Indoor cats??

In My Humble Opinion
41

My cats are both indoor-only cats. Mainly for the reasons listed (predators, traffic, disease), plus the fact that they’re both declawed.

Also, I adopted my cats from a local shelter. When I got them, one of the papers I signed was an agreement that I would not let them roam free. I had to promise to keep them as indoor-only cats when I signed the adoption papers. Cats (and dogs for that matter) are not allowed to run free in the county where I live.

They’re perfectly happy. They have the run of the house, and lots of windows to look out of. Nearly all the furniture is arranged with their viewing comfort in mind.
“No, honey, you can’t move that chair, Nicky sits on the back of it to look out the window.”

During the fall when it get damp, they have a basement full of crickets to hunt and kill. They bring them upstairs and hide the dismembered carcasses in our shoes for us.
Damn furballs. :wink:

42

Why? Foxes and coyotes.

43

Never heard of an indoor cat before I came to the boards either.
I have had 3 cats, all outdoor cats (or as I call them, cats). Came in in the mornings for a bite to eat and a bit of a snuggle, thrown out into suburbia when we went to work. They would meet me at the gate as I came home from school. If I was on time I would meet them literally as they came walking from the opposite direction, if I was late there was a pissed off kitty on the doorstep. They would then come indoors and eat some more, snuggle some more, play dopey kitty games or just veg out before being thrown out when we went to bed. They have always had some sort of little shelter down the bottom of the garden in case the weather turned foul overnight, but not a one of the damned moggies has used it (much to my dismay). They seemed to dig lying under the hedge with a long-suffering look on their faces. If the weather was especially bad of course they could stay in, but in general they went out at night. If we went on holidays their “house” was moved to a more obvious position in the garden (still don’t think they used it the bastards), and a neighbour would put out food for them in the evening. They didn’t make it to 12, but they all made it to about 8. They got in the odd fight, and brought home a couple of dead birds, and yep, in the end, they all died, so did my goldfish, and we kept him indoors all the time. They let good lives, were spoiled to bits and loved not a drop less than anyone elses.

44

Oh, ftr, the reason I don’t have a cat at the moment is for many of the reasons stated above. I am not living somewhere that I could let a cat out safely, and therefore choose not to have one.

45

In addition to the cars, diseases, dogs, wildlife, and cat-grilling whackos, there’s the fact that ArmadilloKitty spent his entire life up until just a few months ago in a lab, as a research subject. That means that, before we brought him home in August, he’d never even seen the outdoors through a window. He had to completely adjust to living in a household environment, as he’d never experienced carpet, furniture, radio, television, posters, blankets, pretty much anything. He had a hard enough time figuring out that the Beatles poster wasn’t going to eat him, I don’t think he’d fare terribly well in the great outdoors. He’s never even seen a dog, so he wouldn’t know how to protect himself against one, or know that approaching car = squished kitty. Even if he was a normal cat, I wouldn’t let him roam, because the life expectancy for outdoor cats is extremely low. I don’t want him squished by a car, eaten by a dog, wreaking havoc on the local wildlife or getting eaten by it, catching diseases, bringing home fleas, crapping in peoples’ yards, being picked up by a neighbor and taken in, or being abused by some nutjob. I wouldn’t let my dog run around unsupervised, I see no reason to let my cat do the same.
I wish more people in our neighborhoods would keep their cats indoors, as we seem to have a huge number of vastly fat felines roaming around who all use the space under the trees in our front yard as a litter box. If I want to wash the cars, I’ve got to pick my way through a patch of ground that is absolutely covered in cat crap to get to the hose spigot. Or reach and lean, which is not terribly easy considering how clumsy I am-- this is a perfect recipe for a cat-poo faceplant. This bit of yard is right under our windows, and when the weather turns hot, it stinks like, well, hot cat crap. It rains here too much to use any sort of repellant, and I’ve yet to come up with any seriously workable deterrant.

