How long can you put a cat out for?

Question

I'm thinkning of buying a cat and would like a few opinions as everyone has a different view!

Firstly, is it mean to put the cat ourside when i leave for work at 8.00am to let it in for the night when i get back at 5.00pm??I live in a ground floor flat so i cant have a cat flap and i'm not sure if there is such a thing for a window?

Also, if i left the cat indoors for that amount of time, will it trash my flat?

Answer 1

Each cat is different, but lots like being outside. make sure that your cat is immunised and away you go.

Cat flaps for windows do exist

Answer 2

There is no reason at all that a cat has to every go outside.
We've had cats all my life and never have any of them every gone out.
I also wanted to add, please consider adopting a cat from the humane society.

One lived to be almost 20 and the other lived to be 22....these were the cats my parents had when I was born.

Outside cats live on an average of 2 years, indoor/outdoor cats live on an average of 4 to 6 years.
Indoor only cats live well into their teens or even early 20's.

Cats are perfectly inside so it's not cruel at all to keep them in, in fact it shows responsible pet ownership.
To many dangers outside for a cat...Cars, other animals, people...there are some wacko's out there....poison just to name a few.

You can leave a cat all day in the house while you're not home and it will not hurt anything...make sure it has plenty of food and water, a clean litter box, toys and a scratching post that you've taught it to use and you'll all set.

You'll have a pet who'll lead a long, happy and healthy life.

Answer 3

Why not get two cats they would keep each other company also try and get them from a rescue centre rather than a shop.
You can get window cat flaps
De-clawing a cat is very very cruel and should be made illegal.
If you let it out it should be fine as long as its not too wet or cold they usually find somewhere to go usually another house where they can laze around and get fed cats often have two homes.
If you leave it indoors get a cat scratching post and some toys
Cats are very independent if they are not happy will move on elsewhere.

Answer 4

You can leave a cat inside while you're at work with no problem. Most likely, it will find a warm spot and nap for most of the day. Just be sure to have a clean litter box for them, and fresh water available while you're away during the day. You can even leave a cat alone in your flat if you're gone for the weekend - just put down some extra dry food while you're gone, too. If you're going to be gone more than 2-3 days, then I'd think about having a neighbor stop by to check on them. Otherwise, no worries.

Some people have cats that never go outside. They stay inside 24/7 with no problems.

One thing you might consider would be to get 2 cats instead of one. Two will entertain each other, and keep each other active and exercised while they play. One cat alone may get bored and fat and destructive.

Answer 5

It is NOT safe to leave your cat outdoors all day. It is safest to leave a cat INDOORS if you go out to work everyday. Train the cat to walk around with halter and leash so that you can go walkies with him at the end of the day if you want the cat to experience the outdoors. As for leaving the cat inside while you are away, this can be done with minimum fuss. Keep the cat in one bedroom (yours) that is "cat freindly" - no delicate things that can break, etc. Provide kitty litter box, fresh water and food bowl (away from the litter box), scratching post and toys. Most cats will sleep during the day while their owners are away anyway. But if the cat is a kitten, he will wake to play, eat and drink and prowl around several times during the day. Enjoy kitty when you get home - feed, groom, play. Oh, most cats are perfectly happy to stay indoors if they have been brought up that way. So if you get a kitten, make it an indoor cat - you will incur less vet bills that way than if you have an outdoor cat.

Answer 6

You should not have a problem putting a cat-flap in a groundfloor flat - I never have.

You should always allow your cat access back into your home - it is where it will feel safe.
It could be running from a predatory enemy cat - it could be hungry and need dry food or fresh water - it might just want to be in the warm.

Cats are living beings that like the comforts humans like.
Imagine someone taking your front door keys away from you in the morning and refusing to give them back until 5pm.

It would be a right bugger wouldn't it.

You MAY find that your cat scratches thigns in your house, but get it a scratching post or a play centre.

Have a real long think before buying a little life.

Answer 7

I think it would be fine to leave your cat out while you are at work, I don't think it's very nice leaving a cat out at night, they would be much more comfy and warm indoors.

You live in a ground floor flat, WHY can't you have a cat flap?! And yes you can get cat flaps installed into glass, but I don't know whats wrong with putting it in your door.

And no! Cats don't trash your house. Cats are quite careful animals, they try to step over things as much as possible.

Aslong as the cat is properly house trained and knows to do it in a litter tray or outside, you should be fine.

The worst it's going to do is get fur on your furniture and eat any food you leave lying about.

Answer 8

Don't leave it out all day - cats like to nap during the afternoon and would prefer to be inside, but this also means they will not trash your flat then. In my experience cats only trash your flat when they're less than a year old anyway. Let your cat out while you are at home. If forced to stay out all day it will wander and may be more likely to be run over.

Answer 9

Cats are very well behaived animals with the right training.
Leave it with water and a Litter tray and it will be fine, it will sleep all day then when you come home let it out for a bit.
I can assure you it will much rather stay 8 hours sleeping in a warm flat then left outside.
However if your cat seems to enjoy the outdoors more leave it out.

It really depends on the personality of your cat.

Answer 10

**Life expectancy of indoor cat, 13-15 years
*** expectancy for out-door cat 2-3 year
Regardless of where you live. I bought a pet with a low life expectancy so I could enjoy it but not have to care for it for 10 years---Big mistake we got attached and that little silly guinea-pig loss was a devistation. 5 years
many places Willl not give or sell a cat to someone who will let it out...call the shelter they have amazing advice and ideas...e-mail me if you let it out and it does not come back.....do not let it out too soon, cats need a buddy indoors, they wil be less likely to play attack (which feels real) . De clawing is so controversial. I would not do it but I know people that do , they can NEVER go out after that. there is so much info. Good Luck.

Answer 11

It would be mean if you bought a cat and put it outside. Having worked at a shelter, I've seen what can happen to cats that are put outside. They have cars to dodge, other animals to dodge, diseases and people looking for strays to sell to labs, or as "bait". They get in people's trash and can get ahold of something that might harm them. I found a cat that someone put outside. He had a huge gaping hole in his neck from parasites. My neighbor just paid a huge vet bill to have his cat repaired because he thinks it's easier to throw the cat out than to change a litter box. Something got his cat and really made a mess of him. IF you buy a cat, keep it in the house.