Ragdolls desperate to go outside

[raggeddolls]

I posted in chat about my 2 Ragdoll kittens and was basically accused of being a horrible owner for not letting them go outside, apparently I am selfish and should never have bought them if I subject them to the life of an indoors cat.

I researched the breed thoroughly and it’s been made pretty clear that ragdolls should be indoor cats. The breeder recommended this too.

Problem is both my neutered male kittens who are around 7 months yowl at the back door desperate to go outside. My garden is not cat proof and it’s a design which makes it very hard to car proof - we are not one level and have hedges/bushes rather than fences. I did ask one neighbour who owns the hedge if we could replace with a fence at our own expense but he said no.

So I can’t see how we could keep them in the garden even if we went outside and supervised them. I have been looking at specialist cat tents for outside but they would just be exchanging one prison (our house!) for another confined space.

Just wondering if anyone can relate?

I think we will have to move houses and get a garden where we can build a catio - not possible in current garden due to us being on a hill and having different levels in the garden.

It’s so stressful. I just want to keep them safe. They have a large house to run around in, lots of toys and we spend a lot of time playing with them ( they love chasing a ball up and down the stairs) but they are desperate to go outside.

@SweetBirdsong The life expectancy of an outdoor cat is actually 2-5 years, nowhere near the 8-10 you mention. Yes some cats may get lucky and live longer but many live even shorter lives hence the average being so low.

My Persians went out into my enclosed garden. They don't jump so it was fine.

I had a birman who refused to be an indoor cat. We had to let him out. He was a very happy cat once allowed out. He loved hunting but actually spent most of his time indoors or sunbathing in the garden ( weather dependent). He was always in at night.
I now keep Burmese and they go out also but never at night. Most cats when actually given freedom are happier and actually do spent most time indoors anyway. My cats always seem to live to late teens something is going ok.
Do you live near a busy road? As that's the one thing I would worry about.

Age is largely luck of the draw for most felines - youngest cat I had who died was 10 ( renal failure ) - the Bengalburmese cross who teaches rags how to be a cat is 18

18yr old puss

I had 2 ragdolls. They went in the garden but weren't interested in straying further. I was anxious to start with but they clearly needed to explore the outside world a bit.

The much-mentioned stat that outdoor cats live a average 2-5 years is based on a US study that was conducted on cats that were literally outdoor cats ie. they lived outdoors and so were semi-feral or feral and were mostly unvaccinated and unneutered. It has no relevance for UK pet cats that are allowed outdoors, are neutered, and will typically choose to spend most of their time inside. I remember reading, while researching cat insurance, a statement from one company that cats that are allowed outdoors have a slightly lower life expectancy than indoor cats, and that seems plausible. I’ve always taken the view that cats are natural roamers and my cats have always been allowed out. I reckon that for my cats a slightly higher risk is worth it for the improved quality of life. A factor that will reduce a cat’s average life expectancy is being a pedigree. According to the Royal Veterinary College, a Ragdoll has an average life expectancy of 10.1 years, compared to the 14 years average for a bog standard moggy.

www.rvc.ac.uk/media/default/vetcompass/infograms/150515%20how%20long%20do%20cats%20live%20-%20june2015.pdf

@worrisomeasset It’s well known that most pedigrees have shorter lifespans but were not comparing an indoor pedigree to an outdoor moggie here. We are comparing an indoor to an outdoor Pedigree.

It’s interesting that the same source you quote also lists the main cause of death in cats under 5 as trauma, most likely from cars. Almost every pet insurance is a much lower cost for an indoor cat, why do you think that is?

Prior to having my Ragdoll’s we have had multiple cats, not one made it to 4 years old without going missing or being hit by a car. So we decided to go for an indoor cat. Now my oldest is 8 years old.

This makes sense. I've had a number of moggies in life. All went outside. One only lived to four years old and had a heart attack one day (whilst indoors!). The others lived to 15 and 19. I have two now who are 12.

Did you ever let them out?

Hello! I have a ragdoll also absolutely desperate to go out. She dart out the door every time and I was so scared to let her out fully. I chatted to two different vets who both said not all ragdolls are the same and some just arent happy being indoor cats. Mine is extremely brave and I worry about her not running from dogs/cars etc so I have decided to let her out at night and then set the cat flap so she cant get back out in the day after her breakfast. Im hoping this mitigates a lot of the danger and shes so much happier. Accepting the risk for a happy cat and hoping by only going out at night the risks are lessened..... if anything happens to her I will feel so guilty though night