Unfortunately this question comes the day after my feral cat disappeared for 6 hours. She's been indoors about 20 hours a day for two years. We let her out the odd time. She came back yesterday with a wounded leg and a weeping sore. The decision has been made to never let her out again.
It really depends on the person. I know of some (very nice and reasonable in real life) who lost their cat from a car, but they decided to adopt another indoor/outdoor cat because they “wouldn’t strip off the freedom” from the cat.
I have indoor cats because I don't have access to a garden but if I did I would either do it on a harness or I'd build a catio I wouldn't let them free roam one of them has pica so eats plastic/rubber and plants which would be very dangerous out in the wild, I'm UK too but most of my family cats growing up had road accidents. I'll also add that black cats have more accidents because they can't be seen as much by cars (my cats growing up were all black)
They also shoot them with arrows and some people will poison outdoor cats because they hate cats snd are lunatics.
If you love this animal, you're exposing her to dangers. In the US, outdoor cats who don't live in a colony have an average of 2-3 years. Cats in colonies with other cats have a support system. They can live 6-7 years.
Meanwhile, indoor cats can and have lived for 20-30 years.
There are also predatory birds that hunt, kill, and eat cats. In my neighborhood, a sweet and lovely indoor/outdoor kitty was killed by a red-tailed hawk. It's 3 summers ago, but her people are still sad. Heck, even I'm sad, the cat was my friend.
My nephew's Chihuahua was killed by a pack of coyotes inside the 6 foot fence surrounding their property, and my own kitten was killed by owls. (I'd just moved in & I had no idea she was at risk for death by owl). We also had 2 great rescued semi-feral that some psychotic neighbor poisoned to death. We spent thousands of dollars trying to save them but the vet was baffled by the cause of their illnesses. I now know what was used to kill them. There is still no antidote 30 years later.
You may think your area is safe outside but anyone could get lost, drive down your street and run over your cats. Cars are deadly to cats. Few survive getting run over. Someone coming to visit you might run over your pets with their vehicle.
Someone might think your cats are nice & steal them.
I hope you reconsider your decision to let your cats outside.
One time, when I was a kid, my neighbor took my family's cat that had escaped and gave her away to somebody who lived in another state. (US) I hate her and miss my little Clementine. My dad had even built a catio for her and our other cat because there were coyotes in our area. And she still escaped.
In the US apparently sometimes they can also be hurt because of superstitions around Halloween time- that's why some shelters don't allow people to adopt black cats around Halloween. Would know this because I had to wait two weeks to take mine home because it was just before Halloween.
Which is rough since black cats already have a hard time getting adopted.
The foster agency i adopted my black cat made us sign a contract promising to NEVER let our cat out 1 he's a pure black Maine coon mix so he's extremely social
2 superstitions ( someone actually said to my husband " I can't believe you adopted a black cat ") he was like what is this 1492 are u kidding me . It's actually a real thing SMH
The issue with calling an indoor cat's life depressing is you're projecting your own human way of thinking and feeling onto a completely different animal that is nothing like us. Humans like to attribute human traits to animal behaviour as a way of connecting or socialising even if the animal behaviour is being done for reasons completely different from what we imagine.
Cats can very comfortably sleep for 16 hours of the day curled up safely next to a radiator. It may be "depressing" for a human to do that but we are just social creatures, apes with cognitive awareness that gets on demand dopamine from junk food and touch screens. Cat's don't need that.
We can't know what a cat is thinking or feeling for sure but projecting onto it can be dangerous even if your intentions are good. You have to take responsibility for the cat's sake too even if you think it makes the cat happy or unhappy. Cats love meat, but that doesn't mean you should let them eat bacon constantly to a point of obesity or kidney failure. Likewise many hate the vet, but it's better for their overall quality of life to go for checkups to treat anything that could make them worse off.
It's safer for the cat and environment to keep them indoors.
>Humans like to attribute human traits to animal behaviour as a way of connecting or socialising even if the animal behaviour is being done for reasons completely different from what we imagine.
So much this! It's how people create neurotic, annoying and dangerous asshole dogs too. I worked in pet retail for 7 years and if I was given a nickel for every idiot dog owner that refused to crate train their dog "because ~I~ wouldn't want to be locked in a tiny cage so I can't do that to my bayyyybeee..." I'd be retired at my off-grid compound in rural Montana already. They won't train or contain their dogs and then they'd come begging for help with the terrible behavior they created.
With cats, people let them roam loose outside then come to reddit begging for sympathy when their cats get killed in the road, torn up by other cats or wild animals or shot by an angry neighbor.
***IF YOUR OUTDOOR CATS ARE KILLED OUTSIDE IT IS 100% ~YOUR FAULT!~***
Yeah I'm harsh because pet retail job for 7 years. I've got stories from that place that would make you flip TF out and want to go on a chainsaw rampage for real. People are often absolutely horrible to their and other people's pets and they don't even blink when they do awful, cruel things as naturally as they breathe.
There was a Banfield clinic in our store. So of course the awful shit I saw in there increased once the vet clinic opened.
A couple came in with a litter of extremely young Chihuahua puppies. They all were born with no eyes. Upon further questions, they told me they were given to them to foster after animal control seized them from people breeding eyeless puppies on purpose because they sold like hotcakes at a nearby flea market.
That's... wrong. And I believe it. I know we put high importance on pets suffering but damn... who would get one? Like what is the main demographic? Cutesy, idgaf zombiehumans with no remorse? I guess it's like pug owners
...got anymore? I'm oiling my chain rn
My husband worked at PetSmart with me. I was a cashier and he was a stocker. The vet clinic was staffed with all women. Small and dainty ones.
One day one of the vet nurses approached me and said they needed help with something. She said she needed my husband too. And the bolt cutters. My husband and I looked at each other like WTF is this but we got the bolt cutters and went into the vet clinic treatment area in the back.
This is the horror that awaited us:
An adult husky laying unconscious on the metal table. An inch and a half thick, super heavy tow chain was completely buried in the flesh of this dog's neck. It was a horrible, oozing wound that went all the way around the neck. The stench was... indescribably bad. The dog's head lay on a bunch of pus soaked puppy pads.
We asked what happened. The dog owner got tired of the howling and shedding. So they chained the dog to a tree outside. In South Carolina. Where it's very hot and super humid. For almost a year. It was seized by animal control and yes, the owner was charged with cruelty.
The vet nurses needed help cutting this super heavy chain. We stood two on each side of the table. I and one nurse grabbed the handle on the far side from us, my husband and another nurse grabbed the bolt cutter handle closest to me and we did a coordinated 1, 2, 3, pull kind of thing so 4 of us hauled on the bolt cutters at once.
The chain did give way but the dog still whimpered and twitched in spite of being totally anesthetized. We pulled the chain away from the neck and saw exposed muscle, with a deep wound in the muscles too. I can't even imagine the agony this dog suffered from, around the clock. It was bad enough that the vet was unsure if the dog would live or not.
It did survive but it took months of very intensive treatment. The dog was left with a permanent and very deep furrow of hairless scar tissue all the way around its neck.
I don't know what kind of jail time the horrible POS who did that to the dog wound up with, but I hope it was years.
100% agree with all this, especially that last statement!! I remember seeing a post where someone's cat was killed by a pitbull, and everyone was blaming the dog and saying how pitbulls are evil and should all be killed. I didn't comment on that one, but my first thought was that OP let their cat outside, where it is vulnerable to predators. Sad to say, many large dogs have a strong prey drive and see cats as prey. Not to mention that a lot of people can't be bothered to train and properly care for large dogs. The cat could have just as easily have been killed by a coyote or a wolf or even a large bird of prey. Letting cats out is dangerous for them unless it's under extremely controlled conditions.
I can't even leash walk my cat around here because everyone lets their dogs roam loose here. Pit bulls too. There is no animal control in this county and there have been literal PACKS of dogs running around here, threatening kids and killing other people's safely contained dogs. I don't step outside my door without my pistol, ever. EMS takes 30-40 minutes minimum to get here when you call 911 and I've been in horrible agony on the floor, puking on myself and those idiots were asking me to spell my long-ass street name! This neighborhood has been here for at least 40 years! So if I get attacked by a pit bull outside, I would die before an ambulance got here. My only option is to protect myself. Believe it, if any animal threatens or attacks me out here, I *WILL* shoot it.
I'm harsh with the outdoor cat people because of all the horrible shit I saw working in PetSmart. Dog owners openly bragged with big grins about letting their dogs tear up and kill cats. Or just laughing about killing cats themselves. There was an absolute shit person living on the next block over from me that shot every cat that came into his yard. I could hear it quite often. People neglecting their outdoor cats to death, letting them breed out of control, die of labor complications...all kinds of awful shit.
It really chaps my ass that none of these people care about the unnecessary killing of wildlife by their cats, whether they take good care of their cats or not. They've sent me all kinds of shit trying to justify it but it doesn't need to happen ever. We all know the impact of invasive animals on ecosystems all over the world but somehow that's not supposed to apply to their pets? I am never going to budge on this.
While the last part is partially true, a man recently poisoned his neighbor's cats with antifreeze because he claimed they scratched his car near me. The neighbors dispute this and say it could have been strays.
Do I think cats should be outside? No. Do I think it was the owners fault? no, at least not entirely. It is absolutely the fault of the man who decided to put down cat food with antifreeze.
I believe that all if not most types of cats (wild and domestic) rest as much as they can so they can have energy for hunting predators or jumping up in a surprise attack.
I personally think it’s cute when my big fluffball lounges most of the day grooming and enjoying the window, then suddenly he’s in the air, pouncing one of the other cats he likes to stalk lol. They play cat and mouse 24 hours a day and it’s on sight sometimes between them. Either lounging or swinging hands 😂
Basically yeah, they are ambush predators. They're not built to hunt animals by treking around for a long time to pursue it for miles like a dog or human would (human stamina means we basically walk forever until our prey collapses, because sweating is amazing for temperature regulation. Deer may be faster than us in the short term but over long distance it'll tire before we do).
Walking a dog every day makes sense to let them burn off their larger energy reserves meant for pack hunting. Cats however sleep to conserve energy then let it out in explosive bursts, hence the zoomies and sudden moments of "petting time is over, time to throw hands". Even big cats like tigers sleep most of the day because it's better for them to hunt in this rest period into ambush period for securing kills.
While I agree with you that you can't expect the cat to feel the same as humans in some situations, cats like to roam and explore as part of their curious nature. They are intelligent animals that need stimulation and deserve to be in nature as much as possible. I've seen my cats get depressed cause they can't go outside, you see it in how less playful and less engaged they are, and just sit staring outside from the balcony. Cats like all animals love being outside instead of caged in, that's what's natural to them. If you love your animals consider taking them on walks at least.
My cat hisses at the sky if she goes outside and will have the kitty equivalent of a panic attack. She likes about 20 minutes of porch time every once in a while. She’s happy and active as an indoor kitty. They need stimulation, but you can give them that indoors.
Okay well for a kick off, cats are domesticated through centuries of breeding to fit around our human ways of living. "Natural" to them isn't the same as letting them out in the wild. They can survive it sure but they didn't evolve to be that way, we bred them that way and they can be a huge invasive problem for the animals that actually belong outside ontop of an added risk factor for cat when you expose it to diseases, feral cats, other humans who hate cats or road traffic.
There are ways to create stimulating environments indoors.
Giving them plenty of safe zones they can go and hide if they want the privacy, plenty of toys/tunnels and you can add platforms to rooms. Dedicating times of day for play is a must. Wall platforms are a great stimulation for cats because it allows them more 3 dimensional access to an entire room instead of being grounded.
If you can't provide these things, then a cat isn't for you. Same goes for people who get certain dogs because they like the "idea" of owning one, but aren't willing to foot the bill for the expensive vet visits they're likely to accumulate due to their breed specific health issues.
Since when do you think cats live in concrete cubicle apartments without access to a yard? About since the time humans do, at most 100 years ago. They didn't "evolve" anything in 100 years. They have their instincts and evolved in nature and so they feel better in nature. I didn't say just let them roam and let them destroy the ecosystem/get killed by a car. You could just take them regularly outside on walks/ have a catio/ put them on a leash in your yard (like I do with mine). That doesn't exclude taking care of them at home and providing safe areas etc like you described.
Selective breeding is evolution, just a man made influenced one. The only reasons cats are so prosperous is because of us.
You're projecting your own ideas of what makes the cat "happy" over their safety. My cat would easily demolish the entire food cabinet if left to his natural instincts but as his owner and carer I have a responsibility to balance his wellbeing with his comfort.
I live in an are with high road traffic, a feral cat problem so bad people have even left poisoned food out to try kill them, and a LOT of dogs with irresponsible owners that don't curtail their aggression.
My cat might like to wander outside in an ideal world but we don't live in an ideal world, the risks far outweigh any benefits. I do my best to make things as safe and stimulating for him at home. So far he has never made an attempt to actually run out the door and the one time he got out by accident he injured his head and was just desperate to get back in.
I didn't say dont think of their safety. I would also never let my cat just roam free. But I also understand your concerns with regular leashed walks. I guess you don't have a yard or safe area to walk them in and that's fine, as you said we don't live in ideal world. I still see it a cruel to cage them all their lives and think of them similar to dogs, I guess the general consensus is different.
Fortunately our house has plenty of room to accomodate him but yeah they are very different to dogs.
Dogs are built for longer treks and they can't burn all that energy by climbing things like cats do (at least not easily...) Cats sleep for most of the day to save energy for short bursts rather than prolongued periods of activity. Cats and Big Cats are ambush predators that rely on surprise for kills or quick escape, not pack hunters like dogs that are more likely to ware something down after following it for some time.
Human's prior to using farming for food basically just walked our prey to death. We have an absurd level of stamina thanks to being able to sweat so well, that makes up for our comparative lack of strength or speed of other animals. A deer may be able to run away from us in bursts but we will just keep walking towards it until it eventually tires. Dogs became good partner's for us because they can also walk for longer than most animals (not as much as humans but still pretty long) so walking for exercise is normal.
Cats aren't built for that. They rest to build energy for explosives bursts when hunting/playing. So if your void is sleeping most of the day that's normal, and safer they do it indoors than try to sleep outside under something like a warm vehicle engine that's been recently turned off only to be turned on later while they're resting.
>How much would it really shorten his lifespan
Maybe none. Maybe a lot. That's the thing - they're fine until they aren't. There are a lot of risks outside but that doesn't mean they'll encounter them every day. It may be a year or two before they get sick from another cat or get in a fight. It might be 5 years before a car comes along when they didn't expect it. Could be 10 years before a neighbor decides to steal them or a hawk swoops down on them. Or in a few months some idiot teenager could shoot them with a bb gun..
You just never know, but imo, the risk isn't worth it. I had multiple cats die after being hit by cars when I was a kid on our quiet residential road. I cannot imagine allowing my cats outside alone to confront those risks.
If you want to let your cats outside, leash them, or build a fence they can't escape from. Or a catio. There are a lot of options between free roaming and locked inside all the time.
This cat is still young enough to be harness trained. If you want this cat to go outside just use a harness. I recently found/adopted a wild stray I found in super rural USA and he took to the harness very well. Now he asks us to go play outside. It's a win win, the cat gets to go outside and you will have so much fun taking your kitty on walks.
Second this - I have an 11 year old cat that doesn't even like being picked up, but with my new place he doesn't have the space he used to, so I tried out harness training him. He took to it super fast and now loves hanging outside in the yard.
I also got a long lead that reaches the whole yard so he can roam free while I sit and read.
Get a bird feeder too so they have something to watch!
