Please let your cat be a cat!

[Anonymous]

Never knew anyone who had an "outdoor cat." Someone in the neighborhood does though because one keeps using my garden bed as a litter box and it has a collar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your cat wandered into my neighbor's yard their huskies would make short work of it. Be careful what you wish for.

Having an outdoor long lived cat only works well in areas with strict lease laws for dogs. In my old state, my neighbor kept on adopting new "outdoor cats" that would only last for a few months to a year.

The neighborhood dogs, also wandering around, would kill them. Along with the bobcats. They finally gave up and got a pit bull, which lived a long time, mostly outdoors.

Here, I've seen a number of dead cats on the roads. And, if I left it up to my dh, the "outdoor" cats who like to hang out in our yard and kill the birds would be dead too.

[Anonymous]

Lease should be leash.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

My mom’s indoor/outdoor cat lived to be 25.

I don’t think there is a one rule fits all. Some cats enjoy being outside and are generally safe. Others get scared, lost, or hurt.

Just be sure to get them spayed or neutered.

I agree with this but too many cat owners think that their cat can't handle it. Yes sometimes things happen but if the cat lived a happier life that is better than living a bored longer life.

Tell that to the ones picked apart by suburban coyotes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your cat wandered into my neighbor's yard their huskies would make short work of it. Be careful what you wish for.

Our neighbor had 3 dogs, regularly kept outdoors in a fence. Our cat would regularly go over - the dogs were afraid of bosscat. It was hilarious!

And there are more than enough birds. Having outdoor/indoor cats sounds like a pro, on the "but the birds!" front.

Our cat lived to be 19, with no health problems prior.

[Anonymous]

Vet dh thinks cats should mostly be indoors.

So many cat injuries from outdoor play. They can be happy and stimulated being indoors too, and avoid getting fleas.

In fact our neighbors cute cat never came home this summer. He knows the way so we can hope someone got him. And not that another animal or car killed him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your cat wandered into my neighbor's yard their huskies would make short work of it. Be careful what you wish for.

Our neighbor had 3 dogs, regularly kept outdoors in a fence. Our cat would regularly go over - the dogs were afraid of bosscat. It was hilarious!

And there are more than enough birds. Having outdoor/indoor cats sounds like a pro, on the "but the birds!" front.

Our cat lived to be 19, with no health problems prior.

And you're basing that on what, exactly?

[Anonymous]

Re: birds and wildlife.

There is a ongoing catastrophic plunge in the insect population worldwide, nobody quite knows why. Research and insect counts have barely begun because although we suspect insect populations started decreasing decades ago, it was not noticed until recently (first noticed in Europe because they have more of a tradition of insect watching). The bee problem may be part of a vaster issue.

Insects are at the bottom of the wildlife food chain. You can imagine that more or less cats won't make a dent in the bird pop like a catastrophic shortage of their primary food supply.

[Anonymous]

I had an indoor/outdoor cat who lived to be 23 years old. She was a hunter, so those small rodents didn't stand a chance.

2nd cat was also indoor/outdoor though she's been rehomed and is now indoor. She had a feral mother so she has good survival skills. She lived to be over 20 years old too.

3rd cat was dumb as ROCKS. He lived with another family in our neighborhood for a few weeks because he just walked into their house and they loved him. And they didn't realize he was ours. Dumb kitty. He did eventually get run over and only lived 10 years. I will say, the dumb kitty was also very affectionate and sweet, which is why then neighbors almost tried to kitty-nap him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let wildlife be wildlife. Cats wreak havoc on native ecosystems. It is environmentally CRIMINAL to let cats outdoors without supervision. The happiest, most spoiled cats live inside as the pets they were bred to be. The feral cats in my area look ragged with sores on their ears and crusty eyes. They are miserable and killing birds, the only benefit is the feral cat pee unholy stench probably keeps mice away.

We're talking about pets. Not feral cats.

I agree with pp in that it's silly to leave a cat indoors just for the sake of leaving it indoors. Cats do cat things. There's no reason to call it criminal, lol.

[Anonymous]

I completely agree!! My cats go in and out as they wish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your cat wandered into my neighbor's yard their huskies would make short work of it. Be careful what you wish for.

Having an outdoor long lived cat only works well in areas with strict lease laws for dogs. In my old state, my neighbor kept on adopting new "outdoor cats" that would only last for a few months to a year.

The neighborhood dogs, also wandering around, would kill them. Along with the bobcats. They finally gave up and got a pit bull, which lived a long time, mostly outdoors.

Here, I've seen a number of dead cats on the roads. And, if I left it up to my dh, the "outdoor" cats who like to hang out in our yard and kill the birds would be dead too.

Not true. Had an outdoor cat that lived 17 years. No strict leash laws. He got into a fight with another outdoor cat one time, but otherwise lived a healthy happy life. I get that it's considered correct to keep cats indoors now, but I think it's abusive. No animal should be shut inside all day. The quality of life is poor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

My mom’s indoor/outdoor cat lived to be 25.

I don’t think there is a one rule fits all. Some cats enjoy being outside and are generally safe. Others get scared, lost, or hurt.

Just be sure to get them spayed or neutered.

I agree with this but too many cat owners think that their cat can't handle it. Yes sometimes things happen but if the cat lived a happier life that is better than living a bored longer life.

Tell that to the ones picked apart by suburban coyotes.

I still let my kids go outside, although they'd probably live longer if they weren't exposed to illnesses by other people and the risks of getting into a car accident. Locking an animal in a house all day is a cruel thing to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

My mom’s indoor/outdoor cat lived to be 25.

I don’t think there is a one rule fits all. Some cats enjoy being outside and are generally safe. Others get scared, lost, or hurt.

Just be sure to get them spayed or neutered.

I agree with this but too many cat owners think that their cat can't handle it. Yes sometimes things happen but if the cat lived a happier life that is better than living a bored longer life.

Tell that to the ones picked apart by suburban coyotes.

I still let my kids go outside, although they'd probably live longer if they weren't exposed to illnesses by other people and the risks of getting into a car accident. Locking an animal in a house all day is a cruel thing to do.

You know what's worse? Finding the body of your 10 month cat that had been hit by a car. Do I know wish I had kept him inside? You bet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

My mom’s indoor/outdoor cat lived to be 25.

I don’t think there is a one rule fits all. Some cats enjoy being outside and are generally safe. Others get scared, lost, or hurt.

Just be sure to get them spayed or neutered.

I agree with this but too many cat owners think that their cat can't handle it. Yes sometimes things happen but if the cat lived a happier life that is better than living a bored longer life.

Tell that to the ones picked apart by suburban coyotes.

I still let my kids go outside, although they'd probably live longer if they weren't exposed to illnesses by other people and the risks of getting into a car accident. Locking an animal in a house all day is a cruel thing to do.

You know what's worse? Finding the body of your 10 month cat that had been hit by a car. Do I know wish I had kept him inside? You bet.

If I found the body of my 10 year old child that had been hit by a car, I don't think I would ever recover. Do I keep him inside all day to protect him from the risk? No. It's a cruel thing to do. Animals should live as they were intended to.