Do you think it is healthy for cats to be inside?

Do you agree that cats should be left inside all the time? I think that they should be able to run free so a cat door is a great option for the owner to look into. Cats need to have the freedom to explore and if they are kept inside all the time then they can not do that. your debate here please.

 

My three gals are always left inside. I just do not trust them outside. They are all fixed so getting pregnant would not be an issue for me. I just would fear that they would get lost or run over or someone would be mean to them. So I do not want them outdoors at all.

 

I have to admit, wandering outside can be very healthy for them. However, I think that if there is a cat with an instinct and inkling towards adventuring into the unknown a bit, I feel supervision should be given. Although there are great advances in veterinary medicine, there are still diseases and viruses which can infect even vaccinated cats. This is an especially important consideration if the sometimes-outside-straying cat will return inside to cats who don't have a care for the outdoors.

All in all, I think cat personality plays a key role. However, above all the health of the cat and other possible cats you own or others living with your cat or exposed to your cat, should definitely be considered.

 

I think it's important that cats get time to explore outdoors, however I wouldn't personally install a cat door as I don't want my cat to come and go as she pleases, as it's not safe and some cats have been getting into some nasty fights in the area. Normally each day I'll take my cat into the yard and she'll have a little supervised play around. If people keep their cats indoors for most of the day I think it's important that the cats have an enriching environment that stimulates them. E.g Having climbing equipment to play on ect..

 

The other thing that he supervision reminds me of that you should beware; sometimes there are other things out there besides other cats and dogs that are harmful. For example in a neighbourhood around here we have a lot of foxes and coyotes popping up, evidently their favorite snack is cat. Unfortunately people have lost a lot of their household cats this way, letting them wander outside. Someone said there was a fox bold enough to come up the front porch and snatch his cat sitting just a couple feet in front of him away. They attempted chasing the fox down but it was too late by the time they caught him. So nature will still take its course, be careful.

 

I don't think it's healthy for cats to be inside 24/7. They need to go outside for exercise and some sun, too. Of course, if they are Persians, then they must be put on leashes before they can be taken outside.

 

I agree, cats should be able to out. It is in their nature to spend time outdoors climbing and chasing prey and doing cat things. I don't like to think of any animals being cooped up.

Why do Persians need leads Victor? Is it just to stop them from being stolen?

 

As far as I know Persians have poor orientations and just can't find their way home so easily as the rest of the cats.

But I can't agree that cats HAVE to be able to go outside. It depends on the cat. And on the place where we live. Not always there are coonditions for this.

 

Yes, they are very easily stolen. A Persian in Thailand can costs up to 100usd each. In Malaysia, a Persian will cost at least 270usd. So keeping a Persian on a leash is a very good idea.

Also Persians are very stupid. I had a friend whose Persian went outside one morning, climbed a tree, went out on a low-lying branch and just sat there not knowing how to get down. It was late in the evening before he found it because it sat there on the branch without even crying for help.

Another thing about Persians is that if they fall, they fall like a sack of potatoes. Other cats would turn as they fall and land on their feet. Not a Persian. It would fall straight down just like that.

 

That's interesting. I've always thought that they weren't the most intelligent of cats, but I had no idea they fell like that. Do you know why that is?

 

The average life span for an outdoor cat is 5 years versus 15 years for an indoor cat.

Outdoor cats live less as they are exposed to viruses, fights and accidents.

So I keep my cat Dolores indoors. It's tough out there and I don't want her to get hit by a car or catch infectious diseases from feral cats.

 

I suppose that statistic relates to cats which live solely outdoors (ie a feral or abandoned cat) compared with cats kept only indoors. A lot of pet cats have access to both, and as far as I know their life expectancy is as good as indoor cats.

 

I guess it would be beneficial to a cat to go out if you have a safe outdoor space for them. Us apartment dwellers can't really take them outside too much, since outside is sometimes a 5th floor balcony.

 

I think the main reason is that Persians have become so pampered that they had lost a lot of their natural instincts. Sort of like what happened to chicken reared in batteries.

I had a friend who bred his Persian tabby and told me it was a really big task. When his tabby was ready to give birth, he made a nice basket for it and put it in the basket. Then he walked away. And the tabby followed him, crying for help. So he had to sit by the basket to wait for the kittens to be born.

Then he met another problem. The mother cat had absolutely no idea about nursing her kittens. He had to hold her down and put her kittens to her nipples. If he let go, the mother cat would just walk off leaving the kittens hungry.

 

The only thing I am worried about with my cat is that she would get ran over. She is mostly an indoor cat, but we let her outside from time to time to catch a few mice if she can find them. The cars go so fast past my road, I would hate for anything to happen to her. My friend has an outside cat, and she lives in the country. The people are going 50 mph passed her house, I would be too scared to let my cat out if I lived in a busy intersection like that.
Getting back to your question on whether I feel cats should always be inside; I guess it really depends on the type of cat and their personality.

 

Very true. If the cat has been living indoors most of its life, then those cars whizzing by are really a fatal hazard. Cats which have been living on the streets ever since they were kittens are usually street-wise.

 

I've read news articles in the past week about a cat found cut in half found outside someone's house, a cat shot in the eye with a BB pellet and a kitten in England with its mouth glued shut on purpose.

It's a sick world out there and that is another thing that scares me about Dolores wandering around outside. She's a grouchy cat and not that affectionate but I don't want her shot in the eye with a BB gun.

 

Ah, the perils of outside life. Yes, I have already read about some of those sick people who get a thrill out of torturing cats. Luckily there has been no report of any such sick people near where I live. Yet.

 

I let my cats go inside and outside and they love going outside for a few hours a day. They always come back and I do sometimes hang out with them in the yard. They actually prefer when I go with them. If I let them out alone they look back at me as if they are saying, "Aren't you coming with me?" It's important that they get to know their neighborhood in case they get lost.

 

That reminds me of some stray kittens I brought home. If I opened the door, they would just sit in the doorway, not venturing outside until I went outside as well. Then they would play outside until I went inside. The moment they saw that I was inside, they scampered inside, too. Maybe they were still haunted by their experience of being abandoned.