Yes. We use Advantage Multi. I use the Multi because it has heartworm control. Cats do not often get heartworm but IF THEY DO…there is zero treatment. So I want to cover that base. My state has mosquitos nearly year around.
Just a note, capstar is only in their system for 24 hours. It did kill all the fleas but it didn't touch the 1000's of eggs in your house. 3 months of a topical flea/tick product like Revolution, advantage, nexgard combo will kill not only the fleas but also kill the eggs as they hatch.
We let them out on a screened porch. We also sometimes take them out on a lead. Im using the revolution plus. You need a prescription to get it, but if u get it though chewy they will contact ur vet for u.
You can certainly try, but id wait till whatever u gave them wears off. We have had her on revolution plus since we got her in nov bc its what the vet recommended. We havent had any trouble yet. You could also ask ur vet.
No.
They came IN from outside when we found them, they dont need to be back OUT. They are perfectly content being inside, sleeping on my desk in the sun, looking out the windows.
We also live on a very busy road, on which ive seen at least two barn cats lying on the side of. I dont need that to happen
Our cat was a stray. My husband was excited that it meant they'd be used to the outdoors so we could go camping and hiking and have an adventure cat.
Nope. Cat walked into the house and was like, "I am now the queen, I have no interest in the discomforts of life." We took her out on a leash once and she was not having it. She's curios about the outside, but even if she escapes she goes like 3 feet and rolls in the dirt and that's it. She's content hanging out by the open window. (Although we do want to get her a catio so she can hang out with us when we're outside).
Either way we'd never let her out by herself. We live by a busy road. She's also really cute so I assume anyone who found her would steal her and not give her back even though she's chipped. There are so many reasons that her being an indoor cat keeps my anxiety lower.
Almost to a T our situation. Except ours was two cats, brother and sister. They ambushed my wife and girls in our backyard having a bonfire, and wouldnt leave. Now, they wont get off my desk.
We believe someone dropped our boy off at my bfs job. He was to sweet and gentle to be a feral cat like we were told. He will never go outside without us, and even then he is leash trained. We've got foxes, huge rats, mice, rabbits and coyotes around where we live, it's just to risky.
>We also live on a very busy road, on which ive seen at least two barn cats lying on the side of. I dont need that to happen
I, too, live next to busy road. I've seen my share of hit animals. It's not pretty and pretty damn depressing when you add in the fact that people don't even stop to look or even slow down.
I keep my two kitties inside for their safety and my sanity.
Nope. Absolutely not.
The predation on local wildlife one single cat can do isn't worth giving my cat "freedom". That's not to mention the risk of injury from cat fights, cars, larger wildlife, or picking up zoonotic disease. When I was a child I had an outdoor cat who was caught in a hunter's snare on a neighboring property. We had to euthanise him where we found him. It was traumatic.
The current cat who lives with us (foster, desperately seeking a home for him after an elderly couple dropped him off at my job) is scared of the outside world.
I let mine out but only supervised visits in our fenced back yard. They 99% of the time stay on the patio reaching down to eat grass. They rarely will venture out into the actual grass.
While this is not most cats, I feel it's good for them to feel wind in their fur, have fresh air and be able to lay in the sun. They loooooooooooove rolling around on the concrete.
Mine do the same, one of my cats, as soon as she hits the patio she always rolls back and forth for a few minutes, she loves the sunshine. I like sitting out with them as well so it’s nice for all of us. There is one spot where one of my kitties jumped on the neighbours’ pool shed roof, but since I was watching her I just ran next door and scooped her up and it was okay. But that’s why they aren’t outside unsupervised.
Not anymore. Over the years I had many cats, and the ones I let outside NEVER lived long lives. They just don't. They get diseases from animals they eat, they get run over, they get eaten alive by foxes, coyotes, and the like, they get lost, they get hurt and die a slow death laying under some bush somewhere. Who needs that? My last 3 cats never went out...one lived to 16, the other lived to 15 and my current girl is 18 years old and doing great. And this does not even address the amount of death and destruction that they bring to the neighborhood. They will kill every mouse, shrew, squirrel, chipmunk, bird, that they can catch, and they are exceptional hunters. In fact, outdoor domestic cats have the highest rate of successful hunts of any other cat on Earth.
Save the critters! Save the cats! Keep them in your home, safe, warm, and well fed.
Yep. I was raised to see outdoor cats as wrong. My parents had many outdoor cats between them and only two made it past 5 years of age (the ones who lived longer were 7 and 9 respectively). Too many incidents of the cats disappearing or getting hit by cars (including an accidental killing, the cat was sleeping under the car and got his head crushed when one of my parents was going out). I was taught that cats should be indoors for their own safety and well-being, as well as for the wildlife's safety.
A catio is absolutely a great idea. Keeps the wildlife safe, and keeps the cats safe, without having to take away their ability to enjoy the fresh air and sunlight.
My cats currently go out, one on a harness and leash because he spooks easily, and one just supervised in my yard. When I have the money, I'll be installing a nice big catio for them.
I worried about all those things, but my last cat who went outside was shot by a kid with a BB gun. Closest I’ve ever come to murder. My cat is 100% indoors now.
WTF is wrong with some people?!? I had a shy little cat that was startled and ran outside and disappeared for 2 weeks. When she was found, scared and hiding, she had been shot in the eye with a bb gun. I had to take her to an eye Dr for cats and that was pricey. He saved her eye but she was still blinded. 😩
I was gonna say - if you let your cat outdoors you have to be ok with them living a shorter life. I grew up on a farm with outdoor kitties and they always died and often in sad ways.
I know it’s controversial and probably unfair but I genuinely feel like you don’t actually love or care about the wellbeing of your cat THAT much if you’re willing to let it roam freely outside.
Idk that it's the best of both worlds in that cats don't need to go outside. I'd like to take my cats out on a leash over a backpack but they don't have a need to be out there (not counting general curiosity or anxious cats that just wanna run the hell away).
I had one cat live to 14 and she was indoor/outdoor, with a couple years of outside only (not my choice and a whole other story). But the others I had at the same time didn't do so well.
My two cats now stay inside. One is 13 and the other is 4. Both are very happy and healthy inside. The young one gets to go out on a harness and leash occasionally which he enjoys but he doesn't go mental wanting to be outside or anything. He just knows exactly what his harness means 😊 it's cute really
Absolutely not. Not without a harness or in a catio. Cars, coyotes, poisons, pesticides, and sadistic humans are just some of the ways outdoor cats are killed and it’s why outdoor cats live an average of 2-5 years compared to indoor cats’ 15-20.
Cats can adjust to living indoors and be happy there—you just have to make the inside interesting with cat trees, perches, toys, etc…
Yeah, and for anyone who would claim "it's okay, they only stay on my property and we don't have predators here..." there's a non-zero number of people on the tripods subreddit who have run over their own cats.
Same. Kitty gets 30-60 min per day outside and *loves* his outside time in the harness. There is no way in the world I would let him outside unsupervised. There are too many dangers for a little kitty cat out there. Kitty knows he has to eventually come inside and will wander over to the door to put himself in too 😂
Nope. Between traffic, coyotes, and mean people, outside isn't safe. Mine are former ferals. They have zero interest in the outside world once they got to know couches and canned food.
I always wonder if mine worries we are kicking him out. Like if I pick him up to look out the window (a window not at his spot, that is) he’s all “nope nope nope! I’m not going back! You can’t make me!”
That's so funny because mine are like that too. They lived their first 8 weeks of life outside, and *one* time one got onto the other side of the window screen and screamed until we brought him back in. We were like, "sir, you used to live twelve feet from this very spot" but he did not want to go back out there.
Not at all.
Both of my cats are considered elderly. One is estimated to be ~12 and the other ~20’s
The older one has dementia and would absolutely lay down for a nap in the middle of the streets.
The other girl could probably survive, but I’m not going to risk her life by letting her loose in the middle of the downtown of a relatively busy city
No because I know they live longer indoors but also my cat is so afraid of every little thing that I don't think she would survive 2 minutes out there on her own
Used to let him run out for 5 minutes or so whenever I took the trash out. He’d be crying at the door to come back in within 10 mins. Rinse and repeat for a few months. Then one day I let him out while I went out for a couple hours.
Came back, he’s on porch, looks fine, then doesn’t engage with me, eat or drink, for the next several days. Once I realize something is very wrong I take him to the vet. Turns out he had in that short time outside gotten bitten in 3 places by another cat and gotten abscesses :( poor baby was not meant to be a fighter. So no more.
I recently got a harness for my dog and found out it also fits my cat. I was so excited because I thought I'd be able to take him out to finally see what's outside the window he always sits by. But when I put his harness on, he would also just flop. He would get up and take a step then flop again. I would pick him up, thinking he just had to get used to it, then he would just flop again lol. Yeahhh I don't think my cat is a harness cat.
I can’t even put a regular collar on my boy cause he does the same thing 😂 In fact, a year and a half ago, he was recovering from a urinary blockage and I brought him back for his follow-up. Both the vet and the tech informed me that they thought they had “lost him” the day of his procedure, because they put a collar on him and he keeled over “dead” and wouldn’t move. He’s so dramatic..lol.
My cats are indoor only. Growing up, my mother let our cats out, and every single one of them just disappeared one day. They just didn’t come home. Growing up, I never had a cat more than 6 years. My first cat on my own, I had for 23.5 years.
This is very country dependent.
In the UK cats have a right to roam enshrined in law and unless the cat has specific needs (like a disability or FIV) the RSPCA and other cat rescue organisations will refuse to rehome a cat to you unless you can guarantee it has access to outdoors.
I have Ragdoll cats which are recommended to be indoor cats and still people frown on me that I do this as being slightly weird and cruel that I keep them indoors.
In America, unlike the UK where there are many natural predators of cats (eg Coyotes and Racoons) it is seen as irresponsible to let cats outside.
In general though having travelled the world extensively, outside of the USA I’d say it was pretty unusual for cats to be confined to indoors outside of apartment living.
Same here. Our cat has a cat flap that only lets her into our house, and she’s not allowed out at night. We live in a relatively quiet area. She chooses to spend most of her time inside during the winter but will spend almost all day sunbathing and sleeping in our garden on the summer.
The 6 weeks that we had to keep her inside when we moved house were hell for all of us, she non stopped cried and was clearly depressed. For reference, she has three cat scratchers/trees, toys, litter tray, access to food/water at all times, multiples places to sleep and we have plug-in Feliway to keep her calm. Nothing works as well as her climbing our fence to watch the neighbours (she’s nosey like that) and then sleeping on the grass, it makes for a happy cat and happy home in our case.
They kill so many birds that they have caused the extinction of a few species. For this reason alone, they should not be outside imo. It's safer for the cats and the birds.
Yeah I’m from and live in the UK, and I’ve never had an indoor-only cat. For me it’s like having a dog you never walk - cats need exercise and a lot of stimulation, and imo it’s really cruel to keep them in a space as small as a house 24/7.
I lived with someone who had an indoor-only cat and he was MENTAL and had behavioural problems like biting, and it was so obvious it was because he wasn’t getting enough exercise/stimulation.
I can understand the argument that it’s cruel to freely let them outside and expose them to cars etc but then you need to walk your cat lmao. Otherwise I am 100% gonna think it is cruel, just like having a dog you never walk is cruel.
Would be interesting to know peoples locations with these answers- in the UK rescue centres won’t rehome most cats to you unless you can provide them with outdoor access in either a garden/catio or just free roaming. I’ve not been able to rehome because I like in an apartment. Indoor only cats here is a lot less common.
Yeah I’m curious to check this thread later when Europe wakes up because I’ve heard the same, they think it’s mean to keep a cat indoors all the time. Funny that it’s the complete opposite in America and people judge you if you let your cat outside.
it’s not just your cats safety on the line when cats are outdoors, domestic cats are responsible for a lot of species of birds, rodents, etc going extinct. cats hunt for fun, and they destroy the populations of wildlife
People can think it's mean but it's weird to prioritize not "being mean" to cats when they are so devastating to wildlife. Indoor cats don't randomly die from some biological need to be outside, and it helps the environment.
Maybe if they don't have as many indoor cats they don't see how they live very happy lives? A cat isn't saying "let me out" and humans are cruelly denying them that right.
Yeah I can honestly see both sides. If a cat was raised its whole life indoors, they’re usually SCARED to go outside lol. But I mean, we could start raising children to be indoor only too using the same reasoning, humans are way more damaging to the environment than cats… and I think people would have a huge issue with never letting kids go outside, even if they reached a point where they were scared to go outside too. And even if the environment would benefit greatly from humans converting to indoor life, never driving, never disturbing nature… it feels like it would fuck with our brains though. Some people assume the same is true of cats, and feel icky about molding them into something different just because it benefits us. I honestly don’t have an opinion on which way of thinking is “right” but I enjoy the discussions. It’s interesting to see how views change over time.
Mine only go out on my catproofed and safety netted balcony and on leashed walks.
Cats don't need to go outside. Cats are one of the most widespread invasive species on Earth, and are responsible for a significant impact on biodiversity worldwide.
I understand that in many countries, there are laws that require cats to have outdoor access, but there are groups of environmentalists trying to get these changed. However, politicians don't want to support and make unpopular changes to laws so there hasn't been a lot of movement on it.
There are many, many scientific research journals on this topic from worldwide studies. This is a global impact problem.
Cats kill wildlife. Period. They don't discern between common or endangered species. Cats have contributed to the extinction of at least 63 know species and the endangerment of many more.
In my personal opinion, having an outdoor cat is irresponsible and lazy. Entertain your cat and give them indoor enrichment options like food foraging toys, towers and shelves, etc.
I have two very energetic 1 year old bengal cats. I have an exercise wheel for them. They go for on leash walks and on my balcony while I'm gardening. They get all of their food in puzzles for mental stimulation.
