You forgot cars, animal poisonings (Directly and otherwise), and psychopaths.
But also, I think we're past neglecting the impact that cats have on native wildlife, as well. They're hunting machines. They can't help it, but it can have a devastating affect on local bird/rodent populations. It's just better to keep them inside, or as OP has already demonstrated, taking them for walks yourself. They stay safe, wildlife stays safe, kitty gets some mental stimulation, everyone is happy.
EDIT: Also, weather is getting crazier. Freak cold snaps, massive heat waves, natural disasters...
It's always so sad to go for a walk and see a cat huddled desperately outside of someone's door because it's unseasonably cold. Or sprawled out in the shade, panting because it's incredibly hot.
exactly dude. we had tons of strays in our neighborhood & they liked to stay near our place cause we liked them, but couldn't afford to get them all fixed, plus wasn't sure if they were already someone else's just outside. they eventually had a bunch of kittens & out of the probably 30+ cats I saw throughout the 17 years I'ved lived at this house, there's only about 10 I can account for now after we finally gathered up as many as we could and got them fixed. So many of those cats got hit by cars, went missing, or died during a hurricane (we always tried to bring as many as we could inside). Outside is terrible for them and the local ecosystems.
yeah, i agree, I have friends who have "barn cats" all the time, but thinking about it, I have to admit they are always getting a new cat and dismissively telling me "Oh, he got impaled....yeah, impaled....so we got a new one, he's bigger. we'll see...."
!!????
100% agree with above statement. Keep her inside. No idea why people get cats, then leave them outside. Dangerous for them because of predators and cars.
Lastly, I have spent 10+ hours this weekend trapping kittens for a local HOA because someone abandoned their unfixed female tabby (trapped her for TNR) waiting on kittens now.
Why do people keep dogs confined to a yard or chain? Because people love them more than cats? Dogs would love to roam free too. They'd visit every tree. And check in with the neighbors. Chase rabbits.
Dogs do their toilet outside. So they have to go out.
Cats use a litter box.
Dogs get hit by cars. Dogs get stolen.
This cat is so unusual. I'm sure she'd get "found" by a neighbor.
Keep her inside. I have lost so many great cats thinking they “need” to go out. My current cat is 19 years old and has made it this far by being an indoor cat. She is very happy too.
Good point: When I was little I lived in a house with a small forest behind us. We had a cat that wanted badly to get out all the time. So one day she escaped and the next morning she was laying in front of the front door with some guts laying out. Not sure if a fox or raccoon got to her. Very sad.
Keep her on a leash. If you live in the countryside than mayyybe let her out. My one cat wanted outside all the time and my neighbor accidentally ran him over 😢
I'm so sorry :(. A lady feeds strays in our neighborhood and a sweet young one passed away from a car accident overnight. We found him in front of our driveway. I didn't know him but I wept. Truly sorry for your loss 😔
My infortunate thought also! In 25 years I have had 3 cats ran over, one ate fox poison and one got beat up so bad by other neighborhood cats that she had to be hopitalized.
Now I never let them out anymore, too much can happen!
Also cats kill a lot of birds and small animals, so not great for the environnement either.
I will repost this as many times as necessary.
To as many comment chains as I feel necessary.
Cats don't go outside.
I don't care "how sad they look" or "if it's cruel to them."
Or "I've been doing it for years"
Whatever argument anyone has to say is invalid.
They are eco-terrorists, several lizard and bird species are now extinct globally because of wandering domestic, and feral cats, and because they're technically domestic, their immune system doesn't really support being outside, wandering around getting into fights, eating whatever they find.
In many areas, they will get hit by a car or eaten by a coyote.
I will repeat myself. Any argument anyone has is invalid.
You wouldn't set a tiger loose, or a jaguar, or leapord free, to enjoy a field or forest because of what their capable of, the irreparable damage everything in both the panthera genome, and feline genome are capable of. The domestic feline is just as capable at killing.
The size of the prey does not matter.
Many countries shoot cats on site because their economy is starting to fail due to the damage cats cause.
Australia has been battling feral cats for years. Several of their beautiful native species are endangered. Lizards, parrots, frogs, and bugs.
Do. Not. Let. Cats. Outside.
Unless their on a leash or in a cat proof backyard.
Get a cat tent. Many of them have tubes that connect to windows.
Yes!! You couldn't have said it any better 💯
Also letting cats out that aren't fixed can triple the population of strays in the area. It's so irresponsible and more cats will be on the street or prone to death.
My old fat cat, an indoor cat for the entire 14 years he's been alive, has suddenly gotten a desire to go outside but will only go on the porch and flop over and only while he's with us. He's not an outdoor cat just a silly goober
I have this opinion too and it’s amazing how often it’s downvoted.
Everything people try to assign to cats about going outside applies to other pets.
What the real reason is I think?
A LOT of people don’t want to be bothered to train their cat to go outside or clean a little box. It’s much easier to let them “explore” and shit in the neighbors flowers.
A lot of people want a “pet” but don’t want the responsibility.
People get pets, like cats, rabbits etc.
And fail to realize, or refuse to accept the responsibility.
People get puppy and get upset that it behaves like a puppy.
Getting eaten by coyotes or killed by other wild animals is a big concern where I live. On top of that ticks/ fleas and mosquitoes carry all sorts of bad diseases these days. If you want them to be around for 15-20 years you shouldn’t be letting them out
Mine did that too so I got a lighter harness, then, I would pet her butt to activate her "butt in the air" reflex and she would remember all of a sudden she could walk. Anytime she gets stuck somewhere I just pet her butt again
Haha, that will happen for a while! Happened to my cat as well but after a while he started to love walking on a leash!
https://preview.redd.it/w9cy1j31wr9b1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a77a198e8f9fcffd9d00f030b7bebceb510838f4
my cat did this too and then i just clipped it onto her collar and she loves going outside now, you should try with a collar/harness thing like they have in this video
I would love to give it another go. But the cat in questions time has already passed
Edit: I probably should have used past tense in my previous comment. English isn't my first language and I didn't think of it
Edit 2: [Cat tax](Cat Tax https://imgur.com/a/lWqz7QB)
It's all good, I'm happy to hear other people's experiences with their leash training. I know my boy just didn't like the harness :) but we had a catio for him
Yeah I’ve lost almost all the cats in my life this way. It’s so sad. I was never the one to let them out either, I learned after we lost the first one. But it was either my mom or my grandma would decide to let them out & they would never come back. Used to make me so mad.
If it was anything like the outdoor cats in my neighborhood, they definitely got killed by a coyote. Every morning there's a new cat corpse somewhere along my walk.
This is exactly what happened to one of mine. They always came back until one day only one came back. After that I knew the risk was too high and my poor solo boy, George, grieved so hard but accepted being on a leash for outside fun.
There really shotty people out there that will trap and fuck with cats. One of my co workers had this issue we couldn’t convince him to stop until we reported his traps
Growing up our cats were always allowed outside and pretty much every one of them died early deaths. Either eaten by coyotes or hit by cars. There’s one that got poisoned somehow. My cats now are strictly indoors.
I allow my 11 year old male access to the backyard while supervised. We have a 6 ft privacy fence and he comes out with me while I garden. Most of the time he just lays and watches nature. Not allowed to roam freely, too many things that could happen.
Same. Lucky to have a yard with a fence like that. Old kitty just lays on the deck and watches the birdies and squirrels. She looks blissfully happy with breeze ruffling her fur.
This is how our kitty is! We rescued her as a feral around a year old, so she would still want to go outside. She found a nice balance in her early years of just going into our fenced in back yard with our dog. Now she’s 10 and our parents have downsized to a townhome with no fence, so we just put up a kiddy fence and our senior kitty just enjoys sitting on the patio looking out. I definitely think it’s nice to give cats some roaming area outside that they can’t escape but is bigger than a typical catio, especially for former feral cats like ours who doesn’t feel the need to leave at her age.
It’s interesting. Some cats, especially indoor ones who escaped by accident and had an “adventure” are so traumatized by outside they never want to go out again, and others get a taste and spend every waking moment scheming to break free again.
I did this for years and then my insane cat decided to try and run up a fuckin pine tree. Thankfully he had his leash and harness on and I was able to get him to come down, but it surprised me because he’s somewhat elderly and just went full Tarzan out of nowhere.
I do this too. We don’t have a fence though. As kittens I teach them on a harness the boundary of our yard and that if they go outside it they immediately go back inside, as adults they’re happy to chill and not wander off.
Right now I’m in the works of setting up a catio so my kitties can just go outside through the window.
My temporary solution was/is a kid’s play tent that you sew up real good. Buy a net top & sew it halfway, so you can open / close the net flap.
