inside or out??

Quote:

---

Originally posted by carole
No one however has addressed my real concern if they are indoor and there is a fire how do they get out?
I know u will probably say the risk of that happening is far less than something outdoors and u are probably right, but it can and does happen.:)

---

It is something that CAN happen, but it could happen to yours when they are inside at night, just as much as it could happen to an indoor all the time kitty. So the risk still applies, for basically everyone with pets who are ever inside at some point without their own door.

I don't hate people who let their animals in and out, and I wish I could say I felt safe here to let my babies see butterflies.. one day they will, but it will be on a leash with mommy right by them.
I wish the US was as safe as you say NZ is, but unfortunately, it isn't. So we, as kitty meowmies, have to go by what we know our area is like and how safe it is for our babies.

I do , however, get sad and a little mad, just like Jen, when i see a cat dead on the side of the road, and I think "that cat could be alive if they were inside".

Quote:

---

Originally posted by batgirl1980
I do , however, get sad and a little mad, just like Jen, when i see a cat dead on the side of the road, and I think "that cat could be alive if they were inside".

---

Me too. I hate to see dead cats.. or dead anything on the road :( :( :(

Mine are all indoor kitties--I rescued them from outside. I live on a busy street corner and it's just not safe out there.

Besides, if I had a cat door I'd end up with about 20 more cats living inside! I'm always finding my cats conversing through a closed window with a stray or feral. It's seldom the same kitty twice--there are so many homeless cats around, which breaks my heart. Angel (who never met a cat he didn't like) would invite every one of them in to play!

INDOOR ONLY! I love them too much to risk losing them to anything!

If I had a cat, it would most DEFINITELY be indoor only, for obviously all the reasons you all stated, however, I don't know if outdoor cats living just 2 years is true. My cousin's cat in England was an indoor/outdoor cat. She live a long, happy, and healthy life of 18 years, when she eventually got severe cancer and was put to sleep. Another one of my cousins in England has an indoor/outdoor cat who is currently 12 years old and has never had anything happen to her in the outdoors. I know that there are many dangers outside, but even my neighbors' cats are indoor/outdoor, and those that are in their teens are still alive and healthy. I have never once seen a dead cat on the road. That would be awful. The main reason I would keep my cat inside if I had one is because of fear of "evil" humans and kittynapping. I would never trust the outside world with my pet, but I know people do, and their cats survive.

Quote:

---

Pam posted: INDOOR ONLY! I love them too much to risk losing them to anything!

---

I love my kitty alot to and he's an out door cat.

Re: Fire
I know people that practice having fire drills. It may sound wierd, but my cats are like children and I wouldn't leave a burning house without them, ever!

We live in a large apartment complex and I can't tell you how many cats are outdoors here. I also can't even tell you how many "lost or missing cat" signs I see. :( Its just idiotic...we are surrounded by a BUSY street and a wash (where water runs towards the ocean) where I've seen coyotes. People are also little speed racers around here. I want to steal all those cats and take them inside. Its cruel to leave them out in our area. :mad:

I've heard the arguement that cats are missing out by being indoor cats. That may be true if cats were able to live in something like the zoo, protected and given food to "stalk".

I speak only for places I've been. I don't know anything about NZ when it comes to cats. It does sound safer to me though. Less development and more cat loving people. :)

Quote:

---

Originally posted by NoahsMommy
Re: Fire
I know people that practice having fire drills. It may sound wierd, but my cats are like children and I wouldn't leave a burning house without them, ever!

