Indoors or out...?

I believe that it should be up to the individual owner to decide for themselves (based on how safe they consider their local environment to be) whether they allow their cat outside or not.

I just wish that some people wouldn't be so quick to judge others, when they know nothing of that person's location. I am so fed-up with American "statistics" which "estimate" that an outdoor cat lives for only 3 years. Perhaps in America that is true, but in Britain and many parts of Europe, there are literally millions of cat owners who can testify that this simply is not the case in their location.

Cats live for the here and now, they have no concept of life span. It's quality, not quantity of life that matters to them, so I believe that wherever possible they should have access to the outside.

However, sometimes this just isn't possible. There seems to be a large number of landlords and housing associations in America who insist that tenants must keep their cats as indoor only pets. Sadly, this indoor-only policy, sometimes then extends to the cat having to be declawed, with the owner having little say in the matter if they want to keep their tenancy. Obviously, there are some parts of America where due to traffic, wild life predators etc., it just wouldn't be safe to allow a cat free to roam outside. Provided that owners have an understanding and acceptance of natural cat behaviours then it's okay to keep a cat indoors. If every effort is made to ensure that the cat has both a mentally and physically stimulating environment then the cat will be a happy one.

Live and let live, I say.

Well, if your cat has an enclosed backyard and is supervised, I'm sure he's going to be safe. My cat, who has been neutered (and has his claws though I trim them), goes outside a little bit. He's supervised, and I live in a small town where the neighbors are friendly, and away from the busy roads. He's gone into both next-door neighbors' yards a little, but they don't mind. Our neighbors are nice. One has a dog that's so old and she doesn't care about the cat being nearby; the cat is more likely to hiss at the dog and run up to our picnic table if he sees her. LOL He likes going outside, and he'll cry at the door a bit, and we'll take him out for a short time, as long as it's not too hot or cold.

I only believe cats should be out if they are fixed and have their claws, and are supervised. I would rather not let him out unless I had an enclosed area, but he wants to go out. I live at home again, and my parents say all cats need to be outside. They grew up on farms, and they never had animals in the house until now. They don't listen when I tell them animal rescue groups here will not place a cat that's going to be outside. I worry when he's out for more than a few minutes, especially if I see another cat. Of course, I'm very protective of my best friend and call home a lot when I'm gone to check on him, because I worry they aren't going to supervise him as much as I'd like them to.

Hi

I am of the opinion that provided you live in a safe area and the cat is vaccinated then it should be allowed to go outside. But of course if your cat is a pedigree and worth a lot of money or has not been neutered then the cat should be kept indoors with access to an outside run. A lot of people may try to "steal" your cat if left to roam and obviously the cat if not neutered will attract unwanted suitors. Cats can live indoors quite happily, I have a mixture of both, but I do live well off any roads, the only worry being foxes.

Barbara

Well I see your point. I don't think that cats should be forced outside and I don't think they should be made to stay inside. But most cats who are indoors from when they are little don't even want to go outside and are scared to. Not to mention if you do have an outdoor cat, i know its hell living with flees. They get in your rugs, bed , everywhere. I've had flea's in my house before because I let my kittens play outside for a little bit and it was the worst feeling in the world. Always itchy, feeling so disgusting. I wont let my cat outdoors and she doesn't want to go out doors. She's very happy and besides the thing that cats spend most of there life doing is sleeping.

In Britain are people driving down the street really careful about not hitting cats that are crossing the street? I know people here who actually steer towards cats because there are so many stray cats around and it is hard to determine which ones are stray and which ones aren't. I don't care if people let their cats outside it is their choice but I would rather keep my cat safe then let it outside freely and end up with a dead cat. Also in the US many people declaw their cats which makes them defenseless against other animals if they were to go outside this is unfair to the cats. I allow my cats outside but only on a leash under my watchful eye.

I absolutely agree. I have answered a few questions on this site regarding whether cats should be allowed out or not, and suffer a persistent rain of thumbs downs from US users for voicing this same opinion.

I have an 8 month old cat called Matilda and as soon as she was spayed, chipped, safety-collared, id tagged and inoculated, she was allowed out. Before this, she would sit by the window mewing pitifully, desperate to get out. I would have felt hideously cruel keeping her trapped indoors when she so clearly wanted to be outside. She's as happy as Larry now and I believe that I've given her a better quality of life.

