To ask if you let your older cats out at night ?

[PandaWorld]

As in if they are 14 or over ? Obviously talking about cats who are actually allowed out and not just indoor cats.

No, too many foxes. My cat is only allowed out during the day.

My three (including a 15yr old) go out for an hour or so in the morning then are back in for the rest of the day. Their choice, they never wanted to go play out after their breakfast. But previous cats have all been kept in from 6/7 after they've had their dinner. I've got a lot of foxes and dogs that seem to always be escaping near me so I'd be a nervous wreck otherwise.

My 2 girls went out right up until their ends at 19 and 21. Their flap was open 24/7 and they used to spend the a lot of time out but come in about 5am. Each slowed down and did stay in a lot more and kept to just the garden during their last few months whereas before they'd roam for miles.

Far less cars and dogs out at night and they regularly saw off the local foxes. They'd have been howling if we kept them in at 14.

I'm surprised at all the fox comments. My girls were fairly small cats and could chase them off. I've never considered foxes a danger to a healthy cat, are there actually cases of foxes killing cats then?

Even the downing Street cat has been filmed chasing foxes.

Same here. One of my previous cats was bitten by one. I came home just after dusk and found the scrap going on. My cats have always been in at night but I'm now always home to let them in before nightfall, or my friend's husband comes round to do it.

Yes I've read many cases of foxes attacking and even killing cats round where I live (south London). The fox I chased off was definitely going to harm my old cat. I'm not sure they really go for young healthy adult cats as much, and my current cat is quite friendly with one of our foxes to the point that they played together until he got bitten earlier this year.

I don't let either of my cats out at night, they are 4 and nearly 1. Not since I had a cat run over at night and killed a few years ago. Cats seem to venture further after dark

Not a healthy young cat, no - almost never a danger. But a slow old cat with bad eyesight or hearing could easily be a target, sadly.

Mine used to sit on the fence and stare down foxes when he was young. Now he runs in, tail fluffed.

Our older cats always came and went as they pleased, but they tended to take themselves off to bed about 10pm anyway!

Never considered keeping my cats in at all. Our 16yo sleeps on my bed but pops out a few times at night. We have cats, foxes and once saw a badger in the garden (during a very bad drought) but the trail camera has never caught any interaction other than between Young Cat and Neighbours Cat and that's never been more than a Mexican Standoff.

No never, cats in at night safe and sound.

We have an almost two year old and he is in overnight. Previous girl had to be pts unexpectedly (cancer) aged ten earlier this year and was very occasionally out overnight on a summer evening, but had access to the utility room. Neither cat has particularly been a roamer, both generally in our garden/next door, but I am happier to keep them in.

We don’t have a cat flap so in through the day if we are at work too. Our wee boy comes in to use the litter tray if he’s out so he’d be crossing his paws if he was left to it.

Yes. Our aging prince can come and go as he pleases. He has in the past had fights and been injured but not for a long time now. He doesn't stay out long if he does decide to go out at night now.

I never used to worry about my cats being out at night because I figured there’s less cars. You don’t really get many cars driving past my house at 1am, so my boy used to like staying out all night and coming in in the morning. That is until one morning I opened the door and he came hobbling in, he had fractured one of his legs. He was only 2 at the time as well. Since then both of my cats do not go out after 9pm. One time, my boy went out at 4pm and didn’t come back home until 3am.. I couldn’t sleep at all. I was wondering the streets every hour calling his name, convinced something had happened to him. Too much danger at night, I hate it

One of my past cats disappeared after I saw him chase a fox. It was broad daylight. He never came home. His body was taken in by the RSPCA who whilst putting posters up to say that they had found a cat and me being able to confirm that he was mine, wouldn't even tell me how they thought he had died 😔

No. As per previous posts, it's more dangerous for them at night. Mine put themselves to bed. It's adorable.

My cat is 14 and has a cat flap and is free to come and go. It never occurred to me that his age made a difference. We live in a very quiet rural area.

No, we have 5 cats and none of them go out at night.

My cat is 19. Until he was 17, he had free access through a cat flap, but I was starting to worry about younger cats challenging him and possibly chasing him away from his home. Since moving house, he's had access to an enclosed courtyard, and learned a new type of meow very quickly to let me know he wants outside. He does get into arguments occasionally with a 15yo cat that also lives in the building, but because he only gets to go out now when I am there, I can intervene quickly if it's getting too much. I close the door when I go to bed, and he seems to be happy enough with that: while he takes many trips outside, they are all very short these days, and he spends most of his time sleeping.

Nope - my cat is in from dusk til dawn, and ideally fully light at both ends of the day. Cats kill most wildlife at night and twilight, so he's kept in.

All our cats are in at night or from when it gets dark, so around 9pm in summer and 4pm winter.

My old boy only goes outside when it is warm or to do a toilet run.
My little cat who is also older fooled us into thinking she stayed in all night. However when I had a bout of insomnia I discovered she actually pops out for a few hours and returns around 3 or 4am!
We are in South East London and foxes swarm here. I have one with a poorly back leg who will walk into the house if I leave the back door open.
My boy cat does tend to bully the cubs and teenage foxes. None of the regular foxes are horrible to either cat. Obviously animals all have different personalities and some foxes are nasty there just aren't many round our way thankfully.

Our nearly 14 year old goes out mostly at night, he tends to sleep in the day. Sometimes he is out all night, others just a few hours. All weather, we can’t keep him in. He cries and scratches to go out. We’ve tried.

I think he stays pretty local at night, we are in a quiet street. I’ve seen him sleep under the BBQ cover or in a bush. Even when it’s pouring he comes in pretty much bone dry.

I imagine as he gets older he will naturally want to stay in more.

I do in summer, but it’s very exposed and rural here, so i keep them in during cold weather.

Our gorgeous boy is 14. We've never let him out at night. He's black with no road sense so I would never have slept for worrying if he was out and about. He very quickly adjusted to our sleep patterns; I tell him it's bedtime, he trots up with me (and on weekends when I stay up later he sometimes tells me it's bedtime by looking at me, then looking at the stairs repeatedly). Most nights he sleeps snuggled up next to me or on my pillow. Some people may think unhygenic but we frequently wash bedding and it makes us very happy.