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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

Are your cats indoor or outdoor?

103 replies

Spudlover · 12/02/2023 18:28

I know there are pros and cons to both, I’m just so undecided!

I live in a large cul-de-sac in suburbia. No especially busy roads in the vicinity and a 20 mph speed limit. There are plenty of other cats around who all seem to be fine and happy. However, about half a mile away through some woods is a dual carriageway and we have tons of foxes.

They are 6 months and 11 months at the moment and while they are very curious about the outside, they seem very content. Both chipped and neutered.

Someone accidentally let the eldest out when she was 5 months and spent a night under the stars. It was the most stressful night of my life I think and keen to avoid that again but equally, want them to be a bit street smart in case they do get out.

OP posts:
lljkk · 12/02/2023 21:05

Both. They are allowed indoors & outdoors. As they please.
I heard that night time is safer for cats to be out: their eye sight is better at night.

AutisticLegoLover · 12/02/2023 21:05

My borrowed cats are Hokey Cokey cats.

Ludo19 · 12/02/2023 21:06

Indoor mainly but I have ragdolls and persians. Allowed supervised access to the garden frequently. Lots of stimulus in the home keeps them contented. Plenty of cat trees and shelves and interactive play. I couldn't let them roam, far too trusting.

Grizzledstrawberry · 12/02/2023 21:06

How have you cat proofed? We tried a couple of methods but nothing stops our ginger ninja 😂

Ludo19 · 12/02/2023 21:07

Grizzledstrawberry · 12/02/2023 21:06

How have you cat proofed? We tried a couple of methods but nothing stops our ginger ninja 😂

Look at protectapet fencing. Can knock up an equivalent far cheaper 🙂

Grizzledstrawberry · 12/02/2023 21:12

Ludo19 · 12/02/2023 21:07

Look at protectapet fencing. Can knock up an equivalent far cheaper 🙂

Show quote history

Ah, This is the type we used, my OH made it, took him a full weekend and the little bugger still managed to get out, OH was not impressed 😂 Worked on my other 4 though, 4 out of 5 isn't bad i suppose!

hekissedmybottom · 12/02/2023 21:15

Indoor but have a large garden and they go out there and into neighbours' gardens but never out the front and always in for bedtime.

Buttercookiee · 12/02/2023 21:22

Katzecure fencing keeps my lot safe in my garden. They have free run of house & garden but are totally safe. I live on a busy road, there's no way I'd let them free roam

Doyouthinktheyknow · 12/02/2023 21:25

Outdoors but doesn’t go far or for very long.

Dcat is a ragdoll and I know it’s unusual for them to go out but she is a rescue and they wanted her to have outdoor access and she does really enjoy it. She had a miserable life as a breeding queen so just want her to be happy.

She rarely ventures out front so nowhere near roads, stays in our garden and next door either side. At this time of year she rarely goes out for more than 5 mins but even in summer she will be back within an hour.

Catflap isn’t locked at night but she never goes out at night, she goes to bed when we do!

Nutrigrainygoodness · 12/02/2023 21:34

LT2 · 12/02/2023 20:10

Oops, meant to mention that the breed is Ragdoll. Gorgeous, affectionate cats.

My neighbour has a ragdoll. It's gorgeous, and always up for head strokes.
I do wonder if it should be out though?!

My cat technically an indoor cat. He goes into the back garden in the summer, he's not bothered if it's cold😂 if I open the front door he will sit and look outside but won't leave the house. He's very odd.

Original poster
Spudlover · 12/02/2023 21:42

Alargeoneplease89 · 12/02/2023 20:59

Maybe they are talking about children nit being upset during their exams if the cat had an accident

Show quote history

Yes.

I would love to cat proof the garden and would do it in a heartbeat if it were logistically possible. However, the garden is on the side of a very steep hill with short fences.

Because of the gradient, I can’t see how they couldn’t get out if they leapt from higher up, or that would be the perfect solution.

OP posts:
housemaus · 12/02/2023 21:47

Outdoor - one doesn't leave our garden, the other two go exploring. I'd always had outdoor cats growing up so it was what I was used to.

