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

Original poster

Should we let our cat roam free?

39 replies

LavenderLxx · 16/10/2025 10:03

Our cat is 15 months old. We adopted him when he was 4 months. He had been an indoor cat and initially we were going to do the same. By the time he was 8 months old and the spring had come he was increasingly more interested in the back door being opened so we bought a lead and started taking him outside. He loved it!! After a while we started letting him out in the garden on a longer lead and then with the lead dangling along the floor. He has never once made any attempt to jump/climb the fence or try to leave the garden! We thought this was perfect and the patio doors have been open for most of the time since - with him happily coming and going from the garden to the house.

All of this was fine until a week ago!! He’s discovered that he can climb a bush and get over the fence into next doors garden! But he can’t get back again so we had to go to the neighbours to rescue him! This has now happened quite a few times and yesterday he made his way through the neighbours garden and out onto the road. We live at the end of a culdesac on quite a quiet estate - but the garden behind that he jumps into is quite close to the main road. The neighbour spotted him and managed to pick him up and bring him home.

I know this is a long ramble but I’m unsure what to do… my husband says to just let him be a cat and explore. There’s no way that he would agree to cat proof the garden. But I’m soooo worried that he has absolutely no road sense or climbing ability!! How will he find his way back? After a horrible year he has been the only good thing and I couldn’t bear it if he got lost or squashed. He’s so cuddly and affectionate and loved his time inside; but equally he loves the fresh air and being a cat! Words of advice or reassurance please!

OP posts:
Catpiece · 16/10/2025 10:14

Cats need to roam. Our boy (aged 9) is like a broken man if he is unable to be free for any length of time. However, his freedom has seen him come a cropper more than once. An abscess caused by being bitten in a fight, which required surgery and a lengthy spell indoors and a cruciate ligament tear for which he was on cage rest for months. It’s a difficult balance but a cat’s gonna cat.

WhatALightbulbMoment · 16/10/2025 10:17

Cats love their freedom, just like us humans. Of course letting him roam comes with a risk. But I had an indoor cat once and I would never do that again. I wouldn't want to be locked up at home all day, so why would I do it to my cat?

estrogone · 16/10/2025 10:21

Get a Cat enclosure. They love to roam, kill small wildlife, get into fights and pick up diseases and probably get run over.

It's 2025. Don't let your cat roam.

MagpiePi · 16/10/2025 10:22

I’d let him be free as it’s clearly what he wants to do.
Could you cut a hole or a simple flap in the bottom of the fence so he can get back easily and not be tempted onto the main road? Pet proofed gardens also stop wild animals being able to roam.

SadOldLadyOfTheLowlands · 16/10/2025 10:24

estrogone · 16/10/2025 10:21

Get a Cat enclosure. They love to roam, kill small wildlife, get into fights and pick up diseases and probably get run over.

It's 2025. Don't let your cat roam.

Don't do this - your cat will be miserable

Let it roam free

Bibbitybobbity70 · 16/10/2025 10:24

Our 2 are 18momths. Initially they were mainly indoor, then used long leads in garden & both were perfectly happy exploring. Until last storm of winter blew down neighbours fence....having seen life beyond our garden they were keen to get out & we let them, because it was clear they weren't happy being held back. Yes we were worried about chance of them being knocked down, especially s we have a couple of busy roads close by. Mainly they seem to stay in immediate neighbours gardens & always return periodically to ours, never missing a call for food. I know others with house cats that seem perfectly happy but if yours isn't it seems cruel to not give them their freedom.

PashaMinaMio · 16/10/2025 10:25

Cats need to roam.
Cats need to be outdoors to follow their natural instincts.
His muscle strength will soon build and he’ll scale fences to come home.
Indulge him.
End of!

Allergictoironing · 16/10/2025 10:27

Pity your DH won't even consider cat proofing the garden. A large Catio may be a compromise?

I can see your point. I have adopted cats who need to be indoors for one reason or another for exactly the same reason; it would break me if one was run over, had a major accident, died from drinking antifreeze, or (sadly this happens) was harmed by people - there's been a LOT in the news recently about use of catapults on animals 😱.