She chooses to go outside, and she would have climbed out through the windows during what we laughingly call summer anyway. At least I have taken sensible precautions.

Though cats can make a choice it's not based on anything more than instinct. They can't gather information to make informed decisions, but we can. Cats allowed outside die. That's a fact. Well a lot more of them die that are allowed outside vs. inside, anyway. I've watched it happen over and over again. And when you have to go outside and use a shovel to scrape your or your neighbors' cat off of the road, the choice would not be difficult. And if your house isn't big enough to provide a fulfilled life for a cat, don't get one.

I really feel that cats do need to go outside.But there are so many dangers outside. Cars,Cruel people, predators accidenst waiting to happen. If you can provide a safe enclosed outside area then for sure let them out. If not then its best they stay inside for their own safety.

Anyone that has lost a loved cat to the outside would agree.

You've opened a can of worms with this question. But I'll give you my opinon, just be warned that some people are pretty cruel and nasty with their opinons of outdoor cats and that people who keep them should never have pets and when they die in an accident they deserve to feel that pain...I know because it's often asked on these forums.

Anyway, I have three cats of my own, Penne, Minx and Spaghetti. Penne is four, Minx is 17 months and Spaghetti is six and a half weeks old. I've had Penne since she was a kitten and MInx since she was 11 months old and Spaghetti since she was born - she's Minx's daughter.l fully believe that cats should have the choice between going out or staying in during their life. I gave them all the choice once they were old enough and had had their injections, I live in a ground floor flat and they have access in and out through one of my windows, there is always one open even in winter and espcially at night. Penne made the decision to go out and spend about 50% of time in and 50% of time out. Minx made the same choice and does the same with splitting her time, they're both in as I type this sleeping. Spagehtti is not old enough to go out yet, but when she is, I will give her the same choice and even if she chooses to stay in I'll repesct that. I have a litter tray for them in case they get locked in by accident or if it's raining or bad weather so that they have somewhere to go. They're pretty much always in at night.

There are going to be some statistics posted saying that outdoor cats have a lifespan on average on 1-2 years. Explain this then, my mum's cat is 11 years old and has been an outdoor cat her whole life. My friend's cat is seven and is an outdoor cat and has been his whole life. I know many outdoor cats in the UK that have outlived this "statistic". The opposite is that indoor cats are prety much immortal and that if you ever loved your cat you'd keep them inside etc etc etc.

Having said that, I know people who have indoor cats, both in the UK and the USA and I respect their decisions, one in the UK does so because her cat is afraid of the outdoors and if he goes out - which he does occasionally in the summer with her, but when she goes in if he gets locked out, he cries to be let in. The people in the USA live near main roads and feel that it is too dangerous for their cats to be outside and they live a pretty stimulated life indoors so I don't see that as cruel or anything.

That's my opinon, but many will disagree and many will agree, like I said, can of worms. I think as long as you are happy with your decision, that your cat is well looked after, is neutered, has it's jabs, is flead and wormed every three months and is loved then it doesn't matter if it chooses to be an indoor cat or an outdoor cat, but I think they should be given the choice unless there are circumstances like living near a major main road or something that should be taken into consideration.

Anyway, you'll get a load of different answers, try not to take any cruel remarks personally.

Hope this helps

Joey

well i am British and i have an indoor cat, he started off as an indoor cat due to being adopted from one house on my street to mine, and so to stop him being totally confused, i kept him indoors initially. However not being a cat owner before i came on this message board and read up on having an indoor cat.

The main reasons i keep him in are

1. we live next to a main road and incidentally one of the cats from the very house my cat came from was killed on that road

2. next to the same road we have a large grassed area were there is a foxes den, 3 cats in my area have been found dead but also partially eaten by the foxes

3 we have stray and feral cats in my neighbor hood, what diseases these cats carry is anyones guess

I also do not want him having fleas all the time , fighting with other cats, being attacked by dogs, cruel humans doing horrible things to him, bonfire night and its risks, and i certainly do not want him adding to the unwanted kitten population through breeding like crazy, although he is due to be neutered he isnt yet.

I dont feel i am cruel, he is soo loved in this house and spoilt rotten, he plays happilly with all of us, he is very nosey and sociable and very contented, but most of all i know where he is, what he is doing ( most of the time ..lol) and that he is safe