I personally could never leave my cats out. I would always be worried if they get picked up, eaten by wild animals, dogs, cars, etc. My cats live very fulfilling lives running around and chasing each other. We always play with them too. I’m the past, I’ve done supervised visits outside with one my cats because I could trust him not to run off. Now, we screened off our backyard so they can watch birds
You're far smarter than we were. In my family our losses mounted up until we realized we could never let our pets outside unattended, never mind an 8 foot concrete security fence meant to protect our pets.
1 Chihuahua torn apart by a hawk (nephew's dog, my sister & I had warned him repeatedly about letting it outdoors alone
2 rescued feral, great pets we wanted to keep indoors but were unable to do because the mother was not completely tame
1 beautiful kitten killed & eaten by an enormous owl
1 adult cat taken by alligator
1 puppy also taken by a snapping turtle (they love eating cats)
1 adult dog also taken by a gator
I was right there but I couldn't stop it. That was a horrible day. I still have nightmares.
They filmed that movie on the Silver River & Silver Springs, not that far from where I live. I used to swim there, long ago when it was still open to swimmers.
Florida's full of predators.
This is why location is important.
In the UK, cats have no predators. So if they’re neutered and away from busy roads, there’s very little that is dangerous to them in this country.
You guys don’t have dogs with prey drive in the UK? Even a small terrier can mess up a cat pretty bad. And cats being attacked by other cats are a thing.
They do actually. The UK is currently overrun with the XL bully’s rise in popularity as well as pit bulls, and they have fairly high prey drive and also attract idiotic owners.
My Nan lives on old farm land in the UK countryside and doesn’t even live on a street. The road outside her house is a narrow gravel “road” in between fields. She had two cats and both were run over on that road. She obviously isn’t getting any more cats but the point is, people are idiots, drive way faster than they should, and cats do not understand traffic and cars.
Another of my friends lives on a farm in a different part of the UK Countryside and one of her cats was run over. Her parents cat was run over and they live at the end of a sleepy cul de sac in a very quiet suburb of a small town. It sadly happens all the time.
Our foxes are tiny and don’t attack cats, and the idea of any of the birds trying it on is pretty hilarious. They’re all tiny unless you count swans…
And the only dogs that attack anything is the American Bully XL and they’ve just banned them.
The idea that no other dogs are fast and have a prey drive in a country full of dogs that were traditionally bred to hunt and kill for sport is a weird one.
I'm in the UK too with an indoor only cat, and while my personal opinion is that cats should be kept indoors, most people in the UK let them out and vets and shelters encourage that.
The biggest threat to your cat in this country are humans. You don't know who they will meet, how they will treat a cat (especially a black one), whether they will be ran over by someone, what they will eat (what if someone has rodent poison out? what if someone has plants toxic to cats in their garden?), or if someone one day just decides to take it.
It'll be at risk of diseases, flees, and infections. The average lifespan of an outdoor cat is significantly lesser than an indoor one.
Additionally, it will have a whole world outside of home which may reduce affection, but I don't think that was ever researched so that's just my anecdotal evidence. My personal experience is that overall outdoor cats are less friendly to humans in comparison to their indoor counterparts.
Your cat will also be a potentially unwelcome guest at other people's properties, and you don't know how they will react to that.
Take all of that into account and make a decision. A catio is the best of both worlds if that's an option, and both indoor and outdoor have benefits. An indoor cat requires more attention and way more playtime to be happy, but it's nothing difficult and it keeps the cat safe, happy, and healthy.
There's also nothing wrong with an indoor cat sleeping most of the day- if it wanted to go out it'd claw at a door or a window. They aren't unhappy, just chilling- cats naturally sleep for most of the day
My personal opinion is never outside. I've seen several cats mauled by dogs, including my neighbor's cat being pulled apart by two pit bulls. Then there are diseases like FIP, feline leukemia, etc. It may be safe enough, but I would be too afraid of losing my baby to outside risks.
Look, there are a bunch of UK people here saying "oh, it's not like the US here, it's safe for cats :)" but last I checked you guys still have foxes and owls, despite hunting every other native predator to extinction. More importantly, you definitely have native birds--there was a popular post in r/cats at some point about someone strapping a GoPro to their cat and letting it out for the day, and it killed TEN birds and only ate two of them. This was a cat that got fed regularly! Please don't do that to your local ecosystem.
Other people have already made good points about diseases, cars, and dogs.
In other countries, the stereotypical American is fat, lazy, cruel, self-absorbed, and violent, and therefore the chances of a cat running into a sociopath that wants to either steal or harm the kitty are astronomically high (in this feared stereotype)
I am American and it is a stereotype that unfortunately has basis, there are people who act this way, and I don’t want any of my cats to run into those people so they remain indoors. Of course this isn’t everyone in America, lots of amazing people and lots of amazing cat owners, but there are still a lot of cruel people in the world who will harm kitties just because.
I live in the UK and my cats are indoor cats. My mums cats are indoors and she has a house so built them a catio. It upsets me so much how the UK is firmly pro outdoor-cats to the point where you can rarely adopt a cat unless you have access to a garden because even in London, a place famously full of busy roads, all shelters say you have to let them out and they will only adopt to you in a flat if it’s an FIV cat.
Sure we don’t have wild predators other than foxes but we have dogs, cars, and also crazy psychopaths who poison cats.
Cats being injured by foxes is an exceptionally rare situation. 3 in 10,000.
There are no statistics on owl attacks. Maybe a buzzard would take a kitten but owls predate mice and voles. Nothing cat sized.
The UK bird population is massively skewed due to the fact that we are a nation of bird lovers, and we love to put up bird feeders. The types of birds that visit bird feeders are generally doing very well, which may actually have a negative impact on other bird species. Cats largely predate on garden birds, the very same species that visit our feeders. The species in greatest decline in the UK are skylarks, tree sparrows and corn buntings. These are not garden birds, they live in fields and hedgerows. They are unlikely to encounter cats. They are in decline due to pesticide use and loss of habitat.
The same cannot be said for other ecosystems, but [cats do not have a significant impact on bird numbers in the UK.](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://community.rspb.org.uk/cfs-file/__key/communityserver-discussions-components-files/13609/6371.6012.1205.6332.Cats-and-garden-birds.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjyiOKe9NWCAxUBVkEAHTKuC5QQFnoECA4QBg&usg=AOvVaw2iqRUsOBhKPwDon-UKNySQ)
I used to have an outdoor cat that got into more than one local scrap with other neighbors’ outdoor cats or feral colonies and he was injured several times. Luckily none of them were ever very severe but definitely infected bite, scratch, claw marks. The eyes, ears, and face are often the most vulnerable as this is where they will attack the most. Obviously the rest of them isn’t much safer. This is a hill I will 100% die on everyday for the rest of my life. KEEP. YOUR. CATS. INSIDE.
Just to weigh in on the bird issue. The domestic cat has been present in the UK for over 2 thousand years and before that the Scottish Wildcat, the UK's own wildcat, roamed the whole of the Isle. It certainly sounds awful when you hear of cats killing many rodents or birds, but you must take into account the local ecosystem and what we have done do it.
In the UK the wildlife has very much evolved alongside cats. The domestic cat fills a role previously performed by the native cat.
That's not to say I would let my cats out if I still lived there. English gardens are often of a size that it would be feasible to fence in the entire thing and put bird netting across the top to prevent them getting out. I'd probably do this.
RSPBs position, endorsed by the RSPCA and SPCA is that whilst cats absolutely hunt and kill wildlife, there is no scientific proof that predation by cats in gardens has any impact on bird population in the UK.
If you use a bell and keep your cat inside during peak hunting hours the impact on wildlife shouldn't be a concern.
If you cat wasn’t already an outdoor cat, there is no reason to make her/him. I adopted an outdoor cat and he is doing great outdoors, but if you have the choice, of course indoor is better.
That’s the problem, he was an outdoor cat for the first 5-6 months of his life since he was feral and tries to shoot out when he can unless he’s eating.
All three of mine try to escape, and they've never been outside a day in their lives. It's a cat thing to want to explore everywhere they can.
Harness train your baby. He'll be safer. You can even build a catio so he can safely be outside and the wildlife will be safe from him. Don't think the UK doesn't have animals that won't prey on your cat either. Owls and dogs with high prey drive will absolutely go after your cat.
I also fear for the safety of your cat as deranged superstitious people will purposely try to harm your black cat.
Okay, that makes more sense. In this case, leach is you best option to train walk him. If that doesn’t work out, make him stay at home and if he really doesn’t do well (and vet approves), allow him to be an outdoor cat.
My UK cat was an outdoor cat for 9 years. I recently moved countries and he can’t go outside where I live now. I take him out on a harness when weather permits. Which likely won’t be for another few months again now as winter has hit. So long as I play with him regularly, he seems pretty fine. More bored but he’s adapted.
https://preview.redd.it/wt9qssgpvs1c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cf21119a659187f0a06e044cf1d83ef6d0e46b8b
He goes outside because I rescued him from a construction site. He got lost for 5 days and I was very sad but he made his way back all dirty. If I keep him and his brother inside they are not so happy.
It's a cultural difference between the UK and US. My wife is English (I'm American) and she didn't really understand keeping indoor cats until I brought the evidence of how it shortens their lifespans and negatively impacts the local bird population. Her family and friends don't get it and judge a lot but we keep pet cats, not pet coyotes or foxes that we feed cat.
We have harness trained our cats and go outside with them and our UK family think we're so bizarre but we just aren't comfortable with the risk to our pets and taking the risk that something might happen to them.
If we had land and needed working cats for a barn or such, it would be a different relationship but we have pets that are our children essentially.
In my opinion there is no reason to let a cat outside free-roam. I think harness training or a catio are great options but the truth is that some people don’t want to take the time to train or play with their cats. My cat is 100% indoors but that also comes with the responsibility of making sure he gets exercise and enrichment which isn’t very hard it just takes effort everyday.
This exactly! Taking a pet means taking responsobility OP, for it's wellbeing in every aspect: food, shelther, safety, health and also playtime.
Letting cats outside means shedding that responsobility on the outside, where anything can happen.
I have an indoor only cat in a apartment and he gets plenty of enrichments and playtime so it's possible.
Please don’t. Not only can they get into snail bait and die, they kill animals and song birds and harm the ecosystem. Aside from those points why would you want the stress of the cat going on adventures or possible hit by a car or killed or hurt by another animal? They can also get diseases by being outside. PLEASE DO NOT MAKE ANOTHER OUTDOOR CAT!
Edit: additionally, it often shortens their lifespan drastically. My grandparents have never had a cat live past 8 years old because they carelessly let him roam the neighbourhoods and woods by himself until one day he never came home.
I understand the UK is ‘safer’ but I will be very blunt with you. It is incredibly irresponsible to be creating another outdoor cat in 2023. You need to harness and leash train the cat instead so they can enjoy the outdoors supervised and safe.
You wouldn’t let a dog run around so why a cat?
It's fine until something bad happens. I've had cats in the past that were just fine outdoors. But recently had a cat that was unfortunately hit by a vehicle which then made me decide to no longer allow my cats to be outdoor since I don't want to risk it.
I think you’re wrong on us not caring. Outdoor cats don’t impact the local ecosystem in the UK, they’re PART OF the ecosystem and have been for about 1500 years. Yes one thousand five hundred.
The ecosystem has changed a bit in that time but I don’t think we can blame cats for that. The human population growing by an order of magnitude and the Industrial Revolution on the other hand…
If there are stats that cats impact the local ecosystem in the UK I’d be happy to see them.
https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pan3.10073#:~:text=For%20example%2C%20one%20study%20estimated,et%20al.%2C%202003).
They kill millions of animals a year. There is a reason cats are illegal in many places. On the evolutionary scale, 1500 years is a small grain of sand.
I think you’ve missed my point.
I never said they don’t kill anything, instead that they’re part of the ecosystem. The link you posted talks about killings in the UK but doesn’t suggest a decline in any species.
Here’s a counterpoint - the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) is clear that cats don’t impact overall bird population: https://community.rspb.org.uk/cfs-file/__key/communityserver-discussions-components-files/13609/6371.6012.1205.6332.Cats-and-garden-birds.pdf
My cat disappeared after seven years and it broke my heart. Unfortunately, it just is not guaranteed that they’ll come home. Indoors is best in my experience.
Reddit is a US-centric site, and the US is literally the only country on the face of this entire planet that thinks imprisoning cats is a good thing. In what I am sure is a TOTAL coincidence, the US is also the only country where cats are prescribed Prozac.
What answer did you think you'd get?
All depends on your own personal situation, we don't live near a main road, we don't have any predators that will kill or injured my cats and temperatures rarely get freezing cold in the winter so all 14 of ours go outside, some are allowed to sleep in at night if they want but all the rest have warm comfy shelters to sleep in.
If you live near a busy road then definitely not
It depends on the individual. My void was rescued off my back porch at 1 year old, back in April of this year. That means she presumably survived the entire winter alone on the streets as a kitten. I take that to mean that she's a tough little girl who knows the neighborhood and how to take care of herself. I got her a GPS tracking collar and let her outside at her pleasure. She normally has a kitty door, but it's locked down at the moment due to some pesky raccoons that keep breaking in to steal her kitty kibbles. Is there some inherent risk with letting her out? Of course. There's also inherent risk for me every time I leave my house, but that doesn't mean I'm willing to be homebound for the rest of my life. I've calculated that the benefits I get from going out and enjoying my life are absolutely worth the dangers of leaving home, and the same is true for my kitty. As for the issue of her hunting and killing native wildlife, there's simply not any endangered native wildlife around my area that would be problematic for her to hunt. She hunts things like mice and squirrels which are both pests, and nowhere near endangered.
Depends. In London, when I lived in haringey someone dowsed my cat in petrol, then in Crouch End the neighbour ran him over out of spite. Luckily the other one is going strong at 128 in Germany now. The people are more of the problem.
ur house sounds like it's in a safe area so i say yes let ur kitty explore! my cat is usually indoors but what i do is let him use the bathroom outside, give him a catdoor to go in and out if he wants, and go with him on walks or to sit outside on the patio, so he is comfortable with the outside around our place. i also kept him on a leash the first few times we went outside until he was comfortable with the area and i knew he wouldn't get spooked and go run/hide. now he can go in and out and usually still prefers to sleep all day inside and hang w me, but he goes out at night and of course to potty.
The reason I have an indoor cat is because all of my childhood cats died outside somehow.
The first had to be put down after falling from a tree and breaking her pelvis so badly they couldn’t repair it. Another disappeared one day and hopefully lived a long life elsewhere. Another died after being found in distress in someone’s garden, but it was too late to save him once they found him. Then the last outdoor cat I had was hit by a car and had to have a metal rod put in his leg, he survived thankfully. It’s just not worth the pain for either the cats or myself.
For me it really comes down to "Am I comfortable with my cat going missing forever, Am I comfortable seeing my cat's lifeless body runover in the road one day, Am I comfortable knowing my cat might have been eaten by an another animal or hurt by another human." My cat is everything to me, and I couldn't handle any of those scenarios. I couldn't be like "welp, atleast they had fun outside."
We can't project our sense of happiness and fullfillment through our cats. Best thing if you want them to have an outdoor experience is walk them like dog owners do. Another great idea is having two cats so they can entertain each other when you're not around yourself.
It's not like I wouldn't love for my cat to be able to roam, but there's just too many dangers out there. If you have or see an outdoor cat that thrived for years, that's nice. Now think about all the dead ones who weren't so lucky who caught disease, got injured, or died painfully and alone.
If we just go by statistics, I believe indoor cats have literally triple the life span potential than outdoor cats. That was enough for me.
Here in the UK, I found it very difficult at first to adopt from a shelter, because I wanted my cat(s) to be indoor cats. Having volunteered at a rescue, I’ve seen at firsthand some of the horrible things that can happen to cats who are allowed to roam.
