jumped into strangers' cars while they were in them. in his mind, he was a cute little puppy, but that was not the impression of the people whose cars he jumped into, who always ran out of their cars
jumped into strangers' cars while they were in them. in his mind, he was a cute little puppy, but that was not the impression of the people whose cars he jumped into, who always ran out of their cars
I think you also have to worry about coyotes, foxes and other wild animals. I would not let my boys out unescorted if I lived where you do.My husband thinks it's boring for the cats to be inside all the time.....which is why I asked this question.
We live way out in the country on a gravel road - hardly any cars. Our neighbours all love animals, and one has 3 cats of their own (indoor). We do have large raptor birds here (eagles and hawks) which is why my neighbour keeps their cats inside. We are surrounded by forest. Some days I think our cats would be just fine going outside, and I wonder if it would improve their quality of life. There are zero other cats around. We did let our previous cat out, and he was fine out there.
As of now they are indoor only - I'm nervous to let them out, and I'm also nervous they will bother neighbours if they decide to poop in someone's garden (there are only 3 other houses on our road). Our neighbour two houses up just got a puppy who I know will run loose, so there's another strike against letting them out. I will most likely keep them indoors only. I wish my husband was up for building a catio, haha.....but I doubt that!
I'm in Tennessee, i live next to a cow field and my cats go in and out as they please. They love it, gives a cat a chance to do what is natural!Wondering who does and who doesn’t, and why?
Ours are indoor.
I'm not staunchly anti-outdoor but most of the time think indoor is better. But I think it really does depend on the environment. Those of us living in a busy city...cats would just get smooshed and hit unfortunately. I also live in a high rise so my cats wouldn't even be able to come back to me. My friends live in a busy area but their cats truly are good about staying very close to the house. So I'm not against them having the cats outside. But it's not too far off from an area where their friend's cat got eaten from a coyote.I am living with 2 purebred cats with some very dilute exotic blood, and they are confined to being indoor / leash walked or outdoor enclosure only. But living in a relatively low risk area I still feel conflicted about if this is really what is best for them and our local ecosystem.
I think it is debatable whether random bred cats are a true domestic species. Genetically they are virtually identical to their wild ancestors, and they seem to have began participating in our human agricultural ecosystem, primarily as hunters of the rodents our agriculture attracted. But up until recently cats have always been free agents who choose to come and go as they please. Just because they have become tame enough to share our homes, and are loved as family members, I am not sure we have a right to decide they no longer have a right to have a paw in both worlds. Most wild carnivores live longer in zoos, but this doesn't mean it would be better to "rescue" all wild animals, and get them housed indoors. I am not sure why cats should be thought of differently.
It is true that cats now live in a lot of places where they are recent arrivals, and in some areas act as an invasive species, damaging ecosystems, which rightly needs to be managed. But the reality is, free roaming cats with human family members have been part of healthy sustainable agricultural ecosystems in many areas, for hundreds or thousands of years, going back to the time the mastodon went extinct. Their main prey is house mice and rats that originated in Asia, and these rodents also act as invasive species in many ecosystems. Both rats and mice will feed on nestling birds and inter tidal species. In many areas, historically, cats had have an important role in keeping these other invasive species in check.
And according to the Royal Society for the Preservation of Birds, in the UK at least, cats do not seem to be causing any decline in most species of birds, with the exception of a few small pockets of vulnerable species, that are being protected.
Considering this, I do not believe all natural random bred cats should be removed from all ecosystems.
And as much as I hate seeing anything suffer, most wild animals will die pretty horrific deaths, by human standards, and getting rid of all outdoor cats won't change that. Predators serve a purpose in weeding out the sick and weak and help to keep the larger population healthy, and cats are part of this.
And while I do not doubt many places have many risks for outdoor cats, and in these areas keeping our beloved pet cats indoors makes sense, this is not true of all places. One of the most obvious examples is this large study done on cat mortality in the UK that found in a population of UK cats where 90% had free access to the outdoors at least part of each day, spayed and neutered cats on average lived to be 15 years old, which is exactly the same average age as indoor only cats in the USA.
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/6b3c/e424fc03715598ad477aab3e70204bff9783.pdf
This same study found that purebred cats on average lived a year and a half less than random bred cats, and other studies suggest this shorter life expectancy for purebred cats occurs even though they are more likely to receive quality health care, they are less likely to be euthanized, and they are more likely to be kept indoors.
I have yet to find the source of the claims I often see made in internet groups like this one, that on average cats that are allowed outside live only 2 to 5 years. Some students and a professor at the UC Davis did put out a "handout" claiming this, but they do not cite any sources and the handout seems to be largely opinion. The only studies I have been able to find that come close to this involved feral cats with no health care or protections at all.
Personally I feel the risks faced by outdoor cats in a specific area need to be weighed in the context of the risks we find acceptable as humans. According to the World Health Organization, not including self harm, worldwide on average about 7.5% of humans will die from injuries, and while that is tragic, most of us would fight for the right to take those risks.
Anyways... all this being said, I am doing what I can to keep my indoor only hybrid cats happy, and I have almost finished a series of enclosures and walkways that will allow them to walk full circle through the forest around the perimeter of the house. My main reason for keeping them in is because purebred cats are less robust and hybrids do not have a long history of coexisting with wildlife. I have no problem with the ethics of keeping one of them in, as he seems very content with his enclosures. But the other one longs to be out catching the mice he hears just beyond reach. And I struggle with the ethics of not letting him, as this is a very low risk sparsely populated rural area with no predators that normally bother cats. And there is lots of non-indigenous rodents.
I have done a lot of research and can cite sources for everything mentioned... I have also talked to neighbors and local vets. I want to decide what is best for my cats based on facts, and facts that are relevant to this area and their unique individual needs. Not something that might turn out to be a good idea for cats living thousands of miles from here, or maybe an impractical idealistic fad started by some kindhearted but misguided rodent rights activist group..
I know what that's like. I call the girls the Swiffer sisters.none of my cats have ever been allowed outdoors. With the coat all of my cats have had, it would be a nightmare trying to keep the coat free of tangles. I own a walking dust mop!