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As far as I'm concerned, if it's safe for them to go outside, they should. What do you think?
Where other than a screened in area is it safe for a cat to go outside? There are preditors everywhere. From sadistic sociopaths in country and city to coyotes, fox and dogs in more rural areas. Cats are run over everywhere... from busy city streets to lonely country roads. Outdoor cats are open to every parasite and disease out there. What possible advantage can there be in letting your cats outside?
But I can't help but think that a cat who is kept indoors is not getting sufficient exercise, is more likely to get fat and will feel like he/she is serving a life sentence by being restricted from the adventure of the outdoors. How do you know your cat is really happy indoors?
Insufficient exercise? Getting fat....just like most of us. They can't miss what they never had. My 3 cats are not fat and get plenty of exercise with the interactive toys, play mice, their cat furniture, chasing each other around the house like maniacs. They doze on the windowsills and watch everything we do. They can't feel they're serving life sentences indoors because they've never been outside. How would they feel if they were flea and tick ridden, diseased, torn up in fights, injured by a car.... or if some lunatic got them.
But I can't help but think that a cat who is kept indoors is not getting sufficient exercise, is more likely to get fat and will feel like he/she is serving a life sentence by being restricted from the adventure of the outdoors. How do you know your cat is really happy indoors?
What adventures are they missing? Mine get scared every time a car goes by the window or anytime there's a storm. They wouldn't have time to enjoy the outdoors because they'd be scared all the time. Exercise- They get the run of the house. No part is kept off limits. They love play fighting and playing tag with each other. Plenty of things for them to climb on. One chases the other two to one end of the house and then someone else chases two back. I grow a couple containers of cat grass which they love to eat. And it helps with digestion.
Gizmo(3 yr old male)-loves sitting in the window and watching everything that goes by. Never attempted to run out the front door when it was open. Why would he? He's safe, warm, well fed, plenty to play with, gets lots of attention, etc.
Priscilla(1 yr old female)- climbed the screen in the window to catch a bug. screen fell out, cat goes out the window. Neighbor's dog sees her and comes running. Scared the crap out of her. Came right back in and never tried it again. Still looks outside but knows she's safe inside. She's the most energetic and is happy because there's always someone to play with. Either the other two cats, my husband, or me.
Tracy(between 2-3 yrs old female)-only one that tries to escape. The farthest she goes is the porch where the plants are. (Destructive cat. Chews on almost anything.) She doesn't try going in the yard. She knows what it's like out there. Found her outside. Had a huge gash in her leg. Covered in fleas. Pregnant when I found her(which is where Priscilla came from). She was all skin and bones even though she was pregnant. She gave birth to 5 kittens. 2 already dead, 2 runts, and one normal size. That was a year ago. 2 got a new home. I kept the smallest runt. Six months later found out she had pyometra(disease in the uterus). Spayed her and solved that problem. She is now at a healthy weight. Call me crazy but she knows I saved her and the babies.
Bottom line is- my cats are happy indoors because they are loved. They know it and they show me love all the time. There is nothing that they are lacking. They are safe.
A lot of interesting points in this thread. I hadn't considered the disease factor but I know there are some cruel people out there who get their jollies out of making a defenseless animal suffer (with antifreeze and other poisons).
But I can't help but think that a cat who is kept indoors is not getting sufficient exercise, is more likely to get fat and will feel like he/she is serving a life sentence by being restricted from the adventure of the outdoors. How do you know your cat is really happy indoors?
It is up to YOU to be sure your cat gets enough exercise and mental stimulation.
My cats get plenty of exercise and attention and none of them are overweight or bored
I belong to many pet forums. There are threads every day, EVERY DAY, from people who's cats have gone missing, been found dead in the street, come home poisoned, shot, or otherwise tortured or injured at human hands.
People love to say "my cat has lived a hundred years outside and is perfectly healthy blah blah blah". How nice for them. But all it takes is once.
Besides, if your cats are outside all the time you are really missing out. Cats are wonderful amazing deep intriguing creatures. The more attention you pay them, the more their unique personalities come out. People who don't keep their cats in really miss out on a lot.
But I can't help but think that a cat who is kept indoors is not getting sufficient exercise, is more likely to get fat and will feel like he/she is serving a life sentence by being restricted from the adventure of the outdoors. How do you know your cat is really happy indoors?
Others have continued to answer this, but since you quoted me, I'll touch on it too.
