Can I leave my cat outside in the fenced in back yard?

Question

I have two cats and I'm thinking about keeping them outside along with a cat door so they have access indoors. What dangers are there if I keep them in my fenced in back yard? I'm thinking about putting up PVC fencing instead of wood. Will this help? Will they go to the bathroom in the lawn or do they still need a litter box? They have their shots. Anything else I should be aware of? I'm in Florida.

Answer 1

If it's not declawed, Then yes. Wood should work fine, and they will go outside you don't need a litterbox.

And to the first answer: many of your rebuttals are false. Cats can defend themselves (20 claws and they know how to use them, + teeth) they can avoid cars (they have eyes and ears, you know)

The vast majority of cats do perfectly fine outside. You are running a risk, but it's not much of one. And your cat will be much more happy.

Cats were meant to live outside, they tend to do pretty well.


I have a six-foot fence."
Unless you have special fencing that's designed to prevent a cat from climbing out, your cat will be able to scale your fence and escape the confines of your yard. Even if you do have special fencing, you need to make sure that it can keep other cats or animals from getting into your yard to get to your cat.

-That one is pretty much true. Cats don't really care about fences. that's why I said to keep your current one. A new one would be a waste of money.

"My last cat went outdoors and he loved it."
Your cat may enjoy being outdoors, but by allowing him to go outside, unsupervised, you're putting him at risk and shortening his life span. Most cats that are allowed to roam outdoors usually don't live for more than a few years. Cats who live strictly indoors can live up to 18 - 20 years of age.

-Not always true. Figures for cat age and death do not really exist, so any evidence of this is anecdotal. I have known several outdoor cats who have lived to 20-25, and several indoors cats who have died at 12 or 13. it depends on the cat.

"My cat's litter box smells."
Scoop your cat's litter box on a daily basis. How often you change the litter depends on the number of cats in your home, the number of litter boxes, and the type of litter you use. Twice a week is a general guideline for clay litter, but depending on the circumstances, you may need to change it every other day or once a week. Wash the litter box with soap and water every time you change the litter. Don't use strong smelling chemicals or cleaning products when washing the litter box, as it may cause your cat to avoid it.

-Not a reliable method. If the cat goes indoors, there will be a smell. Cleaning will help keep it down, but there will still be one. Outdoors is the only way to accually get rid of it.

"My cat likes to sun herself."
Your cat can sun herself by any window indoors. If you're really set on letting your cat sun herself outdoors, put her on a harness and leash and stay with her while she's taking in the rays.

-Sometimes. Some houses don't have great windows for this, or there's a lot of tree cover and only a few sunspots. Cats often do sun themselves inside if they have th choice, but grass is much more comfortable for a cat. softer, and much better on feet. All hard floors all the time can damage feet (yes, humans too) and lead to foot problems.

"I can't keep him in."
Keep your windows closed or put in screens. Remember to always keep your doors closed and teach your children the importance of keeping the doors closed, too. It may take a few days or a few weeks, but if there are enough interesting things for your cat to play with indoors, he'll come to enjoy being indoors. Be sure to provide him with a scratching post and safe toys to bat or carry around (see our handout "Cat Toys and How To Use Them").

-Doesn't' work. Cats will go out if they want too. If you do all this stuff, they will rush out when you're going out the door, and oftentimes that's a real pain when you're going somewhere. Bad idea.

"We've always let her out."
You can change your cat's behavior. It will take time and patience, but it might save her life. When you implement your "closed door" policy, give her a lot of extra attention and entertainment. At first she may cry, but don't give in. Soon she'll be happy to stay indoors with you.

-When Cats get annoyed... Claws. A mad cat is not a pleasant thing to be around. If you have an outdoor cat, let it go outside. Cats are hard to train in the first place, It's virtually impossible to re-train. And cats can get depression, which can lead to death (as in humans) don't do it, let your cat have fun.

"My cat knows to avoid cars."
Even if this were true, all it would take is another car, a dog or a shiny object to lure your cat into the street and into the path of traffic. Also keep in mind that some people may not swerve to miss a cat in the road.

-Cats have eyes and ears. Unless it's a really big road or there is a yahoo going down the road at 70, cats can usually get out of the way, or stay out of the road to begin with. Cats have about the same amount of brainpower we do...

"My cat needs exercise and likes to play with other cats."
Stray cats are likely to spread viruses like feline leukemia and other fatal diseases. If your cat needs a friend, adopt another cat that's healthy and disease-free.

-Cats are often the carriers of diseases like that - that means that they have it but cannot get it. And diseases like that are quite rare. If they do get it, the vet has treatments.

"My cat yowls and acts likes he really needs to go outside."
Your cat may be feeling the physiological need to mate. If this is the case, make sure your cat is neutered (males) or spayed (females). Sterilized cats don't have the natural need to breed, and therefore, won't be anxious to go out to find a mate.

-Oftentimes true. Neutering is a very good idea. However, that's not the only cause. Yowling can also be a general call for attention. sometimes A cat needs to go outside to use the restroom, or just wants to and wants you to open the door. A cat door will pretty much solve that.




All in all, let your cat go outside. How would you feel if you were cooped up all day? exercise is essential to a good life. Let your cat have it. Any risks are pretty darned small if you follow rare sense. (formerly common)

Answer 2

First of all it's not a good idea.Your cats will try to find a way out.If there trained,it's okay.It doesn't matter what type of fence you put down,because if you feel okay about letting your cats out,you don't need to worry.If you have a litter box inside the house,your cat will still use that instead of the lawn.You do have some dangers.If your cats get out of the yard somehow,someone could just take and keep them.Your cats can also get fleas and lice.Here's a tip.Always check on your cats every five minutes.If you don't they may escape.