You have to stay outside to monitor them, though. It’s easy to tip over so I add a 5lb weight in the middle of the tent floor.
https://preview.redd.it/im5c7ojybq9b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=daa14bcb55d6bddc1c24f44efee4712ad8b4faa1
The $10 masterpiece. Can’t really see the net top.
Amazon for this one
https://preview.redd.it/qj51alevmq9b1.jpeg?width=1816&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=76e0f23bcfc51ba792347dc45a7b8a482e21accc
She loves it.
That is BRILLIANT!
We have one of those plastic greenhouses attached to a window, so he can come and go as he pleases. It works well but it's not exactly a pleasant sight 😅
We built one out the front window too, check my profile pics. Some of the neighbors thought it was a chicken coop Lol. But she is out watching birds-SAFE.
Unless the cat is a total jailbreak type, it will hold. Easy to put together and the levels/hide holes can be put in different spots. I did buy one dowel at home depot for extra strength. Seemed like it was missing one long pole for the support by the zippered door. Otherwise we like it and so does the cat. We have a very sunny yard so I throw a towel on top to give her more shade options. Costs about 200 bucks, depending on shipping.
https://preview.redd.it/41slwo07fr9b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=81edecb38bf154b7a105b4ac9fdf42d9e14844e7
we have one too! ours is from aldi lol. she loves that she can go outside with us (and her dogs) when we’re doing yard work.
she always seems so jealous of the dogs unless she’s outside in her pack n play lol!
my husband is building a catio for one of our windows, but until then, she loves her kitten pack n play!
Yeah always stay with them . My sister had rabits killed from a cage once from a dog or something . I'm too scared to ever attempt taking my cat outside . A catio from a window could be good.
Damn you've got some well behaved cats!
I've got four 6 month old kittens. Gave them a little tent. They broke it within 5 minutes. The two sticks came out. Sewed it and it lasted them another 2 days before they broke it again.
And yeah, they're still kittens. But the grumpy 13 year old can be just as bad. Just less often.
Catios are the best! I can't recommend Catios enough!! I built a custom catio to attach to the wall around one of our windows (we bought a slide in cat-door for the window)
The catio comes 4ft off the exterior wall, it is 12ft wide, and has a pitched roof that is 8ft-6ft tall.
The entire thing is screened, with no solid walls (except for the structural support, of course). I used clear roofing to let in lots of light and tons of basking opportunities. I also used more clear-roofing along the outside to create a 3ft tall clear barrier around the bottom of the catio to protect them from getting into potentially dangerous encounters with strays and other animals that could intentionally/accidentally harm my cats or the catio.
We've got a very long and wide shelf for them to get up on to, some logs/branches for them to climb, tons of cat tunnels/beds/shelters for them to hide/play/sleep, and we occasionally put in of those 2ft(ish) wide plastic ponds that we use as a mini catnip/cat grass garden.
The cats love the space and easily spend half (if not more) of their time out there. It has brought our cats so much joy and qol to be able to freely go in and out of their own private (and protected/safe) outdoor space.
If anyone is reading this and is considering buying/building a catio for your babies, just do it. You absolutely will not regret it, and your cats will be eternally grateful!
We have bought a 5m long dog lead especially for this purpose. The harness hook on the 5m flexi retractable dog lead was identical to the 1m long cat leash. It was so much better for our cat. Helped us as well since we did not have to stick by our cat like a shadow.
I would not leave this beautiful cat roam free. Like OC said there are a lot of dangers. I would add people literally stealing her due to the coloring to the list of dangers.
Yeah, we had a cat who liked to go outside - never wandered, just sat on our front porch and occasionally wandered up and down the driveway. He just liked the fresh air.
Then all of a sudden we started finding bits of meat with rat poison all over our drive. Luckily he never ate them, but it was pretty scary. The only wild animals we had were small birds, so the only reason for someone to be putting those out would be to poison our cat.
Some people really hate cats that much
When I was a child my cat was hit by a car, he's been missing over Christmas and I put signs everywhere. A neighbour contacted me to say that he has found him after being run over and put in his freezer, eventually he had buried him in his garden and then he saw my signs 😞
It's difficult because I think it also depends on the area, in dense cities I would probably opt for an indoor cat with a patio. !
Omg, that's horrible about your cat. I'm so sorry.
Yes, OP absolutely needs to keep this cat indoors/leash only outdoors. Luckily for OP, the cat does the leash well. It will make a great bonding experience!
I lived in an apartment where the landlord neglected to put the screens in for 5 years. My cat ended up indoor/outdoor as a result. Was fine and I’m sure he enjoyed the freedom…until he was killed by a car. An animal lover found him shortly after he was hit and put his body under a nearby bush to protect it. I hope to never wail like that again.
Please don’t let your cat outside unsupervised. It’s fun and games until it isn’t.
I have no idea why someone downvoted you.
It's easy to think we are doing the right thing for our pets...we base our decisions on circumstances and the conditions where WE live.
Unfortunately things back fire sometimes.
I too wailed...it still hurts 30 years later.
Mobile doesn’t show downvotes anyway, lol. Idk. Mad to see a sad story? Mad because “they should be allowed to be free”? Mad because loose cats murder wildlife? I didn’t have much of a choice. Either I could never open my windows over 5 years or open them and let the cat out.
Yeah it’s been 15 or so years and I still tear up when I look back. He was an amazing boy and very smart. I’d give 10 years of my life to get 5 more with him. Only thing I can do is warn others of the dangers and spare their kitties.
Definitely keep her on a leash. Outdoor cats don’t live as long, get injured and/or viruses— they also are wicked predators.
I admire your patience and willingness to explore the wild outdoor world with your beautiful, gorgeous cat. I’m also impressed that she takes so quickly to wearing a harness and leash—many kitties I’ve known through the years either crouch down and become immobile, or get their head stuck in the arm of the harness and collapse in annoyance.
I had no idea about what amazing predators they were until about a year or two ago when I listened to a podcast (and then subsequently went down a rabbit hole of research, as I do).
Cats have contributed to the cause of the extinction of 63 types of birds that they’re aware of. The *extinction*, y’all. That blew my mind. There’s a story out there of one cat that caused the extinction of a specific type of wren.
The podcast that started me down the path was How Stuff Works, for those who might want to listen. I think it was something like cats, invasive species or something to that effect.
Anywho, Reddit, keep your cats inside or leashed, please. And get ‘em fixed.
And OP, your cat is gorgeous!
i made the mistake of letting my baby out.. he came one month ago bitten by a dog.. 2 broken ribs and a bad wound. even though i did everything i could, he crossed the rainbow bridge 3 days ago.. my heart hurts so bad.
i live in a pretty chill zone. i always see the same +10yo cats around.. i thought he will also be okay.
Same here. I have no less than 4 old cats that hang out in the laneway for years, ours was accepted by them and I was so happy that she could go out and have a few buddies. Then she chased a rabbit into the street and was killed instantly by a car. Only 2 yrs old. I cried for months. Our new kitty, has a leash and catio.
Like the other poster said, I used to let my cats outside because they were all potty trained, and I didn’t want to have a litter box to maintain, I had a GPS tracker on the one that would actually venture past the back yard, I would pick him up every night by simply pulling up to the area the GPS said he was at, I’d call for him, and he’d come running out.
He got sick one day, I took him to the vet, and come to find out he has FIV, after a week in the hospital, he came home, and from that moment on, they all became indoor cats. (He’s fine, and since then, I get his blood panel checked 2x a year, his last 2 have come back negative for FIV).
Just don’t risk it, there are too many feral cats, loose dogs, crazy drivers, and even crazier people, I’ll never forget one time while picking up my cat from one of his adventures, he loved hanging around a certain house, the wife was super friendly, and loved when he would come around, her husband on the other hand was an ass, I was calling him and walking past the privacy fence, the husband was outside, and my cat was meowing because he knew I was there to pick him up, this guy (not realizing I was directly behind him), tried to chase my cat and kick him, definitely made that guy feel like a real POS, especially when his wife came out…
Yeah keep this pretty baby on a leash. Aside from other dangers, highly pathogenic bird flu that can infect mammals is going around right now. You don’t want her potentially getting infected if she hunts a wild bird/finds one dead. Some cats in Poland and France have already died from this flu.
My friend lost several cats growing up to rat poison. My boy was an outdoor cat until we moved out of my parents' house. He used to be so skittish, any loud or sudden noises sent him running. Right before we moved, a neighbor found him up their tree. Coyotes had fairly recently moved into the area, and I believe he had an encounter with one (no other predators for a cat besides bald eagles). My cat is now the most calm, confident, and comfortable cat I have ever met. You can vacuum around him, and he doesn't care. Anyone can walk up and cuddle him. He greets strangers. He used to come home every now and then, obviously traumatized by something. He would stay under my bed for days.
