cat - outdoor or indoor?

[Ban Hammer 12,842]

i am not much of a pet lover

[Autumnchik 6]

My cat is an indoor one. When I got him 12 years ago, I was living in DC and there was absolutely no way he was going to be an outside cat. Where I live now, there is a family of foxes on the backyard and a rumor that there is a bear roaming the nieghborhood. No way in hell that my furryface is going outside!

[Arazia 0]

We have two cats, both indoor for a couple of reasons.

A.) The shelter we got the first cat at made you sign a contract prior to adoption agreeing not to de-claw the cat or to have it as an 'outdoor' cat. The rescue we got the second cat from had a similar contract.

B.) I live in a semi-urban area, where it would be dangerous for cats running around. We have a few strays that live in the area, and I constantly fear for their safety.

On the other paw, we have tried both cats out on a halter-leash system and allowed them to go out for 'walks'. The first cat, my big black lazy butthead freezes and freaks out if brought outside. My bengal cat loves it though. She'll sit outside with us, with the leash and halter on while we do our gardening.

[Queen Jenn 0]

We live too close to a busy freeway. Our cats are strictly indoor cats. We don't want a squished kitty. But we do open the deck door and let them watch the birds through the screened door.

[homesick_american 1]

The shelters here in the UK only asked us to bring the cats indoors at night; it's common in York to allow cats to roam, though we did lose one on the road in 2003.

I would prefer them to be indoor cats, but they were all shelter cats and all accustomed to going outside and they get destructive if we don't allow them out. So we just bring them in at night.

As they pass on and we adopt new cats, we will keep them strictly indoors. Once in Texas we will have to adapt any fencing in the backyard to prevent them from leaving the backyard, since it's illegal in many cities/towns in TX to allow your cats to roam.

[Mags 112]

since it's illegal in many cities/towns in TX to allow your cats to roam.

I didn't know that - I learn something new everyday.

[homesick_american 1]

since it's illegal in many cities/towns in TX to allow your cats to roam.

I didn't know that - I learn something new everyday.

I admit I was surprised by it too.

[mawilson 2,133]

since it's illegal in many cities/towns in TX to allow your cats to roam.

I didn't know that - I learn something new everyday.

International or domestic roaming?

[Fandango 1,439]

Mimi's an outdoor cat & she loves it.

And I don't live in the sticks (10 mins from downtown), but the house is on 6 acres & totally fenced. She focks around all day & then comes to the veranda to sleep where she's got a whole 'condo' type setup. Or ontop of the jacuzzi on her leopard bed.

[Mags 112]

since it's illegal in many cities/towns in TX to allow your cats to roam.

I didn't know that - I learn something new everyday.

International or domestic roaming?

How cute is that??

LisaD ~ Mimi certainly knows where her bread is buttered, doesn't she?

[Kathryn41 3,205]

I grew up with indoor/outdoor cats and know that my cats would much prefer being able to come and go as they please. However, that situation changed a number of years back after one of my cats was walking down the sidewalk and a car deliberately went out of its way, drove up onto the sidewalk and hit my cat. It was witnessed by a number of people. We got him to the vet - he had a broken pelvis, broken jaw, and smashed hind femur and was put back together again with pins and staples. Another of my cats got locked up in a vacant house for several days before we found him and then was chased by a neighbour who threw rocks at him. That was it - all of my cats have been indoor cats since then. When I only had two I took them for walks on a harness and leash every day and they loved it. I have five now though and not enough hours in the day to take them outside on a harness. At one of my places I was able to screen in a small porch that they could access through the kitchen window and that was wonderful. We debated building a screened enclosure here for them to enjoy some outdoor space, however, even in an enclosure they face far more risks than I am willing to accept: deadly heat, poisonous spiders, poisonous snakes, fleas, big dogs that break loose from their chains and already come up to the screens to try and get my cats, hawks, coyotes - and a neighbours 'attack' cat who literally jumps at the screens screaming at our cats while she tries to get to them. If they were loose they would have all of these risks, plus traffic and animal-haters, as well as the risk of getting lost. Plus, there are bobcats less than 10 miles away and they carry a type of tick borne illness that is 100% fatal for domestic cats - and the same tick that bites the bobcats bite domestic dogs. So, as much as the kitties would love to be outside, I would never be able to rest or relax and would be a nervous wreck. They are far too important to me to risk their lives like that. All but one of them have spent their lives as indoor cats since they were kittens - four of them were born feral and the fifth showed up as a stray when he was 11 months old.

Edited June 14, 2007 by Kathryn41

[L_n_O 3]

I work at a vet emergency hospital and you really don't want to see some of the outdoor cats we get coming in sometimes.. yes, some are tough little buggers but some get into really bad fights or into car accidents etc

KEEP YOUR CATS INDOORS

[raphael7546 0]

We have 6 cats. All rescue cats and all indoors. We have 3 really lge.litter boxes( the selfcleaning Petforma kind)All our cats are well taken care of. they have been spayed/nuetured, all shots up to date and they all stay indoors.

We also have a stray cat that lives in our Garage. We keep the garage door open for her. She is a feral cat and sleeps in a old 4 cubit ft moving box lined with old blankets. My hubby feeds her , gives her water and spends time with her every morning before he goes to work. Once she is more tame, we'll take her to the Vets and make sure she is spayed/nuetured and her shots up to date. Then she will probably join our others inside.When adding a new cat to our group, we usually keep the new one separate in another room until its accustomed to the area and other cats. Usually they all get along very well.

[lirachadsbaby 0]

am not allowing cat or any pets indoor.

[eau_xplain 2]

My little girl is an indoor cat. She was a tiny kitten when she found us (our garage, actually). The week we brought her into the house, 3 hawks (mama, papa and baby) showed up in our backyard. So, no, I'm not letting my little girl out there. She has plenty of room to run around inside the house, has her (pet) dog to play with and already owns 2 windows where she sits and watch the world go by.

I don't think she's much of an outdoor cat since she was very small when we took her in. One evening we went out to dinner and came home to find our basement door wide open and the cat alone in the basement. Maybe she went out, we can't tell, but I was just so glad that she was still there.