Why, cat, why?

Most of my cats have been rescues or adopted. I think each is unique with individual needs & preferences, plus the environment they live in has bearing as well. I had a cat once who showed up on our doorstep in a storm, with no claws front or back. We kept her indoors as she couldn't defend herself and the neighborhood was too dangerous for her. The cat I have now was adopted last summer & was mostly an outdoor cat all his life. He stays mostly inside now... his choice, but still asks to go outside a couple times during the day, often to hang out with another kittie who lives nearby. It's a safe neighborhood, tucked away from traffic, with nice neighbors. I feel absolutely fine with letting him out, despite some risks that I'm sure are still there but life is never risk-free for any mortal creature.

Thank you all for sharing your opinions and advice. Even those who may disagree with me, I'm sure you care about your pets and are doing what you think is best. That lady who said she hates cats...that was just a nasty couple of posts, rude, presumptuous, and generally repulsive. Welcome to my ignore list.

Keep the cat stories coming you guys! :drinker:

:flowerforyou:

Indoor cats live longer healthier lives.

The cats in my life (all allowed outdoors):
* Kay died at 12 of cancer.
* Ching died at 21 of old age.
* Fish died at 17 from complications after dental surgery.
* Loki and Gordon are both going strong at 13 and 7 respectively.

None were hit by cars, savaged by dogs, or poisoned by evil neighbours.

I am a bit worried about Loki's health, because he doesn't go outside much (and isn't interested in indoor games), so he is getting very overweight. We try to limit his food, but he and Gordon fight (indoors) when they are hungry.

With cats, as with children, we tend to over-estimate the outdoor dangers and under-estimate the risks of inactivity and obesity.

Well, you obviously live in some sort of little kitty Utopia. Most people don't.

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/cat_kill

Could be worse. This is what my cat brought in from outside the other day. He lost it just after I took this photo, and it took us days to hunt it down.

Indoor cats live longer healthier lives.

The cats in my life (all allowed outdoors):
* Kay died at 12 of cancer.
* Ching died at 21 of old age.
* Fish died at 17 from complications after dental surgery.
* Loki and Gordon are both going strong at 13 and 7 respectively.

None were hit by cars, savaged by dogs, or poisoned by evil neighbours.

I am a bit worried about Loki's health, because he doesn't go outside much (and isn't interested in indoor games), so he is getting very overweight. We try to limit his food, but he and Gordon fight (indoors) when they are hungry.

With cats, as with children, we tend to over-estimate the outdoor dangers and under-estimate the risks of inactivity and obesity.

I've been in cat rescue for 20 years.. I've seen more cats than i can count who have been infected with FIV and feline leukemia from coming into contact with other infected cats. Both are incurable.

I've also had more than one friend who have lost cats to being hit by cars, being eaten by coyotes and hawks, and being attacked by neighborhood dogs.

Maybe in your area they're safe, but the majority of places they're not. People are just so determined to justify letting them live an outdoor existence. Like these people whos cat has lost both legs on one side and they STILL let him outside.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mattbellassai/meet-caffrey-the-awesome-cat-with-only-two-legs

My parents' house, the house I grew up in, has an attached garage and my father put a "kitty door" in it for one of his cats "Suzy". While all the other cats they've had have been indoor cats, this cat was an outdoor cat who resided in the heated garage (she was quite territorial and didn't get along with the indoor cats and seemed happier outside anyway). I can't count the number of dead animals that were left at the door to the garage. There were numerous times where we had absentmindedly opened the door, stepped in as we reached around to flip the light switch to turn on the light in the garage and actually stepped into some "present" Suzy had left us. She'd bring in squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks, birds, pretty much anything she could get her claws in. And let me tell you, for someone who normally walked around barefoot all the time...you can only just imagine the horror.

Let's see how this sounds with children:

"I have 3 indoor only children that will always be indoor only. I have seen way too many children get hit by cars, attacked by dogs, or even other kids. (Not to mention the myriad of diseases and parasites they can pick up - many of which YOU can get) It is so sad and absolutely preventable. If you love your children, keep them inside. Mine are the happiest kids you will ever see. They have tons of toys to play with and sunny windows to nap in. The idea that it is cruel or "unnatural" to keep them inside is such a misconception. They are children. They have ZERO idea of what exists beyond their front door. People wouldn't let their dogs roam loose around the neighborhood so why your kids?"

... ?

Not a fair comparison. You can teach children proper behavior for when they are in public. If your child is not old enough or well behaved enough to manage themselves alone in public, then yes, they should be an "indoor child" and you can take them outside only when you can keep a proper eye on them.

