i mean the smell if there inside even f the are spayed or nuetured and the get on ur funiture and scratch up wood stuff in the house i mean why cant the live out side soooo many people think oh the cat will not live out there i mean i have noo problem with cats what so ever but why do soo many people think the are to be inside ???
2006-08-21 07:56:34 · 19 answers · asked by sprinkle0girl 1 in Pets ➔ Cats
It isn't necessarily that, We just don't want kitty to get run over, by cat haters. Outdoor cats are vulnerable to wild diseases, wild animals (getting Skunked) or ending up as food for a wild animal, getting trapped somewhere they shouldn't be (damned too curious for their own good) or just being picked up by a stranger and kittynapped - held hostage until it thinks its kittynapper is its new owner.
Cats are great indoor pets, they don't need to be let out to pee or do a pooping, they're fastidiously clean hardly ever need a bath, they don't make a whole lotta noise (unless your cat is a talker), they love to cozy up on your lap, or next to you (except my cat, he sits right next to my head when I'm trying to sleep & I can hear him snoring right in my ear), they can have fun with the simplest of toys (my cat just loves playing with shoe laces), they don't eat a whole lot (unless you spoil them), and while dog can wag their tails; cat's tails are much more dextirous and talented - they wag and swish and curl flex bat and twitch. When its happy it either talks or purrrr-r-r-r-r-r-r-rs or nuzzles licks your face paws your foot/face (with switchblades retracted coz it loves you).
They only spray their scent on your belongings and tear things up - if there is another cat or animal in the home. Its only marking it's territory, just like saying - Oh, uh this is mine, oh and that is mine, and this and this and this is mine, thats mine, my human (he or she) is mine, oh and that there is mine too! You don't like it? Too bad, tough - oh yeah ? noooo thats mine too!!! oH noooo thats mine MINE!! Lets fight - coz thats mine too dammit!!!
Well, cats are a lot like people, particularly just like children that never will grow up. No worries that they will eventually want to borrow the car to go cruising with their homies, no need to save up for college coz they know everything and nothing at the same time. They're difficult to train - just like a human child. And they are always so darned cute, no matter how old they are.
2006-08-21 08:05:09 · answer #1 · answered by somber_pieces 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My four cats live outside. They have a 'utility room' for shelter when they need it with cabinets and boxes lined with soft towels, sheets and padding. There is a patio that is covered where I feed them and they lounge in the summer. The people in the house sit out on the patio with the cats in the evening. My yard is huge and there is plenty of roaming room and lots of trees, some of them down due to Hurricane Katrina. The cats play out there sometimes. They have catnip on the patio occasionally, then it's kitty party time. No cat pan to clean and happy, fit cats. I give them a dose of an herbal remedy once a week to keep any parasites at bay, since they do sleep on the ground a lot. No cars ever come by my house unless the car belongs here. The street is far away and is a dead end. Cat heaven.
2006-08-21 08:19:21 · answer #2 · answered by a_delphic_oracle 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because they get killed too easily when they live outside. Haven't you ever seen a squished cat on the road? Not everyone likes cats, so your neighbors might poison them...or take them to a pound and drop them off...or worse yet, take them to the outskirts of town and drop them where they can't find food or water.
I volunteer for a no-kill cat sanctuary...you should hear the horror stories from people who come in wanting to adopt a cat...then they tell us what happened to their last cat, which just happened to be an outdoor kitty. It's horrible. People say they care, but if they do why don't they keep the cat in the house.
I personally have built an outdoor enclosure for my cats...that way they can go outside without getting hurt.
Use a scratching post, catnip, water bottle to spray them off the furniture, they have many different things to help with cats getting on the furniture or scratching the furniture...do not declaw.
2006-08-24 14:16:16 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Maybe where you live there is less traffic, wild animals, etc. but where I live there are cats hit by cars and killed all the time, and outside cats get mauled and killed by wild animals a lot. Statistics clearly show that outside cats live an average of 4 years, while indoor kitties may live to be 20 and beyond. When you take into consideration the cost of spaying, shots, declawing (if you choose to declaw) and flea medications it is easy to understand why people keep them inside. Any animal that is properly cared for is a considerable investment both financially and in the time involved caring for it. Add to that the cost of a pure-bred, and you can imagine the money tied up in the animal. Plus, people who love their animals don't want them killed needlessly. If you keep the liter box clean, spay or neuter, and declaw your cat, it is not smelly or messy to keep them inside.
2006-08-21 08:12:50 · answer #4 · answered by Okkieneko 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some people don't like cats and will go out of their way to run over one. Plus they're smaller than most dogs and it's hard to see them running across the road at night and they end up getting hit accidentally.