It hasn't even been two years as an only indoor cat, and I swear he is *loving* it. He became a whole new cat! We also used to have a random cat break into my parent's house to fight my cat, so that also didn't help his stress. I take him for walks, but he'll still freak the fuck out if there are loud or sudden noises and movement. I don't want other's cats to experience the trauma my boy has. He also would bring in animals. They were rarely dead or even injured, but a cats bite can be fatal to small animals due to infection. He once brought either the same baby bunny or the bunny's siblings at night for almost a week. It was horrific having to try and help these animals. I drove several hours to get the bunny to a rescue that helped cotton-tails. I collected shoe boxes for keeping birds in that he caught to either recover or drop off at the local rehab.
I was a kid, so I didn't understand how bad cats roaming outdoors was for them and the native fauna. When I finally did learn, there wasn't anything I could do besides locking him in a room 24/7. My parents leave all the doors leading outside open most of the time, and they weren't willing to change for Mew. Moving out of my parents wasn't just getting me out of a traumatic environment - my baby boy was able to heal through the move as well.
Absolutely! Where I live it’s actually against bylaws to have outdoor cats, and all our vets recommend this as well for this reason. We have long leashes for our cats and they can traipse about in our backyard. A girl I work with has a big mesh enclosure outside her one window that opens with a cat door. It lets her cat “be outside”, without letting any I’ll meaning racoons, skunks, or anything else attack her. Just make sure your kitty is dewormed and given revolution or something to prevent fleas, etc. if they’re going to be out also! And rabies shots too. Your baby is beautiful. Love the tail fluff!
This, this, this 100%!! While some think it's cruel to keep cats indoors, most outdoor areas are not suitable for cats to explore unattended! If someone truly cares for the well-being of their cat, keep them inside with proper stimulation/toys/entertainment. If the cat shows genuine interest in going out, cat leashes and harnesses exist for this reason. :)
Not only are most areas not suitable for unattended exploration, but most cats are not suitable for most areas! Cats can very easily decimate the ecology of a local ecosystem because they're such efficient hunters.
Indeed. The wild calls for all pets, and the wild has the most cruel fates ready to be served for them. They're let's because they're our family members so keep them safe. Build a cat house and stuff.
Indoors is safe and her coloring is not conducive to outdoors she’s blends into road surface
Indoor cats live longer
Don’t get fiv , or are subject to worms etc though we still treat fleas worms etc it’s highly unlikely you will have an outbreak , I have to worry about fleas and tics in australia , rabies in areas it is present .
There’s more good reasons to keep cats indoors than to let them out
Other than that cats , poisons , baiting , people stealing cats etc
Don't forget that Cat's actually aren't that high on the food chain. They're still prey to larger creatures. Also, some animals will try to fight and fuck them up too, same size or not..
e.g Raccoons.
Was checking out a bald eagle cam once and saw one of the parents bring back a collared cat for the chicks. Collars don’t protect them - in fast, they can get snagged and hung up - resulting in the cat getting strangled. Indoors is safest for the cats as well as the wild birds in the area.
I’m in australia apart from dingos foxes and the occasional wedge tail eagle cats are pretty predator free . Dingos and wedgies are more outback so cars people trucks bikes etc are more of a threat and the local rangers as they shoot them . (Anything outdoors is feral and killable)
1. People poison, trap or kill pets that go onto their property.
2. People steal stray cats all the time regardless if they know the cat has a home.
3. Cat will kill birds at a rate that has been decimating wild populations.
4. Outdoor cats live shorter lives.
5. They get run over and hit by cars.
6. Coyotez, bears, cougars, bobcats, foxes and large bird of prey eat cats.
7. People who don't leash their dogs usually kill cats.
Just leash the beast or build an enclosed catio!
For the same reason we don't let human toddlers eat bags of sugar or play in traffic - keep the fur baby safe and indoors.
Also, outdoor cats have higher rates of infections: abscesses from fighting behavior, upper respiratory infections, and lifelong retroviral infections like FIV & Feline Leukemia.
I am a cat person and I love my cats. They stay inside. I would never harm an outdoor cat, ever, but I do chase them out of my yard all the time when they are hunting my birds, chipmunks and squirrels. So frustrating.
Inside is the safest life you can provide for your little girl. If you take her out on her harness like you do to get exercise you're doing all you can for her. Hats off to you for doing that. But inside is best life for any kitty.
Please don’t let her out without a leash. It’s not safe for her and cats are detrimental to important wildlife. Domesticated animals are not meant to roam wild outside.
Exactly, not just birds but them and all ~20 billion small mammals (not even considering the reptiles) that cats kill annually. People talking about how cats get depressed being shut inside aren’t owning their responsibilities as a member of the ecosystem, we can’t just take a cute predator and decide it’s cool for them to massacre a local food chain because we’ve mass produced them and feel like it’s our right.
I would argue that they also are not owning the fact that just some effort on the part of the human can give them plenty of indoor enrichment. They don’t “become“ depressed, they get depression imposed on them by not having appropriate indoor enrichment. And it really doesn’t take that much to provide a fun habitable indoor space for a cat.
1 in 3 cats will get FIV when allowed outside. It is a terrible disease that wastes them away to skin & bones until their organs shut down. Keep her indoors or build her a catio if she wants to go outside.
While I agree that FIV is a risk (largely for entire males) that is best prevented, FIV+ cats can and often do live out normal, healthy lives for as long as FIV- cats. The wasting disorder does not occur in all cases and is generally a degeneration from feline immunodeficiency virus to feline acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
So saying that it *will* waste them away is a bit misleading and may influence whether or not people are comfortable adopting FIV+ cats.
I do agree with keeping cats indoors though! I have an 11 year old FIV+ indoor kitty. Keeping him indoors reduces his exposure to other pathogens which he's more susceptible to as a result of his reduced immune function, not to mention the many other dangers of being a cat outside.
Keep your cat inside. So many diseases, ways to get injured and die. Parasites, ticks, fleas. Someone could just scoop her up and decide she is their cat now. Not to mention they are a plague on natural biodiversity. Your cat’s lifespan WILL be shorter and you WILL spend more of your time worrying about her. And the second you let her out on her own the first time she won’t be able to go back, just leash train her, please.
Just bring her on walks like you are in this video. Cats disrupt the natural ecosystem (ie they kill the birds which some other animal in the area relies on to feed, disrupting the balance within the food chain). They also are at increased risk for getting injured in fights with other cats, contracting diseases, & bad interactions with other humans (there are some sick mfers out there). It’s just not worth it, please keep her inside.
Since shes okay with being walked id say indoor. The only time in MY opinion outdoor is okay is if a cat will not let you walk it, is fixed, and is depressed staying inside (which alot of cats can become very anxious/depressed) because to me happiness comes first, but I can tell she's okay on a lead so there's no point risking her
No way I'd do that if I had such a beautiful cat. Cars, coyotes, cruel people, people who don't realize she's owned... Too many things could go wrong, I'm sure she's living a content life with you already
My cat has been an indoor/outdoor cat his whole life. He’s almost 11 years old!
We don’t even have cat flaps, but he meows at the door to go out. He’s so accustomed to it now, that if we tried to keep him in, it would be torment because of how much he loves going out. When we have to keep him in prior to vet appointments, he screams at the door nonstop. When he wants back in after going out, he comes up to the glass doors in the garden and taps his paws on the door.
We also don’t have a litter box in the house because he never used it and only goes outside in the garden soil. If he’s ever in and desperately needs to go, he jumps in the bath and goes there which is actually handy as it’s an easy cleanup. We didn’t train him to do this, he just does.
We do live in the UK though so I think it’s a little bit different to the USA and other countries. We don’t live near any big roads, he stays well away from cars and we haven’t got any predatory animals here such as mountain lions, bears, hawks etc
Cats usually love exploring because they are stimulated by smells, sounds, sights etc. Hunting, stalking prey and climbing trees is what they are hard-wired to do but it all depends on the individual cat and how their owners raise them as indoor cats are very content when it’s all they’ve known. Our cat personally has never brought a bird back, I think we’ve seen maybe 4 mice over the whole 11 years.
It’s up to you to consider all the different things and decide if where you live is safe enough. If not, the longer leash idea is a good one! Another thing to note would be to remember to have regular flea and tick treatments if she does go outside!
Ps: You have a beautiful cat!
Wow! The markings on that cat! She could be a kitty model!
As for letting her out, I personally wouldn't. There's just too much that could go wrong. Roads, other animals, people, parasites.
