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Original poster

Cat people. Do you let your cat out at night?

116 replies

Spidermama · 24/08/2007 14:40

We're in the process of trying to get two rescue kittens but I'm finding it hard. Firstly they're not keen to home them with young children (understandable I guess) but then they (The Cats Protection League) adcise you to bring the cats in overnight and lock them indoors. When I was a kid my cats loved night time the best as they would hunt and enjoy themselves.

I'm not sure I'd want to keep a cat in at night. Surely the whole point with a cat is you put in cat door then they can come and go as they please.

OP posts:
MellowMa · 24/08/2007 15:20

Message withdrawn

Peachy · 24/08/2007 15:23

Same as Sprakly, if they're not in by bedtime then they're out. If they're not there there's not a lot we can do, frankly. We're not allowed a flap either (rented house).

Our cat was atatcked (before we had them) in broad daylight and almost killed, not being out at night woudl have made no difference.

Whizzz · 24/08/2007 15:23

we got a 1 yr old rescue cat & a loackable cat flap. She comes & goes in the day but we keep her in at night.

(she has been bringing us moths & 1 dragonfly up to now, but we have just had her first field mouse (live) - quite a job to catch it !)

redclover79 · 24/08/2007 15:26

spidermama, we tried to adopt a rescue cat through CPL and I also got the impression we weren't going to be considered because ds1 was 2 at the time. The CPL lady said they would be unlikely to let us have an older cat, more likely a kitten as teh kitten and ds1 could grow up together, also it's difficult to find a cat used to young children? Never heard from them again!
We ended up going to Wood Green and had a similar problem, most of the cats were unsuitable with small children (and no kittens available!). We were lucky as they had a suitable cat at another shelter. Wood Green never gave us any restrictions on keeping her in, just that she had to have her microchip details updated and wear a Wood Green tag on her collar.
I kind of understand CPL's stance about keeping the cats in, but tbh we've had 3 cats run over in our family and all have happened in daylight, if it's gonna happen it's gonna happen...

twinsetandpearls · 24/08/2007 15:30

that is another bone of contention whether to use collars or not.

My vet and the rescue centres here tell us not to use collars and we never have done but our cats are bringing in so much prey now and they keep bringin fleas into the house despite treatment that we have put a collar on them with a bell, the vet gave us one that was elasticated so if they do catch themselves there is some give.

But what do others do, collars or not?

I feel awful putting collars on mine.

tissy · 24/08/2007 15:31

we're in the country, and our cat goes out when she wants. I don't know if she goes out at night, but during the day, if she wants to go out she sits by her catflap and miaous till one of her slaves opens it for her.

She has been known to walk in through the back door, through the house and sit by the front door waiting for it to be opened. She hasn't caught a bird for years (she is 15), but regularly brings in field mice and leaves their arse-end as a present under the table. She even has a special "I've got a present for you" miaou! I wouldn't dream of keeping her in at night, and if such a law were to be passed, I wouldn't get another cat. Apart from the point about cats being roamers, the house would stink!

MellowMa · 24/08/2007 15:33

Message withdrawn

twinsetandpearls · 24/08/2007 15:33

yes ours have a I've bought you a present miaow.

Whizzz · 24/08/2007 15:33

we have collars that come undone if snagged (shes lost one already)

And ewwwwwwwwww she must have found a mice nest as she just brough in another bigger one !

twinsetandpearls · 24/08/2007 15:34

We live in an area full of cat owners and most cats tend to have two homes so the collar also says I do have an owner so please let me go home.

twinsetandpearls · 24/08/2007 15:36

I think ours does something like that- we got it from the vet - the same vet that doesn't like collars so it must be ok.

We also have a springer who has a collar as he has a tendency to go walk abouts if dd leaves the gate open. A friend who keeps spaniels says he shouldn't have a collar on either incase he gets caught.

LazyLinePainterJane · 24/08/2007 15:37

My cats come and go as they please but I think that they end up spending most of the night inside.

They both have collars but one keeps on losing it. I got those release ones so if she is in trouble she can escape but she has gone through about 20 of the things! Any clues?

