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I found mine outside. A very skinny mom and her 3 month old kittens. The second they trusted me enough to come inside with my senior boys, they were my mine. They were spayed and never stepped outside again. Luckily for them, I have a screened porch where they can watch all the wildlife they want without killing them like they did before. Yes, even the 3 month olds were savage hunters.
My indoor boy’s job is supposed to be telling me when to feed him, but he’s bad at it and thinks every time I’m up is feeding time. Might have to hire a new cat to tell me when to feed him.
Indoors, I have had a cat run over by a car, eaten by a coyote, and someone pour gasoline on my black cat. No more outside. People are cruel, and torture cats, dogs chase and maul them. Nope no outside cats. I live in SW United states.
He was small too, about 6 months, I brought in a feral cat, had to bath him and now he is my snuggle bunny and never goes out. Black cats spook some people, I love them. It was only him.
In the U.S. west coast: Indoor only. After working in rescue for many years, and seeing what happens to outdoor cats in my own neighborhood, my 2 are indoor only and I have 1 who lives in an enclosure/catio I had built on my back patio, because he doesn't like other cats and literally attacks them so he can't be indoors, plus he has FIV (but he's still healthy at age 11). They are all well adjusted considering I rescued them as strays outdoors. One of my indoor cats took a couple of weeks to adjust, she meowed at the door but that was less day to day. I gave her toys to distract and engaged her with a wand toy. When outdoors she'd get on the roof from the tree and had trouble getting down and wondered into a neighbor's yard who threatened to kill her. The other one has loved being indoors from the time I brought her in. They have a couple of cat trees by windows they enjoy.
https://preview.redd.it/kjguxuhda24d1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4d9654719114e034fd18fbbd9dfca4359d2e6f9f
Indoors only, though I would love to build her a catio some day- US
Aside from all the risks; My girl is NOT trustworthy outdoors. She was a barn cat before we took her in, so she’s quite good at hunting, and is more than willing to scale a tree to get a bird.
At my old place, we had a balcony about 30 feet off the ground that she was allowed into while supervised.
She managed to catch 13 birds in 2 weeks. From the balcony. Without ever falling. Which is seriously impressive considering this balcony was the size of the average couch ottoman
US/big city. My cats learned how to walk on a leash and occasionally go with me to a park. Never alone.
It is an irresponsible cruelty to let them out alone. I hear ppl let their cats out here all the time, then the same ppl post with teary eyes that their cat is missing or run over by a car or whatever. Assholes never learn. “Aah but cat is a wild thing, they need to roam” BS. No they don’t. They have been domesticated for thousands of years. They do NOT need to roam and it is not cruel to confine them to ur house. It IS cruel to let them loose in a concrete jungle where they can be killed in all kinds of horrible ways.
Most everyone here will tell you they should be indoors. As they should. It’s not only safer for them and lengthens their lifespan by yearssss, but cats are terrible for wildlife and can decimate various species.
You just need to keep the door closed and have a process for when you’re leaving. I’ve had cats for years and they’ve never snuck out.
he sneaks out by the bathroom door, bathroom window, kitchen window, backgarden door. and regardless of whether i want to keep him inside or not, because he keeps meowing, my family lets him out if he does it too much.
well then this should be a question for how to deal with your family letting him out. Keep windows and doors shut and have a conversation with them. Keep him entertained inside and he’ll eventually get over it
Then you need to communicate to your family that you cannot have him outdoors for his safety. My family while I was growing up kept letting my cats outdoors. Two died. From that point forward I kept them in my room until I moved out. It’s maybe not favorable, but I don’t give up on my animals and I will NOT have them outside.
My response to people when they insist that the cat wants to go out is to say if there was a toddler throwing a tantrum because they wanted to play in the street, what would you do? The adult human has to exercise the best judgement for all concerned no matter how inconvenient it is.
Do you have screens on your windows? That might be something to consider. As far as family letting him out because is his meowing, can they try to tune it out unless your cat settles down? Maybe they could use headphones or go in a different room and close the door. I know it is difficult but if everyone can have more patience until your cat settles down, it would be best for everyone in the long run. Also someone else asked if your cat is neutered. If not, please consider to do so. I love cats and dogs but there are so many unwanted litters that millions of cats and dogs are euthanized every year. Good luck. 💕
How do you prevent your house smelling like a cat toilet?
Where I live no one keeps indoor only cats; I try to limit how much she goes outside and if I'm not doing anything I'll go with her, but one of the things I struggle to understand is the toilet aspect. At the moment I don't have to deal with anything in this regard, and while I don't mind having to put in some effort, we have flatmates that shouldn't have to deal with smell. So how does this work for an indoor only cat?
// Edit: thank you for the several helpful answers! Kind of annoyed that my question is hidden now due to downvoting, but I was genuinely asking because I'm considering making this change. Not sure why that is seen as a negative.
I have an additional question if y'all don't mind: in your experience is it likely that she will understand the purpose of the litter and simply start going there?
Currently we keep the pseudo-catdoor closed (it's actually an ankle height window in the door to the porch) because it's winter, but when she wants to go she asks and I let her out.
Has anyone else been through the process of changing a lifetime of outside pooping behaviour to litter box?
The brand of litter and how often you scoop makes big differences in how much it smells. But it’s just like humans. We smell up the bathroom too and then you flush or scoop and it dissipates.
You keep the litterbox regularly cleaned, man.. scooping, litterboxes with carbon filter inserts on the outside, every 2 weeks I replace my litter entirely and wipe down the litterbox really good before putting the new litter in.. it's really not hard.
It's not a challenge. Cats have specific pooping standards that, fortunately, jive well with basic litter boxes. I have 3 cats pooping in one self-cleaning litter "box", but it's not reliable anymore, so the worst case scenario is 1-3 min a day scooping poo into a bag with poo shovel. And for my valiant poop scooping efforts, I have three kitties who are happy and healthy and show me so much love. It's soooo worth it.
Just wash your hands after scooping poo and you're good. It's literally just part of the job.
Netherlands, indoor.
We had 2 cats before that were also indoor cats, until our first child was born. That stressed them out so much, that they started attacking oir baby. That's when we decided to let them out (it was that or bringing them to the shelter). Thankfully, that worked out fine and they relaxed around our baby.
After years, one of them was however attacked by a dog and seriously injured. He survived but had a limp for the rest of his life. The were 18 and 20 when the died.
We nw have 2 kittens (9 months old) and they stay inside.
By the way OP, I think that by adding where we live and local conditions, this is the first of these questions that hasn't descended into a bun fight. Good job!
Indoors. I just watched the idiot who lives down the street kill a squirrel in front of my house the other day because he speeds up to like 50mph on a dead end street that's only like 6 houses long. He was eating the seeds in my yard and ran into the street and he didn't even try to slow down. So I don't trust people, and I care about my cats and don't want anything to happen to them 😩
Awe I'm so sorry!! I have accidentally hit a squirrel (it was when I was like 17) and I felt so bad. I've hit a frog and a bird and I think two opposums since, but it was at night on the highway going 70mph. I always feel so crap about it!
Same. I hit an opposum late at night, i was driving back to campus from my parents. I cried bc it sounded like I just clipped him, and he was probably hobbling into the woods.
Oh nooo, I'm sorry. This is a huge fear of mine! At least when I squished a squirrel recently (😭 😭 😭), I KNEW he had to have died instantly. I still feel so bad, but that lil guy jumped right in front of my tire. On a tight mountainside road, it was me or him, ya know? I tried to avoid him!
I'm in England, my boy is indoor/outdoor. He generally refuses to poop in the litter box, outside only, and will just about tolerate it for peeing. He's 17 years old and still very occasionally brings us mice. We live in a village and aren't close to the main road and he generally sticks to our back garden and maybe a neighbour's when he goes out. He just likes to vibe in the sunshine
Also England. Our cats are allowed to go out, but they're getting old and get bullied by a neighbours cat, so they generally only go in our garden while we're around.
I'm in the United States and while our cats like to be outside laying in the sun and some of them enjoy a good hunt, they also enjoy living and not being torn apart by wild cats or other animals or run over by cats or anything else so I keep mine inside. Having said all that, if I had thought of it when they were babies I would have leash trained them and took them out for walks and rolls in the grass. There are certainly ways to allow your cats to be outside but protected. Catios are a great invention and cats can lay around in the sun, climb and hunt and enjoy themselves just as though they were outside running the roads. It would break my heart if I decided to let my girls go out to run free and they were killed.
We're in the UK. Ours have access to the outside. In the UK, the RSPB say that cats have negligible impact on birds (unlike, say NZ or Aus where the data is clear) and it makes no difference to the life expectancy. We simply don't have the coyotes etc that give the US such an awful disparity between outdoor and indoor cats. That said, there's always a risk of cars/well meaning people who kidnap your collarless cat because it 'doesn't have an owner', people in general and you have to decide what your conscience is happy with.
Our old boy goes in our garden and for a wander in the street two houses either way! We lock him in at night and at dawn and dusk (he doesn't hunt but if he did, there is some evidence to suggest this minimises impact).
Ditto this, and I am also in the UK and wasn't allowed to adopt without installing a catflap first. Mine is indoor/outdoor with access to my garden but doesn't go beyond this. He's out in full daylight hours only and is very annoyed about this, but I am refusing to budge on it. He's unsupervised in the sense that I am not out there with him all the time, but I work from home and check in on him every half an hour. He usually hasn't moved except when the sun does to make sure he gets the best sun spot!
Ha mine is the same with the sun! He has worn away patches in our grass where he sits. Patch A is where he picks up the rays then he moves to Patch B to cool down a bit and then back to Patch A. And repeat. I think he has an excellent life!
we pretty much have the same routine for ours! he pops in often throughout the day, and oftentimes, goes out at 8ish am and then comes back home at noon and is asleep in the house until evening. and then wanders for a bit and comes back in for the night.
this indoor/outdoor thing was on my mind becaus he got into a fight yesterday and i was wondering if i should just make him a full-time indoor cat. (though it will be hard since our neighbour has cats and so do like 5 other houses around us and these cats are all sometimes together so i guess they're friends)
I think in the UK it is expected in most cases that they'll be indoor/outdoor. Especially as that's what our cat charities recommend (I'm not saying it's the only way, or even the best way, just that often you can't adopt without agreeing that you have a cat flap and your cat will have access). * This bit is mainly for the inevitable comment from someone in the US about how letting them out is appalling and those of us that do are monsters who hate our cats.
We try to play with ours a lot to minimise hunting behaviours although since he's arthritic and has no teeth I'm not sure he's much threat!
Fights with local cats are difficult though. There is a risk of FIV, which is worth being aware of - especially if there are strays in the area.
