Do you let your cats run at large?

[IRescue452]

Last night at 3 in the morning there was a cat in heat howling in my front yard. I went off to chase it away seeing as I have to work early and I don't want to be up all night, and 3 cats went running from my garden. One cat was in the area where some baby birds were learning to fly that day (gee, who ate one of the babies last weekend?). One was trying to fish the goldfish out of our pond. The third was the howler. This morning I found a break-away cat collar in the garden. No tags though. I know they are/were somebody's pet, neither of them was our normal big grey stray who hangs around.

I am so sick of these animals. If they aren't spayed then they probably aren't vaccinated. What if all their poop all over our yard gave something to myself, my animals, or my family? I'm at the point where I want to trap them and take them to a far away shelter, then send their owners a nasty note and make them think I did something bad to hurt their cats. Either way, I'm going to set traps.

Let this be a lesson to anybody who reads this thread; an animal at large is an animal at large, and the fact that its a cat gives you no more right to let it loose. I'd be well within the law to shoot these cats. Lucky I don't blame the cats. If you want you precious cats to go outside. Build an enclosure with a top or use a harness and a leash like a responsible person. End rant.

[Pawsitive Thinking]

As a responsible cat owner I find your post highly offensive. Clearly trying to resurrect the indoor v outdoor cat issue which is never going to be resolved amicably. Brody has 24 hour access to the house so is neither an indoor or outdoor cat but that does not make me a jerk

[Casper]

Nope, just for the fact that I would be worrying where they were the whole time. The only cat that I let outside is Khaith and he never gets more than two feet away from me.

Out of our whole neighborhood(I live in a large lake-side neighborhood) there are only 2-3 cats left on the loose. We are lucky enough to have the town's "Crazy Cat Lady" living right in the heart of the neighborhood and she does a great job with the whole trap, neuter, release thing. None of us have ever had a problem with the cats. It helps that they are all taken care of by the whole neighborhood. I seriously think that those cats get a dozen meals a day.

[sasvermont]

Well, well, well. This topic has been discussed before and I suspect no one answer is "the answer". One would hope that each person would be able to judge each situation accordingly.

I keep my cats inside for the most part. Two of mine, the Abys, are not outside cats, personality wise. They are a mess and won't come in for days, if they get out. Lucy, the big black barn cat is in and out all day long when I am home. She is in a night! Why you ask? There are wolves, foxes etc. in my town and I don't want her to be part of the food chain.

One would think that most owners would want what is best for their pet - for them to be safe and to not prey on other animals/birds etc. You cannot mandate this...just hope for their common sense to kick in early in their pet ownership.

It is my opinion that if someone leaves their pet out all night, they (the pets) are free game, to be trapped by someone bothered by them, eaten by a bigger animal, hit by a car....... Unfortunately not everyone goes to the trouble to spay and neuter their pets....creating a horror of horrors for those of us trying to get a good night's sleep. Not to mention the creation of new, and for the most part, unwanted animals. Ugh.


So I vote for a trap, neuter program in your neighborhood. I did it years ago, and we have not had problems since then. That is not to say that we don't have a stray cat or two from time to time, we do. Just not herds of cats like we did before. I also went to a couple of farmers in the area and asked them to take their cats to the free/cheap spay neuter clinic.

I feel your pain. Not everyone cares much about their neighbors' sleep.....but that is life. I hope you get help with this problem, as the animals will benefit in the long run too.

[horselover365]

As a responsible cat owner I find your post highly offensive. Clearly trying to resurrect the indoor v outdoor cat issue which is never going to be resolved amicably. Brody has 24 hour access to the house so is neither an indoor or outdoor cat but that does not make me a jerk

I totally agree. I let my cats outside, they have acess to the house at all times, and they never leave my yard. My one cat does not even go outside simply because she does not want to.

[columbine]

I agree that letting cats roam is irresponsible, but if someone who can't afford to take on another cat goes the extra mile to to do TNR, they're doing a great deal of good.

Love, Columbine

[Suki Wingy]

Both my cat, and the cats I will be living with this fall, are not allowed out of the house for any reason except to go to the vets office. My grandmother's cats, however, are allowed out in her back yard that is FENCED, and since they are declawed, (that's another story) they can't get out. Before the 6 foot wood fences, they went out on harnesses.

[Freedom]

The last option in your poll indicates that you are not familiar with TNRM, as that is NEVER the attitude of the program volunteers.

[Suki Wingy]

I believe it is sarcastic, her views on what catch and release is.

[Zippy]

No,I don't believe in outdoor cats.I had outdoor cats when I was younger and will never do it again.My girls are indoors only.

[cassiesmom]

Nope. The building management gets hinky if any pet is in the hall unleashed.

[krazyaboutkatz]

No, mine are all indoor only. I live in a condo and our rules say that all cats must be indoor only or they'll be trapped and taken to a shelter or if they have ID tags on we may be fined for letting them roam free outside. Even if these weren't the rules, I'd still make all of my cats stay indoors only. It's so much safer and I always know where they are.

[Jessika]

As a responsible cat owner I find your post highly offensive. Clearly trying to resurrect the indoor v outdoor cat issue which is never going to be resolved amicably. Brody has 24 hour access to the house so is neither an indoor or outdoor cat but that does not make me a jerk

I agree....

My in-laws' cats are mostly outdoor cats, all are spayed and neutered and UTD on shots/dewormed, get them medical attention whenever they need it no questions asked and love them more than anything... but I guess they're irresponsible jerks, too...

[3muttsandaboston]

I chose irresponsible jerk because my cats are indoor/outdoor.

[lute]

I don't have a cat right now. When I did she was an indoor/outdoor cat. I find nothing wrong with an outdoor cat. In my opinion some cats are happier outside. Even though I do not have a cat I still find it offensive.