Cats - what's the answer?

[bexj]

After having said goodbye today to our fifth cat in three years, just wondering what the answer is?

Two of the five have gone due to suspected road accidents, despite living a good half mile from our nearest, infrequently travelled country road. Do we keep them indoors, and never have any doors or windows open? Do we let them out and suffer heartbreak again when we lose them? Or do we just never have cats.?

 

[LovesCobs]

Sorry to hear this.
I've lost cats to the road in a busy town. Not two in three years though so you are quite unlucky there. I've had some cats live to a good old age and now live in a quite area. They love going out so personally I would keep having them, letting them out and endure the heartache of losing them if I did. I have to say any cats I have that are oriental or part oriental (cheeper than a full breed!) are good hunters, great in the home and quite savy. Never lost one to the road.
Sorry for your loss x

 

[Mocha]

Nothing wrong with having an indoor cat.

However there are other options...

Cat safe fencing
http://www.purrfectfence.com/

Or even simply, a 'cat run' which is connected to the house (can be accessed by an open window)

If you can offer a home to an indoor cat, you could take one of the many from rescue (as most indoor-only cats can never be properly acclimatised to live outside again)

Not every home/owner is suited to having an indoor only cat though.

You can also buy screens for windows, so its not a case of never opening a window again.

 

[Honey08]

While its really really sad when a cat is killed on a road, I would rather my cats have the chance to go outside and be free to do their cat thing than shut in. I have had two cats hit in the last ten years, thankfully both survived and were extremely wary of cars afterwards.

If you're going to have indoor cats, perhaps take cats from a rescue that genuinely can't go outside. A friend has two deaf cats that obviously couldn't go outside as they wouldn't hear danger. They are having a wonderful life.

As for most indoor cats not being acclimatised to being outside, we have two rescue cats that had never been outside. It took a bit of persuasion (we have a fab photo of them hanging off the back door handle wanting to get back in) but after a couple of months they realised just how wonderful outdoor life can be, and are regularly seen up trees/ across the fields hunting. Its lovely to see.

 

[asmp]

As we have moved around over the years with our cat, sometimes living near busy roads, we found it best to keep him inside at night. He was always fed just before we go to bed so usually appeared at that time. He's now elderly so isn't inclined to go far.

 

[joelb]

Sorry about your cats. Sadly yes the only way to totally ensure safety is an indoor home. I lost a succession of cats, many on the main road but two down a little used single track country lane. Hence I switched to pedigrees (lesser chance of strong hunting drive) and keep them indoors. I would never try to contain a cat that was used to an outdoor life but my 4 are all dizzily happy, what they’ve never had they don’t miss. As long as you’re prepared to make a few adjustments and give them a stimulating environment there’s nothing wrong with an indoor life. Cat aviaries are a great compromise if you have the space and are completely against indoor confinement.

 

[WelshD]

I have two indoor cats, they dont know any different as thats the life they have always had

 

[jenniaddams]

Unless I was living in town, I would always let them out and just take the risk. If they want to go out they can, and if they want to be largely indoor, they can do that too. We've lost half our cats over the years to road accidents but I'd rather they lived how they choose (ie: free access in and out) rather than having to force them to stay indoors. I have no issue with cats wanting to stay indoors, but I like them to have the option.
Better a short life well lived, than a long life lived miserably.

 

[Sussexbythesea]

I think a lot of cats settle well to never going out as long as they haven't got used to it. My two do go out but they never go far. When they were little they were never let out unsupervised, then they only went out when I was in and as I didn't have a catflap they had to be let in and out. They were not allowed out at night and always had to come in for food. They were both 8 years old (female) when I eventually had a house with a catflap and by then I think the wanderlust had gone. I might just have been lucky though. Personally if I had two cats that had been run over I wouldn't get another I just couldn't stand living in fear of them dying like that.

 

[Mocha]

Its really disheartening to read the attitude on this thread, that its ok to keep getting cats and running the risk of them being knocked down.

Sure, some cats, dependant on their nature or where you live, will never have an issue with the road, or straying - but its not a lifestyle suited to all - and its quite cruel and irresponsible to just let them be injured and killed when you know you have a problem.

If you had successive dogs that kept being run over or never came home, you would be criticised for letting your dogs roam - why is it different for cats??

For the record, I have an indoor cat and one outdoor cat.

The outdoor cat was an outdoor stray, has very good road sense and rarely strays off the property, which is large and not suitable to be fenced - however, if there was a problem, a solution would be found. Its called, responsible pet ownership.

The indoor cat is part pedigree and has absolutely no sense whatsoever, he'd be run over in the house - he was a rescue cat that had always been indoors. I used to take him out supervised or on a lead (as I do believe that where possible, its nice for them to have access to outdoors) but I gave up in the end, because he was nervous more often then not, and the last time he picked some chewing gum out of a gravel bed and thought it might be nice to eat.

No one is talking about forcing a cat to stay inside - if a cat has never known any different they have no desire to go outside? You do need to provide the right home for them to express their natural behaviour, a cat tree and suitable toys and stimulation are always a good idea.

If your situation has proven unsuitable for an outdoor cat, why continue to get an unsuitable pet???
Its like buying a large breed dog when you have no garden.

Not to mention, OP, that if you do not know what happened to your cats, you might have a more serious problem then the road - neighbours who put down poision for example, a horrific death for any cat.

 

[WelshD]

I'm also quite shocked - cats that get hit by cars dont always get an instant death, it seems its acceptable for them to get run over and drag themselves around in pain till they die but not to keep a cat indoors???

Also seeing friend's cats with abcesses from fights and reports in the papers of people tormenting cats I dont think my two have a bad life 'stuck' indoors with every whim catered for

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

There are cats that have to be indoor cats. The only other way Is outdoor ferral cats who can be little more road worthy.