De-clawed cats won't usually scratch up anything.
The house won't smell if the human is doing its job. Spaying and neutering and cleaning the litter box will keep the house from smelling.
Dogs get on the furniture and no one seems to mind, why protest when the cat does it?
2006-08-21 08:13:00 · answer #5 · answered by Lucianna 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Cats are so vulnerable to being hit by cars because they are small and fast. When a cat gets smacked by a vehicle the impact forces the brain to smack against the skull, and even if there are no external injuries the brain damage is usually fatal.
People keep their dogs on leash to prevent accidents with cars. Cats who roam freely on our streets and roads just have no protection.
I have five cats in my home, they do have access to the back garden because I have cat fence-in so they can't leave my property. Coyotes have taken all the outdoor cats on my street in the past two years.
My cats do not smell or tear up my house.
2006-08-21 08:18:18 · answer #6 · answered by old cat lady 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I happen to believe that a cat belongs inside because: outdoors there are too many risks/dangers (cars, dogs, cruel people, other cats, the dangers of disease); cats mess up other peoples' yards w/their poop; there's the danger of a cat wandering too far away from home and being unable to find its way back.
Indoor cats live longer, healthier lives. If you really love your cat, all the annoyances you spoke of can be properly dealt with (the smell, scratching furniture). People may think a cat will be unhappy indoors but they do get used to it and if they aren't allowed outside to begin with, they really don't know the difference.
I think people who insist on allowing their cats outside aren't being realistic as to the dangers or inconveniences to others. Outdoor cats are also responsible for decimating the songbird population. I consider my cats "members of the family" and for their well-being, they are inside always.
2006-08-21 08:08:36 · answer #7 · answered by 60s Chick 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Like a lot of people have said already...
About people and neighborhoods:
For every person that loves cats, there's a malicious person that doesn't. I've been witness to all sorts of animal cruelty and callousness that I really don't care to mention.
In addition, just as much as we love cats, we love dogs... unfortunately dogs kill a large number of cats. Sometimes it's the fault of the owners, sometimes owners don't understand that fluffy has entirely different instincts and attitudes when let outside.
About cars:
While cat's are smart and independent but one thing animals don't adapt well to is cars. Cars do not follow the rules of predators, they don't stop to stare you down, they don't zig zag to chase you and they're much too fast to dodge, animals do not understand 'how' to get out of a car's way. Most freeze hoping the big nasty car won't 'see' them.
About fleas:
If your cat stays inside, he or she won't get them... period.
About disease:
If your keep your place even modestly clean, the chances that your cat will pick up a disease is remote. Outside, cats fraternize with other cats and come into contact with 'Nature'. Ewww... If you've ever seen the animated film, Madagascar... "NATURE! I'VE GOT IT ALL OVER ME!" Humorous, yet appropriate.
Lifespan:
It's been proven that domestic cats that live indoors enjoy a longer lifespan that either their feral brothers and sisters that live an existance outside or other domestic cats that live both inside and outside. Added mortality from neighborhood dogs, bad people, cars, disease vectors shorten cat lifespans drastically.
2006-08-21 08:44:00 · answer #8 · answered by slynx000 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
the people that really love their cats will keep them inside so they don't run away and get hit by a car, get killed by another animal get stolen get poisoned. Let aone all the diseases out there for them to catch. there is not much good that comes to letting your cat outside. if you keep them inside they can live happy HEALTHY lives inside. give them some toys and some scratch posts and clean the litter box every day.
Leash train your cats and you can take them outside and they will be safe.
2006-08-21 08:15:24 · answer #9 · answered by catloverme123 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
In my experiance I have had both indoor and outdoor cats. With outdoor cats my terrors include:
- 1 cat stollen
- 1 cat maliticially attacked by neighboring dog
- 2 cats killed during traffic related incidents
- 1 cat killed by my mother when she wasn't looking with the car
My indoor cats, I have to clean the litter box and clean up accidents but I don't have to worry about FHIV and other life threatening diseases that they can pick up. Also, I don't have to worry about how others will treat my cats. My cats rule and everyone who comes into my house understands that.
2006-08-21 08:54:25 · answer #10 · answered by lbdbratt 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
i dont know im not a cat person but most cats live inside because they think if they put cats out side they dont come back or the animal control gets them but i dont like cats inside because you need to buy them thing they need so that they dont scratch everything
but i dont have a problem with them i just dont have one
2006-08-21 08:08:14 · answer #11 · answered by roxy_baby2007 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