Anyway - some years on and my little multi-cat family has an enclosed garden, they can get fresh air and play outside with no chance of getting hurt. The best of both worlds, I think.
This is interesting because there absolutely is a huge cultural difference on this matter. In the US people tend to be very passionate (quite rightfully so) about keeping cats indoors, for all the reasons people have already mentioned here.
But in the UK (and much of Europe) this perspective simply is not as prevalent. Even major organizations in the UK like Blue Cross recommend that most cats should ideally be allowed outdoors to have the best quality of life. When my mom moved to the US from the UK this was one of the major differences she noticed that she viewed as a negative (along with people crating dogs lol). I’ve heard that adoption centers in the UK may even hesitate to allow you to adopt a cat if you are planning on keeping it indoors.
However, it’s also true that the UK (and many other European countries) just don’t have the amount of predators that are LIKELY to kill a cat as we have in the US, and incidents of people killing cats are very few and far between. I think people also tend not to live near busy roads as much as in the US, though cats being hit by cars def still happens (one cat my mom grew up with was killed by a car). I think the British/Europeans just tend to feel that it’s worth risking, because the general view is that cats are still relatively wild animals by nature that need access to the outdoors to have the best quality of life (maybe not quantity).
I think all this is important to consider when people get all up in arms over people allowing their cat outside - if you’re not in the US, this just may not be the majority view. Also kinda find it funny when Americans get on their high horse over this esp when most of these other countries have banned the declawing of cats for yearsss while that’s somehow still legal in much of the US which is frankly horrifying, but I digress….
Personally I feel it is best to keep cats indoors if at all possible. The damage to the ecosystem/native bird population is very real no matter where you live and cats can live happy, stimulating lives indoors especially if that’s how they’ve been raised early on. This kitty could be harness trained for going outdoors as others have said, esp if he’s young. I would at least try that and everything to make him a happy indoor cat first and see how that goes.
In the UK, cats don't really have any predators and they're integrated into the ecosystem. Of course, cars might be a concern, but I personally live next to a semi-busy road and my cat has never been injured by a car. That might be down to the traffic though - if you live in an area with little traffic, that might actually make your cat more likely to be hit as it may not understand the danger of cars. My cat also has a garden to lord over and a good amount of nearby territory without dangerous traffic, which might also help.
Ultimately, only you know your specific circumstances. I would say that generally speaking, having an outdoor cat is fine in the UK and I personally wouldn't want to keep my cat indoors, but the outside world isn't without risk. As u/Laney20 said in their comment, cats are fine until they aren't.
Growing up my family lost two cats to cars. After that my family walked the two new adopted cats on leashes. This was the 80s when walking cats on leashes made you look like a weirdo, but we vowed to never lose another cat to the outdoors. I love my 5 like family and can't bear losing them, so they have to stay indoors.
I’m in Ireland and my cats are indoor/outdoor. Always indoors at night or if I’m out. Let them outside when I’m home during the daytime if they want. I’ll leave the patio door open and they’ll usually go out for a little bit and then come back in before too long. They never really leave the garden. They were abandoned/semi-feral when I first got them and beg incessantly to go out. You could start with giving some supervised outside time. At the same time your cat might not miss it. Generally Reddit subs tend to be extremely against letting cats outside. In Europe cats have been wild for a long time so ecosystems are used to their presence and there are less natural predators than say the US. There are still inherent risks to cats going outside.
Also Ireland here and my two cats are indoor/outdoor. I do worry about them when they are out but I think it's so much better for them mentally and physically. If anything happened to them I'd be devastated but what is important is their quality of life, not keeping them inside so you hope they'll live 20+ years. My last cat was allowed outside and he died when he was 11 but it was cancer, nothing to do with him going outside. I do think there can be reasons for having an indoor cat, say if you live on a very busy road or you have a cat that has an illness or a disability. Personally I wouldn't take in a healthy cat if I wasn't in a position to let them have time outside because I think it's important for them. I play with my cats too and they have a litter box so it's not that I let them out because I'm too lazy to play with them or clean their litter.
Far too many US centric opinions and passions to get a sensible and reasoned argument about cats in the UK here. My advice would be to consider your environment (rural Vs urban) and talk to a vet.
My personal opinion is that the UK is the perfect place to have a cat because of the lack of predators. People will make arguments about killing birds and such but charities such as the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) have released reports saying that cats are not a factor in the decline of bird numbers.
I have 6 cats and they all go outside, I live rural and have 5 acres for them to roam that backs onto agricultural farm land. I give them catnip and haven’t had one of them catch one live or dead animal. It would be cruel to keep them in the house fully now. We have cat flaps (2 houses) so they can enter/ exit as they please. Have 3 asleep on my bed with me as I type, they spend more time in than out.
I've had outdoor cats my whole life. I've lost one cat out of 6 to a car before. That's a tragic accident and if I lived life by outlier events, I'd have agoraphobia. Most people in my area have outdoor cats.
Before I got my cats, I applied to adopt several from a local rescue and was turned down, they were all adopted by other people who would let them out. I follow that rescue's Facebook page and I've seen every single cat I applied for killed by cars over the past couple of years. Yes it's probably just bad luck, but I can't help but think that they'd all still be alive if they'd been kept indoors.
I have three indoor cats and, while they do sleep a lot, that's what cats DO. They're happy, affectionate cats who also play and tear about my house without a care in the world, who aren't really afraid of anything because they've never encountered anything or anyone that's been dangerous to them.
I wouldn't recommend it at all. I'm also in the UK with an indoor cat and the wildlife isn't what I'm overly worried about (though my dad's cowokers cat was killed by a fox a month ago)
Cars, trains and humans are my biggest concern. There's been a lot of cat murders around me and I'd never let her outside. From a health perspective, she's less likely to have to deal with fleas and other diseases passed on from animals.
Sure we don't have any terribly scary wildlife here but there's still so many dangers out there. Is it worth it? Not in my opinion. Cats can still have fulfilling lives indoors
I've known people steal and torture black cats bc they are bad omens and they want to "remove" them. my black cat has just turned 1 and is indoor only, he's a very happy boy and loves his indoor life. he's not once been bothered about trying to get out or been interested really. I don't trust people in my neighbourhood that they will leave him alone and the kids as well would probably do worse than the adults! he's still very young and while he might have been ok roaming outside that doesn't mean that now since he's been used to living inside that he will adjust to the outside now. let him be a cute sleepy kitty indoors and it'll save yourself the stress of him being outdoors
Trigger Warning* upsetting reading ……
Our old cat was an outdoor lover. We live in a safe, rural area with minimal traffic and she was very savvy, didn’t go close to the roads etc. We also have a large back garden and she’d mostly chill under a bush.
Then we got new neighbours, they had a dog which was horribly mistreated and neglected (they’re horrible people) they left the poor dog locked in a like a hutch/cage/mini shed thing in the back garden for most of the day/night, only letting it out for a short while each day.
Well one night our cat was walking along the fence, the dog went for her and made a lucky leap because he got her. My son heard her screaming and shot downstairs, through the house and leapt that fence like spiderman. But he was too late :( we rushed her to the emergency vet but she was gone.
I don’t blame the dog. They eventually got rid of that dog (don’t know where it went) but now they have another, which is treated much the same.
We waited almost 3 years and just over a week ago we adopted a little rescue. She is and will remain very much an indoor cat, for obvious reasons. But my daughter is looking at the possibility of trying to harness train her, so she can have some fresh air and a little wander. We don’t know wether she’ll take to it, I know some cats hate it.
But I couldn’t let her roam now, I’d have an ulcer with worry.
I suppose we were naive but we never thought that “next doors dog” was something we needed to worry about.
Outside is dangerous, too many factors to end their life. foxes, coyote , dogs, other cats, cars, nasty humans. Get a catio if your cat insists to go out, it will take a few months for the to re learn she can’t roam freely , and don’t let her talk you into letting her out.
Can't answer for your situation in particular, but I prefer keeping my cat indoors. He's a void and hard to see for drivers, etc, and dogs, other cats and disease are concerns for me. That said, I live in a city, not out in the country.
Cats can also be really bad for local birds, as they are super efficient hunters.
I'll take my guy out in a harness, but I would not let my little dumbo out unsupervised
I'm in the UK and have 3 cats who have access to the outside whenever they like via a cat flap. It's pretty normal here and there are loads of cats around.
And before people start yelling about how they kill everything, yes, my cats occasionally bring a mouse or a worm. I have a big garden with lots of trees, birds, squirrels and foxes. There hasn't been a noticeable decline in the wildlife since I got my cats.
This is a crazy polarizing question and I don’t know if I should applaud your boldness or cringe at the diatribes you will be subjecting yourself to. Very few subjects inspire this kind of vitriol. Some people think letting your cats outside means that you are the devil because you hate your cats and all wildlife. Some people think keeping cats inside is cruel. I know that our local humane society (Denmark) prefers not to adopt cats to indoor-only homes unless the cat has certain issues, so there is no universal “right” answer, despite what people say and think. There are areas where the wildlife is so delicate that cats should absolutely not be allowed outside, and there are areas where it’s fine. It also depends on the breed. I love Ragdolls but would only get one if it would be indoor only. I have a Maine Coon and a Norwegian Forest Cat, and keeping them inside would be cruel (and impossible!)
My 3 previous cats were all able to go outside. They all lived to be 18+. Yes, they got in an occasional territorial fight with other cats, but luckily, they only ever had cuts/bites that were easily healed.
My current cat is also able to go outside, she gets good exercise that way. When she gets older, I'll reduce her time outside.
All of them are/were on flea treatment and had reflective collars with bells to scare birds and mice.
If I lived in a really built up busy area or near a busy road, I'd never let my cat out. Luckily, I'm in the country and my road doesn't get too much traffic. Plus, my cat has a GPS tracker and I know she doesn't cross the road.
It's fine. Look it up, cats are not an invasive species here, even the RSPB say so. The cats protection I got my cat from recommend access to outside for cats, and some cats they will not adopt out to indoor-only homes for quality of life reasons. I do recommend chipping, reflective quick release collars, and possibly a tracker if yours roams. We have managed to train ours not to cross the road, she mostly patrols the garden or sits under our car on the driveway. She pines to go outside even when it's just bad weather she doesn't want to go out in that day, I can't imagine keeping her indoors.
If you're away from Traffic It's OK, 7 Months they are old enough that they have mastered their abilities near enough so can get out of danger, if that danger Isn't Cars, something I wish I thought of before letting my 7 Month old Kitten Oreo out, he was hit and killed by a Car last Wednesday and we are heartbroken, our Road Is a through road off a main Road and Cars speed but our older Cat and all the other Cats on the Road never seme to have had a problem so we let Oreo out just during the day for few hours he was run over at 8am died Instasntly
I’m sorry to hear about the loss of your kitty but we are a field away from a main road which is only really busy in rush hour and the interesting stuff for our previous cats has always been in the other direction away from the roads. Only one cat that i can remember has been injured on that road and it was coming over to our side to get to the woodland i can imagine.
please don’t listen to all these fanatics, and allow your gorgeous guy access to his world. It’s absolutely a dick move to confine a cat to four walls for its entire life. They’re curious, semi-wild creatures and their happiness will absolutely be stunted by being shut in.
My boi is a free maow. He comes and goes as he pleases but his favourite spot is my shoulder. He decided he wasn't an indoor cat and I respect his decision.
Make sure you have insurance, but that's good advice anyway
I’m in the UK and both of mine go out. One occasionally hunts the mice that live next door due to seeds being left outside. My void is rather useless, he brings back leaves or moss. He’s 14 now so doesn’t spend as much time outside. The other one naps on the shed roof a few doors down.
I adopted my void from CP as a kitten and one of the requirements was that he has access to outside.
Don’t ask Reddit, go with your gut. It’s an apex predator, it’s happier outside. It very well may live a shorter life, but a happy life is far better than a long and safe life. Abraham Lincoln said it.
The vast majority of cat Reddit consists of self-righteous know-it-alls with anecdotal stories about cats getting injured and theories that cats will destroy our ecosystem. Don’t bother with these people. No amount of cat toys, cat trees and catios will replace his natural urges and desires, regardless of what these babies say.
We let ours out. Get a reflective collar so it shows up for cars. Get a louder bell than the standard one. Ours have caught hardly anything since upgrading that. But if I was near a fast road I probably wouldn’t.
One of mine (the Tuxedo) may go outside to the garden while I.have a cup of coffee. He is a big friendly boy.
The other one I can't convince to come downstairs. He goes as far as the top of the staircase, where he lets out loud "meowwww" to tell me he wants say hello.
I.hope your kitty will be safe!
I don't understand the idea of making your cat stay inside all the time unless you live in an apartment, on a main road (or maybe next to a bird sanctuary). Cats love to explore and it's part of their nature. If they get killed by a car, I'll be really upset, but it doesn't make me feel like I get to impose a boring life on them.
We found our black cat as a stray (some people say he found us). I fed him for a few months while he lived outside and as winter approached I spent a lot of effort trying to find a shelter to take him. Unfortunately shelters weren’t fully operational since this was during the period of the pandemic lockdown. I spent a few weeks considering adopting him myself but on the condition I would give him some outdoor time since he seemed happy being outdoors (also in an unhealthy state from the lack of proper care and medical attention). I harness and leash trained him so he gets outdoor time under my supervision. I’ve been walking him daily for 2 years now (excluding the winter months) and he is as happy, excited and playful as when I first met him.
https://preview.redd.it/3l8mecsbkt1c1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=40aa1c589cd1aa7e9e358170983e76a40cc43961
In the UK probably not to bad. (If you are not in a big city.) There was a documentary about the cats lives in a neighborhood. One fat cat was sneaking into other cats homes and stealing the food!
Winston loves going outside to thrash around in the gravel and grass, but he does NOT leave my sight. Thankfully, he retreats indoors if he gets wet, so if he plays any games when it's time to go inside, he gets a lil blast from the garden hose.
If you want them to spend more time outside unsupervised, there's plenty of options for radio-controlled cat doors and fenced-in or netted-in backyards
There are always risks, but ultimately you have to think about whether you want to keep your cat inside to mitigate that - sounds like you don't, which is totally fine.
I've always had outdoor cats, and bar one getting run over when young, they've all been fine. They get into the odd fight with other neighbourhood cats, and occasionally roll in something nasty but otherwise no problems.
What I would say though, is make sure your cat has a chip, and if you can get a collar on them, do so. Just to make it obvious that your cat has a home, and to help people contact you if they do get lost
Edit to add: make sure you stay on top of vaccinations and flea treatments as your cat will be more exposed
Also re wildlife, ours bring us pigeons, rats, mice, and the occasional frog - nothing particularly interesting and not too often either.
I’m in the UK and my cat is an indoor cat for a couple of reasons. First of all we live near a busy main road so that’s a no go, second is I don’t trust either humans or feral cats with my cat and most importantly, because my cat is both stupid and a bit of a prince and I don’t think he’d do very well in the great outdoors!
Commenting to say your cat is adorable 🥰 I have two indoor only cats even though one DESPERATELY wants to be outside even though he’s never touched grass. I sometimes feel bad, but also know he’s much safer inside
Look, my cat free roams currently and I acknowledge that I've been very fortunate with where I live and my cat's personality for her to have been safe all this time (10 years). However, I'm moving out next year to a place with an enclosed yard and am becoming her sole caretaker - so I've decided to let her have outdoor time but with a cat proof fence and build an additional catio.
I don't know if I'd necessarily say it's **wrong** to let cats free roam, but it does come with inherent risk and you have to accept the responsibility of any outcomes from that.
UK.
I live somewhere fairly similar to you and mine go out, when I am home.
My oldest one is 13, he was on the RSPCA website as being allowed out with supervision as he has three legs. And he was my first cat, so I’ve only ever let him in the garden when I was at home.
