Should cats be allowed outside?

We used to live in Eastcote in Middlesex, along a really busy road. Our cat went out daily for 8 years, crossed the road and used to sit in the church yard opposite. This is the same road that used to take me 5 minutes of waiting to be able to pull out of our drive when leaving the house. We moved to Devon, to the middle of absolutely no-where - along a long single lane track - and 2 years later our cat was killed on a slightly busier road about 3 miles from home. Goodness knows what he was doing down there :(

We now live in a very quiet cul-de-sac with fields all behind our house. In the past 2 years two of our cats have been killed on the same road. The single lane road which runs along the top of the back fields. It's a long way away from the house and with the ample fields and woods to wander in - it makes you wonder why they need to roam so far away during the day.

Seems to me.... cats will find trouble if they're destined to, no matter where you live. :(

But I'd never keep mine in.
 
In general, I would say that the ideal for cats is for them to have a cat flap so they can do as they please, however I don't think it's the end of the world for them to be in, providing they have attention, company and things such as scratching posts to keep them amused. Yes, litters smell but it's like horsey smell, you become immune :D I don't think having to stay in is the worst thing in the world that can happen to a cat.
I'm one of those very cruel people who keeps their cats in most of the time ;) They are allowed out when we're there and usually get out in the front garden every day unless the weather is disgusting (I have to leave the door open so won't if it's minging), but long stretches of time out mostly only happens in the summer as it's too cold to leave the door open in the evenings in winter. They have play time with us at least once a day (one with toys, the other with a rubber band :o). I would love to have a cat flap, my parents have one and my childhood cat is still using it now, but unfortunately there are quite a few full toms in our area and, even though both our females have been spayed, I won't have one as I do not want them coming into our house. My little ginger was a house cat before I resuced her and had never seen another cat, so being allowed out, even for a short time, is an mprovement. She is obsessed with getting out but only goes a few steps into the garden to eat grass! She rarely goes much further than the front gate as she's not really sure what to do with herself lol. The other one was a stray and was rescued pregnant & emaciated, so is quite happy to potter about the garden, safe in the knowledge that a warm bed and all the food she wants is inside :)
As for cats roaming, I think that by law you have to have a dog under control, but cats are exempt as even the law recognises they are impossible :D
 
I think cat owners should have a certain amount of responsibility to their pets. I have three, two are housecats (only young at the moment and will be getting a run built in the Spring) because one has limited vision and hearing the other is her companion. I also have a cat who was abandoned 8 years ago when his owners moved out of a house nearby and left him to it. I got him neutered and although he does go out, he has never liked going out during the day, now he is older and probably in his teens he prefers to be inside 99% of the time. I do limit any going out times so that we minimise the threat to fledglings leaving the nest, usually early morning or early evening. He isn't much of a hunter anyway and is more of a home buddy.

What does irk me is unneutered males, just because they can't have kittens they are an absolute pest and I was sick of getting vet bills because our old cat was getting beat up in our garden constantly so I started putting the dogs out and aiming with a water pistol, we also tried to make the garden as cat proof as possible.
 
I have 3 cats, all are Siamese.

All of my cats are allowed to go outside, but only when someone is in, and the back door is left open for when they want to come back in. They are all ALWAYS in at night, then in the morning/afternoon someone will open the back door and allow them to go outside. The 2 females cats roam around the garden and then come back in. They would rather be curled up in their bed or next to a radiator then outside! Our male cat however is a monkey for roaming off for a couple of hours. He generally will come back if he's called and in ear shot.
He's then not allowed out after dark because we like them all to be in and safe at night. We used to be more lax about it, and he once went off, crossed a dual carriage way :eek: and then was too scared to cross back. He was missing for days as we could not find him and then eventually when we did, we had to go and collect him in the carrier. He was terrified, skinny and it took him about a week to recover from the fright! (He's never done it again since - touch wood!)

I think it would be far too difficult to keep our male cat indoors for good though. We have tried this (after his dual carriage way crossing) but he became very very vocal, paced around the house and seemed to take his frustration out on our female cats, beating them up!!
But our female cats would quite happily never go outside as 8 times out of 10 they choose not to leave the house when offered anyway!
 
I have 3 big boys. They have 24hr access to indoors and outdoors. They spend the majority of the time sleeping or playing with the dogs and each other inside. I live very close to the A1 (1 road (straight off A1) and a field separating us) They go up the fields at the back and cross the road into the field next to the A1 (chasing cows :D). Yes we have a few near misses but the few times we've kept them in the wall paper etc has been shredded. It's one of the hazards of cat ownership.
 
