Do you let your cats run at large?

[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.

[Miss Z]

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.

Totally agreed!

My RB cats Brando and Zsa-Zsa were allowed access outdoors all their lives (apart from Zsa-Zsa's final year, when she went blind, although she could go in our fenced back garden whenever she liked). They were happy, healthy cats who led enjoyable lives; they could roam about in the park next door as much as they pleased.

Before I joined Pet Talk I had no idea the indoor/outdoor cat topic was so heated. I realise now that in my part of the world it is far more customary to let cats outdoors and that in others it is frowned upon. But, even now when I no longer own a cat, am highly offended when people pick out such statistics that outdoor cats don't live as long as indoor cats (my cats lived to be 15 and 16), cannot cope with being outdoors (hmm, cats running across fields and jumping up trees to their heart's content sure looks risky) and are owned by horrible, irresponsible people who don't neuter/de-flea/remotely care about their pets. I could say that most indoor cats I know *in person* are fat and bored out of their mind and that their owners are over-protective and cruel to keep them cooped up. But I know that isn't reflective of indoor cats and their owners on the whole and so I never say it. So I don't see why anyone else has the right to assume so many things about the people who let cats out.

I can understand why keeping cats indoors is a good idea in certain circumstances, such as if the cat is disabled in some way, the owner lives near a very busy road, it is not allowed in their area or if there are predators about. But other than that I don't think it's fair to deny a cat a bit of freedom. They are naturally independent animals and like to have time by themselves, unlike a dog, which likes being around people or their own kind.

Rest assured any cats I have in the future will go outside and I'll carry on being a 'jerk' to the end of my days.

[Suki Wingy]

I think it's more the issue of intact cats running at large and cats that run into the streets and get hit by cars, which happens unfortunately a lot.
I used to think the standard life span for cats was 20 years, since until we lost our cat at 23, I had known several cats in their twenties, all indoor cats.

[davidpizzica]

I think it's more the issue of intact cats running at large and cats that run into the streets and get hit by cars, which happens unfortunately a lot.
I used to think the standard life span for cats was 20 years, since until we lost our cat at 23, I had known several cats in their twenties, all indoor cats.

My RB kitty, Thai was a complete indoor cat and she lived to the ripe old age of 22.

[Cataholic]

Miss Z, I adore your post, but, must disagree with you completely on this topic. At large animals are at large animals. For whatever reason, a person should have the right to restrict ANY unwanted animal on their property.

Here, in the US, I would think it is pretty common to have local animal ordinances that DO address this issue, as it applies to both felines and canines. Enforced? Perhaps not. BUT, it is pretty hard to catch a fleeing cat.

I have a lovely flower bed that has become a litterbox. I have particular areas on my house that make the opening of windows a horrible decision. Why? Cause the neighbors cats- all of whome I adore (both felines and hoomans alike) spray MY house! MY HOUSE!!!! Every try scubbing down brick with OdorXit? Expensive, somewhat ineffective, and very time consuming. I don't really adore explaining to my 4 year old that comes across the dead birds in my yard the cruel realities of life. Bad enough that they die of natural causes, but, to know the neighbors cats killed them is horrible to me.

Want YOUR cats to roam? Great. Keep them in your yard. Please.

[luvofallhorses]

I also find it (the poll) very offensive.

As a proud responsible owner of two wonderful cats, I do NOT let my cats outside. They do sneak out once in awhile but venture into our neighbor's yard and that yard only. The neighbors are friendly and don't mind them but they don't "run at large" or dig in flower beds. they just lay under the trees in that yard but they are rarely outdoors because we live by a busy street and letting them out frequently is very irresponsible in my eyes because they could easily get killed by being hit by a car. that is my worst nightmare, that's why they are 99.9% inside.

My 5 wonderful dogs don't run at large either. they go outside to play and go potty and lounge in the sun with food and water provided. they hate being outside and are always indoors unless they are outside playing or lounging in the sun. they all have collars and tags and their current rabies tags and are only out of the yard to go for walks on leash.

[Randi]

I don’t think many here are taking your silly poll serious - you made it to provoke, right? In any case, you need lots more options, and no. 3 you can skip altogether, it’s irrelevant.