One of my current cats has FIV. There is no vaccine available in the UK for that, and the few that exist elsewhere aren't very effective. Though he's likely to have a decent life as an indoor cat, any infection or illness is likely to kill him as he has no immunity due to the FIV. If a cat is bitten by an FIV positive cat, chances are they will get it as well (Tobias was an un-neutered stray for a couple of years before he was rescued). When I first got cats, there was an un-neutered local tom who used to attack all the local cats, including going into people's houses to attack them, which was one of my reasons for having indoor only cats.

Bitzee · 16/10/2025 10:33

Mostly it’s up to the cat. Some are happy indoors and others will be miserable if you coop them up. If yours is pushing for more freedom then I think far better if they have safe access via a cat flap into your back garden and can explore at their own pace (yes they will find their way home!) than making a sudden dart for it out the front door because they’re spooked by a delivery.

Judystilldreamsofhorses · 16/10/2025 10:34

You might find he doesn’t really roam. We don’t have a cat flap and the cat is always in overnight, but he tends to be in our garden or next door when he’s out - often just sitting up on either our or the neighbours’ shed roof watching the world go by. Our previous girl cat was similar but used to spend a lot of time lying on next door’s garden furniture in summer, to the point they would put out “her blanket” for her. (We have perfectly good garden furniture.)

Both cats have always come when shouted.

Original poster
LavenderLxx · 16/10/2025 10:54

Thanks for the replies. I know he’s a cat and should be allowed to explore but my anxiety is sky high! I just couldn’t bare it if he got hurt.
We don’t have a cat flap so he has to be let out of the back door in the morning and then we call him back in when it starts getting dark. He spent most of the summer exploring the garden and sunbathing - always coming back in when called. It’s just in the last few weeks that he’s started going further afield!

OP posts:
FeralWoman · 16/10/2025 11:20

estrogone · 16/10/2025 10:21

Get a Cat enclosure. They love to roam, kill small wildlife, get into fights and pick up diseases and probably get run over.

It's 2025. Don't let your cat roam.

I agree.

newusernamex1000 · 16/10/2025 11:54

@estrogoneagree and I have a cat. She’s a house cat but will go into the garden under supervision, she’s disabled though

Misspacorabanne · 16/10/2025 12:07

i agree with others, let him go!
Hes a cat, it’s what they do, you might find that once he’s explored the area around you, that he doesn’t venture far anyway.
I let me cat out during the day, I shout her in once it goes dark, but to be fair she’s in and out so many times during the day! She doesn’t roam far for now.
It’s a risk to let them roam, and I know you said you couldn’t bare anything happening to him, and I feel the same, but it’s just a risk that I’m happy to take knowing that my cat is happy, exploring outside…. Allowing her to do what cats do. If anything happened to her I’d be so upset, like you I live on a quiet road but if she ventured far enough she would come to a main road, so if she did get run over, as sad as that would be, at least id know she had been happy and content during her short life. He’s showing signs he wants to go, it doesn’t seem fair to restrict him. So I’d either cat proof the garden or let him go, the more he goes and comes back the less anxious you will be with it!

Original poster
LavenderLxx · 16/10/2025 13:34

Misspacorabanne · 16/10/2025 12:07

i agree with others, let him go!
Hes a cat, it’s what they do, you might find that once he’s explored the area around you, that he doesn’t venture far anyway.
I let me cat out during the day, I shout her in once it goes dark, but to be fair she’s in and out so many times during the day! She doesn’t roam far for now.
It’s a risk to let them roam, and I know you said you couldn’t bare anything happening to him, and I feel the same, but it’s just a risk that I’m happy to take knowing that my cat is happy, exploring outside…. Allowing her to do what cats do. If anything happened to her I’d be so upset, like you I live on a quiet road but if she ventured far enough she would come to a main road, so if she did get run over, as sad as that would be, at least id know she had been happy and content during her short life. He’s showing signs he wants to go, it doesn’t seem fair to restrict him. So I’d either cat proof the garden or let him go, the more he goes and comes back the less anxious you will be with it!

