My cats are allowed outside IN A LEASH! The devon isn't to fond of the "outside world" so I can have her loose on the terrace. The other adult always has a leash on when she's outside since she's got a nasty habit of running away if she gets the chance. However, when I have kittens non of the cats are allowed to go outside before the kittens have been fully vaccinated.

 

After having a bad experience with one of my acquaintance's cat and being so well informed member of the forum I have made the decision to keep Frosty inside. I am still considering also getting him used to a leash. I haven't got to the reading point on how to do it in the cat book I am studying. How soon have you started training your cats, Sol? I would like for Frosty to have a taste of the outside also. But if it comes to the point where he may try to sneak out as soon as I open the door I would rather not. I am so tense when I see an animal loose on the road out there ( be it domesticated or wild) or at the animals' of prey will, like Jessica is telling us

 

When we lived in California, we were on the very edge of town in the middle of the desert so we let the cats out (had Chester & Lizzy at the time). Since we moved to Missouri and live in town (by the city park no less :roll: ) all our cats have been strictly indoor cats. We have a lot of traffic on our street, lots of kids in the park, several other cats that run loose, and my neighbors let their two dogs run the neighborhood (one of which is a very mean lab).

-Chelle

 

That is what happened to the little kitty I was mentioning. My acquaintance left him outside because her boyfriend didn't want the kitty to spray all over the house since he had a dog. A little after he came another neighbourhood cat attacked it. I had heard it all happening at night it since we were living together back then. He was so hurt, could barely move and in a few days the wound got infected. Well we took care of him and soon was on the right path...I was so excited till one morning I went outside and no sign of him but then found him smashed in the yard : 2 large neighbourhood dogs attacked him. I can't describe what a horrible shock that was.I don't like to be so criticizing but I wish so much that some people showed more consideration and looked at pets in a different way. After this she wanted to get another kitty....

 

Outdoors

Ours only go into our fenced-in backyard or in the front yard if we are in the front. They have never realized that they could probably jump the fence, of which, I am glad. I get them in before it is dark and they are only out if we are at home. It is a treat to them! I have not yet let my kitten out in the backyard because she wouldn't probably come if I called and she's so small she could hide in the yard where I might not find her. She gets to go outside at the lake when we are outside. The other girls don't get the luxury of being "traveling cats" like Ming.

 

My cat is allowed out, but only at the back (there is a high wooden gate separating the back and front garden). Luckily he is not a very adventurous sort of cat anyway, so he seems happy with his little territory. My road is fairly quiet but even so, I've seen too many cats killed by traffic.

 

I would never let my cat outside. I would be so afraid that he would not come back. There are far too many dangers and cruel people. My cat was brought up from a kitten indoors and without a taste of the outside world, he never tries to sneak out. I've thought about letting him wander around the backyard under my supervision but it's too easy for him to crawl under my deck and I'm sure it's dirty under there, including a hornets nest.

He seems to be content where he is. I always know he is safe.

 

I'm sure I mentioned before that my cats are not allowed outside. My road is just too busy. Since I raised Siamese for a couple of years, they were not neutered, so they wouldn't have been allowed outside anyway. This is a semi-rural community, but it's a shortcut to the PA turnpike and the shopping area. The speed limit is 25, but seldom observed. My cats have only been to the vet and back in a carrier. It's much safer this way.

 

The place I got my kitty from said in the contract that I'm not to let her outside. Even if it didn't, I don't think I would. Too many risks. She's never shown any interest in going outside anyway, she's perfectly content.

 

My cats are indoor kitties too. Sometimes I take Samhain out on her leash when I am in the hammock. She just likes to sniff around. She also gets taken out but ONLY if we are holding her. She has never tried to escape and she just likes to look around. Sometimes she bolts out the door but only to get at the grass the grows near the fence hehe. Psi is too little and he gets scared when we carry him outdoors so he will probably stay inside forever - which is perfectly fine with me.

Hey Holly! I am in Memphis too! Have you ever been to the House of Mews? My new kitten Psi is from there!

tanyuh

 

I think your breeder was wise to put that in her contract. Some people allow their cats to go out, even in very busy areas. Sometimes they're lucky, and other times they have to learn the hard way. I lost a beloved cat to a car. The traffic had increased and she had slowed down. A hard lesson.

 

My cats are indoor kitties too. Sometimes I take Samhain out on her leash when I am in the hammock. She just likes to sniff around. She also gets taken out but ONLY if we are holding her. She has never tried to escape and she just likes to look around. Sometimes she bolts out the door but only to get at the grass the grows near the fence hehe. Psi is too little and he gets scared when we carry him outdoors so he will probably stay inside forever - which is perfectly fine with me.

Hey Holly! I am in Memphis too! Have you ever been to the House of Mews? My new kitten Psi is from there!

tanyuh

I was going to name Dagda Samhain, but everyone liked Dagda better. =) And yes, I got my kitty from the house of mews!

