I'm in the UK and have four indoor cats, its still frowned upon by a lot of people here including some of our vets but it's tough luck because my cats are staying inside! I do have a couple of harnesses but don't use them that often, next door's kids are usually out and are really noisy which scares my cats. When we buy our own house I'm going to have some sort of enclosure for them to go outside safely, I've already been looking into it and can't wait!
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Indoor or outdoor cats just a question
- Thread starter ruthyb
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Alley is my very first cat and she is 100% indoor!Your pet will have a MUCH longer and safer life being an indoor cat.I do feel guilty that she is missing the great out of doors but since I know she will be exposed to numerous dangers and health risks "out there" it kind of offsets that.It is a very harsh and cruel world out there.I`m sure you love your baby too much to expose her to that,eh? (end of guilt trip).
I can think of too many childhood cats that something happened to for me to be able to let Sasha out.
There was Thomas, an awsome shorthaired tuxedo cat. He was poisoned by our neighbor and died a horrible death.
There was Shadow, a short haired black cat. One night when the windows were open we heard a cat scream. We ran to the door and called for the cats ( we had four), they all came running in with their tails bushed out and scared. Everyone but Shadow. We never saw him again.
There was Twerp. An extremely neat young cat that was hit by a car and killed.
China, a beautiful long haired dark calico with siamese points and blue eyes. Killed by a car.
Carrot, a short haired orange tabby, wandered too far one night and was shredded by coyotes (I have never quite got over this)
There are more but its too sad to recount. Anyone still considering letting their cat roam, look at that list. These were all cats that could have lived a long wonderful life. Each one represents horrible heart break. Save your kitties and keep them inside or build a good enclosure.
There was Thomas, an awsome shorthaired tuxedo cat. He was poisoned by our neighbor and died a horrible death.
There was Shadow, a short haired black cat. One night when the windows were open we heard a cat scream. We ran to the door and called for the cats ( we had four), they all came running in with their tails bushed out and scared. Everyone but Shadow. We never saw him again.
There was Twerp. An extremely neat young cat that was hit by a car and killed.
China, a beautiful long haired dark calico with siamese points and blue eyes. Killed by a car.
Carrot, a short haired orange tabby, wandered too far one night and was shredded by coyotes (I have never quite got over this)
There are more but its too sad to recount. Anyone still considering letting their cat roam, look at that list. These were all cats that could have lived a long wonderful life. Each one represents horrible heart break. Save your kitties and keep them inside or build a good enclosure.
Your a great mom to Sasha!!!!
Rosalie's mainly an indoor cat, she only goes out for bathroom use and occasionally to stalk the dogs, LOL! I was hesitant about it in the beginning seeing as our cat of nearly 9 years "ran away" (although I SWEAR my neighbor had something to do with her going MIA) after being an outdoor cat since she was 3. She's a happy girl though and she keeps inside the yard and always comes in when "called" (aka she hears a bell or the cabinet door close-which is where her food is, lol).
I think anyone that has suffered the death or disappearance of a cat knows how badly it hurts. I really feel for you and all you have had to witness. I can't get over Shadows story. Absolutely horrifying. It is why I just cannot see letting a cat outside, looking at my cats today I cannot imagine any of them meeting a fate like any of your cats did.
Shadow still haunts me. Even my hardcore cats should be able to go outside parents now believe in keeping cats indoors. Of course back in the eighties and early nineties when I was still a kid at home, keeping cats inside wasn't gernerally accepted, so I can't really blame my parents. But even they look back at the years of loosing cats and the heart ache and wished that they had kept them in.
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I don't think it's terrible at all. I think cats are happier and healthier inside.
Aside from predators and roads is the very real and growing danger of sick people who go through neighborhoods looking for cats. They do unspeakable things to these cats that they find. The big thing now is to photograph what they have done or are doing and post the pictures in websites like this (and on youtube)
I don't know how anyone can let their cats go outside knowing the kind of sick creeps out there. There are pics I will never get out of my mind that I have had the misfortune to see.
I have a need to know where my cats are and that they are safe every minute of the day. I'd be out of my mind with worry if they were outside.
