Keep Cats Indoors

[MaryUnderwood]

I know I’m not allowed to post comments under the LOST/FOUND Pet Section that might be hurtful but come on pet owners (cats) there are 2 new found deceased cat posts… please, please keep your cat indoors I know it is hard if they are used to going outside but I have 2 of my own and they never go outside.

Here are some reasons to keep them inside:
Safety from cars, other animals, diseases, fleas, no “pooping” in neighbors yards, keep the birds safe, freezing to death, heat exhaustion just to name a few…

• This topic was modified 6 years, 11 months ago by MaryUnderwood.

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[JanS]

if you’re cold outside, they’re cold…how sad for these kitties, and for the people who cared for them. There is snow on the ground…they don’t “need” to be out there. A long, long time ago when I was first married (I’m 70 now), we got a kitty, and decided one warm day to let him go outside for the first time. Within a half hour, there was a knock on our door by a distraught woman who had just hit our kitty (Bob, the cat) with her car and killed him(a kind neighbor pointed us out). Needless to say, it was a lesson learned. A very sad one, indeed.

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[Krista C.]

I was the person who moved the poor kitty off the road on Barton. I felt so bad for the poor darling. I admit to crying as I moved him. I have indoor only cats at home and I could never handle letting them outside, ever. Outdoor cats have such shorter lives than indoor cats.

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[EdSane]

Our family had an outdoor cat that lived 18 happy years and died of natural causes. My moms current cat is around 14. I honestly believe both have had a much higher quality of life being able to enjoy the outside and exercise rather then being trapped indoors.

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[MaryUnderwood]

@EdSane, then you and your Mom have been very lucky. I have had numerous (9) cats in my lifetime (62yrs.) and the majority of them have been indoor/outdoor and yes the outdoor ones were less overweight as the 2 I have now but the outdoor ones had fleas, came home injured occasionally and I am sure they pooped in neighbors flower beds and killed a few birds. Oh and yes I had 2 of the 9 get hit by cars so you can look at this both ways, but in my opinion I believe cats are safer inside than out.

@Krista C. the kitty you moved out of more harms way is looking down at you and giving you luv/luv rub (as we call them) against your leg and purring in thanks!

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[dcn]

Are cats safer indoors? Yes. But I’m with EdSane in that I believe their quality of life is better if they can go out. It’s in their nature to want to be outdoors. My last cat lived to 17. As she got older, she spent more time indoors than outdoors, which was natural too.

My current cat is 10, and as a small kitten, she once jumped off a second story balcony in her desire to roam the outdoors. I learned pretty quickly that trying to keep her indoors was futile. She loves being outside, and goes out in rain and snow. She is the kind of cat who greets people walking past my house, and she’s introduced me to people on my block, because they always stop to pet her.

I do worry about the risks of letting her outside, and I make sure she’s in at night. But I believe the risks are worth it for the richer life my cat leads as a result.

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[Chuck Jacobs]

My next door neighbor has at least one outdoor cat. It likes to poop in our raised garden beds. It has no problem getting into our fenced yard. When we let our dogs out to pee, they find the cat poop and eat it. This is at least as disgusting as you would imagine.

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[22blades]

I used to agree that a cat is happier with some outdoor time… until we lost a cat to a raccoon or coyote. It was pretty traumatic. Maybe it’s selfish, but our cats are now indoor only.

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[Michael Waldo]

Our cats are indoor/outdoor cats. We bring them in at night because of coyotes and raccoons. Our last cat loved going outside and lived to be 17 yo. Bring them in at night, and make sure they are up to date on all their shots. Use red pepper to keep them out of your raised beds. Either the powder or you can get a red peeper spray with wax that is good. We live in a small house so they cannot get enough exercise staying indoors. Yes, cats can be hit by cars but so can people.

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