Would you still allow cat outside?

[catpack]

I'm not looking to start a heated debates over cats being in or out, just curious what the general consensus is based on the following:

There has been a HUGE increase in the number of coyote attacks on both cats and dogs in my area (suburban area.) The cats are almost always killed and the dogs are in critical condition with bites to the neck/throat, face and abdomen.

I was at our local e-clinic over the weekend and, just within a 90 min period, three dogs with life-threatening injuries were brought in for known coyote attacks. I had 4 different people report that their cat had been killed by coyotes in just a 48 hr period and that others in their neighborhood had been killed as well.

My question is, if you currently allow your cat outside (by your choosing or theirs) would you continue to do so knowing the above information?

 

[Winchester]

Our cats are strictly indoor cats as we are too worried about their safety outside. Once a cat comes inside, he or she is never going back out. It doesn't work that way in our house.

 

[freyaandzelda]

I am not currently allowing my cats outside, but if I were that information would certainly make me think twice.

 

[macha 143]

No, I would not allow her to go outside it's more safer inside. I don't want her to get hurt outside, too many danger that could happened. I am happy that she doesn't like outside, she is so contented inside. I know some cats loves outside and it's hard to keep them inside, they will cry and asking you to let them out. Once you let them out and they experienced how exciting out there, they would want to go out again and again and that's when the problem begin.

 

[natalie_ca]

I would never, ever allow my cats to be outside off of a leash.

The way I look at it is that you don't allow young children to roam around the neighbourhood unsupervised because you don't want them to be picked up by strangers, or injured by cars or poison etc.   So why would you let a pet, cat or dog, roam around by themselves?  Your kids grow up and get smarter and gain commonsense and eventually leave home to live on their own independently.  Your pet is a perpetual kid, relying on you for food, shelter, protection etc.  Just like your kids did at one time.  So why would you not care for them like you cared for your kids?  Unlike your kids, a pet will never become independent and move out on their own. They will always be dependent on you. 

 

[carinajosefine]

I dont allow my yongest cats outside as it is. My oldest, Junior (13) was allready too old to change by the time I even knew indoor cats was a "thing". In the above explained situation the oldest would just have to come to terms with beeing indoor as well.

I hate when he comes home with scratches or wounds, or he seems stressed, and I have no idea what he has been through out there. He is supposed to be my responsebility, and every time I let him out, I fail him. I leave him unattended and vulnrable.

We live amongst a lot of farms out in the country, so its fairly safe. Still I'll never have outdoor cats again.Junior is 13, and condiering his quality of life, and how misrable he is when he cant chose himself, I decided to let him continue to do so. My yonger cats have been indoor from the start, and is every bit as content and happy as Junior.

I dont let my dogs out alone to exercise and get mental stimulance, why should I do so with my cats. Thats all MY responsebility.


I know its quite a heated debate about this, and Id like to point out that I respect people that chose differently. Specially if those choices are made after evaluating the inside and outdsde enviroment the cat will meet. Too many people dont even cosider that, because "cats have always been outside".

 

[sivyaleah]

I'm another "indoor only" person.

It's far too dangerous for many reasons to let them wander in my neighborhood.  Traffic, other cats to fight with, weather, health, etc.  I'm pretty sure even if I had a lot of property I would still be keeping them indoors.  I worry enough when I can't find them in the house let alone if they had full range outdoors.

 

[catpack]

Just to add to the conversation, my cats are indoor only and the rescue I work for *requires* our cats to be indoor only as well.

My question stems from people that I encounter that do allow their cats out. Some are completely unaware of the coyote issue and others simply are ok with the risk to the cat.

Working in rescue, I hear and see more of the dangers posed to any animal that is allowed outside unsupervised and am aware that I have a heightened sense of the risks. But, I just have a difficult time coming to terms with people who know the risk (and have lost a cat or know w neighbor that has) and still allows their cat out.

I also want to note that the attacks are not just occurring at dawn/dusk, they are happening in the middle of the day as well. So, it's not just a means of keeping animals in at night.

 

[kittycort]

Where do you live?

I would absolutly not allow them to be outside with the situation that you are having.

