Cats in? Cats out?

poconnor16

It's me again, looking for kitty advice

I have my two darlings, 6mth female and 4mth male. At present they are completly indoor cats for obvious reasons. But with herself being neutered on friday it started me thinking.

What are your feelings on indoor cats v outdoor cats? Pros and cons of both (for the cat mainly)?

I am leaning towards keeping them both indoors. Reason is, I am renting so prone to moving house a bit. And I think that will be easier on them as indoor cats. Also, I am filled with dread at the thoughts of them being out in the scary world of dogs, cars and cruel idiots. They've been so pampered since they were babies, they would have no 'sense' of the outside world. And we live in a very built up area.

Herself seems to be very interested in getting out and exploring, but this could be due to being in season.

Any thoughts?

Lawrence1895

At some stage, they will get older and grow out of the baby age...and then they want to explore the outside.

I guess, you can't keep them in for good, but I would make sure, they are properly vaccinated.

Just trust them and always have some food and drink for them ready, and they will come back

poconnor16

So I will have to let them out eventually?

My two concerns are
1)if we move house, how will they adjust? will they not stray?
2)I dont have a cat flap and I am at work all day - would I need a kennel in the back garden for them?

(They are both fully vacc'ed by the way, and will continue to be every year. Seriously, these 2 are one french nail short of a manicure. )

seamus

poconnor16 wrote: »

So I will have to let them out eventually?

No. There's no reason why the cat ever has to leave the house, assuming that it has plenty of space to roam within the house.
However, I think most people agree that outdoor cat or otherwise, it can only do good for a cat to get out into the fresh air and sunshine (when available!).

For some people, this is as simple as having their cats getting out and lazing around on a balcony. For others, this could mean building a (very) secure run in the back garden to put the cats into.
Most people just throw the cat out the door, but by no means do you have to let the cat outside.

I would recommend keeping the cat in at all times when there's no-one in the house to supervise (at night too).

Graces7

This has often become a vexed and heated issue here.

It is up to you. We are in a very rural area as we have been some years so these cats we have now come and go as they please. When we lived in a town, we kept them indoors.

We leave a window open for them when we are out; small and upstairs of course for the safety of the house... Else you really would need a cat flap.

We personally have never had any issues when moving house; many here advocate keeping them in a while but we always simply release on arrival and they always come in for food pretty fast. EVen when we have moved only a very few miles they have come with us and not tried to go back to the old place; but ours were rescues at a young age and we are at home most of the time so they are very people-oriented.

Each is different.

The cats we have now are the healthiest and happiest we have ever had and enjoy their life in and out. Again, in a town, that would be avery different matter. With these two, there is no way they would be happy kept in.

Your decision...;)

poconnor16

Thanks guys,

I am definitley waiting until the little guy is spayed, then I might try let them both out together. We are moving house in the coming weeks to a somewhat quieter area so I might consider it. I want to check the house first to see if there is a window I can leave open or something. Cat flap is not an option as there is only a porch door.

The back garden is very secure so I might consider a kennel for them both if the open window is not an option?

BengaLover

I would say depends where you live..
We are lucky to have a huge garden surrounded by fields in the country.
I have a Bengal, and many Bengal owners wouldnt dream of letting them outside, but he loves his outdoors too much.
We have a large garage and we leave the window open so he can sleep there if it suits him, he has even bedded down with the chickens a few times..
I would say let them acclimatise for a while and take them out supervised for a few weeks, once they get their bearings they will know their boundarys.
Male cats especially seem to want to be outdoors more than females even though he is neutered.

Shanao

Hey there, I've four cats and though when we moved we had every intention of eventually letting them go outside, I dont know if we will now. The adults have been inside the past two years and all have the run of the house all day long, two scratching trees and plenty of toys and they seem happy enough. We are living in a town, so i would be wary about letting them out, especially as our estate is definitely a doggy estate- i'd say nearly every person has one. On top of that, our guys are so tame I'd be worried about the idiots who think its fun to hurt innocent animals getting their hands on them. We're hopefully going to eventually get a fence to put over the wall in the back garden to keep them in, but until then, they're staying inside with us.

