plus, around here, there are fox, coyote, Fisher cat and other things that will kill a cat. Outdoor cats are lucky to live more than a couple years outdoors here.
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Do You Let Your Cats Outside?
- Thread starter Erin80
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Mine are all inside but I do walk them on a leash with a harness. I live in farm country and there are lots of animals that will eat Cats like Coyotes and Foxes, or fight with them like Raccoons. There are also some people in the area who do not like Cats on their property and will shoot them or let their Dogs attack them.
same here.
All of mine are indoors. I'd like to build an enclosure but it needs to be covered because of eagles and owls, and I'm still trying to figure it out. Even the farm cats are in now; I brought them in for the winter and I hate to put them back outside. It makes me anxious. If they get really upset about staying inside I'll have to weigh quality of life issues, but for now they seem content enough.
My parents' cats go outside freely. Some stay on the deck but a couple of them roam. They've never lost a cat to outdoor-related causes. So I suppose it depends on the neighborhood and the individual cats.
My parents' cats go outside freely. Some stay on the deck but a couple of them roam. They've never lost a cat to outdoor-related causes. So I suppose it depends on the neighborhood and the individual cats.
Mine stay inside. They don't seem to be the worse for it and don't cry to be let out. There are ferals in the neighborhood and I'm afraid they might catch something. Besides, we had indoor-outdoor cats in my youth, and too many of them ended up flattened by cars.
W
Willowy
have you considered this for the catio cover - put in Amazon search -
Origin Point Garden Zone 36 Inches x 25 Feet 20-Gauge Poultry Netting with 1-Inch Openings
we used it for second story windows and dividing door.
the only bad thing is you may have to disentangle an owl or hawk's feet from it. However, the only solution that will prevent that is solid wood or plastic.
Origin Point Garden Zone 36 Inches x 25 Feet 20-Gauge Poultry Netting with 1-Inch Openings
we used it for second story windows and dividing door.
the only bad thing is you may have to disentangle an owl or hawk's feet from it. However, the only solution that will prevent that is solid wood or plastic.
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You can cover the wire with something like mosquito netting and that will go a long way to preventing birds from getting tangled in it. Yeah it will obstruct the view a bit, but if you're in an area with a lot of birds of prey it's probably worth it.W Willowy have you considered this for the catio cover - put in Amazon search -
Origin Point Garden Zone 36 Inches x 25 Feet 20-Gauge Poultry Netting with 1-Inch Openings
we used it for second story windows and dividing door.
the only bad thing is you may have to disentangle an owl or hawk's feet from it. However, the only solution that will prevent that is solid wood or plastic.
All the non-ferals under our care are indoor only. They have all lived outdoors at some point in their lives, but since we found them, they do not go out.
Why? Vehicles, cruel humans, other animals, weather, insects/parasites, risk of injury, and toxins (antifreeze, rodent control, insecticides, dangerous plants, etc...)
Why? Vehicles, cruel humans, other animals, weather, insects/parasites, risk of injury, and toxins (antifreeze, rodent control, insecticides, dangerous plants, etc...)
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I have been using various materials to keep critters out if my gardens for decades, and have had to untangle hawks and fawns from the flimsy types of mesh, and chicken wire, but never from the heavier gauge metal deer fencing or 2 inch, 16 gauge welded stucco wire. And if birds can get tangled, so can your cat, possibly with tragic consequences, so I am only using the more reliable heavy duty wire for my enclosures and walkways.
Tree Island® Canadian Made Stucco Mesh | Tree Island Steel
Tree Island® Canadian Made Stucco Mesh | Tree Island Steel
I intend to use 2" x 4" welded farm fence for the enclosure. I'm not sure if it would work for the top, being so heavy, unless I use a lot of support posts. Well, I'll just have to try it I guess.
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Willowy, the picture of the wire I used was taken off my back porch and it has a roof... but for the cat walkways and enclosures going around my house I build like a bird, which is actually a lot of fun... I use the heavy wire for a roof and for where it will need support in the 25 foot by 12 foot area, I am digging holes and will stick logs or parts of trees that reach the wire roof and give it support. The 12 by 12 enclosure made from this wire so far has no support except the posts around the perimeter. The roof is saggier than I prefer, but strong and withstood an unusual 2 feet of snow this winter.
I saw a disturbing article recently.
High-cat diet: urban coyotes feast on pets, study finds
It's thought that cats make up a fifth of coyotes diet in some areas. In 2018 135 cat deaths by coyote attack were recorded. They were responsible for 58 dog deaths too.
"In Los Angeles there were 16 coyote attacks on humans in 2016."
If you live in an area with coyotes, please don't let your cats outside. They're not safe, even if you're with them.
High-cat diet: urban coyotes feast on pets, study finds
It's thought that cats make up a fifth of coyotes diet in some areas. In 2018 135 cat deaths by coyote attack were recorded. They were responsible for 58 dog deaths too.
"In Los Angeles there were 16 coyote attacks on humans in 2016."
If you live in an area with coyotes, please don't let your cats outside. They're not safe, even if you're with them.
My cats are strictly indoor. When I was a child my father would have cats for rodent control but they were never allowed inside nor did they receive medical care. Needless to say they didn’t last long. It was so sad.
I always swore when I was an adult and got my own they would be inside only and they are. Actually we just recently moved in a stray cat that we’d been caring for. He’s very healthy and happy in his own room.
I always swore when I was an adult and got my own they would be inside only and they are. Actually we just recently moved in a stray cat that we’d been caring for. He’s very healthy and happy in his own room.
I’m in the UK, there are no predators, no stray dogs, and we live in a cul de sac next to farm fields. It’s more common in the UK for cats to be indoor/outdoor, Ozzy comes and goes. He’s lives here with us for nearly 15 years, our previous cat was 16 when he passed away, not related to going outside.
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I am also on an island, though a lot smaller one than the UK, but with no coyotes. As far as I can learn, free roaming pet cats in this area are no more likely to disappear or be killed in an accident than my human neighbors. But I used google to see what coyotes are like in other areas and realized coyote populations and behavior have changed a lot over the past 50 years, when I was a kid. Coyotes were totally unheard of in the city where I grew up, or anywhere near it. Now they are a common sight and are regularly killing cats there. Realizing things have changed helps me understand why letting cats out these days seems a much bigger concern than when I was growing up. When I was a kid, our indoor outdoor cat lived in a suburban area and died of old age at 18. Based on the general neighborhood experience, at that time there was never any concerns cats might be at substantial risk spending time outside. But now with coyotes (and increased population and traffic) I imagine there would be...
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