Indoor/outdoor, Free roaming or secure garden

[Elaine]

Which do your cats live in and which would you prefer them to live in?
Just got me thinking when i was posting on the FIV thread.
Currently my cats are indoor with access to a secure (pretty much)garden.
I would actually be afraid to let them free roam, apat from anything else we live right in the city centre, but also because I know that Eva just wouldnt cope and would be terribly stressed if she came upon another cat or even a dog. Bernie on the other hand is much too trusting and friendly, that I'd fear for him being stolen or bitten by a non cat friendly dog. Bernie just loves dogs.
I would like to live out with the city at some point but again for the reasons i have mentioned, I still wouldnt let them free roam and would opt for a cat proof garden or a big cat pen for them.

Winston was an indoor cat for all of his 21 years and was as happy as Larry.

[farthing]

i would like my cats to roam free.
one of the reasons we picked this house was because we had our own fields on all sides and fairly quiet roads beyond that. It has turned out, due to the type of animal we take in,that they are mainly indoor cats now. Sooty is the only one who goes outside. As I said in the FIV thread our long term plan would be to have runs they can go into during nice days.
I have to say though, everybody claims theirs cats won't settle indoors, we have never had that problem, they may squeak for a couple of days but soon settle down and appear quite content.

[farthing]

i would like my cats to roam free.
one of the reasons we picked this house was because we had our own fields on all sides and fairly quiet roads beyond that. It has turned out, due to the type of animal we take in,that they are mainly indoor cats now. Sooty is the only one who goes outside. As I said in the FIV thread our long term plan would be to have runs they can go into during nice days.
I have to say though, everybody claims theirs cats won't settle indoors, we have never had that problem, they may squeak for a couple of days but soon settle down and appear quite content.

[Elaine]

i would like my cats to roam free.
one of the reasons we picked this house was because we had our own fields on all sides and fairly quiet roads beyond that. It has turned out, due to the type of animal we take in,that they are mainly indoor cats now. Sooty is the only one who goes outside. As I said in the FIV thread our long term plan would be to have runs they can go into during nice days.
I have to say though, everybody claims theirs cats won't settle indoors, we have never had that problem, they may squeak for a couple of days but soon settle down and appear quite content.

I have to agree, I have had 3 indoor cats and they were fine with it. I even tried to encourage Winston and Woody to come outside when I moved here, they would on ocassion sit at the back door and then scoot back off upstairs.
I think Bernie would be happy either way but Eva.......... well she is THE DIVA after all:lol:

[pinklizzy]

Imogen is an indoor cat as we live in a flat at the moment. Even if we move in the future however, unless it was to a fairly rural area, I think I would only allow her access to a cat-proofed garden. Partly because having been an indoor cat since she was a baby I would worry about her road sense and also because of the horrific injuries I have seen caused to cats involved in RTAs. I don't feel that she is missing out in any way, this is what she is used to and she gets plenty of interaction and stimulation.

[farthing]

Blame the double post on Tabatha again.:roll:

[pinklizzy]

Blame the double post on Tabatha again.:roll:

:D Must be something in the name, my parents have a Tabatha and she loves to 'help' on the computer! (she also has a degree of brain damage which makes it harder for her to keep upright, often leading to her crashing into the keyboard poor girl)

[dandysmom]

As I've said in other posts my cats have been indoors only with outside access limited to walks on a harness. I live on a heavily trafficed street, and have seen too many neighborhood cats victims of RTA. Also, am very close to the woods where we have foxes, raccoons and opossums, some of which are rabies carriers, especially the raccoons. Since leash laws were passed there's no longer the danger of free roaming dogs, although some. people do disregard the law.
I'd love to have an outside run, but the topography of the land and my house make that impractical.

All mine seem to have lived long and happy contented lives as indoors only with walks. Leia is scared of outdoors so the decision with her has been simple. And I do have a screened porch which gives them a chance to enjoy the fresh air and bird watch.

[pookyandjo]

When I got Tinky nearly 11 years ago i made a decision to keep him as an indoor cat... I had not had a cat for number of years partly due to the last one being killed by a car...and we were living in an amaprtment for a few years after that..3 years after Tinky came George on the basis of providing some companionship for Tinky because he didn;'t go outside...mind you he never missed going outside and was always stressy cat...Now it's just George and Princess Harri... Harri doesn't make a fuss about going outside... but she does come to the doorand is curious.. but no more than the others were at their age...I am attepting to harness train Harri because i thought it might be nice for her to go outsdie in back yard on a leash.. but that is still a work in progress.. we are going to look into getting a cat run installed when we come back from overseas in time for the spring and summer... but finding the correct cofiguration is proving difficult... George and Harri (and Tinky when he was with us) always have plenty of sunny windows that open with the safety of fly screens to allow fresh air and bird watching... in an ideal world it would be nice to let them out... but i would worry too much abou them and what harm they can come to... apart from that the area in which we live has wildlife issues and as such cats are supposed to be kept indoors... of course it doesn't stop people allowing their cats to roam...