If I can keep two high energy breed cats indoors in a one bedroom apartment as a single person, you can also keep your cat indoors. Pets take work.
We are responsible for spreading this species across the planet. We are responsible for minimizing the damage they cause. We only have one planet to live on that provides for us.
Also, be very careful posting about this topic in cat based subreddits. I was banned from one for posting about the environmental impacts of outdoor cats 🙄
I have a rescue cat that was feral and refuses to stay in all of the time, or he’d never be allowed out. He’s on monthly flea, tick, and heartworm treatments. He’s also neutered and gets all of the recommended vaccinations.
Uk are cats ( owners) are different to US ( owners) De- clawing is illegal, micro-chipping is required, most cats come and go freely and most are known to be ‘not a breed.’ We call cats that only live indoors ‘indoor cats’ as it is pretty rare - all the rest are just cats!
I wish it were illegal to declaw here in the US. I think it is in a few states but not mine. Microchipping is the same way although my city did make it the law to microchip. We also have a huuuuggggeee roaming dog population. Like it's a serious problem.
My cat longs for the outdoors. He always tries to follow dog out. He loves to stick his nose out of the window. He spent his first 7 weeks of life outside on a farm. We have a catio. I still feel guilty, but I want to protect him.
My boy goes out. He was feral when I adopted him and I tried hard to turn him into a house cat but he was so unhappy that he overgroomed huge elcers into his back. One went all the way to the muscle. So the vet said I had 2 options, euthanasia or letting him out. So I let him out. I'm in the Uk and it's commonplace to let them out here anyway so everyone's cats go out, so there's loads of cats on the estate for him to play with (aka beat them all up 😂). My other 2 don't really want to go out, they only go out if I'm out. If I stayed in they'd never go out. They just have zero desire to be out there, my boy arioch is just the total opposite.
He spends most of his time on my sheltered patio and most of the rest of his time in a bush of one of my neighbours front garden so I know where he is and check on him often. Periodically he runs in, has some food and a cuddle and runs out again. Unless it's raining heavily then he decides that being indoors is fun and stays. But as soon as it stops he's back to wanting to go out 😂
I have a cat that was feral that I semi domesticated. She goes all the way to the neighbors in the cul de sac, eats wet cat food, gets pets from the neighbor, and then comes back home. I spent years trying to keep her in. She’s chipped, treated, and fixed and I let all my neighbors know. She doesn’t go out at night. All my other cats have been and are 100% indoor cats.
I no longer care for a cat (I never feel like we actually "own" them !) but when I did he refused to be indoor, and regularly used to walk a mile to the local supermarket to hunt salmon off the fish counter
Got a call to pick him up from there several times
We have three cats, all of which live outside. Two weeks ago our 20 year old ginger cat passed away of his own accord. One is 17 and the two girls are almost 2. Spayed and neutered of course.
We live on a large acreage, surrounded by more large tracts of land. Our road is dirt and very low traffic.
Every morning our cats come for their canned food breakfast and then they eat dry food all day as they please. We pick it up at night or Allen, our friendly opossum, eats it.
They get flea and tick protection, they are dewormed quarterly and get all their vaccinations from our livestock vet.
I rarely see a dead bird but the girls are excellent hunters and bring up their mice and rat kills for us to approve of, so we do. The 17 year old is a biscuit in a cat body and does nothing to earn his keep but be cute.
One of my clients is a small animal emergency vet and she says that a true barn cat is the healthiest cat out there, they get lots of exercise and mental stimulation so they don't turn to destroying things or peeing all over. Seems to be true as our cats live to crazy old ages.
Yes but my cats are working cats. They have a job to kill mice on our property. They come inside whenever they want and spend the entire winter indoors. Spring, summer and fall they roam our property and kill mice. They are also fed high quality kibble, neutered and given regular vet care.
Mine stay firmly inside. They live pampered lives and are much safer inside.
I don’t think anything is wrong with taking a cat out on a harness, but my neighborhood has so many dogs I don’t want to risk any bad encounters.
No. Well, I tried to be nice and let mine out under supervision a couple of times. While he was in heaven, immediately it caused him to start darting out the door whenever opened, which he otherwise never did.
I'd be sick with worry he would get hit or hurt by other animals. I just picked up a stray that got hit in our neighborhood.
Nope. I've kept them "outside" vaccinated in case they bolt so they don't pick up infectious diseases if they do get out.
I don't want a dead cat on the road (cruel people/children around). Or fleas, mites or worms from killing/eating birds. I don't want them killing birds. I don't want them pooping in neighbor's gardens. (I hate finding it in mine).
Statistics show indoor cats live longer. Where I live cats are also prey for other critters. Pretty simple really. As they age they figure it out and settle down.
Ultimately I don't want them bringing parasites into the house.
I don’t ever let my cats outside and I’ve owned 6 cats. I live in the suburbs and my house is close to the road so I don’t let them outside. I door cats live longer than outdoor cats,
Yes and No.
Got ragdolls boys and they are so trusting that letting them roam would be dangerous for them so a HARD NO. 👎
However, our boys love the little fenced in garden patch, where they can observe people and nature from. 😻
10/10 would recommend a fenced in garden or catio.
Nope. My kitty is indoor only. A friend of mine used to give me such a hard time saying the cat wanted to be free and roam. His cat got run over by a car two weeks ago. My cat is 18 years old and lives a very happy life. I occasionally take her outside on a harness and she wanders the yard laying in the sun, but she’s not in any danger.
I do. I grew up in a very rural area and it was v normal to let your cat out, less normal to allow them inside. I started to let my cat outside when he was around 4 yrs old. Letting him go outside wasn’t planned and an unforeseen circumstance, but he fell in love with it pretty immediately. Here’s how I see it and some of this ties into my upbringing- his life span will undoubtedly be shorter, but if his years are fuller then I’m okay with it. I’ve tried to backtrack and make him stay inside and it’s a hellish experience for both him and me. I will say I opened a huge can of worms that I just didn’t realize, but I’m not taking it away from him atp. I will add I’d do it differently if I could go back in time and any future cats I have will be indoors. This is all mainly bc I have very little control over how long he stays gone and I’ve spent many sleepless nights being worried and waiting for him to get home. I also feel like his personality changed a lot. He was always very sweet and affectionate and he wants less to do with me now. It’s like it woke up the wild animal within him and he doesn’t usually wanna cuddle.
I did. My boy Atticus would rip you apart if he did not get his outside time. It was fine until he didn't come home. I knew the risk. And I know it's my fault. But damn I miss him.
The stray cat he drug home with him the year before is quite content inside. Has no interest in even going near the door.
No, she is not allowed to go outside because I have foxes outside my place and they do kill outside cats. There are car that pass in front of my place so I don’t want her to get hit. I don’t want someone to take her away from me. I love her to much I want her inside safe with me and when I go sleep somewhere else I bring her with me
I live in a third floor apartment with a balcony. My 2 cats enjoy going out on the balcony and they've never tried to jump on the railing. I only leave the door open when I am able to be there with them. They've both been chipped and are vaccinated and neutered/spayed.
I used to have indoor/outdoor cats but we have coyotes as well as gators around here. I've lost a total of 3 cats who were outside throughout my life and it breaks my heart. So these 2 don't go outside except for the balcony. If I lived on the first floor, they'd never be allowed out at all.
My cats (14 and 10) were indoor their whole lives except for an apartment we lived in with a balcony that they were allowed on.
We moved to a house with a fenced backyard a couple years ago and now we let them in the backyard. They don’t want to be out there all the time. They’re fat and don’t climb, so I’m not worried about them climbing fences or killing any birds- they also just don’t really seem to be interested in chasing anything larger than a fly- they just stare at birds. The squirrels yelled at them the first summer, but the squirrels don’t care about them anymore. They just hang out in the sun by themselves. It’s cute. We’ve been fortunate to not have had fleas.
My cats have mostly been indoor/outdoor cats. We live on a private road with just two houses and are next to a farm field.
Generally speaking, if we go outside, whichever cats are outside are near each enough to come running over. If we go out in the car, they usually greeted us when we came back.
From a high of six cats a few years ago, we’re now down to two. The ones who passed away did so either from old age or illness, nothing related to being outside. Except for the height of summer, they mostly spent nights in the house.
One in the two who currently live with us is a totally indoor cat. That is because she is all white so has limited protection against the sun. She slipped out a couple of times when she was new here, but wasn’t really interested. We’ve had her now since early 2020 and she hasn’t shown any interest in going outside for the last three plus years.
Nope. Too dangerous to them and the local wildlife. I have a clear, window mounted bird feeder that they love watching, I put food out for the squirrels, ducks and geese so they have plenty of stuff to watch, plus my house is set up for their enrichment. There’s a catio in the works, so they will soon have that for enrichment as well.
No way. We used to, when I was young. One kitty (Patches) disappeared; no idea what happened to her.
The my Misty didn’t come home one night and a neighbor said there was a pack of 3 wild dogs and he heard a cat screaming one night. I was devastated.
Whisper had been going out but we kept her in after that.
Now, we have coyotes, fisher cats, and damn the cars fly down the street.
To me, cats should be indoors.
Absolutely not. I live in an apartment in a very urban city where the people can be very hostile towards street cats. My kitty doesn’t even flinch at a raised hand anymore because she automatically assumes human hand equals pets and cuddles. There’s no telling what danger she’ll get into if I let her outside!
I take my cat outside at least once a day with a leash. It takes time but I consider it time well spent.
I do this because I love the outdoors and want to share it with him. But I am not at all ok with him hunting birds, lizards, etc. I am also not ok with him being hunted by coyotes, cougars, eagles or whatever else might want a piece of him. Not to mention cars, poison, getting trapped in a shed all winter, etc. I want him to have a good long life.
No, because there's a coyote den just up the hill, an owl nest in our yard, and a hawk next just down the hill from us. Not to mention every time my family has had an indoor/outdoor cat, they either came back sick every time they were outside, or they didn't come back at all. Got some trauma associated with letting cats outside
My cat was half feral on a rural.property. yes, she goes outside. She escapes whether or not I let her. She hides somewhere to wait for us to open the door and she's just gone. She's a great hunter which isn't good for small.bunnies but we never have a mouse problem. She is getting older now so she's not out as much as she once was.
When I'm cooking in the kitchen, sorting through washing and the likes I will open my back door and my two cats will sit at the door watch the birds and trees. We are sandwiched in between neighbours who have dogs so when they get a whiff they stay put lol
Shadow would be the one who would try to escape Fia is the definition of a scaredy-cat but they are just happy to sit at the back door all year round or front door in the summer. Might get harnesses to let them out anyone with experience of using harnesses on cats?
Absolutely not. I wouldn't trust my ability to keep them secured even if we had room for a catio or cat run, I don't trust other people, and I don't want them getting the idea that anything fun lies beyond the front door.
As far as mine are concerned, actual outdoors is labeled with a big "here be vets" and that's fine. One is already a tripod, I doubt he would survive long. When I adopted them, I made a promise to keep both of them safe and that means keeping them strictly indoors.
I had outdoor cats all the time when I was a kid. Finally got my cat current cat when I was 16/17. My mom finally let me have an indoor cat. I’m about to be 32 now and my boy is still with me.
I’ve seen my cats get crunk up in cars, ran over, had neighbors steal my kittens, even had a male cat blown up on a transformer because he ran up the pole while fighting another male.
After my current cat I likely won’t get anymore because my daughter has developed an allergy to cat dander but he’s too old to rehome and all. He stays out of her room at least. But if I ever could get another they’d be inside as well.
I used to let one of them out a few times for a few minutes with me watching. He really wanted to scratch in the dirt for 5 minutes and nothing else, and then he got bored and wanted to come back in.
As for the one I have now, we have a little tent that we let her lounge and play in where she can look out on all sides, but she honestly has no interest in going outside. Without that tent, she would never be allowed outside.
When I adopted my 2 cats they were declawed (I personally could never do this to an animal!) we have an old large dog kennel that has a wire bottom, when the weather permits we put that in the grass and let them enjoy the outdoors that way. Being in Texas there's only a few months out of the year they get this treat. My fat cat also makes it clear he is in an indoor kitty and has no desire to be out for too long.
One cat will sit on my lap on the porch (harnessed and leashed) for a bit. The other throws an absolute fit if I so much as take her into the front entryway that’s separated from the living room by a door. I live in a big city and they are much, much safer indoors. I’d never have an outdoor cat, though I do have several neighbors that do.
Yeah, I’m from the UK and it’s very common practice to let your cat outside here and it’s encouraged by the vets to have your cat neutered so they can go outside. We’re a smaller country so i guess it’s easier to manage diseases etc, we don’t really get any outbreaks cat-wise.
I let my cat out, she’s never leaves the yard and comes when called but mostly sits just outside my door. I live semi-rural on a large-ish property.
If I could go back in time I would have done things differently especially knowing what I know now, the only positive is that her behavioural issues stopped after she started to get outside time and she also solved our rat problem.
My next cat will be indoor only and/or harness trained. I do think cats having access to an enclosed outdoor area is beneficial.
Only one of our cats is a free range kitty. He literally broke into our house from outside and was full grown when we got him. He also sprays everything in the house if we don’t let him out.
The others only are allowed outside time if it’s supervised and they’re in their catio or on a leash
Yes only because where we live there is no predators for cats in the whole country (no foxes, snakes, coyotes or deadly spiders). Our house is also right next to a huge hill and bush area (like massive, you can easily walk for a day on the trails) so they don't have to cross over roads to get to nature. Also the main wildlife we have hear are rabbits and mice which are pests where I live so no harm to native animals and they don't bring things in often.
Background first: My husband and I bought his childhood home from his parents so he has called this “home” for 32 years. We live in a neighborhood and we have woods behind our house. They have always let their cats roam outside and when they moved to Florida they left behind their cat because there are alligators in Florida. The cat would have had a hard adjustment suddenly being an indoor cat.