---

I doubt that this will help at all in a real emergency, but both of my cats know to come to me when the smoke detector goes off. It just started when our oven got too dirty and broiling chicken = a little smoke and the alarm going off... both ran to me (dunno why really, lol). So every once in a while I set the alarm off and get tuna so if they come to me, they get a treat. Alarm = treat. It comforts me that I'm doing something in regards to a fire emergency, and I know the cats won't run and hide at the noise. Of course add smoke and flames to it, the "trick" won't be much good, but its better than doing nothing.
- Carole

Quote:

---

Originally posted by EnglishRider
I doubt that this will help at all in a real emergency, but both of my cats know to come to me when the smoke detector goes off. It just started when our oven got too dirty and broiling chicken = a little smoke and the alarm going off... both ran to me (dunno why really, lol). So every once in a while I set the alarm off and get tuna so if they come to me, they get a treat. Alarm = treat. It comforts me that I'm doing something in regards to a fire emergency, and I know the cats won't run and hide at the noise. Of course add smoke and flames to it, the "trick" won't be much good, but its better than doing nothing.
- Carole

---

really??? now THAT is a cool idea... maybe I should start trying that with my babies.. at least to get them to not be scared of the noise.. (of course do the drill when the neighbors aren't home LOL).. Thanks for the great idea! Because I won't leave without them in a fire (or whatever disaster).. and if I could get them unscared of the sound at least.. that might help if, God Forbid, something should happen!

Quote:

---

I also can't even tell you how many "lost or missing cat" signs I see. Its just idiotic

---

that is sad. If I lived there my kitty would be a inside cat aswell. I dont blame you one bit. :). here is is quiet I never see missing cat posters. It is a nice road with cars going 20 km and they watch for animals and kids because thats all my road consists of. lol

I am asking this out of genuine curiosity, but I find it odd to keep 5+ cats indoors in one house/apartment. That seems unfair to me.

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Soledad
I am asking this out of genuine curiosity, but I find it odd to keep 5+ cats indoors in one house/apartment. That seems unfair to me.

---

The only ones that even want out are Noel and Olivia....and that's the balcony. I've tried taking Noel outside on her harness and she was terrified. :(

Basie, Noah and Micah HATE when I even open the front door!

It isn't cruel or odd if they've never been outside before, other than the balcony.

I can see the problems that would arise if you rescued a cat that was accustomed to being outside, but its not fair to force them out if they've been used to living a safe, happy life indoors.

Besides, if my cats where outdoors, they would be dead and/or in cat fights every day. I don't see how that could make a cat "happy" to be outside....

Life is different here...

thanks for your reply jen, nz is a obviously a lot safer than the large us of a, but there ares till dangers too, thanks for addressing the fire thing, i guess you are right, caged animals have the same risks, as i said i am sure you have decided outdoors poses more of a risk for them.
I am certainly not for or against indoor only cats, i think what works best for you is the way to look at it.
I do strongly advise those with indoor/outdoor cats to try and keep them in at night, that to me is the most dangerous period for them.
Both my cats tend to stay around the section most of the day, they may wander to the neighbours now and then, but not too often, the neighbours have lovely treed sections, with lots of interesting things for them to c and enjoy.
Ash ususally suns himself on the verandah or outdoor set all day, and sometimes on the carport roof, Lexie runs up and down the tree, explores the section and stays with me most of the day, she is sleeping on the couch right now, as much as she would love to be out at night she is NOT allowed. Ash is a bit more sneaky and i have to really practice tough love to keep in at nights.
Anti freeze is a real problem in usa it seems, we dont need to use the stuff here much, as we dont have very cold winters.
Yes i am thankful each day that nz is so safe in comparison and that most people love cats.
I wish it could be the same for everyone.
They used to call it Godzone here once, but believe me things have changed here too and its not as great as all that.
I am glad soledad has been able to back up what i have been saying, also she is an american with a different outlook than mine, but she also agrees with me, that its just the way things are here, outdoor /indoor is the norm.
Well folks we have probably exhausted this subject somewhat, it kinda only started as i was asking when i should let lexie out, of course i never expected that there would be any oppositon to me doing this, as its normal here.
Just in closing i respect everyones opinions and i know everyone loves their kitties and does what they consider is best for them. There is no right or wrong way here in my opinion. By the way statistics wise they were saying indoor live longer than outdoor/indoor, well that is in america, obviously it does not apply here as we are mostly outdoor/indoor.
Yes traffic does pose the biggest threat to the cats i think, oh and by the way we dont have wild dogs either i mean such as coyotes, i was reading someone lost cat that way. but stray dogs always pose a threat, i always keep my gates closed to help prevent a stray dog roaming on the section and maybe attacking my cats, however they do have many safe outdoor places no dog can get. Also we dont have hand guns here, i believe your gun laws are very different than ours, and it would be easy to have one and shoot a cat that annoys u, not so here, our police are not even armed as such., we do have special branches of police, armed offenders squad etc, but not the rest.:)