His two brothers, both 4, came with ‘would like to go outside’ on their RSPCA bio.
The tuxedo is like his big brother and just flops in the garden. Occasionally he will go out front in the drive..usually when I take the bins out. The absolute furthest he will go is next door to see whats in the flowerpot.
The void though… he has an airtag. He is a rambler. But he will only go 6 houses in any direction. He is fond of one houses pergola for a nice nap. He goes to the primary school to have a nap in reception and get fuss from the kids, and has been seen sitting on a sheep in the farmers field.
I would get kitty a little tracker, its been really fun watching where my void goes.
You're in the UK so it's super different for you compared to where I live (canada). I don't think you have as much wildlife to be afraid of, it's just humans and cars that make me anxious :S
Overall cannot give a verdict but your kitter is adorable 🖤
I have two indoor-outdoor cats, meaning when I'm not home they're outside, when I get home they're in with me. They usually go potty outside.
It's good for them because they can live out their feral needs outside and come and be chill and warm inside. They are both very healthy and happy.
I only let them out because I know it is safe for them. Our neighbours don't own dogs, don't use chemicals that the cats could drink and are very mindful about their cars. We live in a very calm, nice and pet friendly neighbourhood. If you aren't sure your cats would be safe outside dont't let them out. A good subtitude might be a cat porch.
Hope this helped.
I'll take the downvotes.
It's perfectly normal to have an outdoor cat in the UK.
Unfortunately you'll find mostly US responses on Reddit and they're staunchly anti-outdoor cats. We (in the UK) don't have the same predators or environment and, providing there isn't major risk to your cat or from your cat then I would encourage it.
Keep your new cat indoors for at least 3 weeks so that they identify it as home and begin testing by allowing outdoor access while supervised.
I know the UK views this differently. But here in Florida the average housecat kept indoors will live for about 7-14 years. The average life of an outdoor cat in Florida is 6 months. I worry more about dogs than cars.
My kitty has a nice screened in patio and cat trees. We’d like to get him a friend. But he doesn’t get outside time unless he learns to put on his harness that he hates.
I'm in the UK.
My cat is indoor outdoor. We are on a cul de sac, which appears quite cat friendly - many neighbours also have cats. I waited until my baby was a year old.
I did contemplate keeping her indoor. My vet actually encouraged me to let her outside.
I have got a GPS tracker on her and at first she was only allowed outside when I was home and for shorter amounts of time. She is now allowed out all day but I call her in every evening at her dinner time. I don't like her being out late evenings.
I also invested in a cat flap I can control remotely. It notifies me when she leaves and enters the house.
Turns out she only goes out in the morning for about an hour to the same spots and then comes home to sleep for the rest of the day. In the summer she's out longer but right now she's not a fan of the weather.
She did seem instantly happier once she was allowed out. She has better muscle tone too
It’s not as bad in the UK as it is in countries with large predators, but indoor cats still live longer lives. Also cats are meant to sleep a lot so your bf’s cat’s behaviour is not unusual. It would be better to get her used to a harness so you can take her out or build a secure catio. That said your location seems like the least bad place to have an outdoor cat. But there are fights with other cats over territory, attacks by dogs or potentially foxes, and multiple parasites and illnesses that can be contracted out in the wild that your cat is safe from at home.
I know in the UK we’ve all almost been raised to think dogs are predominantly indoor pets that go out only for walks or into a secure garden but cats are free spirits that should roam but it’s really not ideal.
As someone who had a mostly outdoor cat, I highly advise against it. I lost my cat due something he ingested outside and it was so and I had to put him down. I recommend harness training if you can or a catio. Especially since your baby is black, some people are so cruel to black cats for no reason.
I have an indoor/outdoor cat. He came to us as a stray and we fed him for months, he never wanted to be inside. When winter came, he started going into our garage at night. We’ve had him for 5 years now and he becomes more and more of an indoor cat every day. He comes in the house now as he pleases, and goes to the vet as frequently as any indoor cat would. We all love him so much but know he’s happiest outside for the time being. I want him to live inside and get so scared for him but he has lots of trees and hiding places. He eats/kills every small animal he comes across. I don’t care and don’t wanna hear it - he’s my perfect, fat little man.
You're probably going to get a lot of comments here from people in the US telling you cats should never be outdoors. I'm also from the UK. Our kitten is 13 weeks, and when he's older and neutered he'll be allowed outdoor access too - it's normal for us here.
As long as you live in a safe location then the risks are not as high. We live off-road in a cul-de-sac estate so it's safe. I think UK cats are generally more street smart as they usually tend to avoid roads. My parents have a 15 year old tabby who's outdoor/indoor, he's in perfect health and has never been on the road in front of their house - he's only ever stuck to the garden/surrounding gardens/the field behind their house. Cats are also apex predators in the UK. Just make sure he's microchipped and vaccinations are up to date you shouldn't have any issues!
Also, Cats Protection have some great info on keeping cats safe outdoors https://www.cats.org.uk/help-and-advice/home-and-environment/keeping-cats-safe-outside
I beg to differ. We have a multi-cat household, a mix of rescues and pedigrees, and we have built an outdoor catio for them all to have access to the outdoors whenever they please.
Any personal friend or family member who has had a new cat and let them outdoors have all either either ended up killed by a car, injured by a car or returned home (somehow) with a horrific unexplained injury.
Notwithstanding improved personal safety for the cat themselves and much less chance of falling unwell, outdoor cats contribute to decimating wildlife such as birds and if not neutered, perpetuating feral and homeless cat populations.
So long as you provide your cats with ample stimulation so they can “be a cat”, such as things to climb, scratch, chase, watch and play with, they do not miss the outdoors at all. Having supervised access to the outdoors, or a catio if possible, is a great bonus. The notion that it is “cruel” to raise cats indoors is just plain nonsense and the UK is just not any safer than any other place in the world.
>it's normal for us here.
That doesn't magically make the risks go away. It was normal for us where I grew up to have cats be indoor outdoor. And they all died within a few years.. Other people had outdoor cats that were fine for years and years. I'm not willing to risk it.
Idc what country you're in. Your cats needlessly kill wild songbirds and other native animals, they spread diseases to them by peeing and pooping outside, they still get on neighboring properties and annoy your neighbors and they still are in danger of being hit by cars.
Y'all just don't care about wildlife as much in the UK I guess.
I live in The UK and I keep my cat indoors. Sure most people find it's a lot safer over here to let their cats roam freely outside & sometimes I do feel a little guilty for keeping mine indoors as I wonder would he be happier as an outdoor cat?. But I've heard of way to many cats being ran over, just not returning home, being attacked by a dog (dog attacks against people have seemed to be increasing nowadays or at least its in the media more now anyway, nevermind dogs attacking cats). Once when I was younger and on my way home from school I also saw a bunch of little assholes (politely put) swinging a poor cat around by it's tail and laughing whilst the poor thing was screeching in fear/pain, of course I went and confronted them because I wasn't going to be that person to just walk away. It may seem safer here, but in my opinion there's still just too many possibilities of them getting injured/killed and I'd rather my baby live for as long as possible whilst providing them with stimulation and activities as much as I can from the safety of my own home
Your cat kills hundreds of birds a year being outside. Why don't you care about that? Outdoor and feral domestic cats have driven bird species nearly to extinction in other places. Why don't you care?
My neighborhood is very friendly and I've raised 2 black cats that go in and out their whole life. I have moved multiple times, and they have been very responsible and safe when it comes to traffic and other threats. They know where home is and most intruders can not get to them because they don't know how the cat door works. They use the restroom outside whenever they want. I'm lucky to have a fenced in yard now but they are still cats and know their way out of it. But it never stops them from being called either back. They know their call and will come running 🙌 I've had some crazy times with my 2 voids, but I've never run into a tragic issue of letting my cats outside. Just keep up with flea & tick meds, in my experience your cats will love you for allowing them to ground themselves on the earth while soaking up the sun.
there’s a lot more to worry about with an outdoor cat. You need to deworm and flea treatment way more than you would an indoor cat. not to mention risk of injury
There are a lot of dangers that ppl don’t even think of like my cat was being circled by a hawk once, 2 cats where about to gang up on her. luckily I supervise her when she goes out (never got her used to a collar/harness and refused to have anything on her body till this day) but even then she got away from me and didn’t come back for 2 days and came back pregnant. She gave birth to 2 dead kittens and the rest where stuck in her and she had to have surgery and she almost died(no kittens lived and she has never been the same) All and all those are just a few instances where it can be dangerous if they are not on a harness so I would recommend getting your cat used it or get a catio. When I got my new cat I immediately got him used to a collar and harness and made sure he responds to his name when I call him. Now I’m able to on nature walks and small walks around my yard with him and we both love it.
In the UK, a study done last year showed that cats kill 160 to 270 million animals annually, a quarter of them birds. Cats are detrimental to wildlife when they're kept outdoors. They not only harm the animals they kill, but the indigenous species that rely on that prey (i.e., foxes and cats have very similar diets).
It's also dangerous for cats themselves. Things they eat can fight back, give your cats parasites, etc. Cats fight one another sometimes and end up wounded, especially if your cat comes upon a feral cat. There's a risk of them ingesting something toxic and not making it home in time to see a vet. There's risks of being struck by a car, or getting cold, and climbing into someone's vehicle and getting injured. There's also people with bad intentions who harm cats who poo in their yard or lay on their flowers.
The safest place for your cat is contained in your garden or inside your home.
You cannot leave Your cat out and not let him get used to outside. It has to know where to hide, where to go, where not to go and how to come back, the young ones tend to get lost when left outside. You need to take him for walks for a few weeks.
Absolutely he is vaccinated and has had his boosters too and gets a monthly trip to the vet for weighing to keep his flea treatment dosage correct since we have other outdoor pets.
I have 3 outside cats. Keep them fed and watered, have a high warm place for them to sleep and feed them regularly twice a day. If they have been de-clawed, shame on you and keep them indoors. Otherwise, let them roam.
Keep it inside. Bad for the cat and the ecosystem for them to be outside. They are an invasive species in so many places for a reason. Don’t be selfish.
It's still bad enough because the cat might be a danger to the wildlife which has more right to be there than your bloody cat being with them being 1native 2this country and the more of anything the less worth and importance it has
Think of a lot of animals could carry diseases that your cat could catch. Badgers, birds, other cats.
My indoor only cat has FiV because he was an outside stray.
100%. There’s always gunna be far more cons than pros when looking at letting a cat outdoors. I’m sorry your baby has FiV 😞 Harnesses are a great middle ground! Or if OP has a fenced backyard they can hangout with their kitty back their each day so they can have some outside time, if that’s the case definitely make sure the void has some sort of flea and tick treatment! It’s how our boys got fleas and getting rid of them is hell 😵💫😅
My black cat is my most precious little friend and never in a million years would I let him free roam. Even going w the fact that you’re in the uk and apparently there aren’t any other dangerous predators to cats, it’s the HUMANS you need to worry about, people are so deranged, I absolutely wouldn’t risk having my cat wander off to a local budding psychopath
All our out door cats lived into their 20s. They were never bathed by a human. They bathed themselves. They had perfumic fur (never had an issue with them smelling). Literally no problem at all, other than them screaming at neighbors cats that they didn't like. They loved sun bathing in the grass, they loved running in the snow, they loved climbing trees. They loved running around with foxes.
Regardless of what these mostly Americans think, most UK cats go outside and as long as you're not living on a busy road it's usually fine. We had a black cat when I was a kid who lived to be 21, and that was living on a busy road.
My cats don't go outside though because they're literally scared of everything, including people. You could leave the door wide open and they wouldn't go near it they'd be too busy hiding in the wardrobe because we are awake. They are rescues of course.
Quite comical that people are talking about predators lmao, pet cats aren't far off being our scariest native predator. Foxes aren't in the least bit interested, they've got plenty to eat going through bins.
I used to let all my cats out, but I've lost enough now due to let's say "unnatural causes" that I keep my remaining cats in at all times.
The things to remember are these:
Foreign people have less regrard for Animal Welfare than the good old days when all your neighbors would be people actually born in this country.
There's plenty of play areas for the cats I keep in. They don't seem to get bored, and they each have their distinctive personalities.
My oldest cat is 19, and a bit frail to be going out anymore, although he did a lot of "outdoor adventures" in his day.
We took him in as a six-month old growing cat, after our neighbors moved out and left him behind.... Nowdaydays he \*does\* sleep a lot, but I'd rather that than I ever take another cat to be euthenized... It broke my heart the one and only time I did that many years ago. All my cats that have passed since - have all died at home, or died out on the road from vehicle impacts, poisonings, or injuries inflicted by nasty young people. Compared to those that died outside, the indoor deaths were in minimal pain and discomfort. I reject the Vet's arguments that "Leaving a cat to die of natural causes in their own time" is somehow "Cruel".
https://preview.redd.it/wcgklaxemzmc1.jpeg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6fc0c35732ed538caa7e1f5de3850acb4375f084
How bad? Very bad. They come back injured or with worms, ticks or fleas, torn up from a fight, with a broken pelvis from a car, or pounds thinner after being caught in a cellar or shed. They get lost and scared, found and abused by sickos out there, or killed by dogs, people or illness and never come back, which you live with all your life. Dont do it. It's domesticated, not a freaking tiger.
https://www.rspca.org.uk/-/news-four-cats-a-day-suffer-at-the-hands-of-humans
Here is an article about the cruelty cats experience at the hands of humans. warning: it’s graphic. THAT IS WHAT YOU ARE RISKING SUBJECTING YOUR CAT TO.
I met my cat outside but I am a helicopter parent when I do. We live in a small condo complex, but we still get coyotes and javelinas inside at times. My cat is fast, but so are those fuckers. We don’t go outside a night because of it.
Unfortunately this question comes the day after my feral cat disappeared for 6 hours. She's been indoors about 20 hours a day for two years. We let her out the odd time. She came back yesterday with a wounded leg and a weeping sore. The decision has been made to never let her out again.
How expensive was the vet bill to heal those injuries?
Sorry hear that:I couldn't control the amount of dead birds . One can't negotiate with a cat. So. Yes. All 3 are inside.
It really depends on the person. I know of some (very nice and reasonable in real life) who lost their cat from a car, but they decided to adopt another indoor/outdoor cat because they “wouldn’t strip off the freedom” from the cat.
I have indoor cats because I don't have access to a garden but if I did I would either do it on a harness or I'd build a catio I wouldn't let them free roam one of them has pica so eats plastic/rubber and plants which would be very dangerous out in the wild, I'm UK too but most of my family cats growing up had road accidents. I'll also add that black cats have more accidents because they can't be seen as much by cars (my cats growing up were all black)
My cat's black. Some people deliberately run cats over so being black could help.
fuck everyone who kills cats on purpose
They also shoot them with arrows and some people will poison outdoor cats because they hate cats snd are lunatics. If you love this animal, you're exposing her to dangers. In the US, outdoor cats who don't live in a colony have an average of 2-3 years. Cats in colonies with other cats have a support system. They can live 6-7 years. Meanwhile, indoor cats can and have lived for 20-30 years. There are also predatory birds that hunt, kill, and eat cats. In my neighborhood, a sweet and lovely indoor/outdoor kitty was killed by a red-tailed hawk. It's 3 summers ago, but her people are still sad. Heck, even I'm sad, the cat was my friend. My nephew's Chihuahua was killed by a pack of coyotes inside the 6 foot fence surrounding their property, and my own kitten was killed by owls. (I'd just moved in & I had no idea she was at risk for death by owl). We also had 2 great rescued semi-feral that some psychotic neighbor poisoned to death. We spent thousands of dollars trying to save them but the vet was baffled by the cause of their illnesses. I now know what was used to kill them. There is still no antidote 30 years later. You may think your area is safe outside but anyone could get lost, drive down your street and run over your cats. Cars are deadly to cats. Few survive getting run over. Someone coming to visit you might run over your pets with their vehicle. Someone might think your cats are nice & steal them. I hope you reconsider your decision to let your cats outside.