Because we humans have nearly demolished the chance for an outdoor kitty to live safely (roads, poisons, etc..) , I do not think cats should be outdoor cats. I grew up with lots ofo outdoor cats and it was devastating for me as a child. They usually died terrrible deaths or disappeared...and I knew what that meant. Some were shot, hit by cars, died from FeLv, attacked by dogs, and even trapee and killed in cages set out for raccoons and other animals. This was in the country.
I now live in the suburbs. Now, I know that some cats really want to be outdoors and they get horribly cramped up inside. Im the same way! So I dont think they should be forced to stay in one small house all their lives if they have a desire yto be curious outdoors, shaepen claws on a tree trunk, amd simply investigate. BUT I do this with a leash and a harness. Outdoor enclosures could work also. For many cats, being outside is part of their genes! Of my four cats, two go out, supervised, on a leash. One has zero interest in being outside and the other is way too skittish of new envirnments and handicapped so outdoor time isnt a good idea.

 

[catpack]

I live in the Birmingham-metro part of Alabama. The coyote issue first started last summer with an increase in new subdivisions and developments. But, the issue seems to have hit a new height over the last 2 weeks. This is not occurring in just one area of town, it is a widespread issue.

I truly feel sorry for the coyotes as they are losing their land and hunting grounds. They are very malnourish and extremely underweight. We also have fox in the area and they are very thin too. But, they mostly feed off smaller animals such as rabbits and squirrels. So, they really don't pose as much threat.

 

[molly22]

I wouldn't take the risk. You'd probably feel guilty when kitty begs to go outside but it's better than kitty going out and not coming back at all.

 

[miagi's_mommy]

My cats are also strictly indoors... I would definitely not let them out where coyotes are, period.. It's a personal choice but very risky knowing there's predators out there.

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

i can't answer the question you posed, because my cats have always been indoors only. but i will say that if i were aware of the coyote problem your area is experiencing going on where i live, my cats would become indoors-only if they hadn't been already.

 

[kittycort]

I live in the Birmingham-metro part of Alabama. The coyote issue first started last summer with an increase in new subdivisions and developments. But, the issue seems to have hit a new height over the last 2 weeks. This is not occurring in just one area of town, it is a widespread issue.

I truly feel sorry for the coyotes as they are losing their land and hunting grounds. They are very malnourish and extremely underweight. We also have fox in the area and they are very thin too. But, they mostly feed off smaller animals such as rabbits and squirrels. So, they really don't pose as much threat.

I feel so sorry for them also. I feel badly for wolves too. They all havr this terrible reputation even though they are simply to trying to survive and raise their young.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

No I would not.  My cats are indoor only; but my mother's go out.  She lives in a subdivision; I'm on a country road that gets traffic. 2 of her 3 never seem to go far.  One prefers to just sit under a bush near the front door and then go back in.  They've had some birds nesting in the yard that have dive-bombed and pecked the cats; so that helps I think.  I'm not sure that we have coyotes here.  I have heard them at MIL"s house (in another state) and she still allows her cat out.  I'm not crazy about that; but its out of my hands.

I think if I were in your area/situation and I had a cat used to going outside I'd seriously consider building an enclosure.  One with a top to it and a reinforced bottom that would be difficult to dig under.  Or they would have to become indoor only.  

 

[grizzlysapien]

@CatPack  I think that people who are aware of the problem and still let their cats/dogs out, just don't really care. They perceive them as pets and "nothing more". And if you tell them something, they'll go like "yeah, that's the course of nature.. animals get killed by other animals" and so on.. 

 

 Of course, if the "course of nature" bites them in the "bum", they'll get a pretty good idea!!!

Anyway, you wrote something about a fox.. My grandfather used to run a very small farm. Just some chickens and goats and he sold the eggs and the milk respectively. At some point, a fox attacked the chicken coop and managed to kill 2 of his chickens.. My grandfather didn't realise it  until the next morning. The thing is that he was also a beekeeper and the place he kept the hives was deep in the woods. Going there, he found out that there was a fox with pupps not far from there.. So, he decided to keep the fox well fed, since he found out there was an extra reason she attacked the chickens.

He always kept remains of food outside the farm, near the garbage and he would stay there until the fox came to feed on them. He made sure the fox saw him on the first few times. The fox never attacked the chickens again. On the contrary, she protected them! After a while, she introduced my grandfather to her pupps.. 

What I want to say is, that there might be a solution regarding the foxes. I don't know if this would apply to coyotes too. Different brains/species/intelligence. This was taught by my great grandfather to my grandfather. It was a common knowledge apparently, that if you feed the fox, it won't mess with you. It will become a skillful guardian, though.

Aside of all the rest, it breaks my heart realising that those animals (coyotes and foxes) have no where to go and nothing to feed on.. Desperate times call for desperate measures.. It's only a matter of time before they form some kind of "task force" and shoot them just to get rid of them..