a beautiful sunny day and she is upstairs asleep on my daughters bed right now!
like tobi, any future cats we get will be indoors only.
Cococat,
If this helps, we have a neighbor (here is a acres or more between the estates side of the subdivision) who kept telling us our yellow cat was climbing on his car when he got up to leave in the mornings, at 4am. It was our other neighbor who finally made him see it was not ours, but a wild cat in the neighborhood. We lock ours down each night in the house at around 9pm and the doors do not get reopened unil 6am the next morning.
Only problem we are having is we have a large gray alley tom coming IN the house, he is wild. He getting closer to letting us near him. If we can tame him, we get him fixed and bring him in as a new member.
One the racoon side, we have had racoons scratch at our back door(the lock cover is metal) and had to run them off.
SO I think it depends on the neighborhood. Where I live, there is so develpment but nothing more closer then 5 miles away. So far we only lost one and that we think was to a rattlesnake.
Fluffee
If this helps, we have a neighbor (here is a acres or more between the estates side of the subdivision) who kept telling us our yellow cat was climbing on his car when he got up to leave in the mornings, at 4am. It was our other neighbor who finally made him see it was not ours, but a wild cat in the neighborhood. We lock ours down each night in the house at around 9pm and the doors do not get reopened unil 6am the next morning.
Only problem we are having is we have a large gray alley tom coming IN the house, he is wild. He getting closer to letting us near him. If we can tame him, we get him fixed and bring him in as a new member.
One the racoon side, we have had racoons scratch at our back door(the lock cover is metal) and had to run them off.
SO I think it depends on the neighborhood. Where I live, there is so develpment but nothing more closer then 5 miles away. So far we only lost one and that we think was to a rattlesnake.
Fluffee
That is smart to keep them inside at night. That neighbor I talked about in my childhood got rid of the cats in the middle of night, I assume so people couldn't easily see him. I would think nighttime would probably increase some risks, but don't know for sure.
So all the cats come home at night on their own? Or do you call them? They probably know it is feeding time and don't want to miss out on that time.
I hope your new visitor doesn't spray! I guess he saw free lunch and wanted to join the party. Grey cats are pretty, I hope you can get him fixed and tamed. It must have been a suprise to come home one day and find new kitty decided your house was a good place to be
Sorry that you lost one. I have only one cat, so losing one would just be too horrible for me to imagine.
Ours cats come in at night, I whistle if they are not already in and they come. Dakota comes at his name, Figget talks to you, but sometimes she wants to be carry in... at 14 plus pounds. Satin my husband has to get cuz that's HIS baby,,lol. Daisy comes as soon as I whistle, and yes, it is feeding time. We free feed dry all during the day but only wet at night for all.
As for Gray? I was sitting in the living room watching tv, it was twilight outside when a large cat come to sit on a box in my living room.. now my Figget had been doing this, but on looking again, it was the GRAY cat<laughing> Come to make himself at home. So far he has not sprayed anywhere. My husband will feed him a little dry outside so he stays around for that. Hubby told me today he got within 2 ft and put his hand out, Gray stiffed it, but not quite yet will he be touched.
Another thing Gray is doing, is he "knocks" on the back flap to let someone know he is there. My husband normally hears him and goes out. Gray "talks" to hubby and hubby tries to see if he ready to be friendly yet. I think it is close, we will see.
As for safty with outside/inside cats. I think a setup like ours helps, they can get way from humans and large dogs by coming back in, which mine do. And by keeping them in at night to me makes a different for the wild animals problems.
As for Gray? I was sitting in the living room watching tv, it was twilight outside when a large cat come to sit on a box in my living room.. now my Figget had been doing this, but on looking again, it was the GRAY cat<laughing> Come to make himself at home. So far he has not sprayed anywhere. My husband will feed him a little dry outside so he stays around for that. Hubby told me today he got within 2 ft and put his hand out, Gray stiffed it, but not quite yet will he be touched.