 

I am very glad that my cats are content being inside. I have a balcony and they go out on it--but they even seem scared on it. They usually go out for a few minutes and sniff around, but as soon as they hear any noise--they just about tear the sliding glass door down trying to get in!! :lol:

 

I wouldnt let my cats outside without a leash. Sammy is allowed on our screened in lanai when we are out there. I would not risk my furry babies lives, they are quite happy to stay in and play with their toys and there is no need for them to be outside.

ioana: You should start training as young as possible. It takes time and you must take it slow. If you throw on the harness you will see it will take time for the kitty to adjust to it. Buy a good harness and start by letting her wear it for a few minutes and then the next day let her wear it longer and so on and so on. They probably won't like it at first but be persistant and have them wear it everyday for a little bit. Once you got to the point where the cat feels comfy walking around the house with the harness on then you add the leash and let them drag it around for a little bit and keep doing that for a week or so and after that they should be use to it and feel comfortable walking around with it.

 

Thank you, Bengalsownme that was kind of you to explain it to me
And what a coincidence! we looked at different harnasses and leashes this afternoon when we went to get a few things for our little Frosty.
I may give it a try. The only thing is that I fear he will be even more inquisitive about the outside world and try to escape each time a door is opened...I cannot allow that to happen. And one more thing. Do you recommend that kitties wear collars or not? I have read that they can get caught in something and get injured or worse. I just think it would be so sweet to see my little fellow with a collar and the little bell!

 

The speed limit is 25, but seldom observed.

Jeanie, I have the same problem in my neighborhood. It's a very wooded residenal neighborhood yet people feel the need to speed through here. There's so many blind corners on this road and the road itself is very narrow so I've almost been hit a few times comming around the corner on my side!

There's also a lot of kids in the neighborhood and I always worry that one of them is going to get hit. :x

 

My neighbour's tabby kitten was playing in the road one morning when a car came speeding past, and hit him. He wasn't killed outright but there was nothing anyone could do for the poor thing. I get angry when I see cars going too fast - surely it's not so important that they have to put pets' and children's lives at risk? I can see why many of you keep your cats indoors.

 

I'm sure some of this doesn't necessarily have to do with the speed of vehicles so much as the driver's attention and intent. A car doing 25 mph will kill an animal just as easily as a 40 mph vehicle. Problem is there are many cruel people who will intentionally run down an animal in the road. With all of the dead animals you see on the shoulder of the road, you know that they don't get struck in the road and then walk off to the shoulder to collapse and die. Somebody went off-road to hit them. I hope I never witness this because in anger, I don't know how I would react.

I hate to see any animal wandering around near the road because I am afraid its life could end any time soon.

 

I agree with you, Richo
Sometimes I wish I weren't on the road. My day may start as bright but then I see a raccoon, little possum or cat or dog laying there ...and it makes me so sad, I can't explain.
There were three times I have seen where, luckily, 2 cats and a dog escaped from underneath the wheels (at different moments in time). I was so relieved!!!

 

Ioana,
It truly depends on the kitty. If you want her to wear a collar around the house you can try putting one on her and watch her closely. If she triesd to struggle to take it off I wouldn't leave it on while you are not there watching because the y try to bite it off and it could get stuck in their mouth and she wouldn't be able to get it off without your help and she would be left without being able to eat or drink until you got there. They can injure themselves in a panic if it got stuck in their mouth. So I recommend that you watch her closely and see how it goes.

 

It's a catch 22 to put a collar and a name tag on a cat. If the cat never gets out, it isn't necessary, but if the cat has a collar and climbs a tree the cats could get strangled or hanged. Yet it's the outside/inside cat that needs ID. I put one on my Blueberry for a couple of years, but it was just because I thought he looked cute. He's never been outside.

 

Thank you Bengalsownme and Jeanie. I am going to put all of the info you gave me into consideration before I make any decisions. His safety comes first + he is going to be beautiful in my eyes no matter what he looks like ever. I just think the idea of the little jingle bell is cute. Now that I think of it it may be stressful for him to hear that every time he moves...it would make sense if a kitty went outside and hid somewhere and be hard to find

 

It's a catch 22 to put a collar and a name tag on a cat. If the cat never gets out, it isn't necessary, but if the cat has a collar and climbs a tree the cats could get strangled or hanged. Yet it's the outside/inside cat that needs ID. I put one on my Blueberry for a couple of years, but it was just because I thought he looked cute. He's never been outside.

Whenever I buy Jet a collar I always make sure it is an elasticated one, so he doesn't get strangled if it gets caught on a branch.

