Why is it when you say you have an outside cat people scold you for it but yet?

Question

when people have dogs they are outside most of the time or in a crate and people don't seem to have a problem with that....

And, what I mean by outdoor cat is....no litter box inside for obvious reasons. The cat is inside most of the time when we are home.

Just as a side note.....I had an indoor cat once, he was a Himalayian and he cried everyday to go outside. I felt awful and swore I would never have another indoor cat. Plus, when he got really old he could never make it in the litter box. It was gross!

Who is this person that thinks if you feed a cat the right food the poop won't stink. I am not new to cats and I have had several over the years most of them indoor cats. I have NEVER had a cat that their poop does NOT stink. Even with a clean litter box......your house smells like a litter box. I too was in denial for years. Kinda of like a smoker not realizing that they smell like smoke.

Answer 1

Because it is safer for them inside. We had a cat that went in and out too, he got really sick while he was outside and would have died all alone and in pain had my son not heard him crying. After that I decided to only keep indoor cats. If you decide to let them out just check on them often, to be sure they have adequate bedding, food and water and that they healthy.

Answer 2

I think what some people have concern over are disease and such that come from fleas and ticks. I have had 2 neighbors that let their cats outs all the time. One cat used my garden as its litter box and thats why set me off. That and the cat would go on the neighbors cars at night and scratch up the paint. That nieghbor has since then moved and my gardens backto normal :D The new neighbors cat is actually very friendly and often comes over to my place to get pet and stuff.

I have a cat but she's an indoor only. She has snuck out on us a few times and because of that has brought fleas in our house. We live in a very high flea part of the states (florida). I dont see a problem with people letting their cats out but just as long as the females are spayed, you keep up with flea and tick preventative and keep their shots upto date unless its causing problems to the neighbors (garden litter box, scratched up cars).

Answer 3

I believe that people don't approve of having outdoor cats because they drive through heavy traffic areas and see cats that have been hit by cars. I know that it breaks my heart when I see this, but it's the owners decision to care for that animal as they choose. I may not approve of it, but unless I actually witness abuse or neglect, there's nothing I can do. Dogs can be chained up and walked when necessary but who would think of training a cat to the leash? Actually my grandmother's cat is......lol

I have a dog and she stays outside all of the time. I give her plenty of attention and love and exercises. I live out in the country and I also have both indoor and outdoor cats. They are all active and we make sure they stay that way. We currently have an older outdoor cat who got sick earlier this year and we let her inside to rest and recuperate. Now she has decided to semi retire and stay indoors most of the time. She refuses to be litterbox trained, but since she figured out that we don't like messes in the house, she lets us know when she has to go outside by meowing at the door. She's incredibly intelligent.

As for foods and odor in cat waste, I am sure that there are foods out there that REDUCE odor, but I doubt that are any that completely ELIMINATE it. There is a new kind of dog food out there that has NO fillers in it, just vitamins and minerals and the like. It claims that without the filler and with the quality ingredients you can feed less and it also reduces odor. Hopefully I will find soon a type of cat food that has the same claim because my feline friends are eating me out of house and home!.....:)

Answer 4

dogs have fences so they dont wander off and get hit by cars..
cats are frequently killed by neighbours who are tired of cats using their yards as litter box

what is the obvious reason for not having a litter box inside?? If you feed good food and use good litter there is zero odor...(good food = less poop and less tummy upset so no smell)

few owners who let their cats out make sure the yard is secure that the cat cannot get out of the yard - ultimately this is the problem.. I built a cat run for my cats

**** ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT SMELLY POOP ****
all grocery store and Wal Mart food is crap - too much filler, some of the better ones from pet supply stores truely will not leave smelly poop... they even have additional ingredients like Yucca to help control it - the problem is in foods with corn and stuff that cats wouldnt naturally eat...and the new SILICONE litter is really odorless.. I am not in denial.. people often enter my house and claim they are amazed there is no cat odor - most people do not feed good food and are not aware the difference it truely makes in poop smells

Answer 5

I totally agree with you. I have cats that go outside in the morning and in the afternoon. I keep them in at night and if no one is home. We live on a 2.5 acre treed lot, our cats mouse and play and have very happy lives. I feel sorry for indoor cats, imagine being in jail all your life. I do keep a litter box though. In the Laundry room. Silica pearls cat litter never smells if you keep the poop scooped.

Answer 6

There's alot of people out there that have "humanized" their animals way too much! there's such a thing as being too overprotective, however, I thing some common sense is needed.

I used to live on a street that was very busy, and due to allergies in the household we couldn't have a cat indoors. We had one cat that lived for 14 years and died of old age that actually HATED being inside. However, we tried to have other cats, and they got hit by cars. So we said "no more cats until we move".
We moved to the country and have two cats - both are afraid of cars! YAY! and one is completely outside, but the other comes in at night and sleeps in my room and then wants to go out by 5:00 am every morning. So its purr-fect!

Answer 7

It's called anthropomorphisizing. Humans project their own feeling thinking they know what the cat feels. Cats do better indoors than outdoors. So those people only base their answers on this viewpoint. Yes, outdoor cats can live fairly decent lives, but many are destructive to the native environment. Do a search for cats and native environment and you'll also learn more why. My personal opinion is that indoor cats are cleaner than outdoor cats. They don't eat dead birds, mice and bring home diseases. They are good for erradicating rodents, but remember they'll bring home what they eat too in their mouths and poop it out.

Answer 8

First, i think a cat is somewhat production animal like. Useful at farms as an aid to get rid of mice etc. Even if you live at a rural area cats can be kept outside quite a bit. In cities it gets a bit too risky. Also should be considered the feelings of those who like to winterfeed birds and make birdnests, they may not appreciate a cat roaming in the neighborhood. Indoor cat is out of it`s natural habitat, though. So if you don`t live in the countryside maybe a cat is not the best pet all things considered. But a cat should be allowed out. Judge yourself.

Answer 9

Because outdoor cats are NEVER restrained. They run loose throughout the neighborhood. They cross streets (where they might get hit). They fight with other cats (where they might get diseases). And they're just a general nusiance to your neighbors (and some neighbors will posion, remove, or take to shelter loose cats).

They just don't make a fence that keeps a cat safely in. Dogs can be fenced or chained.

Answer 10

Don't listen to them, my cat comes inside when he sleeps and runs to the door when he wants out. Litter boxes can be hazardous to a womans health. So don't listen to them....