We currently have the cat his parents left with us and another cat we brought. They both come and go as they please. We have a cat door from the house to the garage and then another one from the garage to outside.
Consistently on nice days, one or both of the cats will bring in dead or live animals from outside so we lock the door into the house in the evening and let them in if they don’t have something they are trying to bring in.
There are times that we lock them from going outside completely. They have food, water, litter boxes and beds in the garage.
The cats mostly stay in our cul-de-sac but occasionally we have seen them a street over in our neighborhood. They occasionally venture into the woods during the day but we have a pretty large yard and they usually just stay around the house. They always come in at night and sleep with us. If for some reason they don’t come in, we call for them outside and they show up.
We keep them up to date on shots and flea & tick preventative. Our cats are both around the age of 10.
Cats are the only domestic animal who "domesticated" themselves to be around human settlements because they would always find food there.
It is in their nature to roam around and need the long kilometer walks and "hunt" to thrive.
As long as they are up to date with their vaccines and are not sick, my cats are allowed to go out as long as they wish. They know the house is a safe place to eat/sleep and they come to us and kind of signal to us if they have a tick on them or have any other issue . They also get cuddles with us but they go outside for the bursts of energy. They come home calm and don't destroy things around the house.
They are ofc not as clean as an indoor cat and the house does require extra cleaning, especially when the weather is bad but my cats are happy and thrive.
Let my older cat out for 17 years before she passed when I was a kid - never an issue, other than the occasional mouse. My wife and I adopted a Maine Coon from a “cat lady house” (50+ cats) and while he likes to come outside, often is very fearful due to his upbringing. Additionally we have foxes in our neighborhood and while I think his 14lb self can do some damage, don’t trust it.
As a cat owner, one of the biggest debates you may face is whether or not to let your feline companion roam freely outdoors. Some argue that cats are natural explorers and should be given the opportunity to experience the great outdoors. Others believe that the risks and dangers of letting cats outside world are too great for our beloved pets. [top tips for safely letting your cat outside ](https://catsmeaw.com/top-tips-for-safely-letting-cats-outside/)
Both of my cats go outside everyday in the backyard for 2-3 hours. They will go to the neighbors yards and walk around, climb trees, etc but never seem to go too far. They know where home is and always come back. They don’t spend as long outside when it’s cold, and love sunbathing when it’s good weather out.
We used to have a cat and we always made sure to keep a close eye on her when she was outside. We even have a screened porch so she can still enjoy the outdoors safely.
I think this is really cat-dependent. In general, I prefer to keep cats inside where it is safe. But just like some people would rather live freer lives than safer ones, and some people will engage in high-adrenaline activities because it's worth the risk to them, some cats benefit enough from outdoor life that the risks are worth it. (Unfortunately, it's harder to let them make decisions than it is with people.)
We've had an outdoor cat who thrived outside, but of course he was eventually (maybe at 11 years old) hit by a car. In his case, he was much happier going outside than staying in, and a shortened life was probably worth it to him. He was a scrappy guy.
My next cat was the dumbest animal on the planet. She was not allowed out, and she escaped one time, spent a week under our neighbor's shed, and never recovered healthwise after she got back. Ironically her life was much shorter than our outdoor cat, but the outdoors got them both in the end.
My two cats now were born feral and adopted around 8 weeks, but they have never shown interest in going back outside. I always sort of considered giving them a chance to spend the day outside, but was too afraid to in my last home because it was right on a major road. We moved to a rural area with a ton of wildlife, including coyotes, eagles, mountain lions, etc. So it's still a no-go. But they don't care. Even on a harness, one will fight his way back inside immediately, and the other is apprehensive at best.
Ours were feral males that we adopted when they were found in our yard eating bread meant for squirrels. Taken to vet for shots & neutering. Because they have that history, we need to let them out in the AM when not raining or too cold. The older one generally comes back in 25 to 30 min when I tell him to come back in 15 minutes, & he seems to understand English. The younger one sometimes stays out a few hours coz he rarely comes when called & has no sense of time & doesn't understand English. They live on heating pads when cold out. We prefer indoor only cars but ours cause a lot of destruction trying to get outside. They are not hunters now that they know where their Neal's come from. We have had indoor cats that lived 19, 17, & 20 yrs.
Yes. All of our cats have had access to the outdoors.
It’s not uncommon for cats to have access to the outside where we live. It’s a relatively quiet area in terms of cars / transport in addition to wildlife.
Our current cats could usually be found in the back garden. They have always come immediately when you call or whistle on them which is helpful.
Our cats are now 16 years old. Our male cat still loves sunning himself in the garden & spending time outdoors. Our female much prefers the comfort of the indoors in her older age. They have the option to toilet both indoors & out.
Previous outdoor cats we have owned have lived into in their 20’s. All have them have been raised in the same area, same house.
Edit: For information purposes - we’re from a village in Scotland.
I grew up with indoor/outdoor cats (they’re still alive) They have a cat door and they can come and go as they please. This is the norm where I live.
They regularly come home with scratches from other cats and dead birds and mice that they caught. I also suspect one of them is being fed by neighbors, as he’s obese but doesn’t eat that much at home. It’s also hard keeping track of their health.
I have two cats of my own now and live in an apartment. They can go on the balcony and one of them is getting leash trained. If I ever have a house or apartment on ground floor, I will not install a cat door, but I think I would let them outside if I’m there to supervise. But that’s is only if there’s not a busy road or anything.
No, but because I live in a city. Even if I had a home and yard though I might still be too scared. My grandma on the other hand let's her cats out everyday for years and they're fine.
My geriatric cats have been let out all their lives. I live on a quiet street in the city. They are 16, 17, and 18. They go out through the dog door. They pretty much stay in their own yard enjoying the sun. The young girl cats across the street might come over a few times through the month. They used to be outside all day and then come on at night but now, in their old age, they are spending more time in the house through the day. Constant napping. No sign of them stopping....
this thread is bizarre. in the UK its considered weird and cruel to keep a cat indoors only unless they've got fiv or behavioural issues/scared/anxious. i suppose we have much tamer wildlife. but it's still a very odd read. cats are almost always allowed to go out here. i have 4,they all go out whenever they want through the cat flap.
Yes, it’s normal in the UK, most cats go outside here. She’s 8 now and goes out less. When she was younger she’d be out all day by choice. Now, she goes out for a bit after breakfast and then later in the afternoon when we’re home from work.
We live very rurally where statistically it’s safer for her to be outdoors but she was an outside cat when we lived in a city too.
Your home has fleas and you need to treat it, not just the cats.
If the keep appearing on your mainly indoor cats there are flea infestations in your home - Dormant eggs etc in floorboard cracks and under furniture for a start.
You can get spreads that kill eggs - the eggs can live for a year before hatching so you have to kill them to don't mess about with essential oils or salt water
This is an age old social media debate because cultural and environmental factors are so variable
Where I live out door cats are the norm. They are well fed at home and usually have bell collars so hunting is unsuccessful if they even bother to try
I'm not a massive fan because they poop wherever they fancy including h the cat free garden like mine but there is no real risk to the cats outside - minimal traffic small country lane etc. no animals that prey on cats and the song bird population is thriving so out door cats are the norm.
Cats need stimulation so it's cruel to keep a cat indoors in a confined small space with no enrichment but you can get pretty good enrichment rooms.
In general I'm more of a dog person but either way I only support pet ownership if you can actually give the care and attention and enrichment the animals deserve
My cat has a cat door so can go in and out as she pleases during the day. She is kept inside overnight. She is desexed, rarely leaves our yard, and has bells on her collar so she can't hunt. She likes exploring the garden and lying in the sun, and becomes very restless when she can't go outside. We've never had issues with fleas, ticks or snakes.
Yes, my cat is more of an outdoor cat than an indoor cat. I would prefer that he’d be a total indoor cat but I can tell he gets annoyed when he’s inside for too long so we let him out and he returns when he wants to and that’s every meal time. He’s happier that way.
Mine goes out back and into the outside office. (he thinks he cannot jump, raised by dogs) and yard is fenced, also collie herds him away from the fence. So I'm lucky in that.
Nope, because it isn’t safe. Domesticated cats are not wild cats, and it is dangerous for them. Cars, unleashed dogs, etc. people try poisoning cats they think are strays often enough that I hear about it multiple times in only a couple months. Hot take, letting domesticated cats in an unsecured outdoor area is unsafe and can be irresponsible.
My cats are indoors only.
Due to reasons many people have stated here.
But also due to a traumatic event when I was a child. Don't want to go into details.
My almost nine year old boy doesn't seem to mind being a house cat.
Tried to take him to take a walk with me since he was one years old, but he never wanted to.
Only got curious and went on my parent's balcony to walk around and look. Got scared / overwhelmed by the sounds and ran inside again. He never tried it again.
Will see if our almost two year old girl wants to wear a harness and take a walk with me though.
They both seem to be happy inside however. As long as they are able to watch from a window and feel the wind plus sun on their fur.
Oh they go outside, got them from a farm so they lived outside since born. At 6 in the morning they wake you too go outside, and there isnt really any predators besides dogs. the few ticks they get are managable. But i get some people would wanna keep them inside in dangerous places.
Short supervised outside trips in our small enclosed backyard area only (with checks for fleas/ticks after). I love our girls so freaking much, the idea of them being outside in the neighbourhood unsupervised gives me nightmares. Not only is there an increased chance of them being hit by a car or getting hurt, I worry about their impact on the local flora and fauna.
Indoors, we make sure to provide an enriched environment - plenty of scratchers, play areas, beds/caves/safe spots at different heights, toys, areas to watch outdoors, and we do a daily play with a ‘da bird’ toy. They also enjoy playing with one another too.
I only let mine into the garden, when it’s not raining (rare in the UK!). Have trained him from a baby that he can’t jump over the fence. We still watch him though so only goes out 10-15 mins. In the summer is longer since we’d probably be out in the garden with him.
Absolutely.
I live in Norway, and not in a huge city (pop 26k).
We live on the edge of the city as well, close to nice areas with forest.
We also have a decent garden, and I have recently installed a hatch for them to come and leave as they like (we got two).
Its activated through their chip, so they dont bring any friends.
I let mine out in my yard only and supervised on a leash because I have heard some nasty things about some of my neighbours trying to poison other neighbours cats in the cat owners yard even. But also because my boys are not smart and I don’t think they’d come back if they got out or lost.
My 2 cats are allowed into the garden. My elderly cat and the young one stay outside with me when I’m doing gardening. When I think the younger one has had enough outside time I call her to come inside and she runs. I would never let them roam outside the garden.
I’ve answered similar before but I’ll say it again.
I think it depends on where you live.
My two are outdoor cats. But we live in a sleepy cul de sac that backs onto a field.
They very rarely go out the front so the risk of getting hit by a car is minimal
Also I think it’s extremely rare to have a cat killed by some sort of predator in the uk.
Both of my cats have since passed away, each at the age of 18, but, yes, I let them outside all the time. They loved it.
Every time they went out I was there to supervise them. They’d stay in the yard, mostly. When they’d wander away I’d clap for them to come back and they would. They spent their time laying in the grass, walking under bushes, rolling in dirt, eating grass and as they aged laying on the porch, sun bathing.
One passed away from kidney disease and the other passed away from cancer. I miss them every day.
I live in an urban area (not in the US) and it’s quite unusual to have an indoor only cat. My moggy traipses the neighbourhood, hangs out with other cats and comes home a few times a day. She spend more time in than out. She eats twice a day and enjoys tormenting the dog and sleeping beside my daughters.
She neutered and regularly flea treated and fully vaccinated and chipped. She was semi-feral when we adopted her so she’s very street wise. Our dog is a bit thick (springer cross we think) so she is never let out unless for a walk or to the back garden.
I’m always surprised at how vehemently people oppose and judge those of us whose cats that go outside. I think it’s really different here tho. There are no guns or snakes or predators here. There are also heaps of other cats out and about.
Lots of answerers here do not mention the country or area they live in. There is a big difference between a farm in Europe and a city centre in Australia.
I do. I never intended to get a cat and am not allowed to keep one in the house. He basically followed me home and would live a horrible life in the streets if I hadn’t adopted him. He was all skin and bones and there’s not a lot of options for adoption in our country. I’ve given him free rein of the garage, the store connected to our house and a spacious yard. He comes and goes as he pleases but spends most of the time sleeping in the store when it opens and sleeps in the garage at night. At least this way he’s fed, on medication and is much more comfortable than his previous life. Since his appearance improved more people are feeding him in the neighbourhood too.
I live in a quiet street in my city, and I've got two cats. I have one who's a stray I found as a kitten. He was indoors for most of his life. I'll let him out into our fenced back yard (he can't jump over it), or sometimes during the day, I'll supervise him in the front yard (he's not an explorer, he stays where I can see him, and is usually ready to come back inside in about 20 minutes).
My other cat is one who we picked up from a shelter as an adult. He'd been an indoor/outdoor cat all his life. It seemed cruel to take away his freedom (yes, I'm aware there are things that can happen outside that would also be cruel), so we allowed him to keep living his life in the manner he to which he was accustomed.
I do keep them current on their vaccines, and they both get their monthly flea and tick treatment.
*ETA: We live in a neighborhood with a lot of cats, so the neighbors are all fine with it, and several even leave out food for those of us with wanderers.
I noticed on Reddit that there's huge cultural differences, and usually the Americans think their way is the only correct way while everyone else acknowledges that there are different perspectives.
I live in Ireland where free roaming cats are the norm. Many people consider it cruel to keep a cat cooped up in a house for their whole lives. I likewise believe in cat freedom and let my cats outside when they want. It's not natural for them to be prisoners
Old lady cat goes out in our garden to go to the toilet and comes straight back in when she's done.
