letting cats out

[ilovecats]

How old do cats/kittens have to be before they can go outside? is it best to wait till they have been neutered before letting them out mine are both males but are eager to go out but aint being neutered till end of Jan.

Any ideas?
Debi.

[boscibo]

I don't let my cats out - too many dangers. That is a topic that has been debated here since the beginning of time, so do a search on outside vs inside to find out more.

Definitely do not let your unneutered males out! They can father kittens at a very young age and are much more apt to get into fights (requiring big vet bills) than neutered males.

[catnapper]

Depends on where you live, you'll get different answers. Here in my area, I'd have to be absolutely nuts to let my cats out -- dangers of human evilry, being smashed by cars. Not to mention the things other animals might do: fights, worms, fleas, FIP, FIV, FeLV.... no sir, mine are happy and content indoors. All but one of mine are petrified to even step outside.

[ilovecats]

Its a safe place where i live..... i live in a cul-de-sac, its very country fide, the people who live around me love cats (i think they all have at least one cat each house hold) i do understand other dangers and would prefer them to be total indoor cats.... but im worried incase one of my children leave the front or back door open and they get out they will be so scared if they have never ventured outside and i dont want them to go through that.... this is a hard one :confused: ..lol
Debi.

[JenBKR]

Never before they are neutered - personally I never let mine out at all, but that topic has been debated here and I know that there are people who do let theirs out. If you do decide to let you cat out, make sure that he is completely up to date on all shots also.

[Miss Z]

Before Zsa-Zsa became blind, she went out with my now RB cat Brando all the time. I would let them explore your garden first whilst you watch them, then hold them (if you can) and walk a bit around your cul-de-sac. It's surprising how quick they learn where home is, and where the best places are to hide, sunbathe, chase little animals etc.

[catmandu]

There has been Too Much FIP around here to let the Found Cats go out!!
And Too Many Careless Drivers and Unaltered Cats!
And you have to watch out for Dogs that are not tied up in thier Yards,as well.

[Jessika]

Definitely do not let your unneutered males out! They can father kittens at a very young age and are much more apt to get into fights (requiring big vet bills) than neutered males.

Don't forget the unspayed females! You DO NOT want to have to deal with taking care of and vet bills for a pregnant mother and then her kittens! And the associated health risks, of course.

The option is completely up to you. I would personally never let mine wander outside because I would be too afraid of him getting run over, or stolen by a neighbor, or attacked by a coyote or... well toooooo many bad thoughts run through my head so I keep him very close by!!

[catnapper]

If you worry about them getting out and being scared, then why not taking them out with you when you gaqrden, etc? That way they know their territory, and are only out when you are there, and if they get out accidentally, they know where they are and won't panic.

My oldest cat, Allen, was allowed outside before we got him. To this day, he wants outside whenever possible. At least he doesn't run and when he does go out, I'm out with him and he just sits in the sun eating grass. He never strays more than 5 feet from the back door (though its far enough that he caught a chipmunk this past fall!) I let Allen outside with me when I take out the trash, let Nicki out ot pee, etc. 5 minutes at a time, at most, but he loves it and NEVER goes anywhere. Once I FORGOT I let him out, and the sweet boy tried to get in through the basement door! LOL

Even if you live on a quiet cul-de-sac, there are STILL dangers. Flutter was born on much the same type street. The family who adopted her mom LOVED cats... yet somehow a human came along and choped off the legs of three kittens. My Flutter is one of those kittens, and every day I feel sad that I didn't get to her before some evil human performed their own cruel surgery.

[Miss Z]

Even if you live on a quiet cul-de-sac, there are STILL dangers. Flutter was born on much the same type street. The family who adopted her mom LOVED cats... yet somehow a human came along and choped off the legs of three kittens. My Flutter is one of those kittens, and every day I feel sad that I didn't get to her before some evil human performed their own cruel surgery.

OMG, that's terrible:mad: :( :mad: :( !!!! I've never heard of people doing that in England, in fact, theft of most animals over here is very uncommon. I'd always thought it safe to let out cats where i live, i've never met anyone who has an 'indoor cat' in my region.