I can symphathise with you concerning lack of sleep because of the howling, but then, either find out if these cats are owned by someone, and ask them to be responsible, or call a cat rescue place to come and trap them.

People in Europe handle cats very different from many Americans, we don’t declaw them and many have catflaps, so they can come and go as they please. I believe most people are responsible enough not to let their cats out if there’s a busy road nearby.

[Miss Z]

Just to add my opinion on why letting dogs run around would be an entirely different matter to letting cats out. Probably will get flamed for this, but oh well.

A cat is an independent animal. It is not in its nature to want to be around humans and other animals all the time. A dog is a pack animal. It likes being around people and its own kind. It would be unusual for a dog to want to be alone in the same way a cat does.

Plus, if dogs ran around free, they would form packs, and that would be really, really dangerous. Cats do not form packs. They are of no danger to anybody unless you try to antagonise them in some way, in which case, you deserve to get scratched.

A cat is agile. They are very streetwise and the majority learn quickly about how to stay away from passing cars. Outside cats are more likely to sunbathe next to a bush away from humans or go hunting, again away from humans. A dog, meanwhile, is not streetwise, it would come up to people all the time, and that could be dangerous.

So letting a dog roam free IS different from letting a cat roam free.

I empathise with the fact cat poop and pee and yowling is unwelcome. As I said earlier, it is irresponsible to let a cat out if it hasn't been fixed or vaccinated. A neutered cat doesn't really yowl. As for cat mess in the garden, that is trickier to control, I'll admit. We never had a problem on that front as our cats would stay away from the neighbours' gardens and use the park instead. Our male cat, Brando, did go ever so slightly senile in his old age and on a few occasions tore neighbours' bin bags when they were out for the rubbish man to collect. We discouraged this behaviour by spraying the area around where we placed our own bin bags with room air freshener. It more or less worked. Plus, there are methods of keeping cats off your property, such as repellents and devices that emit sounds only audible to cats when they pass it. Some of our neighbours, who are very proud of their garden, have used one of these for years. It always worked with our cats and does the same with all of the other cats in the neighbourhood. It's worth the investment.

And I agree with everything Randi said.

ETA: I think the age cats live to has little, if nothing, to do with whether they are indoors or outdoors. I realise perhaps, purely on a broad, statistical basis, an outdoor cat has a shorter lifespan than that of an indoor cat because, inevitably, some are unlucky enough to be killed by a danger in the outside world. But I think a cat's lifespan depends on many other circumstances; breeding, diet and general health, for example. I've known outdoor cats to live beyond 25, and indoor cats to only reach 9, and vice versa. I suppose it's the luck of the draw. There are dangers for us when we step outside our front doors, too.

[Alysser]

Just to add my opinion on why letting dogs run around would be an entirely different matter to letting cats out. Probably will get flamed for this, but oh well.

A cat is an independent animal. It is not in its nature to want to be around humans and other animals all the time. A dog is a pack animal. It likes being around people and its own kind. It would be unusual for a dog to want to be alone in the same way a cat does.

Plus, if dogs ran around free, they would form packs, and that would be really, really dangerous. Cats do not form packs. They are of no danger to anybody unless you try to antagonise them in some way, in which case, you deserve to get scratched.

A cat is agile. They are very streetwise and the majority learn quickly about how to stay away from passing cars. Outside cats are more likely to sunbathe next to a bush away from humans or go hunting, again away from humans. A dog, meanwhile, is not streetwise, it would come up to people all the time, and that could be dangerous.

So letting a dog roam free IS different from letting a cat roam free.

I empathise with the fact cat poop and pee and yowling is unwelcome. As I said earlier, it is irresponsible to let a cat out if it hasn't been fixed or vaccinated. A neutered cat doesn't really yowl. As for cat mess in the garden, that is trickier to control, I'll admit. We never had a problem on that front as our cats would stay away from the neighbours' gardens and use the park instead. Our male cat, Brando, did go ever so slightly senile in his old age and on a few occasions tore neighbours' bin bags when they were out for the rubbish man to collect. We discouraged this behaviour by spraying the area around where we placed our own bin bags with room air freshener. It more or less worked. Plus, there are methods of keeping cats off your property, such as repellents and devices that emit sounds only audible to cats when they pass it. Some of our neighbours, who are very proud of their garden, have used one of these for years. It always worked with our cats and does the same with all of the other cats in the neighbourhood. It's worth the investment.