Wisco

You certainly don't have to let them out- your decision. When I lived in town (and it was only a small village, but had a busy road) I didn't let mine out (except for a few daring escapes from 2nd story windows!!) and most of the time she didn't seem to mind. Once I moved to the country, she came and went as she pleased, for the most part. I leave her out while I'm at work for the day and then she's in at night with me, but I know she has plenty of secure places to go if the weather's bad or it gets cold.
As for a kennel- most cats won't be keen on a dog style kennel as they like to be able to observe things from a height, and most dog kennels could be hard to escape from if chased by a dog or another cat, so in general, cats won't voluntarily put themselves in that sort of situation.
I know if I move back to town my kitty will have to go back to indoor living- not what she might prefer, but it is safer.

jsloan

I kept my cat in for the first 6 months and after that I let him out to wander around. He used to only stay around the house and when ever I came home he came running from where ever he was, but one day he didnt come running
I wish I had of kept my cat indoors, because he got lost last October and we still havent gotten him back. I made posters and knocked into all my neighbours to ask them if they saw him, and nobody did. To this day I still expect to see the little fell come running

KittyMcM

jsloan wrote: »

I kept my cat in for the first 6 months and after that I let him out to wander around. He used to only stay around the house and when ever I came home he came running from where ever he was, but one day he didnt come running
I wish I had of kept my cat indoors, because he got lost last October and we still havent gotten him back. I made posters and knocked into all my neighbours to ask them if they saw him, and nobody did. To this day I still expect to see the little fell come running

It's terrible when that happens. I've been looking at the back door since xmas, waiting for my little fella to turn up! I really want to get a new one but it's this indoor/outdoor issue that's stopping me. I even bought a outdoor house but am now thinking of returning it to get a cat flap. It's traumatising when you put some much time and effort in to the cat and then in the city they get lost or knocked down. You just never know what type of cat will come home or wander off. Leaving them outside when you have to go to work is a constant worry.

Zapperzy

You certainly don't have to let them out. If you do decide to let them out you'l just have to settle with the fact that one day one of them may not come home and you'l probably never find out why. It's a sad but true fact.

Personally I don't think Il ever let another cat outside again. I live beside a busy main road and used to let my cat out when she was a kitten (after neutering), at first she would explore the garden, then after a few days she gradually started wandering further until she used to go away for a few hours. A few times I seen her sitting on the side of the road watching cars fly by. It was terrifying and there was a few times I was so worked up about trying to get her home that I was in tears.

Maybe some would say I was selfish but I decided to keep my cat in full time. There are just too many risks involved in letting them out, even in rural areas they still have to contest with stray dogs, farmers with guns (if the cat has gotten at his/her hens), cruel people and traps & snares.

I presume your renting? If so then a system to enclose your garden isin't feasible (such as the purrfect fence). A wire mesh run which can be taken apart and brought with you might be worth looking into. As would lead training (there was a good thread a while ago with some tips for this).

Personally if it was me I wouldn't let them out. Everytime I see a lost cat ad, or a dead cat on the road it breaks my heart a little.

KittyMcM

I'm not renting but it still wouldn't be feasible for that type of fence where I live. I'm the same, I always feel sad when I hear about the poor kittys, they don't know any better. I don't think I will put new cat outside (whenever I get him). Now, what to do with that cat house i bought?...mmm:)

Graces7

Zapperzy wrote: »

You certainly don't have to let them out. If you do decide to let them out you'l just have to settle with the fact that one day one of them may not come home and you'l probably never find out why. It's a sad but true fact.

Personally I don't think Il ever let another cat outside again. I live beside a busy main road and used to let my cat out when she was a kitten (after neutering), at first she would explore the garden, then after a few days she gradually started wandering further until she used to go away for a few hours. A few times I seen her sitting on the side of the road watching cars fly by. It was terrifying and there was a few times I was so worked up about trying to get her home that I was in tears.

Maybe some would say I was selfish but I decided to keep my cat in full time. There are just too many risks involved in letting them out, even in rural areas they still have to contest with stray dogs, farmers with guns (if the cat has gotten at his/her hens), cruel people and traps & snares.

I presume your renting? If so then a system to enclose your garden isin't feasible (such as the purrfect fence). A wire mesh run which can be taken apart and brought with you might be worth looking into. As would lead training (there was a good thread a while ago with some tips for this).

Personally if it was me I wouldn't let them out. Everytime I see a lost cat ad, or a dead cat on the road it breaks my heart a little.