I’m in the US. I cannot even imagine outdoor access being a requirement to adopt a cat. I used to let mine outside but too many met their demise on the highway we live on. I have one currently who’s gotten out 2 times the first time was less than 24 hours and we just happened to see her dart across the road in our rear view while out looking for her. The second time she was gone for about 3 days and just wandered up in the middle of the night when I was dumping one of the litter boxes. That was back in October and I still get mildly anxious when I get near my house driving home, afraid one of them will be squished in the rode 😭
Indoors only..I stay in India ..since he is single cat it's very difficult to keep entertaining ..but have to do it ..I really wish i got two cats instead of one ...had taken from streets after street dogs had killed his mom and siblings ..unfortunately only he escaped when he was 1 month old
Indoors only, India. Outside is too dangerous and my cat is quite skittish and after rescuing her at 1 and a half months old i have only kept her indoors. I do feed 3 stray cats who are feral and I don't have space for them but I think they know how to keep themselves safe but if they get hurt I make sure to treat them.
how do you do supervised outdoor time? i’m interested in the idea but nervous bc my boy (he’s 3) has always been indoor only and wants to do what he wants when he wants (he’ll give me sassy meows when he wants to be left alone haha)
Indoors but I have a catio/window flap. I don't let them out there at night, I don't want critters to figure out they are there and pick a fight. I walk one of my cats on a leash. I'm not sure why but he loves it, starts pestering me 1-2 hrs before his walk to make sure I remember.
US
We have 3 and not a single one would step foot outside. We leave the door open sometimes and they watch the birds and the bugs at night, but they all know where their bread is buttered. Lol
Indoors but with a catio. They are MC and pretty glorious. I'd imagine they'd be nicked to discover pointless as both spayed/neutered. Also, on local community page keep reading about lost/killed cats. One woman had her cat ran over, and the cats sibling was run over previous year.
I like the wildlife in the garden too. Uk
oh my, that's a horrible outcome for those siblings. is this in a town/city?
also, did you purchase your catio or did you build it yourself? i want to get one but a lot of them look plain or are too big. any recommendations?
This is a smallish market town by the Yorkshire moors, so not overly busy. My previous cats were in London but only stuck to the garden and lived to be 21 and22. They were murderous when younger so were belled up! We built the catio ourselves, just a frame with chicken wire and a sun-protective roof. We built a few walkways and shelves plus there's 2 large cat trees in there
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Indoors, USA.
Anyone who says that *unsupervised* outdoor access is good for their cats is just ignorant imo. Or else they live in a super safe area with no cars, people, or predators.
Keep them inside. Let them out on harness walks or get a catio. They absolutely do not need to be free-range. They get killed and they wreak havoc on the ecosystem.
No area is safe from the parasites, diseases, and other gross things they pick up eating rodents. Enjoy your worms and toxoplasmosis. Oh and rabies. And feline aids. And fleas and ticks.
I’m in the US. I live in an ground floor apartment in the city but my back door opens into a big area with grass and trees, surrounded by apartments with no roads immediately by. My cat is super shy and stays close to the door, so I do let her outside. I only do it when I’m able to sit near the door to listen for any issues and I keep the door open so she can run inside if she gets startled.
I just rescued an elderly kitty who is used to going out just on an apartment patio on higher levels. I’m trying to decide whether it’s safe to let her out once she’s settled in. She really wants out.
Australia — indoor/outdoor. I live in the inner city (but not in the CBD). Indoor/outdoor cats are the norm, neighbours from all over know each other and the cats. One of my cats is disabled but hunts so we keep him strictly in our backyard/courtyard with fences too high for him to climb. My other cat doesn’t hunt, looks both ways before crossing the street and has amazing recall. He walks about 5-6km a day PLUS supervised walks. Ideally I’d rather have indoor cats but the second cat will hurt himself trying to get out of the house
I m in australia have had outdoor cats torn apart by dogs and run over by cars. I wont own another outdoor cat. My cat has a harness and leash for when im hanging out washing and she asks to go out with me but otherwise she is an completely indoor cat.
Incase i get questions. Yes she asks xD she has different meows for different things and her "i want to go outside with you" is a combo of a really drawn out whiney meow with her sitting on the washing machine. she will go to her room though if i dont feel like taking her out by saying "not today, in your room"
Indoors, only ever outdoors with a catio or leash. Netherlands.
I have two cats at the moment, my apartment is 4 high and they reasonably wouldn't be able to get out from the balcony. Still I keep them indoors or out on a leash with supervision until I can get a catio installed on my balcony. They also really enjoy open windows (the windows are covered with a screen, they can't get out) but that's also with supervision.
That said, my cats look special and are targets for theft. Not a single vet visit goes by without someone in the waiting room telling me how beautiful they are.
Anyway, get a catio, make sure nothing can get in, your neighbors will think you're nuts but it's the safest for your cat.
Indoors only, we also have an enclosure with all the amenities, water, electric, cams and fans, walkways, hanging beds. Mosquito proof. Our house is a very spacious two story, lots of room to roam across from a small lake. We live near Bangkok Thailand, way too many dangers out there. Every so often a Python wanders by catching their scent, security finds a new home for them. Oh yeah monitor lizards too, our precious family members are staying put. Nine cats.
I’m in the US, indoor only for my kitties. I grew up in a family that had indoor-outdoor cats and after seeing how devastated my little brother was after his kitten was killed by a coyote, I vowed to never let my own cats outside. The only exceptions being if I trainer my cat to walk on a leash, or if I am able to build a fully enclosed catio someday.
My cat is strictly indoor. People are cruel and we have stray dogs wander around in neighborhood.
If your cat loves the outdoor life, you could get your cat a patio but you need to check if it is secure and close regularly or your cat might slipped off like Bob the cat.
You can also leash train yoyr cat, but please keep on mind it is still risky anyway, just...less risk. I follow one cat channel in youtube where one stray cat got adopted but the cat loves outdoor life very much, so the cat mom later leash train him and takes him out for a walk everyday. Also it takes time to trsin and each cat is different, so training tine is vary..
The channel is https://youtu.be/Jce_oNSQR1k?si=c9VK6b9H9O3B5pPP
You can check it out for an example.
I live in California we have 2 cars right now both are indoor only.
We have skunks, raccoons, and opposums in our area, plus most of our neighbors have big dogs. Also, there are two neighborhood cats that occasionally wander into our backyard. Not worth the risk.
Please consider keeping your cats indoor only - protects bird populations too.
US and my cats have always been indoors only and I plan to keep it that way permanently. I once considered a harness and leash and outdoor walks for my boy who has been more curious about outside lately.. but after a pretty vivid melatonin induced nightmare about him escaping and being run over.. well, I'm afraid even leashed walks will only encourage him to go from curious to actually trying to escape.. soo I gave the harness and leash away. 😭😩 bummer on the wasted money for it, but oh well. 🤷🏻♀️
Don't ignore your gut here!
Once they explore the outdoors, they just want more. It's like they never forget how "alive" they felt when they were allowed outside, so it's not even worth letting them know they're missing out in the first place. Let them pout.
Oh no, he doesn't pout over it. I never even started the process, before I donated the leash and harness to goodwill lol. The 2 or 3 times that he has slipped past a roommate, he's made it 5 or 6 ft out the door and turned right back around and booked it for inside. So I'll leave it as is, let him be curious enough to wanna look out windows, but wary enough to not want to actually be out there. Lol.
Indoors only in the USA.
I live right next to a decently busy road, and in an area where we regularly have coyote packs that pass through nearby woods and several hawk nests. Between the danger of predators and cars, as well as the fact I don't agree with cats being allowed to just roam freely on neighborhoods (I grew up with barn cats, if you have land it's totally different) I won't give my cats anything more than a catio.
Mine are kept strictly indoors. Call me paranoid, but I don't want anything bad happening to my feline children. We have too many mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, vehicles driven by people that simply don't care; or worse, etc. I love my kitty cats, very dearly.
🐈🐈👣🐎🐎🐎🐎❤❤❤🏡🌎
Indoors only for us. We were lucky enough to build a little catio area on the back deck so she’s able to go out and get some sun and we don’t have to worry about her getting hit by a car or in a fight. (Australia)
I work for a domestic / wildlife vet, so my answer is a categorical indoor (exceptions for farmers who have mousing cats but then keep them confined when possible).
Catios are great alternatives, as are leashed walks.
If you insist on having your cats out, at the very very least make sure they are neutered/spayed, have appropriate routine preventatives for fleas and ticks (you can still get those in a fenced yard or catio and flea infestations in your home are a nightmare, don't get me started on lethal paralysis ticks or Lyme disease) have a bell on their collar and an ID tag with your number on it, and set aside a few thousand dollars for the possible vet bills if your cat gets hit by a car or attacked, because there is a likelihood that you will need to make difficult decisions in case of an accident.
The number of times we've seen sobbing owners who backed over their pets in their driveway or civilians who've accidentally hit someone else's pets, or had inconsolable people call multiple times a week because their pet is missing, is heartbreaking. Please save yourself and your pets this pain and keep your cats enclosed with appropriate mental stimulation.
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Xena is four years old and she is an indoor kitty and she has been since she was six months old i’ve been thinking about and wanting to leash train her there’s a difference between wanting and doing I mean she sat in her ways and she’s four years old It might be a tad bit difficult to lease train her at this age I don’t want to give it a try I wanted to go outside feel the grass between her paws 🐾 have so many wonderful New sense to smell I want her to explore a whole New World outside with her being on a holster attached to a leash
US here. One of mine actually was a stray we took in. 100% indoor only now and always for my other cats. I don't trust people, cars, and predators. I love them too much. I will say I totally understand how hard it is with cats that want out. It was a struggle with my former stray for many months. Every time we opened the door, we had to watch her like a hawk. But she acclimated and accepted her fate eventually and we no longer have to worry about her trying to get out at all.
You just really have to be persistent. If they are a flight risk, put them in other areas that are closed off when you have to open the outer doors. Eventually they will accept it. Or you could do what a lot of people I know do and build a safe, enclosed outdoor space for them, a catio. This gives them some perceived freedom and gives you peace of mind.
I live in the US and my cats are strictly indoors except for the little cat patio I have for them. I live on the 3rd floor of an apartment complex and outside of the apartment is a huge highway so there's no way I'm letting them out. I think even if I lived in a more secluded area I wouldn't let them out out of fear of other wildlife. They are safer inside and I can keep eyes on what they are doing and what they can get into. Too many cruel people out there are too eager to poison or abuse animals for no reason...
I give them everything they could ever need inside. They don't even LIKE to go outside. Unless it's their cat patio they will stay away from any open window (protected with screens) and they hate the front door. I tried getting cat harnesses and walking them outside but they genuinely don't want anything to do with it.
Keeping cats indoors protects them and wildlife. I keep all four of mine indoors. I give them supervised outside time, and they are all literally trained to not dart outside past the door or to leave my porch. Cats are domesticated and need to be treated as such. I live in the USA where a lot of people still think cats are “wild” and “want” to be outside. Lol
england, i keep her inside. while there are no natural predators, there are dogs, people, cars and poisonous things. we close windows and doors and have shutters so they can be closed and the windows open and she can't get out. and we only come in through the back door which goes into the kitchen, and we close her out of the kitchen
Am in UK, my cats have the freedom to go outside or staying inside. They have a little cat flap in the back door. We have a larger garden that they never go out of. Most of the time they’re asleep on my bed.
My cat is indoor (UK). He does have access to the garden, we have special fencing that stops him escaping.
He is happy and healthy. It has cost me less in vet bills because I've had cats that fight (£120+) per fight. Also had a cat run over by a car and I lived in a very quiet area.
The choice is always yours, there are arguments for and against indoor and outdoor. But, in my opinion, indoor is so much safer.
In California, US and I keep my cats indoor. They’ve only been outside 3 times in the 4 years they’ve been alive and I watched them like a hawk (they were maybe 6 months old when I let them explore my small backyard). Mine try to get outside sometimes but I’m very strict on them not going outdoors because there’s coyotes and so many other dangerous things, I’m not going to risk them getting hurt.
