Can cats safely roam the outdoors in the panhandle area? (real estate, house)

[oldafretired]

Since I'll be in a forested area I would guess there are a lot of predators around that might look at a cat as lunch. Can cats roam around in relative safety?

I have a couple of outdoor cats that will become Idaho residents next year. I'm thinking of making them live in the house during the snowy winters but let them roam around in the summer. Would that be a bad idea?

[Walkaboutcda]

I think it is best for the cats to stay inside. In protects them from predators and it protects wild birds from them:

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/...irds-each-year

[oldafretired]

Yeah, that's a really good point about birds. They can't help themselves. I have a few pet birds in the house and since I let a disabled cat live in the house, I can't let the birds out of the cage anymore. Got to be very careful when I clean the cages in the morning.

[elkotronics]

FWIW my wife and I were at the Vet here in Alamogordo yesterday getting our grey feline Matty looked at for his ears. He has ear mites and an ear infection we now have meds to give him for. But the Vet gave us an earful on not letting the cats outside. He listed 7 reasons why not and wouldn't have had any patience for any kind of argument otherwise. Hard to argue against his reasons, really.

[lovecda]

I know a lot of people who feel bad about keeping their cats indoors, but I've yet to see a cat who can't make the transition. In populated areas, the biggest threat to cats is people--getting hit by cars, climbing into engine blocks for warmth, getting stolen or abused. In the less-populated areas of North Idaho there are quite a few dangers and predators.

Dangers would include severe weather (snow, ice, springtime flooding) and small animals that can inflict damage such as porcupines, skunks and bats. There is also the danger of disease or parasites from any rodents they might catch or eat. Livestock can also be a danger since cats are often comfortable around horses and cattle which can lead to the cat inadvertently getting stepped on and injured.

Predators vary depending on exactly what part of the panhandle you're talking about, but in North Idaho they can commonly include coyotes, eagles and hawks; less commonly mountain lions, bears and wolves.

[oldafretired]

Thanks for all the great info. I think I'll keep them inside.

I never considered getting cats but several years ago a female cat kept bringing litter after litter to my back yard. I was able to give them away except for this litter of three. I took them to get fixed and get their shots and was even was able to trap the mother cat and get her fixed. She disappeared after that.

I didn't want them in the house because of my birds but when the one guy got hurt, I didn't have much choice. I had to take him for almost 50 visits to the vet to get him fixed up. Even took the guy to an orthopedic surgeon for animals. I think I could have got a nice ATV for what the treatment cost.

I think I will just have to keep the birds secured in separate room and try to remember to keep the door closed.

What's a good way to transport cats on a long 2 day drive. With dogs I think you can just have bathroom breaks for them but what about cats?

[StuffedCabbage]

Tons of rattlesnakes there. I mean, they are everyhere. In summer I'd confine them indoors if you really want to keep those cats.

[oldafretired]

Originally Posted by StuffedCabbage

Tons of rattlesnakes there. I mean, they are everyhere. In summer I'd confine them indoors if you really want to keep those cats.

Is that right? My real estate agent said there were no rattlers around there. (just north of CDA) I should have been paying more attention when I was walking around my lot which is full of trees and tall grass. I''ll be more careful next time I go up there next spring.

[slingshot]

No poisonous snakes in the top two counties of Idaho. That's what I was always told when I lived there. I never saw one either and we lived in a tipi for the first two years. Through the winters too.
My wife and I always let our cat run outside when we lived there. No problems. Now we have two cats that we got at the shelter that have always been inside cats. That's where we keep them, inside, for their safety.

[Kevlaw]

I have this same question about a 10 pound dog. I guess it really depends on the area surrounding your house. I think my little dog will be a little safer than a cat, but I think precautions will need to be taken with a good fence and maybe restricting when the little guy gets to go outside.

We also have a 100+ pound bullmastiff, not as worried about her. She does seem to like bears, that is obviously a problem. She may think she is a bear, but would quickly find out she is lunch.