I know; but their quality of life matters too and for mine that means freedom to come and go. I hated the years I had to keep cats in.

anniehoo

I keep Beanie in during the day while im at work and let him out then for a few hrs in the eve. My head would be wrecked worrying about where he'd be for the whole day. Its a tough one because ive always let our cats outside but would never have dreamt of doing it with my dog. I do believe though its enjoyable for cats to be outside exploring etc. but im terrified ill find him dead (or not at all) one of these days and itll be my fault. He's started to stay out longer and go further lately and hes an incredibly friendly cat so i just dont know if its worth the risk.Arrrgh...the dilemma!!

Graces7

The Sweeper wrote: »

Indoors v. outdoors: I've settled on 'always in a controlled environment'.

Outdoor access does enrich the life of a cat, but it not vital to the life of a cat. Cats enjoy sniffing through grass, watching small insects, pouncing on anything that moves. Climbing trees outdoors can be offset by a good cat-tree indoors (I'm leaning towards 180cms+ at the moment, mainly to save my bookcases).

A controlled environment can be your cat-proof back yard, or a cat run, or inside your apartment, or out on your balcony if you're sure your cat can't get off your balcony (and don't assume that being 20 floors up does that automatically - cats are not afraid of heights, and plenty of cats have hit the pavement after getting up on the balcony railing for a look and then losing their balance because they're so busy concentrating that something as simple as the balcony access door shutting loudly gives them a fright - and a cat who gets a fright jumps).

A controlled environment can be around the gardens of your apartment complex on a leash, or if you have a more placid breed (birman, ragdoll, persian, british short hair) you may be able to walk the cat off leash around the flower beds for a half an hour as you stand beside it. You may be unlucky to have something give your cat a fright one day and you'll have to manage that situation (as the cat suddenly displays the athleticism of... well, a bengal, and vanishes into a different hallway or up a tree or under something or whatever), but use common sense. Assess the risk against the enjoyment the cat gets from an excursion and act accordingly.

I'm in a rural town setting - houses on between 1/3 of an acre and two acres. Across the road from my front yard is a paddock that stretches for literally hundreds of acres.

I don't let my cats roam because of the risk of injury - higher here in than in a similar rural area in Ireland, in that there are natural predators who can hurt my cats (brown snakes, tiger snakes). However they do have the run of my yard, which is a big back garden with six foot colorbond fencing all around it and I saved up and spent $3500 on cat-proof fence topping so they can't get out and over the fence.

(And I listened to the TNT smalltown busybodies telling me they thought it was too much fuss for a cat as they unloaded the fencing pallet from their truck.

'Are your cats expensive?' they asked me.

'They are when they get hit by a car', I answered, 'vets aren't cheap.')

I saw a direct correlation in one of my cats between outdoor access and anxiety - his anxiety reduced when he was allowed out daily, and subsequently his cystitis disappeared and, touch wood, we haven't had a recurrence in months and months. My guys go out in the morning for an hour or a couple before I go to work (or most of the day if it's the weekend). I bring them back in and feed them their breakfast. They sleep in the house all day. When I get home in the evening I let them out and bring them back in when it's getting dark. They like to 'help' with gardening, coming over to examine what you're up to if you're weeding.

On some of this we must agree to differ; for my cats, outdoors is essential. A vital part of their lives.

The Sweeper

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Graces7

The Sweeper wrote: »

Did you actually read any of that or could you just not resist disagreeing with me generally? Could you just put me back on ignore please? It was more pleasant when you did.

Who, as they say, pissed on your cornflakes? REALLY! Yes I read it; was intrigued by your definitions and joped at first that .. well.... but as others have said, don;t agree with you. Period. We differ; cats and situations differ.. That is the way it is. Most of us cannot afford cages for our cats ,or live in rented accommodation etc etc. And I regard life for a cat in a different way than you do. Especially the two here now.

it is allowed..to disagree.... Why does that bug you so much?

The Sweeper

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Feargal as Luimneach

There are pro's and con's for both.
I never let my cat out when it's dark. He's a black cat and letting him out when it's dark will likely end up with him being knocked down by a car. Most RTA occur during hours of darkness.

I never let him out at dawn or dusk, this is the time most cats will kill alot of birds. So don't let them out at this time.

I have 11 bird feeders up during the winter, so the garden attracts alot of birds. I don't let him out during the winter for anything longer than ten minutes (supervised).