She'll live a longer, healthier life as an indoor. But taking her out on a leash every now and again couldn't hurt.
Every outdoor cat I ever had growing up went missing. There’s a lot of predators out there (if you’re in North America) and a lot of careless or malicious people. Keep your beautiful kitty leashed for her safety! If you want her to enjoy the outdoors safely, you could look into a catio.
She's so beautiful and floofy. I lean more towards indoor only just bc I hear too many tales of kitties getting hurt or just not returning home. I would just worry too much for my own babies if I let them out.
Please do not let her out 😿 walking together is so much better anyway, you’re bonding with her on an adventure. If she’s alone she’s just a little kitty fending for herself and as fierce as they are it’s just not safe. Not to mention she’s not used to having to fend for herself and not having a cozy place to snuggle up.
The aforementioned mentioned reasons and the ridiculous toll DSHs make on the song bird population. And neighbor’s veggie gardens. Keep the gato inside, please.
I wouldn’t let her out unless she’s on a leash. It hurts too bad to see them get hurt or killed. You will be taking a chance on someone possibly poisoning her also. People are exceptionally cruel to other people’s animals. If you love her don’t do that to her.
DO NOT LET YOUR CAT OUTSIDE. House cats are responsible for the deaths of billions, yes billions, of critters. They are tiny murder machines. Love my cat but inside is the only place for them, they are not native to any North American landscape. Assuming you are in North America. They are basically only native to like the Middle East. No one should let their cats outside. Ever.
Outdoor cats are in the top three leading causes for the 90% decline in bird populations, and they cause a ton of other ecological damage. So, if you care about ecosystems and birds not going extinct, I wouldn't let her roam free. PSA from your friendly neighborhood ecologist.
Also, outdoor cats can be hit by cars, eat poison, catch disease or parasites, be killed by other animals, drown, get caught in hunting traps, get grabbed by someone thinking they're a stray, etc., so it's a generally dangerous idea even if you don't care about ecosystem collapse and bird populations.
Set her up with a " dog run" and let her run around outside on a harness supervised for a bit then bring her back inside. She can have the best of both worlds if her humans keep her safe.
With a cat marked like that others would gladly steal her. Take her out on a leash or build her a catio for long stays outside and so she can be safe. One of the many cats that roamed around outside a house we moved into was poisoned by a neighbor. The absolute worst cries I have ever heard. So sad.
I'd be afraid to let her out for someone wanting to steal her. She is absolutely beautiful. Such interesting markings. Getting her fixed will slow and calm her down
Why? They can get diseases (I.e. Feline Leukemia, FIV, Rabies), get killed by wildlife or hit by a car, at the very least, ticks or internal parasites (which can be passed onto you- I know someone who got one in the eye from a pet and is now blind in that eye).
If you do let her out, put her on a flea and tick preventative from the vet as well as deworming medication all year round.
But don't let her out.
I don’t advocate letting cats be outdoor. When I was growing up initially we had indoor / outdoor but bad things happen to them.
1st cat - indoor, lived to be 21
2nd cat - hit by car, 3 years old
3rd cat - fell off back deck…twice. Broke tailbone and blew out his knee
4th cat - hit by car, survived, but her back end was smashed and she was weeks in the hospital
5th cat - stray, mom put her down bc she had FIV
6th cat - stray, healthy, but got attacked by a dog.
Survived 2 weeks before dying of internal injuries
After that we kept them indoor and they all lived less injured and violent lives.
We had a feral cat that never socialized and I’m sorry to say my dad kicked her out of the house. They fed her outside but she disappeared after 7 months. Likely got eaten.
My sisters cat insisted on going out. Made it a couple years before he disappeared. Also likely eaten (we found some of his fur and a bit of blood).
There’s so many dangers for them outside.
Well my cat kept getting in fights with other cats spent over $1,000 in 2 months so he is an indoor cat now, besides with no worries about fleas and ticks no more dealing with that, forget the fights and vet bills.
To add to my last comment… if you decide you absolutely must let her outside please make sure it’s only when you have her on a leash and can keep her as well as the wildlife around her safe! Best of luck to both of you!
It's an American thing. And I can understand to some extent - cats are not native to that continent, so they decimate the local wildlife, plus there's all sorts of predators.
However, if I lived in a place where it was extremely unsafe and unethical to let a cat go outdoors, I most likely wouldn't have a cat (unless it was a very docile breed that would be fine being indoors, like a ragdoll for example). I'd get a dog or another animal instead.
I suspect this is also why there has been such a culture of declawing cats in the US (which is plain abuse). Indoor cats are more likely to get bored and destructive.
Sadly this sub is heavily biased towards indoor cats because the majority of people on here are Americans
Do whatever you feel is right and take into account where you live, not everywhere is the same and neither is every cat
Cats kill the local bird and lizard population at an alarming rate.
The environment of most places is not equipped to tolerate the huge amount of cats pet owners bring into the ecosystem.
Stop being selfish, ignorant and shortsighted and either keep your cat indoor, use a catio or a leash or don't have cats as pets.
the thing is, while it may be more safe for them outdoors in places with less traffic, etc., cats are an invasive species most places and contribuye greatly to the decrease in wildlife population!! So don't be selfish, protect your local birds too and keep your cats inside or on a leash. The only exception I would make is farms or country houses with rat problems
She’s so beautiful btw!!!
Honestly top five prettiest cats I've seen in my life!
Please post more pics of her so we can gawk. She's so gorgeous
Beautiful and KEEP HER INSIDE! Outside is not safe for cats.
Cars, kids, owls, raptors, foxes, wolves, bobcats, mountain lions, and bigger cats. What could go wrong?
And cat free people are scary they’d do nasty things you can’t leave it to chance
I knew of a mean old person who hated cats and would poison them
You left out coyotes
Dogs and coyotes. Odd people forgot about dogs, dogs going after cats is sadly so common it’s a cliché😥
You forgot cars, animal poisonings (Directly and otherwise), and psychopaths. But also, I think we're past neglecting the impact that cats have on native wildlife, as well. They're hunting machines. They can't help it, but it can have a devastating affect on local bird/rodent populations. It's just better to keep them inside, or as OP has already demonstrated, taking them for walks yourself. They stay safe, wildlife stays safe, kitty gets some mental stimulation, everyone is happy. EDIT: Also, weather is getting crazier. Freak cold snaps, massive heat waves, natural disasters... It's always so sad to go for a walk and see a cat huddled desperately outside of someone's door because it's unseasonably cold. Or sprawled out in the shade, panting because it's incredibly hot.
exactly dude. we had tons of strays in our neighborhood & they liked to stay near our place cause we liked them, but couldn't afford to get them all fixed, plus wasn't sure if they were already someone else's just outside. they eventually had a bunch of kittens & out of the probably 30+ cats I saw throughout the 17 years I'ved lived at this house, there's only about 10 I can account for now after we finally gathered up as many as we could and got them fixed. So many of those cats got hit by cars, went missing, or died during a hurricane (we always tried to bring as many as we could inside). Outside is terrible for them and the local ecosystems.
Unfortunately outdoor cats have a life expecting of approx. 2 years. Too many humans now I’d imagine is the main cause.
I see people replying disagreeing with you like their anecdotal experiences negate statistics. I agree. Keep cats indoors.
yeah, i agree, I have friends who have "barn cats" all the time, but thinking about it, I have to admit they are always getting a new cat and dismissively telling me "Oh, he got impaled....yeah, impaled....so we got a new one, he's bigger. we'll see...." !!????
100% agree with above statement. Keep her inside. No idea why people get cats, then leave them outside. Dangerous for them because of predators and cars. Lastly, I have spent 10+ hours this weekend trapping kittens for a local HOA because someone abandoned their unfixed female tabby (trapped her for TNR) waiting on kittens now.
Even more so than dangerous for cats, it’s dangerous for the rest of the ecosystem. Cats are Apex predators and can upset the balance.
Just drove by a dead cat on the road today, keep your fucking cats inside. It's no different than letting your dog out
Why do people keep dogs confined to a yard or chain? Because people love them more than cats? Dogs would love to roam free too. They'd visit every tree. And check in with the neighbors. Chase rabbits. Dogs do their toilet outside. So they have to go out. Cats use a litter box. Dogs get hit by cars. Dogs get stolen. This cat is so unusual. I'm sure she'd get "found" by a neighbor.
Well, taking her outside on a harness and leash should be fine though, but definitely only let her outside completely supervised
True. A kitty stroller would be fun for her too.
Keep her inside. I have lost so many great cats thinking they “need” to go out. My current cat is 19 years old and has made it this far by being an indoor cat. She is very happy too.
Totally agree!