46

It seems sad to keep a cat indoors. Ours obviously love being out in the garden; so many great hiding places, and trees to climb and scratch. They’ve had their shots, there’s no rabies here, and it’s suburban. The only small mammals they might catch are mice (hurrrah, go, cats! I say to that). Mostly they catch moths. Since they’re neutered, their territory is small and basically corresponds to our garden.

They come and go at will, and do spend most of their time inside anyway, sleeping in ther favourite sunny spots. They go out for an hour or so after breakfast, and in late afternoon, and after dinner, and will always join us when we’re in the garden.

We have no litter box to worry about, and outside cats are known to have fewer behavioural problems than inside ones, and they live not much less than indoor ones, usually. And I’d no sooner have them declawed than I’d have my fingernails pulled out. (A Bruce Fogle book is my authority, he’s a vet who’s written several books on cats and dogs.)

I think I’m with Iteki - if I were in a small city apartment, I’d probably not keep a cat. Maybe a lizard, or a snake. (Or a ferret if I had large enough space to set up a huge network of crawly tubes & play zones.)

47

I heard 3 and 9, but still- your indoor only cats will live (on th eaverage) 3 times as long. Don’t you love them?

We have one cat who is 19, and still healthy. Indoor only. We do have some plants & stuff on a patio, however. I dare anyone to show me that their outdoor cats are happier than our indoor cats. Iteki- trust me, indoor cats are “Purrfectly” happy.

Now, sure- there are “barn cats” who are more pest control than pets. That’s different.

48

Don’t mean to hijack, but something here has me confused. The thing about the cats pooing around the place, I thought all cats buried it? Any time I saw my cats taking care of business they always buried it. I thought it was a standard cat thing?

49

The idea that all cats are fastidious about crap burial and grooming is just plain false. Some cats are lazy slobs. They just throw a pawful of dirt in that general direction and call it good. And even when it’s buried, cat poop still stinks. Come sit by our litterboxes after our cats have dumped a load and buried it, and you’ll see. The more crap there is in a given area, the worse the smell. Cat urine is even worse, especially tomcats.

Another issue is that cats can destroy one’s plants trying to bury their poop. Some of them are really obsessive-compulsive about, acting like they’re digging a tunnel to China instead of getting ready to relieve themselves, and they’ve been known to destroy the root systems of flowers and bushes. Sometimes they uproot stuff entirely.

Then there’s the issue of all that ammonia being dumped into your soil, burning your grass or flowers or bushes.

50

My cats are indoor-only cats. Mainly because whenever they happen to get outside one will sit calmly by the door waiting for me to let him in, and the other will sit outside the door howling until I let her in. They’re like little magnets. As soon as they get outside for a minute, they both run back to the door.

Also, there are the diseases, parasites, fleas, being hit by a car, killed by a sick human or another animal. I’d be more than happy to let them out on a leash, but they don’t even like to do that. They’re pretty happy with several huge windows and lots of birds outside them.

Oh, and I second CrazyCatLady with her assertion that not all cats are fastidious. It definitely depends on the cat - one of mine will dig and dig and dig for a couple of minutes to cover her poop, while the other, particularly when he’s pissed off, will just let it all out on my rug. He’ll make a half-hearted attempt to cover it by scraping at the surrounding carpet, but the fact is, he’ll still shit outside the litter box if it’s not spotless or he’s mad for whatever reason (usually has to do with moving a major piece of furniture - he doesn’t seem to like it when you change his space).

51

Nice list of reasons here http://www.scvas.org/keepcats.html.

If you like leaving your windows open 24/7 (as I do), affixing screens to them will keep bugs out, cats & fresh air in.

52

I’d really like to see a proper cite for this radically short lifespan thing.

Googling for cat info is really hard - so much glurge. I keep running into websites that repeat the same old thing without any references. They are giving outdoor cats really low average lifespans, from 2 to 5 years. Yet my Bruce Fogle book says it’s about 14 as compared to about 17 for those kept indoors. That rings true to me as everyone I know who has cats let them out, and there are plenty of 10 and 15 year old cats there.

