Indoor V outdoor cat

GingerLily wrote: »

Following on from a side discussion from another thread, what are everyone's thoughts on outdoor cats?

I've read the life expectancy statistics, and while they look convincing, I don't know I trust them to reflect the dangers of going outside V living outside.

We have two 8 month old kitties, and we've recently started letting them out for an hour or two in the evening, best thing we ever did! We can leave windows open and open doors freely now without worrying they'll escape! I'm also not worried they'll be lost if they escape because they know our garden/house now.

They're in every night before it gets dark, there's a Tom who likes to patrol at night which I don't like the look of.

They love chasing each other in the garden and hiding in the grass and it's definitely made them fitter too. They're still human shy so I don't think they'll be annoying neighbours just yet. They don't beg for food with us anyway so hopefully they won't pester neighbours!

Both kitties are neutered BTW!

Anyway, I thought it was an interesting discussion anyway, I'm interested in learning more about people's experiences in Ireland with the indoor V outdoor cat debate.

This is a perennial. often mooted for reasons other than cats..

my experience; when I lived in towns etc and then was breeding Siamese, my cats were indoors all the time.

When I moved to the North isles, with 12 cats, and was tailing off breeding, I started letting them out as it was safe. Also I kept chickens and that meant i was losing eggs and baby chicks to rats.

they loved it and I loved watching them run and play and climbing ,,

When i came to Ireland 20 years ago with three cats, they were never confined. Never since have I kept cats in.

As you are finding they are healthier, fitter and happier. Some cats adjust well to indoor life.. Jacob, one of my rescues, had never been outside when I got him, a few years ago now. He was intrigued but scared by open doors, but then discovered gradually the sheer joy of the world out there and I would never take that away from any cat.
I lived deep rural all these years in Ireland; now on a small island with only 2 other cats resident here

There are no dangers here.

They are healthy and happy and my oldest is 15 and as active as ever. He has never been confined and can open almost any windows. all my cats live to a good age.

The three new ones are young ex street cats. it would be utterly cruel and inappropriate to confine them and watching them chase each other across fields is a sheer joy.

what you are doing is perfect; very different from folk who just throw a cat out and maybe put food out. One of the 2 local cats is treated like that; never any caring. He has never been a pet whereas ours are. Just to keep vermin down which mine all do efficiently anyway

and I think that it is the latter that is the real problem.
Cats who have no home excpet the outdoors

We used to describe what you and I do as "indoor/outdoor cats".ie they can come and go as they please and are not shut out. At present. I have the three young ones flat out asleep on my bed here and the 2 older ones are sleeping under a bush outside. ( they think i do not know that..)

And my cats are workers; there was a sizable rat problem including one huge one, and they have sorted that and their presence ensures a rat free place

baby and crumble wrote: »

I'd love to let ours out, but both have some level of disability that would make it too dangerous, especially around our area. Lots of scrotes on scramblers in particular. It'd be far too dangerous. I'm looking into a way to secure even our back yard so they could go out and relax and get some air etc.

Some of my cats in towns learned to walk on leads... hope you get that sorted.

loveisdivine wrote: »

To be honest Graces, I think your situation is entirely unique. I'd say 99.9% of other cat owners in Ireland don't have the ideal situation that you do. I would certainly let ours out if we had the same set up as you. We live somewhat rural but I still wouldn't let them out, I see so many stray cats dead on the road that I could just never risk it. We have a catio instead and everyone is happy.

Incidentally, 2 of ours have FIV so they wouldn't be out anyway, but even if they didn't the situation would be the same for us.

I know and I understand, As I have said for 25 of my 50 cat keeping years mine were inside. It was not safe else and pedigree Siamese need to be safe

I think though that your estimate of 99,9 % is way too high and my situation is far from unique. much of Ireland IS deeply rural ; before the island I lived in several deep rural rentals and my cats were safe, non-nuisance and happy. No big roads, or even small roads. The one before this was two miles up the side of a Connemara mountain on a dirt track. and before that up a Kerry mountain, No close neighbours ever. I would never live anywhere my cats could not run free,

Towns etc are of course different, as I have said.

and I said clearly in my post that my five are free to roam because they are safe here. and no trouble to anyone.

