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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Letting cats outside

75 replies

LadyRussell · 22/08/2018 20:48

I have new kittens.

I had two cats before and lived in a quieter road, then moved here, kept them in then let them out and we had no issues.

Our road is a 20 zone but the only road round here with no speed bumps or chevrons so cars often do 40/50 up and down our road as a cut through.

Vet said I can let kittens out after next injections at 12 weeks, I asked about letting them out and he said it is the best thing for them albeit a gamble (with the roads).

AIBU to be shutting myself about it - or will do cats learn quite quickly?

OP posts:

OVienna · 23/08/2018 00:02

Keep them IN. Mine is in because of foxes, the roads, bad that CAT KILLER. We take him the the trampoline for air. He has been out but it's not encouraged. I fear for him. But - he is a Persian (rescue) and they are lazy homebodies. Our Siberian hated being in. That was a mistake but I still had the concerns noted above.

Duskqueen · 23/08/2018 00:13

A vet told my friend it is better to keep them inside, it is too dangerous to let them out. It isn't just roads you have to worry about, someone I knows cat was poisoned and I know of loads that have been stollen. My cat is an indoor cat, he has no interest in going outside, of which I am glad, he is perfectly happy and contented. He has toys to play with and us, he is fed and uses a litter tray.

TittyGolightly · 23/08/2018 00:23

I don't think its right to keep cats in, they love to be outside.

I don’t think it’s right that non-cat owners don’t get any choice about having to clear up other people’s pets. You put stuff in the front, you should be responsible for what comes out the back.

thecatneuterer · 23/08/2018 00:55

If you are going to let them out wait until they have been neutered - so four months old. However, it sounds quite dangerous where you are. and the younger cats are the more they roam and take risks. In your situation I would keep them in for at least a year. If you can't do that then definitely keep them in at night (far more traffic deaths at night).

The best solution though would be to cat proof your garden with Protect-a-Puss or similar.

thecatneuterer · 23/08/2018 00:58

Oh, and the best place to post for advice is in The Litter Tray section. There you don't get people boring on about cat shit, the way you do on the general boards.

ferrier · 23/08/2018 01:02

I first met mine out on their own around 9 months. Before then they came out with me on leads from about 5 months I think. I was absolutely bricking it for about 3 months, despite having had several cats before them, but they've been fine. Very occasionally one of them hasn't come in in the evening but he's always back when we wake up the next morning.

WillowPeach · 23/08/2018 03:07

I have 2 cats (both just over a year old) and they’ve forever been housecats. I chose to keep them in for multiple reasons but mainly because it’s safer and i’d forever worry about them. They can’t miss what they’ve never had and they are the most loving cats I’ve ever known - which I strongly believe is down to the fact that they’re house cats. My friends have outdoor cats who aren’t too bothered about their owners - they just come and go when they want food. I didn’t want that kind of relationship with my pet (although I’m sure there are exception). As long as there is plenty of interaction and stimulation within the home, there is no reason that they have to be allowed outside.

That being said, if you’re going with an outdoor cat. I’d get them neutered at 4 months if your vets do this (ours did) because they could get pregnant (assuming female) from 4 months (unlikely but still) onwards.

Could you get a second opinion OP?

ZanyMobster · 23/08/2018 06:51

Ours are both indoor cats. For last few months they have a 'catio' which is great. They don't seem desperate to get out. They are both just over 1. I would never get get 1 cat if they were to be indoors though

ZanyMobster · 23/08/2018 06:52

12 weeks is way too young to go out also. My vet said the same if we wanted but meant just supervised in the garden, definitely not out out till spayed.

Puppatude · 23/08/2018 07:16

We have three cats, two norwegian forest cats, and a ragdoll cross. Our fence is cat proofed so they can't and it has been well worth it. Only cost about 200 quid and a little bit of graft to put it up, it's quite easy!

Your two are gorgeous. :)

BloodyDisgrace · 23/08/2018 08:52

A lot of cats who go outside live long happy lives, some not. Try the first option i.e. letting them out when they are a bit older (a while after being neutered) and, if you are still anxious, then there's an "indoor cats" option.

Mine are indoor, the older will be 8. They manage ok, the main bother is minding the windows not being open too wide so they escape/fall out. But cats can live indoors, it's not cruel, and the chance is they will have a longer healthier life, if not a duller one.

FlorencesHunger · 23/08/2018 14:40

WillowPeach my cat is outdoor but loving and affectionate, she's always there when I park up in the street and gets verbally annoyed at me if I'm in and out all day or have left overnight.

