Urban cats: in or out?

[rousseau]

We just got two rescue cats after not having had feline companions for a couple of years. Our previous pair went outside every day of their lives once they were old enough, and they lived to be sixteen and eighteen. We figured we'd probably do the same with these, as, quite frankly, the thought of a lifetime spent indoors seems incredibly depressing to me.

I really like it when a neighbourhood street has cats going here and there, exploring and saying hello, doing their thing. It just feels right to me. Alive, vital, homey. Sure, they get territorial. With our previous cats I would hear growling and screeching at least once a week, and I would have to run out and end the standoff between our male and our neighbour's male two doors down. The house in between was no-man's land. It was just a part of the rhythm of life. We all shrugged and laughed about it.

But now we've been receiving unsolicited advice about keeping our new cats indoors. The women at the rescue we got them from, our vet, a couple of neighbours who keep indoor cats, my mother...actually, they're all women, and they have all taken great pains to describe in great detail the terrible things that could happen if we let our cats out.

My wife is starting to become convinced. Me, I'm still on the side of letting them run free. My feeling is that when it comes to cats, a potentially shorter and riskier but fuller life spent exploring the great outdoors is a far better option than a longer, sedentary life sleeping on the couch all the time.

It's getting warmer out. An open window is like a magnet to them. We're fully aware that there's no going back once you let them out, as they will beg and whine and cry nonstop if you don't let them out after they've got the taste for it. So we need to make a decision.

What sayeth SSP cat lovers?

[240glt]

^ we had a cat when we were young, she would spend most of her day outside roaming around when it was nice out and come in at night. I really didn't see an issue with that, but now you hear of all kinds of things happening to people's pets. We currently have two dogs, and as much as I know they'd never leave the back yard if we left them there while we were away there's just too many bad people out there doing things like poisoning or stealing dogs. So I'd say unless you have a way to keep the cats confined to your outdoor space, I wouldn't let them roam. Traffic, predators, bad people, having them shit in the neighbors gardens, too many issues.

[milomilo]

I don't have any issue with the trade off of a happier, potentially shorter cat life with a less happy but on average longer life. But there's more to it than that depending on circumstance. Either way though, any busybodies can keep their opinions to themselves.

[zahav]

Those cats are beautiful! I am similar to you in that always had cats growing up and they were always outdoor cats who would come in whenever they wanted, which was quite often (they hated the rain so being in Vancouver they would be in the house a lot). My mom lives in a townhouse and her cat is in and out all day too. So that is normal to me. But yes, so many people somehow think outdoor cats face too many dangers, and should be in. I suppose at the end of the day having them indoors means you have total control and nothing could happen, whereas outdoor cats there's always a risk of cars, fights with raccoons, people stealing them, etc. But I still think outdoors is good for cats, just make sure they are spayed or neutered obvi

[MonctonRad]

I'm well aware of the risks of letting your cats roam, but I think it's bad for a cat's mental health to be confined all the time.

It really depends on your urban situation though. I've got a nicely forested double lot with lots of foliage for the cat to hide under and explore. It makes the decision a lot easier.

If I had a downtown urban postage stamp lot and traffic mortality were a real possibility, I might feel differently about it.

[SpongeG]

When I was a kid we had one cat, a tabby I think, which my friend found abandoned outside only a couple months old maybe, anyway it wouldn't use a litter box unless we sprinkled dirt on it, so it was easier to just let it out and he spent a lot of time outdoors, it would spend the night indoors and come in and out all day, we had an old milk door that it used. Then a number of years later we got a siamese cat and it preferred to stay indoors, he would venture out a little bit and stay in the yard whereas the older one would go all over the area.

Anyway nothing really bad happened to the cat that liked to go outside, it got frostbit once and lost part of its ear.

But yeah times have changed and I wouldn't let a cat roam on its own outdoors anymore. Too many bad things and people these days.

[SignalHillHiker]

Mine are indoors only. Seems to be the norm here for people who care about their pets enough to name them. And it's a local hit on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/meowindows/?hl=en

But there are still lots out and around the core here. They keep the pigeons and rats under control.

[lio45]

Wow, your situation with your wife totally mirrors mine! My cats have always been allowed outdoors; my gf's cats, never.

When we met a few years ago I didn't have any cats at the moment, so all our cats are either her geriatric ones or else that bunch of kittens we adopted two summers ago. So far, I've let her win.

Essentially,
Her - "it's dangerous out there! I like them too much to let them out"
Me - "well, of course the inside of a jail cell is the safest place possible."



