Is it ok to let a cat outside?

Question

I live down quite a quiet residental road. Is it ok to let them out?

Cats can climb fences! No crazy american answers please!

Answer 1

You will need to teach them to go outside slowly. Watch them at first, only let them out for an hour or two, try to teach them to be afraid of cars, but mostly they will know this by instinct. Once you feel comfortable with their ability to take care of themselves, it is absolutely okay to let them out whenever they like. In fact, it is better for the cat, and better for you and your house. They will get the exercise they need, they will go to the bathroom outside, they will eat grass instead of your houseplants, and they will claw the ground, trees, and other surfaces instead of your furniture. But if you let them come inside when they like as well, they will normally spend a lot of time inside as well, where they have access to their food and drink and the company of their owners, not to mention safety from the weather and neighborhood cats.

Be sure that the cats are fixed, though, and that they are not declawed. If they are not fixed they will quickly find other cats to make kittens with, and if they are declawed they will not be able to defend themselves.

If you are concerned with them being in danger, a fence is okay, though they will likely spend a lot of time trying to get out of it (cats do NOT like to be enclosed). You really don't need to worry about them getting lost - cats have an excellent sense of direction and where home is. Most cats rarely go more than one house away from home, and spend a lot of time very close to the house.

Good luck!

Answer 2

If your cat has a microchip and is vaccinated and you are sure your cat WANTS to go out I would say ok. But it's a lot of work keeping an outside cat safe adn even if you take precaution there is still a chance your get get hit by a car, attacked by a larger animal, or catch a disease. I let my tabby outside because she wants to go out. She never goes too far, and since hse has a microchip I know that if she gets lost and a shelter finds her seh will come home. I have never seen her go further than a few houses and even still she is in more than out. It's a risk but my cat seems to thrive on going outside. The vet says she has gottne to a healthier weight, and she no longer scratches in the house. If you are willing to take the risk and do the extra work then yes you can let a cat outside.

Answer 3

You can but their is lots of risks. First, the cat could get lost or run away. There is always a chance it won't come back. Second, there is lots of things outside that may cause allergies in a cat. Third, evven though where you live is quiet, there is still cars and it could get run over. And fourth, there is other cats out there and the cat could get into fights and if your cat is not fixed, it could become a mother or father. But, it will keep the cat busy and it won't be bored. This will also usually make a cat more independent.

Answer 4

When I lived at my mom's house in a quiet neighborhood, I would let my cat out. He would go play for a few minutes and then paw at the door or lay next to it when he wanted back in, I would always wait for him to let me know, which was usually only a few minutes, enough to eat some grass and roll in the dirt. But now that I live at my dad's, still in the country, but my aunt has a couple of dogs that will attack cats and so does my uncle across the street he only gets to look out the window until they move out. I think nothing is wrong with letting the cat out just make sure their are no threats and the cat doesn't go near the street, mine will only go a few feet from the house.

Answer 5

I'm a vet tech and I live in a quiet subdivision all the way at the back end. I don't let my cats out. They are indoors only. I had too many cats disappear while I was growing up (run over, predators, one crawled up in the fan of dad's truck and he didn't know it when he started it). Studies find cats live longer being kept indoors. You also don't have to worry about them getting into fights, walking all over your vehicles (or your neighbors'), digging up flower beds for a litter box, and getting smelly/dirty from burdocks or mud. I keep a large flat of grass indoors for them to chew and/or roll in, plus lots of toys and environmental enrichment. It doesn't have to be expensive. Mine are happier with a ball of crumpled tin foil than a $2 pet store toy. Declawing is also not necessary. I have several scratching posts (that I got from friends and yard sales cheap) all around the house to protect the furniture. As for the litter box......we don't use the spare bathroom all that much, so I keep the litter box in the shower stall with the drain shut. It's catches any litter, and you can vaccume it then wipe with a light bleach solution.