Answer 3

The first answerer was complete and thorough -- a little TOO thorough maybe :P Upshot is this: A fence means NOTHING to a cat. Even PVC fencing. If you DID manage to make a cat-proof fence, some other critter's going to manage to get inside it (unless you've found some way of cat-proofing the outside too, and your house walls are catproof, and every tree nearby has been chopped down, and there are no electric poles.....you get the idea) and in a worst case scenario that critter will get trapped in with your kitty, causing even MORE problems.

Now that takes your question down to something more basic: Should your cats be allowed to have the run of the great outdoors?

This is a personal choice, but most people who deal with cats on a daily basis will tell you NO! It is a fact that the average lifespan for an outdoor cat is 2 1/2 years, and the average lifespan for an indoor cat is 15 years. Outdoor cats are more exposed to disease; if not spayed/neutered they contribute to overpopulation (thousands of cats are euthanized daily just because there are too many of them and not enough loving homes); and they run the risk of being killed by predators, cars, even hateful people.

Some people believe that all these risks are worthwhile to let your cat be "free." My cat was an outdoor cat for 13 years. He didn't die, and he was fairly happy. However, he came home with one of his eyes clawed out one day. I never let him outside again, except on a leash. It took less than a month to get him accustomed to being indoors. He's now much more loving and just purrs his life away. And he's likely to have several more good years in him that he probably wouldn't have if he kept getting into fights outside. I'm a convert!

Answer 4

A cat outside will not need a litter box, and if they have had all their shots and been spayed/neutered there is no reason to not let them out, with supervision.

A fence is NOT going to keep you cat in the yard if they decide to go.

Unsupervised outdoor time can lead to the cats escaping. While 8 times out of 10 they'll probably come home fine, there's always the chance of something happening to them.

Answer 5

It entirely depends on the cat and its attachment to the yard, wandering, jumping, etc. I had 2 cats, one passed away, but one would probably never leave the yard if he lived out there but the other one couldnn''t be kept in no matter what, he would jump the fence so easily and go in the front. But it does get very hot, I also live in SF.I do know that you sure can't keep a cat in a fence if it wants to go out. Also if it is declawed it can be a danger to keep it outside.

Answer 6

Fences, even PVC fences DO NOT keep cats contained in yards or otherwise. Even though they are up to date with their shots, they can still acquire disease from other animals. They can still fight with other animals, too, putting them in danger of injury. In Florida,especially, you will need to keep them on a top quality flea control, like Frontline. They will need a litter box in your house if you will allow them to be indoor/outdoor cats. Last, make sure that they are neutered. Two cats can quickly turn into thirty cats.

Answer 7

I built a cat enclosure for my cats. It has a solid floor and fencing on top so there is no way for them to escape. Remember that cats can climb. If you are going to allow them outside it must have some kind of cover.

PS: this was not hard to do at all. I went to Home Depot and got concrete pavers for the floor, pre-assembled fence sections for the walls, clear plastic panels for a roof and heavy plastic netting for the top. The cats can go in and out via a cat door but cannot escape or get attacked.

Answer 8

You have to have a pretty high fence to stop cats from jumping over. They can jump clear to the top of the fridge with no effort at all. Plus they would find any and all escape spots that might be around the yard. Best to keep them in the house unless you can guarantee 100% that they can't get out of the yard.

Answer 9

I don't think you should do it. The cats can pick up all sorts of critters and bring them back into the house. Letting a cat outdoors isn't healthy for the cat. The only way to keep the cat in the backyard is to tie them out with a harness. Cats are very very very smart and will get out of the yard. Cats will look for dirt to scrape and go to the bathroom there, then bury it.

Answer 10

If you do an Internet search for 'cat fencing' you'll come up with several options. http://www.purrfectfence.com is one I've seen some ads for. Cats are incredibly agile climbers and jumpers, so you would definitely need special fencing, and you'd also need to block their access to trees they could climb and get onto the roof or into another yard - there are products available for that too.

If they'll have constant unrestricted access to indoors, they can come in if the weather gets bad, so you shouldn't worry too much about that. Birds of prey or other predators that can get into your yard may be a concern for you, though. A bird of prey or a bobcat can easily catch & kill a domestic cat. Check with your local wildlife management office or agricultural extension for information about local predators. A screened-in porch or cat enclosure with a roof may be a better choice if predators are a problem in your area.

Disease may be a concern - talk to your vet about ways to protect your cat from exposure to disease, because cat fencing may keep your cats in, but it may not keep other cats from getting into your yard. Since you live in a warm humid climate, you would need to keep your cats up-to-date on flea, tick, and heartworm prevention - talk to your vet for a recommendation and prescription (heartworm prevention is only available by prescription).

You would still need to keep a litterbox available for your cats. They may prefer to go inside even if the outdoors is available to them, and they'll definitely need it when the weather is bad or if something outside frightens them.

Hope this helps!

Answer 11

they will still need a littler box they will just use it less but they will definitely be doing it outdoors possibly on your lawn. I'm not sure a fence will keep them in your yard. they may find a way to explore future then your yard which may mean the dangers of cars. My cat goes outside and he brings home birds etc.. do your cats have there claws so they can protect themselves?