No way am I going to criticise or judge cat owners i do not know ; all I can answer for is my own experience and decisions, My cats have never troubled anyone and nor have anyone else's cats every troubled me. all spayed and neutered.

Outdoor running cats are far healthier and happier then indoor cats, in my long experience, The three rescues I took in last winter have made huge strides. a joy to see them racing after me. We love our cats and do the very best we can for them, responsibly and carefully and the posts ere by other devoted owners reflect this.

as you are doing for yours in a very different situation. we both care deeply and responsibly as do all cat folk on the forum here. The variety is wonderful, as are all the cats!

Realtine wrote: »

We have five cats, three wander outside and two don't - Our eldest cat is 15 years old and she always went out, we live in the city, over time we acquired a feral kitten, we didn't let her out after a year our older cat pushed open a window and the younger cat followed her and we never saw her again, I was heartbroken. she went into feral mode and was lost forever.
WE have since acquired 4 other cats, waifs and strays who have made their home with us. One is from a feral family whom we adapted 5 years ago and he decided to live with us, his family are around and we take care of them, neutered and wormed but he is the most loving cat ever, he stays out the back and never goes out front.
Alfie was a lost cat also and he's very timid and the odd occasion he's gotten out he's not gone far but he's so afraid of everything so we keep him in.
Toby was another kitten who wandered into our house, feral also, now toby has escaped three times and they have been the most stressful times of our lives trying to find him and entice him back in, he goes into full feral mode and hides under the shed or deck and then disappears for a week or so, not a good time, so far we have always manage to get him back, which involves staying up very late at night a putting our food or a trap - then Milo another cat just turned up last year, he does his own thing, wouldn't see him for hours and hours then he comes in at night and for food.

Long post but if i could I think all cats should go be trained to go out, at least then hey will know how to behave outside and not go into flight mode as soon as the door is open.
The amount of times I have to shout, shut that door, or window or where's toby or Alfie so many times a day, then go searching for said cat to see where they are. I'd love to open my doors and windows in hot weather, but I can't.
It's stressful - train them to go out, use a lead, it's fairly common - too late for my lads but at least if your cats get out they should know how to come home again. (make sure they are neutered obviously).

PS liking the cat enclosures! will look into them.....

Ferals are a breed apart and if left to it many will come and go as they please and need. I had one attached for a while that came in once a week or so

Honestly there is no need to worry. The e'xperts say rightly that by the second generatiion they are wired to feed and breed and no matter how tame they seem to be that is still in them ..

I cared for 2; one i never let out as I needed to get her spayed before I moved house.. when that was done and I tried to pen her, there was no way so I left her to a great cat rescue..

The second I fed etc always outdoors; There was no need to force him in. he was lap tame.. Rarely away from the door but not seeking in and that was fine. i caught him to move house but then was too..... ignorant about ferals to know how territorial they adre and that they need keeping in a long while when you move them, when I let him out at the new place he vanished,

I would never ever confine a feral. It will make them more wary. Love them as they are and feed them where they want to be?

metaoblivia wrote: »

I have two cats and they're indoor cats. I live on a residential street and have a small front and back garden, but otherwise the houses are pretty close to each other. And of course there's a street right out front.

One of my cats loves going outside and he's learned to walk on a leash. I'm not keen on letting him out by himself because:

1. The street is right there with neighbors coming in and out
2. Many other animals roam, including feral cats, possums and raccoons. I don't know what diseases they carry, and my cat is very... bold. He'll start shite if given the opportunity.
3. There are big dogs in the yards on either side of us. They're friendly, but they're huge. My cat did sneak out one morning and antagonized the pit bull next door so much that the dog busted through the 6 foot fence and got into my garden (I say antagonize - my cat thought he was antagonizing the dog; the dog thought my cat really wanted to play and was SUPER EXCITED about it so he came through the fence).

In a lot of ways, I'm just protecting the neighborhood from my bold cat (who's otherwise a perfect gentleman around humans of all sizes. He's never scratched, bitten or hissed at any human. He has tackled several stray cats and has prepared himself to throw down with small dogs - I intervened before any of those incidents escalated). My other cat is much more deliberate. We do go outside together, but she doesn't need a leash as she won't go past the front yard and she doesn't like to lose sight of me.