Another thing Gray is doing, is he "knocks" on the back flap to let someone know he is there. My husband normally hears him and goes out. Gray "talks" to hubby and hubby tries to see if he ready to be friendly yet. I think it is close, we will see.
As for safty with outside/inside cats. I think a setup like ours helps, they can get way from humans and large dogs by coming back in, which mine do. And by keeping them in at night to me makes a different for the wild animals problems.
My cat goes outside, and she comes back in every night to sleep the whole night with us cuddled up under the covers, and she'll comes back in everytime we call for her.
She doesn't do much outside besides climb trees and play with grass. She doesn't like wide open spaces because she's aware her predators come from the air, and she always run away from cars and big dogs.
She's a much healthier cat for it since she gets a large amount of regular exercise, she doens't claw up our stuff since she's able to wear down her claws enough outside, and she doesn't harass us in the mornings or at night (she'll just go outside instead.)
She doesn't do much outside besides climb trees and play with grass. She doesn't like wide open spaces because she's aware her predators come from the air, and she always run away from cars and big dogs.
She's a much healthier cat for it since she gets a large amount of regular exercise, she doens't claw up our stuff since she's able to wear down her claws enough outside, and she doesn't harass us in the mornings or at night (she'll just go outside instead.)
My current cat is an indoor only cat. He's not declawed, but I can't see him surviving very well outdoors. I had outdoor cats growing up, and they never lasted for longer than three to five years =/ They were purely outdoor cats though, and not spayed or neutered (I grew up in Ghana; spaying and neutering just isn't done too often, especially to cats).
I don't think I'll ever purposely own outdoor cats. I could see myself watching over strays or ferals that don't want to transition to living indoors, but I wouldn't raise a cat to be an outdoor cat. I can see why some people let their cats go outside, but I'm just too paranoid. And I think within reason, cats will adapt to what they know. So if all they know is their little apartment, that's all they need to be happy
I don't think I'll ever purposely own outdoor cats. I could see myself watching over strays or ferals that don't want to transition to living indoors, but I wouldn't raise a cat to be an outdoor cat. I can see why some people let their cats go outside, but I'm just too paranoid. And I think within reason, cats will adapt to what they know. So if all they know is their little apartment, that's all they need to be happy
I've been avoiding this thread as I know people's views vary and I imagined this thread could get heated, but I just read through it and can understand everyone's situation.
We have 3 permanent cats and the are all indoor cats. We live in the city and I am very afraid of one of them accidentally getting out and getting hit by a car. That said we have close friends that have a horse farm in the country. They have a gaggle of barn cats and just lost two from tragic car accidents. They hardly have any traffic on their street, but when they do, the cars travel fast. It is horribly sad to think about.
We also foster... and our shelter would not allow us the privilege if we not agree to keep them inside.
To that note, there is a neighborhood cat that we feed. We have lured her and tried to bring her in on several occasions but she wont have anything to do with it. One night she actually dug a hole in our screen to get out. And she definitely doesnt like our cats. I actually did have her checked out at our shelter and she's approximately 4 years old, is spayed and disease-free. I imagine she was someone's pet, but I think she lives under our front porch now. I always find footprints in the snow leading under there. At times she seems to disappear for weeks on end, I always find myself wondering if she went home or if she was hit by a car or hurt.
For us, having indoor cats is preferable. I have enough anxiety worrying about Paws (the footprints-in-the-snow-cat). I would love to one day have one of the cat fence enclosures... or maybe an electric fence (I didnt know you could train a cat with that)... but for now, we just offer lots of toys, plenty of cozy sleep spots, cat trees, home grown cat grass and plenty of play and love. They seem content.
We have 3 permanent cats and the are all indoor cats. We live in the city and I am very afraid of one of them accidentally getting out and getting hit by a car. That said we have close friends that have a horse farm in the country. They have a gaggle of barn cats and just lost two from tragic car accidents. They hardly have any traffic on their street, but when they do, the cars travel fast. It is horribly sad to think about.
