Is your cat indoor or outdoor?

[zumbamama]

I've had cats all my life. Growing up, we always let them go outside. Several cats stayed with us until they died of old age, but several ran away. In my 20s I moved around a lot, so I kept my cats indoors. Now that I'm not moving around so much, and have a new set of cats, I'm considering letting my cats go outside because I feel bad that they're cooped up in the house all the time. But at the same time I don't want to deal with fleas or for them to get lost (and break my kids' hearts). Do you think it mean to never let your cat outside or good sense?

[maynie]

Zumbamama as tempting as it is I wouldn't let the cats go outside. I know it's hard because they seem so much happier being able to go out but the average lifespan of an outdoor cat is half that of an indoor cat. I think the only time I would consider it is if I lived on a farm. And even in that scenario they can be killed by wild animals. I don't think it's mean to keep your cats indoors. It's one of the best things you can do to insure they live a longer life.

[Anonymous]

Our cat is indoors. I do hate it. Growing up we always let our cats roam around, but my neighborhood is a little busier so it's not a good idea.

It is sad, but he seems happy enough to scratch our furniture instead of trees and playfully attack us as we move around. He was the center of our world before our baby came along, so that always makes me feel sad and guilty too. We still take good care of him but we don't as much attention to him, though he is still a cuddler. We just don't to actively play with him as much.

Now that my toddler is running around he gets A LOT of attention from her.

Definitely only consider it if your cats still have front claws, and you don't live near a busy neighborhood. Also, be mindful, we have some BIG cats roaming around and I don't think my guy would be able to hold his own.

[Anonymous]

Growing up, we always let our cats out, too, but I lived in rural NH. Even so, we had some just "disappear" over the years. When we adopted our cat down here, we used to let him out occasionally at first and then more often. Sure enough, he chased a squirrel into the road one day and was hit and killed by a car. We have two cats now, and they only go out supervised with us maybe once every couple of weeks. They really like it and I am sure they would love to go out more often, but I would be devastated if they got hit by a car and killed. Do you have a yard that is fenced in? We have thought that if our backyard was completely fenced, we might be able to let them outside alone there. Otherwise, I am just too worried that something would happen to them.

[Anonymous]

We always had outdoor cats growing up and i really liked having them outdoors. They smell nice and are fun to watch outside. But they do get in fights, get injured, runaway, get fleas or worse. My last cat died when my kids were very small. We waited until the kids were begging for pet (and willing to help take care of one) and just got 2 older kittens. We are keeping them indoors. I hate the litter box but otherwise its going well. Its nice to have 2 (they came from the same foster home) - they are such buddies. They amuse each other, sleep together and on top of each other, groom each other. So i think having 2 indoor cats to amuse each other is helpful if they are indoors.

I dont think it is mean to keep them indoors. Our cats (who were street kittens) are very happy lounging by a sunny window and don't try to go outdoors. Please don't declaw them. It makes more anxious and neurotic based on what i read. You can clip their nails.

[Anonymous]

Outdoor cats have a much shorter life expectancy than outdoor cats, and they also harm the other wildlife around your home. My neighbor lets her cats roam (2) and each spring, they manage to catch a variety of baby bunnies, birds and mice. It's awful. Anyway, here's a helpful article for you from the humane society that contains some good info. Please, please, please, keep your cats indoors or, if you must let them out, only when supervised.

http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/facts/wildlife_cats.html

[Anonymous]

We let our first cat roam outside, when we lived in a quieter area. He loved it and begged to go out. Then one morning we were awakened before dawn by horrible snarling and yowling noises. We looked outside and saw that our kitty was fast losing a fight against two big dogs that had gotten out of their yard. $2000+ in vet bills later, and he mostly recovered. He never wanted to go outside again, and he died young. The vet said that the trauma from the dog attack definitely shortened his life, especially given that he was born with a small heart defect.

Subsequent cats have been indoors-only. I don't ever again want to clean fur and blood from a cat's claws because he's too hurt to do it himself. Or have to soak his food in water because his broken teeth and jaw prevent him from eating it dry. The current cat gets all the stimulation he needs from sitting at an open window, and catching the occasional mouse who wanders in from the rental house next door!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We let our first cat roam outside, when we lived in a quieter area. He loved it and begged to go out. Then one morning we were awakened before dawn by horrible snarling and yowling noises. We looked outside and saw that our kitty was fast losing a fight against two big dogs that had gotten out of their yard. $2000+ in vet bills later, and he mostly recovered. He never wanted to go outside again, and he died young. The vet said that the trauma from the dog attack definitely shortened his life, especially given that he was born with a small heart defect.

