why are some people on here so obsessed that cats should be kept indoors? they are natural hunters and explorers and free spirits and i chose where i lived especially so my cats could have a garden and a quiet residential road with few cars. they are both spayed, both micro chipped and both up to date with all possible vaccinations and i love them more than anything. when i do keep them in, say on bonfire night, they howl and paw at the back door to get out because its natural for cats to be outside. i wouldnt deny them their natural instinct to hunt and lie in the sunshine, does this make me a bad pet owner?? don't get me wrong - i'm not saying people who keep their cats indoors are wrong, it is undeniably safer for them. but why do people have such a problem with the fact that i would rather let my own cats roam free, and protect them as much as i can while doing so?
Answers:
There is absolutely nothing wrong with letting your cat out, especially seeing as how they are bothe fixed. There is nothing lazy or irresponsible about it. Animals were not meant to live in cages or houses. They enjoy being outdoors, and it keeps my cat from being bored. I love my kitty very much, and so I do let him out, he's not pedigreed, or expensive, I took him as a favor to a friend that had too many. He seems to be happy, and frequently brings me kitty type gifts. Yes they are going to fight and possibly get hurt or catch a disease. Some of you sound like your cats are your children, and if that is the case, would you keep your kid from interacting with the world? Playing outside, or making new friends. Get a flea collar, have the animal vaccinated, and you have done what you can do.
City cats.indoors.
Country cats.in or out.
Get the cat a hut out the back good why would anyone want a smelly creature in their house
sorry not an animal lover at all
good luck to those who are
Cats destroy native animals. All should destroyed.
i have 2 beautiful kittens and imagining the thought of letting let out of my sight scares the crap out of me but i know they have to go out but its soo hard to do it im not a bad pet owner i know they are hunters and i will let them out when they get older its just the road outside my house its soo busy.i cant imagine the thought of them lying on it
I have two house cats, but I have no problem with any cat owner letting their cat outside. Do what you feel is right for your bundle of fluff.
I totally agree, I think it is mean on the cat to keep them all cooped up inside, they need to roam the lands! Some people how ever, want a cat.and they live in appartments.so they cannot let the cat out when they are 10 floors from the ground..
But I just think you shouldn't have cats if you do live some where they can't go out, or if you are too paranoyed to let them out.
cats should go outdoors. After all they r living things
your right they are predators and should be allowed to roam free to follow their instincts unfortunately sometimes its impractical to let them roam in busy areas etc so dont think theres a right or wrong for this
if cats where meant to live in houses they would have a shell.
You do what you like with your cats, they are your pets. However, there is NO WAY on this earth I would let my cats out. Why?
1. Coz I paid good money for them
2. They are pedigree burmese and would get stolen
3. They are not streetwise and would go up to any human and expect affection, as we all know there are loads of people out there that think nothing of killing or injuring a cat.
4. They do not know what cars are, so would be likely to get killed on the road
5. I don't want them mixing with other cats and getting fleas, ticks, fights and injuries.
I had a cat once who went out in the street,the local kids caught her and stamped on her head, when she was found half her tongue was missing, one eye was mushed up and her jaw was hanging off. If you want to risk that happening to your cat then on your head be it, personally, my cats are too precious to me to risk that happening again, I learnt my lesson and my cat had to be put down. I never want that to happen again.
Finally, someone is being fair to their pets! Don't get me wrong; some special breeds are nothing but indoor cats by nature, but if you have a cat, no special breed, let them roam free! I have two cats, same as you. They're also spayed and up to date with vaccinations. They're not chipped, but earmarked. Trust me! You are not a bad pet owner. You're treating them very well. Now, mine are both inside and outside cats. They're outside most days, but they com home at night to sleep indoors. Can't really blame them, it's much safer that way. ;)
how can you say you love your cat when you let them out to get a disease or get injured or get killed. People who truly love their cats keep them inside where it's safe. people who really don't love their cats let them outside so they can get hurt and probably die a horrible death that would be 100% preventable if they were kept inside. cats can live perfectly happy and healthy lives inside, get some toys, some scratch posts etc. it's the lazy irresponsible cat owners who put them outside so they can terrorize the neighbors etc.