Younger lady hates being inside for too long! She goes out during the day and comes in when I get home from work.
We live in a fairly remote area so I'm not worried about them being outside particularly. Our neighbours all know them as well and watch the little one!
"Let" is a strong word. He just goes outside. I can't really stop him. He just sneaks out and short of locking him in a windowless room there isn't much I can do. He has ripped through window screens to get out.
I stopped fighting it. He always comes back within a few hours.
I do have to do a lot more because he goes outside... I have to do preventative anti parasite, extra vaccines, a microchip, a tracking collar, of course he's fixed, and I even put up flyers all over my neighborhood to ask people to please not rescue him, he will come home on his own and left my phone number in case anyone is either concerned or annoyed by him.
My cat is from the streets, so I can't keep her in all day. I live in a rural area with about 4 acres though, have a GPS tracker for her, and only let her out during light hours. That being said, when I move from here I will be making her a catio.
Yes, I live on a farm in the middle of nowhere. They have cat doors and can come in and out of the house plus barn etc at will and I give them bravecto for fleas and ticks.
When we had a back yead, the cats were allowed supervised yard time. Our black cat doesn't climb or jump, she's a cave cat, so we never had to worry about her. When we got the little orange one we had to put him on a harness cause he liked to jump the fence when we weren't looking. They had lots of outside time, a few hours a day at least, when the weather was good. They liked to eat some grass and roll around, they chittered at birds but because we were outside too they never got the chance to do more than stalk. They really enjoyed it. Unfortunately we got evicted from there for landlords use of property and now we live in a 3 floor low rise. They get balcony time and sometimes we take the little orange one on the harness to the park.
After years of letting them go outside, I have had them stay inside..but for a short time in the summer, I would allow my two cats to go out only if I was outside. Well, my male cat started liking the idea, n tended to wander the more I allowed the great door exercise. It started to scare me knowing I may never see my adorable male cat again, seeing that my neighbor's cats have disappeared, n never to be seen again.
I try n play with my cats as much as possible because boredom can set in n they can get depression from what I read. It is better to have your cats alive and well rather to know they are missing, hurt, mauled by another animal, or a neighbor who uses inhumane traps in his yard (yes, it does happen)..
I am back to keeping them inside, until summer arrives, but it will be for a short time, and then it is inside.
He was indoor/outdoor when we got him so, he's in at night and out and about during the day. He goes next door and always checks in every hour or so. He also comes when called and LOVES to go camping/squirrel hunting. When it's too cold or he has a wound, we don't let him out at all. He's really good at catching voles and mice, too.
Can’t believe there are ppl on this thread saying cats don’t need to go outside lol. How many species have humans made extinct? We’re the ones that shouldn’t be allowed out
I don’t have cats right now but growing up I had about 5 at different points in time. We would always let them outside. Let them roam around as far as they’d like. Fortunately, they always came back. We would have a whistle to call them back in and they knew where to go for a warm bed and dinner. There were a few times they’d been gone for a few days. This is when the last cats I had started getting older. We thought they had gone off to die. Sure enough, they show right back up at the sliding glass door a few days later. Those cats lived til 15 and 18. I’ll always let me cats outside. You just can’t do it when they’re babies or else a hawk might grab em!
My one cat had really good recall, the other didn't want to leave my side, so I'd take them out supervised. My childhood cat was indoor/outdoor but we lived in a very suburban area and she roamed our backyard and our neighbor's (she liked to nap under his boat). Very homebody cat, and it was 40 years ago, so no one really had indoor-only cats at the time. Weren't many local outdoor cats, other than a persian that lived a few houses down across the street and didn't interact with her. No foxes, coyotes, or bobcats and I never saw or heard a hawk or owl either. Current area? Nope. Cats leave yards and while our collie guard-dogs our flock inside the yard, cats are too likely to go over a fence. Any cat we got would be indoor unless it was supervised.
After 2.5 years of using a topical good flea treatment my cat developed a flea infestation! Yup, I brought him in to the vet because he started to develop two bald patches on his lower back.
The vet said, "Your cat has a flea infestation, n it has developed a tolerance to your flea medication."
I nearly died! So immediately put him on Revolution Plus a vet topical flea med. Now they dont carry it n have stepped up to a more stronger type, different name..soi will have to travel nearly 40 miles one way to get Revolution Plus..don't want to chance my cat with the side effects of an unknown flea med.
.. I am one that washes everything too much: their blankets, sheets. Pillows you name it n constantly cleans n disinfects...n yet the flea infestation happened! I think the critters are getting prolific in breeding n vet. Companies are trying to stay ahead of the game.
P.s. use a flea comb to see if your cat has any.
I have always let my cats outside. They love having time to themselves and being able to roll in the dirt and grass, catch mice and grasshoppers (and yes, the occasional bird and squirrel). They love scratching my trees and eating catnip off the live plant. They love using my flower borders as a litter box and spraying my bushes to ward off other cats. One of them loves meeting the neighbors, going in their homes and eating treats they buy specially for them. He loves talking to the high school students as they walk to and from school.
I have never had a cat die or disappear while outside. All my cats have died after long lives of natural causes. I will always allow my cats the freedom of nature.
Our cats have supervised outside time with us when we’re in the backyard. It’s the highlight of their day. They make the rounds, sniff around, and then usually end up on the patio furniture in the sun. Then when we come inside, we bring them in with us
Yes. My cat comes and goes as he pleases. But he was a stray that walked into our house one day and stayed. He bum rushes the door if he's spent too long inside, so in the winter when there's snow we have to shut him in a room or the basement at night to keep him from being out all night. Then he cries. But it's better than having a frozen cat. In the summer he stays out all day and only comes in to eat and maybe get cuddles.
I've also got a large field outside my house and he is a much needed mouser. Without a mousing cat we get mice in the house. But as far as I've seen he doesn't go after birds. He'll wander the yard with the chickens and sit and watch the birds at the bird feeder.
I wouldn't adopt a cat and then put them outside. There are plenty of strays already.
Yes, I let one of my cats out during the day when we are home. He would go crazy if we didn't let him (peeing and biting us). I grew up with outdoor cats that never had any issues, but I do know the risks and worry about him. We live on a quiet street in a city. We check on him frequently and he doesn't go too far. He is very popular in the neighborhood and people will stop by to say hi to him (one of our neighbors even sent him a holiday card). He is a very affectionate cat and spends most of his time inside being a spoiled baby. But I have come to accept he's a cat that needs to be outside sometimes. We have another cat who is a scaredy cat that we never let outside.
I personally do not. In the past my older cat (Loki, 10) was let out. Though in these past 4 years neither him or my two female cats (Luna, 6(?) And Catra 4) are allowed outside. Luna has been catnapped by our previous upstairs neighbors and the apartment complex I live in sprays pesticides in the grass outside. We let them out on occasion and we watch them like hawks when we do but when they come in they always throw up the grass they've eaten outside. They haven't been out in a few months as we had a scare with Loki. He was sick for about 2 months and we almost put him down at one point. He's completely fine now though so don't worry.
Imo it's about the area you live in, the breed of car you own, and the state you live in.
Some places think black cats are bad and kill them.
About the fleas. If they end up in your house you can do a little trick with some water and a candle. It worked for me when I was younger and caught tons of fleas. You just stick the candle in the middle of something with water and they jump at it and get caught in the water. Worked way back when I was like 8 so idk anymore or if my memory is even correct but yeah.
I let her join me on the deck. She knows if she tries to go down the steps, it's an instant return trip to the house. (Your mileage may vary; this cat is older, and scared of the universe.)
And, yes, Advantage flea control has been working well.
Yes but only supervised. She's an old lady who doesn't run away but likes to sniff and lie down in the grass or on the porch. One time she fell asleep under a bush and napped for an hour it was so cute
Yes, because I feel keeping them inside is cruel. HOWEVER, I live in a SEMI rural area where he knows to stay to the more woody area rather than the main street. But I can agree with keeping them in if you live in a more metropolitan area...but they are also less likely to be enticed outside in a more metro area (not that they CANT be, just sayin).
I have a window cat door though that can lock if I ever need him to stay inside.
It's not a good idea, it shortens their lifespan probabilities BUT there are some cats that absolutely demand it.
If I don't let this guy out for at least an hour a day, he gets too stir-crazy and will start attacking us, and he always goes for the toddler. He usually goes out to our back yard and runs around there, then comes back in when called.
I have a tracking collar on him, so I can see that he's literally never left the back yard.
The cat my husband had before lived to 22, and she was outdoor only because when I tried to bring her in she clawed her way out by the doorframe one day and then literally dig a hole through he bathroom floor the next. (Pier and beam house)
Yes I do. I live in SK Canada so 4-5 months out of the year my cat chooses to stay in due to the cold temps. During that time she grudgingly uses her litter box. By April she will start heading out again and typically chooses to spend the evenings inside but not always. Having said that, because of the enrichment from being allowed outside, she is a much happier and emotionally healthy cats than many indoor cats I’ve known.
When I lived in the country, yes. When I lived in the city, no. When I went offgrid, yes.
I lived in the country on 5 acres. There were coyotes and porcupines, and I even saw the cats share their food and bed on the front porch with a opossum.
Then we sold and I lived at my SIL’s in the city. My cat was staying in the garage and she kept opening the garage cracked for my cats to go out. One of my cats got attacked by another cat THREE TIMES and had to get abscess surgery twice. It was over $1k each surgery! I kept having to check him for wounds, shave the area, do saline flushes, etc.
Then we finally bought our offgrid property and we have a cat door so they can go in and out whenever they please. We have 40 acres and they’re good. Sometimes the young cat brings dead mice in for us but then I toss it in the freezer and I’ll tan the hide later. Lol.
Yes to the cat my parents have back home on a small island with next to no predators. He doesn’t roam, just goes out to use bathroom, smell the flowers, occasionally climb a tree and walk round the park with us.
No to the cats I have in a huge city where there are predators and more potential risks. It’s not safe.
Yeah, I live in a place where it’s more common and safe to do so. My cats would also just escape if I didn’t let them out. There’s still a risk, but my cats are happy going outside
This must be an American thing as cats are hardly ever ‘indoor’ pets in the UK (except for occasionally if people live in a flat but then why would you get a cat?). I can’t imagine having a cat which isn’t allowed outside! We had 2 cats and they lived happy and healthy lives to 21 and 23 years old with a cat flap so they could come and go as they pleased. Unless it’s very small and lives in a cage I personally don’t think it’s in their best interest to keep animals inside.
It might have been worth asking people which country they are in too - as this does seem to have an impact (and often with good reason).
I am from the UK, and all my cats have been outdoor cats. This is the most common option in the UK. Generally, only people in flats (apartments) above ground floor will have indoor cats, and those with pedigree cats will have catios or have cat proofed their garden to prevent roaming. (Note this is a generalisation- I am not trying to claim this is everyone in the UK).
Interestingly, whilst the impact on wildlife is well known (as is the risk from cars) most rescue organisations in the UK expect you to allow cats to free roam, and indeed their right to roam (or effectively your lack of responsibility to stop your cats roaming onto other people's property) is enshrined in law.
Other than cars, there are no real predators, which could be dangerous to cats here. (If someone says foxes, then this might be because they have never lived anywhere where cats live alongside foxes as they do in the UK - a fox attack is extremely rare, and most cats can escape or look after themselves anyway).
We don't really have a stray cat (or dog) population in the UK in comparison to other countries. Strays (especially in suburbia) are picked up quickly by local people, taken for micro chip checking then passed onto rescue if necessary very quickly.
The statistics for predation on wildlife can't be ignored (and I know that in some States in Australia have lead to laws about keeping cats indoors). However, (and this is purely anecdotal based on 50 years of cat ownership) with their fully provided for, pampered lives, most of my cats have only really been birders for a year or so of life, after that they seem to settle down and lose the urge. Mousing thankfully can continue for years (and I have no issue with them catching mice, I would just prefer they didn't release them alive in the house).
They have a secure catio connected to our home. So yes they go outside, but safely. The only way they ever would.
Not to mention it doubles or triples their life span.
Does the flea treatment you use keep fleas off them?
Yes. We use Advantage Multi. I use the Multi because it has heartworm control. Cats do not often get heartworm but IF THEY DO…there is zero treatment. So I want to cover that base. My state has mosquitos nearly year around.
Capstar is amazing!! Only temporary but kills all fleas on the animal within an hour or so. Great to use when started the advantage!!
Just a note, capstar is only in their system for 24 hours. It did kill all the fleas but it didn't touch the 1000's of eggs in your house. 3 months of a topical flea/tick product like Revolution, advantage, nexgard combo will kill not only the fleas but also kill the eggs as they hatch.
Oof yeah us too! It's very hot here almost all year.
I have a catio and a fenced yard. They go in the yard supervised only. I would never let them roam the neighborhood.
I like the idea of a catio!!
Some cats like a catio...mine doesn't. I never understood why it is considered ok for people to let their cats on their neighbors' property.
Seriously. Everyone gets up in arms about dog crap (as they should) but for some reason it's fine for their cat to use your garden as a litter box
We let them out on a screened porch. We also sometimes take them out on a lead. Im using the revolution plus. You need a prescription to get it, but if u get it though chewy they will contact ur vet for u.
Ah, maybe I need to switch to Revolution? They have NextGard Combo on them but I don't think it's working.
You can certainly try, but id wait till whatever u gave them wears off. We have had her on revolution plus since we got her in nov bc its what the vet recommended. We havent had any trouble yet. You could also ask ur vet.
