Cats are meant to be outdoors

Cats are meant to be outdoors

by Kim
(S. Florida)

I grew up in England where nearly all cats are outdoor cats, meaning they come and go as they please.

Cats love to go outdoors and explore the jungle of their backyard, and sometimes chase things. Its in their nature. Just as humans would not like to be kept indoors all the time, neither do cats. They get bored indoors.

As for the theory that outdoor cats don't live as long - our cat Dusty lived to be 20 years old and had a happy, fulfilling life.

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Cats are meant to be outdoors

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how true
by: Dennism

Theresa... When Matilda snuggles down on my lap, I simply cannot stay awake... she's the best tranquilizer around...

We have had a few rough tough old tomcats over the years and ended up having to put them down because of injuries...

Inside is best

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indoor-outdoor kitty
by: Dennism

I have had both kitty cats and the indoor ones were by far happier and healthier than their outdoor counterparts..

Our current lady cat who lives with us came to us as an outdoor stray feeling miserable and lost..
She's 14 years old now and if you open an exterior door, she will run farther inside..she hasen't been outdoors in 14 years and keeps herself occupied just fine...

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I don't think there is a right or wrong.
by: Larry (Editor)

Hi Kim,

Thank you very much for your interesting post.

I can confirm that if you walk along almost any street here in England you are still likely to see many outdoor/indoor cats.

I too believe that cats are happiest when they can come and go and fully enjoy the outdoors. And until quite recently I would have agreed with everything you said. But . . .

It is a sad fact that there are many dangers out there. I lost a good ol' cat, Basil to traffic and my daughter in law lost her much loved cat the same way.

I don't think there is a right or wrong. Cats should enjoy the outdoors but . . .

I have another cat now, he is a lovable rascal who I know would love to get out there. But until I can move to somewhere with a lot less traffic I'm going to try to keep him happy indoors.

Thanks again for you post, and your view is valued and valid.

Larry (Editor)

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Outdoor/Indoor, the eternal debate
by: Teresa

Kim, Dennism & Larry the Editor: you all make very good points, as do all the posters here on this site, both for and against letting cats go outdoors vs. keeping them inside.
I've posted my own thoughts about our cat, Fidget, and read many other posts and I still feel somewhat conflicted about the matter.
However, in the case of traffic being an issue, it seems plain that it's best to keep the cat inside and happy with lots of play, windows to sit at, etc. I did live in a small town once but on a fairly busy street and eventually, several cats we had got run over by a vehicle, even though the best ones managed to avoid that fate for a few years.
Now that I live in the woods of Northern California, quite a ways away from a trafficked road, the issue is wildlife.
Cougars, foxes, racoons, skunks, even other feral cats. Several people I've known have had cats just disappear and you can imagine they were either eaten or were killed in a fight with an animal.
A lot of people say it's safest to keep them inside and I agree that it seems they are in some way deprived of a 'natural' existence, but on the other hand, they have lots of play and indoor 'hunting' of bugs and moths etc. and in our case we have dogs that Fidget plays with.
He also loves to knock over the little garbage can in the bathroom, looking for Q-tips, and bats any pen or pencil off the living room coffee table, and we find the weirdest things on the floor sometimes, a bottle cap or a twistie tie. That's another thing we've discovered, having a cat in the family: you can ssss them off a table or counter but the minute you leave the room, they go right back. Even a water pistol squirt doesn't seem to phase a cat for long. They're stubborn!
But then when he gets on my lap and stretches out up onto my chest, purring his heart out, giving me the full golden-eyed gaze....I fall in love with him all over again and forgive everything.
T.

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Submitted by: Teresa

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Kim, Dennism & Larry the Editor: you all make very good points, as do all the posters here on this site, both for and against letting cats go outdoors vs. keeping them inside. I've posted my own thoughts about our cat, Fidget, and read many other posts and I still feel somewhat conflicted about the matter. However, in the case of traffic being an issue, it seems plain that it's best to keep the cat inside and happy with lots of play, windows to sit at, etc. I did live in a small town once but on a fairly busy street and eventually, several cats we had got run over by a vehicle, even though the best ones managed to avoid that fate for a few years. Now that I live in the woods of Northern California, quite a ways away from a trafficked road, the issue is wildlife. Cougars, foxes, racoons, skunks, even other feral cats. Several people I've known have had cats just disappear and you can imagine they were either eaten or were killed in a fight with an animal. A lot of people say it's safest to keep them inside and I agree that it seems they are in some way deprived of a 'natural' existence, but on the other hand, they have lots of play and indoor 'hunting' of bugs and moths etc. and in our case we have dogs that Fidget plays with. He also loves to knock over the little garbage can in the bathroom, looking for Q-tips, and bats any pen or pencil off the living room coffee table, and we find the weirdest things on the floor sometimes, a bottle cap or a twistie tie. That's another thing we've discovered, having a cat in the family: you can ssss them off a table or counter but the minute you leave the room, they go right back. Even a water pistol squirt doesn't seem to phase a cat for long. They're stubborn! But then when he gets on my lap and stretches out up onto my chest, purring his heart out, giving me the full golden-eyed gaze....I fall in love with him all over again and forgive everything. T.

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Cats are meant to be outdoors

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