Being “told off” for letting my cat outside.

[Serialcatmum]

This is so petty. I sound mental. I follow a Facebook group where you just put pictures of your cats. It’s really lighthearted and I love seeing all the adorable cats!
I’d put a post of my cat and said something about him being sick today as my neighbours had fed him (again) and he has to have a specialist diet. It was basically “Awh my beautiful boy, still love him even tho he puked on the sofa” kind of thing.
Anyway... about 10 people have got on at me saying I’m irresponsible for letting my cat out and it serves me right... then about 40 propel liked the post that was telling me off! All 3 of my cats love going out. Them
Are home every night at 4:30 and their cat flap shits till 7. They sleep in my bed, are well loved, jabs up to date etc. I mean.. seriously... should cats be kept in???? I don’t think I could change it now. They love the freedom 😱

[cabbageking]

I have 10 cats including some strays that have the freedom to come and go. Bad weather and they are inside. On a nice warm night they are outside. They have space to rome safely away from any road and appear happy and content. It is natural for cats to be outside if it is safe.

[Fluffycloudland77]

Oh I don’t know. Your setup sounds good but I lost mine on the road in November so I’m pro-cat proofing now.

I think your opinion changes when you’ve lost one that way.

[HorsesDoovers]

My 2 absolutely love being outside, they would hate to be shut in, it would be a torment for them. I am lucky they don't go far. Its not up to other cat owners to tell you how to look after your cat.

[HorsesDoovers]

They are in overnight though for their safety.

[Lynda07]

I've had many cats and they were all allowed outside. They loved it. I think it's cruel to keep a cat indoors all the time.

[caringcarer]

I have 6 cats all hand up to date and all sorted/neutered. They come and go via cat flap on back door. 3 cat beds in kitchen. They sleep in kitchen and when we get up are usually inside. They like to climb trees in large garden. They don't roam far as neutered. They have 2 large indoor climbers in lounge. They like to snooze on them up high. 1 cat is Bengal. All my cats are very loving and don't bite or scratch us. I have had them all since kittens.

[Want2beme]

As much as I'd love to never let them out, they'd go absolutely crackers if I kept them in. 2 of them have their freedom during the day via the catflap. 1 of them goes out supervised by me, as she is a major scaredy cat and freaks out at the slightest thing. They're all in overnight. I couldn't sleep worrying about them if they were out during the night.

[Destroyedpeople]

I have never heard of keeping a cat indoors permanently. Sounds really cruel tbh.

[TheDinnerWitch]

Same as the above poster, I've never even heard of keeping a cat indoors 100% of the time, it just doesn't seem natural.... they're animals, they like to be outside!

[gutentag1]

I'd love for mine to be indoor cats, as I do worry if they're out too long. However, they love going out so I do let them. Not overnight though, as I've found they're far more likely to bring presents in when it's dark.

[Serialcatmum]

Thanks everyone. I Was really shocked that this was a thing. I was essentially told that a neighbour should take my cats in and keep them as it serves me right for letting them roam irresponsibly. They always come within a few mins if being called so can’t be too far away!! Feel better after your replies thanks x

[user1471542018]

Has the page got a lot of American users? In the US most cats are kept as indoor pets compared to most allowed outside in the UK, might be a cultural difference. It’s a regular source of heated debate on various cat sites I have seen.

[ragged]

I'm American & we have lots of outdoor cats, We also have more ferals. I thought it was Australia that was big on indoor-only.

Find a nicer cat slave support group, OP.

[c75kp0r]

Wow, we would be in the dog house if we didn't let Queen of the Universe come and go as she pleases. She miaows to be let in the back door, sashays through to the front door and expect to be let out. As it is, like, SO inconvenient to walk around the block.

I can imagine the disdain if we imprisoned her.

[Bargebill19]

I have two indoor cats. They are happy to sit outside if someone is with them and they are on a lead. They even go on walks. Being between a busy road and a canal means a high chance of them being drowned or run over. They have been on leads since we had them at around 6 weeks old and are now 13. They wait at the door for a lead to be clipped to their harness.
In previous homes, we did let cats roam. So I’ve done both and would say it depends entirely on the cats and what they like.
The RSPCA have been called by ‘well meaning’ strangers several times over the years and they were quite happy with the arrangement - agreeing with me that different cats and different scenarios require different solutions.
Don’t worry about what others think - do what’s right for your cat to be happy.

[Kolo]

Lifelong cat owner and I've never prevented them from going out. It's the reason I like having cats so much; because they have freedom to come and go. I don't like the idea of caging a pet. Mine have a cat flap and can come and go as they please (today it pleases them to sleep in the house). My cats come when I call them too, so they are always within earshot.

[Serialcatmum]

I did suggest that many cat owners in the U.K. have outdoor cats.. and then got jumped on by several people from the U.K.!!

I left the Facebook group earlier. Screw them guys!!! Ha ha ha

[Starbonnet123]

Our cats have always been let out when they want to go , even when we lost one due to poisoning.
It would be so unkind to keep her in , she actually cries to go out ,she loves playing out . She doesn't always come in at night but she's always around the garden and doesn't go far .
Ignore other people, and look after your own cats the way you want to

[Vinorosso74]

Love your cats and duvet cover!
Some cats do need to be indoor only for health/their own safety reasons and I do think if people are mindful that their cat needs the stimulation they would get from being outisde so providing plenty play and opportunities to display their natural behaviour then it isn't necessarily bad.
I think your set up is good. Our cat is only allowed out when we're home and is in overnight; back door is open most of the day at the moment but he's got a routine he follows most days.
We had a thread on local Nextdoor as someone had said not to feed other people's cats; most agreed but a few were commenting that you should keep them in if you don't want people to do this etc.

[Bargebill19]

Gorgeous cats and they know it!!

[JorisBonson]

OP I love your group of gingers!

We have 3 who have 24/7 access to the vat flap because they're little shits who do what they want (but I love them anyway). Our garden backs on to a secure alley then other gardens, and I know they don't go far because they are at my ankles the second I open a packet of food.

I've only ever had 2 indoor cats before - one with FIV, and one who had always been an indoor cat before I adopted him.

[JorisBonson]

Oops - 2 gingers and a gorgeous b&w baby (wine).

[Stuckforthefourthtime]

If you are a true animal lover, you keep your cats inside overnight (and especially the early evening) to save the local bird and small creature population. There's nothing 'natural' about the density of cats in an average suburban neighborhood these days, and it has a major impact on the rest of the environment.

During daytime hours then yes, I think it's kinder to the cat to let it out.