Outdoor cat owners?

Question

im just wondering, r any of u people who let their cats out unsupervised? cuz if so, do u ever wonder where ur cat travels or what ur cat does out there?

also, how long do u leave it out there? i know im asking too many questions, but i know this cat who doesnt beling to our neighborhood who roams around and goes EVERYWHERE, almost the whole day, including my apartment once. the owner thinks its ok, and i know u who do that think its ok too. thats fine with mee. but r u ever pensive about where they go and what happens to them?

let me reiterate to u again. do u ever wonder where they go and what they do out there???

Answer 1

There are too many dangers for a cat to encounter. Dogs, mean people, cars, traps, poisons... it's best to keep a cat indoors. They don't know the difference.

Answer 2

We have one that would be very difficult to keep in all the time, she had been a stray and insists she spend much of her day outside. (Twice she had to stay in for two weeks with an ear problem and a cone, that was not easy.)

Ours actually stays close to home, often just laying in the sun on top of my soft top Jeep, or on the back deck. At most she is prowling the yard next door, the yard on the other side has nasty dogs so she stays away. Doesn't go across the street much since she and another cat tend to get into it whenever either of them cross into each others territory.

Answer 3

I let my cats out during the day, and at night time before bed they come in whether they want to or not.
Yes I did wonder what my cats did when they were outside so for a couple of days I followed them around for a few minutes at a time to see what they were up to. Mostly they patrol they territory and make sure no other cat got into it. They might also decide to chase a mouse, bird or a squirrel.
The best way to make sure that they don't wander very far is to get them fixed, that way they don't want to wander to find a mate.

Answer 4

Many cats (especially intact males) like to roam and investigate if they are not looking for mates. Actually, once they have established a territory (could be two or three blocks big!), they like to "patrol" and make sure everything is "OK." Cats are curious creatures and if nothing has scared them in their lives, they will bravely sniff, paw, spray the entire neighborhood! My guess is that the cat you are talkin about has decided that your apartment is part of his territory, and he will check in on it every now and then to make sure that no other cat has moved in.

Answer 5

I do wonder what they do. My roommates cat started running away once we moved into our new place.
We can't stop him as he runs past our feet when we enter/leave the door. I've tried searching the area with tuna like a fool the first couple times but he always comes back.
He has all of his shots and seems o be losing weight. I once caught him running around with another cat.
We can all guess what they're doing if the cat isn't spayed/neutered.
I think it's ok. I wouldn't let my dog roam the streets but cats seem to be pretty streetwise.

Answer 6

After scraping a few of our cats off the roadway in my younger days, I have a pretty good idea where they go--and that's why I don't have outdoor cats anymore.

My last apartment--which did not allow any outdoor animals off leash--used to put out live traps and take the cats to the shelter because of "what they did" and the problems they caused (killing birds and small animals, harrassing the ducks in the pond, fighting at all hours, pooping, etc etc).

Answer 7

My cat goes in and out all the time. He stayes out for long ours. i really don't worrie about him to much. This is because He has his claws to protect himself. Also cats are very smart they don't stay around long if they scence danger. yes sometimes i do. But most of the time i know were he is at. We live in the country so he likes to catch field mice. He roams around in the woods also. But i am sure he goes farther then that. But i wouldn't worrie to much he is has claws to help himself. Cats are very indepentant anyway so they love to wonder and go places.

Answer 8

LoL. I have two cats, a mother and her son. The mother cat "babygurl" was born on a farm to wild farm cats. She was abandoned when she was 3 weeks old, and we ended up finding her by accident. Because of her farm roots she always wanted to be outside. We let her out and she hunts mice and such. I live in a very rural area with lots of land, so i don't worry that much when she is out. She acts like a dog defending our yard from other animals. I have watched her stand up to a deer, i must admit this was quite comical. She had a litter of kittens last year.... afterwards we had her fixed, and her son who we kept "teal'c" was also nuetured. They go in and out as they please usually through a window as my boyfriend has taught them. I have always wanted to put a little camera on them to see exactly what they are doing when i am not outside to watch... but i can usually guess its hunting for food for the family. I have heard of cats wandering miles when they are in heat in search of a mate. I had one cat who we gave to a friend 3 miles away. As soon as they took it out of the car it ran away and a week later was back at my door.....

Answer 9

i leave my cats for however long they want out. the one cat meows when he wants in and the other jumps up and sits on the windowsill when she wants in. sometimes i wonder but when i go outside they normally in a tree. and i do know they hunt (they leave animals on the deck) i live on a farm so they stay close to home

Answer 10

yes i have 16 outside cats. they always stay outside. i dont usually worry about them getting into trouble... but thats cuz we live out in the country away from a lot of people. we only have 1or 2 neighbors within walking distance and they encourage our cats to come over because of the rats in their houses and barns... but they always come home because i feed them every night...so i hope that answers your question.