When Is The Right Time To Let My Lovely Norm Outside?

[JimmyJimmy]

Norm has been in my life for about 6 weeks now and I've kept him in so he can adjust to his new surroundings,owner and environment.As some of you may already know Norm is about 5 years old and was a Feral rescued cat from Washington DC,USA for the first four years of his life.He has been an indoor/outdoor cat for just under the year he has been in the U.K. But obviously both I and his new location are totally new to him.Ive just bought a good quality dogflap (he couldn't fit through a cat flap- bless him!) and I would like some advice from those in the know when is a good time to let him outside into the big scary outdoors?

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

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Never.
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[JimmyJimmy]

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Never.
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I totally get where you are coming from! My beloved and forever missed "Barry the Bengal" vanished without a trace one day after sharing my life for over 10 years,Ralph - my cat before Barry also disappeared one day after 6 years and my daughters cat Leo was hit and killed by a car 2 years ago.Trouble is Norm is an outdoor/indoors cat and over the last 10/12 days is constantly sitting at windowsill wanting to be out there

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

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Children visiting zoological gardens often want to get into the enclosures with the tigers as well. When Parents permit this, it's never the children who eat the tigers.

A single mosquito bite can transmit Feline Heartworm - and with it, a 100% fatality rate. Why place a cat at risk? Our job as companions of cats is that of steward and caretaker. A good caretaker doesn't intentionally reduce probable a cat's lifespan by two thirds simply because they enjoy looking out the window. Every cat enjoys looking outside, and the truth is that what they're thinking isn't, "I want out." They're thinking, "my owner Loves me enough to keep me safe inside." The moment you allow them outside, you abdicate your responsibility to them - and take from them their emotional security as well as their physical security.
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[MoochNNoodles]

Have you considered a catio or harness training so you can walk him on a leash? (I can't remember if this was already discussed but Norm's story rings a bell so it might have been.)

 

[rubysmama]

Unless he's driving you crazy trying to squeeze out the door every time it is opened, I'd say keep him inside. Norm is a super handsome boy and the safest place for him is in the house.

When I was a kid, we had a cat that loved going outside, and one morning he didn't come home. My Dad found his body on the next street over. He'd been hit by a car. He was the sweetest cat and his life was tragically cut short.

Edit to add: I just reread the thread and see Norm sits in the window looking out. My Ruby sits and looks out the window all the time too, but she has no desire to go outside. And she was, according to the shelter, picked up off the streets, so she was an outdoor cat for at least a bit of time.

And after you already losing 3 cats in the outdoors, I don't know if you'd be able to deal with another loss.

 

[JimmyJimmy]

Have you considered a catio or harness training so you can walk him on a leash? (I can't remember if this was already discussed but Norm's story rings a bell so it might have been.)

No it hasn't been mentioned before but it's a very good idea! Thanks

 

[JimmyJimmy]

Unless he's driving you crazy trying to squeeze out the door every time it is opened, I'd say keep him inside. Norm is a super handsome boy and the safest place for him is in the house.

When I was a kid, we had a cat that loved going outside, and one morning he didn't come home. My Dad found his body on the next street over. He'd been hit by a car. He was the sweetest cat and his life was tragically cut short.

Edit to add: I just reread the thread and see Norm sits in the window looking out. My Ruby sits and looks out the window all the time too, but she has no desire to go outside. And she was, according to the shelter, picked up off the streets, so she was an outdoor cat for at least a bit of time.

And after you already losing 3 cats in the outdoors, I don't know if you'd be able to deal with another loss.

Yes - I think you are right - took me nearly 3 years to get over the loss of Barry the Bengal from my life - broke my heart - I cried for days and this is a man who didn't shed one tear when he buried both his parents

 

[JimmyJimmy]

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Children visiting zoological gardens often want to get into the enclosures with the tigers as well. When Parents permit this, it's never the children who eat the tigers.

