Should I Let My Indoor Cat, Outside?

[Claire07x]

So, I'm really conflicted about this..

I got my girl Kali from a rescue 17th March. I'm told she was abused badly and was basically a kitten factory. She was starved and flearidden when they got her, treated her fleas, spayed and sent her home with me. She's now in great shape thanks to lifestyle and diet changes so I've really brought her back to being "healthy" but I'm not sure it's enough..

I let her out onto my outdoor landing -connecting to stairs to the ground floor, i'm first floor and the stair is used by me and one neighbour who doesn't live there rn- (not really let, moreso she followed me from my door), and she had a sniff or three, jumped onto the wall to have a look over it and heard a dog bark then jumped back down into the house. She does seem keen to go out and follows me whenever I leave so I'm now super vigilant not to let her out behind me, but I'm not sure I should stop her?

I'm thinking about getting a harness and letting her wander around the yard but, here's the reasons I'm nervous and unsure:

She's allergic to fleas/ticks and the vet thinks she may likely be allergic to any bug bites, but she's not been bitten yet that we know of
The communal garden I'd be taking her into is shared with 15 other people and lots of them have dogs. There's overall 6/7 dogs in the area, 3 of which roam free unsupervised.
The dogs foul all over the garden.

Now, I'd obviously be with her and take her when no dogs were around but I don't know what would happen if one came out and she saw it, I think she'd be spooked and try scatter, maybe catching in a harness?
I also don't know the care of these dogs, though I'd assume the 3 roamers are not groomed as they're not even walked, just let outside, so may carry fleas or bugs in their poop which may trigger her allergies/dermatitis.

Is it worth it? Will she be happy indoors all the time? Am I being a bad mum for not letting her explore?

I'm super conflicted about this because I know it's safer not to but then I feel like I'm sacrificing a good quality of life for her..

She also has an abundance of indoor toys, balls, the treat activity board (either trixie or catit, I can't remember), scratch posts, beds (though she sleeps in mine), laser pointers, wands etc. so she's not bored as we play everyday, I just wonder if I'm restricting her and not letting her "be a cat"?

Sorry this was a ramble. I'm at war with myself with this one!!

 

[Minxrat]

I would say no. My two are strictly indoor and indeed it's a blessing as Poppy has gone blind (she's 14 months old) and the vet said she would have been way too vulnerable if she had been out.

Mine are 14 months and 8 months. They have loads of toys, they tend to a less nocturnal routine, they have plenty of stimulation and (for Milo) windows and when I've tried them both on harnesses, they weren't keen at all. Poppy actually jumped out of my arms and ran off last year - I was devastated but my neighbour found her cowering in a bush thank god, and it reinforced my view that mine will never go out. Too many cars, idiots, dogs, abusers for my liking. Keep her stimulated - or get another kitten, which is what I did. Paid dividends for me as I felt less guilty leaving Poppy on her own. Even now I leave music on as she can't see and she needs stimulation via her other senses.

Good luck

 

[Minxrat]

Oh and the allergy thing to me is a big no-no just in case she comes into contact with anything which may harm her.

 

[KarenKat]

Im an even worse cat mommy because Olive used to live outside our house. Whenever we open the windows she searches for weaknesses in the defense. She’s managed to squirrel through two screens so far and go on little adventures.

We have a busy road in front of the house and we watched while she did NOT look both ways before crossing. So it’s too dangerous for her to go out. We have thought about a harness but are worried she will be inconsolable to go out all the time if we give her a taste. So she’s an indoor kitty. When she asks to go out we distract her with interactive toys. She seems pretty happy.

While nothing can replace the outside, I think they can be perfectly happy with enough indoor stimulation. Window perched help too. Sounds like with free roaming dogs it may not be safe to let he out. Tough love.

 

[maggiedemi]

I'd just give her some window seats and maybe put a birdfeeder outside it. My cats are perfectly happy to "hunt" through the windows.

 

[Minxrat]

My youngest loves fly hunting!

 

[Claire07x]

Yeh she has the window seat and because I'm in an old style traditional flat, the windows are huge so it's her favourite spot. I suppose I shouldn't feel so bad..
It's just the "is a longer, less fulfilling life better than a shorter more fulfilling one?" Question I guess!

The risks do seem to outweigh the pros though x

 

[Minxrat]

Another cat...?

 

[Claire07x]

I don't think I could.. she gets very jealous even over humans, when my partner's home she gets very huffy and sooks up to me and she'll paw him away and glare if he comes near us, but it's not him as when I'm not there she'll happily snuggle up with him. I think it's because she's now used to being centre of attention, I'm not sure another cat would help with that side of things..

