The Indoor/Outdoor Cat Debate

[Road Runner]

Alright I've seen this being talked about a lot on here, so I finally decided to make a thread about it. Should you let your cat outside, should you not let your cat outside, it seems to be divided on here.



Well here are my thoughts on it. It depends on the situation for me. First of all let me start off by saying that we do not let our cat outside and that's for a few different reasons.



In 2014 our last cat escaped through the screen door so now when we have our patio open we make sure to have a barrier up (we use another glass screen) so the one we have now and have had for eight years now cannot get out.



So we have a fear of her running away and we have a fear of traffic since we live in the city and there are a lot of busy streets around here.



We also have other outdoor neighborhood cats around here and due to the fact that we got our cat from friends of the family where she was being beat upon we're also protecting her from them. (Injury wise though as she's up to date on her vaccinations.)



Now why don't we have her harness trained you might ask? Well for a few different reasons. The first reason should be obvious, cats are not dogs.



They don't need to go outside to be walked or to go to the bathroom. The second reason is she's not a door dasher and if we took her outside she might turn into one rather quickly if it turned out that she liked the outdoors.
The final reason is she is a rather lazy cat these days as she'll soon be approaching her senior cat years soon and we're pretty sure that she wouldn't like it. The walk would turn into a drag.



Plus it's like Jackson says in his video. We're selfish people for our cat. We want to know that she'll have a full lifespan (even though it's cut short already because of her heart murmur) and we don't have to worry about where she is and if she's still alive.



So that's the reason why we keep ours indoors. There's some more information in the video below. If you live in the country, I'm not against having barn cats. You just have to do what's best for you and your cat or cats.

 

[Zincwarrior]

I was thinking 'one should not close the door splitting the cat in two. Thats gross."

Rodney the ghost wiener dog says all cats should be outside. On an island. Far away.

 

[Road Runner]

Alright I've seen this being talked about a lot on here, so I finally decided to make a thread about it. Should you let your cat outside, should you not let your cat outside, it seems to be divided on here.



Well here are my thoughts on it. It depends on the situation for me. First of all let me start off by saying that we do not let our cat outside and that's for a few different reasons.



In 2014 our last cat escaped through the screen door so now when we have our patio open we make sure to have a barrier up (we use another glass screen) so the one we have now and have had for eight years now cannot get out.



So we have a fear of her running away and we have a fear of traffic since we live in the city and there are a lot of busy streets around here.



We also have other outdoor neighborhood cats around here and due to the fact that we got our cat from friends of the family where she was being beat upon we're also protecting her from them. (Injury wise though as she's up to date on her vaccinations.)



Now why don't we have her harness trained you might ask? Well for a few different reasons. The first reason should be obvious, cats are not dogs.



They don't need to go outside to be walked or to go to the bathroom. The second reason is she's not a door dasher and if we took her outside she might turn into one rather quickly if it turned out that she liked the outdoors.
The final reason is she is a rather lazy cat these days as she'll soon be approaching her senior cat years soon and we're pretty sure that she wouldn't like it. The walk would turn into a drag.



Plus it's like Jackson says in his video. We're selfish people for our cat. We want to know that she'll have a full lifespan (even though it's cut short already because of her heart murmur) and we don't have to worry about where she is and if she's still alive.



So that's the reason why we keep ours indoors. There's some more information in the video below. If you live in the country, I'm not against having barn cats. You just have to do what's best for you and your cat or cats.

Oh yeah and please make sure that your cat isn't declawed if he or she is an outdoor or an indoor/outdoor cat. I'm against having declawed cats in general, but a declawed cat isn't going to survive very long outside if it cannot defend itself if needed. Also please checkout this video if you want more information about the procedure.

 

[JGalt]

Alright I've seen this being talked about a lot on here, so I finally decided to make a thread about it. Should you let your cat outside, should you not let your cat outside, it seems to be divided on here.



Well here are my thoughts on it. It depends on the situation for me. First of all let me start off by saying that we do not let our cat outside and that's for a few different reasons.