A single mosquito bite can transmit Feline Heartworm - and with it, a 100% fatality rate. Why place a cat at risk? Our job as companions of cats is that of steward and caretaker. A good caretaker doesn't intentionally reduce probable a cat's lifespan by two thirds simply because they enjoy looking out the window. Every cat enjoys looking outside, and the truth is that what they're thinking isn't, "I want out." They're thinking, "my owner Loves me enough to keep me safe inside." The moment you allow them outside, you abdicate your responsibility to them - and take from them their emotional security as well as their physical security.
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I think that's a bit harsh? I don't like caged birds,pet lizards etc cos all of gods creatures are free spirits and I don't think they should be imprisoned indoors without access to the outside world.Hundreds of children are killed on our roads every year but we can't mollycoddle them,wrap them up in cotton wool and never let them outside so they can be children?

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

I think that's a bit harsh? I don't like caged birds,pet lizards etc cos all of gods creatures are free spirits and I don't think they should be imprisoned indoors without access to the outside world.Hundreds of children are killed on our roads every year but we can't mollycoddle them,wrap them up in cotton wool and never let them outside so they can be children?

Cats have roughly the same ability to comprehend and to rationalise Mankind's world as does a child of approximately seven months. Are you suggesting that Parents of children this age should set them loose unsupervised upon the highways?

Harsh? No - kind, really. The enormous multiplicity of dangers to which a cat is subjected once it steps through the door in near incomprehensible. The bond between guardian and cat dissolves once their environment is changed to include daily dangers. Do you - genuinely - believe that any cat is happier living its last hours, or its last day - or days - with a terrible injury... dying horribly, with bones broken so horribly from a motorcar accident that it cannot even move... that all the cat might know is wracking, dreadful, excruciating pain, perhaps for days, as it lies at the roadside, finally dying alone and knowing that it was never Loved, when it once Loved with all its Heart? Is this truly what you would desire for a companion who would Love you and defend you without boundaries and without equivocation?

Why?
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[abyeb]

Just to agree with other posters- outside is a dangerous place for cats. I think going on walks with Norm or building a catio is a great compromise! That way he can get some good exercise and watch the birds and squirrels, without having to worry about him coming into contact with other cats or wild animals or getting lost.

 

[Elfilou]

I too live in a country where it's deemed almost cruel to keep a cat in the house. And I agree that it's cruel when you don't replace that stimulation he would get outside with stimulation inside the house. People think I'm crazy here for taking my cat out on a leash every day.

"Why don't you just let her out by herself?" "She will come back don't worry!" "My cat loves being outside!" Mind you I live next to a busy road. All my neighbors let their cats roam. There is social pressure.

If Elfie wasn't a persian (it's unsafe for most cats outside, but for persians even more so cause they aren't very agile) I might have let myself be convinced that it is the best thing for her.

In the Dominican Republic (I have family there so I've visited the capital often) It's normal for people to let their dogs roam. Just because something is normal and there's a social pressure to do something doesn't mean you should.

If you decide to let your cat out, I wouldn't condemn you for it. Cats seem to be so happy to go outside! Why would we keep that from them!? I'm sure you know all the reasons why. In fact, you've lived through the reasons why.

It is certainly easier to let your cat roam. You don't really have to worry about a routine, you don't have to entertain them or give them things to do - hell, you don't even really need to play with an outdoor cat. His hunting instincts are already being fulfilled if he goes out. It's harder and requires more commitment/effort to keep a cat happy when they stay indoors. Is that effort worth it to keep the cat safe? To me, yes.

But if that doesn't fit your lifestyle and the cat has no sensory stimulation inside... then I'd even suggest to take the risk if that means their quality of life is better.

An ideal day for an indoor cat could involve a variety of things like play, puzzle feeders, looking out the window, food, an enclosed garden space to hunt bugs, more play, cuddling up to their humans, food, clicker training, grooming, "treasure hunts" (using their noses to find hidden treats around the house), playmates and leashed walks. Of and did I say food? LOL. You don't have to do all of these things every day (well... except the food ofcourse) but I'm just giving you ideas as to what it takes to keep a cat happy inside.

I've seen an indoor/outdoor cat live into their 20's. The oldest indoor/outdoor I know is my friend's, and he's a 16 year old. He isn't home very often in the summer. Just for food. Which isn't a daily thing either. An outdoor cat is truly low maintenance, and that has it's benefits.

It's your call to decide whether or not the benefits outweigh the risks. In an ideal world all our cats would be allowed outside. For mine, a luxury prison cell is more appropriate.

 

[rubysmama]

I've seen an indoor/outdoor cat live into their 20's.