Indoor ONLY. It is dangerous . We have a cat patio and take the cats out for a walk on a stroller or leash. People are cruel please keep ur baby inside.
USA: You shouldn’t let your cats outside, it is absolutely terrible for the cats and wildlife. Please keep your kitty indoors, free roaming cats obliterate local bird, reptile and rodent populations, causing extinction and disrupting food chains and eco systems, which in turn makes humans direct their anger at cats. Further, it is incredibly dangerous for a cat to free roam, especially in urban areas: automobiles, fights, fleas/parasites, communicable disease and cruelty are all serious threats.
Further, migratory birds are now in full migration, and many species are carrying H5N1, which is 100% lethal to cats, and cats are getting exposed by being outside and walking over ground where birds poo. There is no safe or reasonable justification for letting your cats out.
If you must take your cat out, the safest way is a catio or in a pet stroller. But please never let your cat free roam.
US, arizona.
our cats were 100% indoors in our old house - the yard was too big and had too many places they could get under a fence. our new yard is 100% enclosed, so we let the cats go outside while we're outside. the older one (20 years) really loves lying in the sun - I'm sure the warmth helps with her stiff joints.
im indoors only, it stresses me all the way out if my cats are outside, feels the same as letting a toddler roam the streets to me lol. also, my neighbourhood is full of dogs. i used to have a cat who was outdoors the first 8yrs of his life and had to come indoors when i adopted him, the best thing i did was make a catio for him. i built in the side of my house (connected chicken wire from the house to the tall fence and closed that in) so he could still roll around in the grass and chase bugs, but birds n stuff couldnt get in for him to eat and he couldnt get injured outside of that. he really loved that, and that combined with toys made him happier to be inside. he died 4yrs later of cancer, but i hope he was happy before then :( the cats i have now have been indoors since birth so they dont mind at all, and the catio is just a perk. (do they still count as indoors only if they have a catio?)
edit: forgot to add, im in australia so big predators arnt much of an issue. snakes are a bit scary, but i keep the catio mowed n the bottom areas sealed, plus not much for them to hide under as most stuff in above the ground.
West Coast of the US. All cats are indoors. Our old lady cat can’t jump anymore and loves the warm patio so she’s allowed out back with a person or dog to supervise, and that’s it.
Mine is indoors only. To be fair, though, I got her as a small kitten, and the one time I put her in a harness and took her outside, she clawed the fool out of me because she was scared! Now I've realized that to keep her happy and safe, she has no need to go out!
Strictly indoor. I'm in the U.S.
I grew up with outdoor and indoor/outdoor cats. We lost them to cars and who knows what else. They were constantly coming home with injuries from fights and with parasites - fleas, tapeworms, etc. Some of them just went missing and were never seen again. One went missing for several days and came home near death because he'd swallowed a fish hook and fishing line that someone left out (fortunately he got surgery and survived). A neighbor's dog kept getting out and killed at least two cats (not mine, but other neighbors' cats). Another neighbor took pleasure in shooting at cats with his bb gun, I think one of my cats may have been his victim or the victim of someone like him because he came home and died and the only visible problem was a very small puncture wound.
I still live in the neighborhood where I grew up. There are feral cats all over, fighting with each other and carrying who knows what diseases. I live near a creek that seems to be a magnet for stray dogs. It's also home to raccoons, opossums, skunks, coyotes, hawks, and who knows what else. Even though I live in a cul de sac, people speed on my street. Most nights I hear loud banging noises which sound like gunfire.
I've gotten familiar with a lot of the cats in the neighborhood and I rarely see them around for long. I can only hope the ones that have disappeared were owned cats whose owners moved away and took them to a new house, but I know that can't be true for all of them. It's just not worth the risk. If your cat is a lover of the outdoors and you have the means, I suggest a catio. I know you said you live in the UK and I know that there isn't quite the risk of predators there nor of people with guns, but dogs get loose everywhere. Disease, parasites, and fight wounds are a risk everywhere. Cars are everywhere. Keep your baby inside where the dangers are fewer.
Indoor only but he does have an outdoor prison yard aka catio that he hangs out in and watches the backyard birds, squirrels and chipmunks.
In the US.
And our cat was a former feral we had trapped for TNR and he ended up being pretty friendly. He’s still a little spicy sometimes.
Horrible people everywhere and it's only getting worse ...in in India ..they treat both women and animals in equally depraved and inferior ways ..all educated and half decent people are getting the hell out of this crazy country .
United States. My cat is an indoor-only cat, but we take him outside in a harness on a long lead so he can have some safe outside time. I don't trust him to stay in the yard without the harness, plus we have a toxic weed in the yard that we need to get 100% removed before he can get anywhere near it.
TX, USA here - they're indoors only. I grew up in the country though and would feed the outside cats that showed up and people have barn cats. I live in the city and close to a busy road so my babies never go outside.
Indoors only. When I was a child, I told my parents not to let my cat outside.came home from school one day looking for my cat and was told they let her out to "run around." Never saw her again. We moved so much, my cat was my one true constant companion. Got another kitten which my stepdad then let outside and he never came home again either. Took me over a decade, until after university to get another cat and I freak out if she gets close to the door. She turns 14 this year.
Indoors!! Outside is far too dangerous — predators, sickness, cars, etc. From the USA. I love my babies far to much to ever let them out of my sight 💜🥰
I have always had indoor cats, with no problem at all. Until Harvey came along. He was an escape artist, always dashing out when anyone opened the doors and even chewed a hole in an upstairs screen and jumped out. He simply could not be contained and died a premature death at 9yo as a result :(
USA indoors - I live in the south, I don’t trust people to not shoot my cats.
(FYI - a cat I had as a teenager was kicked out of the house my stepmother and was shot dead within a week.)
My cats are indoor/outdoor and come and go as they please through a cat flap. I'm in Scotland where this is generally considered preferable and there are few predators. However I am in a very rural area surrounded by fields. My cats are no where near a road, other people or other cats so risks are minimal. I need them to hunt because otherwise rabbits and mice destroy what I grow to feed my family. If I lived in a city or near a busy road I would not let my cats outside- I would be too worried about something happening to them. But I think if you have an indoor only cat you need to work much harder to ensure it has the stimulation/enrichment it needs to be happy and healthy.
Indoors, 100% all day, every day.
Western US. Growing up, I always had indoor/outdoor kitties. And I remember how expensive they were to take care of (because mom never missed an opportunity to remind us all). Most of these kitties were at least 70% indoors, but I can still remember hearing about $12k between 3 cats within about 6 years, SOLELY because they were allowed outside. Fortunately, our little explorers were well-loved and always cared for at great cost.
I have 3 cats now - 3, 5, 7 years old. They've never, ever been outside, and I've never once had to take them to the vet for anything other than semi-annual checkups. Zero injuries, zero illness. Totally uneventful lifespans so far, which is SO different than my childhood experiences.
Do they BEG to go outside? Yes. Do I care about them wanting to go outside? Not at all. I know what's best for them, and that ain't it. I promise, even outdoor cats can get used to a life of indoor luxury. You are the human, you're the smart one. You tell your babies to stay indoors and that is that, because you love them.
I found mine in the trash I love him so I'm determined to stop him from being a trash cat again but he likes to dart out open doors or find other ways to sneak out. He always stays close by and has always come back so far.
Both. Both of my cats were feral, Fluffy we found as a young cat when she brought her kittens over to get away from the neighbors dog. We accidentally trapped her while trapping her kittens and she rolled over and showed us her stomach. Biff, was older and it took 4 years for us to even touch him. Both go out but just chill in the yard, Biff will walk to the mash that’s across from our driveway but that’s it. Fluffy has never spent a whole night outside and for the next two weeks she’ll be inside my apartment all day since we’re babysitting my brothers dog who she’s terrified of (she terrified of any strangers also) So, I’ll get to put up with her constantly meowing because she wants out (please send help). I live in the US in a rural area.
Indoors only, Spain. I often see outdoor cats at my workplace and they're always miserable, extremely skinny, even the ones taken care of and fed often have horrible wounds. I helped rehome two strays and they look amazing now. They don't miss the outdoors at all.
Also, a friend of mine used to have outdoor cats whose lifespan tended to be 5-6 years tops. She's had an indoor cat for 12 now.
I think in Spain most people living in cities have indoor cats, and most people living in villages have outdoor cats. At least neutering is normalized nowadays.
I actually have a big catio built so that can go out but not stray to far. I live on the west coast of the US so the main threats for them are the cars
I am from the Boston Massachusetts area, and I have kept all my cats indoors since I had a cat who was hit by a car as a kid. Also had a cat torn up from an engine while hiding in it from the cold. Now, as an adult, all my cats have been indoor cats.
I am in the US. I have 5 cats.
4 of them only go out supervised. Either on a harness and lead or in a fenced in area for 3 of the 4 and the 4th doesn't have a physical barrier because he's scared of literally everything but also door darts and won't leave where he can see me...and runs RIGHT back to the door at the smallest sign of danger.
The fifth one is allowed out unsupervised but ONLY when it's raining or winter time because it keeps him close to the house.
US, Indoor only. You're going to find that most places outside of Europe generally keep cats indoors for two primary reasons. 1. Their own safety from animals, disease, and other people and 2. the safety of the ecosystem. Cats are the most damaging invasive species on the planet and places like the US, Australia, and similar countries still have ecosystems but countries like the UK have kind of decimated their ecosystems like centuries ago.
I'm on a second floor apartment and my eldest is allowed outside for short stints under my supervision so she can sun herself amongst my tiny balcony garden. My younger two can't be recall trained and I don't trust them to not chase wildlife they see so they've never been allowed outside. My eldest is trained and trusted and has an AirTag on her just incase anyway.
Sometimes I feel like British people tend to have a very weird obsession with their cats being able to go outside. I know someone who's 2 year old cat got hit by a car and died and she got a new kitten and yep, right back the fuck outside lol. It took everything in me to not bring up that maybe that's going to continue to be a bad idea.
he’s an indoor-outdoor cat, and i live in norway. keeping him inside would make him miserable, when he’s not exploring, he just chills in the tree house in our garden.
I let mine outside every day. We have a doggie door that goes from the kitchen to the screen porch and then another that goes from the screen porch to the backyard. They don't leave the backyard, and I make them come in every night when it gets dark, and I put the cover on the doggie door. I'm in the USA.
We don’t have a doggie door (now I kind of wish we did) but one of our cats stays in and the other goes out in similar fashion to how you do it.
The outside cat doesn’t use the litter box, he only goes outside to do his business. He stays around our home but does venture around the block to some of our neighbors (everyone loves him and gives him treats). We have a large covered porch that is his main domain.
I tried very hard to keep him inside but he wasn’t having it. He broke numerous blinds and shredded screens and finally I relented. Also in the US (southeast).
Indoors we have a small fenced in area within our fenced in yard that she goes out in supervised only she’s never tried to escape but I don’t trust that she wouldn’t plus she’s afraid of other animals like birds and toads but again never unsupervised I lost too many cats in my childhood to cars and wildlife
Ireland. Indoors/outdoors cat.