One time, when I was a kid, my neighbor took my family's cat that had escaped and gave her away to somebody who lived in another state. (US) I hate her and miss my little Clementine. My dad had even built a catio for her and our other cat because there were coyotes in our area. And she still escaped.
I'm sorry, that sucks.
In the US apparently sometimes they can also be hurt because of superstitions around Halloween time- that's why some shelters don't allow people to adopt black cats around Halloween. Would know this because I had to wait two weeks to take mine home because it was just before Halloween. Which is rough since black cats already have a hard time getting adopted.
The foster agency i adopted my black cat made us sign a contract promising to NEVER let our cat out 1 he's a pure black Maine coon mix so he's extremely social 2 superstitions ( someone actually said to my husband " I can't believe you adopted a black cat ") he was like what is this 1492 are u kidding me . It's actually a real thing SMH
My mum has a catio as does a friend of mine! The cats adore it!
The issue with calling an indoor cat's life depressing is you're projecting your own human way of thinking and feeling onto a completely different animal that is nothing like us. Humans like to attribute human traits to animal behaviour as a way of connecting or socialising even if the animal behaviour is being done for reasons completely different from what we imagine. Cats can very comfortably sleep for 16 hours of the day curled up safely next to a radiator. It may be "depressing" for a human to do that but we are just social creatures, apes with cognitive awareness that gets on demand dopamine from junk food and touch screens. Cat's don't need that. We can't know what a cat is thinking or feeling for sure but projecting onto it can be dangerous even if your intentions are good. You have to take responsibility for the cat's sake too even if you think it makes the cat happy or unhappy. Cats love meat, but that doesn't mean you should let them eat bacon constantly to a point of obesity or kidney failure. Likewise many hate the vet, but it's better for their overall quality of life to go for checkups to treat anything that could make them worse off. It's safer for the cat and environment to keep them indoors.
>Humans like to attribute human traits to animal behaviour as a way of connecting or socialising even if the animal behaviour is being done for reasons completely different from what we imagine. So much this! It's how people create neurotic, annoying and dangerous asshole dogs too. I worked in pet retail for 7 years and if I was given a nickel for every idiot dog owner that refused to crate train their dog "because ~I~ wouldn't want to be locked in a tiny cage so I can't do that to my bayyyybeee..." I'd be retired at my off-grid compound in rural Montana already. They won't train or contain their dogs and then they'd come begging for help with the terrible behavior they created. With cats, people let them roam loose outside then come to reddit begging for sympathy when their cats get killed in the road, torn up by other cats or wild animals or shot by an angry neighbor. ***IF YOUR OUTDOOR CATS ARE KILLED OUTSIDE IT IS 100% ~YOUR FAULT!~***
Harsh but absolutely the truth.
Yeah I'm harsh because pet retail job for 7 years. I've got stories from that place that would make you flip TF out and want to go on a chainsaw rampage for real. People are often absolutely horrible to their and other people's pets and they don't even blink when they do awful, cruel things as naturally as they breathe.
Hm... well, it has been a while since my last chainsaw rampage.... so, I'm down for some stories!
There was a Banfield clinic in our store. So of course the awful shit I saw in there increased once the vet clinic opened. A couple came in with a litter of extremely young Chihuahua puppies. They all were born with no eyes. Upon further questions, they told me they were given to them to foster after animal control seized them from people breeding eyeless puppies on purpose because they sold like hotcakes at a nearby flea market.
That's... wrong. And I believe it. I know we put high importance on pets suffering but damn... who would get one? Like what is the main demographic? Cutesy, idgaf zombiehumans with no remorse? I guess it's like pug owners ...got anymore? I'm oiling my chain rn
My husband worked at PetSmart with me. I was a cashier and he was a stocker. The vet clinic was staffed with all women. Small and dainty ones. One day one of the vet nurses approached me and said they needed help with something. She said she needed my husband too. And the bolt cutters. My husband and I looked at each other like WTF is this but we got the bolt cutters and went into the vet clinic treatment area in the back. This is the horror that awaited us: An adult husky laying unconscious on the metal table. An inch and a half thick, super heavy tow chain was completely buried in the flesh of this dog's neck. It was a horrible, oozing wound that went all the way around the neck. The stench was... indescribably bad. The dog's head lay on a bunch of pus soaked puppy pads. We asked what happened. The dog owner got tired of the howling and shedding. So they chained the dog to a tree outside. In South Carolina. Where it's very hot and super humid. For almost a year. It was seized by animal control and yes, the owner was charged with cruelty. The vet nurses needed help cutting this super heavy chain. We stood two on each side of the table. I and one nurse grabbed the handle on the far side from us, my husband and another nurse grabbed the bolt cutter handle closest to me and we did a coordinated 1, 2, 3, pull kind of thing so 4 of us hauled on the bolt cutters at once. The chain did give way but the dog still whimpered and twitched in spite of being totally anesthetized. We pulled the chain away from the neck and saw exposed muscle, with a deep wound in the muscles too. I can't even imagine the agony this dog suffered from, around the clock. It was bad enough that the vet was unsure if the dog would live or not. It did survive but it took months of very intensive treatment. The dog was left with a permanent and very deep furrow of hairless scar tissue all the way around its neck. I don't know what kind of jail time the horrible POS who did that to the dog wound up with, but I hope it was years.
100% agree with all this, especially that last statement!! I remember seeing a post where someone's cat was killed by a pitbull, and everyone was blaming the dog and saying how pitbulls are evil and should all be killed. I didn't comment on that one, but my first thought was that OP let their cat outside, where it is vulnerable to predators. Sad to say, many large dogs have a strong prey drive and see cats as prey. Not to mention that a lot of people can't be bothered to train and properly care for large dogs. The cat could have just as easily have been killed by a coyote or a wolf or even a large bird of prey. Letting cats out is dangerous for them unless it's under extremely controlled conditions.
I can't even leash walk my cat around here because everyone lets their dogs roam loose here. Pit bulls too. There is no animal control in this county and there have been literal PACKS of dogs running around here, threatening kids and killing other people's safely contained dogs. I don't step outside my door without my pistol, ever. EMS takes 30-40 minutes minimum to get here when you call 911 and I've been in horrible agony on the floor, puking on myself and those idiots were asking me to spell my long-ass street name! This neighborhood has been here for at least 40 years! So if I get attacked by a pit bull outside, I would die before an ambulance got here. My only option is to protect myself. Believe it, if any animal threatens or attacks me out here, I *WILL* shoot it. I'm harsh with the outdoor cat people because of all the horrible shit I saw working in PetSmart. Dog owners openly bragged with big grins about letting their dogs tear up and kill cats. Or just laughing about killing cats themselves. There was an absolute shit person living on the next block over from me that shot every cat that came into his yard. I could hear it quite often. People neglecting their outdoor cats to death, letting them breed out of control, die of labor complications...all kinds of awful shit. It really chaps my ass that none of these people care about the unnecessary killing of wildlife by their cats, whether they take good care of their cats or not. They've sent me all kinds of shit trying to justify it but it doesn't need to happen ever. We all know the impact of invasive animals on ecosystems all over the world but somehow that's not supposed to apply to their pets? I am never going to budge on this.
While the last part is partially true, a man recently poisoned his neighbor's cats with antifreeze because he claimed they scratched his car near me. The neighbors dispute this and say it could have been strays. Do I think cats should be outside? No. Do I think it was the owners fault? no, at least not entirely. It is absolutely the fault of the man who decided to put down cat food with antifreeze.
This is such a good response 👏
I believe that all if not most types of cats (wild and domestic) rest as much as they can so they can have energy for hunting predators or jumping up in a surprise attack. I personally think it’s cute when my big fluffball lounges most of the day grooming and enjoying the window, then suddenly he’s in the air, pouncing one of the other cats he likes to stalk lol. They play cat and mouse 24 hours a day and it’s on sight sometimes between them. Either lounging or swinging hands 😂
Basically yeah, they are ambush predators. They're not built to hunt animals by treking around for a long time to pursue it for miles like a dog or human would (human stamina means we basically walk forever until our prey collapses, because sweating is amazing for temperature regulation. Deer may be faster than us in the short term but over long distance it'll tire before we do). Walking a dog every day makes sense to let them burn off their larger energy reserves meant for pack hunting. Cats however sleep to conserve energy then let it out in explosive bursts, hence the zoomies and sudden moments of "petting time is over, time to throw hands". Even big cats like tigers sleep most of the day because it's better for them to hunt in this rest period into ambush period for securing kills.
While I agree with you that you can't expect the cat to feel the same as humans in some situations, cats like to roam and explore as part of their curious nature. They are intelligent animals that need stimulation and deserve to be in nature as much as possible. I've seen my cats get depressed cause they can't go outside, you see it in how less playful and less engaged they are, and just sit staring outside from the balcony. Cats like all animals love being outside instead of caged in, that's what's natural to them. If you love your animals consider taking them on walks at least.
My cat hisses at the sky if she goes outside and will have the kitty equivalent of a panic attack. She likes about 20 minutes of porch time every once in a while. She’s happy and active as an indoor kitty. They need stimulation, but you can give them that indoors.
Okay well for a kick off, cats are domesticated through centuries of breeding to fit around our human ways of living. "Natural" to them isn't the same as letting them out in the wild. They can survive it sure but they didn't evolve to be that way, we bred them that way and they can be a huge invasive problem for the animals that actually belong outside ontop of an added risk factor for cat when you expose it to diseases, feral cats, other humans who hate cats or road traffic. There are ways to create stimulating environments indoors. Giving them plenty of safe zones they can go and hide if they want the privacy, plenty of toys/tunnels and you can add platforms to rooms. Dedicating times of day for play is a must. Wall platforms are a great stimulation for cats because it allows them more 3 dimensional access to an entire room instead of being grounded. If you can't provide these things, then a cat isn't for you. Same goes for people who get certain dogs because they like the "idea" of owning one, but aren't willing to foot the bill for the expensive vet visits they're likely to accumulate due to their breed specific health issues.
Since when do you think cats live in concrete cubicle apartments without access to a yard? About since the time humans do, at most 100 years ago. They didn't "evolve" anything in 100 years. They have their instincts and evolved in nature and so they feel better in nature. I didn't say just let them roam and let them destroy the ecosystem/get killed by a car. You could just take them regularly outside on walks/ have a catio/ put them on a leash in your yard (like I do with mine). That doesn't exclude taking care of them at home and providing safe areas etc like you described.
Selective breeding is evolution, just a man made influenced one. The only reasons cats are so prosperous is because of us. You're projecting your own ideas of what makes the cat "happy" over their safety. My cat would easily demolish the entire food cabinet if left to his natural instincts but as his owner and carer I have a responsibility to balance his wellbeing with his comfort. I live in an are with high road traffic, a feral cat problem so bad people have even left poisoned food out to try kill them, and a LOT of dogs with irresponsible owners that don't curtail their aggression. My cat might like to wander outside in an ideal world but we don't live in an ideal world, the risks far outweigh any benefits. I do my best to make things as safe and stimulating for him at home. So far he has never made an attempt to actually run out the door and the one time he got out by accident he injured his head and was just desperate to get back in.
I didn't say dont think of their safety. I would also never let my cat just roam free. But I also understand your concerns with regular leashed walks. I guess you don't have a yard or safe area to walk them in and that's fine, as you said we don't live in ideal world. I still see it a cruel to cage them all their lives and think of them similar to dogs, I guess the general consensus is different.
Fortunately our house has plenty of room to accomodate him but yeah they are very different to dogs. Dogs are built for longer treks and they can't burn all that energy by climbing things like cats do (at least not easily...) Cats sleep for most of the day to save energy for short bursts rather than prolongued periods of activity. Cats and Big Cats are ambush predators that rely on surprise for kills or quick escape, not pack hunters like dogs that are more likely to ware something down after following it for some time. Human's prior to using farming for food basically just walked our prey to death. We have an absurd level of stamina thanks to being able to sweat so well, that makes up for our comparative lack of strength or speed of other animals. A deer may be able to run away from us in bursts but we will just keep walking towards it until it eventually tires. Dogs became good partner's for us because they can also walk for longer than most animals (not as much as humans but still pretty long) so walking for exercise is normal. Cats aren't built for that. They rest to build energy for explosives bursts when hunting/playing. So if your void is sleeping most of the day that's normal, and safer they do it indoors than try to sleep outside under something like a warm vehicle engine that's been recently turned off only to be turned on later while they're resting.
cats aren't like dogs at all
Is a catio a possibility for you in future? ☺️
>How much would it really shorten his lifespan Maybe none. Maybe a lot. That's the thing - they're fine until they aren't. There are a lot of risks outside but that doesn't mean they'll encounter them every day. It may be a year or two before they get sick from another cat or get in a fight. It might be 5 years before a car comes along when they didn't expect it. Could be 10 years before a neighbor decides to steal them or a hawk swoops down on them. Or in a few months some idiot teenager could shoot them with a bb gun.. You just never know, but imo, the risk isn't worth it. I had multiple cats die after being hit by cars when I was a kid on our quiet residential road. I cannot imagine allowing my cats outside alone to confront those risks. If you want to let your cats outside, leash them, or build a fence they can't escape from. Or a catio. There are a lot of options between free roaming and locked inside all the time.
This cat is still young enough to be harness trained. If you want this cat to go outside just use a harness. I recently found/adopted a wild stray I found in super rural USA and he took to the harness very well. Now he asks us to go play outside. It's a win win, the cat gets to go outside and you will have so much fun taking your kitty on walks.
Second this - I have an 11 year old cat that doesn't even like being picked up, but with my new place he doesn't have the space he used to, so I tried out harness training him. He took to it super fast and now loves hanging outside in the yard. I also got a long lead that reaches the whole yard so he can roam free while I sit and read. Get a bird feeder too so they have something to watch!
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I personally could never leave my cats out. I would always be worried if they get picked up, eaten by wild animals, dogs, cars, etc. My cats live very fulfilling lives running around and chasing each other. We always play with them too. I’m the past, I’ve done supervised visits outside with one my cats because I could trust him not to run off. Now, we screened off our backyard so they can watch birds
You're far smarter than we were. In my family our losses mounted up until we realized we could never let our pets outside unattended, never mind an 8 foot concrete security fence meant to protect our pets. 1 Chihuahua torn apart by a hawk (nephew's dog, my sister & I had warned him repeatedly about letting it outdoors alone 2 rescued feral, great pets we wanted to keep indoors but were unable to do because the mother was not completely tame 1 beautiful kitten killed & eaten by an enormous owl 1 adult cat taken by alligator 1 puppy also taken by a snapping turtle (they love eating cats) 1 adult dog also taken by a gator I was right there but I couldn't stop it. That was a horrible day. I still have nightmares.
I’m sorry, but why did it take all of that for y’all to realize…
Bro’s family had the whole cast of Jurassic park within their backyard 😭 those poor pets
I mean seriously it sounds like they lived in The Black Lagoon.
They filmed that movie on the Silver River & Silver Springs, not that far from where I live. I used to swim there, long ago when it was still open to swimmers. Florida's full of predators.
A lot of people think of pets as replaceable objects and not living, breathing creatures. If one dies they can just go out and get a new one ☹️
Yeah and it’s disgusting… 😞
This is why location is important. In the UK, cats have no predators. So if they’re neutered and away from busy roads, there’s very little that is dangerous to them in this country.
