A 'domesticated cat'question can you help!?

Question

I've had this cat for 2 years,her name is 'cha cha'('cause everytime before she'd pounce, her back end would do the 'cha-cha'),also she has been 'fixed',I think she's a very smart and playful cat..Here's my problem,she's never lived outside,(I live in an apartment complex)Should I let her go?Sometimes I think I'm doing her an injustice by keeping her confined in my aptartment,(she seems like she's wanting to go outside).I'd miss her if she did'nt come back though,but I hate holding her back from exploring the world outside like like her feline ancestors do.This may sound stupid but,should I even care about it.I'd just hate it if she would be roughed up by the more 'wilder' cat's out there.Help!

Answer 1

Only you are in a position to know whether or not your local environment is a safe one for cats to venture outdoors. However, as your cat has spent the first two years of her life living indoors, she may actually be frightened outdoors, particularly if she is of a timid nature.

As a compromise, would you consider training her to walk on a harness? That way she would be able to explore outside, but would have you there as protector. The web article below explains how to train a cat to walk on a harness.

http://cats.about.com/cs/behavioralissues/ht/leashtrain.htm

If you are worried about her becoming bored indoors, or that she needs more mental and physical stimulation in her life The web article below offers lots of tips on keeping your cat happy indoors.

http://www.celiahaddon.co.uk/pet%20problems/cats/indoor.html

If you are away from home for long periods due to work or other commitments, perhaps she might appreciate having another cat for company. If this is an option that you might want to consider, then choose a cat that is younger and smaller as they will be seen as less of a threat to her. The web article below offers really good advice on how to introduce a new cat to your existing one.

http://www.tulsa-animalshelter.org/tips/intro%20cat.htm

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Don't feel bad about keeping Cha-Cha inside. You are keeping her safe, healthy and alive. Even wild cats can't defend against cars, dogs, cruel people and poisons.

I've had two cats in the past that were indoor/outdoor. One got in a fight with an opossum and almost died when the bite got infected. The other was beaten by some jerk and died from internal injuries. You do not want this sort of thing to happen to your cat.

By the way, cats hate closed doors. It is quite possible that your kitty meows at the front door just because it's closed, not because she wants out.

Answer 3

Don't let her out! My boyfriend used to let our cat out and one day the cat came home really sick. Well, long story short, he got into anti-freeze somewhere and his kidneys quit working. We spent almost a grand trying to save him and in the end, there was nothing we could do. It was so sad. My boyfriend felt awful, but he had grown up with his grandma having in&out cats on her farm so he didn't even think about stuff like anti-freeze and all that. In the end, in the city, it's just not safe to do that and anti-freeze and bigger kitties aren't the only threats. It could get hit by a car or some stupid neighborhood kids could toture it. Keep her inside and just play with her a bunch. Go to the pet store and find something like a toy mouse on a string or you can take one of those jingle bell balls for cats and tie a string to it. Then pull it around on the floor for the cat to chase and pounce on.

Oh yea, and once you let them out, it kind of blows the whole litter training thing. If we didn't let our cat out, he would go pee on stuff until we let him out to play.

Answer 4

i deal with the same thing. i have 3 indoor cats and they have never been outside. my baby Mr. kitty got outside once and ran away to chase birds and such. i looked for him everywhere and just knew that he would get killed on the road. i cried myself to sleep every night that he was gone. 2 days later he shows up on the porch and is very hungry and wanting in. i never let him back out. i always open the windows (screened) to let him look out and let him get fresh air. I have even put him on a leash so he could "eat grass" outside. He doesn't care too much for the leash but i feel better if i let him out to feel the grass under his paws. My cat is fixed as well, he doesn't have the urge to go out now that he used to. bigger dogs will chase and could kill and eat cats. i would never want my baby to get hurt. They still have "wild" instincts but our world is filled with soo many dangers now, to poison, dogs, cars and people as well. I would not let cha cha out if i were you. hope this helps.

Answer 5

She can't miss something she has never had. Her whole world is your apartment and that is just fine. You love her and want the best for her. Safe and sound in your world is what is best for her. Don't make her leave her nest . She may be curious about outside but that is all. Outside is a dangerous place for a inside cat.

Answer 6

I would worry more about her getting "roughed up" by a car than another cat.

My cats are confined to my property and though it might be more ideal for them to have the freedom to roam wherever it just isn't safe for them in the world today.

Many people can't even let their children play outside unsupervised in the world today. That's not natural either and necessary for their safety.

Answer 7

If you like her as an indoor cat, keep her in. Safer for her with no outdoor experience, and ferral cats arent the onlything to worry abought, mean people who would mistreat a trusting/people friendly cat, or someone who just locks a nice seemingly lost cat in there house. Don't forget the cars....

Answer 8

Your question is excellent--not stupid. Too many people confine their wanderlusting cats indoors--and that is NOT the only solution to keeping them safe.

I have a lot of experience in this area, as I have "taught" 5 of 6 cats I've cared for how to walk on leashes (patience and a good JACKET (important you search for it with "jacket") harness is all you need). This suffices while you rent, but it does require you to set aside daily time for your cat and to have an eagle eye and keen ear for impending dangers (other animals, cars, etc.).

When you own a home, check out http://purrfectfence.com/. We installed it in our backyard, and it changed all of our lives for the better. We planted tall flowers (morning glories, mexican sunflowers, and sunflowers) to beautify the fence line.

If the fence is too expensive, you can also build your own indoor-outdoor enclosure, which a friendly acquaintance of mine did for her menagerie (This friend served as an animal control officer and is now part of legal counsel for PETA.). Here's one of many links addressing this concept: http://www.stanford.edu/group/CATNET/articles/enclosures.html

Answer 9

Absolutely dont let her outside its hard enough living out there with the cars and coyotes(depending on where you live) especially since she has been indoor for so long its a death sentence for her all my cats are inside and they are perfectly happy and healthy
DONT LET HER OUT!

Answer 10

I have my own cat so i would suggest that you keep her in. Do you have a small porch ? if you do you can put her out there and she will see that the world for her is better watching from the porch than in the road.