Are your Cats Allowed Outside?

[cruisetime]

Just curious. My cat seems to want to go outside and I'm scared she might run off and get hit by a car or something.. I see alot of your pictures of cats are outside. If you let them out when you are out do they stay by you? Most pictures do NOT show a harness or leash.... Thank you for your help.. Debbie

[NoahsMommy]

Most people on the cat side have indoor only cats. The ones that allow their cats outside are either in areas that are safe or are out during supervised times. :)

I have an enclosure on our balcony so our cats can sit outside. Its totally safe and weather proof.

[DogLover9501]

My Tigger is allowed outside.

It wasn't my choice, I was only 9/10 when we got him and I didn't really know the difference, so he was let outside.

He spends alot of time outside in the summer, but in the winter he is usually inside almost all day everyday.

He doesn't *usually* leave the yard, but sometimes he'll go across the street and that really scares me :(
I once seen him run across the street right in front of a truck :(

There just isn't any way to keep him inside after 7 years.

Emma will never ever be going outside ;)

[catnapper]

No way Jose! Allen is allowed to og out and roll on the cement porch and eayt grass for a few minutes when I let Nicki out, but he's the only one!

And to get technical, they DO go out, on the second floor balcony. But never ever out to where they could roam free on their own. I live too close to a busy road for comfort.

[jazzcat]

No.

When we first moved in this house 11 years ago Ripley got out accidentally and then became a real pain and sneaked to go out so we started letting him out. After about 3-4 months of going he out he was shot with an arrow. He had surgery and spent many days at the vet. After that I passed a new law in our house that no kitties go out ever.

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

At first my cats were indoor-only. But since we live in this new house, we changed that. There is NO WAY that I will let them run on the street, oh no!!! Our garden, which is pretty large, is surrounded by a high fence. Last Spring, we installed "doors" to make the enclosure complete. Inka cannot jump or climb over it at all now :) . Maya jumped to the other side twice because she spotted a white cat in our neighbour's garden. But, she is afraid of the "wide-open", so she returned to the house immediately :) . To get them back inside, all I have to do is yell
"yammekes doen!!" (= food anyone?), and they rush inside as if a fire is chasing them :D

[Craftlady]

In door only for our gang of three. Skinny was outside until we adopted him. He has no desire to go out. When the front door is open (with screen door) he does like to look out but thats it.
Mr. Skinny knows how good he has it at our house and doesnt want to leave. It was funny all times he was on our deck or front porch he was chatting up a storm it was like him saying "let me in that house". You know what, since we brought him inside to live with us he chats very nicely now. It was funny, he would just about cause himself to loose his voice when he was outside kitty.

[emily_the_spoiled]

Mine are indoor only. Emily and Charlie were strays off the street and have absolutely NO interest in going outside. Tanner has always been an indoor kitty and only goes out in a harness. Bear has always been an indoor kitty also. None of them show any interest in going outside. I can hold the door open and they will run in the opposite direction. I suppose if I left it open long enough they might go outside, but I am not going to tempt fate :D

[Glacier]

Only in their enclosure. My husband built a large chainlink pen for them. The fence is designed so they can't go under or climb it. They have access through a window with the screen removed. They only use it in the summer and fall. They haven't even asked to have the window opened since it snowed!

[mina'smomma]

No, but it doesn't matter because Mina is scared to death of the outside. She won't even let us carry her next to the outside door. Lee has gotten several scratches from that one.

[catmandu]

There is too much careless driving,around The Found Cat Hotel,as people just drive,too fast,to allow my Cats out!

[catlover4ever]

Gracie and Gabriel are my only two that are not allowed outside because Gracie has sight in only one of her eyes and Gabriel is what the vet consideres to be "legally blind" for a cat.

Tigger, Smokey, Tucker, Mystic and Abner are all allowed outside only if Mark and I are home to be able to keep on eye on them.

I am very lucky to live on a road with very little traffic and the back of the house is wooded. I am also lucky in the fact that they do not leave the yard....the two surrounding houses both have dogs and my neighbor across the street has 2 dogs as well.

[Edwina's Secretary]

The E's are allowed outside on harness with supervision. Except....the other night they both snuck out when my stepson, who is visiting, went outside at 2:30 in the morning to smoke (need I add he had been out partying???) I woke to find no cats on the bed....ran downstairs and there they were...VERY annoyed.