When I stop feeding the birds I let him out when I get home from work and call him back in an hour before dark. At weekends during the summer he's let out all day. he loves being outside.

Make sure you put plenty of bells on your cat's collar, will reduce the number of birds they kill.

Heroditas

We have three cats and live in the suburbs.
As most of you know, we got the brother and sister together back in October 2008 and have always kept them indoors. In the summer we let them out in the garden for supervised play. The girl is very happy to stick to the garden because she is very timid but her brother is very nosey and attempts to escape now and again.
However, they seem happy enough with the indoor life and they have the run of the house all day long. They also have a couple of dens, trees and loads of toys and, most importantly, each other to keep each other company when we're not there.

The new arrival appeared last September and after months of coaxing, she signed a long-term lease with us at the end of November when the snow came. Since then, she has made ZERO attempt to go outside and even runs and hides if we open the front or back door!!!

What scares me most is the boy cat - he is extremely gregarious and far too friendly for his own good.
Also, because two of them have lived indoors all their life, I would be worried they have a lack of knowledge with roaming and could get into difficult situations, particularly with other cats if they invaded their patch.

They seem very happy though and get so much attention that I wonder if they are even interested in roaming.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

how much space do cats need to be indoor cats?

I live in a pretty small 1 bed apartment. There's a small living room, with an open plan kitchen area and a decent sized bedroom. therre are a few windows overlooking the street for a cat to sit on and people watch, and there is a large back garden I could let it out on a cat-leash once it got a bit older.
i'm really missing my parents cat lately as I dont go home often so getting a kitten of my own is something I've been thinking about. I'm in the apartment alot of the time so he wouldnt be lonely, the only times i'm out would be college for a few hours a day ( I live five minutes from the college so I'd be home between classes) and maybe the odd night on its own if I have to go somewhere, ill likely be out for most of the day over the summer too as I will have to get a job.

the main thing im worried about is i know cats like to have places to hide on their own and i dont know if it could get that here, id be worried it might get bored or frustrated living in a small 1 bed place. Is it just a silly pipe dream I should get over for a few years until I can afford a nicer place? or can a young cat live a happy life in a small apartment.

ToniTuddle

One question I would like to ask is....would it be fair to try and make cats that have been outdoor for all their lives eg 6 or so years indoor cats?

Just wondering if the stress from the lack of outside freedom and complete change to their lives....would basically stress them out too much?

kylith

ToniTuddle wrote: »

One question I would like to ask is....would it be fair to try and make cats that have been outdoor for all their lives eg 6 or so years indoor cats?

Just wondering if the stress from the lack of outside freedom and complete change to their lives....would basically stress them out too much?

A friend of mine had to start keeping her cat in after it became ill. She made sure that the cat had lots of toys and hiding places around her apartment, and it lived very happily for the rest of its days. I never once saw it try to escape.

OP, I don't have cats, but there are roaming cats in my neighbourhood. I've had one neighbour threaten to go to the gardaí because one of these cats likes to sit on my shed roof and tease my dogs, so my dogs bark. Please take other people in your neighbourhood into account when deciding whether to have indoor or outdoor cats. While some people don't mind cats others aren't so fond of them. They poo in flowerbeds and vegetable patches, they scare birds from bird feeders, and they may kill rabbits or chickens which are other people's pets. They can also pick up all kinds of diseases from other cats and they run the risk of being killed on the road. Outdoor cats have, on average, a much shorter life than indoor cats. It's possible to build a run attached to your house so that your cats can go in and out as they please. There are even various things you can buy to cat-proof your garden so that they can have free run in there but can't get out.

Graces7

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

how much space do cats need to be indoor cats?

I live in a pretty small 1 bed apartment. There's a small living room, with an open plan kitchen area and a decent sized bedroom. therre are a few windows overlooking the street for a cat to sit on and people watch, and there is a large back garden I could let it out on a cat-leash once it got a bit older.
i'm really missing my parents cat lately as I dont go home often so getting a kitten of my own is something I've been thinking about. I'm in the apartment alot of the time so he wouldnt be lonely, the only times i'm out would be college for a few hours a day ( I live five minutes from the college so I'd be home between classes) and maybe the odd night on its own if I have to go somewhere, ill likely be out for most of the day over the summer too as I will have to get a job.

the main thing im worried about is i know cats like to have places to hide on their own and i dont know if it could get that here, id be worried it might get bored or frustrated living in a small 1 bed place. Is it just a silly pipe dream I should get over for a few years until I can afford a nicer place? or can a young cat live a happy life in a small apartment.

