# In My Opinion, Cats Should Be Kept Indoors **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 17, 2005, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-opinion-cats-should-be-kept-indoors/285193 "2005-01-17T15:04:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-opinion-cats-should-be-kept-indoors/285193/41 "2005-01-17T23:16:40Z")
> [@Maureen](#): > > No, you’re not. Um, **Crafter\_Man** , I’m under the impression you see cats as more of a farm tool than actual pets? Correct… as stated in a previous post, I view cats as tools. > [@Maureen](#): > > Even so, that’s pretty harsh. Why? The cats seem content. (Not that I care. But they do appear “happy.”) They get fed. And we don’t have a rodent problem. It’s a win-win situation. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![MaddyStrut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dbc845/32.png) [@MaddyStrut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaddyStrut)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-opinion-cats-should-be-kept-indoors/285193/42 "2005-01-17T23:20:18Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Hey, to each his own. We spay/neuter our cats, but other than that, I refuse to spend a dime on vet bills for a _cat_. I hope you at least get them vaccinated for rabies and other diseases that can be transmitted to other pets and to humans. (I think that cats who have “jobs” should get a bit more vet care out of the deal, but that’s me.) **alice\_in\_wonderland** , Sorry. I read “in Calgary” and, for some reason, I assumed it included the surrounding areas as well (not sure why, just a brain cramp I guess). Actually in the city where I grew up, we did have a couple “farmettes” near my house (very much on the outskirts of town, but still within city limits). Mostly it was 4-5 acres with a barn and some horses (or the one guy who had llamas). I was thinking of those type places. But if it’s “keep cats on your own property” that probably covers it. ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-opinion-cats-should-be-kept-indoors/285193/43 "2005-01-17T23:24:10Z")
**Fessie** , can either your or **Left Hand of Dorkness** please provide a cite which states cats are not indigenous to North America? The only ones I’ve found state they weren’t _domesticated_ until Europeans settled here. Doesn’t say anything about not being here in the first place. Also, something which states those birds’ species are being decimated solely by cats? **Crafter\_Man** , I grew up on a farm, so I understand the concept of using the cats specifically for rodent control. But, don’t you think it would be a bit more humane to take a cat that’s suffering and have it put down to cease its suffering? I get your aversion to vet bills. But why allow an animal to suffer for days or weeks? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-opinion-cats-should-be-kept-indoors/285193/44 "2005-01-17T23:32:22Z")
> [@malkavia](#): > > ☹ > > Am I the only person who wants to throw up after reading this thread? No. (I mean, having an outside mouser is one thing…but “Oh well, if the coyotes get them, who cares?”) Jesus. Of course, some people just aren’t sentimental about animals. My neighbor was like that. Their cat lived outside and refused to come in, and if something happened to it, it wasn’t a big deal. And he’s a super nice guy, just not an animal lover. However, if **Crafter\_Man** doesn’t even take the cat in for shots, that’s just wrong. And I hope he at least lets the place where he gets the cats KNOW these animals are going to be used as tools. Because I have to say, if I were giving away kittens, there’s no way I’d let him take one. Sorry, that’s just how I feel. ---
**Author:** ![kung\_fu\_lola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f4b2a3/32.png) [@kung\_fu\_lola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kung_fu_lola)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-opinion-cats-should-be-kept-indoors/285193/45 "2005-01-17T23:43:26Z")
Our kitties are both indoor cats (we live in an apartment anyway, so we’re not even level with the ground). The SPCA **begged** us to keep them indoors when we adopted the first one (the second came two months later), so I’m guessing that’s the convention. As for anyone else’s cat, I don’t care. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-opinion-cats-should-be-kept-indoors/285193/46 "2005-01-18T00:08:40Z")
For those people that let their cat outdoors unsupervised, do you feel responsible for what your cat does? If it happens to damage someone else’s property, do you pick up the tab? If it gets killed by a car passing by, do you take some of the blame? ---
