letting cats out

[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 !!!! 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!!!

[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 ).

[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 ..

[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 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.

[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.

[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.