Also, the UK RSPCA says that cats usually live for about 12-14 years, and they just assume outdoor cats as a given. Their list of what a cat needs includes a garden to play in and the ability to come and go freely.

53

I honestly don’t think it’s mean to make cats stay indoors. Mine don’t seem to miss it, and they’re not acting like prisoners. They have the run of the house, they can watch birds from their three expensive cat trees, food and water are always available, they always have a soft surface to sleep on (including laps), and dogs to harrass if they so desire.

One thing I couldn’t stand with having outdoor cats: Sometimes they bring their kills indoors. I have had a live baby rabbit running free in my house, and more than once I woke up to dead, gross, unidentifiable things on the kitchen floor. Or they would kill and eat something, later come in, and puke the remains of the dead things up.

They can adapt and be perfectly happy indoors - even former outdoor cats. My Bo proves that fact.

54

PS, Iteki, it’s possible that the cats in your experience are well-behaved because they are outdoor ones. Ours are good little buriers. Litter problems, scratching, obesity and neuroses are all associated with indoor cats.

However, some outdoor cats will not bury - the top tomcat will leave it out as a signal to the others. People in suburban areas where there are plenty of burying spots who nevertheless find catshit around probably have a whole tom somewhere nearby, perhaps even more than one and they are disputing ownership.

55

And I have none of these problems with my indoor cats. They never have litterbox accidents, none are obese, they scratch on their cat trees, and none have neuroses. They are well behaved, never get on the counters, and none have ever broken any of my breakables. They do beg when we’re eating, but that’s because my SO feeds them scraps.

56

It’s cruel to keep cats indoors? It’s just not fair to them? Really now. I have a counter example.

My cat Harley “enjoyed” the first part of his life in the great outdoors. He was able to frolic in the grass, muck about in the hedges, catch and kill whatever he liked, etc. The life of Riley, you say? Nah. When I took him away from the kind person who allowed him the run of the outdoors, he had earmites, FIV, busted teeth, fleas, and intestinal parasites. Of those, only fleas can be prevented by proper medicine. He now suffers from myriad illnesses due to the FIV, which have been painful and expensive. Yes, he still wants to go out outside, but he’s a cat, and I’m the person who pays the vet bills, so I get to make the decision here.

If you let your cat out, you simply cannot protect him from FIV, probably not from FeLeuk either. If he hunts and eats what he catches, he will likely get intestinal parasites (and if you’ve ever had to clean up shed tapeworm segments, you know how uncool that is). Earmites can damage the ear canal permanently. I’ve seen the results of fighting on the feline body, and it’s not pretty. If your cat is neutered, he will likely not stack up against an unneutered male in a fight, and it could get ugly (not to mention what a raccoon can do mano a mano).

And what is this about “car sense”? My best friend’s sister had a cat who we called Jungle Kitty because of his outdoor prowess, but at the age of 10, his reflexes must have slowed him down. Broke her heart to find him by the side of the road…

No, my cats stay inside. All of them were street urchins before I took them in. Most are in better shape that Harley was when I got him, but all were suffering in some way. It’s not sad to keep a cat inside; what’s sad is allowing a domesticated animal to fend for itself in a world that is downright dangerous and for which he isn’t really suited.

Want a cite on lifespan difference between indoor and outdoor cats? Human Society site says the average lifespan of an outdoor cat is >5 years. I’m sorry, I get too attached. 5 years isn’t long enough for me.

http://www.hsus.org/ace/14531

Another site that gives the average outdoor lifespan again at 5 years, indoor at 12:

http://www.maxshouse.com/outdoor_risks.htm

There were more, but I think I’ve stated my case adequately.

57

Here is another estimate from the same site. This is the one that I was quoting from, based on a study (admittedly, sponsored by the HSUS) made in June 2001 by Jacobs, Jenner and Kent.