Subsequent cats have been indoors-only. I don't ever again want to clean fur and blood from a cat's claws because he's too hurt to do it himself. Or have to soak his food in water because his broken teeth and jaw prevent him from eating it dry. The current cat gets all the stimulation he needs from sitting at an open window, and catching the occasional mouse who wanders in from the rental house next door!

I'm so sorry - that absolutely breaks my heart!!!

[Anonymous]

zumbamama wrote:I've had cats all my life. Growing up, we always let them go outside. Several cats stayed with us until they died of old age, but several ran away. In my 20s I moved around a lot, so I kept my cats indoors. Now that I'm not moving around so much, and have a new set of cats, I'm considering letting my cats go outside because I feel bad that they're cooped up in the house all the time. But at the same time I don't want to deal with fleas or for them to get lost (and break my kids' hearts). Do you think it mean to never let your cat outside or good sense?

Hi Zumbamama:
I just want to reiterate what some others have said and also to tell you, I have two elderly ladies who have never been outside a day in their life. Never. While they like to sit in the window and look out, we give them plenty to do in the house so they can run, climb and "stalk." Laser pointers, feathers, pipe cleaners, catnip, etc. They also get lots of love and attention from us.

I realize that many people think cats are meant to be outside but that is just not the case for domesticated cats. Their lifespans are much shorter, they run away, they pick up parasites and other illnesses, get in fights, etc. Additionally, they are known to kill birds and other small animals. For the sake of your cats and the other life around them, I hope you keep them inside. Good luck. Have fun with the kitties.

[Anonymous]

I have a 17 year old cat who has never stepped foot outside and he is happy and healthy. It is all he knows. I wouldn't chance.

[Anonymous]

Another argument for keeping them in is the increasing number of urban foxes. We definitely have foxes in our neighborhood - one of many reasons I keep mine in.

An aside - please don't declaw cats - it is actually illegal in the UK as it really is a very painful procedure for the cat. Definitely leads to neuroses!! Get some scratching posts and spray them with catnip spray.

[Anonymous]

While I have three indoor/outdoor cats, I would definitely recommend against it. Not only do you have the dangers from cars, other animals, and disease, you also run the risk of annoying your neighbors if your cats deface their property. If I had it to do again, we'd have fewer cats, and they would stay inside.

[Anonymous]

Yes - people have become more aggressive (assertive) about not wanting cats in their yards. In our neighborhood, one family had a trap in their back yard to catch cats (it was a humane trap) - they ended up taking several cats belonging to neighbors to the shelter in Rockville. Owners had to pay a fine to get their babies out. The trappers claimed to find cat feces in their yard - they had two young children crawling around. Long missives pro and con flowed back and forth on our neighborhood e-mail. Since I have indoor cats, I wasn't directly involved - it was actually kind of a hilarious situation. So much emotion on both sides.

But yes - people aren't as tolerant of animal poopoo as they used to be.

[Anonymous]

Another vote for indoors. Growing up we had 2 cats, now 15, who never went out and were perfectly happy. Sure, they probably would've liked to have gone out, but the indoor life is all they know and they are fine.

Neighbor relations can be a significant factor as well. There are several outdoor cats in my neighborhood. Beautiful creatures -- and killers. They are in my yard every morning trying to kill birds. The first week we moved in, they caught a baby rabbit, killed it, tossed it around the yard for a few hours, and then left it there for us to clean up. They sit under people's cars, which is dangerous. The bigger one has a habit of slinking into the storm drains, which cannot be very sanitary. They get into loud, yowling fights with strays. Everyone in the neighborhood detests them, but no one is willing to say anything to the owners.

[Anonymous]

My cats are mainly indoor. Occasionally I let them out and they don't stray far from the deck (usually.) I have a friend in Colorado who uses a harness and a leash on the cat. They put the harness on him when they brought him home from the pound so he's used to it and when they go out they attach a leash to furniture or something. It's one of those leashes that goes 10 ft or something so he can still chase birds and squirrels but they have advance warning if he tries to crawl out of the harness and can get to him before he bolts into the road or up a tree or something.