Cats inside or outside?

Question

I have read a resolved question where someone said there cat was ran over and were obviously very upset i was shocked at the answers she received they were sick blaiming her for the accident as she has a outdoor cat. MYcat goes both inside and outside depending on her mood what about all off you

my cat always comes in on a night she would hate to stay out all night

Answer 1

I'm with you on this one and I think I know the answer your are talking about, which was heartless and cruel. The answerer does'nt actually own a cat and admits to not liking them anyway. So why did she find it necessary to answer a question on a catergory she knows nothing about? Then has the cheek to take offense at the fact she got thumbs down for her answer.

I believe all cats, unless they have disability, certain virus's ,some pedigree breeds or the owner lives on a main road, should be given their freedom to come and go.

I have a multi cat household and always have had for years. All my cats are given their freedom during the day and I call them in about 10.30 at night and lock the catflap until the morning. They have a dirt box in case they get caught short, which they rarely do. Not one of my cats has roamed into the Road or been killed by a car and they all live to a good average age of 15/16yrs.

Most cats that are killed on the Road are un-neutered toms and are killed at night. Cats Protection can verify this.

I believe nature gave cats fur coats to protect them from the outside elements and claws to climb trees, scratch, catch prey and fight to protect their territory,even when neutered. They have the right to feel the wind and rain and breath fresh air and feel the grass beneath their feet. An indoor cat has all the cats natural instincts taken away from it.

I am not knocking cat owners who have indoor cats as I am sure they try to adapt there home to make their cats happy and fulfill their natural instincts in another way.

My heart goes out to the person who lost her cat in this awful way and I hope if they read this answer they might take some comfort from knowing that their cat was taken from them in an accident that this was not their fault at all.

This is my view anyway and I like your question, well done.

Answer 2

my cats are inside cats cause i'm not going to take a chanse of them getting ran over or hit by a car and in the future i won't have an outside cat at all i think it's kinda sad when people leave there cats out side cause they never now what will happen and the cat might not be there the next day

Answer 3

INDOORS! I have owned up to 12 cats at one time. I now only have 5 LOL as if that isn't alot. Anyway, I use to let my cats out until the vet bills & injuries started to compile. I had 2 cats contract FIV through fighting other outdoor cats & have since passed from illness, one cat came back with a shattered hind leg which cost me $1200 to fix. Others have had abcesses, punctures, torn ears & tongues. Remember there are many dangers, other cats, dogs, humans, cars, disease, parasites, etc. Cats are perfectly happy indoors. If a cat is use to outdoors it may take a little for them to adjust to the indoors, but they come around & are just fine with it. Oh, don't forget that cats are natural predators & kill many birds & other animals. Some states it is illegal to allow cats to roam because they kill endangered birds & mammals. I allow my cats outside, but i never leave them unattended. I use a harness for 3 of them & my other 2 no leash at all & they never leave my yard or kill. As a vet tech most cat injuries I treated were from outdoors, you'd be amazed what a human will do to a stray cat. :0(

add- to the person that suggested cats were given thick fur etc. to protect themselves outdoors is forgetting that humans domesticated cats & are not as nature intended. Breeders constantly change cat dynamics, just look at dwarves, hairless, etc. these cats would die outdoors in an instant.

Answer 4

It depends on where you live and what breed of cat you have - common sense really.

Near a main road - keep your cat indoors
Pedigree cats - can get stolen, and years of line breeding can make life survival skills outdoors slightly lacking, so its best to keep them indoors.
If you have a lot of foxes in the area - keep the cat indoors.

Or better still - put up cat fencing so that a cat can enjoy safe access to a garden and intruders can be kept out.

Answer 5

At the moment mine is in as she keeps bein attacked but she never wanders any further than the back of the house then comes back in again i always get her in at night i know someone who grew up on a farm and her cats werent allowed in the house as she said they had to fend for themselves i don't agree with that i used to have a siamese cat that hardly went anywhere where we couldnt see her she was like our baby but sadly she was run over because someone chased her to try and stroke her while she was sitting on our wall and she ran straight into the the road so i always panic now.

Answer 6

Iv'e not got a cat because of the dogs but i stay on quite a busy street(town traffic) so i would be a bit reluctant to let a cat out if i had one but it's down to the prefrance of the owner but if i did have a cat i would prob walk it on a lead the same as the dogs get you couldn't keep it inside 24/7 that would just be cruel

Answer 7

My two cats are completely INDOOR ONLY cats where they are safe, happy and healthy!

I am against cats being allowed outdoors since it exposes them to unnecessary risks (other animals, cars, dangerous people and disease). It is a myth that cats HAVE to be let outside. They can be perfectly happy living indoors. However, I don't think that person you referred too deserved to be treated that way. It is true she could have prevented the cat’s death by keeping the cat indoors but it wasn't the time or place for the people to express that.

If you insist on letting your cats outdoors please make sure they are spayed/neutered, up to date on ALL shots and have their claws intact.

-Brit

EDIT: Answer above: "Unlike a dog, you cannot own a cat by law. a cat can decide where it wants to live, so surely keeping a cat locked up because of your own insecurities is inprisonment."

Are you freaking kidding me?! That is the most absurd thing I have seen on here in a long time! I am amazed how far people will go to justify something whether it makes sense or not.

Answer 8

I have two cats that stay inside all the time and one that stays outside all the time. The outside cat was dropped at our house and won't come inside. He stays around the yard and is a friendly cat, but just will not stay inside.

Answer 9

My precious babies have a cat flap so they can do what they want. All were strays/ferals that just moved in with me, and it would be cruel to keep them inside, away from the sunshine and fresh air. I have had some run over, even though we live on a country lane. Although I miss them dreadfully, and grieve for them, I know they had a happy life with me. I wouldn't bring a cat here deliberately.
You have to let a cat be a cat if it is to have any quality of life. There are some cats who need an indoor home, FIV positive, deaf or blind cats. If you want an indoor cat, think about adopting one of these needy little creatures.

Answer 10

Cats should be allowed out if they really want out and you don't live in a large,busy city;but not till they reach a certain age because the younger they are the more likely they'll learn to fight and wander across the neighborhood;and if you do let them out you should get them fixed since that makes them
less likely to wander.But in some places letting cats out is totally crazy.And cats don't learn to like the outdoors by getting used to it,because I had a cat who only went outside once ,who never once touched the ground,but wanted to go outside every time I opened the door after that.