My current cats are harness trained and I take them out supervised into a fenced (6 foot with an overhang) yard. But for many years my indoor cats never went out at all and never missed it.
By the way, you keep saying "except to go to the bathroom". I'm curious why don't you have litter boxes for them? Especially as they get older they need a bathroom nearby.
<edit> I just saw the post where you said you are going to get some litter boxes. I think that is wonderful.
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Mine are inside only...... for all the same reasons already mentioned. My 4 don't try to get out and they don't look like they miss outdoors at all, And all 4 were strays. 2 from a rescue and 2 that I personally took in. Years ago I had 3 cats get hit by cars....they would sneak out when my brother came in late or my husband went to work really early. I have not let another cat outside unsupervised in the last 20 years, One of my old cats would go in the yard with me on a harness.
I am hoping to secure up my screen porch next spring so these 4 can go out there sometimes.
I am hoping to secure up my screen porch next spring so these 4 can go out there sometimes.
You cannot get a rescue cat in the UK without it having access to outside, Unfortunately a change of circumstances has forced me into rented pet free accommodation where i conceal my cat Ben,
Since the move I have noted he's become notable depressed and taking his frustration out on the sofa, it could be that he's missing the dog or more likely Ben is missing the great outdoors, I am currently researching products which may relieve his boredom
Since the move I have noted he's become notable depressed and taking his frustration out on the sofa, it could be that he's missing the dog or more likely Ben is missing the great outdoors, I am currently researching products which may relieve his boredom
I haven't seen any of this and I hope I never do, have any creeps actually ever posted horrible pictures like that on this website?
It's a shame what people do for kicks nowadays... I don't see what is so funny or "cool" about torturing any animal or any person.
Like I said, all four of my cats are indoors and I'm in the UK. I work for the Blue Cross and Cats Protection and they know the cats I've adopted from them are kept inside. Two of the ladies that work for CP keep their cats inside for reasons of safety, I think they are both by busy roads.
Rescues will let you adopt even if they are going to be kept in, it just depends on the cat.
hey Ruthyb
I am from the UK and have 3 cats, one entirely outdoors (She's semi feral and won't come in the house) and 2 indoor only.
Misha, my onee year old boy, is partially deaf so is kept in for his own safety... Indy, 18month boy is also indoor only as though I live in a rural village we have evil people living nearby that like to set fire to animals. Cats that free roam in my village are nervy and tempermental. My boys are so loving and affectionate.
However... I *do* believe in them having chance at fresh air and all the adventures and smells of the outdoors, so they are harness trained and I walk them in my garden a few times a week. I also put a lot of effort into keeping them mentally stimulated and take them to catshows as occasional days out.
I am from the UK and have 3 cats, one entirely outdoors (She's semi feral and won't come in the house) and 2 indoor only.
Misha, my onee year old boy, is partially deaf so is kept in for his own safety... Indy, 18month boy is also indoor only as though I live in a rural village we have evil people living nearby that like to set fire to animals. Cats that free roam in my village are nervy and tempermental. My boys are so loving and affectionate.
However... I *do* believe in them having chance at fresh air and all the adventures and smells of the outdoors, so they are harness trained and I walk them in my garden a few times a week. I also put a lot of effort into keeping them mentally stimulated and take them to catshows as occasional days out.
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This forum is well moderated so I'm sure anything like that posted is removed right away. I recently left another cat forum that does not have enough moderation, so things aren't removed in time. So I have stumbled on some really horrific stuff. The images will never leave my mind. Some have permanently traumatized me. There are some sick sick people out there.
Cats are the main target of these sickos. Because cats have a reputation for independence and aloofness (though I've never met any like that, myself) so it gives these disgusting excrescences a feeling of power to hurt them.
In addition, because of the internet it is happening more and more, it's called copy cat crime. Some jerk sees these images on youtube and decides to do it too.
I visit another forum occasionally that is mainly UK based members. I have been told on more than one occasion that is is "cruel" and unnatural to keep my cats inside. It's not unnatural, domestic cats are not wild animals.
Many people are always looking for help because their cats have been in fights, hit by cars, sick, injured. All because it is cruel to keep them inside. The logic behind that escapes me.