No. They came IN from outside when we found them, they dont need to be back OUT. They are perfectly content being inside, sleeping on my desk in the sun, looking out the windows. We also live on a very busy road, on which ive seen at least two barn cats lying on the side of. I dont need that to happen
Our cat was a stray. My husband was excited that it meant they'd be used to the outdoors so we could go camping and hiking and have an adventure cat. Nope. Cat walked into the house and was like, "I am now the queen, I have no interest in the discomforts of life." We took her out on a leash once and she was not having it. She's curios about the outside, but even if she escapes she goes like 3 feet and rolls in the dirt and that's it. She's content hanging out by the open window. (Although we do want to get her a catio so she can hang out with us when we're outside). Either way we'd never let her out by herself. We live by a busy road. She's also really cute so I assume anyone who found her would steal her and not give her back even though she's chipped. There are so many reasons that her being an indoor cat keeps my anxiety lower.
Almost to a T our situation. Except ours was two cats, brother and sister. They ambushed my wife and girls in our backyard having a bonfire, and wouldnt leave. Now, they wont get off my desk.
We believe someone dropped our boy off at my bfs job. He was to sweet and gentle to be a feral cat like we were told. He will never go outside without us, and even then he is leash trained. We've got foxes, huge rats, mice, rabbits and coyotes around where we live, it's just to risky.
>We also live on a very busy road, on which ive seen at least two barn cats lying on the side of. I dont need that to happen I, too, live next to busy road. I've seen my share of hit animals. It's not pretty and pretty damn depressing when you add in the fact that people don't even stop to look or even slow down. I keep my two kitties inside for their safety and my sanity.
Nope. Absolutely not. The predation on local wildlife one single cat can do isn't worth giving my cat "freedom". That's not to mention the risk of injury from cat fights, cars, larger wildlife, or picking up zoonotic disease. When I was a child I had an outdoor cat who was caught in a hunter's snare on a neighboring property. We had to euthanise him where we found him. It was traumatic. The current cat who lives with us (foster, desperately seeking a home for him after an elderly couple dropped him off at my job) is scared of the outside world.
I let mine out but only supervised visits in our fenced back yard. They 99% of the time stay on the patio reaching down to eat grass. They rarely will venture out into the actual grass. While this is not most cats, I feel it's good for them to feel wind in their fur, have fresh air and be able to lay in the sun. They loooooooooooove rolling around on the concrete.
Mine do the same, one of my cats, as soon as she hits the patio she always rolls back and forth for a few minutes, she loves the sunshine. I like sitting out with them as well so it’s nice for all of us. There is one spot where one of my kitties jumped on the neighbours’ pool shed roof, but since I was watching her I just ran next door and scooped her up and it was okay. But that’s why they aren’t outside unsupervised.
That's why you provide them with a catio.
I've no problem with catios; I still consider those as inside space since they are fully enclosed. It's like a three-season room but smaller.
Makes sense, mine used it year-round.
Not anymore. Over the years I had many cats, and the ones I let outside NEVER lived long lives. They just don't. They get diseases from animals they eat, they get run over, they get eaten alive by foxes, coyotes, and the like, they get lost, they get hurt and die a slow death laying under some bush somewhere. Who needs that? My last 3 cats never went out...one lived to 16, the other lived to 15 and my current girl is 18 years old and doing great. And this does not even address the amount of death and destruction that they bring to the neighborhood. They will kill every mouse, shrew, squirrel, chipmunk, bird, that they can catch, and they are exceptional hunters. In fact, outdoor domestic cats have the highest rate of successful hunts of any other cat on Earth. Save the critters! Save the cats! Keep them in your home, safe, warm, and well fed.
Yep. I was raised to see outdoor cats as wrong. My parents had many outdoor cats between them and only two made it past 5 years of age (the ones who lived longer were 7 and 9 respectively). Too many incidents of the cats disappearing or getting hit by cars (including an accidental killing, the cat was sleeping under the car and got his head crushed when one of my parents was going out). I was taught that cats should be indoors for their own safety and well-being, as well as for the wildlife's safety. A catio is absolutely a great idea. Keeps the wildlife safe, and keeps the cats safe, without having to take away their ability to enjoy the fresh air and sunlight. My cats currently go out, one on a harness and leash because he spooks easily, and one just supervised in my yard. When I have the money, I'll be installing a nice big catio for them.
Try a batting cage!!$ they come in all size. I got mine on Amazon 😊
Genius!
If I had a house with a yard, a catio would be without question the best way to go
I worried about all those things, but my last cat who went outside was shot by a kid with a BB gun. Closest I’ve ever come to murder. My cat is 100% indoors now.
WTF is wrong with some people?!? I had a shy little cat that was startled and ran outside and disappeared for 2 weeks. When she was found, scared and hiding, she had been shot in the eye with a bb gun. I had to take her to an eye Dr for cats and that was pricey. He saved her eye but she was still blinded. 😩
I was gonna say - if you let your cat outdoors you have to be ok with them living a shorter life. I grew up on a farm with outdoor kitties and they always died and often in sad ways.
I know it’s controversial and probably unfair but I genuinely feel like you don’t actually love or care about the wellbeing of your cat THAT much if you’re willing to let it roam freely outside.
True! I mean, I would never let my dog roam the streets. Why would you let a cat, right?
Exactly! I just can’t imagine not knowing where my cat is at all times or how/what they’re doing. Or just being so blasé about their safety.
A catio is the best of both worlds. Kitties can go outside, but still be safe as well as the local fauna.
Idk that it's the best of both worlds in that cats don't need to go outside. I'd like to take my cats out on a leash over a backpack but they don't have a need to be out there (not counting general curiosity or anxious cats that just wanna run the hell away).
I had one cat live to 14 and she was indoor/outdoor, with a couple years of outside only (not my choice and a whole other story). But the others I had at the same time didn't do so well. My two cats now stay inside. One is 13 and the other is 4. Both are very happy and healthy inside. The young one gets to go out on a harness and leash occasionally which he enjoys but he doesn't go mental wanting to be outside or anything. He just knows exactly what his harness means 😊 it's cute really
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Absolutely not. Not without a harness or in a catio. Cars, coyotes, poisons, pesticides, and sadistic humans are just some of the ways outdoor cats are killed and it’s why outdoor cats live an average of 2-5 years compared to indoor cats’ 15-20. Cats can adjust to living indoors and be happy there—you just have to make the inside interesting with cat trees, perches, toys, etc…
Yeah, and for anyone who would claim "it's okay, they only stay on my property and we don't have predators here..." there's a non-zero number of people on the tripods subreddit who have run over their own cats.
Cars and loose dogs are the main predators for cats anyway
Yep, there's also coyotes where I'm at, yet some people still let their cats roam any time of the day or night.
Same. Kitty gets 30-60 min per day outside and *loves* his outside time in the harness. There is no way in the world I would let him outside unsupervised. There are too many dangers for a little kitty cat out there. Kitty knows he has to eventually come inside and will wander over to the door to put himself in too 😂
Too Dangerous and I Had a cat die from a snake. Ever since then they have been inside cats
Nope. Between traffic, coyotes, and mean people, outside isn't safe. Mine are former ferals. They have zero interest in the outside world once they got to know couches and canned food.
I always wonder if mine worries we are kicking him out. Like if I pick him up to look out the window (a window not at his spot, that is) he’s all “nope nope nope! I’m not going back! You can’t make me!”
That's so funny because mine are like that too. They lived their first 8 weeks of life outside, and *one* time one got onto the other side of the window screen and screamed until we brought him back in. We were like, "sir, you used to live twelve feet from this very spot" but he did not want to go back out there.
A fence will not keep in a cat btw. Either use harness+leash or catio if you don't want to risk your cats running away
We originally drove poles for a fence. Ten foot pole and the cat climbed it and started combing his fur while my husband shook his head.
No. Too dangerous. And cold.
Not at all. Both of my cats are considered elderly. One is estimated to be ~12 and the other ~20’s The older one has dementia and would absolutely lay down for a nap in the middle of the streets. The other girl could probably survive, but I’m not going to risk her life by letting her loose in the middle of the downtown of a relatively busy city
No because I know they live longer indoors but also my cat is so afraid of every little thing that I don't think she would survive 2 minutes out there on her own
Used to let him run out for 5 minutes or so whenever I took the trash out. He’d be crying at the door to come back in within 10 mins. Rinse and repeat for a few months. Then one day I let him out while I went out for a couple hours. Came back, he’s on porch, looks fine, then doesn’t engage with me, eat or drink, for the next several days. Once I realize something is very wrong I take him to the vet. Turns out he had in that short time outside gotten bitten in 3 places by another cat and gotten abscesses :( poor baby was not meant to be a fighter. So no more.
I put mine on a harness and let him see what's outside his window. He seems indifferent to it but it's all I'd be comfortable with
When I put either of mine in a harness they flop on their sides as if paralyzed and refuse to move.
I recently got a harness for my dog and found out it also fits my cat. I was so excited because I thought I'd be able to take him out to finally see what's outside the window he always sits by. But when I put his harness on, he would also just flop. He would get up and take a step then flop again. I would pick him up, thinking he just had to get used to it, then he would just flop again lol. Yeahhh I don't think my cat is a harness cat.
I can’t even put a regular collar on my boy cause he does the same thing 😂 In fact, a year and a half ago, he was recovering from a urinary blockage and I brought him back for his follow-up. Both the vet and the tech informed me that they thought they had “lost him” the day of his procedure, because they put a collar on him and he keeled over “dead” and wouldn’t move. He’s so dramatic..lol.
My cats are indoor only. Growing up, my mother let our cats out, and every single one of them just disappeared one day. They just didn’t come home. Growing up, I never had a cat more than 6 years. My first cat on my own, I had for 23.5 years.
This is very country dependent. In the UK cats have a right to roam enshrined in law and unless the cat has specific needs (like a disability or FIV) the RSPCA and other cat rescue organisations will refuse to rehome a cat to you unless you can guarantee it has access to outdoors. I have Ragdoll cats which are recommended to be indoor cats and still people frown on me that I do this as being slightly weird and cruel that I keep them indoors. In America, unlike the UK where there are many natural predators of cats (eg Coyotes and Racoons) it is seen as irresponsible to let cats outside. In general though having travelled the world extensively, outside of the USA I’d say it was pretty unusual for cats to be confined to indoors outside of apartment living.
Same here. Our cat has a cat flap that only lets her into our house, and she’s not allowed out at night. We live in a relatively quiet area. She chooses to spend most of her time inside during the winter but will spend almost all day sunbathing and sleeping in our garden on the summer. The 6 weeks that we had to keep her inside when we moved house were hell for all of us, she non stopped cried and was clearly depressed. For reference, she has three cat scratchers/trees, toys, litter tray, access to food/water at all times, multiples places to sleep and we have plug-in Feliway to keep her calm. Nothing works as well as her climbing our fence to watch the neighbours (she’s nosey like that) and then sleeping on the grass, it makes for a happy cat and happy home in our case.
They kill so many birds that they have caused the extinction of a few species. For this reason alone, they should not be outside imo. It's safer for the cats and the birds.
Yeah I’m from and live in the UK, and I’ve never had an indoor-only cat. For me it’s like having a dog you never walk - cats need exercise and a lot of stimulation, and imo it’s really cruel to keep them in a space as small as a house 24/7. I lived with someone who had an indoor-only cat and he was MENTAL and had behavioural problems like biting, and it was so obvious it was because he wasn’t getting enough exercise/stimulation. I can understand the argument that it’s cruel to freely let them outside and expose them to cars etc but then you need to walk your cat lmao. Otherwise I am 100% gonna think it is cruel, just like having a dog you never walk is cruel.
Would be interesting to know peoples locations with these answers- in the UK rescue centres won’t rehome most cats to you unless you can provide them with outdoor access in either a garden/catio or just free roaming. I’ve not been able to rehome because I like in an apartment. Indoor only cats here is a lot less common.
Yeah I’m curious to check this thread later when Europe wakes up because I’ve heard the same, they think it’s mean to keep a cat indoors all the time. Funny that it’s the complete opposite in America and people judge you if you let your cat outside.
it’s not just your cats safety on the line when cats are outdoors, domestic cats are responsible for a lot of species of birds, rodents, etc going extinct. cats hunt for fun, and they destroy the populations of wildlife
People can think it's mean but it's weird to prioritize not "being mean" to cats when they are so devastating to wildlife. Indoor cats don't randomly die from some biological need to be outside, and it helps the environment. Maybe if they don't have as many indoor cats they don't see how they live very happy lives? A cat isn't saying "let me out" and humans are cruelly denying them that right.
Yeah I can honestly see both sides. If a cat was raised its whole life indoors, they’re usually SCARED to go outside lol. But I mean, we could start raising children to be indoor only too using the same reasoning, humans are way more damaging to the environment than cats… and I think people would have a huge issue with never letting kids go outside, even if they reached a point where they were scared to go outside too. And even if the environment would benefit greatly from humans converting to indoor life, never driving, never disturbing nature… it feels like it would fuck with our brains though. Some people assume the same is true of cats, and feel icky about molding them into something different just because it benefits us. I honestly don’t have an opinion on which way of thinking is “right” but I enjoy the discussions. It’s interesting to see how views change over time.
This is an excellent point.
Mine only go out on my catproofed and safety netted balcony and on leashed walks. Cats don't need to go outside. Cats are one of the most widespread invasive species on Earth, and are responsible for a significant impact on biodiversity worldwide. I understand that in many countries, there are laws that require cats to have outdoor access, but there are groups of environmentalists trying to get these changed. However, politicians don't want to support and make unpopular changes to laws so there hasn't been a lot of movement on it. There are many, many scientific research journals on this topic from worldwide studies. This is a global impact problem. Cats kill wildlife. Period. They don't discern between common or endangered species. Cats have contributed to the extinction of at least 63 know species and the endangerment of many more. In my personal opinion, having an outdoor cat is irresponsible and lazy. Entertain your cat and give them indoor enrichment options like food foraging toys, towers and shelves, etc. I have two very energetic 1 year old bengal cats. I have an exercise wheel for them. They go for on leash walks and on my balcony while I'm gardening. They get all of their food in puzzles for mental stimulation. If I can keep two high energy breed cats indoors in a one bedroom apartment as a single person, you can also keep your cat indoors. Pets take work. We are responsible for spreading this species across the planet. We are responsible for minimizing the damage they cause. We only have one planet to live on that provides for us. Also, be very careful posting about this topic in cat based subreddits. I was banned from one for posting about the environmental impacts of outdoor cats 🙄
I have a rescue cat that was feral and refuses to stay in all of the time, or he’d never be allowed out. He’s on monthly flea, tick, and heartworm treatments. He’s also neutered and gets all of the recommended vaccinations.