Thank you, yes I think you’re right. Fingers crossed he’s ok and can find his way home!

OP posts:
user5972308467 · 16/10/2025 13:41

I don’t know a great deal about cats, but I can tell you that approx 25% of the posts on our neighbourhood social media is lost and missing cats and then sadly often dead cats found on the road requesting someone to come and read their chip…if you’re already having a crappy time, I’d not chance fate OP.

MajorMerrick · 16/10/2025 13:43

My cat is an old lady now, but she has always roamed free. She only ever does her business in our garden. I have a raised bed and it’s just like a massive litter box for her, so I don’t have to feel bad about her pooing in other people’s gardens. The downside, apart from having to clear my flower bed, is that I’ve just had to deal with a flea issue and I have bites on my legs, so I now can’t wear the dress I planned this weekend, goddammit!! The flea thing is rare and pretty easily dealt with if you’re quick.

Judystilldreamsofhorses · 16/10/2025 13:45

@LavenderLxx our boy is only out if we’re in - I wouldn’t like having him outdoors with no-one to let him back inside. He hops up at the kitchen window to come in. (We usually have a couple of days a week that he’s shut indoors from about 8-5 while we’re at work, other days one of us is WFH.) Might that be a compromise?

Original poster
LavenderLxx · 16/10/2025 17:08

Judystilldreamsofhorses · 16/10/2025 13:45

@LavenderLxx our boy is only out if we’re in - I wouldn’t like having him outdoors with no-one to let him back inside. He hops up at the kitchen window to come in. (We usually have a couple of days a week that he’s shut indoors from about 8-5 while we’re at work, other days one of us is WFH.) Might that be a compromise?

That’s what we do too. I WFH so he’s usually had free access from the house/garden with the back door being open all day for the last few months. It’s only now that it’s getting colder that we’ve let him out and shut the door - I wonder if he’s then got confused with the door being shut and ended up scaling the fence?!

OP posts:
Allergictoironing · 16/10/2025 17:22

Is there a practical reason why you don't have a cat flap? You can get them now where they are chip operated and only let your cat in, and programmable so they can only come in but not go out at set times etc.

Stickytreacle · 16/10/2025 17:27

I up until recently had 12 cats. Out of the 12 only three would happily go out, including one we had as a kitten.
The other nine all refuse to go out, they were all ex feral or stray, so street wise and used to the outdoors. I think the harsh realities of an outdoor life have simply proved too much for them. They have a large catio that they are happy to use, but prefer to be indoors.
If you don't have a cat flap I definitely wouldn't leave him shut out with no access to the indoors.

Original poster
LavenderLxx · 16/10/2025 19:42

Allergictoironing · 16/10/2025 17:22

Is there a practical reason why you don't have a cat flap? You can get them now where they are chip operated and only let your cat in, and programmable so they can only come in but not go out at set times etc.

There’s nowhere we can put one! We’ve got bifolddoors across the back of the house so that’s what we open to let him in and out

OP posts:
Original poster
LavenderLxx · 16/10/2025 19:44

Stickytreacle · 16/10/2025 17:27

I up until recently had 12 cats. Out of the 12 only three would happily go out, including one we had as a kitten.
The other nine all refuse to go out, they were all ex feral or stray, so street wise and used to the outdoors. I think the harsh realities of an outdoor life have simply proved too much for them. They have a large catio that they are happy to use, but prefer to be indoors.
If you don't have a cat flap I definitely wouldn't leave him shut out with no access to the indoors.

He’s only ever outside when we’re home so we’re his personal door openers!

OP posts:
Deargodletitgo · 16/10/2025 20:04

My two go outside but both wear trackers so I can stalk their movements. Both inside at night always.

Rockchick01 · 16/10/2025 22:11

Please let him go out roaming and be a cat. Granted it’s not risk free, but to keep a cat indoors permanently is wrong unless it’s for medical reasons. My cat has 24/7 access via a cat flap. It works via his microchip.