Heh - several of the posts from this thread seem to have somehow migrated over to the PeTA thread. Gremlins?
Should cats be kept indoors?
- Thread starter FortyTwo
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yakherder
老外
Depends on the cat and where you live.
When I was younger, I lived out in the sticks a bit and picked up a cat that was sort of a cross between domesticated stray and wild. He cuddled when he felt like it, but was about 25 pounds of pure muscle and preferred to hunt mice and stuff for food rather than eat cat food. Even raccoons and coyotes, both of which were plentiful, didn't mess with him. He would have gone nuts if I'd confined him to the indoors. He came and went as he pleased sometimes for days at a time.
My girlfriend's ragdoll, on the other hand, was adopted from a vet school after it had outlived it's usefulness. It's had every operation imaginable performed on it, including having been declawed, is 100% trusting of everyone and everything it sees (a trait common to ragdolls), and has never been outdoors except in a cat carrier. It wouldn't last 5 minutes outside in any environment, probably not even an enclosed yard, but you couldn't ask for a more perfect lap cat. If you so much as look in it's direction, it collapses into a pile of purring fluffiness.
When I was younger, I lived out in the sticks a bit and picked up a cat that was sort of a cross between domesticated stray and wild. He cuddled when he felt like it, but was about 25 pounds of pure muscle and preferred to hunt mice and stuff for food rather than eat cat food. Even raccoons and coyotes, both of which were plentiful, didn't mess with him. He would have gone nuts if I'd confined him to the indoors. He came and went as he pleased sometimes for days at a time.
My girlfriend's ragdoll, on the other hand, was adopted from a vet school after it had outlived it's usefulness. It's had every operation imaginable performed on it, including having been declawed, is 100% trusting of everyone and everything it sees (a trait common to ragdolls), and has never been outdoors except in a cat carrier. It wouldn't last 5 minutes outside in any environment, probably not even an enclosed yard, but you couldn't ask for a more perfect lap cat. If you so much as look in it's direction, it collapses into a pile of purring fluffiness.
Yakherder makes a good point about it depending on the cat also. And it's not just the size - it's the street smarts. I have had two cats that I have let out during the day when I was home. They were both very street savy, and both could be relied upon to come when called, so I could always get them in before dusk. OTOH, the smartest cat I've ever lived with, Friday, was an idiot when it came to survival, because he wasn't scared of anything - he thought he was immortal. Extremely good at figuring things out, extremely determined, but no common sense about what could/would hurt him.
My guys do have a large secure enclosure that they can come and go from at will.
My guys do have a large secure enclosure that they can come and go from at will.
lucky_charm
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In the UK if you want to adopt a cat from a rescue they will insist you allow the cat access to the outdoors unless there is a specific reason for the cat to be an indoor cat (FIV, blind, elderly & never been outdoors etc). They will generally do a hone check and verify that the area you are in is suitable, which I assume includes not being too near a busy road, a low hazard outdoor environment etc.
I don't have a working catflap any more as all the neighbours' cats kept coming into our house (there are loads of cats around here) but someone at my parents house is usually home at least part of the day to let the girls in or out as they please. We let them in and out on demand and feed them on demand,they pretty much run the house, but we won't let them out after 10pm for their own safety. I read somewhere the majority of road traffic injuries/ deaths tocats are after dark (and we are not near a busy road but Merrie (in my avatar) was hit by a car about 4 years ago when she was 9 months old and broke her pelvis) I also read that cats hunt more at night.
So anyway my point is that in the UK it is considered 'best practice' by vets, rescues etc to let cats go outside.
I don't have a working catflap any more as all the neighbours' cats kept coming into our house (there are loads of cats around here) but someone at my parents house is usually home at least part of the day to let the girls in or out as they please. We let them in and out on demand and feed them on demand,they pretty much run the house, but we won't let them out after 10pm for their own safety. I read somewhere the majority of road traffic injuries/ deaths tocats are after dark (and we are not near a busy road but Merrie (in my avatar) was hit by a car about 4 years ago when she was 9 months old and broke her pelvis) I also read that cats hunt more at night.
So anyway my point is that in the UK it is considered 'best practice' by vets, rescues etc to let cats go outside.
Lord Snot
Parsley Provider
Yep, and IMO it's good advice. Whilst it's true that cats are domesticated they were domesticated so they could catch mice. They have strong drives to hunt and to have and defend a territory. It can be very frustrating for them being cooped up inside with their human friends out for a good portion of the week, with toys that don't move and the same five or six rooms to explore. Unless you have time to spend with them and really play properly, the benefits of being able to go outside outweigh the risks - in this country. I'm sure if we had coyotes and things out there hunting for prey we would be much less inclined to give them the freedom to go out.
It's also time, place and circumstance as mentioned above. It's not wise to adopt a cat that's been kept inside for 10 years and let her loose on the roads. It's not wise to adopt a cat with FIV and let him out to bite other cats. It's not wise to adopt a cat when you have no garden and all that's in front of your house is a busy road. In my case the choice was easy, because all the cats I adopted had previously been strays or supposedly feral in inner London, and learned that cars were bad at an early age. If Ted is in a room and you close the door, he immediately gets up and starts looking for an exit because he really hates being trapped inside - I think it might be from spending almost a year in a cage at the rescue place.
Lord Snot
Parsley Provider
No, Forster posted in the PETA thread where the debate started. Forty Two made this thread when there were only two posts about indoor/outdoor cats in there, but obviously Forster saw that one first and then came here and wondered where his post had gone.