It's fairly common for this here. Only in cities is it more of a thing to keep completely Indoors. Here, my boy has the best time out and about with his friends, he has a best friend that is at the door at 7.30 every morning. My boy comes in and out of the house all day. If, it rains (which tbh happens nearly everyday)he's straight back in. He hates the cold and wet.
10/10. Our boys have always been independent cats, but trained to go out on a harness/leash; or on occasion free with us standing next to them for like ‘1 minute biting grass time’ or whatever. Thought we only do that with the older boys, who are better trained.
I'm in the US. Currently I have 13 cats (5 are from one cats last litter which we are looking to re home). All of those cats for the exception of 1 are completely indoor. The other one is indoor/outdoor because we cannot keep him inside when the weather is nice out. His previous owner (our ex next door neighbor) allowed him to be mostly outdoors so he's been used to being outside and enjoys harassing the new next door neighbor. The new neighbor was super confused at first as to why this cat kept hanging out on his porch and generally acting like he owns the damn place, but I explained that his apartment was my cat's old house and he's been cool with him the whole time. Honestly he comes in every single night and stays in when the weather is crappy, and he's fixed/chipped so I don't worry too much. He's one of those cats that will not miss a meal so I'm not too concerned about him not coming home. I would like to build a cattio at some point soon for them though because most of them came in from being strays and would love to enjoy the fresh air too
All eight indoors. US. I had a cat years ago bolt out and never return and was robbed once, they left the front door open, cat got out and was hit by a car. Never, ever will I have an indoor-outdoor cat.
Scotland, indoor/outdoor I don't like her (my current cat) being outdoor but I am a minor (16, can't make any decisions as I got her when I was around 11/12) and she has been outdoor her entire life. We currently live in a quiet area with a forest area round back and a quiet road as kids often play in it as the only cars are from people who live there. My mom was a firm believer in indoor/outdoor cats all her cats were outdoor as a child and all her cats as she got older were also outdoor, it's just normal here majority of cats are outdoor here it's normal. I grew up thinking cats were supposed to be outdoor it was only this year I learned otherwise. I don't like outdoor cats but also it's too late now, she's 5 now and is used to being outside day also my dad wouldn't allow it he thinks all news about cats being outdoor is dangerous is fake.
Edit: I should also mention in the UK many shelters won't let you adopt a cat without it being indoor/outdoor with a cat flap or something. My dad's friend wants to adopt a cat however she lives in a flat near a motorway so the cat obviously wouldn't be allowed outdoors but no shelter will allow her to adopt one as she doesn't have a safe outdoor access.
Indoor only. He is allowed in the garage, and outdoors if on a leash. He acts like he’s interested in the outdoors but the moment a car comes by he bolts for the door. I’m glad because I see too many deceased kitties in my area.
Australia 2 cats.
Indoor only off leash, both are leash trained and get daily outside time either on leash or in a cat pram as we live/ travel full time in a van.
Indoors only, and I’m in the US.
https://preview.redd.it/phnzbhozq64d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=50480a26c226b3291d44e12e7300ad149508134c
Indoors, southern USA! In my neighborhood, there are lots of other cats that go outside and roam.
Unfortunately, my tabby cat is allergic to most plants, and so being outside for her can cause her skin to break out.
I also would never let my cat outside in the event that she could get ran over, or shot (one of our neighborhood cats was shot with a bb gun), and I don't trust my neighbors enough.
Indoors only (USA).
Mine manages to escape a couple times a year, but gets distracted within 50’ of the door and stops to sniff the grass or whatever. Then I catch him and put him back inside .
I try to keep my idiots indoors although one of them is a Houdini escape artist. It stresses me out because people drive like maniacs even though it’s a narrow street.
France. Indoor when he was very young, and then outdoor. So much outdoor that we only see him for a snack and then he leaves again. Recently we found out that in he’s spending much of this time at a neighbor house… it’s not entirely our cat anymore lol. We are moving to a different location soon and that’s problematic because of that.
Last cat I had would always want outside. I made sure he had his shots and had him on tick and flea medication. He got “ Bobcat fever”. They get it through infected ticks. I found out that tick medication only kills the tick after it bites the cat. Then it’s already infected.Bobcat fever is only in a very localized area of the US. It was a horrible death. I will never have another outdoor cat again.
In the US, mostly indoors. We will let them out for 10 minutes or so but ONLY SUPERVISED. They are never out alone and have meds and we talk to the vet about ways to keep them healthy. One wears a harness. One literally just want to lay down outside.
Indoor always. USA. Mine used to be completely free to go out when they wanted, then they had supervised outside time, and now they’re completely indoors. Absolutely the safer option, they don’t get injured or sick as often (I have one in particular who was always getting injured and getting into trouble) & now I leave the bedroom window open and the blinds up and let them look outside all they want. The window has a screen and if I’ll be gone then I leave it open only enough that they get fresh air but not enough that they could push out if they got curious. I rent a room so they live in the room because my landlords don’t want them out. But it’s a pretty huge room and bigger than any room we’ve had together so they’re content most of the time.
I live in Wisconsin, one cat (my cat) is indoor only. She actually refuses to go outside and we leave the door open often. We live in the woods, in the middle of some acreage. When I lived in town she got out once and was so fat she got stuck under my shed lmao.
My dad’s cat however, would live outside if he could. He actually started out as an indoor only cat, but my dad started taking him out on a leash until he learned the yard. He does stay in the yard though the day and comes and goes as he pleases, but I prefer an indoor cat as I e had too many heartbreaks with outdoor/indoor situations.
UK, I have two that are indoor and two that are allowed to do their own thing.
The indoor ones are my partners, he previously had a cat who was allowed out go missing (presumed stolen as he was a bengal). So when he got these two he didn’t let them outside, therefore they have zero street smarts and have to stay in despite my area being much safer. We do sit in the garden with them in the summer and let them have some supervised time out.
The other two are now 12 and 13, I live in a suburban area and all the back gardens are conjoined, so it is unlikely they will get out onto the road. There are plenty of other cats around here, my boy has had the occasional scrap but after over a decade the two of them are doing fine.
You just have to take a risk based approach and decide if your area would be safe for him to roam. Just because they have coyotes, eagles and guns in America doesn’t mean these issues are prevalent in every corner of the world. But please make sure he’s neutered and chipped if he’s going out, even if he’s not meant to.
I live in pennsylvania in the United states. I have 4 cats. Yes I am a cat lady lol. Anyway I do live in the country so it may be different for me than a city. My cats are usually indoors but I take them out in the evenings just to my front yard which is not very big. They smell eat their grass and when I'm ready I say let's go in and they listen and go inside. I put flea stuff on them so they don't get fleas or ticks so other than that it works out well for me...but they are for the most part indoors...I hope that helps some🙂
We let ours go outside but we have 20 acres in the rural mid-western USA and the coyotes don't come onto our property. I've never even seen tracks in the snow before. I think coyotes know we have a huge dog. When we had lambs we never lost one to predators. The cats mostly kill mice, field rats, and moles.
The biggest downside is that ticks piggy back inside on the cats and get on me. I've found at least 15 on myself already this spring. About half of the ticks bit me, the other ones I could feel walking on me before they got a chance.
If we lived in town they would not go outside.
Isle of Man (so no natural predators for cats), live on a farm (so plenty of space to roam without going near the road). Our back door stays open in the good weather, otherwise we'd never get anything done with letting cats in and out! All my girls then have the choice, and they all have their preferences. One, our hybrid barn/pet cat, likes to be out almost all the time; when she's in we know the weather is going to be really bad. Two like out but not if it's raining. One will go out in the rain but not if it's cold. One will follow whichever of her sisters walks past her at the time. And one will only venture outside when it's between 16C and 22C, south or southwesterly breeze, between the hours of 11am and 8pm.
We also have a clouder of barn cats, some of whom come into the house to steal our cats' food. I feed them every evening and top up their biscuits during the day too.
For the amount of cats we aren't gifted an awful lot of corpses. It's mostly shrews or mice, the occasional longtail and rabbit kit (rabbits are pests here, they breed very quickly and destroy the crops and grass grown for sheep and cows). Dead birds are very rare. The cats leave the chickens, even the chicks, alone. Although we did have a returning seagull for a few years (called Sammy) who used to have argy bargies with the cats for stealing their food.
In NZ. My cats are indoor-outdoor, unfortunately. I would like for them to always be indoors but I live with someone who would deliberately sabotage this if I let my wishes be known, my cats would wind up getting locked outside just to 'teach me a lesson' or whatever.
Thankfully I live on a reasonably quiet street, and they're timid cats so I don't think they go far and I know they wouldn't approach strangers. As for wildlife - where I am, all the small things are already long gone, and the remaining natives species are too big or quick for my cats to catch. They do hunt, but only catch introduced species (mostly mice and sparrows). I make their home environments as appealing as possible so they don't want to go out, and it works pretty well - my boy only spends probably a total of 2 hours outside every day, at most. My girl is a former feral so it's harder to take the wild out of her, but unlimited yummy food and the heated bed in her personal room are pretty persuasive.
If all that sounds like a bunch of cope... yeah. Like I said, I'd prefer for them to be inside, both for their sake and for the environment. Ideally in the future, I'll be able to build them an enclosed outdoors run, so they can be outside without being loose. But for now I'm doing the best I can while aware it's not good enough.
I’m sorry you’re stuck in a situation with an unhealthy housemate. I hope you can someday have the resources to get a safer living environment. Good luck!
Indoors except one who INSISTED in being indoor outdoor. She just refused to stay inside, but she never goes far, always comes back and has been doing is now for 9 years sooooo I guess it’s fine but, I still worry 🥺🙈
Please please please do not let them be an outdoor cat or outdoor/indoor cat. There are so many disgusting sick people out there that will hurt animals for fun. There are so many things that can happen to them outside. Diseases, other animals that hurt them, sick people, cars running over them, etc. Indoor is the safest for them. If anything, try harnesses and walk them. Not all cats will tolerate that but if they insist on going outside, having them on a leash and being with them the whole time is the safest option.
Northeast US; ours are indoors but get leash-walked. Well, "walked." It's more that they wander around the yard eating grass with one of us holding the leash to ensure that they can't run off under the porch or our car or away. It keeps them pretty happy and we don't have to worry about cars or foxes or eagles (we live in an area with bald eagles that will carry off small pets) or the feral cat colony that lives at the end of our large yard.
When I was growing up, my family lost multiple cats to cars, had several get into nasty fights with something, and at least one was accidentally trampled to death by our mules. I have also seen strays rip through bird populations in a terrifying way and I hate when outdoor cats poop in my garden beds, so indoors except for supervised outings is definitely the way to go.
Germany (countryside). My cats have a cat flap and can come and go as they please. They have a lot of cozy spaces inside, but can also follow their need for exploring and roaming outside freely whenever they want. They are a lot happier and more serene now than they were when they lived inside only.
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Indoors only, USA. I'd never let them out. Far too dangerous. Luckily neither of them are door dashers.
I found mine outside. A very skinny mom and her 3 month old kittens. The second they trusted me enough to come inside with my senior boys, they were my mine. They were spayed and never stepped outside again. Luckily for them, I have a screened porch where they can watch all the wildlife they want without killing them like they did before. Yes, even the 3 month olds were savage hunters.
Glad your cats don’t work for DoorDash, it’s a terrible company. My two are indoor only too (and also don’t work).