We also foster... and our shelter would not allow us the privilege if we not agree to keep them inside.
To that note, there is a neighborhood cat that we feed. We have lured her and tried to bring her in on several occasions but she wont have anything to do with it. One night she actually dug a hole in our screen to get out. And she definitely doesnt like our cats. I actually did have her checked out at our shelter and she's approximately 4 years old, is spayed and disease-free. I imagine she was someone's pet, but I think she lives under our front porch now. I always find footprints in the snow leading under there. At times she seems to disappear for weeks on end, I always find myself wondering if she went home or if she was hit by a car or hurt.
For us, having indoor cats is preferable. I have enough anxiety worrying about Paws (the footprints-in-the-snow-cat). I would love to one day have one of the cat fence enclosures... or maybe an electric fence (I didnt know you could train a cat with that)... but for now, we just offer lots of toys, plenty of cozy sleep spots, cat trees, home grown cat grass and plenty of play and love. They seem content.
I grew up with indoor-only cats. Like some other members here, I have very strong feelings about the indoor-outdoor debate, and... well, you can imagine where I stand!
My mom is the one to thank for it, and I couldn't be happier with the way she raised my siblings and I. She felt guilty for all the cats that her parents had kept outdoors when she was a child; none of them survived very long, and she spent a lot of time mourning dead pets. She didn't want any of her own kids going through the same thing, so we've only ever owned indoor cats.
Nemo is at a healthy weight, has all her claws and teeth, and I still don't think she'd survive five minutes outdoors. She's the queen of the house, and gets ruffled at the slightest dustbunny in her fur... I can't imagine she'd be very happy about all the dirt outside.
(And I share a bed with Nemo, so I'm happier, too. I hate the texture of indoor-outdoor and outdoor-only cat fur... it's always a little grittier than what I'm used to. Not to mention all the bugs outside that she could be bringing home to 'share'!)
My mom is the one to thank for it, and I couldn't be happier with the way she raised my siblings and I. She felt guilty for all the cats that her parents had kept outdoors when she was a child; none of them survived very long, and she spent a lot of time mourning dead pets. She didn't want any of her own kids going through the same thing, so we've only ever owned indoor cats.
Nemo is at a healthy weight, has all her claws and teeth, and I still don't think she'd survive five minutes outdoors. She's the queen of the house, and gets ruffled at the slightest dustbunny in her fur... I can't imagine she'd be very happy about all the dirt outside.
(And I share a bed with Nemo, so I'm happier, too. I hate the texture of indoor-outdoor and outdoor-only cat fur... it's always a little grittier than what I'm used to. Not to mention all the bugs outside that she could be bringing home to 'share'!)
The husband and I have discussed this topic quite a lot. We have three semi-feral kittens we adopted two months ago, and they are indoor only cats. This decision was reached because a) We live near a very busy road - I have personally seen two cats hit by cars (one died, the other still lives and roams) and b) because they are semi-feral, letting them outside would likely mean they would never get fully socialised. Do they mind? They don't seem to. They have shown no interest in going outdoors other than sitting on windowsills and watching stuff. No mewing at doors, no trying to run out whenever we open the door...nothing. One of them climbed out a window a few days after we took them in (husband accidentally left it open) and as soon as she figured out how to get off our roof, she ran straight back into the house.
My husband has had lots of cats in his life - all indoor/outdoor. The last of that lot - Spike- was just put down. He was 19 years old. His mother died at 17. That being said, he also lost a lot of cats in his youth - one killed by a dog, one hit by a car and a few other 'unknowns'. I just couldn't deal with that. I do understand that some cats need to be outdoors - the 17 year old mother cat my husband had was that way. She was cautious and street-wise and hated being cooped up in the house. Everyone makes decisions based on what's best for them and their cats.