A cat will be fine there; worry not... If it is young when you get it, fine, and they are great companions. And so many needing a good home.

Graces7

ToniTuddle wrote: »

One question I would like to ask is....would it be fair to try and make cats that have been outdoor for all their lives eg 6 or so years indoor cats?

Just wondering if the stress from the lack of outside freedom and complete change to their lives....would basically stress them out too much?

A very good and caring question;)

I would say yes, it would stress them. I have to keep mine in before a move and it is hard indeed on them. Not sure how others tackle this? As I have said, I am in a very rural area; the cats I have now have always been indoor/outdoor and never an issue. Oh, the male in one house used to visit a neighbour and beg off them! It was an old Irish couple who had never seen such a HUGE cat and they did not mind. He used to sit on their windowledge and gaze in so they fed him.

It is choice and a lot depends on where you live. But these two I could never cage or confine. Sure if I let myself, I could worry myself sick about the "dangers" out there. But that is my problem, not theirs. They are I think six now and fine. So close to me because of their fostering as kittens. More like wee dogs in many ways.

Graces7

kylith wrote: »

A friend of mine had to start keeping her cat in after it became ill. She made sure that the cat had lots of toys and hiding places around her apartment, and it lived very happily for the rest of its days. I never once saw it try to escape.

OP, I don't have cats, but there are roaming cats in my neighbourhood. I've had one neighbour threaten to go to the gardaí because one of these cats likes to sit on my shed roof and tease my dogs, so my dogs bark. Please take other people in your neighbourhood into account when deciding whether to have indoor or outdoor cats. While some people don't mind cats others aren't so fond of them. They poo in flowerbeds and vegetable patches, they scare birds from bird feeders, and they may kill rabbits or chickens which are other people's pets. They can also pick up all kinds of diseases from other cats and they run the risk of being killed on the road. Outdoor cats have, on average, a much shorter life than indoor cats. It's possible to build a run attached to your house so that your cats can go in and out as they please. There are even various things you can buy to cat-proof your garden so that they can have free run in there but can't get out.

Yes, age and illness change cats as well as people.

When these two get old, things may well change for them and that is fine too.
And in a place where there are close neighbours, we always kept cats in. I would personally never put them in a run, but that is my take. if it works for you, fine.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

Graces7 wrote: »

A cat will be fine there; worry not... If it is young when you get it, fine, and they are great companions. And so many needing a good home.

excellent
I'm gona wait a bit, and mull it over before I decide whether or not to get one. Friend of mines parents have alot of cats who are serial kitten gifters, so if they get pregnant again soon I might see if i can take one of them, or I might see if there's a rescue shelter somewhere around carlow.

Graces7

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

excellent
I'm gona wait a bit, and mull it over before I decide whether or not to get one. Friend of mines parents have alot of cats who are serial kitten gifters, so if they get pregnant again soon I might see if i can take one of them, or I might see if there's a rescue shelter somewhere around carlow.

Great idea; one of my happiest cats decades ago was an RSPCA rescue. I was in a council flat then so she was always indoors and that was fine. Used to birdwatch at the windows...

poconnor16

Guys, the responses have been fantastic - thank you so much.

I went down to the new house last night and I've decided they are staying in for the most part. Its too near a main road, and there are quite a few neighbours about. Plus there is a huge housing estate up the road so huge chance of wandering dogs etc - I wouldn't be able to sleep.

The back garden has a high concrete wall on one side, and a wooden fence (high also) on the other. I am going to look at some way of cat proofing the fence and also the the wooden side gate. Then will let them out in the evening for a roam.

Zapperzy

ToniTuddle wrote: »

One question I would like to ask is....would it be fair to try and make cats that have been outdoor for all their lives eg 6 or so years indoor cats?

Just wondering if the stress from the lack of outside freedom and complete change to their lives....would basically stress them out too much?

It depends on the cat. Someone on here recently said they decided to keep their cats indoors after one had an accident and I think they said they coped surprisingly well. I also know people who have adopted ex-feral cats and have kept them as indoor cats and they have adjusted well.