Posted on 11/22/2013 5:45:02 PM PST by Perdogg
It's a question all cat owners must ask themselves; "Should I let my cats outside?" The opinions and feelings of cat lovers are varied. Lets take a closer look.
I have been on both sides of this topic. I grew up in a small city, and our cats always went outside.
They were careful about crossing the street, and mostly stayed in the yard. They all lived full lives as well.
Now, as the owner of two great Maine Coon cats, we keep them indoors. Our breeder specified it, and I agreed. You may wonder why I see things in a different light.
Most veterinarians and experts agree that cats do not need to go outside. In fact, the benefits of keeping them in far outweigh the risks of letting them out.
If your cat or kitten came from a breeder, you probably were required to agree to a few terms. Spaying or neutering of your cat, no declawing, and keeping your new pet as an indoor cat.
Did you wonder why that is? Nowadays, as pet owners are becoming more conscious and aware, more and more people are doing their best to make responsible choices for their pets.
The old belief is that we need to let our cats outside in order for them to be healthy, happy and fulfilled. After all, they really want to go out! But just like children, animals don't necessarily know what's best for themselves.
Life Span:
The life expectancy for outdoor cats is roughly 4-5 years. For indoor cats, 12-15 years is average with many healthy cats living to be about 20 years old!
Simply by keeping your cat inside the house, you protect him from a variety of dangers. It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that these things probably won't happen.
But this is exactly why the life span of an outdoor cat is so short. Here are some risks involved in letting cats outside: Being hit by a car Death or injury by dog attacks Being attacked by wild animals Parasites: fleas, ticks, worms etc. (Lyme disease in cats is a real danger. Tapeworms come from fleas. And heartworms are transmitted by mosquitoes.) Getting lost or picked up by Animal Control Being stolen and used for sadistic purposes Being stolen and used as laboratory animals Being poisoned either accidentally or intentionally Roaming into neighbors yards, causing irritation Death or injury caused by cat fights Picking up infectious diseases from other cats, such as: Feline Distemper, which is highly contagious and deadly Upper Respiratory Infections (URI) There are multiple varieties FELV: Feline Leukemia, the most common killer of pet cats. An infected cat will spread it before any symptoms are shown FIV, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus FIP, Feline Infectious Peritonitis, which is always fatal. Cats who contract it are usually euthanized
Although we all know there are lots of risks for letting cats outside, seeing it listed out like this puts it in a pretty strong light.
If you find that your cat is obsessed with escaping (it's a bit like living in a house with children in the center of an amusement park) there is one popular solution. Outdoor cat enclosures are gaining popularity among indoor cat owners. They provide cats with the outdoor time they crave, in a safe way.
Of course, the choice is completely up to each owner. But new cat owners of any breed, may be wondering, "Should cats go outdoors?" or "Do I need to let my cats outside for their overall health or happiness?" The short answer is no. Experts agree that indoor cats can live happy, fulfilling lives, right in the house.
4 to 5 years my behind. I have 4 that are over 10 and they hunt every day. It keeps me happy, them happy and the varmints not so happy.
Preventing a cat from going out is like keeping a bird in a cage.
I agree with you...Would NEVER let them run loose...we have a roof-covered screen-in porch and a kitty stroller for big adventures...When I yell out..”who wants to go bye bye”...they come running and jump right in - our two little guys just LOVE their buggy rides -have been doing it for 8 years so all the neighbors are used to it.
I would never let my cats outside. Ever.
I’ve always had indoor-outdoor cats. They live inside for the most part, enjoy a stroll in the yard.
In my experience, if I keep them in for several months or a year when I first get them, then let them out, they don’t want to stay out very long. But they do appreciate t he opportunity to prowl around, chase butterflies, bring home the occasional mouse.
I would think that your neighborhood conditions would dictate how much you let your cat out, if at all. I have had leash-trained cats too. Not too much of a hassle if you start young and use a harness rather than a collar.
My current cat, Andy, goes out, has a favorite place to play. When it’s time to come home, I go to the door, shake the package of Party Mix, shout “Party Mix,” and he races home. No kidding. Of course, he always GETS party mix when promised. Stuff’s addictive.
“Coyotes feast on outdoor cats around here.
It has to be a horrible death for the moggie.”
Not accurate, as the coyote simply kills teh cat.
Cats, on the other hand, like to tease and play with their prey before finally killing it. In terms of “horible death”, Kitty Dearest is instinctively an expert at delayed death.
One word.
No.
It’s a mistake to let cats go outside. I’ve got two indoor cats. Everything favors them indoors.
” I’ve had two out door cats, they had lots of friends in the neighborhood, birds to chase etc. good quality of life.”
Here we have thye reason for the long running battle between the Bird Watchers and the Cat Persons.
Popcorn, anyone?
We have a serious coyote problem where I live in Colorado. It’s much safer to keep cats indoors and accompany small dogs when they go outside.
Several neighbors have lost cats to coyotes.
Just lost one of mmine a couple months ago. Next one will stay inside.
Mostly gophers, rats and rabbits. He stopped catching birds a while back. That has me a bit upset because he just sits on the patio and watches these two vile pigeons that live next door as they eat his food. I keep telling him to kill them but I think he considers them his pets.
I’ve tried to kill them with my bb gun, but they are pretty quick to fly away whenever I start to pump the thing.
He’s a twenty pound (give or take) solid odd-eyed Hemingway with six claws on each paw and a blue eye and a green eye.
We have a serious coyote problem where I live in Colorado. It’s much safer to keep cats indoors and accompany small dogs when they go outside.
Several neighbors have lost cats to coyotes.
I should have said squirrels and mice.
We lost our beloved Holly who was hit by a car.
She was the most amazing, best cat I’ll ever have and we only had her for 3 years.
Hubby and I almost had 2 nervous breakdowns when she died, and no I’m not kidding and we’d both suffered some big losses in our lives.
But I will say this, that cat never would have been happy staying inside, she lived to go out.
We’ll never know how many close calls she had.
But what I do know is I could cry right now thinking about her.
Now we have 2 sweet but stupid cats. Our house was lifted after hurricane Sandy so we let them go out on the new, second story deck. One has run off a couple of times, and come back; the other one is afraid of her own shadow so she’d never risk taking off. They are basically indoor cats, we don’t let them out without supervision.
That’s my suburban story; when I lived in the big city the cats always stayed inside.
RIP wonderful Holly, not a day goes by that we don’t miss you sooooooo much.
I keep my current cat indoors. She sometimes gets out, but then quickly returns inside because she gets cold.
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