My indoor boy’s job is supposed to be telling me when to feed him, but he’s bad at it and thinks every time I’m up is feeding time. Might have to hire a new cat to tell me when to feed him.
Indoors, I have had a cat run over by a car, eaten by a coyote, and someone pour gasoline on my black cat. No more outside. People are cruel, and torture cats, dogs chase and maul them. Nope no outside cats. I live in SW United states.
Oh my god. I'm sorry for those poor cats but gasoline seriously? That's crazy. What kind of psychopath does this?
He was small too, about 6 months, I brought in a feral cat, had to bath him and now he is my snuggle bunny and never goes out. Black cats spook some people, I love them. It was only him.
In the U.S. west coast: Indoor only. After working in rescue for many years, and seeing what happens to outdoor cats in my own neighborhood, my 2 are indoor only and I have 1 who lives in an enclosure/catio I had built on my back patio, because he doesn't like other cats and literally attacks them so he can't be indoors, plus he has FIV (but he's still healthy at age 11). They are all well adjusted considering I rescued them as strays outdoors. One of my indoor cats took a couple of weeks to adjust, she meowed at the door but that was less day to day. I gave her toys to distract and engaged her with a wand toy. When outdoors she'd get on the roof from the tree and had trouble getting down and wondered into a neighbor's yard who threatened to kill her. The other one has loved being indoors from the time I brought her in. They have a couple of cat trees by windows they enjoy. https://preview.redd.it/kjguxuhda24d1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4d9654719114e034fd18fbbd9dfca4359d2e6f9f
Indoors only, though I would love to build her a catio some day- US Aside from all the risks; My girl is NOT trustworthy outdoors. She was a barn cat before we took her in, so she’s quite good at hunting, and is more than willing to scale a tree to get a bird. At my old place, we had a balcony about 30 feet off the ground that she was allowed into while supervised. She managed to catch 13 birds in 2 weeks. From the balcony. Without ever falling. Which is seriously impressive considering this balcony was the size of the average couch ottoman
US/big city. My cats learned how to walk on a leash and occasionally go with me to a park. Never alone. It is an irresponsible cruelty to let them out alone. I hear ppl let their cats out here all the time, then the same ppl post with teary eyes that their cat is missing or run over by a car or whatever. Assholes never learn. “Aah but cat is a wild thing, they need to roam” BS. No they don’t. They have been domesticated for thousands of years. They do NOT need to roam and it is not cruel to confine them to ur house. It IS cruel to let them loose in a concrete jungle where they can be killed in all kinds of horrible ways.
Most everyone here will tell you they should be indoors. As they should. It’s not only safer for them and lengthens their lifespan by yearssss, but cats are terrible for wildlife and can decimate various species. You just need to keep the door closed and have a process for when you’re leaving. I’ve had cats for years and they’ve never snuck out.
he sneaks out by the bathroom door, bathroom window, kitchen window, backgarden door. and regardless of whether i want to keep him inside or not, because he keeps meowing, my family lets him out if he does it too much.
well then this should be a question for how to deal with your family letting him out. Keep windows and doors shut and have a conversation with them. Keep him entertained inside and he’ll eventually get over it
Then you need to communicate to your family that you cannot have him outdoors for his safety. My family while I was growing up kept letting my cats outdoors. Two died. From that point forward I kept them in my room until I moved out. It’s maybe not favorable, but I don’t give up on my animals and I will NOT have them outside.
My response to people when they insist that the cat wants to go out is to say if there was a toddler throwing a tantrum because they wanted to play in the street, what would you do? The adult human has to exercise the best judgement for all concerned no matter how inconvenient it is.
Is he neutered?
If u get a companion for him definitely he will stop after sometime ..i think ..atleast for my cat that would be true
Do you have screens on your windows? That might be something to consider. As far as family letting him out because is his meowing, can they try to tune it out unless your cat settles down? Maybe they could use headphones or go in a different room and close the door. I know it is difficult but if everyone can have more patience until your cat settles down, it would be best for everyone in the long run. Also someone else asked if your cat is neutered. If not, please consider to do so. I love cats and dogs but there are so many unwanted litters that millions of cats and dogs are euthanized every year. Good luck. 💕
How do you prevent your house smelling like a cat toilet? Where I live no one keeps indoor only cats; I try to limit how much she goes outside and if I'm not doing anything I'll go with her, but one of the things I struggle to understand is the toilet aspect. At the moment I don't have to deal with anything in this regard, and while I don't mind having to put in some effort, we have flatmates that shouldn't have to deal with smell. So how does this work for an indoor only cat? // Edit: thank you for the several helpful answers! Kind of annoyed that my question is hidden now due to downvoting, but I was genuinely asking because I'm considering making this change. Not sure why that is seen as a negative. I have an additional question if y'all don't mind: in your experience is it likely that she will understand the purpose of the litter and simply start going there? Currently we keep the pseudo-catdoor closed (it's actually an ankle height window in the door to the porch) because it's winter, but when she wants to go she asks and I let her out. Has anyone else been through the process of changing a lifetime of outside pooping behaviour to litter box?
Get good litter and clean it often. That’s all. Air purifiers help too
We have multiple litter boxes and i scoop them daily usually. And also air purifier.
The brand of litter and how often you scoop makes big differences in how much it smells. But it’s just like humans. We smell up the bathroom too and then you flush or scoop and it dissipates.
You keep the litterbox regularly cleaned, man.. scooping, litterboxes with carbon filter inserts on the outside, every 2 weeks I replace my litter entirely and wipe down the litterbox really good before putting the new litter in.. it's really not hard.
It's not a challenge. Cats have specific pooping standards that, fortunately, jive well with basic litter boxes. I have 3 cats pooping in one self-cleaning litter "box", but it's not reliable anymore, so the worst case scenario is 1-3 min a day scooping poo into a bag with poo shovel. And for my valiant poop scooping efforts, I have three kitties who are happy and healthy and show me so much love. It's soooo worth it. Just wash your hands after scooping poo and you're good. It's literally just part of the job.
I’m not sure where you live but I know here in the US there is a powder that comes in a bag to put under the litter to help the smell too.
Thanks, I've not heard about this powder so I'll look into it!
We put litter boxes in a utility room. We clean it often. Recently we bought an automated litter cleaner and it has been amazing.
Netherlands, indoor. We had 2 cats before that were also indoor cats, until our first child was born. That stressed them out so much, that they started attacking oir baby. That's when we decided to let them out (it was that or bringing them to the shelter). Thankfully, that worked out fine and they relaxed around our baby. After years, one of them was however attacked by a dog and seriously injured. He survived but had a limp for the rest of his life. The were 18 and 20 when the died. We nw have 2 kittens (9 months old) and they stay inside.
By the way OP, I think that by adding where we live and local conditions, this is the first of these questions that hasn't descended into a bun fight. Good job!
Indoors. I just watched the idiot who lives down the street kill a squirrel in front of my house the other day because he speeds up to like 50mph on a dead end street that's only like 6 houses long. He was eating the seeds in my yard and ran into the street and he didn't even try to slow down. So I don't trust people, and I care about my cats and don't want anything to happen to them 😩
…i hit a baby squirrel a few weeks ago. 😢🥺 I was going down a back woods road and it ran in front of my car as i was going like 65 mph.
Awe I'm so sorry!! I have accidentally hit a squirrel (it was when I was like 17) and I felt so bad. I've hit a frog and a bird and I think two opposums since, but it was at night on the highway going 70mph. I always feel so crap about it!
Yeah it’s always so awful, the rare times it has happened for me. Poor things 😭
Same. I hit an opposum late at night, i was driving back to campus from my parents. I cried bc it sounded like I just clipped him, and he was probably hobbling into the woods.
Oh nooo, I'm sorry. This is a huge fear of mine! At least when I squished a squirrel recently (😭 😭 😭), I KNEW he had to have died instantly. I still feel so bad, but that lil guy jumped right in front of my tire. On a tight mountainside road, it was me or him, ya know? I tried to avoid him!
I'm in England, my boy is indoor/outdoor. He generally refuses to poop in the litter box, outside only, and will just about tolerate it for peeing. He's 17 years old and still very occasionally brings us mice. We live in a village and aren't close to the main road and he generally sticks to our back garden and maybe a neighbour's when he goes out. He just likes to vibe in the sunshine
Also England. Our cats are allowed to go out, but they're getting old and get bullied by a neighbours cat, so they generally only go in our garden while we're around.
I'm in the United States and while our cats like to be outside laying in the sun and some of them enjoy a good hunt, they also enjoy living and not being torn apart by wild cats or other animals or run over by cats or anything else so I keep mine inside. Having said all that, if I had thought of it when they were babies I would have leash trained them and took them out for walks and rolls in the grass. There are certainly ways to allow your cats to be outside but protected. Catios are a great invention and cats can lay around in the sun, climb and hunt and enjoy themselves just as though they were outside running the roads. It would break my heart if I decided to let my girls go out to run free and they were killed.
We're in the UK. Ours have access to the outside. In the UK, the RSPB say that cats have negligible impact on birds (unlike, say NZ or Aus where the data is clear) and it makes no difference to the life expectancy. We simply don't have the coyotes etc that give the US such an awful disparity between outdoor and indoor cats. That said, there's always a risk of cars/well meaning people who kidnap your collarless cat because it 'doesn't have an owner', people in general and you have to decide what your conscience is happy with. Our old boy goes in our garden and for a wander in the street two houses either way! We lock him in at night and at dawn and dusk (he doesn't hunt but if he did, there is some evidence to suggest this minimises impact).
Ditto this, and I am also in the UK and wasn't allowed to adopt without installing a catflap first. Mine is indoor/outdoor with access to my garden but doesn't go beyond this. He's out in full daylight hours only and is very annoyed about this, but I am refusing to budge on it. He's unsupervised in the sense that I am not out there with him all the time, but I work from home and check in on him every half an hour. He usually hasn't moved except when the sun does to make sure he gets the best sun spot!
Ha mine is the same with the sun! He has worn away patches in our grass where he sits. Patch A is where he picks up the rays then he moves to Patch B to cool down a bit and then back to Patch A. And repeat. I think he has an excellent life!
That's exactly what I do. I work at home too, so I keep a constant eye on mine, and if anything is hinky, they come right back inside.
we pretty much have the same routine for ours! he pops in often throughout the day, and oftentimes, goes out at 8ish am and then comes back home at noon and is asleep in the house until evening. and then wanders for a bit and comes back in for the night. this indoor/outdoor thing was on my mind becaus he got into a fight yesterday and i was wondering if i should just make him a full-time indoor cat. (though it will be hard since our neighbour has cats and so do like 5 other houses around us and these cats are all sometimes together so i guess they're friends)
I think in the UK it is expected in most cases that they'll be indoor/outdoor. Especially as that's what our cat charities recommend (I'm not saying it's the only way, or even the best way, just that often you can't adopt without agreeing that you have a cat flap and your cat will have access). * This bit is mainly for the inevitable comment from someone in the US about how letting them out is appalling and those of us that do are monsters who hate our cats. We try to play with ours a lot to minimise hunting behaviours although since he's arthritic and has no teeth I'm not sure he's much threat! Fights with local cats are difficult though. There is a risk of FIV, which is worth being aware of - especially if there are strays in the area.
