Do you let your cats run at large?

[kokopup]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.

[Pinot's Mom]

Ok-my two cents...

I have had an outdoor/indoor cat (out from 7am till dusk, rescued from a parking lot, we couldn't have kept CK in ... period). We did get him neutered. His choice of lifestyle (believe me, his, not ours) WAS what got him killed. He was hit by a car; he wasn't very old.

Then, we had an indoor/ some outdoor cat (Jamara was let out when she wanted, and we were home, mostly she stayed in our yard, but sometimes she roamed a little). She was rescued from a home where she was abandoned; she was mostly indoor and, as she got older, the deck was as "outdoor" as she cared to get. We had her spayed as well. She died at the age of 18, PTS due to complications from a cancerous growth.

Now, we have an indoor/very little outdoor cat. Pinot only goes outside with a chaperone and a water pistol. We call them "romps" - she has a great time trying to chase birdies and bugs; if she goes to the yard border she is squirted with a water pistol to bring her back and that works quite nicely. She was a rescue shelter kitty and has obviously had lots of exposure to outside in her past life. She has been spayed. Keeping her totally inside would not make her happy.

The point of this? IF the kitty is "owned"; generally the kitty chooses the lifestyle of indoor or outdoor. They can, and will, make the human's life hell if they are outdoor kitties being converted to indoor. I know this can be done successfully, and I applaud those that are able, but it cannot always be done. The problem is not generally those kitties; it's the ones who have yet to be rescued. There are masses of them in some areas and they will create problems. My neighborhood does not, to my knowledge, have any strays. If there were any, they would not live. We are next to a state forest which houses Red Fox, Coyote, very large Owls, & Hawks-all of which could kill a cat. There are also BIG herds of Whitetail Deer, which are my yard pests, but that's another thread...they'd probably step on a cat - stupid suburban rats...

I agree cats are better off if, from birth, they are kept indoors. Unfortunately, many cats these days are not given that opportunity and we that take them in do the best we can. If you would like to resolve your problem, join us and give them a home, or take them somewhere that will.

[kokopup]

I had three cats until a few days ago when Hobo was killed on my property. We are not sure what happened but have speculate that he might have been hit by a falling limb. That morning it was extremely windy and there were limbs down every where.

We had discussed make all three indoor only but had not made that steps towards making it happen. Kallie will be no problem since she recently went blind and is content in her small world. Rascal is another story altogether. He is our newest addition that we took in when a neighbor moved and left him behind. He has been mostly an outdoor cat until we took him in. Since Hobo died we have started keeping him in. He is using a litter box which we are thankful for because we didn't know how he would react. We are having problems with him trying to get out. Every time I let Koko on or off the porch I have to watch or Rascal will try to escape. I have had to chase him down three times in 2 days. Today is a beautiful day and Koko and I have been out walking and enjoying the sunshine while Rascal is in here bouncing of off the walls and furniture. He has been wild and pacing like a caged lion. Koko and Rascal usually play rough when Koko is in. You would think Rascal was a 100 lbs the way they go at each other. Rascal is more content when she is in, but I can't trust him on the front porch when she is out because there is nothing to keep him from escaping through the spindles on the railings.

Has anyone had experience with making a 2 year old an indoor only that has been an indoor/outdoor. I just don't know whether he will settle down or not. I tried taking him out on our sun porch so he could sun and look out the window. He was content as long as I was there but when i got up he jumped up and followed me back in the house. He is on the couch asleep right now, but just moments ago I had to intervene when he started harassing Kallie. Any advice would be welcome.

[Medusa]

I had three cats until a few days ago when Hobo was killed on my property. We are not sure what happened but have speculate that he might have been hit by a falling limb. That morning it was extremely windy and there were limbs down every where.

We had discussed make all three indoor only but had not made that steps towards making it happen. Kallie will be no problem since she recently went blind and is content in her small world. Rascal is another story altogether. He is our newest addition that we took in when a neighbor moved and left him behind. He has been mostly an outdoor cat until we took him in. Since Hobo died we have started keeping him in. He is using a litter box which we are thankful for because we didn't know how he would react. We are having problems with him trying to get out. Every time I let Koko on or off the porch I have to watch or Rascal will try to escape. I have had to chase him down three times in 2 days. Today is a beautiful day and Koko and I have been out walking and enjoying the sunshine while Rascal is in here bouncing of off the walls and furniture. He has been wild and pacing like a caged lion. Koko and Rascal usually play rough when Koko is in. You would think Rascal was a 100 lbs the way they go at each other. Rascal is more content when she is in, but I can't trust him on the front porch when she is out because there is nothing to keep him from escaping through the spindles on the railings.

Has anyone had experience with making a 2 year old an indoor only that has been an indoor/outdoor. I just don't know whether he will settle down or not. I tried taking him out on our sun porch so he could sun and look out the window. He was content as long as I was there but when i got up he jumped up and followed me back in the house. He is on the couch asleep right now, but just moments ago I had to intervene when he started harassing Kallie. Any advice would be welcome.

I'm so sorry to hear about Hobo. Perfect world, I'd let all my Fur Posse run outdoors but as my signature says "Time and unforeseen occurrence befall us all".

As for making an indoor/outdoor cat an indoor only cat, I've done it twice, first w/Pigeon and then w/Specs. To be honest, though, I think that they both were grateful to be indoors only. I'm sure Pidge was because I had been told that she came from an abusive home and Specs got hit by a car right in front of me, so I think that he, too, was all too happy to come in to stay. It may take a little while and some patience if he cries to be let out but I think that eventually he'll like it. Come to think of it, all of my Fur Posse were outdoor cats, some feral, but they were brought in after only a few months. Both Pidge and Specs were around 2 1/2 years old when I took them in. My 18 year old Boo still darts for the door every once in a while, so you never know. Good luck.