outside cats/inside cats???
By kabella50
@kabella50 (309)
United States
February 16, 2007 8:12pm CST
I have 2 cats that I have raised from their birth and abandonment.They are now a year old and have only been out side to visit the vet's office.One is female and the other is male.The female is spayed and the male is nutered.My question is this,when I move to my next place which is an apartment complex and I will be on the first floor and have a patio and small yard area where the cats could play some times.I want them to play and chase things like I know they are supposed to do but I am afraid if I take them outside just once they will want to go out all the time and I don't know if they will wander off or get lost or run over.Should I continue to keep them inside or let them go out at night like other cats do??I really love these cats and I don't want them to be hurt,but I also want them to run and play.What to do???
1 person likes this
4 responses
@cheetah311 (343)
• United States
20 Feb 07
All of my cats have only been inside cats. I feel there is just too much danger outside. The cats could get hit by a car, have a run in with other animals who could hurt them. You also have to be careful of antifreeze leaks from cars, it tastes sweet to the cats and they tend to drink this and there is no cure. If your cat does drink antifreeze it will die from it.
I have read statistics that cats who are indoor only will tend to live to be at least 12 and outdoor cats average lifespan is only 3 years (not a hard and fast rule) because of all of the unseen dangers.
Only you can decide on the area you live in whether there are a lot of cars and traffic or is it in the country? Please take a long consideration of the pros and cons of the cats being outside.
I have 5 cats and they are only indoor cats. I provide them with toys and they will play with them and each other and they seem very content.
Good luck with your decision.
@winterose (39887)
• Canada
17 Feb 07
I lived on the third floor and my cats never got out. We moved and still we didn't let the cats out. I had a bottom with a back yard. That was a mistake, the first time the door was opened we lost our beautiful himalayan cat. He didn't know his way home.
After that we let the other cats out all summer long, they came home to eat and at night we called them and they came in to sleep and out first thing in the morning again. They loved it.
Then winter set in so we kept them in the forgot about outside. We will let them out again in the spring.
@trinidadvelasco (11401)
• Philippines
17 Feb 07
Animals have the instinct to know where they belong. After a few hours stay in the new place, they will already have some knowledge as to how to locate it. They have such a sense of smell which leads them without a single miss, to their masters. If this is true with the dogs, rest assured that the cats have them at much, much higher levels.
@thecaitycat (267)
• United States
17 Feb 07
My two cats are indoor-only. Phoenix has been indoor-only since she was born, since her mama was also our cat and an indoor-only cat. Jellybean was abandoned in a part and has been indoor-only since she came to live with me. They're fine with it; they have lots of toys and big windowsills to perch on. I live in the middle of a big city and it's not safe for them to be outside.