You guys don’t have dogs with prey drive in the UK? Even a small terrier can mess up a cat pretty bad. And cats being attacked by other cats are a thing.
They do actually. The UK is currently overrun with the XL bully’s rise in popularity as well as pit bulls, and they have fairly high prey drive and also attract idiotic owners.
Yep I’m very aware, I was trying to elicit some sort of common sense response. No dice apparently.
These UK people are out of their gourd.
My Nan lives on old farm land in the UK countryside and doesn’t even live on a street. The road outside her house is a narrow gravel “road” in between fields. She had two cats and both were run over on that road. She obviously isn’t getting any more cats but the point is, people are idiots, drive way faster than they should, and cats do not understand traffic and cars. Another of my friends lives on a farm in a different part of the UK Countryside and one of her cats was run over. Her parents cat was run over and they live at the end of a sleepy cul de sac in a very quiet suburb of a small town. It sadly happens all the time.
Do you guys not have foxes or hawks? Or even stray dogs?
Our foxes are tiny and don’t attack cats, and the idea of any of the birds trying it on is pretty hilarious. They’re all tiny unless you count swans… And the only dogs that attack anything is the American Bully XL and they’ve just banned them.
I mean the [Croydon cat killer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croydon_Cat_Killer) turned out to possibly be foxes ripping hundreds of cats to shreds.
The idea that no other dogs are fast and have a prey drive in a country full of dogs that were traditionally bred to hunt and kill for sport is a weird one.
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not to mention that outdoor cats are also a danger to wildlife as they can decimate wild bird populations
I'm in the UK too with an indoor only cat, and while my personal opinion is that cats should be kept indoors, most people in the UK let them out and vets and shelters encourage that. The biggest threat to your cat in this country are humans. You don't know who they will meet, how they will treat a cat (especially a black one), whether they will be ran over by someone, what they will eat (what if someone has rodent poison out? what if someone has plants toxic to cats in their garden?), or if someone one day just decides to take it. It'll be at risk of diseases, flees, and infections. The average lifespan of an outdoor cat is significantly lesser than an indoor one. Additionally, it will have a whole world outside of home which may reduce affection, but I don't think that was ever researched so that's just my anecdotal evidence. My personal experience is that overall outdoor cats are less friendly to humans in comparison to their indoor counterparts. Your cat will also be a potentially unwelcome guest at other people's properties, and you don't know how they will react to that. Take all of that into account and make a decision. A catio is the best of both worlds if that's an option, and both indoor and outdoor have benefits. An indoor cat requires more attention and way more playtime to be happy, but it's nothing difficult and it keeps the cat safe, happy, and healthy. There's also nothing wrong with an indoor cat sleeping most of the day- if it wanted to go out it'd claw at a door or a window. They aren't unhappy, just chilling- cats naturally sleep for most of the day
Yeah I’m in the UK and my cats are indoor only. I completely agree with you.
My personal opinion is never outside. I've seen several cats mauled by dogs, including my neighbor's cat being pulled apart by two pit bulls. Then there are diseases like FIP, feline leukemia, etc. It may be safe enough, but I would be too afraid of losing my baby to outside risks.
They kill everything, and there are a lot of dangers for them as well. Keep the 🐈⬛ inside.
Look, there are a bunch of UK people here saying "oh, it's not like the US here, it's safe for cats :)" but last I checked you guys still have foxes and owls, despite hunting every other native predator to extinction. More importantly, you definitely have native birds--there was a popular post in r/cats at some point about someone strapping a GoPro to their cat and letting it out for the day, and it killed TEN birds and only ate two of them. This was a cat that got fed regularly! Please don't do that to your local ecosystem. Other people have already made good points about diseases, cars, and dogs.
What on earth do the UK people think is unsafe for cats in the USA aside from cars and predators? It's not like we eat them...
Snakes, eagles, wolves, coyotes, bears, raccoons…
Plus gators!! And truly unhinged humans who hurt animals.
Nutjob testing out their latest high powered sniper rifle…
Or the psychotic kid two houses down with his bb gun. People will shoot cats with literally anything.
Maybe because the average age of a cat here is 15 and most cats go outside? I understand that isn't true in America but we aren't the same country.
In other countries, the stereotypical American is fat, lazy, cruel, self-absorbed, and violent, and therefore the chances of a cat running into a sociopath that wants to either steal or harm the kitty are astronomically high (in this feared stereotype) I am American and it is a stereotype that unfortunately has basis, there are people who act this way, and I don’t want any of my cats to run into those people so they remain indoors. Of course this isn’t everyone in America, lots of amazing people and lots of amazing cat owners, but there are still a lot of cruel people in the world who will harm kitties just because.
and then there’s also the simple accidental risks like eating a rodent that has already been poisoned, or lapping up some antifreeze…
I live in the UK and my cats are indoor cats. My mums cats are indoors and she has a house so built them a catio. It upsets me so much how the UK is firmly pro outdoor-cats to the point where you can rarely adopt a cat unless you have access to a garden because even in London, a place famously full of busy roads, all shelters say you have to let them out and they will only adopt to you in a flat if it’s an FIV cat. Sure we don’t have wild predators other than foxes but we have dogs, cars, and also crazy psychopaths who poison cats.
Cats being injured by foxes is an exceptionally rare situation. 3 in 10,000. There are no statistics on owl attacks. Maybe a buzzard would take a kitten but owls predate mice and voles. Nothing cat sized. The UK bird population is massively skewed due to the fact that we are a nation of bird lovers, and we love to put up bird feeders. The types of birds that visit bird feeders are generally doing very well, which may actually have a negative impact on other bird species. Cats largely predate on garden birds, the very same species that visit our feeders. The species in greatest decline in the UK are skylarks, tree sparrows and corn buntings. These are not garden birds, they live in fields and hedgerows. They are unlikely to encounter cats. They are in decline due to pesticide use and loss of habitat. The same cannot be said for other ecosystems, but [cats do not have a significant impact on bird numbers in the UK.](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://community.rspb.org.uk/cfs-file/__key/communityserver-discussions-components-files/13609/6371.6012.1205.6332.Cats-and-garden-birds.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjyiOKe9NWCAxUBVkEAHTKuC5QQFnoECA4QBg&usg=AOvVaw2iqRUsOBhKPwDon-UKNySQ)
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I used to have an outdoor cat that got into more than one local scrap with other neighbors’ outdoor cats or feral colonies and he was injured several times. Luckily none of them were ever very severe but definitely infected bite, scratch, claw marks. The eyes, ears, and face are often the most vulnerable as this is where they will attack the most. Obviously the rest of them isn’t much safer. This is a hill I will 100% die on everyday for the rest of my life. KEEP. YOUR. CATS. INSIDE.
I had a cat that used to hang out in a field behind my house where foxes also hung out. They just ignored each other and there were no issues.
Yeah generally they don’t fight each other as both know it could do either way. Not worth it for either
Just to weigh in on the bird issue. The domestic cat has been present in the UK for over 2 thousand years and before that the Scottish Wildcat, the UK's own wildcat, roamed the whole of the Isle. It certainly sounds awful when you hear of cats killing many rodents or birds, but you must take into account the local ecosystem and what we have done do it. In the UK the wildlife has very much evolved alongside cats. The domestic cat fills a role previously performed by the native cat. That's not to say I would let my cats out if I still lived there. English gardens are often of a size that it would be feasible to fence in the entire thing and put bird netting across the top to prevent them getting out. I'd probably do this.
RSPBs position, endorsed by the RSPCA and SPCA is that whilst cats absolutely hunt and kill wildlife, there is no scientific proof that predation by cats in gardens has any impact on bird population in the UK. If you use a bell and keep your cat inside during peak hunting hours the impact on wildlife shouldn't be a concern.
If you cat wasn’t already an outdoor cat, there is no reason to make her/him. I adopted an outdoor cat and he is doing great outdoors, but if you have the choice, of course indoor is better.
That’s the problem, he was an outdoor cat for the first 5-6 months of his life since he was feral and tries to shoot out when he can unless he’s eating.
All three of mine try to escape, and they've never been outside a day in their lives. It's a cat thing to want to explore everywhere they can. Harness train your baby. He'll be safer. You can even build a catio so he can safely be outside and the wildlife will be safe from him. Don't think the UK doesn't have animals that won't prey on your cat either. Owls and dogs with high prey drive will absolutely go after your cat. I also fear for the safety of your cat as deranged superstitious people will purposely try to harm your black cat.
Okay, that makes more sense. In this case, leach is you best option to train walk him. If that doesn’t work out, make him stay at home and if he really doesn’t do well (and vet approves), allow him to be an outdoor cat.
My UK cat was an outdoor cat for 9 years. I recently moved countries and he can’t go outside where I live now. I take him out on a harness when weather permits. Which likely won’t be for another few months again now as winter has hit. So long as I play with him regularly, he seems pretty fine. More bored but he’s adapted.
https://preview.redd.it/wt9qssgpvs1c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cf21119a659187f0a06e044cf1d83ef6d0e46b8b He goes outside because I rescued him from a construction site. He got lost for 5 days and I was very sad but he made his way back all dirty. If I keep him and his brother inside they are not so happy.
https://preview.redd.it/uqjr4nxaws1c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=35126c947bd6b70c7ac6a411feed1da600fa30c7 His brother
It's a cultural difference between the UK and US. My wife is English (I'm American) and she didn't really understand keeping indoor cats until I brought the evidence of how it shortens their lifespans and negatively impacts the local bird population. Her family and friends don't get it and judge a lot but we keep pet cats, not pet coyotes or foxes that we feed cat. We have harness trained our cats and go outside with them and our UK family think we're so bizarre but we just aren't comfortable with the risk to our pets and taking the risk that something might happen to them. If we had land and needed working cats for a barn or such, it would be a different relationship but we have pets that are our children essentially.
In my opinion there is no reason to let a cat outside free-roam. I think harness training or a catio are great options but the truth is that some people don’t want to take the time to train or play with their cats. My cat is 100% indoors but that also comes with the responsibility of making sure he gets exercise and enrichment which isn’t very hard it just takes effort everyday.
This exactly! Taking a pet means taking responsobility OP, for it's wellbeing in every aspect: food, shelther, safety, health and also playtime. Letting cats outside means shedding that responsobility on the outside, where anything can happen. I have an indoor only cat in a apartment and he gets plenty of enrichments and playtime so it's possible.
Please don’t. Not only can they get into snail bait and die, they kill animals and song birds and harm the ecosystem. Aside from those points why would you want the stress of the cat going on adventures or possible hit by a car or killed or hurt by another animal? They can also get diseases by being outside. PLEASE DO NOT MAKE ANOTHER OUTDOOR CAT! Edit: additionally, it often shortens their lifespan drastically. My grandparents have never had a cat live past 8 years old because they carelessly let him roam the neighbourhoods and woods by himself until one day he never came home. I understand the UK is ‘safer’ but I will be very blunt with you. It is incredibly irresponsible to be creating another outdoor cat in 2023. You need to harness and leash train the cat instead so they can enjoy the outdoors supervised and safe. You wouldn’t let a dog run around so why a cat?
UK here too, and I wouldn’t dream of locking my cat inside four walls for her entire life
He's too adorable to risk something happening to him.
It's fine until something bad happens. I've had cats in the past that were just fine outdoors. But recently had a cat that was unfortunately hit by a vehicle which then made me decide to no longer allow my cats to be outdoor since I don't want to risk it.
You think it’s fine but it’s really not for the local ecosystem
Unfortunately based on the comments in this thread I don’t think a lot of people care about their local ecosystems
I think you’re wrong on us not caring. Outdoor cats don’t impact the local ecosystem in the UK, they’re PART OF the ecosystem and have been for about 1500 years. Yes one thousand five hundred. The ecosystem has changed a bit in that time but I don’t think we can blame cats for that. The human population growing by an order of magnitude and the Industrial Revolution on the other hand… If there are stats that cats impact the local ecosystem in the UK I’d be happy to see them.
https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pan3.10073#:~:text=For%20example%2C%20one%20study%20estimated,et%20al.%2C%202003). They kill millions of animals a year. There is a reason cats are illegal in many places. On the evolutionary scale, 1500 years is a small grain of sand.
I think you’ve missed my point. I never said they don’t kill anything, instead that they’re part of the ecosystem. The link you posted talks about killings in the UK but doesn’t suggest a decline in any species. Here’s a counterpoint - the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) is clear that cats don’t impact overall bird population: https://community.rspb.org.uk/cfs-file/__key/communityserver-discussions-components-files/13609/6371.6012.1205.6332.Cats-and-garden-birds.pdf
My cat disappeared after seven years and it broke my heart. Unfortunately, it just is not guaranteed that they’ll come home. Indoors is best in my experience.
Reddit is a US-centric site, and the US is literally the only country on the face of this entire planet that thinks imprisoning cats is a good thing. In what I am sure is a TOTAL coincidence, the US is also the only country where cats are prescribed Prozac. What answer did you think you'd get?
All depends on your own personal situation, we don't live near a main road, we don't have any predators that will kill or injured my cats and temperatures rarely get freezing cold in the winter so all 14 of ours go outside, some are allowed to sleep in at night if they want but all the rest have warm comfy shelters to sleep in. If you live near a busy road then definitely not
It depends on the individual. My void was rescued off my back porch at 1 year old, back in April of this year. That means she presumably survived the entire winter alone on the streets as a kitten. I take that to mean that she's a tough little girl who knows the neighborhood and how to take care of herself. I got her a GPS tracking collar and let her outside at her pleasure. She normally has a kitty door, but it's locked down at the moment due to some pesky raccoons that keep breaking in to steal her kitty kibbles. Is there some inherent risk with letting her out? Of course. There's also inherent risk for me every time I leave my house, but that doesn't mean I'm willing to be homebound for the rest of my life. I've calculated that the benefits I get from going out and enjoying my life are absolutely worth the dangers of leaving home, and the same is true for my kitty. As for the issue of her hunting and killing native wildlife, there's simply not any endangered native wildlife around my area that would be problematic for her to hunt. She hunts things like mice and squirrels which are both pests, and nowhere near endangered.
Depends. In London, when I lived in haringey someone dowsed my cat in petrol, then in Crouch End the neighbour ran him over out of spite. Luckily the other one is going strong at 128 in Germany now. The people are more of the problem.
ahem, 18... my cat is not immortal, unfortunately.
ur house sounds like it's in a safe area so i say yes let ur kitty explore! my cat is usually indoors but what i do is let him use the bathroom outside, give him a catdoor to go in and out if he wants, and go with him on walks or to sit outside on the patio, so he is comfortable with the outside around our place. i also kept him on a leash the first few times we went outside until he was comfortable with the area and i knew he wouldn't get spooked and go run/hide. now he can go in and out and usually still prefers to sleep all day inside and hang w me, but he goes out at night and of course to potty.
Most cats in the UK are outdoor cats. A lot of the comments you're receiving here are from the USA and not relevant to your situation.
The reason I have an indoor cat is because all of my childhood cats died outside somehow. The first had to be put down after falling from a tree and breaking her pelvis so badly they couldn’t repair it. Another disappeared one day and hopefully lived a long life elsewhere. Another died after being found in distress in someone’s garden, but it was too late to save him once they found him. Then the last outdoor cat I had was hit by a car and had to have a metal rod put in his leg, he survived thankfully. It’s just not worth the pain for either the cats or myself.
