Letting Cats Out

I had two cats who were indoor-outdoor for the first years of their lives and then, when I moved to the city they become indoor cats. One has since died (poor kitty). Anyway. The vets around here say that it is best just to keep the critters inside. You're not doing them a terrible diservice, especially if you have plants and climbing aparatus in the apt. Leave windows open when you can. Buy pet grass if you can.

... or move to the country.

I understand stuff to climb on and pet grass, but why plants?

I dunno, every once in a while my cat will act the part of jungle cat and cruise stealthily through the potted plants.

I think air quality, too.

And Piffka, the country can be even more treacherous. My dad moved to the country with my city cats (well, ours, but I think of them as mine) and they all got sick, one of them died within a month of the move. The survivors have become indoor cats, in the country.

Found this:

http://www.vet.ohio-state.edu/docs/indoor_cats/

and this

http://www.caws.org/indoorcat.html

and especially this

http://www.peta.org/liv/animaltimes/ATfall00/cats.html

Allowing thoroughly domesticated cats to "Run Loose" invites problems. Worse, I think, is allowing a pampered, relatively unsophisticared housecat to begin interacting with his less civilized fellows. Here at Timberland, we have rather the opposite concern; we have "Barn Cats" which are decidedly not housepets. They are more like employees ... independent contractors, really. We are relatively scrupulous about letting them manage their own affairs, apart from essential veterinary care.
As to plants, cats do enjoy stalking through them, and cats will eat certain fresh-growing grasses with relish.


timber

I favor the house cat philosophy as well. It's just too agonizing to wonder for days at a time if this is the time they never come back. They will sit at the window to look out and challenge any feline trespassers, but mostly cuz they're just a bunch of busybodies as far as I can tell. so long as they've been neutered.

My cat grass at the office got up to about 6" high and I tried it on Barney, who commutes to work almost every day. He gave it a sniff, but so far remains unimpressed. I meant to bring it home to the other two for the weekend, but forgot. Well, I'm sure they'll appreciate the effort if nothing else.

Thanks loads, guys. I already feel less guilty for keeping them in, and will soon be getting more indoor greenery for them.

Cool.

Roger, you bring your cat to work everyday?! Are you the boss, or are you sleeping with the boss?

(I thought about getting an office cat for my center but too many people had allergies. )

I'm hearing you all, but I just don't go for it, myself. There is nothing so grand as watching a cat who has been confined realize the freedom he was IMHO born to enjoy.

I've had cats for over 40 years and have never forced one to stay inside (or outside). I realize that lots of people do. I just don't like it. If I were a cat, I wouldn't like it. My favorite place for cats to be, and theirs too, it seems, is on the beach and dock. We even had a cat who would go on beach walks with us. My current cat loves to check out the horses and their barn. Watching a horse nose-to-nose with a cat is a wonderful thing.

Among my outdoor cats, most lived at least 15 years, many longer. One old cat that came from Alaska lived for over 22 years, and my current cat is going on 17. As long as they have regular shots, have been watched and protected for a while while being outside, and are allowed free access back into the house, the dangers are minimized.

My sister, who lives much further out in the country than I, has two blind cats. Both are allowed outside. Both realize their limitations and don't stray very far... but they always want to go out.

I always know if my cat is in or out. He loves to be inside, cuddled on the couch throw or the furnace register. But when he demands to go out, I always let him. Outside are several areas where he can get out of the rain, hide from other animals, and hunt... not that he is much of a hunter. I also have a large population of wild birds I feed which he ignores. He has woods and a fenced yard whose fence he can easily manage. My two dogs mess with him a little in a good-natured way, but they also protect him from other animals.

If you must keep a cat or cats in an apartment, besides the jungle greenery and climbing aparatus, and an absolutely immaculate cat box area (shudder), I'd have an aquarium set up that the cat could enjoy. I would not have birds -- but that's a whole other prejudice of mine.

Barney comes to work every day, if he happens to feel like it. He has a special status, as he was born on the property and permitted himself to be captured when he injured a leg. Anyway, he stayed at the office for about 6 weeks while recuperation and I only took him home after he got trapped in the upstairs storage area for an entire weekend.

Reading between the lines I see that you have done a great deal to help a little sick cat, roger. Good on ya.

Piffka, I think there's a significant difference between cats that have always been allowed out, and cats who are used to being indoors and are then let out.

I'm not sure what I would do. I've always had indoor/outdoor cats. But PETA saying "All cats should be indoor cats" means something to me.

Mostly, I don't think anyone should feel guilty about keeping their cats indoors, with the proper care (and things like plants, etc., as outlined above.) That doesn't mean that people with outdoor cats need to feel guilty, either -- I see benefits and costs to both.

My cat Winifred was born in my back yard and would have joined the population of feral cats out there if a friend didn't intervene. So, the mother, W and a male sibling were rounded up, spayed and neutered (as appropriate) and adopted. Now Winifred stares longingly and yowls when a feral cat hangs out back there.

Sure, I feel somewhat guilty keeping her in, but I'll never let her out there. Those feral cats play rough, man. Besides, not having any children, Winifred is the only being to whom I can say, "It's for your own good" and feel smugly virtuous about it...

Here is a website that discusses the indoor/outdoor debate and provides a lot of information about enriching the indoor environment.

http://www.angelfire.com/sc2/petswelfare/cats/indoor.html

piffka - I live in a city, I won't let my babies out.

I'm not saying you should, k. Everybody has to decide what is best for their own animal or animals. As you said... you are not doing them "a great disservice." It is a much bigger effort to give animals an enriched environment, though, in the city. How many people are willing to do that for the life of their animals?

everyone in my family.

And obviously, as one can see from the terrible feral cat problem in the cities, there are many who don't.