Pet cats that are outdoor or even indoor/outdoor cats know where their bread is buttered and usually stay close to home and are not usually the cats that are wandering about getting into neighbors' yards or getting hit by cars. Those, dear people, are strays wandering around looking for food and a place to shelter. Pets don't need to look for those things, they know where those things are. Those strays are the reason we spay and neuter our outdoor pets.

"Close to home" is still "too close" for me. I like cats just fine in someone's house, but my neighbors have a 15 year old sweetheart of a cat that is regularly in my yard and she doesn't see very well. I worry about her getting into things or hiding under my car and getting hurt. She stays "close to home" but she's still in "my territory" instead of "her territory." I would never intentionally hurt her, but I wish they would just keep her inside. She's fine inside most of the day. She doesn't really need to go outside.

In my parent's house, the next door neighbor's younger tabby cat is constantly prowling my parent's yard. He naps on the hood of their car, he chases the birds from the feeder, he kills chipmunks and baby bunnies and leaves them in the yard where my mom nearly steps on them while mowing. He's a nice cat generally but he can make trouble and get in the way a lot more than the neighbors think he does.

I've known a number of neighbors who have found their cats dead in the street because they got hit by a car, or they wandered off and never returned or returned with injuries. Not to mention the health concerns like feline HIV and the like. I'm glad you spay and neuter any outdoor pets. And I have nothing against indoor cats or "cat people." But I do thinks cats should be held to the same rules as other pets. If my dog has to be on a leash, so should your cat.

My parent's first house had a problem with the neighbor's pet cats as well. They kept using the front garden of as their litter box. It started to smell and he couldn't get the cats to leave it alone. Dad had to rip up all his plants and replace them with plants with thorns, and change the mulch to a different type (not a cheap landscaping project) to get the neighbor's pet cats to stop using our garden beds as their litter boxes.

As I said before, I grew up with terriers. Those dogs were breed to hunt and they were very good at it. We had "gifts" from our dog on a regular basis. (Never birds, but rather lizards and snacks and the occasional mouse that would get into the garage.) There was no doubt my terrier had an instinct to hunt and roam, but she was also a perfectly healthy and happy pet living within the limits her human family provided (leash and fence).

Wow, I find some comments here just incredible. Cats can be just as territorial as dogs in some cases. My father's cat, Suzy, never wandered off our property.

A good friend of mine had a coyote kill one of her cats in her own back yard. Proximity to home doesn't equal safety.

Too bad you can't explain to your kitty that you cannot enjoy his kill because there's no way it's in the MFP database.

Not ALL cats kill. My indoor cat will watch a bug walk around him and he won't budge. We used to have a rat and a bunny too, and our cat didn't care about the rat, and was scared of the bunny! We do let him out in the backyard with us sometimes, and he just sits in the sunny spots.

My dog, a min-pin, is the one that likes to catch lizards and birds, even if he's only outside a few minutes to do his business- thankfully it's rare he catches anything. MelsAuntie- I suppose you think dogs should never be allowed outside since they have the ability to kill too? Granted my dog is only off-leash in the back yard, so he only kills animals in OUR yard...though if I ever accidentally dropped the leash on a walk (because I'm human and occasionally make mistakes) he would go after any bird/bug/lizard/rabbit around. Would you kill a dog or any other animal that crossed your yard? I can understand being upset if an animal is killing your pets, but there's no reason you can't create an outside habitat for your pets that prevent outside animals from getting through. If they mean enough to you to KILL animals you encounter, I'd think it would mean enough to create a safer environment. You can't control what other people do but you can control your own situation.

Keeping a cat indoors is not necessarily cruel. However, if the cat was feral most of its life, and used to being outside, then yes it would be cruel to keep them inside 24/7. I had a coworker who had adopted a feral cat. The cat was very skinny, and my coworker was afraid of it getting sick and dying, or hit by a car, etc. So she trapped it to get it neutered, and adopted it. Being inside 24/7, the cat had major behavioral problems. After working with a behavioral specialist for cats, it was recommended that she allow the cat out during the day. Then at night, when predators like coyotes and owls were likely to emerge, the cat would be kept inside. Yes, there was a chance something bad could happen to the cat while out, but not as likely as when it was sick and starving on the streets 24/7. And the behavioral problem stopped immediately.

As a cat-lover (My baby will be 9 this year ♥), this made me smile.

Your cat just loves you, that's all