I did actually try to move mine and Forster's posts on the subject over to this thread to keep it neat, but it seems that this software doesn't allow you to move posts from one thread to another existing thread.
I have 4 cats - 3 of them are perfectly content being indoor kitties. The newest one, though, came into our lives when he was around7 or 8 months old. I don't know how long he'd been living outside but he's the one that gives us the most trouble trying to get out. Any time we'd open the front door and the glass door, he'd bolt. I'm still trying to find a good harness for him so I can take him out and let him wander around. I sometimes carry him outside when I have to get the paper or even just wander a bit into the yard. He does ok for a bit but then a truck will go by or we'll get too far down the driveway and he's all "HELL NO!"
I don't trust just letting him loose. We do have a few indoor/outdoor neighborhood cats that have been around for a few years. But we also have dogs in the neighborhood that get loose; the guy across the street never has his dog on a leash when she's out with him, even though she behaves pretty well; there are foxes that come out all the time from the woods across the way; there's a family of hawks that always circles here; and to top it off, there are ******* drivers on this road that drive too damn fast. I have had to bury quite a few squirrels and rabbits because of it. Oh, that's another reason I wouldn't let him out - we have wild bunnies around here a LOT and they frequently use our backyard to nest/eat in/hang out in. Charlie went nuts a few mornings in a row because one of the babies was hanging out in the growth under the dining room window. He definitely would have tried to kill the poor dear if he'd been out.
I think it really depends on the cat, and the area you live in. Like I said, some of the cats that live around here I've known for years, but we also hear awful cat fights and some of them get ticks a lot, etc. etc. We keep all of ours plenty busy, though, and always have window curtains open and crack the windows during the cool days.
I don't trust just letting him loose. We do have a few indoor/outdoor neighborhood cats that have been around for a few years. But we also have dogs in the neighborhood that get loose; the guy across the street never has his dog on a leash when she's out with him, even though she behaves pretty well; there are foxes that come out all the time from the woods across the way; there's a family of hawks that always circles here; and to top it off, there are ******* drivers on this road that drive too damn fast. I have had to bury quite a few squirrels and rabbits because of it. Oh, that's another reason I wouldn't let him out - we have wild bunnies around here a LOT and they frequently use our backyard to nest/eat in/hang out in. Charlie went nuts a few mornings in a row because one of the babies was hanging out in the growth under the dining room window. He definitely would have tried to kill the poor dear if he'd been out.
I think it really depends on the cat, and the area you live in. Like I said, some of the cats that live around here I've known for years, but we also hear awful cat fights and some of them get ticks a lot, etc. etc. We keep all of ours plenty busy, though, and always have window curtains open and crack the windows during the cool days.
Regarding cats and their hunting skills, Cybil always seems to know when we have mice in the garage. She'll hide out among the massive junk/debri we have in there (apparently garages aren't for housing cars anymore). Usually I'm lucky enough to trap and release the little critters, but occasionally she nails one.
Yeah, that was one of the ways Charlie tried to woo us into letting him in the house - he caught a vole and left it right in front of the door. :/ So I definitely know he'd have no problems going after other animals, like the baby rabbits.
Since I stopped letting my cats outside when it's dark they haven't managed to catch any animals so that does really work.
Occasionally there are unneutered male cats that have fights near my house but all my cats run inside and hide from them.
Occasionally there are unneutered male cats that have fights near my house but all my cats run inside and hide from them.
I Heart Corey Haim!!
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not sure....I am deathly allergic and havent been near cats alot....but believe they need love & huggs indoors or out.
peace
peace
Ah, O.K. It's due to Forster's anf my advanced ages, then.
Happenchance and Sebastian are my two cats that I used to let out during daylight hours if I was home. They both were/are (Hap is dead, Sebastian is still roaring along) expert killers, and daylight didn't slow them down perceivably. I once observed Sebastian sprawled on his back, legs every which way, under the bird feeder. Suddenly, in a split second, he was five feet or higher in the air and had a bird. That was the last time I let him out.
Of the dozens of cats I have lived with (almost all of them from the *street* and most of them feral or semi feral), only Sebastian is interested in escaping, and for him it is now more a mind game to see how readily he can pull one over on me. He enjoys the hide and seek that ensues, and if I'm too slow to find him, he eventually comes out with a querulous meow, as to say, "My God, woman, you're bad at this."
Chryssie
Internet Junkie
I have 5 indoor cats. I live near a very busy street and have seen too many poor animals hit by cars to risk it. I do have one male cat who tries to get out frequently. I don't know why as he is neutered and was never allowed out as a youngster. Once he sneaks out, he gets all scared and panicked and it is not fun to try to get him back inside. I have the scars to prove it!! A 14 + pound panicky cat is not cuddly!! I usually have to either lure him in by trickery (with a string, he is a fool for chasing a string) or leaving him until he decides he wants in.
When I was a child we lived on a farm and all cats were outdoor only. I think it really depends on the area and situation.
When I was a child we lived on a farm and all cats were outdoor only. I think it really depends on the area and situation.
Our cats live indoors. They have 1600 square feet of room in our home. They get tasty food and the occasional treat. They have toys and beds and a nice tall cat tree. I'm sure they could live happier lives in other situations but at the moment this is their best chance at survival. If someone came along who I trusted who could give them a better home I'd probably be willing to let them live there. But as it stands, their options are basically: indoors at my house or a kill shelter.
Kitties
Forum Legend
My cats are strictly indoors. I've been lucky too that they seem content to be so. Both my year plus litter mates and my last two deceased kitties. One born indoors and knew nothing else and an almost year old stray that seemed content to have a home and never tried to get out.