I posted up-thread about one of our family cats that was hit and killed by a car. He was just around 1 year old, I think.

We also had 2 other indoor/outdoor cats. One lived to around 15, but even though he was neutered, he was always getting into fights with other cats and needing vet visits due to abscessed bites.

And a 3rd indoor/outdoor cat miraculously lived 2 months short of 20 years. However, she did come home once with a pretty bad wound on her leg which the vet thought was road burn. So she likely had a close call with a car.

So 3 indoor/outdoor cats who all came into danger outside. Now that I'm a cat parent, I strongly believe the safest place for a cat is inside. Or safely outside in a catio, on a harness or under other human supervision.

JimmyJimmy your heart cannot handle another feline loss. Tell Norm you're the boss, he's now an inside cat, and there will be no further discussion.

 

[maggiedemi]

All of my childhood outdoor cats disappeared. The 4 females disappeared within a few years. The 3 male cats lived longer, between 10-15 years. One got hit by a truck, the other two just disappeared one day. Not one died at home, except the one that got hit by a truck, they go away to die, so you never know if they were sick, or got eaten by a coyote, etc.

 

[KatKnapper]

I feel your pain. My first is a former outdoor cat. Allowed to be out, and remain out for as long as I had known him. Walking to work in the mornings, and returning in the evenings, I would see him outside. Some days in the 90° F heat I would see him out...he's a medium to long coat cat. He would be sleeping under a lawn chair with no water and no food, and just 20 feet from a high traffic volume street frequented by speeders and reckless drivers. Sometimes in the late night hours I would see him outside. I started leaving him kibble, and sometimes a dish of water beneath the lawn chair. Soon he would stalk me on my walk to work, even when I tried to evade him by changing my paths. Then he camped outside my place daily. His owner didn't care. Started to rain one night, and I found him beneath my stairs frozen in fear.

That is when I couldn't take it any more, the abuse, the neglect so I took him inside out of the rain. It rained steadily for a week. It has been over a year now, and he is still with me. My heart breaks at the thought of letting him roam. I have picked up the body of one roamer from the middle of the street...on Good Friday. I have stood in the middle of the street, with animal control on the phone, as I watched and listen to baby possums squirm and crawl from their mommy's pouch eyes closed and hairless.

His favorite place is perched in the window. He is relentless at waiting to door dash me the moment I open the door coming and going out. I do take him out on a harness once in a while, and his countenance just lights up. I wish with all my heart, that he could be happier and have access to the outdoors and indoors whenever he wanted. It just isn't safe outside. Some home owner nearby is shooting cats with a air rifle that come on his property. Breaks my heart to be his "kidnapper" because I only want him to be well, be fed, and be unharmed.

I have another locked up in the other part of the home, going through the introduction phase. Another three remain outside, that I and a neighbor care for daily, in hopes that I can get a rescue organization to take them all in. These were either cats allowed to roam or they were abandoned. The fact is...someone accepted these cats once to love and care for them, and keep them safe. Now here they are, looked upon with the same sincerity as a plastic water bottle thrown on the ground.

No matter how much it grieves you, let your logic rule here. You have seen it, felt it all first hand the perils that await a roaming cat. I will be the "kidnapper" if it means keeping the two in my care safe and well.

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

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My current ten, meanwhile, enjoy excellent health - including my two current twenty year olds - and see their veterinarian only when he drops in on the week-end to fight with Moo Shu for a slice of pizza. In the past sixty years, I've lost one cat before age ten (to a congenital predisposition, at age nine), and watched one stay strong and alert until only days before her thirtieth birthday. Most enjoy good health into or near their mid-twenties.

Bugs who find their way into the house are promptly escorted back outside (worms are no fun for cats), and screens are examined and replaced as needed each Spring, to prevent mosquito entry. Windows are open through most of the year, and the cats satisfy their wishes for fresh air, sunshine and birdwatching from the safety of a place where they know without a doubt that they're Loved beyond measure.

JimmyJimmy - I hope you'll take under serious advisement the suggestions from the above posters to safeguard the beautiful Norm by either harness training him, or by having a catio built for him. There's an abundance of information on outdoor enclosures on TCS:

My catio.

Catio?

Catio Unveiled!

Cat enclosure

Our cat enclosure is done!