"...will feel like he/she is serving a life sentence by being restricted from the adventure of the outdoors." This is the silliest thing I've ever heard. You could maybe, MAYBE, make this argument if you adopted a 10-year-old cat that somehow managed to live that long entirely outside. It might be hard for that old cat to adjust (and yet, it would still be worth trying. I mean, it adjusts, somewhat at least, to the shelter.) But otherwise, it's stupid. Do you feel like you're serving a life sentence by avoiding war zones, toxic waste dumps, etc.? Even if you don't buy that analogy, here's what you forget: the cat doesn't know any different. Mine has lived her entire life inside. If you adopt a couple year old cat, maybe it has known the outside. If it's in the shelter, there's a good chance it has known a rough life outside. Trust me, it's going to enjoy the cushy life inside. And the cat likes routine, familiarity, sameness. There's always an adjustment period to new home, but once it has adjusted, all it wants is for things to stay mostly the same. This means you can safely bring home a couple year old cat that may have been outside at times and have it become well adjusted to being inside all the time. There are many adventures to be had inside the house anyway, especially with furniture where the cat can get up high, things to look at out the window, etc. Mine is intently curious, so any new thing that comes in to the house, be it a bag of groceries, a box that some new item came in, whatever, can all be interesting to her. Also keep in mind that roughly 2/3 to 3/4 of the day, the cat is going to SLEEP. Usually not all not all at one go of course. This is normal, it's what a cat does.
"not getting sufficient exercise" That's what interactive toys are for. You can interact with the cat, which she will enjoy very much, and she will get some exercise. This is also where the two cat idea comes in, because they will play a bit on their own and get some exercise, whereas a cat alone won't really run around on its own too much. No different than walking/running/otherwise playing with a dog. Why do we think this is different with cats? If you think the cat is entirely self-sufficient and doesn't want you to play, well, see below.
"How do you know your cat is really happy indoors?" How do you know any pet is happy? It can't talk in our language, so you have to look for clues in the animal's behavior. When you live with an animal long enough, you get a feel for these things. I don't know how it is with smaller animals. I mean, how do you know a hamster is happy indoors? Beats me. I've never had one. People keep birds in the house, fish in aquariums, do we question all those practices as well? I'm sure some may, but we can go back to the obvious comparison, dogs. How do you know your dog is happy indoors? Everyone says, well, of course, the dog wants to be where you are, that's what it does. Well guess what? SO DOES THE CAT! The mannerisms can be quite different obviously, but the house cat is a companion animal that wants to be with you. I can see this very clearly in the actions of my cat. She may not ever curl up in my lap (not her thing), but she wants to be in the same room as me a lot of the time, wants to have attention in her way. Doesn't want to be petted constantly, but does want to be nearby. Sometimes she wants to curl up right next to me. The variations on this are wide; some will want to be in your lap all the time for example. But I can guarantee that the cat wants to be around you and wants you to be around.
I've had cats on and off for over 20 years. They overnight inside but they're outdoors while I'm at work. They greet me when I pull into the driveway and then it's inside for their dinner. And this schedule seems to suit both them and me just fine. My cats have enjoyed good health and long lives (14 - 17 years) and they "ask" to go outside on a regular basis when I have them indoors. But I bring them in for the evenings except on those rare occasions when they insist on spending the night out.
I just want to point out (not to pass judgment; while I am firmly in the indoor-only camp, I like to think I try at least not to judge others, just to offer my opinion and observation) that things like cats asking to go out, etc. are because it is part of their routine. If one doesn't allow going outside to be part of the routine, well, then it won't be, and they won't ask either. (If you're attempting to change the routine of a cat who used to go out, obviously this will not happen overnight!)
I just want to point out (not to pass judgment; while I am firmly in the indoor-only camp, I like to think I try at least not to judge others, just to offer my opinion and observation) that things like cats asking to go out, etc. are because it is part of their routine. If one doesn't allow going outside to be part of the routine, well, then it won't be, and they won't ask either. (If you're attempting to change the routine of a cat who used to go out, obviously this will not happen overnight!)
There are many many happy indoor only cats. I am not arguing that point. However, as I have previously said, one of my three cats has ALWAYS been very vocally interested in going outside, and it was NOT part of his routine for the first 4.5 years of his life. It is still not an everyday thing now but a couple times a week maybe. He is sooo happy when he is out in the garden. It is palpable. I love that darn spoiled cat too much to never give him that joy.
After rethinking this I take it back that a cat wouldn't be safe outdoors under any circumstances. The only circumstances I would consider safe is if kitty was in a privacy-fenced yard, with their owner supervising for a short period of time. You would still have to worry about fleas and parasites, but I would consider that environment safe in that kitty can't run away, get in fights with other cats or get run over by a car. In my case my kitties don't want to go outside and I don't have a yard for them anyway so it works out for everyone
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They can't miss what they never had. My 3 cats are not fat and get plenty of exercise with the interactive toys, play mice, their cat furniture, chasing each other around the house like maniacs. They doze on the windowsills and watch everything we do. They can't feel they're serving life sentences indoors because they've never been outside. How would they feel if they were flea and tick ridden, diseased, torn up in fights, injured by a car.... or if some lunatic got them.
This is normal, it's what a cat does.
Cat owners: do you keep your feline in or out?