**Author:** ![35340](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/8baadc/32.png) [@35340](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/35340)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-opinion-cats-should-be-kept-indoors/285193/47 "2005-01-18T00:20:36Z")
> [@Rubystreak](#): > > Well, this just ain’t true. They have been domesticated for millenia. They are NOT wild and not equipped to live as such. Yeah, you’re right. The lack of claws and teeth should have been my first clue. > [@Rubystreak](#): > > I also have rescued 2 cats who have FIV, for which there is no vaccine, btw. It’s not fun, they suffer, and there’s no way to avoid it if your cat goes out and associates with other cats. Completely untrue. A [vaccination](http://www.vetmed.ufl.edu/path/Faculty%20Pages/Yamamoto/yammamoto_FIV.htm) was made available to the general population 3 or so years ago to prevent FIV. Additionally, unles he or she was born with it (from the parent cat - one or both I’m not certain), a cat who does not have it can actually abstain from mating and not get it. Abstain from mating? Yes, I mean fix them. Cat fence - outside to roam while protecting animals who get a clue. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-opinion-cats-should-be-kept-indoors/285193/48 "2005-01-18T00:22:03Z")
> [@kung fu lola](#): > > The SPCA **begged** us to keep them indoors when we adopted the first one (the second came two months later), so I’m guessing that’s the convention. We got our cats from the Defenders of Animal Rights shelter, and we signed a paper saying we would keep them as Indoor-Only cats. Anyway, it’s against the law here in Baltimore to let pets (that includes dogs, too) roam free. I bought leashes and harnesses, but neither of them wanted anything to do with them, so I took them back to the store (the leashes, that is). They like to sit in the windows and watch what’s going on outside, and we’ve arranged a lot of the furniture for their outside-viewing benefit. We have a big bay window in the front, and a big floor-to-ceiling window in the dining room that looks out into the back yard. We had a brief spell this Fall where we had mice in our basement and both cats proved to be quite adept at catching and killing the little critters. I praised them to the heavens, saying “Good kitty!” (while thinking “Ewwww! Get it away from me!”) every time they brought me a dead mouse. ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-opinion-cats-should-be-kept-indoors/285193/49 "2005-01-18T00:22:16Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > …The local birds won’t have another predator… > [@Caprese](#): > > …They did get a few birds but mice were more their specialty… > [@Kalhoun](#): > > …The pain is too much to bear when your pet gets whacked because you let it go out… > [@MaddyStrut](#): > > …I really didn’t want her killing things. It’s not like I had a pest problem. She was killing things (mostly birds) I’d prefer her to have left alive… > [@Mauvaise](#): > > …a negative impact on the natural wildlife for the area (ie. birds.) … > [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > …the biggest argument against letting cats outdoors isn’t for the sake of the cat: it’s for the sake of wildlife, specifically songbirds, millions of which get killed by this foreign species every year… > [@fessie](#): > > …I used to let our cats out for brief spells, under supervision. They’d gallop and frolic in the courtyard behind our apartment. All was well until the day Sebastian brought in (my supervision having grown lax) a sparrow he’d caught! I felt awful when that little bird died. That was the end of the outings. Vaccinations have been covered. It goes without saying that all pets (indoor & outdoor) should be spayed or neutered. What I find puzzling are the outdoor cat owners who don’t/won’t put a **bell** on their feline’s collar. Quite recently, I made it point to get my s/o’s two outdoor cats these [**break-away reflective collars** with a bell](http://www.aah-pets.com/safecat.html) that gives unsuspecting birds (who aren’t aurally challenged) a fair warning and drivers the ability to beep their horn before the impending thump/squish. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-opinion-cats-should-be-kept-indoors/285193/50 "2005-01-18T00:58:18Z")