Here is a quote from another source with a slightly longer estimate:

“Free-ranging cats in the United States have an average lifespan in the general population of only 3 to 5 years; indoor cats have an average lifespan of 12 years and frequently live longer than 20 years. Car accidents are the biggest killers of free-ranging cats”

(Karen L. Overall, M.A., V.M.D., Ph.D., Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Behavior; Department of Clinical Studies School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

My own experience makes me tend to believe this is true. One of the cats we had was found as a stray. When we found it, its tail had been smashed by a car and was gangrenous. If we hadn’t rushed it to a vet, it would have been dead in a short time. He lived to about 10 years, but our other cats who were indoor cats lived much longer. Last year, I had to put to sleep my favorite little cutie, but she lived a healthy life up to the age of 18.

Not a day goes by that I don’t see a cat squashed by the side of the road. I don’t know if the conditions are the same in other countries, or the incidence of FIV and feline leukemia, but in the US, outdoor cats live a much shorter life.

I have had cats that were outdoor cats, and successfully adapted to indoor life in a very short time. The one with the squashed tail had no interest whatsoever in going outside again. None of my cats ever had behavioral problems, failed to use the litterbox (except for one case of urinary tract infection), or scratched excessively. In my lifetime I have had about 25 cats, all but one of them rescues. None of them were declawed, except one that was that way when we got him.

58

Outdoor kitty parents don’t have to clean litter boxes?! Woo-hooooo!! Where do I sign up?

ponder

I’m trying to imagine my neighbors letting their pups come poo in my plants and under my front window and then going on about nice it is that he doesnt have to follow Spot around with a baggie and scooper.

I’d be rightly cheesed off, I do believe.

My parents always had a mix of indoor/outdoor kitties and one would give another ear mites, sometimes they’d come home beat up and my dear little Misty was shot through the back of the head by some horribly evil children from across the street, popping her eye out of it’s socket and killing her instantly (I hope it was instant, at least… poor lil girl :frowning: ) Several were put down having been diagnosed with Feline Leukemia.

As for my kitties, all three are indoor kitties. One has a bit of a weight problem, all three are happy and run and chase one another when they’re not lying around on my bed getting snuggled.

I’d feel really guilty if a neighbor came over to complain about one of my critters relieving themselves under their front window.

Even if I could be assured they’d come back to use the kitty box, I would still worry about them everytime they walked out the door. As it is, every poor furry roadkill I see seems to have their precious little kitty faces on it. :frowning: Let alone the diseases and the fights and everything else mentioned previously (ARGH! Can’t even think about the kitty on the BBQ, I would be in prison for a long, LONG time for what I would’ve done to those children if my little Gia, hefty Dillinger or even Willow the Roomates Kitten were baking on it. A LONG time. )

So to keep them out of danger and to keep myself out of prison, my babies are indoors and hopefully happy. glances at Gia-bearbear sleeping soundly against my leg

I do admit that it would be difficult to make a once outdoor cat an indoor cat. Tough call. =(

59

Oh, FTR I live in the US and in an apartment complex with a fairly busy street not too terribly far off.

And really oblivious idiots who drive too quickly through our parkinglot. Eeeee!!

60

Wow, this is a really contencious (sp?) issue.

As I mentioned before, my two kittys were both killed in car accidents this year. One of them was in our driveway at the time, and our stupid neighbour backed over her :(. The other WAS killed crossing the road, but he was the Evil Knievel of the cat world and I kinda always expected him to live fast and die young. They were both six. BUT my mum had two outdoor cats who were always free to come and go as they pleased and one died last year aged 11 of a heart condition, and the other is till going strong aged 12 and is the official king of the neighbourhood. Like me, she lives in the suburbs but near a busy main road. I guess she’s just been luckier than I have.
Please, all you indoor cat people, stop telling the rest of us that we’re being cruel to our cats. My cats were spoilt, pampered, very healthy, flea-free and absolutely adored. One thing that gives me comfort is knowing they lived very happy lives. And I would no more tell you how to take care of your cats than I would your kids, so please grant me the same respect.