There has been very little begging for a trip ouside since....:D ;) :D

[cubby31682]

Cubby goes outside in what I call the cage. My back yard is all fenced in (which is why I call it the cage). He knows he is not allowed out the front or the side door. He wont even try to go out them. He has ran out the back door a few times, when he does that he goes in to time out for a little bit. Or he gets sprayed with water. He is only suppose to go out when I leave the screen door open for him and while I am out there. If I have to go inside to answer the phone I grab Cubby first.

[ramanth]

My parents cats are allowed outside. They've been gone on a vacation in Hawaii. I've been stopping by on occasion to clean the litterbox and fill food and water bowls.

The carpeting is nearly torn up by all the doors. :eek:

Something tells me mom and dad will not be pleased.... :p ;) :rolleyes: :D

Zam and Logan are indoors only mostly. I have taken Zam out on occasion on a leash.

Lately she's been having the urge to go outside and runs out the moment I open the door. :mad:

[molucass]

Our 3 cats stay outside most of the time.. They stay on the front porch and sleep, or occasionally go into our elderly neighbors yard to sleep on their back porch. They do get to come in sometimes too though..
We have 4 dogs and they all stay in the house, and Bandit has a high prey drive, so we have to make sure he isn't in if the cats come in for a visit.
I go sit on the porch sometimes with the cats to pet them and give them treats and etc..

Besides the fact that Bandit would hurt them if he got the chance, my 1 yr. old niece is allergic to the cats.

[catlady1945]

No way!

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

The only time T & P go outside is when I'm there with them, and they are either on their leashes or in a little enclosure/fence I have for them. They, under no circumstances, are allowed outside on their own. This is the way it has been for them since they were kittens and even though now and then they get a brilliant urge to go out, that is quickly squashed. Just too much traffic, other cats, idiot people, bad people and too many dangers in general.

Even though going outside might take care of some of Meka's restlessness, I really can't recommend it. Just too many dangers....

[carole]

If you train Meka to stay indoors from the start, she will just get used to it, I have indoor/outdoor cats which is the norm here in my country, indoor is almost unheard of , except in breeding pedigrees, however they are kept in at night times.

Ash is almost impossible to keep indoors, but Lexie I have accustomed her to doing so, and even though she can go outdoors during the day, she only spends a limited time outside, she is curled up fast asleep beside me right now in the computer room in a alcove.

I would strongly recommend keeping kitty indoors if you can, it is something I wish was possible here, if I ever shift house it will be a top priority to have an enclosed outdoor facility, it just cannot be done easily here.

[PayItForward]

Inside/outside of course, here are some outside summer pictures to show you why.

Georgie boy
http://www.piftails.com/images/CatChat_George.jpg
http://www.piftails.com/images/GeorgeGarden2.jpg

Milly enjoying my blankie
http://www.piftails.com/images/MillyGarden4.jpg

Milo also enjoying my blankie
http://www.piftails.com/images/MiloGarden4.jpg

Treacle’s photo was taken at dusk
http://www.piftails.com/images/UpdateTreacle.jpg

BamBam loves the Dannylions
http://www.piftails.com/images/BamBam_Dandy4.jpg

Continued….

[PayItForward]

Continued....

Tigs running like a mad cat
http://www.piftails.com/images/TigsGarden2.jpg

Sandy likes to drink out of our paddling pool ;)
http://www.piftails.com/images/Surprise_2.jpg
http://www.piftails.com/images/SandyWindow3.jpg

Annie is inside only for the foreseeable future, until she settles in properly.

Group picture, whenever I am in the Garden I have an escort of kitties. Here is
Left to Right…George, Treacle, Bramble, Milo, Sandy, Milly, Tigs. http://www.piftails.com/images/Garden_2.jpg

Another group picture
Here is Front to Back …Max (Neighbours kitty) George, Treacle, Milo.
http://www.piftails.com/images/ManyCats_2.jpg

My happy inside/outside cats :D
------------------------------------------------------------------
Cruisetime,
Before you decide whether or not to let your kitty go outside, please look carefully at your neighbourhood. Are the roads busy ? Are there cat predators/cat hating weirdos locally ? If the answers are yes, I would keep your cat inside but if your area is safe having an inside/outside cat is a very good idea.