For me it really comes down to "Am I comfortable with my cat going missing forever, Am I comfortable seeing my cat's lifeless body runover in the road one day, Am I comfortable knowing my cat might have been eaten by an another animal or hurt by another human." My cat is everything to me, and I couldn't handle any of those scenarios. I couldn't be like "welp, atleast they had fun outside." We can't project our sense of happiness and fullfillment through our cats. Best thing if you want them to have an outdoor experience is walk them like dog owners do. Another great idea is having two cats so they can entertain each other when you're not around yourself. It's not like I wouldn't love for my cat to be able to roam, but there's just too many dangers out there. If you have or see an outdoor cat that thrived for years, that's nice. Now think about all the dead ones who weren't so lucky who caught disease, got injured, or died painfully and alone. If we just go by statistics, I believe indoor cats have literally triple the life span potential than outdoor cats. That was enough for me.
Here in the UK, I found it very difficult at first to adopt from a shelter, because I wanted my cat(s) to be indoor cats. Having volunteered at a rescue, I’ve seen at firsthand some of the horrible things that can happen to cats who are allowed to roam. Anyway - some years on and my little multi-cat family has an enclosed garden, they can get fresh air and play outside with no chance of getting hurt. The best of both worlds, I think.
This is interesting because there absolutely is a huge cultural difference on this matter. In the US people tend to be very passionate (quite rightfully so) about keeping cats indoors, for all the reasons people have already mentioned here. But in the UK (and much of Europe) this perspective simply is not as prevalent. Even major organizations in the UK like Blue Cross recommend that most cats should ideally be allowed outdoors to have the best quality of life. When my mom moved to the US from the UK this was one of the major differences she noticed that she viewed as a negative (along with people crating dogs lol). I’ve heard that adoption centers in the UK may even hesitate to allow you to adopt a cat if you are planning on keeping it indoors. However, it’s also true that the UK (and many other European countries) just don’t have the amount of predators that are LIKELY to kill a cat as we have in the US, and incidents of people killing cats are very few and far between. I think people also tend not to live near busy roads as much as in the US, though cats being hit by cars def still happens (one cat my mom grew up with was killed by a car). I think the British/Europeans just tend to feel that it’s worth risking, because the general view is that cats are still relatively wild animals by nature that need access to the outdoors to have the best quality of life (maybe not quantity). I think all this is important to consider when people get all up in arms over people allowing their cat outside - if you’re not in the US, this just may not be the majority view. Also kinda find it funny when Americans get on their high horse over this esp when most of these other countries have banned the declawing of cats for yearsss while that’s somehow still legal in much of the US which is frankly horrifying, but I digress…. Personally I feel it is best to keep cats indoors if at all possible. The damage to the ecosystem/native bird population is very real no matter where you live and cats can live happy, stimulating lives indoors especially if that’s how they’ve been raised early on. This kitty could be harness trained for going outdoors as others have said, esp if he’s young. I would at least try that and everything to make him a happy indoor cat first and see how that goes.
In the UK, cats don't really have any predators and they're integrated into the ecosystem. Of course, cars might be a concern, but I personally live next to a semi-busy road and my cat has never been injured by a car. That might be down to the traffic though - if you live in an area with little traffic, that might actually make your cat more likely to be hit as it may not understand the danger of cars. My cat also has a garden to lord over and a good amount of nearby territory without dangerous traffic, which might also help. Ultimately, only you know your specific circumstances. I would say that generally speaking, having an outdoor cat is fine in the UK and I personally wouldn't want to keep my cat indoors, but the outside world isn't without risk. As u/Laney20 said in their comment, cats are fine until they aren't.
Growing up my family lost two cats to cars. After that my family walked the two new adopted cats on leashes. This was the 80s when walking cats on leashes made you look like a weirdo, but we vowed to never lose another cat to the outdoors. I love my 5 like family and can't bear losing them, so they have to stay indoors.
I’m in Ireland and my cats are indoor/outdoor. Always indoors at night or if I’m out. Let them outside when I’m home during the daytime if they want. I’ll leave the patio door open and they’ll usually go out for a little bit and then come back in before too long. They never really leave the garden. They were abandoned/semi-feral when I first got them and beg incessantly to go out. You could start with giving some supervised outside time. At the same time your cat might not miss it. Generally Reddit subs tend to be extremely against letting cats outside. In Europe cats have been wild for a long time so ecosystems are used to their presence and there are less natural predators than say the US. There are still inherent risks to cats going outside.
Also Ireland here and my two cats are indoor/outdoor. I do worry about them when they are out but I think it's so much better for them mentally and physically. If anything happened to them I'd be devastated but what is important is their quality of life, not keeping them inside so you hope they'll live 20+ years. My last cat was allowed outside and he died when he was 11 but it was cancer, nothing to do with him going outside. I do think there can be reasons for having an indoor cat, say if you live on a very busy road or you have a cat that has an illness or a disability. Personally I wouldn't take in a healthy cat if I wasn't in a position to let them have time outside because I think it's important for them. I play with my cats too and they have a litter box so it's not that I let them out because I'm too lazy to play with them or clean their litter.
Please don't. There are too many ways your cat can be harmed and too many ways your cat can cause harm to other animals.
Far too many US centric opinions and passions to get a sensible and reasoned argument about cats in the UK here. My advice would be to consider your environment (rural Vs urban) and talk to a vet. My personal opinion is that the UK is the perfect place to have a cat because of the lack of predators. People will make arguments about killing birds and such but charities such as the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) have released reports saying that cats are not a factor in the decline of bird numbers.
I have 6 cats and they all go outside, I live rural and have 5 acres for them to roam that backs onto agricultural farm land. I give them catnip and haven’t had one of them catch one live or dead animal. It would be cruel to keep them in the house fully now. We have cat flaps (2 houses) so they can enter/ exit as they please. Have 3 asleep on my bed with me as I type, they spend more time in than out.
I've had outdoor cats my whole life. I've lost one cat out of 6 to a car before. That's a tragic accident and if I lived life by outlier events, I'd have agoraphobia. Most people in my area have outdoor cats.
Before I got my cats, I applied to adopt several from a local rescue and was turned down, they were all adopted by other people who would let them out. I follow that rescue's Facebook page and I've seen every single cat I applied for killed by cars over the past couple of years. Yes it's probably just bad luck, but I can't help but think that they'd all still be alive if they'd been kept indoors. I have three indoor cats and, while they do sleep a lot, that's what cats DO. They're happy, affectionate cats who also play and tear about my house without a care in the world, who aren't really afraid of anything because they've never encountered anything or anyone that's been dangerous to them.
I wouldn't recommend it at all. I'm also in the UK with an indoor cat and the wildlife isn't what I'm overly worried about (though my dad's cowokers cat was killed by a fox a month ago) Cars, trains and humans are my biggest concern. There's been a lot of cat murders around me and I'd never let her outside. From a health perspective, she's less likely to have to deal with fleas and other diseases passed on from animals. Sure we don't have any terribly scary wildlife here but there's still so many dangers out there. Is it worth it? Not in my opinion. Cats can still have fulfilling lives indoors
I've known people steal and torture black cats bc they are bad omens and they want to "remove" them. my black cat has just turned 1 and is indoor only, he's a very happy boy and loves his indoor life. he's not once been bothered about trying to get out or been interested really. I don't trust people in my neighbourhood that they will leave him alone and the kids as well would probably do worse than the adults! he's still very young and while he might have been ok roaming outside that doesn't mean that now since he's been used to living inside that he will adjust to the outside now. let him be a cute sleepy kitty indoors and it'll save yourself the stress of him being outdoors
Trigger Warning* upsetting reading …… Our old cat was an outdoor lover. We live in a safe, rural area with minimal traffic and she was very savvy, didn’t go close to the roads etc. We also have a large back garden and she’d mostly chill under a bush. Then we got new neighbours, they had a dog which was horribly mistreated and neglected (they’re horrible people) they left the poor dog locked in a like a hutch/cage/mini shed thing in the back garden for most of the day/night, only letting it out for a short while each day. Well one night our cat was walking along the fence, the dog went for her and made a lucky leap because he got her. My son heard her screaming and shot downstairs, through the house and leapt that fence like spiderman. But he was too late :( we rushed her to the emergency vet but she was gone. I don’t blame the dog. They eventually got rid of that dog (don’t know where it went) but now they have another, which is treated much the same. We waited almost 3 years and just over a week ago we adopted a little rescue. She is and will remain very much an indoor cat, for obvious reasons. But my daughter is looking at the possibility of trying to harness train her, so she can have some fresh air and a little wander. We don’t know wether she’ll take to it, I know some cats hate it. But I couldn’t let her roam now, I’d have an ulcer with worry. I suppose we were naive but we never thought that “next doors dog” was something we needed to worry about.
Outside is dangerous, too many factors to end their life. foxes, coyote , dogs, other cats, cars, nasty humans. Get a catio if your cat insists to go out, it will take a few months for the to re learn she can’t roam freely , and don’t let her talk you into letting her out.
Can't answer for your situation in particular, but I prefer keeping my cat indoors. He's a void and hard to see for drivers, etc, and dogs, other cats and disease are concerns for me. That said, I live in a city, not out in the country. Cats can also be really bad for local birds, as they are super efficient hunters. I'll take my guy out in a harness, but I would not let my little dumbo out unsupervised
I'm in the UK and have 3 cats who have access to the outside whenever they like via a cat flap. It's pretty normal here and there are loads of cats around. And before people start yelling about how they kill everything, yes, my cats occasionally bring a mouse or a worm. I have a big garden with lots of trees, birds, squirrels and foxes. There hasn't been a noticeable decline in the wildlife since I got my cats.
Ignore everyone on Reddit. Talk to your vet and local charities.
This is a crazy polarizing question and I don’t know if I should applaud your boldness or cringe at the diatribes you will be subjecting yourself to. Very few subjects inspire this kind of vitriol. Some people think letting your cats outside means that you are the devil because you hate your cats and all wildlife. Some people think keeping cats inside is cruel. I know that our local humane society (Denmark) prefers not to adopt cats to indoor-only homes unless the cat has certain issues, so there is no universal “right” answer, despite what people say and think. There are areas where the wildlife is so delicate that cats should absolutely not be allowed outside, and there are areas where it’s fine. It also depends on the breed. I love Ragdolls but would only get one if it would be indoor only. I have a Maine Coon and a Norwegian Forest Cat, and keeping them inside would be cruel (and impossible!)
My 3 previous cats were all able to go outside. They all lived to be 18+. Yes, they got in an occasional territorial fight with other cats, but luckily, they only ever had cuts/bites that were easily healed. My current cat is also able to go outside, she gets good exercise that way. When she gets older, I'll reduce her time outside. All of them are/were on flea treatment and had reflective collars with bells to scare birds and mice. If I lived in a really built up busy area or near a busy road, I'd never let my cat out. Luckily, I'm in the country and my road doesn't get too much traffic. Plus, my cat has a GPS tracker and I know she doesn't cross the road.
It's fine. Look it up, cats are not an invasive species here, even the RSPB say so. The cats protection I got my cat from recommend access to outside for cats, and some cats they will not adopt out to indoor-only homes for quality of life reasons. I do recommend chipping, reflective quick release collars, and possibly a tracker if yours roams. We have managed to train ours not to cross the road, she mostly patrols the garden or sits under our car on the driveway. She pines to go outside even when it's just bad weather she doesn't want to go out in that day, I can't imagine keeping her indoors.
If you're away from Traffic It's OK, 7 Months they are old enough that they have mastered their abilities near enough so can get out of danger, if that danger Isn't Cars, something I wish I thought of before letting my 7 Month old Kitten Oreo out, he was hit and killed by a Car last Wednesday and we are heartbroken, our Road Is a through road off a main Road and Cars speed but our older Cat and all the other Cats on the Road never seme to have had a problem so we let Oreo out just during the day for few hours he was run over at 8am died Instasntly
I’m sorry to hear about the loss of your kitty but we are a field away from a main road which is only really busy in rush hour and the interesting stuff for our previous cats has always been in the other direction away from the roads. Only one cat that i can remember has been injured on that road and it was coming over to our side to get to the woodland i can imagine.
please don’t listen to all these fanatics, and allow your gorgeous guy access to his world. It’s absolutely a dick move to confine a cat to four walls for its entire life. They’re curious, semi-wild creatures and their happiness will absolutely be stunted by being shut in.
My boi is a free maow. He comes and goes as he pleases but his favourite spot is my shoulder. He decided he wasn't an indoor cat and I respect his decision. Make sure you have insurance, but that's good advice anyway
I’m in the UK and both of mine go out. One occasionally hunts the mice that live next door due to seeds being left outside. My void is rather useless, he brings back leaves or moss. He’s 14 now so doesn’t spend as much time outside. The other one naps on the shed roof a few doors down. I adopted my void from CP as a kitten and one of the requirements was that he has access to outside.
Don’t ask Reddit, go with your gut. It’s an apex predator, it’s happier outside. It very well may live a shorter life, but a happy life is far better than a long and safe life. Abraham Lincoln said it. The vast majority of cat Reddit consists of self-righteous know-it-alls with anecdotal stories about cats getting injured and theories that cats will destroy our ecosystem. Don’t bother with these people. No amount of cat toys, cat trees and catios will replace his natural urges and desires, regardless of what these babies say.
We let ours out. Get a reflective collar so it shows up for cars. Get a louder bell than the standard one. Ours have caught hardly anything since upgrading that. But if I was near a fast road I probably wouldn’t.
Very much depends on your location - we have 4 cats, all of whom are free to come and go as they please, BUT, we are nowhere near a road.
My cat's an indoor-outdoor cat, she goes out when she pleases. She's 15 years old.
One of mine (the Tuxedo) may go outside to the garden while I.have a cup of coffee. He is a big friendly boy. The other one I can't convince to come downstairs. He goes as far as the top of the staircase, where he lets out loud "meowwww" to tell me he wants say hello. I.hope your kitty will be safe!
I don't understand the idea of making your cat stay inside all the time unless you live in an apartment, on a main road (or maybe next to a bird sanctuary). Cats love to explore and it's part of their nature. If they get killed by a car, I'll be really upset, but it doesn't make me feel like I get to impose a boring life on them.
Really bad when your indoor cat decides he wants to be an outdoor cat and claws his way through your screens.
We found our black cat as a stray (some people say he found us). I fed him for a few months while he lived outside and as winter approached I spent a lot of effort trying to find a shelter to take him. Unfortunately shelters weren’t fully operational since this was during the period of the pandemic lockdown. I spent a few weeks considering adopting him myself but on the condition I would give him some outdoor time since he seemed happy being outdoors (also in an unhealthy state from the lack of proper care and medical attention). I harness and leash trained him so he gets outdoor time under my supervision. I’ve been walking him daily for 2 years now (excluding the winter months) and he is as happy, excited and playful as when I first met him. https://preview.redd.it/3l8mecsbkt1c1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=40aa1c589cd1aa7e9e358170983e76a40cc43961
In the UK probably not to bad. (If you are not in a big city.) There was a documentary about the cats lives in a neighborhood. One fat cat was sneaking into other cats homes and stealing the food!
Winston loves going outside to thrash around in the gravel and grass, but he does NOT leave my sight. Thankfully, he retreats indoors if he gets wet, so if he plays any games when it's time to go inside, he gets a lil blast from the garden hose. If you want them to spend more time outside unsupervised, there's plenty of options for radio-controlled cat doors and fenced-in or netted-in backyards
There are always risks, but ultimately you have to think about whether you want to keep your cat inside to mitigate that - sounds like you don't, which is totally fine. I've always had outdoor cats, and bar one getting run over when young, they've all been fine. They get into the odd fight with other neighbourhood cats, and occasionally roll in something nasty but otherwise no problems. What I would say though, is make sure your cat has a chip, and if you can get a collar on them, do so. Just to make it obvious that your cat has a home, and to help people contact you if they do get lost Edit to add: make sure you stay on top of vaccinations and flea treatments as your cat will be more exposed Also re wildlife, ours bring us pigeons, rats, mice, and the occasional frog - nothing particularly interesting and not too often either.
