Are you afraid of your cat(s) going outside?

Yup. They stay inside.

If they go outside, they can catch diseases from other cats; if they stay indoors, they won’t get those diseases, and I don’t have to pay for those vaccines. They can also get in fights with other cats outside, the kind that cause real injuries that need vet attention and create medical bills. And then there’s cars, which they can get hit by, and it’s a downtown urban area, so cars come by pretty frequently. Plus, what if someone else falls in love with them and decides to keep them?

^ I definitely understand the car thing. We had a cat who got hit by a car, so the two cats we have now are kept inside for the most part.

They stay in, unless we’re out with them, that’s how they started off and at this point there’s just no overriding need to have to deal with fights, cars, predators, disappearance, etc.

The cat I had stayed inside. When she was given to me, I lived in an apt. on an upper floor, so it really wasn’t an option. When we moved to a townhouse with access to a patio, she would step outside, but dash back in if a bird flew over her head or she heard a noise. Scardy-cat.

The sad part is, one day I came home from work to find a notice that the maintenance staff had been through to do routine work. Apparently, they left the door open at some point, and the cat got out. I never found her.

Both sisters let their cats out. One lived on 18 acres, so cars weren’t a worry, but wild animals probably were. The other lives in the suburbs, and her cats have fared well, despite the risks.

I have always had indoor only cats for over 20 yrs and they have lived to a ripe old age.

If you do some reading on various animal welfare sites (humane society etc.) they will unanimously advocate indoor only. Statistically speaking, the lifespan of indoor-outdoor cats is only HALF OF those kept solely indoors. That’s a significant difference.

For many years I lived right in the city and letting my cats out was totally impractical since chances are it wouldn’t be long before they ended up as road pizza (in addition to numerous other dangers)

Now that I’m in a more rural area, there are coyotes to worry about. There are frequent reports in the paper about coyote sightings in peoples backyards as well as missing pets. A cat or small dog is the perfect size for coyote lunch or dinner.

My landlord has a sweet little Shitzu and will always make sure to go out with him and keep him in sight while he does his business.

I have always made certain wherever I’ve lived that my cats had one or more windows with a view as well as high places for them to go to. Cats need both to be truly happy.

They spend hours “window shopping” totally engrossed by the birds and other small wildlife they can watch. So they are hunting mentally if not physically and don’t get bored.

Other people feel differently and let their cats roam outdoors. Everybody has to make their own decision on what they’re comfortable with And obviously, any individual can have a cat that beats the statistical odds and lives 20 yrs.

But those statistics are based upon all the other cats who weren’t so lucky and died at 9–10 yrs old or sooner vs. the normal 18–20 yr. normal cat lifespan.

I feel bad enough when one of my 18 yr. old cats die. I couldn’t bear it if I were responsible for exposing them to an earlier death from all the dangers outside. I’m just not much of a gambler. At least not with my pets lives.

Any cat can live a perfectly happy life as an indoor cat as long as you provide plenty of play and stimulation on a regular basis. It just requires some creativity on your part.

Do what your heart tells you AFTER you’ve thoroughly researched the pros and cons. Read what pet authorities recommend and make your decision accordingly.

But if you do decide to let kitty outdoors, make ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN to stay current on yearly vaccinations. DON’T ALLOW THEM TO LAPSE.

FELV is rampant and very easily transmitted between cats in a fight or in mating.

Rabies can and will kill your cat and raccoons and other wildlife are frequently carriers.

You must do vaccinations yearly. No skipping.

Definitely, ours stay inside. My mom lives right on a major road, and there’s a large chance one of them could be hit by a car. There are plenty of stray cats they could catch diseases from or get in fights with, and there are bugs outside that they can pick up that they wouldn’t get indoors. They might wander too far and never come back. Someone else could pick them up and decide that they want to take them home, since they don’t have collars and don’t really show any sign of belonging to someone.

The risks of allowing our cats to go in and out as they please far outweigh any possible benefits there could be, in my opinion. Plus, at least one of my cats has no desire to go outside at all.

Indoor cats live longer.