But before you let your cat set a paw outside read this article.
http://www.lostmycat.com/introcatoutside.html

[Corinna]

Our cats are outside (their chioce) in the day but all are rounded up at night and in beds. Winky the old guy (15) was a barn cat and we used to live in the country so he had to get out 1st thing in the AM and bring me a mouse in an hour of getting up.Now hes a little slower about getting out. But with this Montana winters most of them stay in . Winky is the only one who will not use a box (must do business outside) .
Forgot we live in front of an Seinior apt ment building (across back ally) so the kids come home smelling of tuna and old ladies. They can't have animals so I guess they share ours. They look out for them, last winter I couldn't find Winky (always comes when called) I was out in my robe looking when a window opened and one of the ladies said he was still napping. I said it was time for him to come home as his dad(my son) wasn't feeling good and needed his nurse. She opened her door and handed him to me. He has helped me meet lots of neighbors.

[sirrahbed]

Mine are indoor only as that is all I have known to do plus mine have all been declawed. The two kittens will keep their claws but I plan to keep them indoors - neighborhood is too busy. They do all have access via a catdoor to an enclosed patio that is screened in and they *think* they are outside:D At least, I think that is what they think since they chase birds and bugs, etc and it has a carpet like grass.

[animal_rescue]

mine are indoor/outdoor.... we do feed a stray that only comes in during storms though because when he's in our eldest male cat*Collin* sprays the house!(Collin in neutered but will still do it anyways)

[BitsyNaceyDog]

6 of my 7 cats are indoor only. Scampers is the only one who goes outside.

[prechrswife]

Our 3 are indoor only. My mother-in-law's cats are indoor/outdoor, but they live in the country, far off of a paved road.

[tricollie4me]

Bonnie is an inside cat -- she does, however, sit impatiently and whine at the screen door when we potty our pup, occasionally trying to scoot out the door in order to explore our garage; she also sits right in the path of the glass patio doors so that we have to nudge her aside to go in and out. We did recently get a leash for Bonnie so that on warm days she can explore the world from the safety of our wood deck only. She loves to stretch in the sun (really? cats like that? lol) so we wanted her to be near us when everyone is out back. We've only tried it once, one of us keeping hold of her leash and an eye on her antics, and she was adorable -- she is a fairly mellow kitty and is highly tolerant, so we're hoping a brief, leashed foray into the big blue marble will be nice for her every so often.

(Interestingly, I had thought leashes and harnesses for cats were silly; now I understand how practical these can be for the right cat under the right circumstances. Bonnie's safety always comes first, however, so we'll have to see how she does!)

[moosmom]

Mine are ALL indoors because I live on a VERY busy street. The only one I do take outside is my Sphynx (hairless cat) MooShoo. He goes for rides in the car (weather permitting) and I'll take him outside in our fenced in back yard.

PIF,

Great picture of Sweet Annie, not to mention the rest of your kitties!!

[catcrazylady]

Indoor only for all twelve. My neighbourhood is not a safe place for them to go outside. If I lived in a safe place I would probably let them out in some type of penned or fenced area but thats not possible here.
Since most of mine came from outside they are not always happy about the situation but I would rather have them ticked off and alive then squashed in the road.

[kimlovescats]

My kitties are indoors only, except for an occasional playtime in our specially cat-fenced yard!!! My hubby and I added a special topper to our privacy fence, and it works great! However, we still do not leave them out there when we are not home to do a head count! ;) Thankfully, because all of our babies spend 95% of their time indoors, they generally are very anxious to come back inside, after a bit of rolling in the sun and grazing in the grass! We only have one who really is hard to coax back inside, that is Roxie, but she is terrified of anything beyond the fence. She still has to come back indoors though, so we have to go out and "catch her" to force back inside!

You probably have seen alot of my pictures here recently of my kitties enjoying the outdoors, but I always try to make reference to our special enclosed yard, so people don't think that I find it safe to run totally free. I do realize that some of us have much safer areas, but I am just too scared to take any risks with mine!;) I will attach a pic of our fence topper here for you to see.

Kim

[Barbara]

PIF I'd be happy to see my cats in an environment like yours, but regarding the fact that a very busy road is only 100 yards away I prefer to have them indoors- with a fenced-in balcony:)

[Laura's Babies]

My babies are 100% inside! Here, you only have to go on a short trip to the store to see why... MANY dead babies on the road all the time. Cats as well as dogs.

There is also someone in our area that shoots animals, cows, horses, dogs, cats... just for sport.

Then we won't even mention the many strays that people drop off around here or the fact that the park manager sets traps and takes what he catches to our local kill shelter.

My babies don't mind being inside only and don't even try to get out when the door is open. They know they got it made here so why leave?

[chocolatepuppy]

My cats are indoor only. I got them both as kittens so it hasn't been a problem, they don't seem to care. Sassy was running wild when I found her but it still doesn't seem to bother her. Too many hazards around here, the road, wild animals,and idiots!