In 2014 our last cat escaped through the screen door so now when we have our patio open we make sure to have a barrier up (we use another glass screen) so the one we have now and have had for eight years now cannot get out.



So we have a fear of her running away and we have a fear of traffic since we live in the city and there are a lot of busy streets around here.



We also have other outdoor neighborhood cats around here and due to the fact that we got our cat from friends of the family where she was being beat upon we're also protecting her from them. (Injury wise though as she's up to date on her vaccinations.)



Now why don't we have her harness trained you might ask? Well for a few different reasons. The first reason should be obvious, cats are not dogs.



They don't need to go outside to be walked or to go to the bathroom. The second reason is she's not a door dasher and if we took her outside she might turn into one rather quickly if it turned out that she liked the outdoors.
The final reason is she is a rather lazy cat these days as she'll soon be approaching her senior cat years soon and we're pretty sure that she wouldn't like it. The walk would turn into a drag.



Plus it's like Jackson says in his video. We're selfish people for our cat. We want to know that she'll have a full lifespan (even though it's cut short already because of her heart murmur) and we don't have to worry about where she is and if she's still alive.



So that's the reason why we keep ours indoors. There's some more information in the video below. If you live in the country, I'm not against having barn cats. You just have to do what's best for you and your cat or cats.

We have four indoor cats and four more who lived long lives and are buried in the back yard. Out of all those, four of them just showed up at different times. No idea where they came from, as we live far out in the country. Each one has a different personality, none of them ever go outside, and all are part of the family. We don't let them out because there are coyotes and we don't want them to bring in fleas. We also have a dog who pretty much lives in the garage, but he has free rein to roam on 100 acres of woods anytime he wants out.

 

[Stryder50]

Ours have always been both.

We live in a rural area, "the country", on a half acre lot. Lots of farming around this area.
We let them out during the day, if they want to go.

Have them come in at night to avoid encounters with opossums, raccoons, coyotes, etc. They know the drill and usually come in on their own at dusk. One tends to get engaged inn his hunting, but seldom needs to be called in.
They've always hunted and have kept rodent population down for the most part.

 

[StoneCold]

Our "kitten" started going out when he was about 3 months old. We live in the country, with the closest neighbor 1/2 mile away. He's a hunter, constantly bringing his captures home. Now, we get up in the morning and let him in. He eats, follows us around, eats, and wants back out. He will return, mid afternoon, comes in, eats, and then finds a comfortable place to sleep.5-6 hrs later he eats and goes outside. Same routine for 4 years. He doesn't need petting, not a lap cat. But we don't have rodents near the house.

 

[jwoodie]

The best cats are those who adopt you.

 

[Road Runner]

We have four indoor cats and four more who lived long lives and are buried in the back yard. Out of all those, four of them just showed up at different times. No idea where they came from, as we live far out in the country. Each one has a different personality, none of them ever go outside, and all are part of the family. We don't let them out because there are coyotes and we don't want them to bring in fleas. We also have a dog who pretty much lives in the garage, but he has free rein to roam on 100 acres of woods anytime he wants out.

Funny that I always imagined you to be a dog person lol but thank you for reminding me that we have coyotes around here as well which is another reason that we don't let our cat go outside. Oh and if she were to get sprayed by a skunk you can't really give her a tomato juice bath and live to tell the tale now can you?

 

[EvilCat Breath]

Around here we call cats that go outside Coyote chow. Of my son's two cats, one is content to look out the window. The other hates anything connected with the outside. She won't look out a window. When the patio door is open she hides under the bed.

 

[sealybobo]

Alright I've seen this being talked about a lot on here, so I finally decided to make a thread about it. Should you let your cat outside, should you not let your cat outside, it seems to be divided on here.



Well here are my thoughts on it. It depends on the situation for me. First of all let me start off by saying that we do not let our cat outside and that's for a few different reasons.



In 2014 our last cat escaped through the screen door so now when we have our patio open we make sure to have a barrier up (we use another glass screen) so the one we have now and have had for eight years now cannot get out.



So we have a fear of her running away and we have a fear of traffic since we live in the city and there are a lot of busy streets around here.