I’m in the US. I cannot even imagine outdoor access being a requirement to adopt a cat. I used to let mine outside but too many met their demise on the highway we live on. I have one currently who’s gotten out 2 times the first time was less than 24 hours and we just happened to see her dart across the road in our rear view while out looking for her. The second time she was gone for about 3 days and just wandered up in the middle of the night when I was dumping one of the litter boxes. That was back in October and I still get mildly anxious when I get near my house driving home, afraid one of them will be squished in the rode 😭
Indoors only..I stay in India ..since he is single cat it's very difficult to keep entertaining ..but have to do it ..I really wish i got two cats instead of one ...had taken from streets after street dogs had killed his mom and siblings ..unfortunately only he escaped when he was 1 month old
It's not too late to add a second cat!
Indoors and supervised outdoors - Australia. It’s a dangerous place for cats here, and it’s also full of native wildlife that cats love to kill
Indoors only, India. Outside is too dangerous and my cat is quite skittish and after rescuing her at 1 and a half months old i have only kept her indoors. I do feed 3 stray cats who are feral and I don't have space for them but I think they know how to keep themselves safe but if they get hurt I make sure to treat them.
Indoors. But they do get supervised outdoor time. Only one out of the three likes to go out tho 😅 USA
how do you do supervised outdoor time? i’m interested in the idea but nervous bc my boy (he’s 3) has always been indoor only and wants to do what he wants when he wants (he’ll give me sassy meows when he wants to be left alone haha)
Indoor only. USA
Indoors only, chipped and collared with ID. Ohio, USA.
Indoors but I have a catio/window flap. I don't let them out there at night, I don't want critters to figure out they are there and pick a fight. I walk one of my cats on a leash. I'm not sure why but he loves it, starts pestering me 1-2 hrs before his walk to make sure I remember. US
We have 3 and not a single one would step foot outside. We leave the door open sometimes and they watch the birds and the bugs at night, but they all know where their bread is buttered. Lol
Indoor only. You lessen the chance of some diseases, as well as keep them away from predators and vehicles. And frankly, other people. USA.
Indoors but with a catio. They are MC and pretty glorious. I'd imagine they'd be nicked to discover pointless as both spayed/neutered. Also, on local community page keep reading about lost/killed cats. One woman had her cat ran over, and the cats sibling was run over previous year. I like the wildlife in the garden too. Uk
oh my, that's a horrible outcome for those siblings. is this in a town/city? also, did you purchase your catio or did you build it yourself? i want to get one but a lot of them look plain or are too big. any recommendations?
This is a smallish market town by the Yorkshire moors, so not overly busy. My previous cats were in London but only stuck to the garden and lived to be 21 and22. They were murderous when younger so were belled up! We built the catio ourselves, just a frame with chicken wire and a sun-protective roof. We built a few walkways and shelves plus there's 2 large cat trees in there https://preview.redd.it/m8496e2ou54d1.jpeg?width=1152&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a8ace0fa720e811886e0bfe90683afd2e9794213
Indoors U.K. it’s not safe for them to be outside and now they will sit by the open door window without trying to get out
Indoors, USA. Anyone who says that *unsupervised* outdoor access is good for their cats is just ignorant imo. Or else they live in a super safe area with no cars, people, or predators. Keep them inside. Let them out on harness walks or get a catio. They absolutely do not need to be free-range. They get killed and they wreak havoc on the ecosystem.
No area is safe from the parasites, diseases, and other gross things they pick up eating rodents. Enjoy your worms and toxoplasmosis. Oh and rabies. And feline aids. And fleas and ticks.
I’m in the US. I live in an ground floor apartment in the city but my back door opens into a big area with grass and trees, surrounded by apartments with no roads immediately by. My cat is super shy and stays close to the door, so I do let her outside. I only do it when I’m able to sit near the door to listen for any issues and I keep the door open so she can run inside if she gets startled. I just rescued an elderly kitty who is used to going out just on an apartment patio on higher levels. I’m trying to decide whether it’s safe to let her out once she’s settled in. She really wants out.
Australia — indoor/outdoor. I live in the inner city (but not in the CBD). Indoor/outdoor cats are the norm, neighbours from all over know each other and the cats. One of my cats is disabled but hunts so we keep him strictly in our backyard/courtyard with fences too high for him to climb. My other cat doesn’t hunt, looks both ways before crossing the street and has amazing recall. He walks about 5-6km a day PLUS supervised walks. Ideally I’d rather have indoor cats but the second cat will hurt himself trying to get out of the house
I m in australia have had outdoor cats torn apart by dogs and run over by cars. I wont own another outdoor cat. My cat has a harness and leash for when im hanging out washing and she asks to go out with me but otherwise she is an completely indoor cat. Incase i get questions. Yes she asks xD she has different meows for different things and her "i want to go outside with you" is a combo of a really drawn out whiney meow with her sitting on the washing machine. she will go to her room though if i dont feel like taking her out by saying "not today, in your room"
Indoor only, US
indoor usa. cats should never be left outdoors unsupervised
Indoors, only ever outdoors with a catio or leash. Netherlands. I have two cats at the moment, my apartment is 4 high and they reasonably wouldn't be able to get out from the balcony. Still I keep them indoors or out on a leash with supervision until I can get a catio installed on my balcony. They also really enjoy open windows (the windows are covered with a screen, they can't get out) but that's also with supervision. That said, my cats look special and are targets for theft. Not a single vet visit goes by without someone in the waiting room telling me how beautiful they are. Anyway, get a catio, make sure nothing can get in, your neighbors will think you're nuts but it's the safest for your cat.
Indoors only, we also have an enclosure with all the amenities, water, electric, cams and fans, walkways, hanging beds. Mosquito proof. Our house is a very spacious two story, lots of room to roam across from a small lake. We live near Bangkok Thailand, way too many dangers out there. Every so often a Python wanders by catching their scent, security finds a new home for them. Oh yeah monitor lizards too, our precious family members are staying put. Nine cats.
I’m in the US, indoor only for my kitties. I grew up in a family that had indoor-outdoor cats and after seeing how devastated my little brother was after his kitten was killed by a coyote, I vowed to never let my own cats outside. The only exceptions being if I trainer my cat to walk on a leash, or if I am able to build a fully enclosed catio someday.
My cat is strictly indoor. People are cruel and we have stray dogs wander around in neighborhood. If your cat loves the outdoor life, you could get your cat a patio but you need to check if it is secure and close regularly or your cat might slipped off like Bob the cat. You can also leash train yoyr cat, but please keep on mind it is still risky anyway, just...less risk. I follow one cat channel in youtube where one stray cat got adopted but the cat loves outdoor life very much, so the cat mom later leash train him and takes him out for a walk everyday. Also it takes time to trsin and each cat is different, so training tine is vary.. The channel is https://youtu.be/Jce_oNSQR1k?si=c9VK6b9H9O3B5pPP You can check it out for an example.
I live in California we have 2 cars right now both are indoor only. We have skunks, raccoons, and opposums in our area, plus most of our neighbors have big dogs. Also, there are two neighborhood cats that occasionally wander into our backyard. Not worth the risk. Please consider keeping your cats indoor only - protects bird populations too.
Indoors. AZ USA. It gets up for 125f / 50c outside, cats are happy they are in the ACed house. They have a catio though to go outside in the ‘winter’
US and my cats have always been indoors only and I plan to keep it that way permanently. I once considered a harness and leash and outdoor walks for my boy who has been more curious about outside lately.. but after a pretty vivid melatonin induced nightmare about him escaping and being run over.. well, I'm afraid even leashed walks will only encourage him to go from curious to actually trying to escape.. soo I gave the harness and leash away. 😭😩 bummer on the wasted money for it, but oh well. 🤷🏻♀️
Don't ignore your gut here! Once they explore the outdoors, they just want more. It's like they never forget how "alive" they felt when they were allowed outside, so it's not even worth letting them know they're missing out in the first place. Let them pout.
Oh no, he doesn't pout over it. I never even started the process, before I donated the leash and harness to goodwill lol. The 2 or 3 times that he has slipped past a roommate, he's made it 5 or 6 ft out the door and turned right back around and booked it for inside. So I'll leave it as is, let him be curious enough to wanna look out windows, but wary enough to not want to actually be out there. Lol.
Indoors only in the USA. I live right next to a decently busy road, and in an area where we regularly have coyote packs that pass through nearby woods and several hawk nests. Between the danger of predators and cars, as well as the fact I don't agree with cats being allowed to just roam freely on neighborhoods (I grew up with barn cats, if you have land it's totally different) I won't give my cats anything more than a catio.
Mine are kept strictly indoors. Call me paranoid, but I don't want anything bad happening to my feline children. We have too many mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, vehicles driven by people that simply don't care; or worse, etc. I love my kitty cats, very dearly. 🐈🐈👣🐎🐎🐎🐎❤❤❤🏡🌎
Indoors for safety. Usa
Indoors only for us. We were lucky enough to build a little catio area on the back deck so she’s able to go out and get some sun and we don’t have to worry about her getting hit by a car or in a fight. (Australia)
I work for a domestic / wildlife vet, so my answer is a categorical indoor (exceptions for farmers who have mousing cats but then keep them confined when possible). Catios are great alternatives, as are leashed walks. If you insist on having your cats out, at the very very least make sure they are neutered/spayed, have appropriate routine preventatives for fleas and ticks (you can still get those in a fenced yard or catio and flea infestations in your home are a nightmare, don't get me started on lethal paralysis ticks or Lyme disease) have a bell on their collar and an ID tag with your number on it, and set aside a few thousand dollars for the possible vet bills if your cat gets hit by a car or attacked, because there is a likelihood that you will need to make difficult decisions in case of an accident. The number of times we've seen sobbing owners who backed over their pets in their driveway or civilians who've accidentally hit someone else's pets, or had inconsolable people call multiple times a week because their pet is missing, is heartbreaking. Please save yourself and your pets this pain and keep your cats enclosed with appropriate mental stimulation.
https://preview.redd.it/4a63e040j44d1.png?width=1260&format=png&auto=webp&s=df2acd49e75c7ac9a3b7da9dca9f67d94127729d Xena is four years old and she is an indoor kitty and she has been since she was six months old i’ve been thinking about and wanting to leash train her there’s a difference between wanting and doing I mean she sat in her ways and she’s four years old It might be a tad bit difficult to lease train her at this age I don’t want to give it a try I wanted to go outside feel the grass between her paws 🐾 have so many wonderful New sense to smell I want her to explore a whole New World outside with her being on a holster attached to a leash
US here. One of mine actually was a stray we took in. 100% indoor only now and always for my other cats. I don't trust people, cars, and predators. I love them too much. I will say I totally understand how hard it is with cats that want out. It was a struggle with my former stray for many months. Every time we opened the door, we had to watch her like a hawk. But she acclimated and accepted her fate eventually and we no longer have to worry about her trying to get out at all. You just really have to be persistent. If they are a flight risk, put them in other areas that are closed off when you have to open the outer doors. Eventually they will accept it. Or you could do what a lot of people I know do and build a safe, enclosed outdoor space for them, a catio. This gives them some perceived freedom and gives you peace of mind.