LazyLinePainterJane · 24/08/2007 15:38

tissy, we get the bum of the mouse as well!!!

fedupwasherwoman · 24/08/2007 15:39

Our vet said that cats generally hunt at dusk and dawn, that's their nature and it's a bit cruel to deny them this instinct.

We have a catflap and I know from recent bouts of insomnia that ours go out at dusk but come back in to sleep somewhere cosy for the middle part of the night (about midnight to 4/5 a.m.) and then they're off out again at dawn.

Dawn in a city is an excellent time to spot cats returning home along walls and over roof tops and sauntering along pavements. Sure they have to cross roads but I was brought up way out in the country, not even inside a village boundaary and we lost several cats on the road during the night and in broad daylight so just living in towns/cities and letting your cat out at night isn't the overall problem.

We now live on a fairly quiet road and with access to open grass fields with grazing animals. It would be truly mean to our cats to keep them in at night and I already get woken up by them patting my face with their paws if something in the kitchen is blocking the catflap or if I've forgotten to put food down.

Whizzz · 24/08/2007 15:40

Ours (judging by today) is bringing in live mice to play with...ewwww ..any tips on how to stop that !?!

fedupwasherwoman · 24/08/2007 15:42

Collars (with elastic inserts to minimise risk of injury to cat) with bells on are supposed to stop them being able to sneak up on their prey.

twinsetandpearls · 24/08/2007 15:42

yes I leave for work just before six and our street is full of cats!

twinsetandpearls · 24/08/2007 15:43

I feel mean though preventing them from catching their pray as that is what cats do, although dp says they still get to do the hunting just not very successfully.

Am I being mean should I get the a bellless collar?

Tanee58 · 24/08/2007 15:45

My moggies were house cats as they spent their first 4 years in a flat with me planning to move, and a busyish road outside. They go out now, the male really likes wandering but his sister doesn't go far. Both come in at dusk and I lock the flap till morning. They seem happy with that and spend the night on our bed if I'm alone, or on the sofa if dp is home. I read that dusk and dawn is the dangerous time for birds.

Both have collars now because of fleas. Again, the boy hated his when he was a kitten, so I didn't use them for years - pointless as they weren't going out anyway. I tried collars again this year and they seem comfortable with them - and they're cheaper than Frontline. They're elasticated and come off if they get caught.

Whizzz, at least they're mice. My cats have brought in two baby rats recently - and one was still alive !

lailasmum · 24/08/2007 15:46

Our cats dont have collars since we found one of them hanging halfway up a tree from his collar where it had got hooked on a branch and he couldn't detach himself. Thankfully he was still alive. They are micro chipped instead.

twinsetandpearls · 24/08/2007 15:46

Ours are micropchipped.

fedupwasherwoman · 24/08/2007 15:47

Depends how much disposable income you have, mine just kept coming home without them and after buying about 5 collars bewteen 2 cats I gave up.

Funniest moment was when a neighbour returned a collar and identity tag/address label he had found hanging on a bush in his garden. He was very worried about the fate of the cat but it was safely at home with a smug look, "Ha, and you thought you could make me wear a collar !"

twinsetandpearls · 24/08/2007 15:48

eeuch rats.

It amazes me how many mice there are locally.

When we were in Florida my sister was poping in to feed the cats and give them a little company and the cats were bringing animals in and she was too sqeamish to move them. We returned to a kitchen littered with dead mice and birds.

twinsetandpearls · 24/08/2007 15:49

lol fedupwasherwoman.

barnstaple · 24/08/2007 15:50

dd was 4 when we got our cpl cat, no problem at all. It may be because we already had 2 very elderly cats, but quite honestly I can't see what the problem with young children is. If they don't treat the cat nicely they get scratched, then they don't do it again.
Keeping a cat in at night (or anytime really) is cruel. They are nocturnal predators. Put up with whatever they bring in and if you can't, don't have a cat.
When I was 2 we had a cat who brought rats in every night. I currently have one cat who brings in frogs and birds and one cat who brings in worms. None of these creatures are hard to rescue, or to dispose of if they're already dead.
Cats are not people. Treat them with respect.