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Soledad
I am asking this out of genuine curiosity, but I find it odd to keep 5+ cats indoors in one house/apartment. That seems unfair to me.

---

I'm back.....what's the difference between having 1 cat indoors or 100????

Is four an "OK" number to have indoor only??

I was mostly referring to confined space, etc.

Sorry, didn't mean to offend. I am just curious because it seems very odd to me, just me.

I didn't get offended when everyone assumed if you had an indoor/outdoor cat that you didn't love them or didn't care as much about their safety. :(

just one more thing, i meant to say if your cat has never known anything but indoors, then it is going to be happy that way,it knows no different, on the other hand if its always been indoor/outdoor its going to be tough on the cat and u to change, i am sure soledad will beable to tell us how it goes with boo, as he will become an indoor only cat from now on. By the way soledad i was curious how come boo does not need to go into quarantine, is that because he has been living in lovely nz for so long te he lol. no seriously would love to know.
And Jen i have never taken any of your comments as to be offending in any way, i respect your opinion, and i realise you were not having a go at people who keep their cats as indoor/outdoor cats, but merely expressing your opinion as i have cheers everyone and have a great day:)

Boo does not have to be quarantined because there is no rabies in NZ. He just has to undergo a medical check at the airport.

thanks for the quick reply, thats right folks No Rabies on new zealand, also soledad i wondered about some of the diseases people have been talking about that if they let their cats out they would risk being infected, i only know that the vaccination i get is all i am told i need for the cats once per year and they are safe, does america have other disease we donot, u can help me out on that.
Would you not also agree that alot of people live in apartments in usa with their cats, whereas in nz its not really the case, of course we have apartment buildings, but most people own their own homes and have sections here, if i had an apartment there is no way i would let my cat out either.cheers

I realise there are things outside that can make your cat sick, but aren't there just as many indoors?

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Soledad
I was mostly referring to confined space, etc.

Sorry, didn't mean to offend. I am just curious because it seems very odd to me, just me.

---

I wasn't offended at your question, I just wondered why you chose "5+".

Many people here have larger homes or apartments. Our apartment is 1000 sq. ft. PLENTY of room for the cats...even more so when they all are in different rooms. :)

Carole and Soledad,
There are many diseases cats can catch outdoors. We have our cats vaccinated for feline infectious peritonitis (FIP); feline leukemia virus (FeLV) infection; giardia; and herpes virus infection and rabies yearly...

There aren't many things they can catch indoors, which is why a lot of vets don't recommend all those vaccinations every year for indoor cats. They CAN catch fleas or anything infectious that another indoor cat may already have.

i have both my cats vaccinated yearly for those disease, except rabies as nz does not have them, so i think they are pretty safe personally, in that respect, they are both showered with heaps of love ,attention, have the best flea treatment money can buy, good food, etc, which is more than they would have had, as both were strays confined to a life of none of the above, except lexie was well taken care of at the cats league, but she now has a real home with tons of affection, i am hoping get pics of her soon.
Now to change the subject i would like to know how often do you change your kitties litter boxes, once per day, every second day, once per week or what?

Well, I was just pulling a number out.