i have both indoor and outdoor cats they chose what they wanted to be my 2 youngest are indoor totally but the eldest is an outdoor cat and theres nothing wrong with either of course there is the problem if you have an expensive pedigree cat that would be kept indoors as now we have to worry about people stealing them not just all the other stuff. so really let the cat decide unless you live on a busy main rd or in a high rise flat sometimes its not practical to allow cats outside but everyone should respect an individuals reasons for chosing one way or another
both
My cat who is a neutered Tom just refuses to go out he's 10years old now and was never interested in going out, Cat's have different personalities, some are naturally curious and some are much happier in home surroundings
whoever has a pet and takes care of them to the best of thier ability is doing right by the animal. Its hard to decide what the right thing to do is, keep it safe indoors and make it adapt to what humans think is best, or let it be free as it should be outdoors and then worry about consequences. From what you are saying as to where you live it seems pretty safe and that the main worry with having an animal thats loose outdoors. Keep on doing what you think is right, as long as you and your pet are happy and safe.
Outdoors but not excreting in my garden - dirty animals
Cats outdoors always die young.plus they are very happy indoors.mine never howl to go out %26 i have 7 of them..maybe they do it because they are used to going out? Plus, people freak thinking your kitties eating ever bird in the neighborhood.
http://www.kittiesinthehood.com.
Street Cat Rescue Website with Live Streaming Video of the Street Cats Needing Homes
I don't have a problem with this. I thought I would not let mine out and the older one (male) has changed my mind on that. He got out one day and came back! That was my biggest fear that he would be lost or worse. You see we got him and his brother from a rescuer and his bro. ran away. They were feral cats to begin with, left in a caravan park as kittens. Even before they came to us there was little interaction with them from the lady who had them.
Now though H loves to be petted and he does enjoy his time spent out running the streets with his buddy two houses down. As soon as the little one is old enough she will be allowed out too.
She goes for spaying next month, and they are micro chipped as well as had their shots.
You have answered your own question: 'they are natural hunters'.
This is the issue, they hunt for fun not food and kill native animals who cannot protect them selves.
Cats are not native to most countries and cause an alarming amout of distruction, not to mention they spray on everything and make an excruciating noise when calling for a mate.
You dont have to deny them the right to be outdoors, but be responsible about it, there is nothing wrong with walking a cat on a leash or building it a run outside.
I dont have a problem with people letting there cats out I choose on the other hand to keep mine in. I have one phusically diabled cat who I rescued after he was run over at 6 months old. He will always need special help to move around. My other is a mentalaly diabled cat who has seperation disored and possible brain dameage. Both whould not survive outside. I choose to adopt them both as I cant face letting them out to get possibly hurt so I help the ones who cant go out instead. I agree it is natural for them to hurt but it was one natural for dogs to form packs and do the very same thing. Humans decided this was not going to happen any more. For a good reason in my opinon. Cats are not so much different they stractch peoples cars while sitting on hot bonnets. POO in there gravel/ garden. fight with each other causing injurys.Can spread feline aids and fleas/ worms etc. They live longer and healthier lives indoors as you can attent to there needs as they arise and there is no chance of them going away to die without vetinary attention which is another one of there traits. I can see the good and bad for both options but everyone should leave others to what they want to do and not give a judment on others lifestyles.
I dont think you are a bad pet owner at all you have vacinated and spayed them and that make you one of the good ones. I am sure they are extremely happy and thats all that can be asked of you. I hope I have answered the question as to why others can view it differently.
Michelle :-) x
depends where you live either in a flat or house or whether there are any dangerous dogs or roads.but generally cats do like going out.some people keep them inside so they feel safe knowing that they are not at risk from outside life and dangers
You can't protect them when they are outside, that's the problem. They can be attacked by predators, dogs, and neighborhood kids. They can crap in people's gardens, kill the birds at their bird feeders and baths, and hunt the local wildlife. They can get stuck up trees, run over by cars, picked up and dumped at the SPCA by strangers, sprayed with hoses by neighbors, the list goes on and on.
I work at the SPCA, and I don't believe that anyone who safeguards the health of their animal by spaying/neutering and microchipping is a bad owner. I reserve that title for the ones who constantly drop off litters of kittens. It is generally recognized that there are indoor cats, outdoor cats, and a combination of both, and that once a cat is let out often enough, it will become nearly impossible to keep it in all the time because of the howling you've described. It's easy for people who have never watched a cat practically peeling the paint from the walls to condemn someone who relents and lets the cat out.
