Do you let your cats run at large?

**bckrazy** · 10-25-2008, 04:36 PM

I honestly don't feel that TNR even has a place in this poll... THAT is what ends the cycle, besides the outright slaughter of all feral cats, which I hope no animal owner/lover would want.

**kokopup** · 01-15-2009, 04:07 PM

I know that living in some parts of the world that strays or free roving cats can be a problem. Saying that anyone allowing a cat to be free to come and go is irresponsible may be harsh for those that do not live in a compact community. I live on large acreage and neighbors are few are far between. My cats are indoor/outdoor and I feel I would be cruel to make them indoor only. I have a cat door that allows them to come and go until night then they can come 'in only' until morning. I have 3 cats, Kallie, Hobo, and Rascal. They all came to me as strays and decided to stay. All have been neutered or spade. When I took Hobo to be neutered the vet informed me that he had already been neutered. Whenever my cats are not inside I can usually walk out side and see them somewhere close by. In my case if a neighbor is bothered by one of my cats I would sure hear about it. They are all relatives. My brother-in-law my closest neighbor has cats I never see and he has cats I never see. My experience with strays has always been positive. Whenever a stray comes my way they end up staying and becoming a part of the family.

If I lived in an apartment or a compact neighborhood I probably wouldn't even have a cat. Koko

my best friend would be there though.

**Medusa** · 01-15-2009, 05:29 PM

Originally Posted by kokopup

I have 3 cats, Kallie, Hobo, and Rascal. They all came to me as strays and decided to stay. All have been neutered or spade.

And that's the key point. Allowing unspayed and unneutered cats to roam is irresponsible, whether it sounds harsh or not. Altering them is for the cats' safety and to keep them from breeding and inbreeding to the point where it gets to be out of control. I have 6 rescues; at one time I had 8, (two have gone to the Bridge), all indoor and all altered. While I was rescuing, I had 27 outdoor cats, all altered, so it can be done but too many just don't want to take responsibility for altering the strays. They like petting them, playing w/them and perhaps feeding them but that's as far as it goes. Then the cats reproduce and very quickly and the next thing you know, a feral colony is born.

**kokopup** · 01-15-2009, 06:23 PM

I agree that allowing any pet cat or dog to run unneutered or spade is
irresponsible. I was only saying because of where I live that allowing my cats outside was not irresponsible. My cats are content outside on my land and do not roam. I have a dog (spade) that I allow to run in my woods without a lease. I am always with her when she runs. Am I irresponsible if she isn't on a lease when we run or bike in the woods. I see my cats being allowed outside as being the same thing. In fact if my wife walks our trails with me, Kallie, one of our cats, will usually follow us around our loop. Freedom is not a bad thing. If you read my other post I think you will see that irresponsible owners is one of my PET peeves.

**Medusa** · 01-15-2009, 06:35 PM

Originally Posted by kokopup

I agree that allowing any pet cat or dog to run unneutered or spade is
irresponsible. I was only saying because of where I live that allowing my cats outside was not irresponsible. My cats are content outside on my land and do not roam. I have a dog (spade) that I allow to run in my woods without a lease. I am always with her when she runs. Am I irresponsible if she isn't on a lease when we run or bike in the woods. I see my cats being allowed outside as being the same thing. In fact if my wife walks our trails with me, Kallie, one of our cats, will usually follow us around our loop. Freedom is not a bad thing. If you read my other post I think you will see that irresponsible owners is one of my PET peeves.

I wasn't saying that you were irresponsible and I apologize if I gave you that impression. I'm w/you; if I had the land, I'd have a dog and s/he'd run free right alongside me. I'd possibly do the same w/my cats as long as I could bring them indoors at night. My objection is directed towards those who do not spay/neuter their cats and then allow them to roam and reproduce.

**mrspunkysmom** · 03-21-2009, 10:14 PM

I didn't like the options either when I first read the poll months ago.

My cats are indoor only because they are not safe outdoors. My neighbors have pit bulls that roam that do not bother me, but would kill the cats. I would like to have an enclosure but it is not feasible. The area is loaded with fire ants anyway.

At one time I lived on a large acreage well away from the road. The 3 cats then would be outside, the cattle being the only other animal around. One of the cats was an outdoor stray that I spayed; she would encourage the other two to want to be outdoors.

**katladyd** · 04-03-2009, 01:44 AM

I'm a strong believer of keeping cats indoors unless you live in the country, and even then they can pick up all kinds of diseases that may shorten their lives. My two cats are indoor only because I live quite near a busy street. They are happy and playful and have no desire to go outside. I can leave the door open and they just sit in the living room and stare at me like, "I ain't goin' out there!" My Meezer is actually scared of the outdoors. In this day and age, where I live anyway, it is safer for cats to be kept indoors.