I know you love your cats and you take very good care of them. I am relatively new to cats, and based on my experience, Boo needs lots of room to run and tear around. I can't imagine four more around in our place.

I was really hoping I could get educated on this, which is why I asked.:rolleyes:

Quote:

---

Originally posted by carole
Now to change the subject i would like to know how often do you change your kitties litter boxes, once per day, every second day, once per week or what?

---

In our house, we have five large litter boxes that we change every day. :)

Dear Noah's Mommy,

Do you mean change COMPLETELY every day, or do you mean "scoop the poop" every day?? If you are changing the litter every day, then I must be a very, very BAD MEOWMIE!!!! Regards from Deborah in Montreal:eek: :o

Quote:

---

Originally posted by NoahsMommy
I wasn't offended at your question, I just wondered why you chose "5+".

Many people here have larger homes or apartments. Our apartment is 1000 sq. ft. PLENTY of room for the cats...even more so when they all are in different rooms. :)

---

Well, Kelly isn't the only one that has 5+. Cataholic, moosmom, marysmerrycats, jenluckenbach just off the top of my head.

I have a big dog and a big cat in a 650+ sq foot house, does that make me odd?

I just have one litter box for my 2 kitties, and I use clumping litter, and scoop the stuff out as I see it. It is in my room, so that not only makes it easy to keep up with, but it also helps keep me cleaning it often because I cant stand the smell lol! And then I clean all the litter out whenever the litter is really dirty or low. :)

No it doesn't make YOU odd. But don't be offended if I find it odd because I've never had any experience with it.

This was NOT intended as a personal attack on ANYONE. If you could take the time to explain to me how it works with having so many animals in one house, I would appreciate it.:rolleyes:

Soledad,
I have a 4 room house. Very tiny.
Keegan is in her crate when I am not there, so she doesn't bother Kylie who is out and about.
If Kylie needs a break, she goes under the bed, or I have a kitty entrance in my closet. She goes in there and basically has her own room.
Whenever she gets stressed from Keegan she goes in the closet.
She isn't very active, so she doesn't zip around much. She sometimes does at night, so that is pretty much her activity.
Keegan, is still a puppy, I have a park 2 min behind my house. Sometimes I try to take her there when it is nice to chase a tennis ball, or I make sure I take her to my parents 3 acres at least once a week.
Now Shaianne, my RB greyhound, was another story.
She rarely bothered the cat. And she was a couch potatoe so she didn't need alot of activity. I never took her anywhere to run loose b/c I couldn't find any fenced in areas. She got her exercise when she escaped! :eek:
Does this help at all?? :)

I guess as I don't have a cat and never have, I don't really have any business replying to this thread. Oh well.

I'm sorry, not to offend anyone, but I cannot even *imagine* having a beloved pet wandering the streets. I guess I'm very overprotective but I would *never* allow any of my pets to be running freely outside without supervision. I feel comforted knowing where my pets are, and what is happening to them.

Almost everyone around me has outside cats. As much as I love cats, I don't appreciate cats pooping in my yard. My dog tries to eat it, lol, and that's not very enjoyable to dig out of his mouth (nor to step in). Real fun when planting your garden too.

I've watched the neighbors outside cats slowly die off. And I don't live on a busy street either, it's basically a dead end. Just the neighbors across my street for example...they've had an orange tabby, 2 black kittens, and a brown tabby. They still have one black cat..the rest lived less then a year before being killed.

My friend has an outside cat that's at least 9 years old. I'm amazed he's lived that long. He's always covered in scratches from fights. He'll disappear for days at a time. When he was in the house (before they moved) he was a very sweet cat...now he's turned a bit wild.

Sorry, I should stop now. I'm not at all saying that any of you that have outside cats don't love them, and it definitely depends on where you live. But from my personal experience, if I ever did get a cat, it would be inside only.

i think we shall have to agree to disagree, u are entitled to your opinion, u cant imagine ever letting your pets out, here in nz we cannot imagine not. different cultures, different country.