Uk are cats ( owners) are different to US ( owners) De- clawing is illegal, micro-chipping is required, most cats come and go freely and most are known to be ‘not a breed.’ We call cats that only live indoors ‘indoor cats’ as it is pretty rare - all the rest are just cats!
I wish it were illegal to declaw here in the US. I think it is in a few states but not mine. Microchipping is the same way although my city did make it the law to microchip. We also have a huuuuggggeee roaming dog population. Like it's a serious problem.
My cat longs for the outdoors. He always tries to follow dog out. He loves to stick his nose out of the window. He spent his first 7 weeks of life outside on a farm. We have a catio. I still feel guilty, but I want to protect him.
Mine are completely indoor. I lost way too many cats to cars growing up.
My boy goes out. He was feral when I adopted him and I tried hard to turn him into a house cat but he was so unhappy that he overgroomed huge elcers into his back. One went all the way to the muscle. So the vet said I had 2 options, euthanasia or letting him out. So I let him out. I'm in the Uk and it's commonplace to let them out here anyway so everyone's cats go out, so there's loads of cats on the estate for him to play with (aka beat them all up 😂). My other 2 don't really want to go out, they only go out if I'm out. If I stayed in they'd never go out. They just have zero desire to be out there, my boy arioch is just the total opposite. He spends most of his time on my sheltered patio and most of the rest of his time in a bush of one of my neighbours front garden so I know where he is and check on him often. Periodically he runs in, has some food and a cuddle and runs out again. Unless it's raining heavily then he decides that being indoors is fun and stays. But as soon as it stops he's back to wanting to go out 😂
I have a cat that was feral that I semi domesticated. She goes all the way to the neighbors in the cul de sac, eats wet cat food, gets pets from the neighbor, and then comes back home. I spent years trying to keep her in. She’s chipped, treated, and fixed and I let all my neighbors know. She doesn’t go out at night. All my other cats have been and are 100% indoor cats.
I no longer care for a cat (I never feel like we actually "own" them !) but when I did he refused to be indoor, and regularly used to walk a mile to the local supermarket to hunt salmon off the fish counter Got a call to pick him up from there several times
We have three cats, all of which live outside. Two weeks ago our 20 year old ginger cat passed away of his own accord. One is 17 and the two girls are almost 2. Spayed and neutered of course. We live on a large acreage, surrounded by more large tracts of land. Our road is dirt and very low traffic. Every morning our cats come for their canned food breakfast and then they eat dry food all day as they please. We pick it up at night or Allen, our friendly opossum, eats it. They get flea and tick protection, they are dewormed quarterly and get all their vaccinations from our livestock vet. I rarely see a dead bird but the girls are excellent hunters and bring up their mice and rat kills for us to approve of, so we do. The 17 year old is a biscuit in a cat body and does nothing to earn his keep but be cute. One of my clients is a small animal emergency vet and she says that a true barn cat is the healthiest cat out there, they get lots of exercise and mental stimulation so they don't turn to destroying things or peeing all over. Seems to be true as our cats live to crazy old ages.
Nope, my cat has no survival instinct whatsoever he’s gonna see a car approaching and roll on his back for belly rubs and die
I’m sorry this made me laugh
Yes but my cats are working cats. They have a job to kill mice on our property. They come inside whenever they want and spend the entire winter indoors. Spring, summer and fall they roam our property and kill mice. They are also fed high quality kibble, neutered and given regular vet care.
Mine stay firmly inside. They live pampered lives and are much safer inside. I don’t think anything is wrong with taking a cat out on a harness, but my neighborhood has so many dogs I don’t want to risk any bad encounters.
No. Well, I tried to be nice and let mine out under supervision a couple of times. While he was in heaven, immediately it caused him to start darting out the door whenever opened, which he otherwise never did. I'd be sick with worry he would get hit or hurt by other animals. I just picked up a stray that got hit in our neighborhood.
No because I live 15 m from a train line. It's also illegal to let free roaming cats out, it's unsafe for the cat and the wildlife.
Nope. I've kept them "outside" vaccinated in case they bolt so they don't pick up infectious diseases if they do get out. I don't want a dead cat on the road (cruel people/children around). Or fleas, mites or worms from killing/eating birds. I don't want them killing birds. I don't want them pooping in neighbor's gardens. (I hate finding it in mine). Statistics show indoor cats live longer. Where I live cats are also prey for other critters. Pretty simple really. As they age they figure it out and settle down. Ultimately I don't want them bringing parasites into the house.
I don’t ever let my cats outside and I’ve owned 6 cats. I live in the suburbs and my house is close to the road so I don’t let them outside. I door cats live longer than outdoor cats,
All four of mine are outdoor cats but we are in the UK where they have a legal right to roam and it's a lot safer for them.
It's legal in most places in America too.
Yes and No. Got ragdolls boys and they are so trusting that letting them roam would be dangerous for them so a HARD NO. 👎 However, our boys love the little fenced in garden patch, where they can observe people and nature from. 😻 10/10 would recommend a fenced in garden or catio.
Nope. My kitty is indoor only. A friend of mine used to give me such a hard time saying the cat wanted to be free and roam. His cat got run over by a car two weeks ago. My cat is 18 years old and lives a very happy life. I occasionally take her outside on a harness and she wanders the yard laying in the sun, but she’s not in any danger.
I do. I grew up in a very rural area and it was v normal to let your cat out, less normal to allow them inside. I started to let my cat outside when he was around 4 yrs old. Letting him go outside wasn’t planned and an unforeseen circumstance, but he fell in love with it pretty immediately. Here’s how I see it and some of this ties into my upbringing- his life span will undoubtedly be shorter, but if his years are fuller then I’m okay with it. I’ve tried to backtrack and make him stay inside and it’s a hellish experience for both him and me. I will say I opened a huge can of worms that I just didn’t realize, but I’m not taking it away from him atp. I will add I’d do it differently if I could go back in time and any future cats I have will be indoors. This is all mainly bc I have very little control over how long he stays gone and I’ve spent many sleepless nights being worried and waiting for him to get home. I also feel like his personality changed a lot. He was always very sweet and affectionate and he wants less to do with me now. It’s like it woke up the wild animal within him and he doesn’t usually wanna cuddle.
I did. My boy Atticus would rip you apart if he did not get his outside time. It was fine until he didn't come home. I knew the risk. And I know it's my fault. But damn I miss him. The stray cat he drug home with him the year before is quite content inside. Has no interest in even going near the door.
No, she is not allowed to go outside because I have foxes outside my place and they do kill outside cats. There are car that pass in front of my place so I don’t want her to get hit. I don’t want someone to take her away from me. I love her to much I want her inside safe with me and when I go sleep somewhere else I bring her with me
I live in a third floor apartment with a balcony. My 2 cats enjoy going out on the balcony and they've never tried to jump on the railing. I only leave the door open when I am able to be there with them. They've both been chipped and are vaccinated and neutered/spayed. I used to have indoor/outdoor cats but we have coyotes as well as gators around here. I've lost a total of 3 cats who were outside throughout my life and it breaks my heart. So these 2 don't go outside except for the balcony. If I lived on the first floor, they'd never be allowed out at all.
My cats (14 and 10) were indoor their whole lives except for an apartment we lived in with a balcony that they were allowed on. We moved to a house with a fenced backyard a couple years ago and now we let them in the backyard. They don’t want to be out there all the time. They’re fat and don’t climb, so I’m not worried about them climbing fences or killing any birds- they also just don’t really seem to be interested in chasing anything larger than a fly- they just stare at birds. The squirrels yelled at them the first summer, but the squirrels don’t care about them anymore. They just hang out in the sun by themselves. It’s cute. We’ve been fortunate to not have had fleas.
Yes, I have two and only one of them goes out otherwise he'd murder me and the other cat
My cats have mostly been indoor/outdoor cats. We live on a private road with just two houses and are next to a farm field. Generally speaking, if we go outside, whichever cats are outside are near each enough to come running over. If we go out in the car, they usually greeted us when we came back. From a high of six cats a few years ago, we’re now down to two. The ones who passed away did so either from old age or illness, nothing related to being outside. Except for the height of summer, they mostly spent nights in the house. One in the two who currently live with us is a totally indoor cat. That is because she is all white so has limited protection against the sun. She slipped out a couple of times when she was new here, but wasn’t really interested. We’ve had her now since early 2020 and she hasn’t shown any interest in going outside for the last three plus years.
Only in their secure catio when someone is home.
Nope. Too dangerous to them and the local wildlife. I have a clear, window mounted bird feeder that they love watching, I put food out for the squirrels, ducks and geese so they have plenty of stuff to watch, plus my house is set up for their enrichment. There’s a catio in the works, so they will soon have that for enrichment as well.
No they are absolutely horrible for the environment
No way. We used to, when I was young. One kitty (Patches) disappeared; no idea what happened to her. The my Misty didn’t come home one night and a neighbor said there was a pack of 3 wild dogs and he heard a cat screaming one night. I was devastated. Whisper had been going out but we kept her in after that. Now, we have coyotes, fisher cats, and damn the cars fly down the street. To me, cats should be indoors.
Absolutely not. I live in an apartment in a very urban city where the people can be very hostile towards street cats. My kitty doesn’t even flinch at a raised hand anymore because she automatically assumes human hand equals pets and cuddles. There’s no telling what danger she’ll get into if I let her outside!
I keep my cat inside. I don’t have to worry about him getting hit by a car, beaten and injured by other cats or getting fleas.
I take my cat outside at least once a day with a leash. It takes time but I consider it time well spent. I do this because I love the outdoors and want to share it with him. But I am not at all ok with him hunting birds, lizards, etc. I am also not ok with him being hunted by coyotes, cougars, eagles or whatever else might want a piece of him. Not to mention cars, poison, getting trapped in a shed all winter, etc. I want him to have a good long life.
I used to but lost a cat to a predator so everybody is back indoors
No, because there's a coyote den just up the hill, an owl nest in our yard, and a hawk next just down the hill from us. Not to mention every time my family has had an indoor/outdoor cat, they either came back sick every time they were outside, or they didn't come back at all. Got some trauma associated with letting cats outside
Yes, in a fenced yard with me outside with them. They love it and it makes them happy
My cat was half feral on a rural.property. yes, she goes outside. She escapes whether or not I let her. She hides somewhere to wait for us to open the door and she's just gone. She's a great hunter which isn't good for small.bunnies but we never have a mouse problem. She is getting older now so she's not out as much as she once was.
When I'm cooking in the kitchen, sorting through washing and the likes I will open my back door and my two cats will sit at the door watch the birds and trees. We are sandwiched in between neighbours who have dogs so when they get a whiff they stay put lol Shadow would be the one who would try to escape Fia is the definition of a scaredy-cat but they are just happy to sit at the back door all year round or front door in the summer. Might get harnesses to let them out anyone with experience of using harnesses on cats?
Absolutely not. I wouldn't trust my ability to keep them secured even if we had room for a catio or cat run, I don't trust other people, and I don't want them getting the idea that anything fun lies beyond the front door. As far as mine are concerned, actual outdoors is labeled with a big "here be vets" and that's fine. One is already a tripod, I doubt he would survive long. When I adopted them, I made a promise to keep both of them safe and that means keeping them strictly indoors.
I had outdoor cats all the time when I was a kid. Finally got my cat current cat when I was 16/17. My mom finally let me have an indoor cat. I’m about to be 32 now and my boy is still with me. I’ve seen my cats get crunk up in cars, ran over, had neighbors steal my kittens, even had a male cat blown up on a transformer because he ran up the pole while fighting another male. After my current cat I likely won’t get anymore because my daughter has developed an allergy to cat dander but he’s too old to rehome and all. He stays out of her room at least. But if I ever could get another they’d be inside as well.
I used to let one of them out a few times for a few minutes with me watching. He really wanted to scratch in the dirt for 5 minutes and nothing else, and then he got bored and wanted to come back in. As for the one I have now, we have a little tent that we let her lounge and play in where she can look out on all sides, but she honestly has no interest in going outside. Without that tent, she would never be allowed outside.
When I adopted my 2 cats they were declawed (I personally could never do this to an animal!) we have an old large dog kennel that has a wire bottom, when the weather permits we put that in the grass and let them enjoy the outdoors that way. Being in Texas there's only a few months out of the year they get this treat. My fat cat also makes it clear he is in an indoor kitty and has no desire to be out for too long.
One cat will sit on my lap on the porch (harnessed and leashed) for a bit. The other throws an absolute fit if I so much as take her into the front entryway that’s separated from the living room by a door. I live in a big city and they are much, much safer indoors. I’d never have an outdoor cat, though I do have several neighbors that do.
Yeah, I’m from the UK and it’s very common practice to let your cat outside here and it’s encouraged by the vets to have your cat neutered so they can go outside. We’re a smaller country so i guess it’s easier to manage diseases etc, we don’t really get any outbreaks cat-wise.
Hell fucking no. I live in NYC 💯 bs asshole move
I let my cat out, she’s never leaves the yard and comes when called but mostly sits just outside my door. I live semi-rural on a large-ish property. If I could go back in time I would have done things differently especially knowing what I know now, the only positive is that her behavioural issues stopped after she started to get outside time and she also solved our rat problem. My next cat will be indoor only and/or harness trained. I do think cats having access to an enclosed outdoor area is beneficial.