[angieh]

The three cats that have been in my life so far have all been "come and go as you please" cats. Smudge definitely preferred to be outside if at all possible; Merlin was much more of an indoor boy by his own choosing even before he got to be a venerable boy. Kizzy is now coming and going as she pleases too. Personally, I admire this about cats - their independence and the fact that they still come home to me and I feel honoured by their presence.

Of course I appreciate the practical and many reasons for keeping your cats indoors too. I have noticed that once a cat gains more independence, a certain "distance" is inevitable between cat and "owner".

Perhaps I ought to add that I live in a semi rural area.

[alexgirl73]

My 3 are all indoor cats. Broxi because I was always worried about him being pinched, Cooper because of his brain damage, and Teddie because she just has no common sense lol. Saying that though, I've never had outdoor cats, mostly because I've always lived beside roads and seen too many RTA victims. I'd always be worrying about them, and wouldn't sleep if they stayed out at night. I don't have any regrets about it, and they have plenty of viewing points to the outside world and lots of toys and climbing places in the house.

[dinahsmum]

I think this is probably the most difficult question and it's impossible to give a hard and fast answer as it all depends on the individual circumstances. It would take a lot to make me keep a cat indoors but if that was the only choice then I would probably take it - I couldn't confine a one-time free-roamer though; it would have to be indoor only from scratch.

[janey83]

My Tigger had always been able to roam free. But after he had his car accident we kept him on a harness for a year so he could get use to just having one eye. Then after that he was free, he never ventured far after that though.

Leo, I'd love him to be able to roam free but coz of the main road he's safer on a harness in the garden.

Jake, same as Leo, harness it is.

[PoshPuss]

I've spent a lot of time thinking over this dilemma recently during the nice weather. Posh has been mewing a lot to go outside and play freely but I know she will wander. I have gone out with her and watched as she mooches around the front garden then gets up on the wall and finally slopes of into next doors. I'm sure she'd go out of bounds if left alone and I'm scared that she'd get lost.
We've tried her on a harness but she's not fussed; just dug her heels in and looked very cross. We're going to secure the back garden as much as possible so that she can have fresh air, hopefully we can tether her with a very long leash to allow her 'freedom' to roam around a large lawn and some shady areas.
Most of the time she is indoors she sleeps and eats and is quite happy to chill, but now and again I think she misses the call of the wild. To this end we'll compromise but I do fear cars and the access to a busy road near to us would be too anxiety provoking for me.

[Stephan]

All of mine have been free to roam-Parsley never went far and he came home after an accident-21 stitches and a baby as he needed fluids every 4 hours-he moved with us from Leeds and was put to sleep after a stroke and in my arms

Oscar also came from Leeds put me in A&E when he lived next door and moved in when his owners left(he didn`t want to)-again was put to sleep in my arms.

Conker-he was just mad,rescued from a tree in Leeds-came down with us with Parsley and the Cos(Oscar)-he used to walk in front of buses in Leeds and his desire to roam to bring us rabbits near here was his downfall

Cleo just stays in the garden and worries if pigeons flutter around the bird table

[smudgley]

My cats are free to come & go as they please, except we don't have a cat flap - so they have to ask to go out.:roll:

I like my cats to have the choice of being free to go where they like, when they like.

Bluebell & Lilly have to come in at night. :shock:

I have lost a cat in a RTA and heartbreaking as it was, (& believe me it was!) I wouldn't have it any other way, my cats will always be allowed out.

[calismum]

I have had a variety of situations depending on where I was living at the time.

I have lost two cats to RTA's and it was really difficult to let the others that were with me out after that.

I have had one cat who opted not to go out - I usually like to give them the choice.

I am fortunate that where we are I do not have to worry too much about traffic. There is only the odd car.

[random]

6 indoor cats, 2 go out on harness, the rest don't care and would rather stay in, hoping to get my dad to help me build a run for them before the winter, if not then next summer because at the same time we are going to do kennels for the dogs so it's a pretty big project!

[Phoenix]

Outdoor I prefer (there again I can get away with it)

Beauty liked to go out into the back garden, she was bullied so she never went round the front garden. She chose the outdoor life I might add.

Dylan I had to spend a fair bit of time encouraging him (I think he lived indoors before we got him) I wanted him to go outside but first time he went outside a neighbourhood dog scared him, now though he's perfectly happy to go out hunting and defending his territory.

We don't often get loads of traffic down the road where we live (dead end so the only traffic coming down is either coming to a house or turning round)

[pcspik]

Mine are all FIV. I am in rented accommodation in a flat so I dont have a garden as such, and I cannot put a pen (no space).

I actually moved there in February, where I was before I was also in rented but I had a garden. I purposely went for an indoor cat because a) I was in temporary accommodation and it would not be fair if I ended up in a top floor flat and b) I would forever and a day be worrying where the cat had been.

In the past couple of months there have been reports of someone going around poisoning cats in the area (we had one in the shelter earlier on this year who recovered from being poisoned. He was in a poor state - he was only 2 and renal due to the poison. The vet said he would be lucky to live past 5) so I am glad that mine are indoors only.

Although I know that I will lose Tigger and Pickle at some point, I will have indoors only. If I get a place of my own, then I would love to build a pen.