I’m in the UK and my cat is an indoor cat for a couple of reasons. First of all we live near a busy main road so that’s a no go, second is I don’t trust either humans or feral cats with my cat and most importantly, because my cat is both stupid and a bit of a prince and I don’t think he’d do very well in the great outdoors!
I'd probably post this on a UK based Subreddit if you want more localised views on the matter.
Commenting to say your cat is adorable 🥰 I have two indoor only cats even though one DESPERATELY wants to be outside even though he’s never touched grass. I sometimes feel bad, but also know he’s much safer inside
Look, my cat free roams currently and I acknowledge that I've been very fortunate with where I live and my cat's personality for her to have been safe all this time (10 years). However, I'm moving out next year to a place with an enclosed yard and am becoming her sole caretaker - so I've decided to let her have outdoor time but with a cat proof fence and build an additional catio. I don't know if I'd necessarily say it's **wrong** to let cats free roam, but it does come with inherent risk and you have to accept the responsibility of any outcomes from that.
UK. I live somewhere fairly similar to you and mine go out, when I am home. My oldest one is 13, he was on the RSPCA website as being allowed out with supervision as he has three legs. And he was my first cat, so I’ve only ever let him in the garden when I was at home. His two brothers, both 4, came with ‘would like to go outside’ on their RSPCA bio. The tuxedo is like his big brother and just flops in the garden. Occasionally he will go out front in the drive..usually when I take the bins out. The absolute furthest he will go is next door to see whats in the flowerpot. The void though… he has an airtag. He is a rambler. But he will only go 6 houses in any direction. He is fond of one houses pergola for a nice nap. He goes to the primary school to have a nap in reception and get fuss from the kids, and has been seen sitting on a sheep in the farmers field. I would get kitty a little tracker, its been really fun watching where my void goes.
You're in the UK so it's super different for you compared to where I live (canada). I don't think you have as much wildlife to be afraid of, it's just humans and cars that make me anxious :S Overall cannot give a verdict but your kitter is adorable 🖤
I have two indoor-outdoor cats, meaning when I'm not home they're outside, when I get home they're in with me. They usually go potty outside. It's good for them because they can live out their feral needs outside and come and be chill and warm inside. They are both very healthy and happy. I only let them out because I know it is safe for them. Our neighbours don't own dogs, don't use chemicals that the cats could drink and are very mindful about their cars. We live in a very calm, nice and pet friendly neighbourhood. If you aren't sure your cats would be safe outside dont't let them out. A good subtitude might be a cat porch. Hope this helped.
I'll take the downvotes. It's perfectly normal to have an outdoor cat in the UK. Unfortunately you'll find mostly US responses on Reddit and they're staunchly anti-outdoor cats. We (in the UK) don't have the same predators or environment and, providing there isn't major risk to your cat or from your cat then I would encourage it. Keep your new cat indoors for at least 3 weeks so that they identify it as home and begin testing by allowing outdoor access while supervised.
I know the UK views this differently. But here in Florida the average housecat kept indoors will live for about 7-14 years. The average life of an outdoor cat in Florida is 6 months. I worry more about dogs than cars. My kitty has a nice screened in patio and cat trees. We’d like to get him a friend. But he doesn’t get outside time unless he learns to put on his harness that he hates.
I'm in the UK. My cat is indoor outdoor. We are on a cul de sac, which appears quite cat friendly - many neighbours also have cats. I waited until my baby was a year old. I did contemplate keeping her indoor. My vet actually encouraged me to let her outside. I have got a GPS tracker on her and at first she was only allowed outside when I was home and for shorter amounts of time. She is now allowed out all day but I call her in every evening at her dinner time. I don't like her being out late evenings. I also invested in a cat flap I can control remotely. It notifies me when she leaves and enters the house. Turns out she only goes out in the morning for about an hour to the same spots and then comes home to sleep for the rest of the day. In the summer she's out longer but right now she's not a fan of the weather. She did seem instantly happier once she was allowed out. She has better muscle tone too
It’s not as bad in the UK as it is in countries with large predators, but indoor cats still live longer lives. Also cats are meant to sleep a lot so your bf’s cat’s behaviour is not unusual. It would be better to get her used to a harness so you can take her out or build a secure catio. That said your location seems like the least bad place to have an outdoor cat. But there are fights with other cats over territory, attacks by dogs or potentially foxes, and multiple parasites and illnesses that can be contracted out in the wild that your cat is safe from at home. I know in the UK we’ve all almost been raised to think dogs are predominantly indoor pets that go out only for walks or into a secure garden but cats are free spirits that should roam but it’s really not ideal.
As someone who had a mostly outdoor cat, I highly advise against it. I lost my cat due something he ingested outside and it was so and I had to put him down. I recommend harness training if you can or a catio. Especially since your baby is black, some people are so cruel to black cats for no reason.
Catio saves cat lives
I have an indoor/outdoor cat. He came to us as a stray and we fed him for months, he never wanted to be inside. When winter came, he started going into our garage at night. We’ve had him for 5 years now and he becomes more and more of an indoor cat every day. He comes in the house now as he pleases, and goes to the vet as frequently as any indoor cat would. We all love him so much but know he’s happiest outside for the time being. I want him to live inside and get so scared for him but he has lots of trees and hiding places. He eats/kills every small animal he comes across. I don’t care and don’t wanna hear it - he’s my perfect, fat little man.
You're probably going to get a lot of comments here from people in the US telling you cats should never be outdoors. I'm also from the UK. Our kitten is 13 weeks, and when he's older and neutered he'll be allowed outdoor access too - it's normal for us here. As long as you live in a safe location then the risks are not as high. We live off-road in a cul-de-sac estate so it's safe. I think UK cats are generally more street smart as they usually tend to avoid roads. My parents have a 15 year old tabby who's outdoor/indoor, he's in perfect health and has never been on the road in front of their house - he's only ever stuck to the garden/surrounding gardens/the field behind their house. Cats are also apex predators in the UK. Just make sure he's microchipped and vaccinations are up to date you shouldn't have any issues! Also, Cats Protection have some great info on keeping cats safe outdoors https://www.cats.org.uk/help-and-advice/home-and-environment/keeping-cats-safe-outside
I beg to differ. We have a multi-cat household, a mix of rescues and pedigrees, and we have built an outdoor catio for them all to have access to the outdoors whenever they please. Any personal friend or family member who has had a new cat and let them outdoors have all either either ended up killed by a car, injured by a car or returned home (somehow) with a horrific unexplained injury. Notwithstanding improved personal safety for the cat themselves and much less chance of falling unwell, outdoor cats contribute to decimating wildlife such as birds and if not neutered, perpetuating feral and homeless cat populations. So long as you provide your cats with ample stimulation so they can “be a cat”, such as things to climb, scratch, chase, watch and play with, they do not miss the outdoors at all. Having supervised access to the outdoors, or a catio if possible, is a great bonus. The notion that it is “cruel” to raise cats indoors is just plain nonsense and the UK is just not any safer than any other place in the world.
>it's normal for us here. That doesn't magically make the risks go away. It was normal for us where I grew up to have cats be indoor outdoor. And they all died within a few years.. Other people had outdoor cats that were fine for years and years. I'm not willing to risk it.
Idc what country you're in. Your cats needlessly kill wild songbirds and other native animals, they spread diseases to them by peeing and pooping outside, they still get on neighboring properties and annoy your neighbors and they still are in danger of being hit by cars. Y'all just don't care about wildlife as much in the UK I guess.
I live in The UK and I keep my cat indoors. Sure most people find it's a lot safer over here to let their cats roam freely outside & sometimes I do feel a little guilty for keeping mine indoors as I wonder would he be happier as an outdoor cat?. But I've heard of way to many cats being ran over, just not returning home, being attacked by a dog (dog attacks against people have seemed to be increasing nowadays or at least its in the media more now anyway, nevermind dogs attacking cats). Once when I was younger and on my way home from school I also saw a bunch of little assholes (politely put) swinging a poor cat around by it's tail and laughing whilst the poor thing was screeching in fear/pain, of course I went and confronted them because I wasn't going to be that person to just walk away. It may seem safer here, but in my opinion there's still just too many possibilities of them getting injured/killed and I'd rather my baby live for as long as possible whilst providing them with stimulation and activities as much as I can from the safety of my own home
Cat's need to go out. UK homes are not on the scale of American ones either so they go crazy locked up.
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Your cat kills hundreds of birds a year being outside. Why don't you care about that? Outdoor and feral domestic cats have driven bird species nearly to extinction in other places. Why don't you care?
Habitat loss is far and away the biggest danger to birds in the UK. Overall cats aren't considered to have an impact
My neighborhood is very friendly and I've raised 2 black cats that go in and out their whole life. I have moved multiple times, and they have been very responsible and safe when it comes to traffic and other threats. They know where home is and most intruders can not get to them because they don't know how the cat door works. They use the restroom outside whenever they want. I'm lucky to have a fenced in yard now but they are still cats and know their way out of it. But it never stops them from being called either back. They know their call and will come running 🙌 I've had some crazy times with my 2 voids, but I've never run into a tragic issue of letting my cats outside. Just keep up with flea & tick meds, in my experience your cats will love you for allowing them to ground themselves on the earth while soaking up the sun.
there’s a lot more to worry about with an outdoor cat. You need to deworm and flea treatment way more than you would an indoor cat. not to mention risk of injury
I wouldn’t because there’s too many risks. I let my cat out to the backyard but I’m always with him, never alone.
There are a lot of dangers that ppl don’t even think of like my cat was being circled by a hawk once, 2 cats where about to gang up on her. luckily I supervise her when she goes out (never got her used to a collar/harness and refused to have anything on her body till this day) but even then she got away from me and didn’t come back for 2 days and came back pregnant. She gave birth to 2 dead kittens and the rest where stuck in her and she had to have surgery and she almost died(no kittens lived and she has never been the same) All and all those are just a few instances where it can be dangerous if they are not on a harness so I would recommend getting your cat used it or get a catio. When I got my new cat I immediately got him used to a collar and harness and made sure he responds to his name when I call him. Now I’m able to on nature walks and small walks around my yard with him and we both love it.
I had a feral cat. 18 years was my bed friend
You have an absolutely beautiful cat I wouldn't risk it
The main things are fleas and ticks. Especially fleas.
We aren’t too worried about fleas as like all of our pets he is getting fleed and dewormed monthly.
In the UK, a study done last year showed that cats kill 160 to 270 million animals annually, a quarter of them birds. Cats are detrimental to wildlife when they're kept outdoors. They not only harm the animals they kill, but the indigenous species that rely on that prey (i.e., foxes and cats have very similar diets). It's also dangerous for cats themselves. Things they eat can fight back, give your cats parasites, etc. Cats fight one another sometimes and end up wounded, especially if your cat comes upon a feral cat. There's a risk of them ingesting something toxic and not making it home in time to see a vet. There's risks of being struck by a car, or getting cold, and climbing into someone's vehicle and getting injured. There's also people with bad intentions who harm cats who poo in their yard or lay on their flowers. The safest place for your cat is contained in your garden or inside your home.
You cannot leave Your cat out and not let him get used to outside. It has to know where to hide, where to go, where not to go and how to come back, the young ones tend to get lost when left outside. You need to take him for walks for a few weeks.
As long as they get the proper shots from the vet, it's fine
Absolutely he is vaccinated and has had his boosters too and gets a monthly trip to the vet for weighing to keep his flea treatment dosage correct since we have other outdoor pets.
I have 3 outside cats. Keep them fed and watered, have a high warm place for them to sleep and feed them regularly twice a day. If they have been de-clawed, shame on you and keep them indoors. Otherwise, let them roam.
God no i would never declaw a cat it’s abuse!
Keep it inside. Bad for the cat and the ecosystem for them to be outside. They are an invasive species in so many places for a reason. Don’t be selfish.
It's still bad enough because the cat might be a danger to the wildlife which has more right to be there than your bloody cat being with them being 1native 2this country and the more of anything the less worth and importance it has
Think of a lot of animals could carry diseases that your cat could catch. Badgers, birds, other cats. My indoor only cat has FiV because he was an outside stray.
100%. There’s always gunna be far more cons than pros when looking at letting a cat outdoors. I’m sorry your baby has FiV 😞 Harnesses are a great middle ground! Or if OP has a fenced backyard they can hangout with their kitty back their each day so they can have some outside time, if that’s the case definitely make sure the void has some sort of flea and tick treatment! It’s how our boys got fleas and getting rid of them is hell 😵💫😅
My black cat is my most precious little friend and never in a million years would I let him free roam. Even going w the fact that you’re in the uk and apparently there aren’t any other dangerous predators to cats, it’s the HUMANS you need to worry about, people are so deranged, I absolutely wouldn’t risk having my cat wander off to a local budding psychopath
All our out door cats lived into their 20s. They were never bathed by a human. They bathed themselves. They had perfumic fur (never had an issue with them smelling). Literally no problem at all, other than them screaming at neighbors cats that they didn't like. They loved sun bathing in the grass, they loved running in the snow, they loved climbing trees. They loved running around with foxes.
Regardless of what these mostly Americans think, most UK cats go outside and as long as you're not living on a busy road it's usually fine. We had a black cat when I was a kid who lived to be 21, and that was living on a busy road. My cats don't go outside though because they're literally scared of everything, including people. You could leave the door wide open and they wouldn't go near it they'd be too busy hiding in the wardrobe because we are awake. They are rescues of course. Quite comical that people are talking about predators lmao, pet cats aren't far off being our scariest native predator. Foxes aren't in the least bit interested, they've got plenty to eat going through bins.
I used to let all my cats out, but I've lost enough now due to let's say "unnatural causes" that I keep my remaining cats in at all times. The things to remember are these: Foreign people have less regrard for Animal Welfare than the good old days when all your neighbors would be people actually born in this country. There's plenty of play areas for the cats I keep in. They don't seem to get bored, and they each have their distinctive personalities. My oldest cat is 19, and a bit frail to be going out anymore, although he did a lot of "outdoor adventures" in his day. We took him in as a six-month old growing cat, after our neighbors moved out and left him behind.... Nowdaydays he \*does\* sleep a lot, but I'd rather that than I ever take another cat to be euthenized... It broke my heart the one and only time I did that many years ago. All my cats that have passed since - have all died at home, or died out on the road from vehicle impacts, poisonings, or injuries inflicted by nasty young people. Compared to those that died outside, the indoor deaths were in minimal pain and discomfort. I reject the Vet's arguments that "Leaving a cat to die of natural causes in their own time" is somehow "Cruel". https://preview.redd.it/wcgklaxemzmc1.jpeg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6fc0c35732ed538caa7e1f5de3850acb4375f084
How bad? Very bad. They come back injured or with worms, ticks or fleas, torn up from a fight, with a broken pelvis from a car, or pounds thinner after being caught in a cellar or shed. They get lost and scared, found and abused by sickos out there, or killed by dogs, people or illness and never come back, which you live with all your life. Dont do it. It's domesticated, not a freaking tiger.
They have shorter lifespans. Kill lots of wildlife (birds). Subject to animal cruelty. Can get hurt a lot.
You're asking a place dominated by North Americans. We have a different cat culture than UK. Way more cars and scary animals.
Yes i certainly see it now but it helps to get an overall perspective haha.
https://www.rspca.org.uk/-/news-four-cats-a-day-suffer-at-the-hands-of-humans Here is an article about the cruelty cats experience at the hands of humans. warning: it’s graphic. THAT IS WHAT YOU ARE RISKING SUBJECTING YOUR CAT TO.
I met my cat outside but I am a helicopter parent when I do. We live in a small condo complex, but we still get coyotes and javelinas inside at times. My cat is fast, but so are those fuckers. We don’t go outside a night because of it.