[BC_MoM]

I know here it is illegal to let your cat roam the neighbourhoods. There are MAJOR fines for it. If you want your cat outside, it must be outside in your yard on a leash.

I don't have a cat right now, but I did used to have an Orange Tabby who was an all indoors cat. If I get another, it will be indoor unless I am outside with it. :)

[Miss Z]

I know here it is illegal to let your cat roam the neighbourhoods. There are MAJOR fines for it. If you want your cat outside, it must be outside in your yard on a leash.

That's a harsh law. There are many cats that roam the neighbourhood where i live. I think they enjoy getting fresh air, and cats are independant creatures that like to have alone time. Seriously, i never knew that some people always keep cats indoors (unless they are blind or disabled in some way) until i came on PT. I'm not saying that's bad, it's just that cats are always out and about where i live

[BC_MoM]

I have to admit, I do find myself getting angry when I see my dog come running inside with cat crap in it's mouth from our backyard, though.... that's the only thing that bothers me about them running around neighbourhoods.. they crap in the flowerbeds and in corners of our yard. Not even Marigolds keep these ones out.

I don't think cat owners would appreciate our dogs running around crapping in their yards..... sorry, guys. :(:(

[Jessika]

That's a harsh law. There are many cats that roam the neighbourhood where i live. I think they enjoy getting fresh air, and cats are independant creatures that like to have alone time. Seriously, i never knew that some people always keep cats indoors (unless they are blind or disabled in some way) until i came on PT. I'm not saying that's bad, it's just that cats are always out and about where i live

Technically its illegal where I live, too. Its a safety thing more than anything else and not only for humans but for the cats, too. I don't live in the city but there are major roads a couple hundred feet from my back yard and its a very busy town with a LOT of traffic. Not to mention a mile down the road there is a very busy highway. So I understand why we have that law here. Its easier to keep your cats indoors nad monitored than roaming free, possibly not being spayed or neutered, possibly not being up-to-date on their shots, and fathering/mothering MORE homeless kittens.. it REALLY helps cut down on that!

[babychicaleek]

I never ever let Gemini go outside it's too dangerous for her and plus we live near people who have big mean dogs!!! :(

[catnapper]

I don't think its a harsh law. Its in fact rather brilliant. Its bound to drastically cut down on unwanted litters of kittens. I bet there are still dozens of ferals running around, but its probably a lot better than ever before.

All my cats are indoor only (with the exception of Allen who gets a whole 5 minutes of fresh air in nice weather) They are all happy, healthy, cats who get plenty of alone time. They have their choice of open window sills to watch the world from. I open the windows whenever possible to let breezes come in and they all LOVE it. They watch birds, chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits, groundhogs, etc from the safety of their windowsill. They have oodles of toys inside to keep them active and occupied. The only downfall I see is that indoor only cats are generally more prone to obesity than indoor/outdoor cats. I offset that by interacting with them and making them exercise with a feather teaser and ribbons. I also feed them food formulated for indoor kitties. (well, used to, but thats another story)

[JenBKR]

I don't think I could stand it if I let my cats out. I would constantly worry about them and wonder where they are. No matter where you live, a cat can easily get hit by a car. I'm happy knowing that my two are safe and sound in the house, happily snuggled together on 'their' recliner (where they spend about 99.999% of their day - they do come off the chair to eat :rolleyes: ).

[JenBKR]

I don't think its a harsh law. Its in fact rather brilliant. Its bound to drastically cut down on unwanted litters of kittens. I bet there are still dozens of ferals running around, but its probably a lot better than ever before.

Agreed, not harsh at all.

[Jessika]

I don't think its a harsh law. Its in fact rather brilliant. Its bound to drastically cut down on unwanted litters of kittens. I bet there are still dozens of ferals running around, but its probably a lot better than ever before.

Ah, agreed! You said what I did but worded it 10x better than I could have!