I dont have lots of traffic (someone in one of the upstairs flat has a outdoors going cat). I back onto a car park for a sheltered accommodation block so the main traffic is people visiting that block. But as I am a natural worrier and be worrying every single time that my cat would get into some mortal danger that an indoors only cat (FIV or otherwise) is probably best for my sanity.

[dandysmom]

Mine are all FIV. I am in rented accommodation in a flat so I dont have a garden as such, and I cannot put a pen (no space).

I actually moved there in February, where I was before I was also in rented but I had a garden. I purposely went for an indoor cat because a) I was in temporary accommodation and it would not be fair if I ended up in a top floor flat and b) I would forever and a day be worrying where the cat had been.

In the past couple of months there have been reports of someone going around poisoning cats in the area (we had one in the shelter earlier on this year who recovered from being poisoned. He was in a poor state - he was only 2 and renal due to the poison. The vet said he would be lucky to live past 5) so I am glad that mine are indoors only.

Although I know that I will lose Tigger and Pickle at some point, I will have indoors only. If I get a place of my own, then I would love to build a pen.

I dont have lots of traffic (someone in one of the upstairs flat has a outdoors going cat). I back onto a car park for a sheltered accommodation block so the main traffic is people visiting that block. But as I am a natural worrier and be worrying every single time that my cat would get into some mortal danger that an indoors only cat (FIV or otherwise) is probably best for my sanity.

I do empthize with you there! Even if I lived in a rural area I'd be worried sick every time they weren't in sight!

[cats' staff]

After we caught Smudge crossing the (fairly quiet) road once my OH insisted that she be kept in and it took months before she was allowed out again but she was very unhappy as an indoor cat, and I hated it. We lost a lovely cat on the road some years ago and it broke my heart BUT he had a great life and died very, very quickly without knowing anything about it so although it hurt us for ages (and I still cry writing about it) Charlie had a great life and loved his freedom.
Mine all come and go through the day but get locked in when it is dark and I do worry about them but they love the outdoors.
Just what do you do for the best!?!

[EmmaG]

Ours free roam when we are at home (mainly the weekends or when we are working from home) but they are only out during the day not the night. During the week they are indoor only.

They don't seem to mind, Arthur likes going out but is content being indoors, Bronwyn doesn't really like being outside unless one of us is as well.

[mj69]

Jack's a independant sole and after just moving house keeping him locked in was a trail, he was frantic trying to get out! crafty begger worked out how to spin the dial on flap and let himself out possibly a fluke (see other thread) He managaged a grand total of 7 days being a indoor cat but he's coming and going through the flap in and out day and night, the main problem i had when i got him was he'd being left behind when his owner went into a nursing home and lived in the garage for 12months with a neighbour feeding him daily!

so even if i wanted to have him as a indoor cat we would have no chance....

the new house is in a quiet cul-de-sac and our previuos house was next to a train line and station so i would say he's pretty street wise!

[John]

I have always lived in a rural type area and have always had a cat flap where they can come and go as they please.when Millie was younger she used to leave me a present on the bottom of the stairs but she is to old now ..

[Stephan]

Are cats nocturnal??-if so nobody told Cleo. The closest she gets to going out at night is coming up to my bed with muddy paws after doing what a cat has to do

[HappyKatz]

Our cats have their own secure garden - we pretty much built it for them :smt049 We wanted our furry babies to have a safe place to enjoy the sunshine. They know when it is a nice day, they all wait by the door each singing to us with their cute mews. I call "kitties" in a high pitch tone & they all run out! We just feel better knowing where each & every cat is at all times. We let them come in & out as they please. We also check on them every 15 minutes. Winter lasts 6-7 months here so we let them out in their garden as much as the weather will let us. Our babies love the outdoors & we love to watch what they like to do outside... :cat10 Whether it be napping in the sun, chasing bugs, or watching birdies :-D

[Phoenix]

Are cats nocturnal??-if so nobody told Cleo. The closest she gets to going out at night is coming up to my bed with muddy paws after doing what a cat has to do

Crepuscular ;) (dawn and dusk)

[moonstone]

I have four cats...my elderly one Bobby chooses not to go out and i am fine with that...my two kittens (10 months) have restricted exercise in the garden (they are allowed out during the day when i am at home) they come in in the early evening and are in at night ...my other little girl is disabled (she has hip dysplasia)so she is a house cat.
There are lots of foxes round here,they are urban foxes (not like ferals)and they will take a cat given half a chance...they tried to kill one of mine so i have seen this for myself...i would prefer my cats to be house cats but they do like to go out in the garden so i hope that they have a happy compromise.

[Kazz]

No cat at present but all mine have been outoor/indoor cats. Although like some I lost Archie to a RTA where he was killed...it was heartbreaking but...when I got Oscar and Cleo again they went outside, and Oscar adored it he was a proper roamer scents, insects, mice, birds etc were his lifestyle although he always came home he was never gone for more than a day...morning to night or night till dawn, in the summer.
Cleo rarely went further than the back or front garden....preffering to be a homebody but she loved the sun I would not deny them that...if I had to have an indoor cat it would be indoor from day 1 not one who was a roamer now confined.