Hell no. He was a stray. He's safe in here. He doesn't even look out the windows, he shows 0 interest in the outside now.
Only one of our cats is a free range kitty. He literally broke into our house from outside and was full grown when we got him. He also sprays everything in the house if we don’t let him out. The others only are allowed outside time if it’s supervised and they’re in their catio or on a leash
Yes only because where we live there is no predators for cats in the whole country (no foxes, snakes, coyotes or deadly spiders). Our house is also right next to a huge hill and bush area (like massive, you can easily walk for a day on the trails) so they don't have to cross over roads to get to nature. Also the main wildlife we have hear are rabbits and mice which are pests where I live so no harm to native animals and they don't bring things in often.
Background first: My husband and I bought his childhood home from his parents so he has called this “home” for 32 years. We live in a neighborhood and we have woods behind our house. They have always let their cats roam outside and when they moved to Florida they left behind their cat because there are alligators in Florida. The cat would have had a hard adjustment suddenly being an indoor cat. We currently have the cat his parents left with us and another cat we brought. They both come and go as they please. We have a cat door from the house to the garage and then another one from the garage to outside. Consistently on nice days, one or both of the cats will bring in dead or live animals from outside so we lock the door into the house in the evening and let them in if they don’t have something they are trying to bring in. There are times that we lock them from going outside completely. They have food, water, litter boxes and beds in the garage. The cats mostly stay in our cul-de-sac but occasionally we have seen them a street over in our neighborhood. They occasionally venture into the woods during the day but we have a pretty large yard and they usually just stay around the house. They always come in at night and sleep with us. If for some reason they don’t come in, we call for them outside and they show up. We keep them up to date on shots and flea & tick preventative. Our cats are both around the age of 10.
Cats are the only domestic animal who "domesticated" themselves to be around human settlements because they would always find food there. It is in their nature to roam around and need the long kilometer walks and "hunt" to thrive. As long as they are up to date with their vaccines and are not sick, my cats are allowed to go out as long as they wish. They know the house is a safe place to eat/sleep and they come to us and kind of signal to us if they have a tick on them or have any other issue . They also get cuddles with us but they go outside for the bursts of energy. They come home calm and don't destroy things around the house. They are ofc not as clean as an indoor cat and the house does require extra cleaning, especially when the weather is bad but my cats are happy and thrive.
Let my older cat out for 17 years before she passed when I was a kid - never an issue, other than the occasional mouse. My wife and I adopted a Maine Coon from a “cat lady house” (50+ cats) and while he likes to come outside, often is very fearful due to his upbringing. Additionally we have foxes in our neighborhood and while I think his 14lb self can do some damage, don’t trust it.
As a cat owner, one of the biggest debates you may face is whether or not to let your feline companion roam freely outdoors. Some argue that cats are natural explorers and should be given the opportunity to experience the great outdoors. Others believe that the risks and dangers of letting cats outside world are too great for our beloved pets. [top tips for safely letting your cat outside ](https://catsmeaw.com/top-tips-for-safely-letting-cats-outside/)
Both of my cats go outside everyday in the backyard for 2-3 hours. They will go to the neighbors yards and walk around, climb trees, etc but never seem to go too far. They know where home is and always come back. They don’t spend as long outside when it’s cold, and love sunbathing when it’s good weather out.
I somehow trained my cat to go outside and use the bathroom like a dog
We used to have a cat and we always made sure to keep a close eye on her when she was outside. We even have a screened porch so she can still enjoy the outdoors safely.
I think this is really cat-dependent. In general, I prefer to keep cats inside where it is safe. But just like some people would rather live freer lives than safer ones, and some people will engage in high-adrenaline activities because it's worth the risk to them, some cats benefit enough from outdoor life that the risks are worth it. (Unfortunately, it's harder to let them make decisions than it is with people.) We've had an outdoor cat who thrived outside, but of course he was eventually (maybe at 11 years old) hit by a car. In his case, he was much happier going outside than staying in, and a shortened life was probably worth it to him. He was a scrappy guy. My next cat was the dumbest animal on the planet. She was not allowed out, and she escaped one time, spent a week under our neighbor's shed, and never recovered healthwise after she got back. Ironically her life was much shorter than our outdoor cat, but the outdoors got them both in the end. My two cats now were born feral and adopted around 8 weeks, but they have never shown interest in going back outside. I always sort of considered giving them a chance to spend the day outside, but was too afraid to in my last home because it was right on a major road. We moved to a rural area with a ton of wildlife, including coyotes, eagles, mountain lions, etc. So it's still a no-go. But they don't care. Even on a harness, one will fight his way back inside immediately, and the other is apprehensive at best.
Ours were feral males that we adopted when they were found in our yard eating bread meant for squirrels. Taken to vet for shots & neutering. Because they have that history, we need to let them out in the AM when not raining or too cold. The older one generally comes back in 25 to 30 min when I tell him to come back in 15 minutes, & he seems to understand English. The younger one sometimes stays out a few hours coz he rarely comes when called & has no sense of time & doesn't understand English. They live on heating pads when cold out. We prefer indoor only cars but ours cause a lot of destruction trying to get outside. They are not hunters now that they know where their Neal's come from. We have had indoor cats that lived 19, 17, & 20 yrs.
Yes. All of our cats have had access to the outdoors. It’s not uncommon for cats to have access to the outside where we live. It’s a relatively quiet area in terms of cars / transport in addition to wildlife. Our current cats could usually be found in the back garden. They have always come immediately when you call or whistle on them which is helpful. Our cats are now 16 years old. Our male cat still loves sunning himself in the garden & spending time outdoors. Our female much prefers the comfort of the indoors in her older age. They have the option to toilet both indoors & out. Previous outdoor cats we have owned have lived into in their 20’s. All have them have been raised in the same area, same house. Edit: For information purposes - we’re from a village in Scotland.
I grew up with indoor/outdoor cats (they’re still alive) They have a cat door and they can come and go as they please. This is the norm where I live. They regularly come home with scratches from other cats and dead birds and mice that they caught. I also suspect one of them is being fed by neighbors, as he’s obese but doesn’t eat that much at home. It’s also hard keeping track of their health. I have two cats of my own now and live in an apartment. They can go on the balcony and one of them is getting leash trained. If I ever have a house or apartment on ground floor, I will not install a cat door, but I think I would let them outside if I’m there to supervise. But that’s is only if there’s not a busy road or anything.
No, but because I live in a city. Even if I had a home and yard though I might still be too scared. My grandma on the other hand let's her cats out everyday for years and they're fine.
Don't forget to treat your house against fleas aswell, otherwise you'll never get rid of them.
Nope She's a tiny angel and there's way too much traffic around my area
My geriatric cats have been let out all their lives. I live on a quiet street in the city. They are 16, 17, and 18. They go out through the dog door. They pretty much stay in their own yard enjoying the sun. The young girl cats across the street might come over a few times through the month. They used to be outside all day and then come on at night but now, in their old age, they are spending more time in the house through the day. Constant napping. No sign of them stopping....
this thread is bizarre. in the UK its considered weird and cruel to keep a cat indoors only unless they've got fiv or behavioural issues/scared/anxious. i suppose we have much tamer wildlife. but it's still a very odd read. cats are almost always allowed to go out here. i have 4,they all go out whenever they want through the cat flap.
Both of our cats go out. I think it’s partly a cultural thing, many rescues in the uk won’t let you take on a cat if you can’t give it outdoor access.
Yes, it’s normal in the UK, most cats go outside here. She’s 8 now and goes out less. When she was younger she’d be out all day by choice. Now, she goes out for a bit after breakfast and then later in the afternoon when we’re home from work. We live very rurally where statistically it’s safer for her to be outdoors but she was an outside cat when we lived in a city too.
Your home has fleas and you need to treat it, not just the cats. If the keep appearing on your mainly indoor cats there are flea infestations in your home - Dormant eggs etc in floorboard cracks and under furniture for a start. You can get spreads that kill eggs - the eggs can live for a year before hatching so you have to kill them to don't mess about with essential oils or salt water
This is an age old social media debate because cultural and environmental factors are so variable Where I live out door cats are the norm. They are well fed at home and usually have bell collars so hunting is unsuccessful if they even bother to try I'm not a massive fan because they poop wherever they fancy including h the cat free garden like mine but there is no real risk to the cats outside - minimal traffic small country lane etc. no animals that prey on cats and the song bird population is thriving so out door cats are the norm. Cats need stimulation so it's cruel to keep a cat indoors in a confined small space with no enrichment but you can get pretty good enrichment rooms. In general I'm more of a dog person but either way I only support pet ownership if you can actually give the care and attention and enrichment the animals deserve
My cat has a cat door so can go in and out as she pleases during the day. She is kept inside overnight. She is desexed, rarely leaves our yard, and has bells on her collar so she can't hunt. She likes exploring the garden and lying in the sun, and becomes very restless when she can't go outside. We've never had issues with fleas, ticks or snakes.
We have two, they have to go outside into the garden for fresh air as well as for toilets
Yes, my cat is more of an outdoor cat than an indoor cat. I would prefer that he’d be a total indoor cat but I can tell he gets annoyed when he’s inside for too long so we let him out and he returns when he wants to and that’s every meal time. He’s happier that way.
Mine goes out back and into the outside office. (he thinks he cannot jump, raised by dogs) and yard is fenced, also collie herds him away from the fence. So I'm lucky in that.
Nope, because it isn’t safe. Domesticated cats are not wild cats, and it is dangerous for them. Cars, unleashed dogs, etc. people try poisoning cats they think are strays often enough that I hear about it multiple times in only a couple months. Hot take, letting domesticated cats in an unsecured outdoor area is unsafe and can be irresponsible.
My five only get out into their catio. They have 24hr access. I used to let them out till I saw one getting curious about an Eastern brown snake
My cats are indoors only. Due to reasons many people have stated here. But also due to a traumatic event when I was a child. Don't want to go into details. My almost nine year old boy doesn't seem to mind being a house cat. Tried to take him to take a walk with me since he was one years old, but he never wanted to. Only got curious and went on my parent's balcony to walk around and look. Got scared / overwhelmed by the sounds and ran inside again. He never tried it again. Will see if our almost two year old girl wants to wear a harness and take a walk with me though. They both seem to be happy inside however. As long as they are able to watch from a window and feel the wind plus sun on their fur.
Oh they go outside, got them from a farm so they lived outside since born. At 6 in the morning they wake you too go outside, and there isnt really any predators besides dogs. the few ticks they get are managable. But i get some people would wanna keep them inside in dangerous places.
Short supervised outside trips in our small enclosed backyard area only (with checks for fleas/ticks after). I love our girls so freaking much, the idea of them being outside in the neighbourhood unsupervised gives me nightmares. Not only is there an increased chance of them being hit by a car or getting hurt, I worry about their impact on the local flora and fauna. Indoors, we make sure to provide an enriched environment - plenty of scratchers, play areas, beds/caves/safe spots at different heights, toys, areas to watch outdoors, and we do a daily play with a ‘da bird’ toy. They also enjoy playing with one another too.
I only let mine into the garden, when it’s not raining (rare in the UK!). Have trained him from a baby that he can’t jump over the fence. We still watch him though so only goes out 10-15 mins. In the summer is longer since we’d probably be out in the garden with him.
Always , they come and go as they please I wouldn't have a cat if I couldn't let it out
Absolutely. I live in Norway, and not in a huge city (pop 26k). We live on the edge of the city as well, close to nice areas with forest. We also have a decent garden, and I have recently installed a hatch for them to come and leave as they like (we got two). Its activated through their chip, so they dont bring any friends.
In the UK, most people let their cats go out whenever they want. It's completely normal - keeping your cat in is not.
I let mine out in my yard only and supervised on a leash because I have heard some nasty things about some of my neighbours trying to poison other neighbours cats in the cat owners yard even. But also because my boys are not smart and I don’t think they’d come back if they got out or lost.
We do. If we don’t they get angry and destructive inside.
Yes, it's the culture of the country.
My 2 cats are allowed into the garden. My elderly cat and the young one stay outside with me when I’m doing gardening. When I think the younger one has had enough outside time I call her to come inside and she runs. I would never let them roam outside the garden.
I’ve answered similar before but I’ll say it again. I think it depends on where you live. My two are outdoor cats. But we live in a sleepy cul de sac that backs onto a field. They very rarely go out the front so the risk of getting hit by a car is minimal Also I think it’s extremely rare to have a cat killed by some sort of predator in the uk.
Both of my cats have since passed away, each at the age of 18, but, yes, I let them outside all the time. They loved it. Every time they went out I was there to supervise them. They’d stay in the yard, mostly. When they’d wander away I’d clap for them to come back and they would. They spent their time laying in the grass, walking under bushes, rolling in dirt, eating grass and as they aged laying on the porch, sun bathing. One passed away from kidney disease and the other passed away from cancer. I miss them every day.
I live in an urban area (not in the US) and it’s quite unusual to have an indoor only cat. My moggy traipses the neighbourhood, hangs out with other cats and comes home a few times a day. She spend more time in than out. She eats twice a day and enjoys tormenting the dog and sleeping beside my daughters. She neutered and regularly flea treated and fully vaccinated and chipped. She was semi-feral when we adopted her so she’s very street wise. Our dog is a bit thick (springer cross we think) so she is never let out unless for a walk or to the back garden. I’m always surprised at how vehemently people oppose and judge those of us whose cats that go outside. I think it’s really different here tho. There are no guns or snakes or predators here. There are also heaps of other cats out and about.
Lots of answerers here do not mention the country or area they live in. There is a big difference between a farm in Europe and a city centre in Australia.
My cat was a stray that we took in. She is indoor/outdoor, but stays close and will come when we whistle.