Cat enclosure (Pictures)

Our Outdoor Cat Enclosure

and truth be told, if @basscat can manage a wholly-roofed BobCatio:

of several thousand square metres for his no-good recliner-eating Bobcat, Norm surely deserves at least equal treatment. He gives an overview in this thread, at Post #6:

Building of a Cat Play Yard?

and his original thread can be found here:

You may think I'm finally worn out.....

Additionally, Norachan 's thread, which includes images of the construction of their outdoor enclosure, may be found here:

Moving House, Taking The Colony With Me.

Luvfelicia's thread here about her 65-cat enclosure:

Large cat enclosure help for 65 cats?

also has contributions and images by @ondine of their last (pre-new home) enclosure as well.

I do hope you'll avail yourself of some of these resources, and perhaps open a discussion thread inviting catio-owning members to contribute what they feel are the salient points of catio construction. Best of luck to you and to Norm.
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[Norachan]

Just adding my "Never ever" to everyone else's responses here.

My cat enclosure is very much a work in progress. It has been changed several times to cope with the heavy snow we get here and my cats are clever little escape artists, forever looking for new ways out. However, it's fun to be out there making new climbing trees and perches for them and seeing how much they enjoy being outside.

At my last address I only saw the cats at meal times and I was constantly worried about something happening to them. Even though most of them are still what I call semi-feral they're much friendlier now. I can watch them play and not have to go through the heart break of finding them dead at the side of the road or, even worse, have one of them disappear and never know what happened.

Just take a look at all the lost cat threads in the SOS forum or read through some of the Crossing The Bridge threads. You don't want to risk anything like that happening to Norm.

 

[daisyd]

Hi please keep Norm indoors. I'm from the england too so I get the pressure. I'm told I'm cruel keeping gracie indoors however I'm central London and live by a highway - Although I still see cats wondering around outside. Gracie did run outside once and if she hadn't jumped up a wall to the right and ran forward she would have been on the highway. She loves being indoors and I think after her trip outside she runs and hides every time I open the door! We tried an outside pen and cried to get indoors ; we also tried a leash she again cried to get in the house and nearly got loose ! I have a few days off works and she's laid next to me sleeping now - I couldn't imagine letting her out . Hubby thinks she should be able to go out when we move somewhere quieter . I've told him if he lets her out I'll be keeping him out

 

[JimmyJimmy]

I think that with such of a nevernever consensus of opinion maybe another cat was an error of judgement on my behalf? Perhaps I should have considered another type of pet that would never need or want to leave the safety of its house? Goldfish?Gerbill,Spider? Anyone out there got a Mexican Red Knee they want to swap for a lovely cat and imprison him?

 

[JimmyJimmy]

I posted up-thread about one of our family cats that was hit and killed by a car. He was just around 1 year old, I think.

We also had 2 other indoor/outdoor cats. One lived to around 15, but even though he was neutered, he was always getting into fights with other cats and needing vet visits due to abscessed bites.

And a 3rd indoor/outdoor cat miraculously lived 2 months short of 20 years. However, she did come home once with a pretty bad wound on her leg which the vet thought was road burn. So she likely had a close call with a car.

So 3 indoor/outdoor cats who all came into danger outside. Now that I'm a cat parent, I strongly believe the safest place for a cat is inside. Or safely outside in a catio, on a harness or under other human supervision.

JimmyJimmy your heart cannot handle another feline loss. Tell Norm you're the boss, he's now an inside cat, and there will be no further discussion.

When I was a silly and stupid 17 year old kid I did all if not more stupid acts than most!By far the most insane was to be gullible enough to be talked into smuggling some pills into Jersey on a bank holiday weekend by a pretty girls older brother.Of course we all got caught bang to rights and I put my hands up to the whole thing - even what the Two girls were carrying! The penal system in Jersey is very tough and almost medieval (especially in their outlook towards any drugs).The judge said he was sending a message to other cocky young Londoners who think they can bring dangerous drugs to their beautiful island! He gave me 4 years and Jersey prison isn't colour TV and a holiday camp.I was miserable as hell - especially in the hot summer as you could see everyone enjoying themselves.I swore I would never do anything to end up locked inside and I never have in the 40 years since.I can't lock my Norm up to do a life sentence