If you still do it, why do you allow your cat to free roam?

[TreacherousPissFlap]

To be clear, we had cats all through my childhood and early adulthood and they were always free to come and go as they pleased.

I've just seen yet another post on the local FB page of a cat being run over. Now we don't live in a massively built up area or have particularly fast or busy roads, but every day there is at least one post about cats that are either missing or have been run over.

DCat is the love of DH's life and doesn't leave the garden. She's naturally lazy, we have 8ft high walls and we've actively discouraged her going out. She wears a tracker in case she does make a bid for freedom but she doesn't really seem bothered (she was a stray from the RSPCA and had clearly been a much loved house cat that had managed to get out and get lost, so I think that maybe plays a part in her being such a homebody) She's therefore easy to manage and hasn't required a catio or additional fencing, although I absolutely would do that now if she was more determined.

I'm certain my previous cats have decimated the local wildlife and shat in my neighbours gardens and I'm a bit WTF that I ever thought that was ok. Personally the risks now feel too great to allow my cat to free roam so any future models I have will also be confined to barracks.

Ive just cleaned up cat shit from my front garden and it got me thinking, why do people still allow it and will you continue to do so when you have new cats?

If you’ve always had cats surely you can understand why some people (with cats who are desperate to be out) still let their cats out? It’s not hard to understand if you know cats. Mine are indoor cats these days as I don’t want to run the risk of getting run over. But I do still totally understand that this wouldn’t suit all cats.

Because cats are genetically hardwired to roam, hunt and explore their territory, and I believe it’s cruel to keep them locked up inside or even locked in a secure garden. It’s the equivalent of keeping a bird locked in a cage for the entirety of its life, or a rabbit locked in a hutch.

And I say all that as someone who lost one of their cats to the road.

Because how would I contain mine to my garden? Would be impossible. And I think quite mean to get a rescue cat like mine who previously went outdoors, and then not let her go outdoors. We live on a cul de sac. I think the enjoyment she gets from outside is worth the risk from roads.

We are lucky in that we have a large enclosed outdoor space out the back that's shared. It's not accessible by the street at all. Except through a service gate that's always locked and has chicken wire in the gap. So the cats can roam without going into the street.

My old cat used to go out in the street at night..he was incredibly friendly but very streetwise. Probably naively I never ever felt he faced danger. I knew he would never go out onto the main road. He stuck to the pavement on our street.

But now I wouldn't really take the risk. Because I don't have to. But if the only outside access was the street I'd probably think it too cruel to deprive the cat of outdoor excitement to not let them. Unless I lived in a massive block. So street wasn't actually near my house.

Erm, it’s cruel.

like keeping a lion in a tiny cage in a zoo.

Why are you looking for a fight?

Because most cats love to jump, climb, hunt and roam and just can’t do that adequately in the confines of a house or flat. I have a cat who is outside by day. We live on a main road but she is scared of the cars and stays in our garden and the surrounding green areas. She has a lovely life and I’d rather she had a short, happy life than a long life spent indoors.

It's different for newly acquired kittens who have never been out, but It's unfair to suddenly decide to curtail the freedom of a cat that is used to roaming freely. You can't explain it to them.

Cats roam. Its what they do. I want my cat to be happy.

Cats really don’t roam very far, they normally stay in the surrounding gardens and have a set routine. Yes, it’s not ideal when they get run over, but that risk is better than keeping them confined.

Even kittens who have never been out still have that instinct to roam - its genetically wired into them.

I absolutely disapprove of 'indoor' cats. The practice should be banned.

He was a feral rescue. There’s no way to keep him in.

She’d be utterly miserable if she didn’t get out. She comes home to shit in her tray so doesn’t dump it on anyone else. We don’t have any busy/fast roads close so it’s safer than many places.

.

Because it is extremely unfair to restrict their freedom because of our own fears. I’ve had cats all my life and we allow them all to roam (and we have had one run over) because I would rather they have a shorter, happier life than a long one in what is effectively a cage, restricting their natural instincts. Owners who keep their cats in will of courser persuade themselves that the cat is happy.

I don't disagree with you that cats need to roam.

But given that this is true, should we be asking ourselves whether they're suitable house pets at all? There is no other domestic animal we keep which we are allowed to just let out to roam at will with no accountability.

Because keeping them locked up inside all day and night would be to prioritise my own feelings rather than their needs. They aren't cuddly toys or cute accessories. They want to roam and explore and live. I would rather a shorter life where I had actually experienced things than a long one kept locked in a room in case I got hurt. I don't think cats deserve to be restricted like that just to make me feel better.

Indoor cats can work, mine has a previous leg injury that means he’s too slow and not a great jumper so outdoors would be dangerous but he’s otherwise healthy so doesn’t need to be PTS, indoors is suitably enriched as much as I can for him). But anyone who’s loved cats understands why they suit outside more as a species

This. Cats used to be routinely put out at night to do their hunting. Keeping them in just to prolong their life as a prisoner is a selfish and cruel thing to do.

I have a cat. I've had cats all through my life. All of them are outdoorsy.

It's like keeping a parrot in a cage, why keep a naturally free-roaming animal if you're going to keep it locked indoors?

So we should get rid of cats as a domesticated species because they’re different to other animals? That’s daft

I suspect that not all cats listen to these arguments. Some of them still insist on roaming free.

For many cats it would be cruel to keep them inside.

We have a rescue ragdoll and I know they are typically indoor cats but the rescue wanted her to have outdoor access so we did just that.

She’s not a climber or a wanderer but loves sitting in the garden and I’d never stop her doing that. If our next cat is a roamer, we will have to deal with that.

This. It's cruel to keep a cat indoors unless it's sick/unable to go out. I've just moved to an apartment (not by choice) and dcat is really suffering. She's 12 and got a life limiting illness so rehoming her was not an option. I have to treat her like a dog now, taking her downstairs three times a day. The only thing keeping me slightly sane is that she's coming to the end of her (what was great) life. I would never keep a cat indoors.

Why do I allow my cat to roam?

Because cats should be able to express their natural behaviours (this is one of Cats Protection's 5 welfare needs for cats).

Roaming can be made more safe by neutering/spaying (cats less likely to wander far and massively reduced risk of disease transmission), microchipping (which is a legal requirement), and having a curfew (if the cat will comply!).

For some cats, an indoor life with access to a catio can work fine, but this shouldn't be the norm for most cats.