Why I don't think cats should be allowed to roam outside - more detail

I thought I'd expand a bit on my reasons for why I believe cats should be indoor pets, or at least should be supervised/restrained while out of doors, the way dogs are or should be. First of all, I know how much cats love to go outside. After all, it's their natural instinct to be hunters, and they are curious and love to climb and explore. They are also quite social animals and like to make new "friends". But, there are many reasons why our pets should not be allowed to act as their wild ancestors did. I saw a lot of terrible things happen to cats who went outside, when I was a child. When I was 5 years old, I saw our first Siamese being killed by a dog, some kid was walking his German Shepherd and saw our cat behind our house, and thought it would be fun to sic his dog on her. He yelled "sic 'em!!" and the dog immediately tore the leash out of the kid's hand, which I'm sure wasn't part of the kid's plan. When the dog went for our cat, she tried to run up the nearest tree, but the dog managed to jump up and snap her spine and disembowel her as she hung helplessly from the tree by her front legs. My father was able to unhook her, still alive and conscious, from the tree, and my parents had to take her to the vet and have her put down. When cats are allowed to roam outdoors, they do what comes naturally to them - they hunt. Their hunting behaviour has a number of bad effects. A lot of small birds, insects, reptiles/amphibians and rodents get killed, and many species that cats prey on are in decline or even endangered. In Australia, feral cats have decimated many native species, and it's now illegal there for pet owners to allow their cats outside after dark. Cats left outside there at night risk being shot. In England, studies have shown that populations of many species of birds have declined significantly due to cat predation alone. Pet cats don't hunt because they need to, they hunt for fun, for of course we feed them enough at home. The other bad side about cats hunting, is that they pick up parasites and diseases from the prey they catch. They bring home fleas, worms, and ticks, as well as a disease called "toxoplasmosis" which is the reason why pregnant women aren't supposed to change cat litter boxes. All of these parasites can be transmitted to humans. Rabies is another deadly disease cats can get while outdoors. Cats can come to a lot of harm outside too, not just from dogs, but other wild animals such as raccoons, coyotes, and foxes, and of course other cats. They can be exposed to poisons such as antifreeze, gasoline and pesticides, they can be hit by cars, and we all have heard stories of the cats that get killed because they climb into car engines to keep warm at night. Speaking of keeping warm, people don't realize that cats, even longhaired ones, didn't evolve to be left outdoors at night in subzero temperatures. They can get frostbite and hypothermia, and they can die from heat exposure too. Humans also harm cats they find outside - people torture them for fun, steal them to sell to labs, or just to take home for themselves. Anyone who lets their cat roam outside would be wise to pay for vet insurance to cover the extra vet bills! Not only do the cats come to harm, but they cause damage to the property of others. I used to live in a townhouse in a neighborhood where many of my neighbours let their cats roam freely. I had a nice flower garden that I put a lot of work into. Unfortunately the neighborhood cats put their own "work" into my garden. I was constantly having to remove cat feces from the soil, and replace plants that had been killed by cat urine, dug up, or trampled. Cats were also spraying urine on my door and the window frames because they could see my cats inside. At night they would fight noisily outside the window, waking us up. My car was often spotted by muddy footprints from cats wandering on the roof and hood. Despite the fact that I love cats, I was still frustrated at having to deal with the damage and mess caused by cats belonging to irresponsible and inconsiderate neighbours. I don't think cats have to spend their lives indoors, however, if their owners are responsible about it. Cats can be trained to walk or at least be restrained on a leash, with a harness. They can also spend time outdoors in an escape-proof enclosure, like a large dog cage or a pen built with a roof (like a dog kennel but for cats). Apartment cats can go outdoors on a screened-in balcony. It's my opinion that the same kinds of laws that apply to dogs outdoors (that they must be on leash, or tied up, or in a fenced enclosure, and wear tags) can and should apply to cats outdoors as well, and that the owner of a cat that is allowed to roam and causes property damage, should be held responsible for that damage. Anyway, that's my rant for tonight. I'm sure there are many out there who will disagree with me, because it's a very longstanding and traditional practise to let your cat roam outside. But, think of your cat, and realize also that cats who are kept indoors live longer and healthier lives than cats who are allowed outside to roam.