I think there's more can't be bothered with you human slave type cats than attention whore ones.

dementedpixie · 23/08/2018 14:49

My cats also come back when my car comes into the drive - they must know the sound of the engine. They are loving when they want to be and will sleep on one of our beds if they feel like it. They love being outside so it would be cruel of me to confine them to the house

Confusedbeetle · 23/08/2018 14:51

If and when you decide to let them out, just do it for half an hour and before you feed them. Better out the back until they have learned little by little to learn their territory. Put the litter tray just outside the back door. It helps them find their way home

Youshallnotpass · 23/08/2018 14:55

We've kept our cats in for 8 years... so far so good

Seriously though, they have never minded and were kept in from kittens. One has sadly passed away from heart failure but the other is more than happy sitting in the window occasionally.

Life expectancy for indoor cats is far higher overall too

toomanychilder · 23/08/2018 15:07

they are the most loving cats I’ve ever known - which I strongly believe is down to the fact that they’re house cats. My friends have outdoor cats who aren’t too bothered about their owners - they just come and go when they want food

I have a very loving, affectionate cat that goes outside. He sleeps on my bed, he demands cuddles and runs to the door to greet you when yuo come home!
A cats personality has nothing to do with whether they go outside.

Almostfifty · 23/08/2018 15:10

We got our two around this time of year, but I didn't let them out until the winter was over, so they were about nine months.

They don't go far, just up to the woods at the back of us to bring me some presents back occasionally.

Foamybanana93 · 23/08/2018 15:29

i have 2 cats, never ever have they been outside they are just over 2 years old, we lived on a row of terraces and people used the road as shortcut, weve moved and now live on another through road so its just not worth the risk, they are quite happy being inside cats they dont know any differently, they have hundreds of toys, 2 huge cat trees and each other to play with, as long as they are mentally stimulated i dont see any reason not to keep them inside its really not worth the risk.

catlady34 · 23/08/2018 15:33

Tika77 you rehomed your cat because you saw him walking under a car? What?

FluffingtonPost · 23/08/2018 15:37

Going outside at 12 weeks old is pretty poor advice from a vet, it’s way too young.
They need to (as a minimum) be neutered and microchipped before they go outside.
I would say 6-7 months is more realistic, but completely depends on the cat. Their time outside should be supervised at first anyway, and you will get a feel for whether you feel they’re ready.

I have 3 cats, they’re all indoor cats. They have an enclosed ‘catio’ with various height shelves, logs, scratching posts, hiding places and camouflaged areas they can sit and watch the world go by in our back garden. They’re all happy and healthy, and show no interest in any other form of ‘outside life’. We live in an area which has, several times, been targeted by the Croydon Cat Killer (I hate that name) so I’m more than happy to keep them inside and safe, regardless of how ‘cruel’ some people feel it may be.

jane1956 · 23/08/2018 15:50

Agree Tittygolightly we are sick of cleaning up other peoples cats mess
when we do not have any.

NotSoThinLizzy · 23/08/2018 15:56

I adopted a house cat at 3 years old never been outside in his life before we got him. we live on a 30 road and he's now 8 So doing ok. I think you have to make a decision based on the cats personality. If they are jumpy they will prop be fine if they just don't give a shit then mabye have another think.

SweetLathyrus · 23/08/2018 16:21

We got our Puss when she was eight weeks, it was October, so it was easy to keep her in, no open windows or doors. We finally let her out in the garden at the beginning of March, so around seven months. We built her daily routine around two lots of wet food (kibble available all day), and a call to it that all of us use. It's never more than a couple of minutes from shouting "Puss, foooood" to her dashing up to the bowl. She also likes to come in at lunch time just in case .

She is quite nervous by nature, which I think has kept her safe, and the more interesting bit of grassland and trees outside our back garden keeps her away from the road. But we did resist getting a cat until we moved from just behind a busy road, to a safer cul-de-sac.

OP they are absolute poppets, I would be besotted too.

SweetLathyrus · 23/08/2018 16:21

I meant to say that Puss is almost four now.

FocusOnMePlease · 23/08/2018 16:37

You could get cat proofing for your garden, then they could go out and not leave the garden.
Or build an enclosure or 'catservatory' so that they can go outside and be safe.
It is not just roads you need to worry about, it is also poisoning by people, anti freeze, brake fluid, lilies and other plants, people shooting at them, throwing boiling water on them, or petrol and setting them on fire, stripping fur off them, setting dogs on them, stealing them for dog bait.
And then there is the UK cat killer on the loose, I think he has racked up around 300 killings to date.
Obviously there are many cats that do survive all the above but I have seen far too many at the side of the road. It also sickens me that there is a new trend for deliberately driving at animals to hit and kill them.
I read the other day of a rescued cat in Somerset that had a gun put in his mouth and fired. There are some truly evil bastards about.

wow i bet you are fun at parties!!!

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