 

[Etarre]

I think you're right to be worried about taking her outside. From what I've read about harnesses, cats are very good at slipping out of them when they're spooked, and no matter what websites and manufacturers advertise, a really motivated (e.g. scared) cat can wiggle out of them. I think running into a dog would create a situation where it's likely that your cat could slip a harness and bolt, and being around unleashed dogs is never safe for cats.

 

[Claire07x]

Thanks Etarre, yeh I think I agree tbh. Shame my neighbours won't walk their dogs and just leave them to roam loose in the garden -they're hugedogs too so rather selfish but oh well!

Seems like Kali wont be venturing outside after all. TBH I'm kind of relieved but I think I needed to hear it from someone other than myself!!

 

[MeganLLB]

No, don't take her out. I took Luna out on a harness and she turned into a door darter. Now all she wants to do is go outside, she escaped and was out for almost a week and it's causing a lot of problems. I regret ever taking her out. She should have just always stayed inside.

 

[Minxrat]

I don't think I could.. she gets very jealous even over humans, when my partner's home she gets very huffy and sooks up to me and she'll paw him away and glare if he comes near us, but it's not him as when I'm not there she'll happily snuggle up with him. I think it's because she's now used to being centre of attention, I'm not sure another cat would help with that side of things..

Poppy was a bit jealous when I got Milo but now she's lost her sight, he's invaluable company for her when I'm at work. I took her to meet him three times before he came home with us and now he's definitely in charge! But I guess you have to go with whatever works for you.

 

[Claire07x]

Poppy was a bit jealous when I got Milo but now she's lost her sight, he's invaluable company for her when I'm at work. I took her to meet him three times before he came home with us and now he's definitely in charge! But I guess you have to go with whatever works for you.

I might need to try taking her to the shelter then though I don't think they do introductions there unless you've already committed to taking a certain cat.. so I couldn't go and see how she was, I'd have to commit to taking a certain cat home that day to be allowed to introduce them there.. it's kind of awkward that way
Worth a try further down the line, I suppose

 

[Minxrat]

I found Milo on Gumtree, he was 7 weeks old and came home at 9 weeks. I paid a £20 deposit but that was a small price to lose if he didn't settle with Poppy. I hate the thought of mine being on her own especially now.

Could you have a chat with anyone from the shelter? Just a thought.

 

[Claire07x]

Well, I'm going tomorrow to donate some food & toys so I'll ask them then what I could do!

I'm kind of wary about gumtree tbh because you can't tell the care they've had, vet treatments (if any), illnesses etc you just have to trust a stranger who's breeding and selling cats for money, which doesn't seem all that trustworthy to me..
Mainly though I'd rather adopt from a shelter and don't want a kitten - wouldn't be fair as I'm not home all the time due to work and I'm kinda of the opinion that funding the industry that breeds pets that later end up in overcrowded shelters isn't the best way to spend my money but then again, all my pets were rescues and horribly treated before being taken in so I've just heard bad experiences rather than the good ones like yours is! And your kitten is obviously very loved so we don't need to worry about her ending up in an overcrowded shelter lol, I just know that here in scotland loads of animals are bred and when they dont sell/people get bored of their "new toys" they end up in shelters that are overflowing already

 

[Claire07x]

Oh and I mean moggy breeders, I know breeders of purebreeds etc are super cautious about things because they're often show cats and worth a fortune.

I'm also super harsh on intentional moggy breeding because of Kali - she was a breeder cat for no reason other than she was female and able to get pregnant and I hate thinking about what she went through!

It's ofc different if a cat accidentally gets pregnant before being spayed though!

 

[Minxrat]

And Milo's mummy was exactly that - an accidental pregnancy and the poor thing got abandoned by some bins and Milo's first human mum rescued her, rehomed the three babies once she'd had them, and kept mummy. So I'm happy he came to me rather than somewhere he wouldn't be tolerated. He's super affectionate but also super annoying lol. Hopefully once he has realised Poppy is blind he might help her rather than ambush her!

 

[Minxrat]

Your baby has come to a fabulous new home now, just embrace her and keep her safe from the outside world

 

[Claire07x]

And Milo's mummy was exactly that - an accidental pregnancy and the poor thing got abandoned by some bins and Milo's first human mum rescued her, rehomed the three babies once she'd had them, and kept mummy. So I'm happy he came to me rather than somewhere he wouldn't be tolerated. He's super affectionate but also super annoying lol. Hopefully once he has realised Poppy is blind he might help her rather than ambush her!

He's a beauty! And so lucky to have found you. I'm always for cats getting good homes I'm just not a fan of people who breed to make money and that's it! Absolutely no hate to those who buy the babies, I just think it's a shame when they're born for profit rather than by chance!

I'm glad you found Poppy a loving little friend, they're both so lucky x