Indoor or outdoor cat?

[Mags]

I have been growing indoor grass for Cassie for years ...... as you can see she loves it!

[dandysmom]

Leia insists on outside (wild) grass! With all this snow who knows when I'll be able to pick some for her!

[Shelley123]

Like people have said it all depends on circumstances, individual Cats and their owners.
Years ago i lived on a main road and all the Cats lived indoors but had a cat run in the yard.
We live in a semi rural area now and Tom and Jerry are come and go as you please Cats. They enjoy the freedom and are mostly ok. We have had a problem with a roaming Tom who ours have fought with over territory. He sometimes comes in through the cat flap in the middle of the night which is quite shocking as we are awoken by terrible catawauling. We have tried shutting the cat flap but then our two play up and scratch at the bedroom door to be let out.

[pcspik]

As you can see my cats have FIV, and they are indoors only, because of that. My male spent about 10 years on the streets and he loves being indoors (I live in a block of flats and he got out into the corridor a couple of weeks ago. He then panicked and ran straight back into the flat because he decided he no longer liked the outdoors). My female does miss it, as last year I had to rescue her from the windowsill (otherwise she would have been out good and proper) more than once. But I think it is a lot easier once they are kittens to stop them from being outdoor cats.

Like some people said - there is no right or wrong answer. Some people say that in some circumstances (low cat population area) that FIV cats can be let out - however with my location it is not an possibilty.

Like other people say, the best solution (if possible - I cant do it because I am in rented acommodation) is to cat proof your garden. A pen is an option, though there are various other ways. In reality it depends on the budget - there are "roller" type things which rotate if the cat jumps so high, to cat friendly spikes which you put on the top of the fence, to a giant net type thing which you hang from various poles attached to the garden post. A cat pen can be built (provided you are or know someone who is reasonably competent at DIY) for £500, whereas some solutions can cost over a £1000. Also price will vary depending on the size too.

Here are a few links, you can do some research on which is the best solution for your situation.

http://www.woodycoon.com/html/cat-proof_fencing.html

http://www.katzecure.com/

http://www.beestonfencingcompany.co....rden-fence.htm

http://www.purrfectfence.co.uk/

[Aquatic]

Even though felix is still really young atm he's mostly an indoor cat and only goes outside about once every two weeks.

[yola]

Like Kay, I have persians and they're not the sharpest tools in the box My youngest particularly is extremely trusting and will go to anyone for fussing. Living in the town centre we have plenty of undesirables who will either hurt an animal out of spite or try and sell it for the price of a fix.

Hence, they will only go outside under careful supervision . . . the 2 oldies now prefer to stay indoors and sleep though.