When we first adopted the older two they were indoor cats and we were living on a main road for 6 more months, so they stayed inside, but the plan was always to let them out once it was safe and we chose our subsequent houses with that in mind (no main roads nearby, etc).

littlbrowndog · 12/02/2023 22:00

Outdoors. Central Edinburgh. Two cat flaps in main door and downstairs back green

loads of cats in back greens they kinda just get on with it. Fight with each other cross the roads. One of mine will not use litter tray at all. Even when he was very poorly. Vet said ok just follow him down.

I dunno. Both of mine would not like to be indoor cats they hunt and sometimes one of mine goes to different houses.

they live their best lives for them and for me

Ludo19 · 12/02/2023 22:04

Grizzledstrawberry · 12/02/2023 21:12

Ah, This is the type we used, my OH made it, took him a full weekend and the little bugger still managed to get out, OH was not impressed 😂 Worked on my other 4 though, 4 out of 5 isn't bad i suppose!

Show quote history

That's fair odds 😂

Duckingella · 12/02/2023 22:06

One of each;one loves the outdoors the other will only go into the garden if one of us is with her and she hates the cold weather.

inappropriateraspberry · 12/02/2023 22:12

Outdoors. We are rural with fields around - great rabbit and mouse hunting for them! Live in a quiet spot with a dead end road right in front of us.
Cats do get pretty street smart. We've always lived rurally, but I have seen previous cats looking both ways to cross the lane we lived on! Our cats have always loved to old age as well.

Minikievs · 12/02/2023 22:25

Outdoor. I had two, siblings, but one got killed by a car at our old house (cul de sac estate) about a month before we moved. Devastating.
New house is on a quiet small cul de sac backing onto woodland, and my remaining cat is an outdoor wanderer. I wish her brother could've come with us, he'd have loved it.
Like pp, I think for me the joy they get from being outdoors is enormous although the price you pay is the risk of RTA. I couldn't imagine mine being happy inside 24/7

Clarich007 · 21/02/2023 20:13

Definately outdoor. He was born on the streets though and was homeless for years, so is very streetwise.
He hates being stuck in the house and gets frustrated and destructive.

Lovemusic33 · 21/02/2023 20:16

Outdoors, though during the winter he’s mainly inside, he’s getting older and sleeps a lot more. During the winter he only goes out into the garden or out the front of the house to toilet. In the summer he tends to sleep under a bush in the garden,

Squirrelsnut · 21/02/2023 20:18

Indoors. She's a timid little rescue, fairly new to us. I've held her at an open door a few times and she literally shakes and then claws over my shoulder to get away from the fresh air!

fuckaroo · 21/02/2023 20:21

Indoor. We have bengals though. They have harness and leads to go out in garden though so we can stop them jumping the fence and escaping or being stolen.
They roam the house during day, at night confined to the downstairs area consisting of 3 rooms and in our storage room (no loft) it has cat stuff in for them to chill out and climb on too.

bellinisurge · 21/02/2023 20:23

Indoor. She has plenty of high up places to roost and watch the world, plenty of toys and playtime with us, plenty of places to hide if she needs to. Plenty of scratch posts.
We have had cat killers in our area - verified by vet; not urban myth.

AllThingsServeTheBeam · 21/02/2023 20:26

Currently have 4.

Oldest who is 14 is mostly indoor in winter but does go out at least once a day for a wee

Second oldest who we rescued in August is around 11. She is very timid and as yet hasn't ventured outside. May change in spring when I have the windows open more.

Big ginger Tom who is 7 is very much outdoor. He comes in for an odd couple of hours every other day. He goes off for weeks in the summer!

Youngest will be 3 in May and she is a fair weather cat, but does go out for about an hour most days. She likes a door or window open so she can come and go as she pleases

Chimna · 21/02/2023 20:27

Indoors now. My boy cat was allergic to so much and kept getting picked on that we kept him in and it was hard to let girl cat out without him going out too. Boy cat passed away but girl cat has no interest in going out now. If I got kittens again I would get a breed that is indoor only as I've found having my cats indoors much less stressful (and cheaper!).

SummerWinds · 21/02/2023 20:29

I have four cats, all outdoors.
It's natural to have some worries about letting them out, but l had a friend whose two cats had never left her house from the first day she got them as kittens to the day they died, many years later.
They had never tasted one day of freedom due to her anxieties.