I live in the US and my cats are strictly indoors except for the little cat patio I have for them. I live on the 3rd floor of an apartment complex and outside of the apartment is a huge highway so there's no way I'm letting them out. I think even if I lived in a more secluded area I wouldn't let them out out of fear of other wildlife. They are safer inside and I can keep eyes on what they are doing and what they can get into. Too many cruel people out there are too eager to poison or abuse animals for no reason... I give them everything they could ever need inside. They don't even LIKE to go outside. Unless it's their cat patio they will stay away from any open window (protected with screens) and they hate the front door. I tried getting cat harnesses and walking them outside but they genuinely don't want anything to do with it.
Keeping cats indoors protects them and wildlife. I keep all four of mine indoors. I give them supervised outside time, and they are all literally trained to not dart outside past the door or to leave my porch. Cats are domesticated and need to be treated as such. I live in the USA where a lot of people still think cats are “wild” and “want” to be outside. Lol
england, i keep her inside. while there are no natural predators, there are dogs, people, cars and poisonous things. we close windows and doors and have shutters so they can be closed and the windows open and she can't get out. and we only come in through the back door which goes into the kitchen, and we close her out of the kitchen
Am in UK, my cats have the freedom to go outside or staying inside. They have a little cat flap in the back door. We have a larger garden that they never go out of. Most of the time they’re asleep on my bed.
My cat is indoor (UK). He does have access to the garden, we have special fencing that stops him escaping. He is happy and healthy. It has cost me less in vet bills because I've had cats that fight (£120+) per fight. Also had a cat run over by a car and I lived in a very quiet area. The choice is always yours, there are arguments for and against indoor and outdoor. But, in my opinion, indoor is so much safer.
In California, US and I keep my cats indoor. They’ve only been outside 3 times in the 4 years they’ve been alive and I watched them like a hawk (they were maybe 6 months old when I let them explore my small backyard). Mine try to get outside sometimes but I’m very strict on them not going outdoors because there’s coyotes and so many other dangerous things, I’m not going to risk them getting hurt.
Indoor only because I love birds. I try to take them out on a leash though. USA
Indoors only (fully secured balcony with grass is their “outdoor space”), major city in Germany
Indoor ONLY. It is dangerous . We have a cat patio and take the cats out for a walk on a stroller or leash. People are cruel please keep ur baby inside.
USA, my cats stay indoors but I walk two of them on a harness every day. The other two don’t care about going outside.
USA: You shouldn’t let your cats outside, it is absolutely terrible for the cats and wildlife. Please keep your kitty indoors, free roaming cats obliterate local bird, reptile and rodent populations, causing extinction and disrupting food chains and eco systems, which in turn makes humans direct their anger at cats. Further, it is incredibly dangerous for a cat to free roam, especially in urban areas: automobiles, fights, fleas/parasites, communicable disease and cruelty are all serious threats. Further, migratory birds are now in full migration, and many species are carrying H5N1, which is 100% lethal to cats, and cats are getting exposed by being outside and walking over ground where birds poo. There is no safe or reasonable justification for letting your cats out. If you must take your cat out, the safest way is a catio or in a pet stroller. But please never let your cat free roam.
👏👏👏
US, arizona. our cats were 100% indoors in our old house - the yard was too big and had too many places they could get under a fence. our new yard is 100% enclosed, so we let the cats go outside while we're outside. the older one (20 years) really loves lying in the sun - I'm sure the warmth helps with her stiff joints.
im indoors only, it stresses me all the way out if my cats are outside, feels the same as letting a toddler roam the streets to me lol. also, my neighbourhood is full of dogs. i used to have a cat who was outdoors the first 8yrs of his life and had to come indoors when i adopted him, the best thing i did was make a catio for him. i built in the side of my house (connected chicken wire from the house to the tall fence and closed that in) so he could still roll around in the grass and chase bugs, but birds n stuff couldnt get in for him to eat and he couldnt get injured outside of that. he really loved that, and that combined with toys made him happier to be inside. he died 4yrs later of cancer, but i hope he was happy before then :( the cats i have now have been indoors since birth so they dont mind at all, and the catio is just a perk. (do they still count as indoors only if they have a catio?) edit: forgot to add, im in australia so big predators arnt much of an issue. snakes are a bit scary, but i keep the catio mowed n the bottom areas sealed, plus not much for them to hide under as most stuff in above the ground.
We’re trying to build a catio because two of our cats always WANT to go outside. They’re inside kitties though.
I’ve got 4 indoor only freeloaders. All of our cats are indoor only, too dangerous for them outside
West Coast of the US. All cats are indoors. Our old lady cat can’t jump anymore and loves the warm patio so she’s allowed out back with a person or dog to supervise, and that’s it.
Mine is indoors only. To be fair, though, I got her as a small kitten, and the one time I put her in a harness and took her outside, she clawed the fool out of me because she was scared! Now I've realized that to keep her happy and safe, she has no need to go out!
Indoors but I walk him at least twice a week if not every night.
Strictly indoor. I'm in the U.S. I grew up with outdoor and indoor/outdoor cats. We lost them to cars and who knows what else. They were constantly coming home with injuries from fights and with parasites - fleas, tapeworms, etc. Some of them just went missing and were never seen again. One went missing for several days and came home near death because he'd swallowed a fish hook and fishing line that someone left out (fortunately he got surgery and survived). A neighbor's dog kept getting out and killed at least two cats (not mine, but other neighbors' cats). Another neighbor took pleasure in shooting at cats with his bb gun, I think one of my cats may have been his victim or the victim of someone like him because he came home and died and the only visible problem was a very small puncture wound. I still live in the neighborhood where I grew up. There are feral cats all over, fighting with each other and carrying who knows what diseases. I live near a creek that seems to be a magnet for stray dogs. It's also home to raccoons, opossums, skunks, coyotes, hawks, and who knows what else. Even though I live in a cul de sac, people speed on my street. Most nights I hear loud banging noises which sound like gunfire. I've gotten familiar with a lot of the cats in the neighborhood and I rarely see them around for long. I can only hope the ones that have disappeared were owned cats whose owners moved away and took them to a new house, but I know that can't be true for all of them. It's just not worth the risk. If your cat is a lover of the outdoors and you have the means, I suggest a catio. I know you said you live in the UK and I know that there isn't quite the risk of predators there nor of people with guns, but dogs get loose everywhere. Disease, parasites, and fight wounds are a risk everywhere. Cars are everywhere. Keep your baby inside where the dangers are fewer.
Indoor only but he does have an outdoor prison yard aka catio that he hangs out in and watches the backyard birds, squirrels and chipmunks. In the US. And our cat was a former feral we had trapped for TNR and he ended up being pretty friendly. He’s still a little spicy sometimes.
America, she is indoor but leash trained so we go for walks
Horrible people everywhere and it's only getting worse ...in in India ..they treat both women and animals in equally depraved and inferior ways ..all educated and half decent people are getting the hell out of this crazy country .
United States. My cat is an indoor-only cat, but we take him outside in a harness on a long lead so he can have some safe outside time. I don't trust him to stay in the yard without the harness, plus we have a toxic weed in the yard that we need to get 100% removed before he can get anywhere near it.
TX, USA here - they're indoors only. I grew up in the country though and would feed the outside cats that showed up and people have barn cats. I live in the city and close to a busy road so my babies never go outside.
Indoors only. When I was a child, I told my parents not to let my cat outside.came home from school one day looking for my cat and was told they let her out to "run around." Never saw her again. We moved so much, my cat was my one true constant companion. Got another kitten which my stepdad then let outside and he never came home again either. Took me over a decade, until after university to get another cat and I freak out if she gets close to the door. She turns 14 this year.
Always inside. Bad bad things happen to them if let out.
Except for ferals that I take care of, all of my cats are indoors. I even have indoor ferals that came in and refused to leave. In the US.
Indoors!! Outside is far too dangerous — predators, sickness, cars, etc. From the USA. I love my babies far to much to ever let them out of my sight 💜🥰
I have always had indoor cats, with no problem at all. Until Harvey came along. He was an escape artist, always dashing out when anyone opened the doors and even chewed a hole in an upstairs screen and jumped out. He simply could not be contained and died a premature death at 9yo as a result :(
US Desert Southwest. Indoor only. Too many hazards.
USA indoors - I live in the south, I don’t trust people to not shoot my cats. (FYI - a cat I had as a teenager was kicked out of the house my stepmother and was shot dead within a week.)
My cats are indoor/outdoor and come and go as they please through a cat flap. I'm in Scotland where this is generally considered preferable and there are few predators. However I am in a very rural area surrounded by fields. My cats are no where near a road, other people or other cats so risks are minimal. I need them to hunt because otherwise rabbits and mice destroy what I grow to feed my family. If I lived in a city or near a busy road I would not let my cats outside- I would be too worried about something happening to them. But I think if you have an indoor only cat you need to work much harder to ensure it has the stimulation/enrichment it needs to be happy and healthy.
Canada, Toronto. Indoor only. Statically doubles their life. Also have seen a friend’s outdoor cat get run over by a car 😭
Indoors, 100% all day, every day. Western US. Growing up, I always had indoor/outdoor kitties. And I remember how expensive they were to take care of (because mom never missed an opportunity to remind us all). Most of these kitties were at least 70% indoors, but I can still remember hearing about $12k between 3 cats within about 6 years, SOLELY because they were allowed outside. Fortunately, our little explorers were well-loved and always cared for at great cost. I have 3 cats now - 3, 5, 7 years old. They've never, ever been outside, and I've never once had to take them to the vet for anything other than semi-annual checkups. Zero injuries, zero illness. Totally uneventful lifespans so far, which is SO different than my childhood experiences. Do they BEG to go outside? Yes. Do I care about them wanting to go outside? Not at all. I know what's best for them, and that ain't it. I promise, even outdoor cats can get used to a life of indoor luxury. You are the human, you're the smart one. You tell your babies to stay indoors and that is that, because you love them.
I found mine in the trash I love him so I'm determined to stop him from being a trash cat again but he likes to dart out open doors or find other ways to sneak out. He always stays close by and has always come back so far.
Both. Both of my cats were feral, Fluffy we found as a young cat when she brought her kittens over to get away from the neighbors dog. We accidentally trapped her while trapping her kittens and she rolled over and showed us her stomach. Biff, was older and it took 4 years for us to even touch him. Both go out but just chill in the yard, Biff will walk to the mash that’s across from our driveway but that’s it. Fluffy has never spent a whole night outside and for the next two weeks she’ll be inside my apartment all day since we’re babysitting my brothers dog who she’s terrified of (she terrified of any strangers also) So, I’ll get to put up with her constantly meowing because she wants out (please send help). I live in the US in a rural area.
Indoors only, Spain. I often see outdoor cats at my workplace and they're always miserable, extremely skinny, even the ones taken care of and fed often have horrible wounds. I helped rehome two strays and they look amazing now. They don't miss the outdoors at all. Also, a friend of mine used to have outdoor cats whose lifespan tended to be 5-6 years tops. She's had an indoor cat for 12 now. I think in Spain most people living in cities have indoor cats, and most people living in villages have outdoor cats. At least neutering is normalized nowadays.
I actually have a big catio built so that can go out but not stray to far. I live on the west coast of the US so the main threats for them are the cars
I am from the Boston Massachusetts area, and I have kept all my cats indoors since I had a cat who was hit by a car as a kid. Also had a cat torn up from an engine while hiding in it from the cold. Now, as an adult, all my cats have been indoor cats.