In spite of the number of people who proclaim “My cat lived outside and lived to be 28!”, on average, cats who live inside live longer and healthier lives. (With 15 years of working in the emergency veterinary field, I can tell you that horrible, horrible, horrible things happen to outdoor cats. Horrible things also sometimes happen to indoor cats, but not nearly as frequently.)

Outdoor cats decimate bird populations.

Exact numbers are unknown, but scientists estimate that nationwide,
cats kill hundreds of millions of birds, and more than a billion
small mammals, such as rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks, each
year.

The argument that cats deserve to enjoy their “natural” habitat is a fallacy.

Cats do not have a “natural” habitat, they are a species that has been domesticated by man – their habitat is “with man”.

When I lived in New England we had to keep the cats indoors, Coyotes and Bobcats. Several of the neighbors lost their animals to the wild animals in the backyards.

Here in Paradise and with my 20 acres that abut on other woodlands and old fields, I let Milo out during daylight hours. He is free to come and go as he pleases and chooses, for the most part, to hang around where I can see him or underneath one of the porches or decks.

Occasionally he trots down the drive for ¼ mile for the mouse that is more delicious than the dozens closer by.

I bring him in just before dusk; all it takes is a few calls and yodels.

Since he is a skilled climber and very fast sprinter, I don’t worry. Three times in the past four years he has straggled in at 3:00 AM, looking slightly bedraggled but fine. Once he climbed onto the roof and scratched at the screen of my bedroom on the second floor.

Sure, I have my fears, but, I also believe cats should be able to experience fully being a cat at the same time. I live on 5 acres in the hills of Northern California and while I have zero traffic or other road hazards I do have Coyotes and Rattlesnakes lurking about.
My one guy, “Myles”, was bitten by a Rattlesnake 4 weeks ago and survived. In over 20 years of living rural I have only lost several cats ” mysteriously” which means, the Coyotes got them.

I am willing to take the risks as my cats LOVE going outside and the world is their Oyster over here. I have a cat door into my garage and kitchen and 99% of the time they are inside at night, but once in awhile, like last night, full moon and the hunting in the moonlight is too much for any cat to resist I left the garage door up and they were both in sleeping this morning.
If I lived in a city, or on a busy street I would not let them out, but I am willing to gamble with the risks out here in the woods. I believe cats are the happiest given freedom and life is risky for all of us.

We’d all live longer if we never left the house, drove a car, or ventured outside of our safe zones but this is not living, nor is it realistic.

@syz While the stats may be true, and it is also true cats are domesticated, however, you can take the cat out of the wild but you cannot take the wild out of the cat. Cats have natural urges to stalk and hunt whether it is a real mouse or a stuffed one. There are also a LOT of stressed indoor cats with emotional issues from boredom and confinement.
I had a cat years ago that lived to be 16 and he was strictly indoors for the first 5 years of his life and suffered stress related urinary issues.

He was always trying to get outside and the vet put him on a urinary acidifier for LIFE, due to his issues.
Guess what?
When I moved to a home where he could go out his urinary tract issues cleared up and he NEVER had another bout of problems after he was allowed to go outside and relieve his stress of confinement.
I believe in quality of life over quantity with reasonable precautions of course.

Well if the cat is an adult and was already an outdoor cat I’ll leave them out, only after being fixed that is (whether they’re male or female). Generally though my rule is no, since there are too many cat haters where I live. There are other cats that have knicked up some of my pet cats too.

The cat that previously owned me was attacked by something/someone during one of his outings. He eventually died due to the injuries he sustained. Because of this, I was extremely resistant to let our new cat go outside.

The new cat, Missy, continually begged us to open the door (when she wasn’t trying to escape), but I didn’t dare risk being negligent and allow another cat be hurt or injured.

We managed to keep her inside for over a year. Unfortunately, Missy became very “needy”, demanding attention all of the time. She refused to be ignored.

Then one day she jumped on my back. She wasn’t attacking or trying to hurt me. I believe Missy was just letting me know that she wouldn’t accept being ignored. But it startled and frightened me a bit, so I opened the kitchen door (I was washing dishes) and let her out.