My husband has had lots of cats in his life - all indoor/outdoor. The last of that lot - Spike- was just put down. He was 19 years old. His mother died at 17. That being said, he also lost a lot of cats in his youth - one killed by a dog, one hit by a car and a few other 'unknowns'. I just couldn't deal with that. I do understand that some cats need to be outdoors - the 17 year old mother cat my husband had was that way. She was cautious and street-wise and hated being cooped up in the house. Everyone makes decisions based on what's best for them and their cats.
My last cat Mr. Murphy was indoor/outdoor cat. He lived 15 years. He died from cancer.
My three cats now. Two are indoors only and one is indoor/outdoor.
I live in a pet friendly neighborhood on a cult de sac. Forest was not meant to be kept indoors strictly. Perhaps if I had adopted him when he was a kitten. But he started tearing out my carpet and howling like a mad man when I tried to keep him in. It took about a month before I would trust him outside by himself.
He seems pretty content with life. So do my indoor kitties.
What I am opposed to is if your cat got hit by a car and you go get another one only to be an indoor/outdoor cat. I just don't get people who do this. If losing your cat wasn't painful enough to learn a lesson. Then perhaps you shouldn't own a cat.
My three cats now. Two are indoors only and one is indoor/outdoor.
I live in a pet friendly neighborhood on a cult de sac. Forest was not meant to be kept indoors strictly. Perhaps if I had adopted him when he was a kitten. But he started tearing out my carpet and howling like a mad man when I tried to keep him in. It took about a month before I would trust him outside by himself.
He seems pretty content with life. So do my indoor kitties.
What I am opposed to is if your cat got hit by a car and you go get another one only to be an indoor/outdoor cat. I just don't get people who do this. If losing your cat wasn't painful enough to learn a lesson. Then perhaps you shouldn't own a cat.
Interesting thread. I often get told off by onliners (not here
) for letting my cat out - I've been told I don't deserve to own a cat! I think some moggies just don't want to go outside, and it's their family's prerogative to decide that. But my cat came to us from outside - he'd been living outside for some time, even though he was incredibly friendly. He'd be very upset if I started refusing to let him out and see his friends. I see him playing with other cats - rarely fighting. I think the other cats see him as a bit of a wimp so they don't pick on him as much!
Plus, we have bought a tent for him - if I let him out in the morning before I go to work, he might be out all day if my boyfriend doesn't notice, so we got this pet tent from Ikea. It's lovely, it's blue and it has ears and a tail and lots of space inside. We put a cosy snuggle blanket in there for him, so even if the weather turns bad, he's got somewhere warm to go. Plus it's only outside our patio doors, so we can see where he is most of the time.
Plus, we have bought a tent for him - if I let him out in the morning before I go to work, he might be out all day if my boyfriend doesn't notice, so we got this pet tent from Ikea. It's lovely, it's blue and it has ears and a tail and lots of space inside. We put a cosy snuggle blanket in there for him, so even if the weather turns bad, he's got somewhere warm to go. Plus it's only outside our patio doors, so we can see where he is most of the time.
My 11 cats are much like yours. But I do get harassed when I am late feeding them.
Maisie is indoors only. I open up the window of her room in the morning and before bed so she can go out in the walled in courtyard if she wants but she`s not really interested. She might decide to sunbathe when the weather get`s better though.
There is no way I`d let her have the freedom Kitty has. She`s hard of hearing and I`m sure she has bad eye sight and she is quite weak and wobbley.
Kitty on the other hand was a stray who chose to live in our garden. He has always been demented when I`ve tried to keep him in for the vets so he gets to go out when he wants which is usually late at night.
There is no way I`d let her have the freedom Kitty has. She`s hard of hearing and I`m sure she has bad eye sight and she is quite weak and wobbley.
Kitty on the other hand was a stray who chose to live in our garden. He has always been demented when I`ve tried to keep him in for the vets so he gets to go out when he wants which is usually late at night.