I’m not sure that you can equate working cats with pet cats. It’s true that you can have pet cats that go outside, but cats who are used merely as tools and whose owner has no emotional attachment to them cannot be lumped in with housecats. FWIW, my kitties aren’t ever going outside. They can look out the window, but they are housecats. If you have a yard with a catproof fence, though, I see no reason why they can’t go out. My problem is with those who allow cats to roam the streets and neighbors’ yards without supervision. We haven’t even mentioned the fact that cars often get into accidents swerving to avoid wildlife. Sure, your kitty is OK, but are you going to pay for the hospital bills for the driver who had to swerve to avoid him? ---
**Author:** ![Mauvaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mauvaise/32/11084_2.png) [@Mauvaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mauvaise)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-opinion-cats-should-be-kept-indoors/285193/51 "2005-01-18T01:21:36Z")
> [@Mynn](#): > > Yeah, you’re right. The lack of claws and teeth should have been my first clue. Domestic dogs have teeth and claws - doesn’t mean they are any more equipped to survive on their own in the wild then cats are. > [@](#): > > Completely untrue. A [vaccination](http://www.vetmed.ufl.edu/path/Faculty%20Pages/Yamamoto/yammamoto_FIV.htm) was made available to the general population 3 or so years ago to prevent FIV. Yes, there is a vaccine, but a vaccine isn’t a guarantee against contracting FIV. And once the cat has been vaccinated, you can’t accurately test them for FIV because they will always test postive. [cite](http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/health/FIV.html) > [@](#): > > Additionally, unles he or she was born with it (from the parent cat - one or both I’m not certain), a cat who does not have it can actually abstain from mating and not get it. Abstain from mating? Yes, I mean fix them. You are aware, are you not, that saliva to blood (i.e. biting) transfer is pretty much the most recognized way that FIV is contracted by cats - NOT mating. [Cite #1](http://cats.about.com/cs/healthissues/a/fiv_in_cats.htm) “Saliva to blood (biting) is generally accepted as the primary source of spreading the virus, and it is unlikely (but not impossible) that cats will spread FIV by drinking or eating out of the same food dish, or by mutual grooming.” [Cite #2](http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/health/FIV.html) “Male cats are twice as likely as female cats to be infected with FIV. This reflects the greater tendency of male cats (especially those not neutered) to roam and fight with other cats. Outdoor, free-roaming cats are more likely to contract FIV than indoor cats. The virus is least common where cats are kept indoors or in rural areas where the cat population density is low. In Japan, for example, where there are a large number of free-roaming cats, the virus is three times more common than in the United States. The average age of infected cats is 3 to 5 years old.” [Cite #3](http://www.vetmed.ufl.edu/path/Faculty%20Pages/Yamamoto/yammamoto_FIV.htm) \<-- This is your own cite from above, by the way “Since FIV seems to be transmitted by transfer of FIV contaminated body fluids via biting …” ---
**Author:** ![35340](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/8baadc/32.png) [@35340](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/35340)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-opinion-cats-should-be-kept-indoors/285193/52 "2005-01-18T01:56:45Z")
M - seems the research I’d done a while back wasn’t as complete as I expected. As for my cite, I pulled the first that came up for FIV vaccine. Barring a stray cat who is not fixed being dropped randomly into a cat-resistant yard (ones who are in stay in, ones who should be are trapped out), I still don’t see how this theoritical cat of mine will get infected. Yes, a cat immunized with FIV will show up positive - but [that isn’t the only indication](http://www.animalhealthchannel.com/fiv/symptoms.shtml). Yes, I’ve had working cats to keep the critters away. And they’ve perished to mischance, predator, and cars. Yes, I’ve had house cats who have lived long and short lives. Hell, I just realized the cat at my parents house is indoor outdoor and 17 1/2, beating out our previous cat. I’ve had cats who were complete homebodies. And now that I don’t have half an acre for them to roam and patrol, just a tiny morsel, but I’m fnially away from a major highway (unlike my previous morsel), I can do an indoor outdoor cat that balances his needs to our family’s needs as well as not necessarily decimate what is left of the local wild life population. Claws - fine, you’ve got yer opinion, I’ve got mine. I am not going to start a dog vs cat war. Apples and oranges. Don’t make me use my appendix on you! ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-opinion-cats-should-be-kept-indoors/285193/53 "2005-01-18T02:05:36Z")