 

I don't let my cats outside because I live right off a state-route. And it's busy! Where I used to live, my cats were outside-inside cats. My grandma didn't want them to stay inside all the time, because they'd drive her nuts. Bad part of it is, Socks lost her tail, and Thunder(mine!!) lost his leg..! We have no idea how this happened either. I told her that Thunder isn't allowed outside anymore. But did she listen? No. Then my other cat, JBC, got hit by a car... I've had bad experiences with inside-outside cats. Now she's starting to let my sisters housecat out..! She lives somewhat in the country, but not far from a state route also.!

 

Inside

this is my article i wrote on why's and how's of indoor cats.

Some links might be outdated as I have not updated it in a while.

Many people like me are indoor cat owners who deeply love these delightful animals. However we realize that pets are a responsibility and that pets can both cause damage and face great danger when allowed to roam. Dog owners have long been bound with leash laws and fences. Why would cats deserve any less protection and cat owners any less responsibility?

Roaming cats have the risk of contracting Toxoplasmosis from eating prey. This can then be passed onto humans causing illness and even death in extreme cases. Toxoplasmosis has also been found to be dangerous to pregnant women and can cause birth defects and other problems. Cat feces in children's sandboxes and flower gardens increases the chance of transmission to humans. Cats running at large can also cause traffic accidents as motorists swerve to miss hitting one on the road. Roaming cats also often harass indoor cats, through windows etc, sometimes causing anxiety and negative behavior such as spraying.

Furthermore roaming cats can bring home other unpleasant things like worms, ticks and parasites. One particularly nasty infestation is that of the bot-fly and other burrowing larvae. The cats and other animals can be infested with larvae that live beneath the skin festering, often referred to as warbles. See this link for an example: http://www.ifas.ufl.edu/~fsj/botfly/cut ... trwrb1.htm

In addition to the risks faced by humans, cats themselves face a great number of dangers by roaming outside unsupervised. Cats can be killed by cars, antifreeze, wild animals, abusive humans, or even be caught in traps. Cats also face a host of dangerous diseases and parasites. Feline Imnodeficiency Virus has no vaccine and no cure and attacks the cats immune system and is eventually fatal. Feline Leukemia Virus is another risk and although a vaccine exists it is not 100% effective. Upper Respiratory Disease is yet another risk and is extremely contagious. It can lead to symptoms such as; fever, mouth ulcers, eye infections, blindness, lameness and diarrhea. There are several other diseases such as Rabies, Feline Infectious Peritonitis and Feline Panleukopenia that do have a vaccine but remain risky for unvaccinated cats of ones with lapsed vaccine schedule.

And finally in addition to the risks faced by cats and humans, unsupervised cats are responsible for the deaths of many wild animals. Birds such as the protected Blue bird can fall prey to these felines. Biologists and experts have indicated that cat predation is a serious environmental threat. See “Cat Predation of Birds and Other Wildlife
http://www.abcbirds.org/cats/catsindoors.htm


For more information on responsible cat ownership, risk factors faced by outdoor cats and information on the impact of felines on wild life please see the following websites:
http://www.abcbirds.org/catindoo.htm
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Poin ... doors.html

Cats can and do live happy indoor lives. I converted my cat to indoors only when she was already over 6 years old. I provide a stimulating environment of toys, climbing apparatuses, attention and so forth. Homemade cat climbing trees can be found at:
http://www.netcat.org/links.html#S

How to make an outdoor cat an happy indoor one:
http://maxshouse.com/Healthy+Happy_Indoors.htm

http://www.sdnhm.org/exhibits/cats/indoors.html

If you still want to allow some access there are other alternatives. Options instead of having a pet unsupervised outdoors: leash training, converted backyard, cat enclosure etc.
Kitty clips:
http://members.aol.com/kittyklips
Cat enclosures:
http://www.lisaviolet.com/cathouse/backyard.html (enclosed backyard design)
http://cust3.iamerica.net/catfence/ (Affordable Cat Fence)
http://www.feralcat.com/fence.html
http://www.alleycat.org/ic_fs_fence.html
more enclosures:
http://www.ballarat.net.au/catnip/index.htm
Build your own cat run: http://www.vaxxine.com/stacey/nafa/infocat/enclosures/
Commercially available enclosures
People without the time or tools to construct enclosures for their cats can order a variety of pre-made pens, runs and window boxes.
From Sears: an 8' x 4' x 4' galvanized wire exercise pen (Cat. #60023)
From General Cage Corporation: a folding, portable, three-story pen available for $110 (US--price may have changed) through mail order catalogues, or write manufacturer at 238 N 29th Street, Elwood, IN, 46036, USA.
From Anibode: custom-designed window boxes. Write 339 Pape Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M4M 2W9, Canada.

These are possible books to consult.
Housecat : How to Keep Your Indoor Cat Sane and Sound Christine Church / Hardcover / Published 1998
The Indoor Cat : How to Understand, Enjoy, and Care for House Cats Patricia Curtis, Audrey A. Hayes / Paperback / Published 1997

Indoor Cats : Understanding and Caring for Your Indoor Cat Katrin Behrend, et al / Paperback / Published 1995