Anyone have an indoor/outdoor cat?

[Anonymous]

OP, it's true your cat may not live as long. But every cat I have ever owned has begged to go outside, so it's obvious to me they want to go outside. I have managed to have cats go out for as little as an hour a day and that seems to be enough (and often times they haven't gone further than the backyard).

[Anonymous]

I have a 10yr old indoor/outdoor cat. She has never been in a fight or injured outside. She sticks very close to home and comes when called. She always wants to go in and and out and can never make up her mind, but probably spends 2hrs a day outside. I have a big garden and she does a great job killing chipmunks and moles.

I know it is more dangerout out there, but she is much happier outside, I'd rather her die happy than stuck indoors her whole life. She would be very unhappy if she was never allowed out to experience the great outdoors.

[Anonymous]

Would you rather live a long life indoors experiencing the same thing each and every day, never encountering another human with the windows only open a few weeks a year for you to feel the breeze, or would you rather live a potentially shorter life with freedom to move about where you wanted, exercise, experience new things, feeling the breeze every day and possibly seeing another human?

I'd take the potentially shorter life that was more full.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would you rather live a long life indoors experiencing the same thing each and every day, never encountering another human with the windows only open a few weeks a year for you to feel the breeze, or would you rather live a potentially shorter life with freedom to move about where you wanted, exercise, experience new things, feeling the breeze every day and possibly seeing another human?

I'd take the potentially shorter life that was more full.

This. Quality over quantity!

[Anonymous]

We have an indoor/outdoor cat. He loves it. Our street is semi-quiet at night, but we live near a school so it is busy during the day. Conveniently, cats are nocturnal. He goes out and kills mice and rats, keeping the vermin at bay. He gets an occasional bird, and that pisses me off royally. But it is a small trade-off for not having rats in my yard and mice in the house. Not even 6 months with an exterminator could get our situation under control, but the cat solved it within a week of arriving.

[Anonymous]

For everyone extolling their cats' hunting prowess, do your cats bring their kills home? My neighbors' cats constantly kill things and leave them in other people's yards. We've been in our house just a year, and in that time have had to clean up two rabbits and a bird. Other neighbors have similar statistics. The cats must be killing an average of a creature a week, and as far as I can tell they never take them home - the non-owners have to clean it all up. It's a real pain and I would complain to the cats' owner if I thought he'd do anything about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For everyone extolling their cats' hunting prowess, do your cats bring their kills home? My neighbors' cats constantly kill things and leave them in other people's yards. We've been in our house just a year, and in that time have had to clean up two rabbits and a bird. Other neighbors have similar statistics. The cats must be killing an average of a creature a week, and as far as I can tell they never take them home - the non-owners have to clean it all up. It's a real pain and I would complain to the cats' owner if I thought he'd do anything about it.

Wow, I wish my cat could kill a rabbit! In the absence of foxes and snakes my hood is over run by rabbitts who fuck like bunnies, a cat with this level of skill and power it truly remarkable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:they kill birds.

... and are hit by cars.

...and pee and poop at the house next door. Disgusting!!

I agree. Keep your freaking cat off my property!!! I'm tired of finding your cat's dead birds and seeing him laying or my porch or try to come in my house.

[Anonymous]

If your cat is really tortured by being inside and is bored, I think that's more of a sign that you need to create a more interesting environment for him/her or get a second cat for some diversion.

My inlaws thought it was nutso to keep a cat inside and let their cat in and out at will. They thought it was great that kitty was getting sunshine, fresh air, running around--and not driving them crazy for attention and exercise. He did this for three years. One fall evening night they got a knock on their door and it was their neighbor informing them of their cat's demise. I hadn't heard of this (not a cat person) but they found out the specific cause of death actually isn't uncommon: the neighbor came home from work, parked the car, and wanted to go out again a little bit later. It was a cool evening and the cat was attracted to the heat from the car engine. It somehow managed to climb inside the hood (through the wheel well? I don't know) and when the neighbor started the car again--splat/explode/caught in moving parts. They got another cat the next year and he's an indoor cat only now. Their vet said the motor thing happens all the time.

Googling I found this article: http://www.yourpetsbestfriend.com/your_pets_best_friend/2009/09/cool-weather-puts-cats-in-your-car-engine-check-under-the-hood.html