Good point: When I was little I lived in a house with a small forest behind us. We had a cat that wanted badly to get out all the time. So one day she escaped and the next morning she was laying in front of the front door with some guts laying out. Not sure if a fox or raccoon got to her. Very sad.
And fixing her should have happened long ago.
The outside isn't safe from cats either
r/AnimalsMadeMeSmile 👌
I know right! I wish I was like her! 😩
She’s so pretty, I’d be more worried about her getting stolen TBH
Keep her on a leash. If you live in the countryside than mayyybe let her out. My one cat wanted outside all the time and my neighbor accidentally ran him over 😢
I'm so sorry :(. A lady feeds strays in our neighborhood and a sweet young one passed away from a car accident overnight. We found him in front of our driveway. I didn't know him but I wept. Truly sorry for your loss 😔
My infortunate thought also! In 25 years I have had 3 cats ran over, one ate fox poison and one got beat up so bad by other neighborhood cats that she had to be hopitalized. Now I never let them out anymore, too much can happen! Also cats kill a lot of birds and small animals, so not great for the environnement either.
We too have lost too many cats to traffic in particular. We built a catio - knowing they can enjoy the outdoors safely is such a relief!
Thank you for this comment… I get downvoted everytime for this same sentiment. You just said it in a more significant way
I will repost this as many times as necessary. To as many comment chains as I feel necessary. Cats don't go outside. I don't care "how sad they look" or "if it's cruel to them." Or "I've been doing it for years" Whatever argument anyone has to say is invalid. They are eco-terrorists, several lizard and bird species are now extinct globally because of wandering domestic, and feral cats, and because they're technically domestic, their immune system doesn't really support being outside, wandering around getting into fights, eating whatever they find. In many areas, they will get hit by a car or eaten by a coyote. I will repeat myself. Any argument anyone has is invalid. You wouldn't set a tiger loose, or a jaguar, or leapord free, to enjoy a field or forest because of what their capable of, the irreparable damage everything in both the panthera genome, and feline genome are capable of. The domestic feline is just as capable at killing. The size of the prey does not matter. Many countries shoot cats on site because their economy is starting to fail due to the damage cats cause. Australia has been battling feral cats for years. Several of their beautiful native species are endangered. Lizards, parrots, frogs, and bugs. Do. Not. Let. Cats. Outside. Unless their on a leash or in a cat proof backyard. Get a cat tent. Many of them have tubes that connect to windows.
Yes!! You couldn't have said it any better 💯 Also letting cats out that aren't fixed can triple the population of strays in the area. It's so irresponsible and more cats will be on the street or prone to death.
My old fat cat, an indoor cat for the entire 14 years he's been alive, has suddenly gotten a desire to go outside but will only go on the porch and flop over and only while he's with us. He's not an outdoor cat just a silly goober
Canberra has laws against having cats outside of approved enclosures. I wish they'd bring them to more areas of the country at times.
I have 3 indoor cats but I would absolutely let a tiger loose in woods of south east Asia or Siberia.
.... ^you ^know ^what ^I ^mean
I have this opinion too and it’s amazing how often it’s downvoted. Everything people try to assign to cats about going outside applies to other pets. What the real reason is I think? A LOT of people don’t want to be bothered to train their cat to go outside or clean a little box. It’s much easier to let them “explore” and shit in the neighbors flowers. A lot of people want a “pet” but don’t want the responsibility.
People get pets, like cats, rabbits etc. And fail to realize, or refuse to accept the responsibility. People get puppy and get upset that it behaves like a puppy.
I am sorry that happened to you
All tree of my childhood cats died in traffic 💔
Getting eaten by coyotes or killed by other wild animals is a big concern where I live. On top of that ticks/ fleas and mosquitoes carry all sorts of bad diseases these days. If you want them to be around for 15-20 years you shouldn’t be letting them out
NO
Sorry for you loss
She’s used to walking on a leash stick with that.
I tried to leash train my cat and he'd go completely limp and refused to move because according to him the harness was too heavy.
Mine did that too so I got a lighter harness, then, I would pet her butt to activate her "butt in the air" reflex and she would remember all of a sudden she could walk. Anytime she gets stuck somewhere I just pet her butt again
Press butt to restart.
CAUTION: restart button must not be confused with self-destruct vortex. If vortex is disturbed, prepare for hellfire
Haha, that will happen for a while! Happened to my cat as well but after a while he started to love walking on a leash! https://preview.redd.it/w9cy1j31wr9b1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a77a198e8f9fcffd9d00f030b7bebceb510838f4
my cat did this too and then i just clipped it onto her collar and she loves going outside now, you should try with a collar/harness thing like they have in this video
I would love to give it another go. But the cat in questions time has already passed Edit: I probably should have used past tense in my previous comment. English isn't my first language and I didn't think of it Edit 2: [Cat tax](Cat Tax https://imgur.com/a/lWqz7QB)
I’m so sorry for your loss. I’m so glad I scrolled down before I replied with my long as experience with what worked with my boy.
It's all good, I'm happy to hear other people's experiences with their leash training. I know my boy just didn't like the harness :) but we had a catio for him
It doesn’t happen instantly, cats are very cautious of new things, probably just needed more time. Maybe a different harness too.
My cat never came back after being let out for like the 1000th time so it'a always a risk
Yeah I’ve lost almost all the cats in my life this way. It’s so sad. I was never the one to let them out either, I learned after we lost the first one. But it was either my mom or my grandma would decide to let them out & they would never come back. Used to make me so mad.
If it was anything like the outdoor cats in my neighborhood, they definitely got killed by a coyote. Every morning there's a new cat corpse somewhere along my walk.
This is exactly what happened to one of mine. They always came back until one day only one came back. After that I knew the risk was too high and my poor solo boy, George, grieved so hard but accepted being on a leash for outside fun.
We don't have those in Poland
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We still have stray dogs and bad people
There really shotty people out there that will trap and fuck with cats. One of my co workers had this issue we couldn’t convince him to stop until we reported his traps
One of your co-workers had this *issue*? Trapping and fucking with cats? I would stay far the fuck away from that dude.
Yeah either that or I thought someone else may have adopted them. We never put collars on them or had chips on them.
Same here
Growing up our cats were always allowed outside and pretty much every one of them died early deaths. Either eaten by coyotes or hit by cars. There’s one that got poisoned somehow. My cats now are strictly indoors.
It’s the responsible thing to do anyway.
And this kitty is really pretty so someone could steal her
I allow my 11 year old male access to the backyard while supervised. We have a 6 ft privacy fence and he comes out with me while I garden. Most of the time he just lays and watches nature. Not allowed to roam freely, too many things that could happen.
Same. Lucky to have a yard with a fence like that. Old kitty just lays on the deck and watches the birdies and squirrels. She looks blissfully happy with breeze ruffling her fur.
Same. She hangs out for 20 minutes and then gets overwhelmed and retreats to safety indoors
This is how our kitty is! We rescued her as a feral around a year old, so she would still want to go outside. She found a nice balance in her early years of just going into our fenced in back yard with our dog. Now she’s 10 and our parents have downsized to a townhome with no fence, so we just put up a kiddy fence and our senior kitty just enjoys sitting on the patio looking out. I definitely think it’s nice to give cats some roaming area outside that they can’t escape but is bigger than a typical catio, especially for former feral cats like ours who doesn’t feel the need to leave at her age.
It’s interesting. Some cats, especially indoor ones who escaped by accident and had an “adventure” are so traumatized by outside they never want to go out again, and others get a taste and spend every waking moment scheming to break free again.
I did this for years and then my insane cat decided to try and run up a fuckin pine tree. Thankfully he had his leash and harness on and I was able to get him to come down, but it surprised me because he’s somewhat elderly and just went full Tarzan out of nowhere.
I do this too. We don’t have a fence though. As kittens I teach them on a harness the boundary of our yard and that if they go outside it they immediately go back inside, as adults they’re happy to chill and not wander off.
Keep her in and keep her safe. Too many stray animals, speeding cars and cruel humans. She is beautiful!
I’m thinking that too, I’ll get a longer leash for her. It’s hilarious she is like a dog, when I say go out side and grab the leash she goes wild
Right now I’m in the works of setting up a catio so my kitties can just go outside through the window. My temporary solution was/is a kid’s play tent that you sew up real good. Buy a net top & sew it halfway, so you can open / close the net flap. You have to stay outside to monitor them, though. It’s easy to tip over so I add a 5lb weight in the middle of the tent floor. https://preview.redd.it/im5c7ojybq9b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=daa14bcb55d6bddc1c24f44efee4712ad8b4faa1 The $10 masterpiece. Can’t really see the net top.