(gotta say though, our cats seem happy enough indoors; they've never tasted outdoors life, and so far, even when they could escape, they are acting circumspect and scared of the outside world. If we ever adopted a cat who's used to going out, I'd fight much harder for the right to let that one out, poor thing.)

[rousseau]

We don't have a swinging cat door, so with our previous pair we always let them in and out ourselves. They would always let us know very loudly when they wanted out. We kept them inside when we went away for the day or overnight.

We're close to downtown Stratford in a comfy Victorian neighbourhood, so Manhattan this isn't. There are grass, plants and trees in front and backyards, and traffic isn't busy on the narrow one-way street we live on. We know all of the neighbours in the vicinity where the cats would roam, and are pretty confident none of them are psychopaths about animals.

Still, you never know, I guess.

Uh...who doesn't give names to their pets?

[niwell]

Keep them indoors!! Not for their sakes, but for the birds. Outdoor cats are the largest killer of songbirds.

[Blader]

Let them out. Spend money indoors to keep their litter clean. If you do that it's less likely that they will destroy my prized vegetables in order to poop.
Give them their nature. If they meet an untimely death so be it.
I, as a neighbor will live with the consequences.
Hopefully, you don't have that neighbor from hell.

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by niwell

Keep them indoors!! Not for their sakes, but for the birds. Outdoor cats are the largest killer of songbirds.

Circle of life though, isn't it? And don't feral cats kill the most birds anyway? My understanding is that domestic cats don't kill that many birds compared to the feral ones.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by rousseau

Circle of life though, isn't it? And don't feral cats kill the most birds anyway? My understanding is that domestic cats don't kill that many birds compared to the feral ones.

Yeah, I was going to point out that I can hardly picture our indoors, spoiled rotten couch potatoes managing to capture a bird (they'd more likely dash to safety in a panic after getting scared by the bird having chirped).

[niwell]

I dunno, when I worked for the endangered species branch of MNR we were told that it was mostly housecats. Could be wrong though. My lazy ass fat tabby was weirdly good at killing things when I let him outside!

[flar]

We keep our two cats indoors. We live near a highway and there are lots of coyotes and possum. Somehow our neighbour's cat survives outdoors year round, although it nearly died a couple months ago from a gaping neck wound (possibly coyote attack).

If your old cats survived to 16 and 18, your neighbourhood is probably safe for cats.

The only thing I don't like about letting cats out is they kill a lot of birds.

[flar]

Originally Posted by rousseau

Circle of life though, isn't it? And don't feral cats kill the most birds anyway? My understanding is that domestic cats don't kill that many birds compared to the feral ones.

They kill a lot. I try to keep the neighbour's cat away because we have a feeder that attracts lots of birds. I live in constant fear the cat is going to kill my favourite red bellied woodpecker that comes to our feeder every morning.

[rousseau]

I think our previous cats killed about five or six birds in total during the early, more agile part of their lives. They always brought them back to the door as trophies.

We're right in town. The wildest things we ever get around here are jackrabbits, raccoons and skunks, and even then we only see them in random years, so I would say our neighbourhood is definitely safe for cats. No coyotes roaming the streets at night around here.

[TownGuy]

I too enjoy neighbourhood cats but I know many people don't, and I can understand that, so we keep our cat confined to our yard.

Obviously it is hard to keep a cat in a yard but ours is fully fenced (typical suburban Ontario 6 ft fence) and we have a wireless fence wire strung across the top of the fence. If he attempts to jump it he gets a little jolt from his collar. It has worked great for 4 years and he doesn't even attempt to jump the fence now because he knows what will happen. That said we are usually outside with him when he goes outdoors. We spend a lot of time outside so the whining and crying doesn't get too bad because by the time we come in he has had his fill.

From a quality of life standpoint I think cats need some time outside. You just can't replicate what they get from being outside on the inside.

[Architype]

Indoor is better for health and longevity, and if you have two it's presumably better for companionship. In a house at ground level it's more difficult to keep them from escaping though, it may happen eventually. Our family cats were outdoors, and they always suffered an eventual premature unhappy demise because of it, wheras my indoor cats have always lived longer.

[SignalHillHiker]

Originally Posted by rousseau

I think our previous cats killed about five or six birds in total during the early, more agile part of their lives. They always brought them back to the door as trophies.

Cute/sadistic cat fact: they're not trophies. Your cats have noticed you're a pretty shitty hunter and are trying to teach you how to do it. Apparently, that's why they bring animals to their owners, and also why the animals are often still partially alive.