> [@malkavia](#): > > ☹ > > Am I the only person who wants to throw up after reading this thread? Not me. I grew up in rural Saskatchewan - farm cats _are_ different from pet cats. As long as a cat is not being abused on a farm (that is, they have a warm place to sleep so they don’t freeze their ears off, they have food available, and they’re neutered and given proper immunization), I have no problem with barn cats being left to their own devices. My cats are city cats, though - they’re my babies, and they are completely coddled. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-opinion-cats-should-be-kept-indoors/285193/54 "2005-01-18T02:15:02Z")
> [@Mynn](#): > > argh … > > _opinion_ They are wild creatures we are semi coopting and crippling by bringing them into our homes and lives. _/opinion_ They are _not_ wild. They are **domesticated**. It’s a big difference! They can go feral, but they will never be truly wild as we know them. Your opinion on this point has no validity. ---
**Author:** ![35340](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/8baadc/32.png) [@35340](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/35340)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-opinion-cats-should-be-kept-indoors/285193/55 "2005-01-18T02:19:17Z")
immunizations - not 100% for any of us - not just cats. We do what we can. ---
**Author:** ![35340](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/8baadc/32.png) [@35340](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/35340)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-opinion-cats-should-be-kept-indoors/285193/56 "2005-01-18T02:21:50Z")
> [@Knorf](#): > > They are _not_ wild. They are **domesticated**. It’s a big difference! > > They can go feral, but they will never be truly wild as we know them. > > Your opinion on this point has no validity. Yeah, they aren’t, say, tigers. I don’t know how exciting your life is, but mine’s pretty boring, and they are pretty wild to me. Less so than the non-furry little one we’ve got running around, probably. I only know a couple of cats who were, in my opinion, domesticated - and thats of the 30 or so I was raised with over the years spread across my various homes. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-opinion-cats-should-be-kept-indoors/285193/57 "2005-01-18T02:23:19Z")
Another reason cats should be kept inside, is that [outdoor cats are wreaking disaster on songbird populations](http://www.projectwildlife.org/gardens_protectingbirdfeeders.htm) . [Cite](http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fwt/back_issues/december98/cats.html). [Cite](http://www.dnr.state.co.us/cdnr_news/wildlife/1998615123232.html). [Cite](http://greennature.com/article2223.html). [Cite](http://www.songbird-survival.org.uk/cats.htm). ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-opinion-cats-should-be-kept-indoors/285193/58 "2005-01-18T02:25:56Z")
Good quote from the second link, above. > [@Minnestota Department of Natural Resources](#): > > According to a recent report by Wisconsin researchers, free-ranging domestic cats destroy millions of birds in that state each year. > > Cat with BirdMany of these tubby tabbies kill for fun rather than for food. Unlike wild predators, domestic cats hunt whether they are hungry or not. ---
**Author:** ![35340](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/8baadc/32.png) [@35340](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/35340)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-opinion-cats-should-be-kept-indoors/285193/59 "2005-01-18T02:29:56Z")
You have read nothing I’ve said about what I do/will be doing for outdoor containment. Your opinion on this point has no validity. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-opinion-cats-should-be-kept-indoors/285193/60 "2005-01-18T02:39:51Z")
> [@Maureen](#): > > **Crafter\_Man** , I grew up on a farm, so I understand the concept of using the cats specifically for rodent control. But, don’t you think it would be a bit more humane to take a cat that’s suffering and have it put down to cease its suffering? I get your aversion to vet bills. But why allow an animal to suffer for days or weeks? If an animal is suffering, there are more economical ways to end it. Ever seen the movie Old Yeller? But I haven’t (yet) had that problem. They just disappear. And we get replacements. Simple as that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-opinion-cats-should-be-kept-indoors/285193.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-my-opinion-cats-should-be-kept-indoors/285193.md?page=4)