We also have other outdoor neighborhood cats around here and due to the fact that we got our cat from friends of the family where she was being beat upon we're also protecting her from them. (Injury wise though as she's up to date on her vaccinations.)



Now why don't we have her harness trained you might ask? Well for a few different reasons. The first reason should be obvious, cats are not dogs.



They don't need to go outside to be walked or to go to the bathroom. The second reason is she's not a door dasher and if we took her outside she might turn into one rather quickly if it turned out that she liked the outdoors.
The final reason is she is a rather lazy cat these days as she'll soon be approaching her senior cat years soon and we're pretty sure that she wouldn't like it. The walk would turn into a drag.



Plus it's like Jackson says in his video. We're selfish people for our cat. We want to know that she'll have a full lifespan (even though it's cut short already because of her heart murmur) and we don't have to worry about where she is and if she's still alive.



So that's the reason why we keep ours indoors. There's some more information in the video below. If you live in the country, I'm not against having barn cats. You just have to do what's best for you and your cat or cats.

In my condo it has to be an indoor cat. I think it's mean but if I didn't want a dog and that was the rule, I'd make sure the cat had a good fun life. Maybe if it's indoor, get 2 cats not one.

You risk it getting hurt if you let it out but it's free. I risk my dog every time I let him off the leash but I'm sure he prefers free over safe.

If you do indoor do not declaw it. I hear it cruel and wrong. So your cat may scratch your shit. Get a scratching post.

 

[White 6]

Alright I've seen this being talked about a lot on here, so I finally decided to make a thread about it. Should you let your cat outside, should you not let your cat outside, it seems to be divided on here.



Well here are my thoughts on it. It depends on the situation for me. First of all let me start off by saying that we do not let our cat outside and that's for a few different reasons.



In 2014 our last cat escaped through the screen door so now when we have our patio open we make sure to have a barrier up (we use another glass screen) so the one we have now and have had for eight years now cannot get out.



So we have a fear of her running away and we have a fear of traffic since we live in the city and there are a lot of busy streets around here.



We also have other outdoor neighborhood cats around here and due to the fact that we got our cat from friends of the family where she was being beat upon we're also protecting her from them. (Injury wise though as she's up to date on her vaccinations.)



Now why don't we have her harness trained you might ask? Well for a few different reasons. The first reason should be obvious, cats are not dogs.



They don't need to go outside to be walked or to go to the bathroom. The second reason is she's not a door dasher and if we took her outside she might turn into one rather quickly if it turned out that she liked the outdoors.
The final reason is she is a rather lazy cat these days as she'll soon be approaching her senior cat years soon and we're pretty sure that she wouldn't like it. The walk would turn into a drag.



Plus it's like Jackson says in his video. We're selfish people for our cat. We want to know that she'll have a full lifespan (even though it's cut short already because of her heart murmur) and we don't have to worry about where she is and if she's still alive.



So that's the reason why we keep ours indoors. There's some more information in the video below. If you live in the country, I'm not against having barn cats. You just have to do what's best for you and your cat or cats.

We keep ours inside. The Siamese does not want out. You couldn't drag her out, without there being blood. The Tabby would like to go out anytime, anybody else or the German Shepherd goes out, but we cannot trust it, not to climb the fences and leave the yard. PJ does put a halter on him, and let him explore, but definitely cannot be trusted to free roam in our neighborhood. We had an indoor/outdoor Siamese years ago, that was literally ripped in half by two cat hating dogs, that belong to a neighbor (now sold out and moved) two houses down.

 

[The Duke]

Well, I'm down to 1 cat. It's the original cat that was already full grown when it appeared 20 years ago.

All her kids and grandkids and great grandkids have come and gone and she's all that's left.

I think for some, either a Chinese restaurant or this cat lady down the block got 'em.

I swear I saw one from the best litter down that way on the way home from work after it had been missing for over a year.

I'm her human, I know she didn't run the other cats off, because she's submissive with them.

She likes to eat with others whether or not they like to eat with her or not.