Missy now comes and goes when she pleases. She doesn’t like to be cooped up long; I’m resigned to the fact there’s little I can do about it. I just pray nothing tragic happens to her while she’s out.

Although I do not currently own a cat, I would never have an outdoor or indoor/outdoor cat for many of the reasons posted above (well-summarized, jellies) especially given the number of feral cats that wander my neighborhood and even the stray dogs (though usually friendly enough, I would not risk my pet’s health and safety.)

Mine go out and they love it. They usually don’t stay out more than a half hour or hour at a time, and when I go to bed or I go out, they’re in the house. They usually stick to the deck and the yard. They don’t travel far and they’re afraid of cars. When I walk in my neighborhood, they will try to follow me, which is very sweet.

@jca Yes, my guys too.
I have zero cars, zero feral cats, zero marauding dogs, and my guys don’t go far either. It’s all a gamble, snakes and coyotes vs. cars, dogs and neighborhood cat nappers/haters. Pick your poison, pun intended. My Siamese just caught herself a big lizard, she is having a great day! lol

I have 4 indoor only cats. They are given enough opportunity and indoor enrichment to keep them well occupied. Three of my current cats were rescued from outdoor life. None of the three have ever requested to leave our home. They never try to get out the door.

Two of the three (from the outdoors) regularly watch the chipmunks outside our picture window. We call this “kitty TV”. Both seem to be quite content with this pretend form of hunting.

BTW, satanic rituals is one of the main reasons I took in my male black cat (from outdoors) at the time of year he found me. Our local shelter does not adopt cats during October for this reason.

People do sick things to outdoor cats. Watch YouTube (look up cat cruelty or the like) if you can stand to witness such things.

@SpatzieLover Yes, that is really horrible. Our shelter doesn’t adopt out black cats in October either. Bah…cruel, messed up people. So sad.

I have a black cat but she’s afraid of strangers and she hides when anybody unfamiliar comes around.

My cats frequently bring me little treats, either live or dead. If they’re live and the door is open then I will have a little critter running around. If it’s lucky, I can save it from the jaws of death. If it’s not, then I’ll wake up to a headless mouse or something else to welcome the start of the day.

All my cats have been indoor cats. When I have a cat, it is for my enjoyment and companionship – which I wouldn’t have if it was out on its own all the time.

When they do slip out, they get very dirty, and are subject to getting fleas, diseases or attacks.

They sometimes cry at the door, but that’s because they don’t know the dangers lurking in the outside world, and I do.

We have one cat we can trust to go out with the dogs and not bolt. I have to be out there though, because if he pokes around long enough he will sneak between the gate and the post and amble out. He’s been outside over night a couple times somehow and his coat was full of stickers but he was out there waiting for us to let him in. The boy knows where the food bowl is.

I have about 7 cats and they’re all outdoor cats.
There was one who used to be an indoor cat after he broke his leg, but after he healed he would always scream for us to let him outside so we just let him stay outside.
It seems the fenced yard and all the trees help protect them at night. There was that one night when dogs attacked, that’s when Screamer broke his leg and we found him hiding under the shed, all the other cats were up in the trees. It seems someone accidentally left the gate open that night…

When I was younger, and living in the UK, all cats just wondered around, that was the cat thing to do. Later on when I got a cat, I joined a couple of cat sites and most were US based and none agreed on letting cats roam around at all. To even say you allowed that caused hissing! Here in South Africa, there is a mixture of thoughts on the subject. Some prefer to keep them indoors, some allow them out, people with houses allow them into the garden, and most don’t venture further oddly. But of course some do. Whichever way the owner decides best, all inoculations etc., are always up to date. Rabies is huge here. So all inoculations include that too.
I personally feel all animals should be allowed outside, whether regulated or other. We have a building full of cats, they never get lost, they visit all the owners, and one is nearing her 14th birthday. None of them is kept indoors.

We had a cat in Scotland and she was free to come and go as she pleased through a cat flap in the door. She rarely stayed out for long and she spent most of her time sleeping in her basket. When I went to Alabama I brought the cat and her bed but she never used the bed once. She would stay outside and only come indoors to be fed or when there were thunderstorms. Cats love the warmth.