Should I let my cat be an indoor/outdoor cat?

Question

She has made 100's of escape attempts, so I think she just has a free spirit, so to speak. I think she is happy with us. She is very loving and affectionate. But I worry if I let her out something might happen to her or maybe she just won't come back.
So what is your opinion? If she is fixed and up to date on her shots, and I provide proper flea and tick protection, should I let her be an indoor/outdoor cat? I've heard some scary stories about cat luekemia and that it is contagious (not sure if there is truth to that, but I could ask my vet). And what are the odds that she might just decide not to come back, in which we would be heartbroken. We have had her for over a year now. We also have another cat. If we let one out, will the other want to go out too?

Answer 1

Feline Lukemia is very contagious, but you can get shots for it, if you aren't already getting them in your shots, because she tries to get out so much, it would be good to have it added in to her next shots. Letting your cat be an outdoor cat causes lots of possible problems. Tape worm can be treated, but your cat can get them again the next day and you're stuck with worms again. Many cats tend to be territorial, so you have other cats in the neighbor hood to possibly worry about. If your cat has not grown up around cars and learned the safety needed around them, she may run in traffic. Also, many indoor cats love heat, many indoor cats that have been allowed outside have crawled into warm car fans and then died when the car was turned on. :( Vets say that if you can keep your cat an indoor cat, to do so whenever possible. Also, your other cat WILL want out after yours starts making it a habit to go outside. I won't even begin to mention the live "gifts" they will bring to you to show off their prizes! LOL *shudders* BTW my cat was a stray, and he is now an indoor cat. Sometimes he tries to escape, and I spray him once or twice with water, so he stops, but to be nice to him, I find that leaving a window open a crack for him to smell outside satisfies his longing very well. :) Sometimes I even take him on a leash for a walk around the yard, that way he gets out, but he's supervised. He loves it. - Something I just remembered, I lost a cat once to poisoning that a neighbor had under their shed. You don't want that to happen either. :( My boss also lost a cat to animal sacrifices, and in my town, bald eagels started eating cats when they came, they found over 2 dozen collars in one of their nests when the forest rangers went looking a year later. :( I don't want to scare you, but just warn you of all the dangers. :(

Answer 2

When I first got married, my husband wanted our three cats to be indoor /outdoor cats. I wanted them to be indoor only. I let him have his way with the condition that the first time something bad happened, or one of the cats turned up missing, they would all become indoor cats. Everything was fine for a few months. However, one night two cats came home and my baby, Cuddles, was missing. She turned up several hours later with a crossbow arrow in her right flank and the point sticking out of her left shoulder. She was in shock, weak, and in pain. We had to take her to the emergency Vet. to have X-rays and surgery done. The arrow just missed her spinal cord and she had a long battle with infections caused by the arrow. Needless to say the vet bill was massive, but she did recover and went on to have a nice long life INDOORS.

There are things that you will not be able to control if you let your pets have the run of the neighborhood. Some people are very mean and will think nothing of hurting an animal. Other people will entice the animal into their home and keep it as their pet.

Ultimately, you are the one who will decide the fate of the pet. Please consider all things before you make your final decision. My vote is for indoor only.

Answer 3

Ultimately it is up to you, but I have never let any of the cats I've owned over the last 30 years be indoor/ outdoor cats in the sense of them running free and hopefully returning. They're strictly indoors, always.

There are just too many awful things that can happen to them. From the obvious - getting hit by a car to being attacked by other animals, to things that I've seen working at the shelter, like kids with nothing better to do so they decided to stone a cat for fun. Not so fun for the cat or us, who had to see the aftermath of this horrible act and we had to be the ones to put the poor cat out of his suffering. Also the fact that she could eat something that could give her worms or make her sick.

There's always a chance she might not come back, but more than likely it wouldn't be because she didn't want to, it would be because she couldn't. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want that on my conscience, the wondering if she's dead or alive or hurt and injured somewhere. That would break my heart more than not allowing her to be a "free spirit".

For whatever reason, none of my cats have ever attempted to "escape". I wanted them in, if the go by the door when I enter or leave, I chase them away. Eventually, they just don't even bother going by the door. They are more than happy sitting in the sunshine in an opened window and enjoying the outdoors in the safety of their home.

My vote is inside if you are suggesting a running free situation for your cat(s). My girlfriend does allow her cats out on a leash and she walks them around the yard. And she has an enclosure sort of along the lines of a dog run that allows the cats to be outside, yet not running free. Of course, she is outside with them while they are out there also. So if you'd like your free spirit cat to be able to enjoy the outdoors safely, that may be a good option for you. But I'm against opening the door and saying "bye, have fun, see ya in a bit".

Answer 4

I also have cats and they tend to do what they want.

There is a saying "If you love something, set it free! If it comes back to you, it is yours. If it doesn't, it never was"

Most cats want food, warmth and affection. If you are giving your cat this (And it sounds like you are, in bucket loads) then there should be no problem. Just be careful if you live near a busy road where he/she could get injured or lost.