Now it's just her and 1 old little coon. If she's out of food the coon will come tell me and then they'll eat together

or she'll just hang nearby and make sure the cat eats. She was a real cat back in the day, killed coral snakes and

snatched birds from 7 feet in the air, killed all the moles. Now she hunts teh dry food and bitches to daddy about the

weather and fresh water temp. Everything is satisfactory to her right now.

The best litter of cats were indoors for years, and I finally let 'em out. Gone within 2-3 years.

They were so big and pretty, I think somebody took them. They were too big for a hawk.

The mother of them all has always been outside.

 

[sealybobo]

We keep ours inside. The Siamese does not want out. You couldn't drag her out, without there being blood. The Tabby would like to go out anytime, anybody else or the German Shepherd goes out, but we cannot trust it, not to climb the fences and leave the yard. PJ does put a halter on him, and let him explore, but definitely cannot be trusted to free roam in our neighborhood. We had an indoor/outdoor Siamese years ago, that was literally ripped in half by two cat hating dogs, that belong to a neighbor (now sold out and moved) two houses down.

You know what I do for my birds?

 

[Vastator]

Alright I've seen this being talked about a lot on here, so I finally decided to make a thread about it. Should you let your cat outside, should you not let your cat outside, it seems to be divided on here.



Well here are my thoughts on it. It depends on the situation for me. First of all let me start off by saying that we do not let our cat outside and that's for a few different reasons.



In 2014 our last cat escaped through the screen door so now when we have our patio open we make sure to have a barrier up (we use another glass screen) so the one we have now and have had for eight years now cannot get out.



So we have a fear of her running away and we have a fear of traffic since we live in the city and there are a lot of busy streets around here.



We also have other outdoor neighborhood cats around here and due to the fact that we got our cat from friends of the family where she was being beat upon we're also protecting her from them. (Injury wise though as she's up to date on her vaccinations.)



Now why don't we have her harness trained you might ask? Well for a few different reasons. The first reason should be obvious, cats are not dogs.



They don't need to go outside to be walked or to go to the bathroom. The second reason is she's not a door dasher and if we took her outside she might turn into one rather quickly if it turned out that she liked the outdoors.
The final reason is she is a rather lazy cat these days as she'll soon be approaching her senior cat years soon and we're pretty sure that she wouldn't like it. The walk would turn into a drag.



Plus it's like Jackson says in his video. We're selfish people for our cat. We want to know that she'll have a full lifespan (even though it's cut short already because of her heart murmur) and we don't have to worry about where she is and if she's still alive.



So that's the reason why we keep ours indoors. There's some more information in the video below. If you live in the country, I'm not against having barn cats. You just have to do what's best for you and your cat or cats.

I have one indoor cat. She lives indoors. She'll die indoors. I do however put out one big scoop of cat food in a bowl on the back porch. Other cats rotate through. If they make it. They make it. If they don't. Welcome to the food chain...

 

[mudwhistle]

Alright I've seen this being talked about a lot on here, so I finally decided to make a thread about it. Should you let your cat outside, should you not let your cat outside, it seems to be divided on here.



Well here are my thoughts on it. It depends on the situation for me. First of all let me start off by saying that we do not let our cat outside and that's for a few different reasons.



In 2014 our last cat escaped through the screen door so now when we have our patio open we make sure to have a barrier up (we use another glass screen) so the one we have now and have had for eight years now cannot get out.



So we have a fear of her running away and we have a fear of traffic since we live in the city and there are a lot of busy streets around here.



We also have other outdoor neighborhood cats around here and due to the fact that we got our cat from friends of the family where she was being beat upon we're also protecting her from them. (Injury wise though as she's up to date on her vaccinations.)



Now why don't we have her harness trained you might ask? Well for a few different reasons. The first reason should be obvious, cats are not dogs.



They don't need to go outside to be walked or to go to the bathroom. The second reason is she's not a door dasher and if we took her outside she might turn into one rather quickly if it turned out that she liked the outdoors.
The final reason is she is a rather lazy cat these days as she'll soon be approaching her senior cat years soon and we're pretty sure that she wouldn't like it. The walk would turn into a drag.



Plus it's like Jackson says in his video. We're selfish people for our cat. We want to know that she'll have a full lifespan (even though it's cut short already because of her heart murmur) and we don't have to worry about where she is and if she's still alive.



