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There are lots of cats in my neighborhood and seeing them roaming the alleys is a daily occurrence. Sometimes I see the cats trot along, other times they run after eat other, scale fences, winding stairs, etc. Would you say that outdoor cats are more athletic and therefore have better immunity to disease and infections than indoor cats? If the outdoor felines have their shots and aren't hit by cars or get into fights with other animals, you'd think that they also have better circulation and health than a sedentary couch potato indoor cat.
Go downtown, find some guys who roam around outside at night a lot, get in fights over women, scrounge some food and go back to momma's for a nap and see if they are in better physical health as, say, your insurance agent.
I walk to work each day, seeing a number of outdoor cats. They have fleas, are thinner, several have matted fur, one has an eye infection, most have ear mites,generally these cats look very sickly, scrwany, and not too healthy to me.
Contrast with Jasper, an indoor cat, no fleas, clean fur, perfectly healthy.
I have always had indoor only cats, my cats live to an average of 20 years.
My Aunt lets her cats out, one died of poisoning, one was killed by a car, another was eaten by a coyote. Her cats live an average of five years.
I can't compare the athleticism of my cat, and outdoor cats, but based on the above information, I think Jasper lives a better, healthier life than outdoor cats.
I understand about the risks outdoor cats face, but I'm talking about athleticism in this thread. So let's not get off topic.
Tell me something: if Jasper were in a race with an outdoor cat to chase a squirrel and the race involved scaling fences, climbing a tree and a 100 yard dash, who do you think would win? If a dog was chasing your indoor cat, could he get away? If not, do you exercise Jasper and how do you determine that he's purrfectly healthy?
There are lots of cats in my neighborhood and seeing them roaming the alleys is a daily occurrence. Sometimes I see the cats trot along, other times they run after eat other, scale fences, winding stairs, etc. Would you say that outdoor cats are more athletic and therefore have better immunity to disease and infections than indoor cats? If the outdoor felines have their shots and aren't hit by cars or get into fights with other animals, you'd think that they also have better circulation and health than a sedentary couch potato indoor cat.
What are your thoughts on this?
Let's start with the facts. A cat can reach speeds of 30 mph running. There is not a category for indoor vs. outdoor concerning the speed. Just one category.
Just because a cat is an indoor only cat does not make it a couch potato. Since that seems to be your sentiment then I would guess you've never had a cat. Speaking for my indoor cats...they get plenty of exercise. I have two staircases in my house that they regularly race up and down. I have beds for them in high places one on top of the fridge and another on top of the armoire(which is only a foot from the ceiling).
To answer your question I don't think outdoor cats are more athletic than indoor cats. Also being outside does not improve a cat's immunity.
I think in general it's commonly known that cats who live outside live less long and are less healthy. Inside cats get lots of exercise if they have even a small amount of room to run around. To my mind, there's no advantage in being outside except the "owner" doesn't have to clean the kitty box--which is not, of course, any advantage to the cat.
I should add that I play with my cat regularly just so he will get enough exercise.
A lot of the running, scaling and so forth is instinctive. Even my 15-year-old indoor cat can do that, although the height she can jump is certainly lower now than when she was younger. I'm guessing that would be the same with a 15-year-old outdoor cat, except you won't find too many of those.
Cats naturally rest a good portion of the day, indoor or outdoor. There's no particular reason to believe that an outdoor cat would be more athletic. Maybe it gets more practice at chasing, and thus it might well be a more prolific hunter given the practice.
If the indoor cat were somehow to be stuck outside and need to run away from something, or was chasing something, its key disadvantage vs a cat already out there would be unfamiliarity with the lay of the land (obstacles, hiding places, etc), not the athletic ability itself.
Indoor cats who have dogs and other cats to chase around the house are very athletic. Mickey used to run around and chase his brother, Beau, and they would fight and wrestle. Mickey akso used to run around the house, and chase Sam, and then get chased. Two furry blurs were always running around.
At my house, yes, the outdoor cat was more active. My cats lived on 3 acres of privacy (no cars, dogs etc)..the door would open and out they would go....running as FAST as possible, running up trees, or even in circles, just so happy to be out and about and active.
Well NOW, we moved to a townhome...so I am making an effort to play with them and provide distractions...they chase each other etc. but 2 have gained a significant amt of wt in one month. I let them out when I can consistently be out with them and watch, but not comfortable with this.
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Since that seems to be your sentiment then I would guess you've never had a cat. Speaking for my indoor cats...they get plenty of exercise. I have two staircases in my house that they regularly race up and down. I have beds for them in high places one on top of the fridge and another on top of the armoire(which is only a foot from the ceiling).
