inside or out??

[bluekat]

INDOORS ONLY- they do have shorter lives if they're outdoors all the time. There's a lot of dangers out there, cars, other animals, diseases, people.........and a lot of other things too. I'll never let mine go out without me there and tehm on a leash.

[RockyRoad]

Sally lives indoors ONLY, except if she is out on a walk with her harness on.
It would be hard to have a dog and cat, and have them go outside at different times. Plus, there are many dangers.
My friend has three cats, all outdoors. I am suprised she still keeps them outdoors because:
One got hit by a car
Two have gone to the hospital after getting in fights with other cats
One got stuck under the porch

And that's just the three they have. Their other kitten was killed by a car at a young age.

After hearing of all these accidents, I will never let my cats outdoors.
To add onto that, we live near the woods, and there are many thingsd that could be hazarous out there; ticks, diseases, possums, etc.

[tikeyas_mom]

INDOORS ONLY- they do have shorter lives if they're outdoors all the time. There's a lot of dangers out there, cars, other animals, diseases, people.........and a lot of other things too. I'll never let mine go out without me there and tehm on a leash.

I dont agree the have shorter lives if kept outdoors and in .. my cat is 11 years old and has been an outside cat his whole life. ..

My street is a safe one though. lotsa other cats, my cat is the boss of the street though. My street has hardly any cars and ppl watch for cats and dogs, and mosty kids because that is mostly what runs our street lol.. the speed limit on my street is 20 km..

My kitty comes home every day to eat and sleep and when it is stormy out. He loves commi home to his nice confy bed after a fun days play .. he just crashes with my mom and takes up all the covers lol.

[veegan]

"Inside ONLY!!! I've lost to many cats as a kid to the traffic, and I don't want to loose any more !My house is large enough for playing!!"

EXACTLY the same thing here. When I was younger, and not really able to make any rules haha, my parents always wanted the cats indoor/outdoor, cause thats just how they always did it, and theres no litter box to clean, and they stay healthy with all the exercise, and they just love it outside, which is true. But! We've had 3 cats disapear, and 2 cats hit by a car, one killed, the other (Felicity) is still with us, THANKFULLY, but after a 5 hour surgery, and quite a few problems (she has an EXTREMELY sensitive digestive system, and throws up often, and her tail used to be held straight up, but now it kinda curls funny over her back). So once we moved into the house we are in now, 2 Novembers ago, we kept them indoor for a while, like we always do when we move, so they can get used to the new house and stuff, and not get lost when we let them outside again. So since we had to get a litterbox for that, I finally just decided/was able to con my parents into letting me, keep them indoor only. And even though we've had the number of loses we've had, my parents still think they should be indoor/outdoor... *sigh* Luckily Im in charge of the kitties now, and what I say goes with them! But our backyard is fully fenced, 6 feet, so I let them out (always supervised) as often as I can, cause they love to explore, and smell the smells. Felicity is declawed (also a decision I didnt make ) so I dont worry about her climbing out, and Felix is too skittish, so I know he'd never even want to leave our backyard. I dont think he ever did when he was an outdoor cat at our old house! Our backyard was huge there too so he didnt really need to leave it. lol

Anyhoo.. thats just my experience! The way I see it is its better safe than sorry. I mean, if you think its just not gonna happen to your cat, well, it IS highly possible! I mean, just look at how many of us on PT have had it happen to us! And we arent even the majority ya know? Tons of cats are killed by cars, disease, other animals, etc by being outdoor cats all over the world, its just a fact. I mean, is it even worth the chance??? This is your beloved kitty's life you're gambling with, ya know? They have outdoor enclousers you can buy for them, or you can build them yourself. You can get a cat door and have it lead out to the outdoor enclosure so they can still go potty outside, and play outside, but still be safe. I mean, its just not something that should be questioned, in my opinion anyway.

But as I said, I have been in the situation where my parents were in charge and I didnt think I had any say. But back then I wasnt fully aware of the arguements for indoor only. No one was telling me, ya know? And I dont think I ever associated us losing 4 cats to them being outdoor! lol I guess I thought it was just they way things were, ya know? So, if any of you are in that situation, fight back! lol Tell your parents you dont think the life of your beloved pet is something worth gambling with, and please please can s/he stay indoors from now on?? And be sure to promise (and followthrough! lol!!) that you'll clean the litterbox. Because s/he's worth is right?!?! Thats what I thought! hehe

[RubyMutt]

When my old kitty, Ichiro, came to live with us he was indoor/outdoor. He was a stray that just showed up at our house once and never left (we tried to find his home, but no one claimed him), but we were happy to have him (even though my mom is EXTREMELY alergic to cats). She was constantly taking alergy pills But we just fell in love with the sweet kitty. Since he was so accoustomed to being outside we let him out whenever he pleased. Unfortunatly, after only 9 months of living with us he was hit by a car and killed just a few house down the street. And our street is NOT at all a busy road. It was very sad, I wish I would've kept him indoor, but he just loved going out so much... If I ever got another cat it would be indoor only.

[tikeyas_mom]

I had a cat for about a day that was an indoor cat her name was Tiger she was Declawed, she couldent defend her self against my dog so we had to give her back to the previouse owners, it was sad ..

[shais_mom]

Originally posted by tikeyas_mom
I dont agree the have shorter lives if kept outdoors and in .. my cat is 11 years old and has been an outside cat his whole life. ..

.

That is your opinion. Everything you read says that indoor kitties live longer lives. You and the people with older outdoor kitties are lucky. If you could bottle that and sell, you would make alot of money.

My Kylie is INDOORS, except for the occasionally sneaking outside with I am propping the door open to carry stuff in.