[Miss Z]

I don't think its a harsh law. Its in fact rather brilliant. Its bound to drastically cut down on unwanted litters of kittens. I bet there are still dozens of ferals running around, but its probably a lot better than ever before.

OK, i just mean where i live that's not the case. Most cats are neutered over here, we have no problem with strays in my area, and the cats spend time happily outside so they can take a break from home. I agree that if people don't neuter their pets then it is better to keep them inside rather than end up with lots of unwanted kittens. It's just here, it would probably be viewed as rather cruel to keep your cat locked up. I'm not saying that anyone on here is cruel, far from it in fact, it's just that's how it is where i live.

[AlleyCat]

I don't think I could stand it if I let my cats out. I would constantly worry about them and wonder where they are. No matter where you live, a cat can easily get hit by a car. I'm happy knowing that my two are safe and sound in the house

Same here .. I just can't do it. I fear they would never return, not because they don't like home, but just out of natural curiousity they might get lost or hurt or both. I have let mine out on occasion but ONLY if I'm with them and in my sight. However, we just moved this past summer and I see that the area we built our house on was a former (and still is, actually) hawk-nesting area and we see hawks quite frequently in our own backyard. So since I have moved, NONE of my girls have been let out at all. That's something else to consider in addition to cars, cruel humans, etc -- there are lots of predators! I think it's probably just best to educate everyone in your family that they need to look down when leaving to make sure no kitties escape. Early prevention ..

[boscibo]

I don't think a quiet neighborhood necessarily means it is safer for cats - I lived in the country on a private dirt road, there were only 5 other houses on it, and I still lost two beloved cats to cars. :( One was right in front of my house and the other was when the cat wandered a distance to a busier road. Plus, I had another cat come in with a broken pelvis - the vet didn't know if he had been hit by a car or if someone had kicked him. he dragged himself all the way home after being gone a week. My brother lived on a cul de sac and someone poisioned his cat. It is the worst feeling when your cat disappears and you don't know if it is trapped somewhere, or dead, or if someone took it.

Please think long and hard about your decision - it is much easier to train a cat to never go outdoors from the start than to train him later, once he's had a taste of it. And losing a beloved cat to a car, dog, or mean person is simply heartbreaking.

[ilovecats]

Im like miss z... iv never heard of a law to not let cats roam.... im going to do what one person suggests just take them around the garden because i dont want to keep them pend in, iv spoken to all my neighbours all 6 of them all there cats are up to date with jabs and been neutered, they originally do love their pets (cats) you can tell by the way the cats look clean fresh and far from under fed....like miss z we dont have a stray cat problem or people doing unforgiven things to animals theres no dogs except for mine and both my cats are bigger than her (shes a very tiny yorkshire terrier and shes two and they are 5mths old)

Im not in any hurry to throw my cats out id prefer them to stay in, they even have a few friends who visit my kitchen window to have a bit of cat chat, but i think they should be allowed to have a bit of fresh air every now and then.
Debi
p.s thanks for all suggestions ill keep all of them in mind

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

Whatever you decide, do not ever let a cat out that isn't "fixed". Boy cats who are NOT altered will run further away.... :eek:
I let my cats out too, but only because we have a large garden; so they don't go anywhere unsafe :)

[ilovecats]

they are being done the end of this month the 25th... i have an 80ft square garden so by the time they have run round that they wont have the energy to jump a 7ft fence..lol.... :D
Debi.

[Glacier]

I know here it is illegal to let your cat roam the neighbourhoods. There are MAJOR fines for it. If you want your cat outside, it must be outside in your yard on a leash.



We have a similar law here. No cat can be off it's owners property. They can be outside, but must be confined to the owner's property with a leash or pen. It's very similar to the dog control by-law. Any cat found roaming can be trapped and taken to the pound where you have 3 days to reclaim it. If the humane society has room, it will go there after 3 days, if they are full, the cat can be euthanized.

I'd be a basketcase if my cats were allowed outside. Plus where I live between the dogs, the foxes, coyotes and wolves, an outdoor cat has a mighty short life span.