indoor cats (kitten, male, feline, sleeping)

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by nail in da coffin

This is my first visit to this part of the forum and I havent gone through th at many posts but I have this question that always bugged me. Why do some people go nuts when their cats go outside? dont they know they will find their way back no matter what? (unless you are in a nyc apt of course and they have the buzzing door to get in problem and all that) but other than that , what in the nation can happen to an adult cat taking a stroll out there? or is this perception not correct?

In our case, the Atlanta metro area is swarming with coyotes (the wooded areas found almost everywhere apparently provide a very good home for them), and outdoor cats are regularly reported as missing in our local area. Our next door neighbor has lost two in just the past three years.

[redjuel]

I keep my kitty indoors because I don't want fleas and ticks in the house. She's perfectly happy being inside too!

[nancy thereader]

Cats who regularly go outside live a shorter life. That is just statistics. Especially during nighttime , the outdoors is a dangerous place for cats.

That being said,
Gracie the Maine Coon Empress sneaks outside every chance she gets. She just likes staying on the front porch and baking in the sun. This is also a way that she can keep tabs on who enters the house. If anyone does, she makes a grand leap for the tall stool in the kitchen so that she can make sure that no visitor will steal food from her dish.

[gizmo980]

I've lost two cats to the streets, when they were hit & killed by cars... as my old vet used to say, "There's no vaccination for cars and coyotes (we lived in the mountains)." That being said, I still let my younger cat go outside, since he just wouldn't be happy otherwise. I figure it's better that he have a happy life, even if it - heaven forbid - ends up being a shorter one. It's pretty safe where we live now, despite being in the middle of a big city, since we're in a clump of row-houses. So when he jumps the fence, he only ends up in another yard... and that goes on for about 10-15 houses before he'd actually reach the street. Anyway, I think it's up to every owner whether to let their cat outside, but I definitely see the advantages to keeping them in!

[Retired Law 08]

My 2 cats are strictly in door cats. I would never let them out,too many things could happen to them,also alot of places you adopt from you have to
agree you keep them in doors and do not de-claw. I still wouldn't let them
out,I don't feel comfortable with that,I have a nice screened in porch in
my yard which they love.

[nic529]

I felt the same way about kitties going outside. I have a dog, and 2 cats. One of my cats is declawed so she will never be permitted to go outside with no way to defend her self. My other cat, Ziggy, got a taste of outdoors.....and turned into an indoor/outdoor cat. 3 weeks ago he went outside and he hasn't been back. I will never let another cat go outside. I miss him, my kids miss him, my other animals miss him, and we don't know if he's with another family or hurt or worse. Its very upseting to think about not knowing what has happened to him.

[misfitz]

I think it depends on the neighborhood and the cat. Traffic, coyotes, etc. are all dangers in some neighborhoods. Fortunately not in mine, and my cat goes in & out as she pleases. But it's a quiet area, nearly everyone on our street has cats, and she pretty much stays in the backyard. I have lived in places where I would not let her out at all - fortunately she adapts pretty easily. If I had a cat that was more of a roamer, I would probably keep it inside for it's own safety.

My parents live in the country, where they have coyotes, and their 3 cats stay indoors, but have their own little fenced yard to go out in. They don't have any desire to explore beyond that.

I think that an indoor-only cat would face more danger outside, if it escaped, than would an indoor/outdoor cat who knows how to take care of itself and find its way around the neighborhood though. Oh, I forgot to add that my indoor/outdoor cat always wears a collar with ID tag, and is microchipped. And she's about the only one in the neighborhood. Keep them it or let them out, but PLEASE keep ID's on them!

[nancy thereader]

I have a nice screened in porch in
my yard which they love.

Gracie would probably be very satisfied with this as it is the sun that she really enjoys being in. Sounds perfect.

[95butterflies]

As a child, I lived near a highway that seemed to be a favorite place for people to drop off cats. I always took them in, but my dad would not let me make them indoor cats. I would sneak them in when dad wasn't at home or would provide shelter for them in the garage when I could. I can't tell you how many cats I lost to the highway during my childhood.

As an adult, I have always lived in the city or suburb. As an undergrad, I started feeding a stray cat that I found. I didn't let her in at the time because of a conflict with my current roomate and her cat. I lived on a quiet street and thought she would be okay. She got hit by a car and survived, luckily. But suffered long term damages, that ultimately led to her death a few years later (scar tissue that built up on her lungs that prevented her from breathing). I moved to another apartment and took her indoors, but always felt bad because her injuries could have been prevented if I hadn't left her outdoors.

My husband and I now have two cats that we keep indoors. We live in the suburbs. They were both rescued as kittens from the streets and have lived their entire lives indoors. Mowee likes to run outside and eat grass whenever she gets the chance. My husband likes to let her do it but I have mixed feelings about it (but she is his baby; he rescued her 12 years ago when he was in college). I would NEVER let Simon (my baby) outside (unless it was a screened in porch deal...which I think is GREAT Nancy!). I think Simon is part squirrell and I am afraid if he got out that he would get scared and I would never find him again.

My parents just lost their cat Cinders last week to a dog attack. They live on 40 acres of wooded land that Cinders roams at night. They found him in their chimney when they bought the house (hence the name). He loved the outdoors and Dad thought it was wrong to force him to stay inside. Ironically, it was my brothers dogs that got him. He had come to the door in the morning, meowing for Mom to let him in. She went to the door but he had gone, so she called him until he came. Apparently the calling got the dogs attention. She had Cinders in her arms when the dogs came barrelling up the deck. Cinders started scrambling to get down, but Mom was trying to hold on to him and get him inside. He got loose and ran off down into the woods with the dogs right behind him. He was an avid tree climber, so Mom thought he would be okay. By the time she got some clothes and shoes on and got down to where the dogs were, Cinders was dead. It was really sad. I have mixed feelings about the whole thing though. Although his life was cut short, Cinders had a great life while it lasted. He enjoyed going outdoors and hunting. This sounds crazy but he would even hunt with my dad out there in those woods. My dad is deaf in one ear and Cinders would help him with the directionality of sounds.

[tagylyn]

My kitties are indoor/outdoor. They have their own door to come and go. Cost more at the vets because they need additional vacinations that indoor only cats do not need.