The only thing you can do, if you have cats that go outside, is make sure that they can get inside any time they want or need to, by installing a cat door. Don't leave their food outside, make sure they have to come in for it, and when you see one of your cats outside, go out and bring it in. Give them a bit of tuna every evening at around the same time, sometimes that helps them want to stay in, and make sure that the home is not too noisy - sometimes cats go outside because it's too chaotic in the house, they love a little peace and quiet, and a tranquil environment encourages them to stay in.
Hope this helps :-)
I happen to keep my cat inside due to the rd.
being close to our home.
My Mom use to let her cats out ( they died of cancer )
%26 a couple times the cats were beaten up by other
cats or wild animals ( racoons , whatever was out thier)
lucky for them they came home before it got too bad
I just think it' safer for them to be inside ( @ least where I live)
had I lived on a farm or wooded area then sure I'd let my cat roam .
I don't have a problem with how you raise your cats. But I have to say in the city it's sometimes hard to have a cat without the fear of loosing it. If we had a nice peaceful place to let our cats outside, we would probably let them out.
I really think it depends on the circumstances and the cat. I've had many cats in the past and they've all been able to come and go during the day through their catflat. I wouldn't allow them out at night and they seemed quite happy to stay in until the morning.
Of those seven cats, I had one run over and two catnapped. But, I always believed it was natural for a cat to go outside and that letting them out was all part of the risk of being a cat owner. I actually thought it was crueller to keep them indoors.
Four years ago my marriage broke up and I had to move into rented accommodation. My three cats stayed with my ex-husband because I wasn't allowed to keep pets.
Since then I've moved (with a new partner) into a new home. Our house is a 150 year old cottage with all of the period doors that go with a house of this age. I desperately wanted cats again but couldn't imagine putting a catflat into the door furniture.
Eventually, after a lot of research, we ended up buying a couple of Singapura kittens. Everything we'd read and been told about them suggested that these were not outdoor cats.
We've had them nearly a year now, and they are really quite happy being inside, they have everything they need to keep them happy and active and don't hanker for the big outdoors at all.
This leads me to believe that whilst cats are natural hunters, they can also adapt quite happily to life indoors.
I now have no strong opinions one way or the other, and really believe it's up to the individual cat owner's choice as to whether to have an indoor cat or an outdoor cat.
My mum has 2 house cats (16 %26 13 years old) and they show no interest in actually going outside at all. They sit in the conservatory when it is hot and my mum has put a mesh door up so they can have fresh air and they love it, they are also exceptionally territorial as when the neighbours cat dares to cross the garden they puff up 2 twice their usual size and prance about to intimidate the intruder, this always results in the other cat scarpering and they then both settle down as if nothing has happened. My parents used to have another cat who did go out but she never stayed out at night and in the winter she was most happy laying on the ottoman in one of the bedrooms, with all 4 feet on the radiator when it was on, fast asleep. I think if a cat shows an interest in going outdoors, by all means let it, just as long as you are prepared to be brought 'presents' in the shape of decapitated birds or mice etc.
Council laws, here in Australia, determine if cats have to be in or out. Most have cat curfews, where the cat has to be inside between dusk and dawn. This is to stop the cats killing wildlife.
There are some councils which outlaw cats (dont bounce on me, just saying) and any caught are put down with owners fined.
For those that like to have their cats outside, there is a compromise - cat runs, fully enclosed. The cats can enjoy the outdoors in total safety.
A cat's territory depends on the individual cat. My outdoor cat stays around the house and in the garden, doesn't leave the yard at all. She comes in at night, and quite often chooses to stay indoors. I have a young hunter who will soon have a cat run and play area. And I have recently homed a stray from the shelter where I work. He isnt well and has been here for just over 24 hours, so dont know if he will be indoor or outdoor. Being a Burmeses stress head I may keep him indoors.
I have grasses for them to chew and roll in. Full length windows so they can be warmed by the sun. Toys aplenty to play with, pounce on and chase.
As I said, here in Australia our council by-laws do determine if cats are indoors or outdoors.
Cats should let out side to interact with other cats and to get use there surroundings. and if it rain let them back in side because cats do not like getteing wet.
I've got a 6month old mog called boo and I do let her out but I would never leave her out at night or when I go out I always make sure she is in, during the day when I am home I leave a window open a little so she has the choice to come and go but to be honest she mostly prefers to stay indoors, I think it really depends on the cat some prefer to be out some prefer to be in, some are cuddle cats and love people some aren't. if I lived in a really rough area or on a really busy main road then I might try and keep her in more, oh and I only ever let her out the back garden never out the front door.
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