Where does your cat sleep at night?

Question

My boyfriend and I had a bit of a debate the other day because he keeps his cat outside all night, whereas I feel better keeping mine indoors overnight. He says it's not fair to keep a cat cooped up like that since it wants to be outside (plus, he says if his cat stays inside it wakes him up every ten minutes) but I say it's not safe for the cat to be out all night. He told me it's no less safe then it being out in the daytime (since I do let my cats in and out during the day. Well, except for one, she's just an indoor kitty).....I dunno, what do you guys think, and how do you do things with your own cats?

LOL, these answers are so fun to read because I can relate to so many of them! My cats like to try and force their way under my blankets, and we do have one that's terrified to go outside, my kitty sleeps with me on my bed, and one of my cats has tried to sleep on my face a few times, and we did sadly have a cat get out and get eaten by a coyote (and another cat got out and was hit by a car! All the more reason I feel secure having them in.) Anyways....carry on.

Answer 1

I have both indoor and outdoor sleepers. For the most part, I round the indoor/outdoor kitties in for the night. There are two cats, however that never come insides; barn cats. They can't live in the house due to urination problems or the fact that they hate other cats. But they both sleep in the barn, where they have cat beds.

It is safer for the cat to be indoors because large predators come out at night: foxes, racoons, coyotes, wolves (in certain areas), mountain lions, and bears. Now bears and wolves are less likely to eat your cats, but the rest of the listed predators are usually the culprits.

Domestic cats are just that, domestic. They were bred for companionship and showy colors. They retain a lot of their predator wild instincts, as we all do, but for the most part it is a shallow base of instincts. I'm sure you've experienced where your indoor/outdoor kitty will kill a mouse or almost kill a lizard and do nothing but play with it. Never eat it. The instinct is to catch something moving fast. Not to necesarily kill it properly or eat it.

By expecting domestic cats to respond to their environment like a savvy wild cat, you are giving them more credit than their breeding and in most times, their upbringing. Cats raised in the home and let out with older cats once in a while until they're old enough is not a full-on boot camp into surviving outside like they might have gotten where they feral or wild.

There are some cats that just can't be inside. Ferals, for instance. And in different cases, random personality types. But most animal rescuers agree, if you are going to take the danger of letting your animal outside, you should at least bring them in before dusk when the predators wake up to hunt. And fat cats shouldn't be outside long anyway. ;)

Most cats raised in an indoor-only environment never are even curious about the outdoors. They may want to sit in the sun of a window or go out onto a screened-in back porch and catch flies. But they never know the difference; they live healthy and fullfilling lives indoors. Therefore, it isn't cruel to expect them to live indoors all the time.

Cats brought up outside or in an indoor/outdoor environment tend to be harder to adjust to the indoor only scene. But at the rescue, we do it every day. And most "converted" cats end up living happy lives indoors after the brief awkward stage where they try for the door whenever you open it.

So, most of my cats (and most of the cats I know) are in before dusk and let out after dawn for safety reasons. A lot of people have differing ideas, but what it boils down to is that you are the animal's owner and protector. You are the one responsible for the animal's safety. It's better to be safe than sorry. For their sake more than your emotional attachment. Indoor at night! =)

Answer 2

My cats sleep all night, but they are kept active during the day by either the dog or by spending the day outside. Even if they did wander at night it would not be an issue because the dog keeps them from our sleeping areas. They still will ask to get out at night but we keep them in and they curl up with the dog and go to sleep. having a cat wandering the house at night is a great idea. The catch and eat all the bugs in the house. My cat camped out for 2 weeks in our recently purchased century house. By the time we moved in there were no mice and no bugs and the cat had even eaten all the spider webs that she could reach.

Answer 3

Mine sleep in the laundry room as I already have dogs in bed with me. One of the dogs can't leave my side. Anyway, they are very happy in there all have their own bed and space and spend daytime hours with everyone.It's the only way I can sleep. Tell your boyfriend an indoor cats on an average lives 3 time longer then a cat that goes in and out. There is no real reason for a cat to go outside.

Answer 4

well i keep my kitty indoors, she hates it out side no matter what i do she wont go out. but i have had indoor/outdoor cats befor and i always gave them the choice on in or out. they mostly choose indoors. but i wouldnt force them either way. open the door and let the cat choose. and if it is bothering him too much when the cat in indoors then shut the bedroom door with the cat out. but when my kitty in indoors she usually sleeps in the window or by my chest. if she gets annoying i just put her off the bed or out of the room. over all i say let the cat decide.

Answer 5

my Mom & I had the same conversation , she would let her cat out @ day , but have the cat come in before everyone went to bed.
I live on a busy road & there are also lots of
wild animals & dogs that live near our home so my cat always stays indoors.
As long as his cats return without any harm I would not worry , they must know all the good places to stay @ night so that they don't get hurt.

I happen to agree w/ you though, the safest place for them is inside the house.

Answer 6

One of my cats stays outside all the time because she potties in the house. However, I have a screen porch with shade and a cat door. My other cat sleeps with me when my husband is away for business but outside on weekends. The second cat can be a pain in the neck though. Sometimes he gets a hairball in the middle of the night and I have to get up and throw him outside. If your cat is declawed you should not have it outside without supervision.

Answer 7

I can't sleep at night unless I know that my cats are safely indoors at night. They are like my children so I worry about them being out at night with the possibility that something could happen to them. Nocturnal creatures like to hunt at night and I don't want my cats being one of their meals. A while back, one of my cats got out at night and never returned. I still miss her. So, I keep my three indoors at night and let them outside during the day.

Answer 8

We keep our cats indoors & they sleep anywhere they want to. Usually this means the boys are piled up in bed with us-- the 2 younger boys go under the covers if it's cold & the older guy is either right above my head or snuggled up with any one of us. Our girl hasn't slept in the bedroom since we lost her 'mentor' a few years ago.

Answer 9

We have 9 cats and a cat door the older ones come and go the kittens under 6 months all sleep with us.

Answer 10

My cats are both inside kitties and both like to sleep in the bed with us most of the time.