So that's the reason why we keep ours indoors. There's some more information in the video below. If you live in the country, I'm not against having barn cats. You just have to do what's best for you and your cat or cats.

Some cats love living indoors and some like being outside.
Both types need to have access to fresh grass.
They need grass to clear their throats of hairballs and they need it to help with digestion.
So if you have an indoor cat you need to pull some grass for them a few times a weak before you feed them their meals. Never after meals, because they'll just puke it up.
You can also order grass growing kits to give your cats some to eat, especially during the Winter months.
If you don't do this you'll have a lot of coughing and puking episodes.

I have one cat (Bob) that wants to be outside. Every time he comes back he acts like he's been in a fight, and he'll sleep for hours afterwards. He sometimes comes home hurt. But lately he's just been sleeping on the porch or sleeping in the shade. Overall he's the healthiest cat I have, but I worry about him getting run over or killed. But he constantly would cry to go outside and pee all over the house. So I gave in and let him go outside when the weather is good.

The rest of my cats don't like going outside. One of them (Samantha) used to live in a junked condenser unit I had out back of my apartments. My wife brought her home and now my bedroom is the only place she wants to be. She's the one that always sleeps in my arm at night.

My cat Velcro has been with us the longest. She is semi-feral and doesn't like being petted. But she likes being around me because I protect her from being jumped on by my big male (Fluffy). You'd think she would be perfect for outdoors, but she doesn't like outdoors. She just likes patrolling the garage and looking for mice.
All of my cats like being around me because I'm the only one they think will keep the other's from jumping on them in their sleep. I'm the Alpha-Male and they all want to be close to me.

 

[Road Runner]

mudwhistle my cat loves cat grass actually.

 

[Road Runner]

We don't have another cat but Simon would probably be like our Jessie on a harness.

 

[Bob Blaylock]

The Indoor/Outdoor Cat Debate

Allie, our 12½-year-old Siamese, who has been with my wife and me since she was 13 months old, has been an indoor cat all her life. She occasionally goes out on the patio, but rarely wants to be out for more than a few minutes before she wants back in.

Occasionally, she escapes out the front door, as if she thinks she really wants to go out, but becomes very nervous very quickly, and wants right back in.


Buddy, our ginger cat, was a stray for nearly all of his life, until last year, when he suddenly decided that he's my wife's and my cat. He still insists on going out, usually for a few hours each day. He gets very loud and very demanding about it. We're pretty sure that he visits the people in other apartments.

 

[Road Runner]

Allie, our 12½-year-old Siamese, who has been with my wife and me since she was 13 months old, has been an indoor cat all her life. She occasionally goes out on the patio, but rarely wants to be out for more than a few minutes before she wants back in.

Occasionally, she escapes out the front door, as if she thinks she really wants to go out, but becomes very nervous very quickly, and wants right back in.


Buddy, our ginger cat, was a stray for nearly all of his life, until last year, when he suddenly decided that he's my wife's and my cat. He still insists on going out, usually for a few hours each day. He gets very loud and very demanding about it. We're pretty sure that he visits the people in other apartments.

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You got two of the most beautiful cats that I've ever seen. Although ours is a very pretty kitty too.

 

[Alan Stallion]

The oldest cat I've had was born (on Labor Day, of course) in my house (I took in a pregnant stray) and she was just two weeks shy of her 18th birthday when she passed. She was terrified to go outside for some reason, so that worked out great for both our sakes, I didn't have to worry about her door-dashing.

My current one does like to door-dash, and when he was with his former owner who had just moved, he door-dashed and he went missing for ten months. He was chipped so eventually he was found. I've had him now since 2019. I refuse to let him out. When he has gotten out, the sweetness he shows as an indoor cat changes and becomes a jerk when outside, like his wild instincts take over when outside.

My previous cat was killed by a vehicle, and before that had also gotten into scraps with a rival orange cat that required vet visits.

It certainly is best to keep 'em inside if at all possible. Outside multiplies risks, vehicles, other animals, evil humans, etc.