I agree with you. I have two that are strictly indoors or go out side on a leash. They are both fixed, and one had to be declawed for health reasons. There are several ways you can keep your kitty in your fenced in yard (providing an enclosed "kennel" or by adding special fencing that will not allow them to climb over the fence. I have seen what happens to cats that are allowed to wander about. 20 years ago I would disagree, but the world has changed and our feline friends are no longer safe outside in suburbia and definatly not in an urban setting. Just last week I had to call the SPCA to come pick up an adult cat that was allowed to roam our apartment complex because some had hit with a car and broken its front leg. The pity of it was that the kitty was very friendly and probably had a family that would miss it. People used to think nothing of allowing their dogs to roam about freely and thow attitudes have been forced to change. So will it be with our feline companions. However, under some cir****tances I can understand the need for cats to roam freely. I know several people who employ them as mousers at their ranches. They have been vaccinated for rabies and other diseases as well as being on a comprehensive anti-parasite routine. They are fed in supplement to what they hunt. These are not house kitties but working felines. They arent feral as they do love to be scratched behind the ears and are friendly to people. I believe that as we expand our boundaries that our views of pet care will have to change with them. As houses are built near natural preserves and ecologically endangered areas pet owners must be more sensitive to the needs of the native wildlife.

I'm with you 2...I have 2 cats that are kept inside & inside only!!! c ya Brittany

Yeah you have some good points. There arent any endangered species around my place right now. My big fat orange cat mostly lays around during the day. He's pretty lazy. If he feels the urge he will kill a mouse (which actually is good because we get mice inside and there is overpoplulation) BUT on the flip side not great in case he gets parasites from them from eating the fleas or what have you. He is on advantage so that always helps and is up to date on his shots. We dont leave him out at night though! That is dangerous because of racoons and other things. They just LOVE to roam and get into mischief at night. I could never leash my baby he would be completely and utterly traumatized by it. If you are going to keep them indoors then do it when they are little otherwise I think its cruel becuase cats do not like change and can be emotionally distressed by being leashed when they are older. My cat was emotionally distressed when we removed the kitchen chairs he always laid on!! seriously he moped around for like 3 months!!! They are too much. I definitely agree that its best for them to be inside but its definitely best to start that whent hey are young. Kitty Blessings!

Yes, I do agree that it's best to keep them indoors from a young age. I have found that even if they get a small taste of the outdoors, they don't forget it. One of mine accidentally escaped out the back door one night in the summertime when I was hauling out the garbage. She was only out for about five minutes before I found her (cowering underneath a piece of patio furniture) but she's never forgotten it. Now, every garbage night, I have to shut her in the bathroom before I take the garbage out, or she tries to escape. Even after the garbage is out and she's released, she prowls around the back door and the windows for hours, meowing loudly (and she's Siamese so "loudly" takes on a special meaning!). I also have to be careful when someone comes to the door now, she jumps up on my shoulder and if I don't grab her, she'll suddenly try to dive out the door without warning.. Thank goodness I'm moving at the end of the month, to an apartment in a building where the door does not have access to the outdoors! It doesn't have a balcony either, so hopefully she'll eventually give up on trying to get outside. BTW on the other side of the coin, my jerk landlord upstairs is already dumping their little kitten (about 9 or 10 weeks old) outside by himself overnight, he's a shorthair and around here it's getting down into the low thirties/high twenties at night. The poor thing kept dashing into my apartment the other night when I was taking some stuff outside to the car, and I felt really badly having to put him back out! I tried knocking on the door to get my landlord to take the kitten in, but the jerk wouldn't answer the door even though he was home and the lights were on. I couldn't take the chance of letting this kitten sleep in my place overnight, as my cats were already freaking and spitting when they saw him. I haven't seen the little guy since that night, I'm hoping nothing happened to him.

You, know. I agree with you too. I adopted a semi feral 6 month old kitten. He was impossible to keep in the house. He snuck out while I was camping, and wound up biting a neighbor. I wound up having to bail his butt out of jail, and having to keep him in quarentine for a week, since he was late with his rabies shot. Of course I will take responsiblity for damage my cat does. I also found another way to keep him in the yard, and I recommend it highly! We had an Invisible Fence installed. He is the only one of our four cats that needs the collar that goes with it. The rest stay safely in our yard. Now he does too!

Before I had my "kids" I would have argued that cats have their natural instincts and should be able to fend for themselves outside. All my cats before now have been indoor/outdoor cats...... The two cats I have now are different than any other animals I've ever had. I got them as babies and they both have been fixed and front de-clawed. They are healty animals....very healthy!!!! They've never been outside and I simply prefer to keep them that way. I'm happy in knowing that being inside I can watch them closer and know they stand less of a chance in getting hit by a car a mauled by other animals. They get to "look" outside in the windows - but the only time they will be allowed outside is when I take them for their check ups. They get plenty of "running" but chasing each other around the house.....trust me - they play hard!!!! They are well fed and I can control what they're eating by keeping them inside as well. I'm happy with my decision and could very well see that I would keep other cats inside as well!!!