Cats as pets in rural suburbs? (San Jose, Redding: apartments, home, neighborhoods)

[cheryllouise]

Random question but do people who live in places like Almaden and the foothills etc keep cats as outdoor pets? We have a cat we'd be bringing with us when we move - we're in Seattle and she's mostly outdoor except at night when we get her in, and I'm wondering if that's what people in SJ do or whether it's safer to keep cats in all the time...? The only animals that are a threat to cats in Seattle are raccoons but someone mentioned the wildlife in SJ, particularly when you get out into the foothills, can get a lot bigger than a raccoon.
Thanks!

[ccm123]

Cats, in general are better off (safer) indoors. Much less threat of cars, other cats, dogs and other unknown animals. San Jose (e.g. the South Bay) has a lot of cars.

[MediocreButArrogant]

There are coyotes in the hills around Almaden Valley - you can hear them crying and yipping at night. We're one street off where the hills really start, and are careful to scan our yard at night before we let the dogs out to make sure there aren't any coyotes in the yard (never seen one, but one more street over and it's not uncommon to see them trotting down the street). I'd keep cats indoors, unless you know they'd never leave your yard.

Last year there was a mutilated cat on the sidewalk for a couple days around the corner from our house. I didn't look at it closely, but I assumed it was the victim of a coyote attack. This was in the direction away from the hills, so if it was a coyote attack, the attack took place three streets from the hill. Never heard of any mountain lions around here.

[sonarrat]

I had an outdoor cat, growing up in an area of Morgan Hill that had a lot of wildlife - deer, turkeys, coyotes, pumas, bobcats, raccoons, boar, you name it. That cat was tough as nails. He brought us bluejays and squirrels and tried to take down fawns.. if the doe wasn't there to chase him off, he probably would have been successful. He certainly wasn't the only outdoor cat in the area. If you have one, you will learn about every other one in the area as they fight each other for territory. There were dogs, too, but he never got attacked by one. YMMV.

[cheryllouise]

Thanks all, that's good to know.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

There are some strong opinions about feral cats in that area. If you don't care if your cat ever comes back home, or comes back home really sick or covered in fleas or ticks, etc., etc., then let it loose, I guess.

I would never let my dog out the front door and say "have fun." I don't get people who would do this. So many dangers and diseases out there that you can't protect them from.

Letting your animals loose on our own farm is one thing, but letting them loose in a city is another thing altogether.

And BTW, if your cat came into my yard and started using my flower beds for a litter box, your cat would come home, at the very least, very wet from my garden hose. And I'd be the nice neighbor.

You'd really take the chance that someone wouldn't poison your pet? Or their dog wouldn't rip it up when it landed in their yard? I could go on and on.

Just please don't do this, for so many reasons.

[jbunniii]

I lived next to a creek in Almaden Valley for a few years. When I moved in, a neighbor introduced herself and mentioned that she had lost several cats to the coyotes that hang around the creek at night. I brought my cat indoors before dark and there were no problems. During the day he would prowl around the creek and several times brought home "pets" of his own (mainly lizards).

I never noticed any raccoons, but in addition to the coyotes I did see bobcats once in a while, either at the creek or crossing the adjacent biking/walking trail. I don't know if they would mess with a domestic cat.

[Azmordean]

Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe

There are some strong opinions about feral cats in that area. If you don't care if your cat ever comes back home, or comes back home really sick or covered in fleas or ticks, etc., etc., then let it loose, I guess.

I would never let my dog out the front door and say "have fun." I don't get people who would do this. So many dangers and diseases out there that you can't protect them from.

Letting your animals loose on our own farm is one thing, but letting them loose in a city is another thing altogether.

And BTW, if your cat came into my yard and started using my flower beds for a litter box, your cat would come home, at the very least, very wet from my garden hose. And I'd be the nice neighbor.

You'd really take the chance that someone wouldn't poison your pet? Or their dog wouldn't rip it up when it landed in their yard? I could go on and on.

Just please don't do this, for so many reasons.

I could be totally wrong as I've never owned cats, but I'm under the impression that once a cat is an "outdoor cat" it is very difficult to turn them into an "indoor cat." They tend to go stir crazy, tear things up, etc. As I understand it, you must choose either "outdoor" or "indoor" for your cat and go with it - it's difficult to change back.

Perhaps OP has a chance because they do get the cat in at night at least.

[leaningfizz]

Originally Posted by Azmordean

I could be totally wrong as I've never owned cats, but I'm under the impression that once a cat is an "outdoor cat" it is very difficult to turn them into an "indoor cat." They tend to go stir crazy, tear things up, etc. As I understand it, you must choose either "outdoor" or "indoor" for your cat and go with it - it's difficult to change back.

Perhaps OP has a chance because they do get the cat in at night at least.

Yeah, that's my experience. I used to live against the hills in the Santa Teresa/ Cottle area and lost some cats to all the wildlife in the area. I decided to try and keep one of my cats indoors after years of being an outdoor cat and he made our life hell - howling day and night, tearing up furniture, breaking things, etc. We decided to let him back out and ended up losing him a few months later . The cats I've adopted since then have been indoor only, and they are happy as can be since they don't know any different. I would never recommend anyone let their cats outside, especially in the neighborhoods against the hills, but the reality is, if they are already used to the outdoors, then it's too late. In my experience, indoor cats are also a lot friendlier, as well as being much much much cleaner.

You can actually leash train kittens, but a lot of people hate that idea because they think it looks silly. I'd rather look a little silly than lose another beloved pet, though.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Originally Posted by leaningfizz

You can actually leash train kittens, but a lot of people hate that idea because they think it looks silly. I'd rather look a little silly than lose another beloved pet, though.

It's funny you should mention this. I live in a senior apartment building in downtown Redding now, and pets are allowed. There is a woman in our building who walks her Siamese cat every day. The cat wears a harness. She has to be very diligent about dogs, but she can scoop the cat up quickly.

It does look silly, I must admit. But, I do think it's really nice that she takes the cat outside. The other cats in the building never leave their apartments. The cats that face our indoor patio area have a fun time watching the gardeners, etc. I do feel bad for the ones that don't have at least that much stimulation, though as we're all seniors, they probably do get a fair amount of company and attention.