Males often go away for a couple of days from time to time but they'll come back in the end.

I'd say the best thing to do would be to carry your cat into your garden (if you have one) and put her down slowly. This way she'll realise that you are letting her go outside and she'll just be curious. (The first time I did this, my cat ran back into the house within 5 minutes, despite spending the previous 4 weeks whinging at the door to escape!!).

If she's looking to get out a lot, it's probably in her best interest to let her out to explore and play. Let her out for short periods at a time and leave the door open (While you're there, obviously!) He/She will learn that she can come and go and there should be no problem.

Good luck. ;-)

Answer 5

You should most definately get your cat spayed before letting her outside. You're just asking for trouble if you don't. Her raging hormones may cause her to "run away" looking for a mate. How old is your cat? Has she come into heat yet? Once that starts, her yowling for a mate will drive you bonkers. I'd get her fixed if for no other reason you don't have to listen to her scream for a mate every night.

As for Feline Leukemia, yes it is contagious among cats. Just because you cat is inside, is no protection from Leukemia. A stray cat who is infected could come up to your window and sniff noses with your cat through the screen. The sick cat sneezes on your cat, and *boom* your cat just got exposed. Obviously if you let your cat out and it gets in a fight with an infected cat, she'll also get exposed. Maybe you could train your cat to walk on a cat harness. Then she could go outside,but you don't have to worry about her getting hit by a car, or attacked by a dog, or running away. Some cats like leashes, some don't. Practice with her inside the house first. Once she's used to the leash, then you can take her out.

Answer 6

For me it's not an option. We live in the city, and there's just no way I'm letting them out. I would fear traffic, loose dogs, being stolen because they're so damned pretty, getting into toxic objects, picking up diseases from other animals....if I had a screened porch I would let them out in that if I was with them. If I lived in a more rural area....I think I would still prefer to keep them inside because I'm a worrier. Unless I was able to provide some sort of outdoor secured area.

I haven't researched this issue and so can't provide any links, but obviously you know there are many good reasons to keep cats indoors.

I think if you provide enough interesting things in your house, they can be quite content to stay indoors, especially if they've never been out in the first place.

Answer 7

How would you have liked it your mother never let you play outside because it was dirty and dangerous? And kept it up all your life so in the end you were scared of the world out there? Course it's a risk, but happy cats climb trees and roll in the grass. They don't spend their lives safely on a sofa. Living's dangerous - what can you do? You live. Cats come home to where the food is, don't worry.

Answer 8

Both my cat's are indoor/outdoor cats. It's true that it's a bit more risky (once my cat got half her ear bitten off in a fight!), but the cats really love going outside.

However, if you live near a busy road it would be best if you kept her inside. Maybe you can buy her a big cat house to keep her occupied so she dosen't get bored and try to escape again.

Answer 9

If you decide to let your cat outside, PLEASE only do so if you have a contained area for it. By that, I mean an area in your yard with something much like a dog kennel has - a fenced in area where the cat couldn't climb out (or jump) from the top (top is enclosed) and all 4 sides are closed. I have 2 Persians and don't let them outside at all. I don't believe in letting pets run around any area without being on a leash or at least in something as mentioned above. Not only is it dangerous for them, but it's a major nuisance to other people. Face it, there are plenty of people in this world that do not like other people's pets going onto their property. Some of those people get pleasure out of harming the loose critters. Do yourself and others a favor by keeping them inside.

Answer 10

there is feline leakemia, and it is contagious, but your vet will vaccinate her against it. cats are very smart animals, and if she is happy with you, she will be able to find her way back if she wanders out of your yard. i'd try taking her out on a leash for a few days, you can hook her up to a cable like dogs, sounds weird (looks weird too) but it does work, adn she will be able to be outside this way. if you do this, make sure that there isn't anything she could get the halter/collar stuck to in reach of the line. my cat didn't know how to climb trees, so i didn't have to worry about that. a vet will suggest not using a collar, even the breakaway collars because they can still get caught and strangle your cat. my cat was the same way as yours, and we let him be indoor/outdoor. he knew on his own to go to the door when he wanted in, and he stayed near our yard (he never wandered very far, though he did get in a couple fights, i think he was picking on animals bigger than him) you can always get a fence for her as well. get a birdfeeder to, to keep her entertained. the other cat may want to go out, but if they don't show interest in it now, they probably won't care too much if you live in the city, i'd reccomend getting a fence to keep her away from the street. good luck!
oh, i live in the middle of nowhere, so i didn't have to worry very much about my cat getting away or crossing the street (he was afriad of cars, but got a little brave a couple of times, but he got scolded for it) plus, our dog had been trained to stay in the yard, and the cat seemed to do pretty much what the dog did, thought he did play in the bushes separtaing our yard from the neighbours. if you're letting he run free, make sure she will respond to your call, whether it's her name or the old "here, kitty, kitty."(which my cat responded to when i wanted to find him. he only repsonded to his name in a what the heck do you want now kind of manner. i love kitties with attitude !^-^)it really does depend on if you're in the city or country.