Answer 6

I wouldn't let a pet roam free outdoors. There are many dangers they face. Your street may seem quiet, but that doesn't mean the threat of being struck by a moving vehicle does not exist. Other animals could also be a danger, if not from directly attacking the cat, then from possibly passing on an infectious disease. You could also end up with unwanted kittens if your cat is not fixed or it could eat something poisonous. There are also cruel people who grab animals off the street and sell them to research labs or who do horrible things to them themselves. If you really love your pets, keep them indoors.

Answer 7

Cats can and will jump fences. Cars are only one thing a cat needs to deal with when outside. There are also other cats, some with diseases, dogs, cruel teens, other wild animals, parasites, etc. It's nto true that a cat NEEDS to be outside to be natural. My 5 would rather spend their time inside where it's air-conditioned and the food bowl is full.

Answer 8

This is a very debatable question and it will probably always continue until there's an end to mankind or an apocolypse.

You need to consider the pros and cons of keeping a cat inside vs. letting a cat out before doing this.

Some points to consider with an outdoor cat:

- Some people hate cats and will go out of their way to eliminate them. A friend of mine lost her cat through her neighbour's (deliberately) poisoned meat.
- Cars are a huge threat. Your cat could randomly get hit by one. In addition, cars leak chemicals which can find their way to nearby waters. Antifreeze, for example, is a poison and can neither be smelled or tasted. Several cats have accidently ingested this through drinking water and often, do not make it through. In the winters, some cats develop a habit of going into the hood from under a car to stay warm during freezing temperatures. Some people are not aware of this and will start their car, and if your cat is in the wrong place in the hood of the car, that can be the end of him. A childhood friend lost his cat this way.
- There are other animals that you will be exposing your cat to depending on what your area is like, such as other cats, coyotes, foxes, dogs, etc. In my area about 2 years ago, we had a serious coyote problem in which they were even getting brave enough to go into peoples' backyards, grab the cat and take off with even the owners being present. Cats are food to coyotes and foxes.
Some of these animals may harbour fleas, diseases and if your cat encounters these, he will be liable to bring them home. Feline Leukemia is like Feline Aids and can be transmitted through bodily fluids such as saliva. A cat that I had encountered through my work was healthy until he got into a fight with an infected cat. He lived only around 4 more months before the disease killed him.
-Some cats will go missing or some people may assume your cat is a stray and take him in, so if you decide to allow your cat to go out, make sure you have ID on him or even better above all, get him microchipped. It is a foolproof way of getting contacted should your cat go missing or get picked up.

On the flip side and in my opinion, a cat can be perfectly happy being indoors so long as you provide toys, an interesting scratching post (check out http:www.woodruffforpets.com and look at their cat furniture section to see what I mean). The more interesting a post is, the more likely a cat will use it. Place the post by a window and guaranteed, your cat will use it! :)

If you want to provide a compromise, have the cat on a leash and harness until you know he can be trusted to stay on your property. As long as I'm outside with them, I let my cats out in the backyard once in a while. Even though they are indoor cats, they are extremely happy with this way of life because they get spoiled rotten *L*

Put a lot of thought into this because how your cat's life is now will affect how it feels later on. If they know outdoor life, it can be very frustrating to them to suddenly be confined indoors. Whereas, a cat living indoors will consider the occasional outing as a treat but will be perfectly happy indoors. In addition to all this, indoor cats generally live longer than those that go out.

Hope this helps!

Answer 9

Depends....do you want to get rid of them, or make them happy? Out of doors cats have 1/3 the avg. life expectancy of an indoor one, and PT outdoor is OUTDOOR. Cars are but one hazard...how well is your cat immunized against outdoor hazards, i.e. diseases it can catch from other cats, and other species in some cases? I wouldn't have an outdoor pet cat, though I will keep some if I ever live on a farm again, as working cats to deter rodents. But pet cats should be indoor cats, is what my vets have all told me.

Answer 10

yes cats can be let out if u trust them
one thing i do when letting a new cat out for the first time i put better on there feet and make them stand next to the front and back doors this way the grese from the butter and the smell on the pad is there and the cat can smell his own sent and will come home if he gets lost.