Or the cat fencing

CPL always have indoor cats needing to be homed which have to be, leaving other cats to be re-homed as in and out cats.

Why don't you looking into indoor cats, that way your not keeping them in when they don't have too.

 

[Honey08]

I think that not letting a cat outside is like keeping a horse in a stable and turning it out in a school perhaps once a day or grazing it in hand. They will cope perfectly well, especially if they have never known any difference, but its not really a natural life, and its not something that I would do.

And I am slightly shocked at people thinking those of us that let our cats out and take the risk don't care about our cats! Of course we do. To be frank, for the ten years prior to living in this house (which is in open countryside on a quiet lane) I haven't had either a dog or a cat because I didn't think I had a suitable environment for them...

And don't suggest, because I let my cats out to enjoy their life, that their every whim is not catered to like yours. Just because they don't need toys and climbing frames and scratch mats doesn't mean they're not really well looked after. I love seeing them out in the fields, or up a tree, or down at the stables doing their thing just as I love having them on my knee in front of the fire.

ps. and once again, I do understand certain cats HAVE to be indoor cats, and am totally ok with that. I just like to see a cat that could have a full life do so.

 

[Cheshire Chestnut]

My friend has lost 2 cats in the last 4 months in very similar circumstances. However, what they thought was being hit by cars (they live about a mile away from a country road that only has the od car/tractors on), was in fact, them being kicked by cows.

Have you got cows nearby since you mentioned you live in the county? After she chatted to her vet about it, apparently it is really common for cats to be kicked by cows and usually killed by them. That could be what is happening rather than the road.

 

[Honey08]

That's interesting, never heard of that one before. No it was definitely cars with us (we are in sheep country generally). Both cats are leaf coloured, and I think were sleeping at the side of the road. One was ok, just a broken tooth, the other was a mess, but super vet made him bionic and he lived until he was 18 still outdoors and with great road sense from that point.

Sometimes cats are their worst enemies, I took one to the vets two years ago that just ran out into a main road (in a town) straight into the car in front of me (the car drove off). The car couldn't have stopped. The other thing cats do is to drag themselves off when hurt. The one we had that was badly run over dragged himself quite a way into the garden of my parent's old house. At first we thought someone had thrown him there. Luckily he answered when we were shouting and looking for him that night.

 

[Serianas]

We have an indoor cat because he has FIV and it would be rather irresponsible to let him out to transmit it to other cats (and possibly because he is a sandwich short of a picnic!). He suffers no detriment from being inside. He once escaped onto our fence (Ill admit it I accidentally left the door unlocked), fell off the fence into next doors garden, onto their tiny jack russel, and i had to go get him because he was terrified. So no an outdoor life wouldn't be good for him. He doesnt seem to be able to identify danger either despite coming from a feral mother and being abandoned not once but twice in his life before he came to us. He is the softest, most loving cat you will ever meet and hes a bit of a giant

 

[MotherOfChickens]

the indoor versus outdoor argument seems to be a purely cultural one (not currently a cat owner but having lost one to an RTA). In the US many cats are indoor cats purely due to the amount of predators, it's more unusual to have outdoor cats there according to other forums I've been on. I have just moved to somewhere very rural and considering an outdoor cat-but we are surrounded by cows and I hadn't appreciated the potential dangers of cattle and cats!

 

[Mocha]

I think that not letting a cat outside is like keeping a horse in a stable and turning it out in a school perhaps once a day or grazing it in hand. They will cope perfectly well, especially if they have never known any difference, but its not really a natural life, and its not something that I would do.

There is absolutely no comparison TBH - a horse is a herd animal and a grazing animal, a trickle feeder ... keeping them in is psychologically and physically debilitating. Whereas most cats sleep for 16-18hrs in 24hr.... my outdoor cat is very flighty and nervous constantly when outside, she likes to go out and hunt (1-2hrs) but she comes inside then and sleeps for about 8hrs on the windowsill during the day. She also sleeps through the whole night in her bed inside.

And I am slightly shocked at people thinking those of us that let our cats out and take the risk don't care about our cats! Of course we do. To be frank, for the ten years prior to living in this house (which is in open countryside on a quiet lane) I haven't had either a dog or a cat because I didn't think I had a suitable environment for them...

As I said in my post, I have no issue with outdoor/indoor cats -only that it is very irresponsible to keep acquiring cats if you know you do not have a suitable environment in which to keep them. You are obviously of the same opinion.

ps. and once again, I do understand certain cats HAVE to be indoor cats, and am totally ok with that. I just like to see a cat that could have a full life do so.

Indoor cats are perfectly capable of having the same quality of life as outdoor cats. And more and more cats are specifically bred to have a disposition suited to an indoor life.

Both my cats are domestic shorthairs, but my indoor cat has some oriental breeding - yes, he has characteristics that are a product of his environment (he's become highly sociable) but he also has tendencies that were inherent in his nature.
When we first got him, we had a house with a walled garden, and we tried to acclimatise him to going outside, but he couldn't adjust. A complete lack of self preservation or sense of danger, climbing on unsecured objects, getting stuck in areas/under objects, eating grass until he made himself sick (just for the sheer novelty of it, no health reasons!!)

 

[Goldenstar]

I have lost three cats to the road despite being a far way away .
All my cats have come from the RSPCA there are so cats needing a home and I can give a nice one with fields ,woods and stables cat heaven really, despite this three of them have found there way to road and got killed but at least they had a life and where not PTS in the rehoming centre still waiting for someone to take them.
I have an RSPCA cat now I have had her 15 years this time I think it will be old age that gets this one.