Page 6 | Is your cat an indoor or outdoor cat?

LiveLifeToTheFull2 · 2024-05-18T22:55:59+00:00

Just that really.... I posted a post on Reddit about advice and tips on how best to let 6 month old kittens out for the first time and got an absolute roasting 😳 Apparently it's a thing to not let your cat outdoors and it's bad for the environment and dangerous for the cat etc I'm already so anxious about letting them out for the first time soon but am also aware they are cats and have an instinctive nature to explore and enjoy the outside world They keep looking outside in the garden at the birds, bugs etc and I can tell they desperately want to get out on our garden. We live in a semi rural area with fields surrounding our harden garden and I hope that is enough to keep them out the back and not the front where there is a cul de sac road Neighbours are all lovely and cat owners so not worry about any weirdos farming the cats 🥴

VeryHappyBunny · 23/06/2024 15:38

Gettingbysomehow · 23/06/2024 09:34

Outdoor, I got the older one when she was 13 and she has been allowed out all her life so I didn't think it was fair to keep her locked in. She doesn't go far, she just likes to pop out into the garden and sunbathe, then comes right back in.
My house is in a very safe cul de sac nowhere near any main roads in rural Somerset.
None of my neighbours have any cats or dogs.
The kitten - now 2 years old wanted to go out the minute she got here.
I let her outside on a leash until she was sensible enough to go out on her own. It was the happiest day of her life, her first day out. She's never been out before.
She climbed the tree, sunbathed and had a lovely time. She doesn't go very far away.
Male cats do roam, no doubt about that, but females stay close to home generally.
If someone shut me in my home and I could never feel the wind on my face again or the grass under my feet I would slowly die. Given the pleasure it gives my two to go out I cannot take that away from them.
I've had 10 cats over the years before now, only one got run over - I think. She was found dead with no marks on her at all. But I've moved from that house now. They all lived to around 19/20.

Edited

Well as long as only 10% of your cats has been killed outside that's all right.

By the way for anyone who cares about how their cat died, if they have been hit by a car and you can't see any obvious injuries it will generally be a broken neck/back but a good way of knowing if they were hit is to check their claws. Hold the paw in your hand and press gently on the pad, this will extend the claws and if they are ragged they have most likely been hit and thrown across the road. They extend their claws in a vain attempt to stop themselves.

God I am so sick of people having pets and not caring about them. Do they adopt the same cavalier attitude towards their children? Can you imagine the furore if a parent said "I've had 10 kids over the years before now, only one got run over - I think". Which implies you didn't even bother to find out how it died.

AllProperTeaIsTheft · 23/06/2024 15:50

The lifespan of an indoor cat is significantly higher than outdoor cats.

I imagine the same is true of wild animals compared with animals in captivity. That doesn't make captivity preferable.

VeryHappyBunny · 23/06/2024 15:52

fieldsofbutterflies · 23/06/2024 15:30

@VeryHappyBunny I'm saying we shouldn't put human emotions and actions onto animals.

Cats aren't people and don't behave or think or feel like people.

That doesn't mean they don't get scared, or traumatised, or hurt, but comparing their to that of humans doesn't help anyone.

Edited

How do you know how an animal feels or thinks? Do you think that humans are better than animals or that the needs and feelings of an animal should be dismissed because it isn't human? Do you think that this is a good defence argument in cases of animal abuse? or that it's okay to do this, that and the other to animals because they "don't behave or think or feel like people"?

fieldsofbutterflies · 23/06/2024 16:00

VeryHappyBunny · 23/06/2024 15:52

How do you know how an animal feels or thinks? Do you think that humans are better than animals or that the needs and feelings of an animal should be dismissed because it isn't human? Do you think that this is a good defence argument in cases of animal abuse? or that it's okay to do this, that and the other to animals because they "don't behave or think or feel like people"?

Show quote history

If you genuinely believe that deliberate abuse from humans to animals is the same as natural cat-on-cat behaviour, then I really don't know what else to say to you lol.

fieldsofbutterflies · 23/06/2024 16:05

AllProperTeaIsTheft · 23/06/2024 15:50

The lifespan of an indoor cat is significantly higher than outdoor cats.

I imagine the same is true of wild animals compared with animals in captivity. That doesn't make captivity preferable.

Well, exactly. Animals in zoos can often live for decades, but that doesn't mean they're happy or fulfilled.

I used to be a huge supporter of indoor cats until our vet recommended we let ours outside (for a variety of reasons). They are so much happier now they go out - it's not something I could ever replicate keeping them shut up inside.

SingleDadReally · 23/06/2024 16:05

Mine have always been outdoor cats. In fact at the moment the weather is so good they are rarely in. She does massacre the local wildlife. I never realised I was surrounded by so many mice.

Grumpyoldpersonwithcats · 23/06/2024 16:07

@VeryHappyBunny I'm sorry but I completely disagree with using the term rape (and actually find it offensive) with regards to animals. When in heat a female cat will do everything possible to be impregnated because it's driven by primal mating urges. Neither a female nor a male cat can rationalise mating behaviour in the way that humans can. This is the same as a dog killing a cat (or, perish the thought, a child), or a cat killing a bird. The animals are not 'committing murder', they are following instincts.

Murder and rape are human legal and ethical constructs, they have no place in discussion of animal behaviour.
I also take exception to your statement' God I am so sick of people having pets and not caring about them. I care deeply about my cats - but my belief is that they live a more fulfilled life with outside access. I don't however accuse you of not caring because you have a different view.

Lovelyview · 23/06/2024 16:12

Grumpyoldpersonwithcats · 23/06/2024 16:07

@VeryHappyBunny I'm sorry but I completely disagree with using the term rape (and actually find it offensive) with regards to animals. When in heat a female cat will do everything possible to be impregnated because it's driven by primal mating urges. Neither a female nor a male cat can rationalise mating behaviour in the way that humans can. This is the same as a dog killing a cat (or, perish the thought, a child), or a cat killing a bird. The animals are not 'committing murder', they are following instincts.

Murder and rape are human legal and ethical constructs, they have no place in discussion of animal behaviour.
I also take exception to your statement' God I am so sick of people having pets and not caring about them. I care deeply about my cats - but my belief is that they live a more fulfilled life with outside access. I don't however accuse you of not caring because you have a different view.

Thank you. You put that very well. 🙂

fieldsofbutterflies · 23/06/2024 16:13

Murder and rape are human legal and ethical constructs, they have no place in discussion of animal behaviour.

You said it better than me! It's really, really unhelpful to try and put human ethics onto animals, and in many cases it can actually cause harm.

iloveeverykindofcat · 23/06/2024 17:01

Well, rape is a legal term, so by definition no, animals cannot rape, nor can they murder. That doesn't mean that breeding is always pleasant for the female - it isn't by any means, but lets not dilute the word.

In any case, I had to say goodbye to one of my old ladies this week. I'm very very sad, but also happy in the belief I gave her a good life after rescuing her as a very sick kitten, who was not predicted to live to 2, and though she was never in the peak of health like my other cat, just about made 13 before her heart failed. She was never a cat that was going to live to 20, but she loved her life. She loved being oustide, and our very last day together she spent mostly lying in the shade near me, relaxing and enjoying the garden. I'm glad I gave her the opportunity to do this and it reaffirms for me that quality of life is the most important thing.