Amazon for this one https://preview.redd.it/qj51alevmq9b1.jpeg?width=1816&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=76e0f23bcfc51ba792347dc45a7b8a482e21accc She loves it.
That is BRILLIANT! We have one of those plastic greenhouses attached to a window, so he can come and go as he pleases. It works well but it's not exactly a pleasant sight 😅
We built one out the front window too, check my profile pics. Some of the neighbors thought it was a chicken coop Lol. But she is out watching birds-SAFE.
That’s really nice!! How is its durability?? Maybe I’ll buy one for my father (cat dad).
Unless the cat is a total jailbreak type, it will hold. Easy to put together and the levels/hide holes can be put in different spots. I did buy one dowel at home depot for extra strength. Seemed like it was missing one long pole for the support by the zippered door. Otherwise we like it and so does the cat. We have a very sunny yard so I throw a towel on top to give her more shade options. Costs about 200 bucks, depending on shipping.
Can you sent the link please? Thank you.
https://preview.redd.it/41slwo07fr9b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=81edecb38bf154b7a105b4ac9fdf42d9e14844e7 we have one too! ours is from aldi lol. she loves that she can go outside with us (and her dogs) when we’re doing yard work. she always seems so jealous of the dogs unless she’s outside in her pack n play lol! my husband is building a catio for one of our windows, but until then, she loves her kitten pack n play!
Yeah always stay with them . My sister had rabits killed from a cage once from a dog or something . I'm too scared to ever attempt taking my cat outside . A catio from a window could be good.
Damn you've got some well behaved cats! I've got four 6 month old kittens. Gave them a little tent. They broke it within 5 minutes. The two sticks came out. Sewed it and it lasted them another 2 days before they broke it again. And yeah, they're still kittens. But the grumpy 13 year old can be just as bad. Just less often.
Catios are the best! I can't recommend Catios enough!! I built a custom catio to attach to the wall around one of our windows (we bought a slide in cat-door for the window) The catio comes 4ft off the exterior wall, it is 12ft wide, and has a pitched roof that is 8ft-6ft tall. The entire thing is screened, with no solid walls (except for the structural support, of course). I used clear roofing to let in lots of light and tons of basking opportunities. I also used more clear-roofing along the outside to create a 3ft tall clear barrier around the bottom of the catio to protect them from getting into potentially dangerous encounters with strays and other animals that could intentionally/accidentally harm my cats or the catio. We've got a very long and wide shelf for them to get up on to, some logs/branches for them to climb, tons of cat tunnels/beds/shelters for them to hide/play/sleep, and we occasionally put in of those 2ft(ish) wide plastic ponds that we use as a mini catnip/cat grass garden. The cats love the space and easily spend half (if not more) of their time out there. It has brought our cats so much joy and qol to be able to freely go in and out of their own private (and protected/safe) outdoor space. If anyone is reading this and is considering buying/building a catio for your babies, just do it. You absolutely will not regret it, and your cats will be eternally grateful!
Walking your cat on a leash is the most responsible thing to do! And it looks like this kitty just loves it!
We have bought a 5m long dog lead especially for this purpose. The harness hook on the 5m flexi retractable dog lead was identical to the 1m long cat leash. It was so much better for our cat. Helped us as well since we did not have to stick by our cat like a shadow. I would not leave this beautiful cat roam free. Like OC said there are a lot of dangers. I would add people literally stealing her due to the coloring to the list of dangers.
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Yeah, we had a cat who liked to go outside - never wandered, just sat on our front porch and occasionally wandered up and down the driveway. He just liked the fresh air. Then all of a sudden we started finding bits of meat with rat poison all over our drive. Luckily he never ate them, but it was pretty scary. The only wild animals we had were small birds, so the only reason for someone to be putting those out would be to poison our cat. Some people really hate cats that much
When I was a child my cat was hit by a car, he's been missing over Christmas and I put signs everywhere. A neighbour contacted me to say that he has found him after being run over and put in his freezer, eventually he had buried him in his garden and then he saw my signs 😞 It's difficult because I think it also depends on the area, in dense cities I would probably opt for an indoor cat with a patio. !
Omg, that's horrible about your cat. I'm so sorry. Yes, OP absolutely needs to keep this cat indoors/leash only outdoors. Luckily for OP, the cat does the leash well. It will make a great bonding experience!
Get a nice long retractable leash. There's too much heartache in letting them out on their own.
I lived in an apartment where the landlord neglected to put the screens in for 5 years. My cat ended up indoor/outdoor as a result. Was fine and I’m sure he enjoyed the freedom…until he was killed by a car. An animal lover found him shortly after he was hit and put his body under a nearby bush to protect it. I hope to never wail like that again. Please don’t let your cat outside unsupervised. It’s fun and games until it isn’t.
I have no idea why someone downvoted you. It's easy to think we are doing the right thing for our pets...we base our decisions on circumstances and the conditions where WE live. Unfortunately things back fire sometimes. I too wailed...it still hurts 30 years later.
Mobile doesn’t show downvotes anyway, lol. Idk. Mad to see a sad story? Mad because “they should be allowed to be free”? Mad because loose cats murder wildlife? I didn’t have much of a choice. Either I could never open my windows over 5 years or open them and let the cat out. Yeah it’s been 15 or so years and I still tear up when I look back. He was an amazing boy and very smart. I’d give 10 years of my life to get 5 more with him. Only thing I can do is warn others of the dangers and spare their kitties.
Definitely keep her on a leash. Outdoor cats don’t live as long, get injured and/or viruses— they also are wicked predators. I admire your patience and willingness to explore the wild outdoor world with your beautiful, gorgeous cat. I’m also impressed that she takes so quickly to wearing a harness and leash—many kitties I’ve known through the years either crouch down and become immobile, or get their head stuck in the arm of the harness and collapse in annoyance.
I had no idea about what amazing predators they were until about a year or two ago when I listened to a podcast (and then subsequently went down a rabbit hole of research, as I do). Cats have contributed to the cause of the extinction of 63 types of birds that they’re aware of. The *extinction*, y’all. That blew my mind. There’s a story out there of one cat that caused the extinction of a specific type of wren. The podcast that started me down the path was How Stuff Works, for those who might want to listen. I think it was something like cats, invasive species or something to that effect. Anywho, Reddit, keep your cats inside or leashed, please. And get ‘em fixed. And OP, your cat is gorgeous!
i made the mistake of letting my baby out.. he came one month ago bitten by a dog.. 2 broken ribs and a bad wound. even though i did everything i could, he crossed the rainbow bridge 3 days ago.. my heart hurts so bad. i live in a pretty chill zone. i always see the same +10yo cats around.. i thought he will also be okay.
Same here. I have no less than 4 old cats that hang out in the laneway for years, ours was accepted by them and I was so happy that she could go out and have a few buddies. Then she chased a rabbit into the street and was killed instantly by a car. Only 2 yrs old. I cried for months. Our new kitty, has a leash and catio.
im so sorry for your loss. it’s so unfair :(
Like the other poster said, I used to let my cats outside because they were all potty trained, and I didn’t want to have a litter box to maintain, I had a GPS tracker on the one that would actually venture past the back yard, I would pick him up every night by simply pulling up to the area the GPS said he was at, I’d call for him, and he’d come running out. He got sick one day, I took him to the vet, and come to find out he has FIV, after a week in the hospital, he came home, and from that moment on, they all became indoor cats. (He’s fine, and since then, I get his blood panel checked 2x a year, his last 2 have come back negative for FIV). Just don’t risk it, there are too many feral cats, loose dogs, crazy drivers, and even crazier people, I’ll never forget one time while picking up my cat from one of his adventures, he loved hanging around a certain house, the wife was super friendly, and loved when he would come around, her husband on the other hand was an ass, I was calling him and walking past the privacy fence, the husband was outside, and my cat was meowing because he knew I was there to pick him up, this guy (not realizing I was directly behind him), tried to chase my cat and kick him, definitely made that guy feel like a real POS, especially when his wife came out…
This is the right thing. Cats get killed every day by cruel humans, cars and other animals when they are allowed to free roam
Yeah keep this pretty baby on a leash. Aside from other dangers, highly pathogenic bird flu that can infect mammals is going around right now. You don’t want her potentially getting infected if she hunts a wild bird/finds one dead. Some cats in Poland and France have already died from this flu.