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Songlover
Dear Noah's Mommy,

Do you mean change COMPLETELY every day, or do you mean "scoop the poop" every day?? If you are changing the litter every day, then I must be a very, very BAD MEOWMIE!!!! Regards from Deborah in Montreal:eek: :o

---

hee hee.....we scoop every day. :)

I don't understand how you think cats can catch just as many diseases inside as outside :confused: :confused: I don't know about you, but I don't have dozens of stray cats walking through my house every day. So since Shiloh is inside, she is never exposed to strange cats, therefore she can't catch anything. If she went outside, I would have no clue which cat's feces she'd be walking in and what she'd catch.

And vaccinations aren't 100% effective.

Ours live inside. Mini and Jasmine were allowed out in the courtyard at the last house (under supervision), but the fences at this house aren't as secure. I don't want to even risk the cars, dogs, cat haters, council rangers etc. They adapted pretty quickly to living inside again, cats are adaptable creatures.

We got them the outdoor playpen, which they adore. I'll start another thread about it like I promised last week :rolleyes:

Sorry to confuse you, Aly. I knew I didn't word that right. I wasn't referring to diseases, but chemicals. Someone mentioned anti-freeze being an outdoor hazard.

I need to hear about this outdoor playpen!!!

Soledad, I had 6 cats in a one bedroom apt. and it was not crowded. The rooms lined up from the front of the house to the rear (It was a divided twin home) and they would get up any speed they wanted by running back and forth. They also had the ability to use the vertical space, so to them, the apt. was even bigger than it was to the humans.

Dear Noah's Mommy, I feel better now that I know you scoop every day, not change the litter completely every day!!! WOW! I was worried...LOL! I also scoop every day. Just wondering, though, how often do you change the litter completely? I have 3 cats and two litter boxes. I change it about every three weeks. Does this make me a bad Meowmie? :D :o :rolleyes:

Deborah, Meowmie of Prima, Picasso and Piano

I have mixed feelings on this. I don't see a problem with keeping a cat indoors only and I also don't see a problem with having a cat being indoor/outdoor, depending on the neighborhood. Living in the city vs the country makes all the difference.

What I can't imagine is why someone would make a cat stay outdoors all the time though.

The cats at my parents house are indoor/outdoor. My parents live out in the country and there is not a lot of traffic. Our first cat, Sable, lived to be roughly 15 and he could make a grown dog wet itself. He guarded his territory viciously, but was one of the most loving and loyal cats I had ever known. He was about 8 when he adopted our family from a life as a stray.

Mom has horrible allergies and asthma. Even with all the medications in the world, letting the cats go outside for a few hours helps her breathe.

Our boys are big and healthy and those that are getting up in their age spend more time indoors than out.

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Soledad
Sorry to confuse you, Aly. I knew I didn't word that right. I wasn't referring to diseases, but chemicals. Someone mentioned anti-freeze being an outdoor hazard.

I need to hear about this outdoor playpen!!!

---

I shoulda kept my mouth shut until morning because I always misunderstand things late at night! Can I blame it on getting no sleep because of my foster baby? :D

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Songlover
Dear Noah's Mommy, I feel better now that I know you scoop every day, not change the litter completely every day!!! WOW! I was worried...LOL! I also scoop every day. Just wondering, though, how often do you change the litter completely? I have 3 cats and two litter boxes. I change it about every three weeks. Does this make me a bad Meowmie? :D :o :rolleyes:

Deborah, Meowmie of Prima, Picasso and Piano

---

We've been changing out the litter about every three weeks as well. :) I always add fresh litter to the boxes if they get low as well.

thank you for answering my question about the litter boxes, because this is new to me, i wanted to make sure i was changing it enough, i of course get rid of the pooh every minute she does one,and i top it up every time she uses it, but i completely change the whole thing once a week, is that ok, your advice is much appreciated