[tikeyas_mom]

That is your opinion.

it has nothing to do with opinion. it is just fact.

[rg_girlca]

Indoor only and will always be that way. I live on a second floor so they are allowed on the balcony with me when it is nice out, but they are never allowed downstairs. I've seen a few of my neighbors cats hit and killed by cars and thought, " Poor baby, if only you were kept inside". Then to see the City truck come by and just throw the cat in the back of their truck is just too heartbreaking.

My oldest brother's cat was an outdoor cat because he and his wife felt that it was natural for them to be outside. Their cat was hit and killed by a car when he was only 3 years old. They have another cat now and keep him indoors as they do not want to go through another traumatic experience like the first one.

Jenluckenbach, your list as to why your kitty should stay inside, is right on.

[Denyce]

I agree with all that Jen posted as for reasons. I also have to add that it just plain isn't fair to your neighbors for your cats to be running loose outside. They often will use flower beds as litter boxes...can eat harmful outdoor plants, get into cat fights in the middle of the night or early morning or break the hearts of those of us who keep our cats indoors and are worrying if that cat is a stray or someone's pet that just seems to like your place better. Besides it breaks my heart everytime I see a dead cat on the road. It is bad enough having to deal with the dead wildlife. Why should those of us who care also have to deal with dead pets.

Denyce

Oh...my four are INDOORS ONLY except with close supervision and only 1 or 2 at a time.

[Cookiebaker]

I feel guilty posting this after reading everybodies replies but Marigold is an inside/outside come & go as she wants to kind of kitty. When we first adopted her, we had in mind that she would be indoors only, and for the first 3 or 4 months she was content with that. However she soon became very antsy and it became obvious to us that she wanted to be free. She would sit at the window/doors and meow so pitifully, and even quit eating. Soon after that, she started peeing everywhere in the house. We had her vet-checked to make sure it was nothing medical, and we made the decision that she could come & go as she pleased. It has made a big difference in her personality, and she loves to run & play, and climb trees. She a happy little girl now, and I think that that's important, too.

[tikeyas_mom]

I agree with all that Jen posted as for reasons. I also have to add that it just plain isn't fair to your neighbors for your cats to be running loose outside. They often will use flower beds as litter boxes...

You know what, that isnt a problem here, because we have a HUGE hill in the back like a mountain kinda, all the cats use that . And noone cares if a cat was in their yard because everyone on our street owns at least one cat .

[NoahsMommy]

Originally posted by Nomilynn
My three are indoor ONLY, unless they are wearing a leash and I'm outside with them. It just isn't safe enough to let cats roam outside.

Exactly what I was going to say, but take out three and put in five for me.

[carole]

to Jen and the others, your points are valid for keeping cats inside, i have no argument with that, but i just want to say we donot have rabies in nz, antifreeze does not appear to be a problem here and many of the other things u mentioned, of course u do run the risk of cat fights, traffic and the possibility of cruelty.
but as soledad has reinforced my points it is seen as cruel here in nz to take the cat out of its natural habitat.
Most people in general donot mind their gardens being used by the cats for litter boxes or shoo them away anyhow, i think in apartment buildings keeping a cat inside is practical even in nz.
But we have large sections alot of us fully fenced and not the kinda of traffic u have over there,
As i have said before nz is a very cat loving country, u get your monster people here too just the same, they are everywhere.
As for picking up diseases well i keep my cats vaccinated so the chances are not very high.
I am a very responsible cat owner , i want u all to be assured of that, and whether we differ on our opinions i respect your reasons to keep your pussycats indoors, if it works for you then great.
If i lived in usa i think i would have to rethink indoor outdoor from what u folks have said, kinda scares me to think its that bad there, your pussycats arent even safe.
However i c there are some indoor/outdoor cat owners there too, i am sure they have weighed up the pros and cons.

[veegan]

I tried to post this much earlier but my computer messed up! :O Anyhoo.. here it is..

"it has nothing to do with opinion. it is just fact."

maybe in your case it is a fact, but the truth is, the FACT is, statistics have proven, and the arguments on both sides also prove, that indoor cats are safer, and because of that have a longer life, and your cat has just been lucky. I was trying to find some specific statistics online, and I couldnt, but I found this very interesting article. It was written by a woman who originally felt outdoor was best for her cats, and depending on your situation, and your cats, outdoor vs. indoor is a personal decision. Which it really is, however you cannot deny the fact that there are a lot of risks involved in allowing your cat free rein outdoors. (And as I said in my previous post, *personally* I feel that no matter how small the risk may be, its not one worth taking when it comes to my pets). But anyhoo!! dont mean to preach.. :O And anyway, since one of her cats got FIV from being outdoor, she changed her opinion, and wrote a revised article. So, here it is!:

http://cats.about.com/library/weekly/aa102400a.htm

My favourite part of it was this:
"I don't believe in statements beginning with, "If you love your cat, you'll..." We humans feel different degrees of love for our cats and express our love in different ways, and my stance on the indoor-outdoor issue is not "proof" one way or another of loving my cat more than the next guy.

However, I do believe in personal responsibility for our decisions, and ultimately, our wrong decisions may cost us the loss of a very good friend and family member."


I just found another site listing pros and cons, and it has these statistics:
"Inside Cats:
have a life span of 12 - 20 years
Outside Cats:
have a life span of only 1 - 5 years"

I dont know where they got the lifespan statistics, but I assume they didnt make them up! lol

at this site I also found this:
Causes of rural cat mortality (Illinois, Warner 1985) were: Vehicles 37%
Disease 24
Humans 11
Dogs 10
Winter Storms 6
Machinery 4
Farm Chemicals 4
Livestock 1
"Old Age" 1

So anyhoo.. just wanted to share those