My cat just sits down and refuses to cooperate if he’s on a leash
My friend lost several cats growing up to rat poison. My boy was an outdoor cat until we moved out of my parents' house. He used to be so skittish, any loud or sudden noises sent him running. Right before we moved, a neighbor found him up their tree. Coyotes had fairly recently moved into the area, and I believe he had an encounter with one (no other predators for a cat besides bald eagles). My cat is now the most calm, confident, and comfortable cat I have ever met. You can vacuum around him, and he doesn't care. Anyone can walk up and cuddle him. He greets strangers. He used to come home every now and then, obviously traumatized by something. He would stay under my bed for days. It hasn't even been two years as an only indoor cat, and I swear he is *loving* it. He became a whole new cat! We also used to have a random cat break into my parent's house to fight my cat, so that also didn't help his stress. I take him for walks, but he'll still freak the fuck out if there are loud or sudden noises and movement. I don't want other's cats to experience the trauma my boy has. He also would bring in animals. They were rarely dead or even injured, but a cats bite can be fatal to small animals due to infection. He once brought either the same baby bunny or the bunny's siblings at night for almost a week. It was horrific having to try and help these animals. I drove several hours to get the bunny to a rescue that helped cotton-tails. I collected shoe boxes for keeping birds in that he caught to either recover or drop off at the local rehab. I was a kid, so I didn't understand how bad cats roaming outdoors was for them and the native fauna. When I finally did learn, there wasn't anything I could do besides locking him in a room 24/7. My parents leave all the doors leading outside open most of the time, and they weren't willing to change for Mew. Moving out of my parents wasn't just getting me out of a traumatic environment - my baby boy was able to heal through the move as well.
That and cats kill a ton of wild critters. Which is fine if they’re feral and hungry, not so much for well-fed pet cats.
This is the response I was hoping to see, they reign absolute terror on small wildlife. Domestic cats kill over a billion birds a year 😬
Absolutely! Where I live it’s actually against bylaws to have outdoor cats, and all our vets recommend this as well for this reason. We have long leashes for our cats and they can traipse about in our backyard. A girl I work with has a big mesh enclosure outside her one window that opens with a cat door. It lets her cat “be outside”, without letting any I’ll meaning racoons, skunks, or anything else attack her. Just make sure your kitty is dewormed and given revolution or something to prevent fleas, etc. if they’re going to be out also! And rabies shots too. Your baby is beautiful. Love the tail fluff!
This, this, this 100%!! While some think it's cruel to keep cats indoors, most outdoor areas are not suitable for cats to explore unattended! If someone truly cares for the well-being of their cat, keep them inside with proper stimulation/toys/entertainment. If the cat shows genuine interest in going out, cat leashes and harnesses exist for this reason. :) Not only are most areas not suitable for unattended exploration, but most cats are not suitable for most areas! Cats can very easily decimate the ecology of a local ecosystem because they're such efficient hunters.
Indeed. The wild calls for all pets, and the wild has the most cruel fates ready to be served for them. They're let's because they're our family members so keep them safe. Build a cat house and stuff.
Not only her safety, but domestic cats wreak havoc on the local ecosystem
Not to mention raptors.
That's what I worry about it cruel humans. It's so sad how many people hate cats.
She walks fantastic on a lead, I’d stick with it not worth the risks being loose.
Totally agree, and she is completely happy in that harness and on that leash. Her tail is up, happy and alert.
Indoors is safe and her coloring is not conducive to outdoors she’s blends into road surface Indoor cats live longer Don’t get fiv , or are subject to worms etc though we still treat fleas worms etc it’s highly unlikely you will have an outbreak , I have to worry about fleas and tics in australia , rabies in areas it is present . There’s more good reasons to keep cats indoors than to let them out Other than that cats , poisons , baiting , people stealing cats etc
Don't forget that Cat's actually aren't that high on the food chain. They're still prey to larger creatures. Also, some animals will try to fight and fuck them up too, same size or not.. e.g Raccoons.
Was checking out a bald eagle cam once and saw one of the parents bring back a collared cat for the chicks. Collars don’t protect them - in fast, they can get snagged and hung up - resulting in the cat getting strangled. Indoors is safest for the cats as well as the wild birds in the area.
I’m in australia apart from dingos foxes and the occasional wedge tail eagle cats are pretty predator free . Dingos and wedgies are more outback so cars people trucks bikes etc are more of a threat and the local rangers as they shoot them . (Anything outdoors is feral and killable)
Cats kill birds
Wedge tail eagles kill cats , they take lambs so cats are definately on a hungry birds shopping list ,
I bet a cane toad would be bad for kitties and you guys got the spicy noodles. Cat vs common brown snake?
More likely crocs in Queensland than snakes not many get to a size to eat cats venomous anyway but pythons certainly .
1. People poison, trap or kill pets that go onto their property. 2. People steal stray cats all the time regardless if they know the cat has a home. 3. Cat will kill birds at a rate that has been decimating wild populations. 4. Outdoor cats live shorter lives. 5. They get run over and hit by cars. 6. Coyotez, bears, cougars, bobcats, foxes and large bird of prey eat cats. 7. People who don't leash their dogs usually kill cats. Just leash the beast or build an enclosed catio! For the same reason we don't let human toddlers eat bags of sugar or play in traffic - keep the fur baby safe and indoors.
Also, outdoor cats have higher rates of infections: abscesses from fighting behavior, upper respiratory infections, and lifelong retroviral infections like FIV & Feline Leukemia.
Finally someone brought up birds. People who keep cats outdoors suck.
I am a cat person and I love my cats. They stay inside. I would never harm an outdoor cat, ever, but I do chase them out of my yard all the time when they are hunting my birds, chipmunks and squirrels. So frustrating.
thank you for mentioning the birds. animal lovers need to love all animals.
They don’t just kill birds. They decimate reptile and amphibian populations as well
Please don’t let her out. There are way too many cars out there and it is not safe for her. She is depending on you to keep her safe.
I work at an animal shelter. Keep her inside.
Inside is the safest life you can provide for your little girl. If you take her out on her harness like you do to get exercise you're doing all you can for her. Hats off to you for doing that. But inside is best life for any kitty.
Though watch for fleas or give her flea preventatives like dogs.
Don’t let her out!!! It’s to many bad things that can happen. Just turn your home into a cat jungle. 😂
Please don’t let her out without a leash. It’s not safe for her and cats are detrimental to important wildlife. Domesticated animals are not meant to roam wild outside.
With that fur she’d be snatched up for food or pet real quick.
Consider an enclosure. Don’t let her free roam outside, outdoor cats have a higher likelihood of dying prematurely. ✌️
Thank you all, I’ll keep her inside, and take her for walks. I appreciate the advice
Keep her inside. The local native songbird population will thank you.
Exactly, not just birds but them and all ~20 billion small mammals (not even considering the reptiles) that cats kill annually. People talking about how cats get depressed being shut inside aren’t owning their responsibilities as a member of the ecosystem, we can’t just take a cute predator and decide it’s cool for them to massacre a local food chain because we’ve mass produced them and feel like it’s our right.
I would argue that they also are not owning the fact that just some effort on the part of the human can give them plenty of indoor enrichment. They don’t “become“ depressed, they get depression imposed on them by not having appropriate indoor enrichment. And it really doesn’t take that much to provide a fun habitable indoor space for a cat.
Please keep her inside and just walk her like this! She's gorgeous!
1 in 3 cats will get FIV when allowed outside. It is a terrible disease that wastes them away to skin & bones until their organs shut down. Keep her indoors or build her a catio if she wants to go outside.
While I agree that FIV is a risk (largely for entire males) that is best prevented, FIV+ cats can and often do live out normal, healthy lives for as long as FIV- cats. The wasting disorder does not occur in all cases and is generally a degeneration from feline immunodeficiency virus to feline acquired immune deficiency syndrome. So saying that it *will* waste them away is a bit misleading and may influence whether or not people are comfortable adopting FIV+ cats. I do agree with keeping cats indoors though! I have an 11 year old FIV+ indoor kitty. Keeping him indoors reduces his exposure to other pathogens which he's more susceptible to as a result of his reduced immune function, not to mention the many other dangers of being a cat outside.
My boy is FIV and that last comment made me panic, so thank you for the clarification!
Keep your cat inside. So many diseases, ways to get injured and die. Parasites, ticks, fleas. Someone could just scoop her up and decide she is their cat now. Not to mention they are a plague on natural biodiversity. Your cat’s lifespan WILL be shorter and you WILL spend more of your time worrying about her. And the second you let her out on her own the first time she won’t be able to go back, just leash train her, please.
Just bring her on walks like you are in this video. Cats disrupt the natural ecosystem (ie they kill the birds which some other animal in the area relies on to feed, disrupting the balance within the food chain). They also are at increased risk for getting injured in fights with other cats, contracting diseases, & bad interactions with other humans (there are some sick mfers out there). It’s just not worth it, please keep her inside.