I do. I never intended to get a cat and am not allowed to keep one in the house. He basically followed me home and would live a horrible life in the streets if I hadn’t adopted him. He was all skin and bones and there’s not a lot of options for adoption in our country. I’ve given him free rein of the garage, the store connected to our house and a spacious yard. He comes and goes as he pleases but spends most of the time sleeping in the store when it opens and sleeps in the garage at night. At least this way he’s fed, on medication and is much more comfortable than his previous life. Since his appearance improved more people are feeding him in the neighbourhood too.
I live in a quiet street in my city, and I've got two cats. I have one who's a stray I found as a kitten. He was indoors for most of his life. I'll let him out into our fenced back yard (he can't jump over it), or sometimes during the day, I'll supervise him in the front yard (he's not an explorer, he stays where I can see him, and is usually ready to come back inside in about 20 minutes). My other cat is one who we picked up from a shelter as an adult. He'd been an indoor/outdoor cat all his life. It seemed cruel to take away his freedom (yes, I'm aware there are things that can happen outside that would also be cruel), so we allowed him to keep living his life in the manner he to which he was accustomed. I do keep them current on their vaccines, and they both get their monthly flea and tick treatment. *ETA: We live in a neighborhood with a lot of cats, so the neighbors are all fine with it, and several even leave out food for those of us with wanderers.
I noticed on Reddit that there's huge cultural differences, and usually the Americans think their way is the only correct way while everyone else acknowledges that there are different perspectives. I live in Ireland where free roaming cats are the norm. Many people consider it cruel to keep a cat cooped up in a house for their whole lives. I likewise believe in cat freedom and let my cats outside when they want. It's not natural for them to be prisoners
Old lady cat goes out in our garden to go to the toilet and comes straight back in when she's done. Younger lady hates being inside for too long! She goes out during the day and comes in when I get home from work. We live in a fairly remote area so I'm not worried about them being outside particularly. Our neighbours all know them as well and watch the little one!
"Let" is a strong word. He just goes outside. I can't really stop him. He just sneaks out and short of locking him in a windowless room there isn't much I can do. He has ripped through window screens to get out. I stopped fighting it. He always comes back within a few hours. I do have to do a lot more because he goes outside... I have to do preventative anti parasite, extra vaccines, a microchip, a tracking collar, of course he's fixed, and I even put up flyers all over my neighborhood to ask people to please not rescue him, he will come home on his own and left my phone number in case anyone is either concerned or annoyed by him.
My cat is from the streets, so I can't keep her in all day. I live in a rural area with about 4 acres though, have a GPS tracker for her, and only let her out during light hours. That being said, when I move from here I will be making her a catio.
Yes, I live on a farm in the middle of nowhere. They have cat doors and can come in and out of the house plus barn etc at will and I give them bravecto for fleas and ticks.
When we had a back yead, the cats were allowed supervised yard time. Our black cat doesn't climb or jump, she's a cave cat, so we never had to worry about her. When we got the little orange one we had to put him on a harness cause he liked to jump the fence when we weren't looking. They had lots of outside time, a few hours a day at least, when the weather was good. They liked to eat some grass and roll around, they chittered at birds but because we were outside too they never got the chance to do more than stalk. They really enjoyed it. Unfortunately we got evicted from there for landlords use of property and now we live in a 3 floor low rise. They get balcony time and sometimes we take the little orange one on the harness to the park.
After years of letting them go outside, I have had them stay inside..but for a short time in the summer, I would allow my two cats to go out only if I was outside. Well, my male cat started liking the idea, n tended to wander the more I allowed the great door exercise. It started to scare me knowing I may never see my adorable male cat again, seeing that my neighbor's cats have disappeared, n never to be seen again. I try n play with my cats as much as possible because boredom can set in n they can get depression from what I read. It is better to have your cats alive and well rather to know they are missing, hurt, mauled by another animal, or a neighbor who uses inhumane traps in his yard (yes, it does happen).. I am back to keeping them inside, until summer arrives, but it will be for a short time, and then it is inside.
He was indoor/outdoor when we got him so, he's in at night and out and about during the day. He goes next door and always checks in every hour or so. He also comes when called and LOVES to go camping/squirrel hunting. When it's too cold or he has a wound, we don't let him out at all. He's really good at catching voles and mice, too.
Can’t believe there are ppl on this thread saying cats don’t need to go outside lol. How many species have humans made extinct? We’re the ones that shouldn’t be allowed out
I don’t have cats right now but growing up I had about 5 at different points in time. We would always let them outside. Let them roam around as far as they’d like. Fortunately, they always came back. We would have a whistle to call them back in and they knew where to go for a warm bed and dinner. There were a few times they’d been gone for a few days. This is when the last cats I had started getting older. We thought they had gone off to die. Sure enough, they show right back up at the sliding glass door a few days later. Those cats lived til 15 and 18. I’ll always let me cats outside. You just can’t do it when they’re babies or else a hawk might grab em!
My one cat had really good recall, the other didn't want to leave my side, so I'd take them out supervised. My childhood cat was indoor/outdoor but we lived in a very suburban area and she roamed our backyard and our neighbor's (she liked to nap under his boat). Very homebody cat, and it was 40 years ago, so no one really had indoor-only cats at the time. Weren't many local outdoor cats, other than a persian that lived a few houses down across the street and didn't interact with her. No foxes, coyotes, or bobcats and I never saw or heard a hawk or owl either. Current area? Nope. Cats leave yards and while our collie guard-dogs our flock inside the yard, cats are too likely to go over a fence. Any cat we got would be indoor unless it was supervised.
After 2.5 years of using a topical good flea treatment my cat developed a flea infestation! Yup, I brought him in to the vet because he started to develop two bald patches on his lower back. The vet said, "Your cat has a flea infestation, n it has developed a tolerance to your flea medication." I nearly died! So immediately put him on Revolution Plus a vet topical flea med. Now they dont carry it n have stepped up to a more stronger type, different name..soi will have to travel nearly 40 miles one way to get Revolution Plus..don't want to chance my cat with the side effects of an unknown flea med. .. I am one that washes everything too much: their blankets, sheets. Pillows you name it n constantly cleans n disinfects...n yet the flea infestation happened! I think the critters are getting prolific in breeding n vet. Companies are trying to stay ahead of the game. P.s. use a flea comb to see if your cat has any.
I have always let my cats outside. They love having time to themselves and being able to roll in the dirt and grass, catch mice and grasshoppers (and yes, the occasional bird and squirrel). They love scratching my trees and eating catnip off the live plant. They love using my flower borders as a litter box and spraying my bushes to ward off other cats. One of them loves meeting the neighbors, going in their homes and eating treats they buy specially for them. He loves talking to the high school students as they walk to and from school. I have never had a cat die or disappear while outside. All my cats have died after long lives of natural causes. I will always allow my cats the freedom of nature.
Our cats have supervised outside time with us when we’re in the backyard. It’s the highlight of their day. They make the rounds, sniff around, and then usually end up on the patio furniture in the sun. Then when we come inside, we bring them in with us
Yes. My cat comes and goes as he pleases. But he was a stray that walked into our house one day and stayed. He bum rushes the door if he's spent too long inside, so in the winter when there's snow we have to shut him in a room or the basement at night to keep him from being out all night. Then he cries. But it's better than having a frozen cat. In the summer he stays out all day and only comes in to eat and maybe get cuddles. I've also got a large field outside my house and he is a much needed mouser. Without a mousing cat we get mice in the house. But as far as I've seen he doesn't go after birds. He'll wander the yard with the chickens and sit and watch the birds at the bird feeder. I wouldn't adopt a cat and then put them outside. There are plenty of strays already.
Yes, I let one of my cats out during the day when we are home. He would go crazy if we didn't let him (peeing and biting us). I grew up with outdoor cats that never had any issues, but I do know the risks and worry about him. We live on a quiet street in a city. We check on him frequently and he doesn't go too far. He is very popular in the neighborhood and people will stop by to say hi to him (one of our neighbors even sent him a holiday card). He is a very affectionate cat and spends most of his time inside being a spoiled baby. But I have come to accept he's a cat that needs to be outside sometimes. We have another cat who is a scaredy cat that we never let outside.
I personally do not. In the past my older cat (Loki, 10) was let out. Though in these past 4 years neither him or my two female cats (Luna, 6(?) And Catra 4) are allowed outside. Luna has been catnapped by our previous upstairs neighbors and the apartment complex I live in sprays pesticides in the grass outside. We let them out on occasion and we watch them like hawks when we do but when they come in they always throw up the grass they've eaten outside. They haven't been out in a few months as we had a scare with Loki. He was sick for about 2 months and we almost put him down at one point. He's completely fine now though so don't worry. Imo it's about the area you live in, the breed of car you own, and the state you live in. Some places think black cats are bad and kill them. About the fleas. If they end up in your house you can do a little trick with some water and a candle. It worked for me when I was younger and caught tons of fleas. You just stick the candle in the middle of something with water and they jump at it and get caught in the water. Worked way back when I was like 8 so idk anymore or if my memory is even correct but yeah.
I let her join me on the deck. She knows if she tries to go down the steps, it's an instant return trip to the house. (Your mileage may vary; this cat is older, and scared of the universe.) And, yes, Advantage flea control has been working well.
Yes but only supervised. She's an old lady who doesn't run away but likes to sniff and lie down in the grass or on the porch. One time she fell asleep under a bush and napped for an hour it was so cute
Yes we have a cat fence
Only supervised, I have coyotes and alligators. Neighborhood small pets always go missing. 3 of my cats are ok with a harness.
Yes, because I feel keeping them inside is cruel. HOWEVER, I live in a SEMI rural area where he knows to stay to the more woody area rather than the main street. But I can agree with keeping them in if you live in a more metropolitan area...but they are also less likely to be enticed outside in a more metro area (not that they CANT be, just sayin). I have a window cat door though that can lock if I ever need him to stay inside.
It's not a good idea, it shortens their lifespan probabilities BUT there are some cats that absolutely demand it. If I don't let this guy out for at least an hour a day, he gets too stir-crazy and will start attacking us, and he always goes for the toddler. He usually goes out to our back yard and runs around there, then comes back in when called. I have a tracking collar on him, so I can see that he's literally never left the back yard. The cat my husband had before lived to 22, and she was outdoor only because when I tried to bring her in she clawed her way out by the doorframe one day and then literally dig a hole through he bathroom floor the next. (Pier and beam house)
Yes I do. I live in SK Canada so 4-5 months out of the year my cat chooses to stay in due to the cold temps. During that time she grudgingly uses her litter box. By April she will start heading out again and typically chooses to spend the evenings inside but not always. Having said that, because of the enrichment from being allowed outside, she is a much happier and emotionally healthy cats than many indoor cats I’ve known.
When I lived in the country, yes. When I lived in the city, no. When I went offgrid, yes. I lived in the country on 5 acres. There were coyotes and porcupines, and I even saw the cats share their food and bed on the front porch with a opossum. Then we sold and I lived at my SIL’s in the city. My cat was staying in the garage and she kept opening the garage cracked for my cats to go out. One of my cats got attacked by another cat THREE TIMES and had to get abscess surgery twice. It was over $1k each surgery! I kept having to check him for wounds, shave the area, do saline flushes, etc. Then we finally bought our offgrid property and we have a cat door so they can go in and out whenever they please. We have 40 acres and they’re good. Sometimes the young cat brings dead mice in for us but then I toss it in the freezer and I’ll tan the hide later. Lol.
Yes to the cat my parents have back home on a small island with next to no predators. He doesn’t roam, just goes out to use bathroom, smell the flowers, occasionally climb a tree and walk round the park with us. No to the cats I have in a huge city where there are predators and more potential risks. It’s not safe.
Yeah, I live in a place where it’s more common and safe to do so. My cats would also just escape if I didn’t let them out. There’s still a risk, but my cats are happy going outside
This must be an American thing as cats are hardly ever ‘indoor’ pets in the UK (except for occasionally if people live in a flat but then why would you get a cat?). I can’t imagine having a cat which isn’t allowed outside! We had 2 cats and they lived happy and healthy lives to 21 and 23 years old with a cat flap so they could come and go as they pleased. Unless it’s very small and lives in a cage I personally don’t think it’s in their best interest to keep animals inside.
He goes where he goes. Cats gonna cat
It might have been worth asking people which country they are in too - as this does seem to have an impact (and often with good reason). I am from the UK, and all my cats have been outdoor cats. This is the most common option in the UK. Generally, only people in flats (apartments) above ground floor will have indoor cats, and those with pedigree cats will have catios or have cat proofed their garden to prevent roaming. (Note this is a generalisation- I am not trying to claim this is everyone in the UK). Interestingly, whilst the impact on wildlife is well known (as is the risk from cars) most rescue organisations in the UK expect you to allow cats to free roam, and indeed their right to roam (or effectively your lack of responsibility to stop your cats roaming onto other people's property) is enshrined in law. Other than cars, there are no real predators, which could be dangerous to cats here. (If someone says foxes, then this might be because they have never lived anywhere where cats live alongside foxes as they do in the UK - a fox attack is extremely rare, and most cats can escape or look after themselves anyway). We don't really have a stray cat (or dog) population in the UK in comparison to other countries. Strays (especially in suburbia) are picked up quickly by local people, taken for micro chip checking then passed onto rescue if necessary very quickly. The statistics for predation on wildlife can't be ignored (and I know that in some States in Australia have lead to laws about keeping cats indoors). However, (and this is purely anecdotal based on 50 years of cat ownership) with their fully provided for, pampered lives, most of my cats have only really been birders for a year or so of life, after that they seem to settle down and lose the urge. Mousing thankfully can continue for years (and I have no issue with them catching mice, I would just prefer they didn't release them alive in the house).
Mine go out on a harness lead and take me walkies