Should I keep my cats indoor or indoor/outdoor

[icedtea]

hello. in a few months Ill have to decide whether or not she will be allowed outside. Our yard doesnt have fences on all sides, the side without a fence is next to the road (very convenient) and so I am wondering you all think. Should I keep her inside or let her outside. I am very worried about lettign her outside as she might go across the road, or she may get attacked by the evil next-door cat , a burmese male called Milo. I would hate to have her inside all the time. I know lots of you people have happy indoor cats, though. i dont know if I could convince my folks to build a fence!! The next-door cat comes on our property, too though.

[The Cat Factory]

I keep all 3 of my babies indoors, and they couldn't be happier. If they were to go outside I would just worry about them the whole time, I think it is too dangerous outside (other cats, dogs, animals, cars...).

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

That is totally your decision. I keep all of my cats indoors, all the time. They are always happy - which is what matters most. If you do let your cat outside, make sure she is up to date on vaccinations, has proper identification and is spayed. Be prepared for the worst if she leaves and doesnt come back for a while. That happened to cats I had when I was younger and it ended up that they were hit by cars or eaten by a wild animal.

It is risky, but many cats live happily outside.

[carole]

My cats are indoor/outdoor which is the norm here in my country anything else is considered cruel here, but that is NOT my opinion, infact since being on PT I think if you can build a lovely protected outdoor area that is the ideal IMO, and what i dream about having one day,that way you can be assured of their safety and also see them enjoy the great outdoors, PURRFECT, so if you can convince your parents to build an outdoor area for the cats then that would be the best life can offer them, otherwise probably best to keep them indoors, if you can.

[orangemm]

Mine have never set foot on outside ground! I've never let my cats outside. The only exception was Chaz, who was adopted from a fish store. He was used to going outside briefly and always wanted to wander. We tried our best to keep him inside, but he was very sneaky and got out several times.

The last time he was hit by a car and I found him under the hedges in the alley. I cried for days.

It's just too risky; cats are good at getting out of enclosed places, no matter how secure we think they are.

[Craftlady]

All ours are indoors only.
Skinny and Cindy knew the outside life as strays, indoors is the Ritz Carlton to them

[Felix]

I keep my Felix inside for the most part.The odd time he looks to get out I put his harus on and I have a long leash that goes up and down my cloths line in the backyard.I always supervise thou.I live around a very busy area for traffic.He also as an ID tag,just in case.I would never let him just roam the streets...its just too dangerous.

[catnapper]

I replied in your other thread about the dangers an outdoor kitty can face, so you already know my opinion

Seriously, like I said, it IS also an American idea. I know most european countries would think its absurd to keep a kitty indoors only. One magazine article I read that was written in England said that cats that live indoor try to commit suicide by jumping off balconies (read this only days after my indoor only kitty Pouncer took a fall off the balcony and broke his paw! LOL) but the truth is, indoor kitties can be every bit as happy and entertained indoors if you provide lots if interaction with yourself and other humans in the house. Give them plenty of toys to keep them active physically and emotionally.

PS: Saw your question about litter... the clumping can actually trun into a cement like substance when you add a lot of water, and it actually can block up everything inside her and kill her. Small kittens make huge messes and always are training water in their fur. Then when they step into the litter, it sticks to them. Then they groom themselves and injest the litter. Make sense?

Also, rule of thumb regarding litterboxes and multpile cats: one box per cat, plus one. So if you have 2 cats, you'd want 3 boxes. 4 cats = 5 boxes. I have 5 cats and 7 boxes. I tried to NOT do the rule of thumnb for the longest time saying that was stupid.... but trust me, its a good rule!