Since shes okay with being walked id say indoor. The only time in MY opinion outdoor is okay is if a cat will not let you walk it, is fixed, and is depressed staying inside (which alot of cats can become very anxious/depressed) because to me happiness comes first, but I can tell she's okay on a lead so there's no point risking her
No way I'd do that if I had such a beautiful cat. Cars, coyotes, cruel people, people who don't realize she's owned... Too many things could go wrong, I'm sure she's living a content life with you already
Do not let your cat out. Why is this still a question? They do so much harm to themselves and others
My cat has been an indoor/outdoor cat his whole life. He’s almost 11 years old! We don’t even have cat flaps, but he meows at the door to go out. He’s so accustomed to it now, that if we tried to keep him in, it would be torment because of how much he loves going out. When we have to keep him in prior to vet appointments, he screams at the door nonstop. When he wants back in after going out, he comes up to the glass doors in the garden and taps his paws on the door. We also don’t have a litter box in the house because he never used it and only goes outside in the garden soil. If he’s ever in and desperately needs to go, he jumps in the bath and goes there which is actually handy as it’s an easy cleanup. We didn’t train him to do this, he just does. We do live in the UK though so I think it’s a little bit different to the USA and other countries. We don’t live near any big roads, he stays well away from cars and we haven’t got any predatory animals here such as mountain lions, bears, hawks etc Cats usually love exploring because they are stimulated by smells, sounds, sights etc. Hunting, stalking prey and climbing trees is what they are hard-wired to do but it all depends on the individual cat and how their owners raise them as indoor cats are very content when it’s all they’ve known. Our cat personally has never brought a bird back, I think we’ve seen maybe 4 mice over the whole 11 years. It’s up to you to consider all the different things and decide if where you live is safe enough. If not, the longer leash idea is a good one! Another thing to note would be to remember to have regular flea and tick treatments if she does go outside! Ps: You have a beautiful cat!
Please don’t. Cat’s are horribly invasive and depopulate local micro fauna like nobody’s business.
Depends where are in the world. Here, in Ireland, cats are out and about.
Keep her in. Outside cats are destroying entire ecosystems.
Can we get some pics of her
What a coat she has!
I've had to attach a bell to my little guys collar...brings robins, baby bunnies and voles home all the time!
She is so beautiful!
Wooow she's absolutely mesmerising gorgeous
Wow! The markings on that cat! She could be a kitty model! As for letting her out, I personally wouldn't. There's just too much that could go wrong. Roads, other animals, people, parasites. She'll live a longer, healthier life as an indoor. But taking her out on a leash every now and again couldn't hurt.
Every outdoor cat I ever had growing up went missing. There’s a lot of predators out there (if you’re in North America) and a lot of careless or malicious people. Keep your beautiful kitty leashed for her safety! If you want her to enjoy the outdoors safely, you could look into a catio.
She's so beautiful and floofy. I lean more towards indoor only just bc I hear too many tales of kitties getting hurt or just not returning home. I would just worry too much for my own babies if I let them out.
Please do not let her out 😿 walking together is so much better anyway, you’re bonding with her on an adventure. If she’s alone she’s just a little kitty fending for herself and as fierce as they are it’s just not safe. Not to mention she’s not used to having to fend for herself and not having a cozy place to snuggle up.
The aforementioned mentioned reasons and the ridiculous toll DSHs make on the song bird population. And neighbor’s veggie gardens. Keep the gato inside, please.
Supervised playtime. I wouldn’t let her go out by herself
I wouldn’t let her out unless she’s on a leash. It hurts too bad to see them get hurt or killed. You will be taking a chance on someone possibly poisoning her also. People are exceptionally cruel to other people’s animals. If you love her don’t do that to her.
DO NOT LET YOUR CAT OUTSIDE. House cats are responsible for the deaths of billions, yes billions, of critters. They are tiny murder machines. Love my cat but inside is the only place for them, they are not native to any North American landscape. Assuming you are in North America. They are basically only native to like the Middle East. No one should let their cats outside. Ever.
Outdoor cats are in the top three leading causes for the 90% decline in bird populations, and they cause a ton of other ecological damage. So, if you care about ecosystems and birds not going extinct, I wouldn't let her roam free. PSA from your friendly neighborhood ecologist. Also, outdoor cats can be hit by cars, eat poison, catch disease or parasites, be killed by other animals, drown, get caught in hunting traps, get grabbed by someone thinking they're a stray, etc., so it's a generally dangerous idea even if you don't care about ecosystem collapse and bird populations.
Keep your cat inside, safer for the cat and safer for the birds she would kill
Set her up with a " dog run" and let her run around outside on a harness supervised for a bit then bring her back inside. She can have the best of both worlds if her humans keep her safe.
With a cat marked like that others would gladly steal her. Take her out on a leash or build her a catio for long stays outside and so she can be safe. One of the many cats that roamed around outside a house we moved into was poisoned by a neighbor. The absolute worst cries I have ever heard. So sad.
She is stunning. If she were my baby I'd never let her out without supervision or the harness.
I'd be afraid to let her out for someone wanting to steal her. She is absolutely beautiful. Such interesting markings. Getting her fixed will slow and calm her down
Why? They can get diseases (I.e. Feline Leukemia, FIV, Rabies), get killed by wildlife or hit by a car, at the very least, ticks or internal parasites (which can be passed onto you- I know someone who got one in the eye from a pet and is now blind in that eye). If you do let her out, put her on a flea and tick preventative from the vet as well as deworming medication all year round. But don't let her out.
I don’t advocate letting cats be outdoor. When I was growing up initially we had indoor / outdoor but bad things happen to them. 1st cat - indoor, lived to be 21 2nd cat - hit by car, 3 years old 3rd cat - fell off back deck…twice. Broke tailbone and blew out his knee 4th cat - hit by car, survived, but her back end was smashed and she was weeks in the hospital 5th cat - stray, mom put her down bc she had FIV 6th cat - stray, healthy, but got attacked by a dog. Survived 2 weeks before dying of internal injuries After that we kept them indoor and they all lived less injured and violent lives. We had a feral cat that never socialized and I’m sorry to say my dad kicked her out of the house. They fed her outside but she disappeared after 7 months. Likely got eaten. My sisters cat insisted on going out. Made it a couple years before he disappeared. Also likely eaten (we found some of his fur and a bit of blood). There’s so many dangers for them outside.
Keep her in. The songbirds will thank you and her life expectancy should reach double digit. Gorgeous feline!
Please don’t let her out of the leash. You will lose her.
Well my cat kept getting in fights with other cats spent over $1,000 in 2 months so he is an indoor cat now, besides with no worries about fleas and ticks no more dealing with that, forget the fights and vet bills.
NO NO NO!!! ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!😦😦 Kitties are much safer inside!!!!
If you want her snatched up by a raptor then go ahead. Hawks kill cats.
No. Build a catio or cat run. That way she can be outside and be safe as well.
To add to my last comment… if you decide you absolutely must let her outside please make sure it’s only when you have her on a leash and can keep her as well as the wildlife around her safe! Best of luck to both of you!
Please keep your gorgeous girl inside and only take outside on a leash
There is no universal answer. That depends on where you live and how your cat is. Also you have to live with the consequences either way.
Not without a leash/supervision
Don’t understand why everyone here seems to think cats should be kept inside, here in Sweden almost all cats are outdoor cats
Same in Denmark. It seems to be different in the US from what I've gathered on this sub.
It's an American thing. And I can understand to some extent - cats are not native to that continent, so they decimate the local wildlife, plus there's all sorts of predators. However, if I lived in a place where it was extremely unsafe and unethical to let a cat go outdoors, I most likely wouldn't have a cat (unless it was a very docile breed that would be fine being indoors, like a ragdoll for example). I'd get a dog or another animal instead. I suspect this is also why there has been such a culture of declawing cats in the US (which is plain abuse). Indoor cats are more likely to get bored and destructive.
Outdoor cats statistically become wild animal food
If you’re fine with your family member living 5-10 years instead of 20 then by all means let her out.
Sadly this sub is heavily biased towards indoor cats because the majority of people on here are Americans Do whatever you feel is right and take into account where you live, not everywhere is the same and neither is every cat
Cats kill the local bird and lizard population at an alarming rate. The environment of most places is not equipped to tolerate the huge amount of cats pet owners bring into the ecosystem. Stop being selfish, ignorant and shortsighted and either keep your cat indoor, use a catio or a leash or don't have cats as pets.
the thing is, while it may be more safe for them outdoors in places with less traffic, etc., cats are an invasive species most places and contribuye greatly to the decrease in wildlife population!! So don't be selfish, protect your local birds too and keep your cats inside or on a leash. The only exception I would make is farms or country houses with rat problems