Not sure if I agree. I've watched mine while they're "playing" outside and they sure remind me of lions and tigers on the prowl.
I had my first cat when I was a teenager. He was an indoor/outdoor fella, which was pretty much the norm at the time, and he only lived a year because he died of what was probably some poison he got into out there. To this day, it still breaks my heart to think of him, because he was wonderful and should have had a much longer life.
All my cats since have been indoor cats. I'm in an apartment building, in a big city, and when one of them goes a little stir crazy i put a leash on him and take him in the hallway, which he finds very exciting. If I lived in a suburban area, I would take a cat out only on a leash. (I've seen cats here in NYC being walked on leashes.)
I don't have to drive here, but when I lived where I drove all the time, I must have had 100 close calls with cats and dogs that were running loose. Thankfully I never hit one, but I always to used to feel so angry at the owners for putting me in a position where I would just feel terrible forever if I had hit their pet.
All my cats since have been indoor cats. I'm in an apartment building, in a big city, and when one of them goes a little stir crazy i put a leash on him and take him in the hallway, which he finds very exciting. If I lived in a suburban area, I would take a cat out only on a leash. (I've seen cats here in NYC being walked on leashes.)
I don't have to drive here, but when I lived where I drove all the time, I must have had 100 close calls with cats and dogs that were running loose. Thankfully I never hit one, but I always to used to feel so angry at the owners for putting me in a position where I would just feel terrible forever if I had hit their pet.
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The safety issue seems pretty cut and dry to me. Indoor cats live longer, safer lives.
However, cats accustomed to outdoor access can carry on quite pitifully when denied said access. I can understand how folks could feel terribly guilty and fold under those woeful cries. I can even understand how they come to believe depriving a cat of something it cries for that badly is just plain cruel, when it patently isn't.
We just have to be tougher than they are.
Since their rescue, except for a couple of *seriously* scary escapes this past summer, mine have never been outside. They don't seem to miss it, either.
Nekomania;2759175 said:I haven't seen any of this and I hope I never do, have any creeps actually ever posted horrible pictures like that on this website? /QUOTE]
Many times but due to the wonderful membership and mods, they are reported and deleted before the general membership even sees them. Some have been horrific and have caused nightmares.
Hubby used to let him out but after $1,000 worth of vet fees just for abscesses from cat fights, he stays in now unless he is supervised on his leash. He is a smart cat, he never cries to me to let him out as he knows I will not, in fact I just need to say NO and he walks away from the door. With hubby, it's a whole different ball game - he'll talk and cry to go out.Originally Posted by Auntie Crazy
The safety issue seems pretty cut and dry to me. Indoor cats live longer, safer lives.
However, cats accustomed to outdoor access can carry on quite pitifully when denied said access. I can understand how folks could feel terribly guilty and fold under those woeful cries. I can even understand how they come to believe depriving a cat of something it cries for that badly is just plain cruel, when it patently isn't.
We just have to be tougher than they are.And, of course, provide plenty of attention, toys and mental stimulation to replace the scents, sounds and adventures free-roaming cats enjoy.
Since their rescue, except for a couple of *seriously* scary escapes this past summer, mine have never been outside. They don't seem to miss it, either.
I know people think, well the cat used to live outside and now he is crying pitifully, so it must be cruel to keep him in. But sometimes, for their safety, we can't let them have what they want. If a child whines and cries and throws a fit because they want to go play in the street, are you going to let them because its cruel not to? If your dog howled pitifully at the fence because he wanted to chase cars, would you let him out of the yard because it was cruel to keep him in the yard when he so desperately wants to get out and chase those cars?
What it boils down to, is that cats don't think of what might happen to them. They don't understand the possibilities. They don't understand that there are some humans that are cruel and twisted. They don't look at the road and think, "I could get hit by a car if I cross that". Its our job to think of these things and protect them from it in the same way we think of them and protect young children from them.
What it boils down to, is that cats don't think of what might happen to them. They don't understand the possibilities. They don't understand that there are some humans that are cruel and twisted. They don't look at the road and think, "I could get hit by a car if I cross that". Its our job to think of these things and protect them from it in the same way we think of them and protect young children from them.
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