And I agree with everything Randi said.

ETA: I think the age cats live to has little, if nothing, to do with whether they are indoors or outdoors. I realise perhaps, purely on a broad, statistical basis, an outdoor cat has a shorter lifespan than that of an indoor cat because, inevitably, some are unlucky enough to be killed by a danger in the outside world. But I think a cat's lifespan depends on many other circumstances; breeding, diet and general health, for example. I've known outdoor cats to live beyond 25, and indoor cats to only reach 9, and vice versa. I suppose it's the luck of the draw. There are dangers for us when we step outside our front doors, too.

Actually, Zara, you made a very valid point. Although I really don't agree with it, letting cats roam around neighborhoods is not the same as letting dogs do this. I just don't like having to think that if I let my dog in my neighbors yard there would be huge problems but their cat has free roam of the entire neighborhood, though. It's a bit hypocritical. I see your point though. Cats and dogs are totally different animals. Although, I mostly agree with the not letting your cats run free thing, I don't think her post was very nice at all.

[Medusa]

I didn't check any of the boxes due to the wording but my cats have always been indoors. They're all rescues that were either badly abused, neglected or sick. Since they had a rough start in life, I want them to have it easy for the rest of their lives and outdoor kitties don't fare as well as indoor kitties.

[pomtzu]

Well - I'm on both sides of this fence. I have two indoor only cats and they have never been out, except in a carrier to go to the vet. And what's more - they have absolutely no desire to go out. On the other hand, I also have an outdoor only cat - he is the resident stray that showed up here almost six years ago. I found out he belonged to a neighbor that threw him out along with all the other pets - and his wife. He was neutered when he arrived - never goes far from the house - is very street smart - and absolutely wants no part of being in the house. I realize that he probably won't have as long a life span living outside, but it's his choosing. Since I live in a rural/farm area, there are cats everywhere, but surprisingly not as many roaming as I've seen in some suburban areas. I do have to agree - it's not so much of a problem as dogs roaming since dogs can form packs and be potentially dangerous. In most instances a cat will run from you, whereas the dog could run at you with questionable intentions!

[Desert Arabian]

Wow, the original poster must have gone off her medications! I do understand the frustrations of having a stray animal causing some minor problems on personal property. Cat urine is not a pleasant smell at all. I'm so glad I don't live near you- cause if I found out you shot an animal of mine- you better believe I'd show up on your door step with my 12 gauge loaded. You think it's perfectly legal to shoot a stray animal that's on your property in the state of Wisconsin? Guess again. Unless it's causing immediate danger- good luck proving that to the game warden and police officers when come to question you. How disturbing. But don't worry IRescue452, Wisconsin is trying hard to pass a law that makes feral cats legal game- all you will need to do is buy a small game license and you can shoot all the cats you want. I'm sure you'll be the first in line if that law ever gets passed.

ANYHOW.....

My parents cats are indoor/outdoor. However, they cannot leave the yard since we have a cat-proof fence installed around the perimeter.

[All Creatures Great And Small]

The cats DesertArabian mentioned in the above post are my cats, and to clarify, I have had indoor only cats all of my life UNTIL last year when we finally sprang for the cat fence. Dudley got to the ripe old age of 10 before he was allowed to venture out "loose" into the fenced yard. Before that they went outdoors (not often) on harnesses, or with me standing next to them one at a time to explore a little of the front yard ("herding" them with a broom ). Technically my cats are indoor/slightly outdoor, since they can't roam out of the yard and we close the cat flap in the winter so they have to stay inside.

I can't believe IRescue452 OWNS a cat and yet would be perfectly fine with shooting one. IRescue452, I sure hope your sacred indoor cat never accidentally slips out the door and takes off on you one day - considering you may have some really HOSTILE, judgmental neighbors........