Cat owners: do you let your cats outside?

We had one of our cats run over. That was Spackle. In all the years he and his mom had roamed our yard, I'd never seen him near the street.
People differ on this, for a lot of good reasons on the differing sides.
Our cats were happy being out (neutered, yes).

Very sorry to hear that.



The sad thing about Mikey (Mom's cat) is he was quite happy as an indoor cat until he was 7.

My two guys also went many years as pure house cats before deciding to take on the whole world. It's been so for the past 7 or 8 years. So far, so good. I doubt I could live with them if they were suddenly grounded.

I don't have a cat, only a dog, but I see neighborhood cats roaming around
and I am always upset that people don't keep the cats indoors. We have coyotes around and other dangers and yes, they can get run over by cars too.

So if you can't watch the cat outdoors, don't let her out on her own!

Here is Spackle lollolling over his mother, Cinque.


I remember these cats dearly, though they made me sneeze.

I am 99% sure cinque was stollen by the guy who used to pet her on the fence as he walked from church. She used to sit on the fence, property guardian.
It was more clear in that he never showed up in front of our street again, after a lot of sundays, years.

I've written about this before, but, hey.

I was out gardening and saw this man and another go by.
I followed and after a lot of blocks, lost them.
Me, I'm glad she wasn't taken as halloween. But, besides that, she is the cat of my life.

Finally I disagree with you.

I'll edit re my opinion if coyotes are around. No idea what my first take is.

cats are territorial.

Not anymore. Long ago we had one that probably got run over on the nearby highway. But 6 years ago we had one that got into poison and died after $1400 in vet bills, that did it for me. This one used to roam wide, we got told of her being seen 2 miles from our house.

In Venice, California, ours lived close.

I don't have any understanding of how that varies and the whys of it.

My cats spend most of their time outside, especially in the Summer. They're happy out there, and I know the risks of traffic, but I'd rather they lived a short happy life than a long miserable one cooped up inside like a couple of prisoners.

Btw, they're both 11, so they're probably streetwise enough now not to get run over.

I no longer have any cats, but I have had them for many years. My cats were indoor cats - when I lived in a condo on the second floor I used to open my door to my balcony, they would go out on the balcony and lay in the sun and hunt leaves that would blow onto the balcony (they were very proud of their capture and would bring them inside and stack them up for me as a gift).

When I moved to a condo on ground level, I would like you put a harness and leash on them - one would not want to go the other would just love rolling in the grass.

I never allowed them free-range - in part they were de-clawed - and also in part in the vet stated that outdoor cats have significantly shorter life spans as there are too many dangers for them --- between cars and other animals it is a dangerous life for outdoor cats.

Mine were so pampered they would never survive any sort conflict.

statistically, cats live a lot longer when kept from the variable risks. If the cat is accepting watching the outdoors from a screened-in porch..or on a leash..or under close watch, you and the cat would be better off. I did this and had my 2 cats live for 19.5 and 17.5 years. When I didn't do it for a while, and let them both roam freely, they got into accidents with cars and had large vet bills and broken bones.

You've pretty much described my mom's old apartment. The cat would lounge about on the balcony. And that's why she had the harness in the first place, to keep him from walking off. If only she'd stayed in her third floor apartment!

Yep. They do let you know their own preference.

Thanks to everyone for the replies.

It's good to know there are a few people in the same boat.

In my experience, cats in the yard are happy. That is their nature.

My cat is 17(Chucky) and never had any interest in going outside. He is content to sit by an open window or door.

For just this once -- and hopefully the first and last time -- so do I. Cats have really fine survival instincts and are not very likely to fall prey to coyotes. On occasion a beloved cat might get run over by a car, yes, but life is full of risks, for cats as well as for people.