I firmly believe that cats should be allowed outside. My two have always been allowed free access both indoors and out (although admittedly they do spend most of their time indoors, especially the old boy, Harry, who's now in his mid to late teens). Yes, it can be risky outside - but when I bought my current flat 12 years ago, I bought it knowing that I would be keeping cats there, so I deliberately bought a flat in a place that's away from main roads, busy traffic etc. as much as I could to minimise the risk. I did view one lovely flat, but it was on quite a busy road, so I rejected that particular flat (which to me was an easier choice than keeping cats indoors all the time and/or having no cats whatsoever).

As for cat poo - my two (luckily) are pretty good. They both always use the same spot under the plum tree in the garden, which I clear up on a regular basis.
 
Mine just do as they please regardless of what I think!

HM The Egg goes out but she is a canny lass and she is a femme fatale even though she is teeny tiny.

Mr Toby Toast on the other hand won't leave the safety of the back garden. Not that I mind as he is a 'special' cat. He is a bengal x bobcat and has a stump for a tail so his balance is an issue. Not only that but he is quite big and I have heard horror stories of bengals attacking and killing other cats and I'd hate that.
 
My cat goes out.
He comes in at night, every night and if hes not in by dark, we start to panic and go and look for him.
We had to keep him in for 2 months when the kitchen was being redone, and he hated it.
He has a catflap, and rarely wanders far. I still worry about him sometimes though.
 
My cat's stay indoors with 'supervised' access in the garden every day. One of my cats has three legs through an RTA and he can't move very quickly for much further than 3 feet. So obviously not very sensible for him to go out on his own.

The other she (touch wood) isn't that bothered, we live on a very busy road and she has no road sense. She is also incredibly nervous..she would either run off in fear or get run over. I would be beside myself with worry!

They are both very happy cats but I think I am lucky neither of them are that bothered!
 
cats should go out
we had a few cats over the years and they all went out and no cat flap
done of them were run over all either died of old age(burmese at 16,rescue at 17,another at 16) or pts

we did like them in at night time though but one incident one cat didnt come back and to this day dont know what happened to her(luckily she had weaned her kittens off her before dissappearing)

some cats do prefer to stay in and if you have rare breed i can quite understand keeping them in as long they have feline requirements
 
I think they should be allowed to go outside if they want to. My two go out everyday, but don't tend to go far - they mainly stay in the garden! One of them is quite brave and likes to stay out for quite a while at a time, whereas the other one is a bit of a woos and likes to come in after about 20 minutes! ;) We do keep them in at night though, as we worry they might get caught by a fox or something!
 
All mine are feral so its not really an issue, they live out but I supply them with a tack room (hole in wall) hayshed etc. One has moved in with me due to the snow but goes out in the day. I think its pretty cruel to keep cats in but know that if they are a certain type then they do adapt.
 
I have lost 2 cats on the road outside my house, and for me personally I wouldn't want another cat whilst still living in the same house. Too busy road imo

We have 3 yard cats who obviously live outside all the time, haven't seen them venturing too much onto the lane.
 
We have two cats the female never goes out her choice doors and window left open but will not go outside but likes to sit on the outside window ledge but the window has to be kept wide open so she can get back in or she panics. The male comes and goes all day but is kept in at night as he fights with every other cat in the area they were both strays so its odd that the female will not go out the only thing we can think of to explain this is that she was attacked by two magpies that nest in our garden some years ago, but I think that cats should have the freedom to come and go as they please.
 
I definitely think they should be allowed out and agree with others who have said it's verging on cruel keeping them in if they are desperate to be outside.
Both cats I've had have always lived outside; the first one did cross the road which, although rural, is quite busy - she never got hit by a car but died (I think) from a fall off the garage roof.

Current cat is male and rules the roost - lives in the garden shed with a nice comfy bed and only wants inside if it's baltic outside and will only stay in front of the wood burner for 15mins till he wants out! (Good thing really as I am quite allergic to them)

He sticks to roving across the field beside the house and nicking peoples lunches from the units behind the house! Neither require him to cross a road and I've noticed that as he's getting older he isn't venturing as far or as often.

Only thing that worries me is the huge sparrowhawk which sometimes sits in a tree in the field beside us, I keep thinking I'm going to see my black and white cat hanging from his feet!!!!
 
The only time I have enforced a blanket ban on my two going out was before they were seen to by Mr Vet. That was no problem as they had never been out before so didn't know what they were missing.

I do try and have them both in at night as HM The Egg fights like stink! I have tried to keep her in when she has been ill or on antibiotics, and I keep them in for 24 hours after applying flea treatment.

Cats need to be out, its in their nature but in my experience with my two they let you know what they want and when they want it!

I am merely the staff.
 
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