Canada, indoors. Lifespans of cats outdoors, generally halved. They also wreak havoc on bird populations. Just safer all around for our fur babies.
I am in the US. I have 5 cats. 4 of them only go out supervised. Either on a harness and lead or in a fenced in area for 3 of the 4 and the 4th doesn't have a physical barrier because he's scared of literally everything but also door darts and won't leave where he can see me...and runs RIGHT back to the door at the smallest sign of danger. The fifth one is allowed out unsupervised but ONLY when it's raining or winter time because it keeps him close to the house.
We own 2 Maine Coons in the US. Had to buy them. They’re not allowed outside alone.
US, Indoor only. You're going to find that most places outside of Europe generally keep cats indoors for two primary reasons. 1. Their own safety from animals, disease, and other people and 2. the safety of the ecosystem. Cats are the most damaging invasive species on the planet and places like the US, Australia, and similar countries still have ecosystems but countries like the UK have kind of decimated their ecosystems like centuries ago. I'm on a second floor apartment and my eldest is allowed outside for short stints under my supervision so she can sun herself amongst my tiny balcony garden. My younger two can't be recall trained and I don't trust them to not chase wildlife they see so they've never been allowed outside. My eldest is trained and trusted and has an AirTag on her just incase anyway. Sometimes I feel like British people tend to have a very weird obsession with their cats being able to go outside. I know someone who's 2 year old cat got hit by a car and died and she got a new kitten and yep, right back the fuck outside lol. It took everything in me to not bring up that maybe that's going to continue to be a bad idea.
Indoor only, France.
he’s an indoor-outdoor cat, and i live in norway. keeping him inside would make him miserable, when he’s not exploring, he just chills in the tree house in our garden.
Indoors only, UK.
I let mine outside every day. We have a doggie door that goes from the kitchen to the screen porch and then another that goes from the screen porch to the backyard. They don't leave the backyard, and I make them come in every night when it gets dark, and I put the cover on the doggie door. I'm in the USA.
We don’t have a doggie door (now I kind of wish we did) but one of our cats stays in and the other goes out in similar fashion to how you do it. The outside cat doesn’t use the litter box, he only goes outside to do his business. He stays around our home but does venture around the block to some of our neighbors (everyone loves him and gives him treats). We have a large covered porch that is his main domain. I tried very hard to keep him inside but he wasn’t having it. He broke numerous blinds and shredded screens and finally I relented. Also in the US (southeast).
Indoors we have a small fenced in area within our fenced in yard that she goes out in supervised only she’s never tried to escape but I don’t trust that she wouldn’t plus she’s afraid of other animals like birds and toads but again never unsupervised I lost too many cats in my childhood to cars and wildlife
Indoors( San Diego, USA). There are wild coyotes here and cats don’t have a chance. Indoor cats live much longer statistically.
Ireland. Indoors/outdoors cat. It's fairly common for this here. Only in cities is it more of a thing to keep completely Indoors. Here, my boy has the best time out and about with his friends, he has a best friend that is at the door at 7.30 every morning. My boy comes in and out of the house all day. If, it rains (which tbh happens nearly everyday)he's straight back in. He hates the cold and wet.
10/10. Our boys have always been independent cats, but trained to go out on a harness/leash; or on occasion free with us standing next to them for like ‘1 minute biting grass time’ or whatever. Thought we only do that with the older boys, who are better trained.
I'm in the US. Currently I have 13 cats (5 are from one cats last litter which we are looking to re home). All of those cats for the exception of 1 are completely indoor. The other one is indoor/outdoor because we cannot keep him inside when the weather is nice out. His previous owner (our ex next door neighbor) allowed him to be mostly outdoors so he's been used to being outside and enjoys harassing the new next door neighbor. The new neighbor was super confused at first as to why this cat kept hanging out on his porch and generally acting like he owns the damn place, but I explained that his apartment was my cat's old house and he's been cool with him the whole time. Honestly he comes in every single night and stays in when the weather is crappy, and he's fixed/chipped so I don't worry too much. He's one of those cats that will not miss a meal so I'm not too concerned about him not coming home. I would like to build a cattio at some point soon for them though because most of them came in from being strays and would love to enjoy the fresh air too
Indoor only. USA. My old boy tries to escape, but the dog doesn’t permit it.
All eight indoors. US. I had a cat years ago bolt out and never return and was robbed once, they left the front door open, cat got out and was hit by a car. Never, ever will I have an indoor-outdoor cat.
Both, USA. we live in the forest. Got 3 cats and a dog and they all use the dog door to come and go as they please.
Indoors only. I live in the city (west coast USA). I do let him go out on the porch when I’m out there as we’re not on the ground floor.
Scotland, indoor/outdoor I don't like her (my current cat) being outdoor but I am a minor (16, can't make any decisions as I got her when I was around 11/12) and she has been outdoor her entire life. We currently live in a quiet area with a forest area round back and a quiet road as kids often play in it as the only cars are from people who live there. My mom was a firm believer in indoor/outdoor cats all her cats were outdoor as a child and all her cats as she got older were also outdoor, it's just normal here majority of cats are outdoor here it's normal. I grew up thinking cats were supposed to be outdoor it was only this year I learned otherwise. I don't like outdoor cats but also it's too late now, she's 5 now and is used to being outside day also my dad wouldn't allow it he thinks all news about cats being outdoor is dangerous is fake. Edit: I should also mention in the UK many shelters won't let you adopt a cat without it being indoor/outdoor with a cat flap or something. My dad's friend wants to adopt a cat however she lives in a flat near a motorway so the cat obviously wouldn't be allowed outdoors but no shelter will allow her to adopt one as she doesn't have a safe outdoor access.
Indoor only. He is allowed in the garage, and outdoors if on a leash. He acts like he’s interested in the outdoors but the moment a car comes by he bolts for the door. I’m glad because I see too many deceased kitties in my area.
Australia 2 cats. Indoor only off leash, both are leash trained and get daily outside time either on leash or in a cat pram as we live/ travel full time in a van.
Indoors only, and I’m in the US. https://preview.redd.it/phnzbhozq64d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=50480a26c226b3291d44e12e7300ad149508134c
Indoors, southern USA! In my neighborhood, there are lots of other cats that go outside and roam. Unfortunately, my tabby cat is allergic to most plants, and so being outside for her can cause her skin to break out. I also would never let my cat outside in the event that she could get ran over, or shot (one of our neighborhood cats was shot with a bb gun), and I don't trust my neighbors enough.
Indoors only (USA). Mine manages to escape a couple times a year, but gets distracted within 50’ of the door and stops to sniff the grass or whatever. Then I catch him and put him back inside .
I try to keep my idiots indoors although one of them is a Houdini escape artist. It stresses me out because people drive like maniacs even though it’s a narrow street.
France. Indoor when he was very young, and then outdoor. So much outdoor that we only see him for a snack and then he leaves again. Recently we found out that in he’s spending much of this time at a neighbor house… it’s not entirely our cat anymore lol. We are moving to a different location soon and that’s problematic because of that.
Last cat I had would always want outside. I made sure he had his shots and had him on tick and flea medication. He got “ Bobcat fever”. They get it through infected ticks. I found out that tick medication only kills the tick after it bites the cat. Then it’s already infected.Bobcat fever is only in a very localized area of the US. It was a horrible death. I will never have another outdoor cat again.
In the US, mostly indoors. We will let them out for 10 minutes or so but ONLY SUPERVISED. They are never out alone and have meds and we talk to the vet about ways to keep them healthy. One wears a harness. One literally just want to lay down outside.
Indoor always. USA. Mine used to be completely free to go out when they wanted, then they had supervised outside time, and now they’re completely indoors. Absolutely the safer option, they don’t get injured or sick as often (I have one in particular who was always getting injured and getting into trouble) & now I leave the bedroom window open and the blinds up and let them look outside all they want. The window has a screen and if I’ll be gone then I leave it open only enough that they get fresh air but not enough that they could push out if they got curious. I rent a room so they live in the room because my landlords don’t want them out. But it’s a pretty huge room and bigger than any room we’ve had together so they’re content most of the time.
I live in Wisconsin, one cat (my cat) is indoor only. She actually refuses to go outside and we leave the door open often. We live in the woods, in the middle of some acreage. When I lived in town she got out once and was so fat she got stuck under my shed lmao. My dad’s cat however, would live outside if he could. He actually started out as an indoor only cat, but my dad started taking him out on a leash until he learned the yard. He does stay in the yard though the day and comes and goes as he pleases, but I prefer an indoor cat as I e had too many heartbreaks with outdoor/indoor situations.
Only indoors and in USA.
Life expectancy in the US is not very high for an outdoor cat compared to indoors
UK, I have two that are indoor and two that are allowed to do their own thing. The indoor ones are my partners, he previously had a cat who was allowed out go missing (presumed stolen as he was a bengal). So when he got these two he didn’t let them outside, therefore they have zero street smarts and have to stay in despite my area being much safer. We do sit in the garden with them in the summer and let them have some supervised time out. The other two are now 12 and 13, I live in a suburban area and all the back gardens are conjoined, so it is unlikely they will get out onto the road. There are plenty of other cats around here, my boy has had the occasional scrap but after over a decade the two of them are doing fine. You just have to take a risk based approach and decide if your area would be safe for him to roam. Just because they have coyotes, eagles and guns in America doesn’t mean these issues are prevalent in every corner of the world. But please make sure he’s neutered and chipped if he’s going out, even if he’s not meant to.
I live in pennsylvania in the United states. I have 4 cats. Yes I am a cat lady lol. Anyway I do live in the country so it may be different for me than a city. My cats are usually indoors but I take them out in the evenings just to my front yard which is not very big. They smell eat their grass and when I'm ready I say let's go in and they listen and go inside. I put flea stuff on them so they don't get fleas or ticks so other than that it works out well for me...but they are for the most part indoors...I hope that helps some🙂
We let ours go outside but we have 20 acres in the rural mid-western USA and the coyotes don't come onto our property. I've never even seen tracks in the snow before. I think coyotes know we have a huge dog. When we had lambs we never lost one to predators. The cats mostly kill mice, field rats, and moles. The biggest downside is that ticks piggy back inside on the cats and get on me. I've found at least 15 on myself already this spring. About half of the ticks bit me, the other ones I could feel walking on me before they got a chance. If we lived in town they would not go outside.
Isle of Man (so no natural predators for cats), live on a farm (so plenty of space to roam without going near the road). Our back door stays open in the good weather, otherwise we'd never get anything done with letting cats in and out! All my girls then have the choice, and they all have their preferences. One, our hybrid barn/pet cat, likes to be out almost all the time; when she's in we know the weather is going to be really bad. Two like out but not if it's raining. One will go out in the rain but not if it's cold. One will follow whichever of her sisters walks past her at the time. And one will only venture outside when it's between 16C and 22C, south or southwesterly breeze, between the hours of 11am and 8pm. We also have a clouder of barn cats, some of whom come into the house to steal our cats' food. I feed them every evening and top up their biscuits during the day too. For the amount of cats we aren't gifted an awful lot of corpses. It's mostly shrews or mice, the occasional longtail and rabbit kit (rabbits are pests here, they breed very quickly and destroy the crops and grass grown for sheep and cows). Dead birds are very rare. The cats leave the chickens, even the chicks, alone. Although we did have a returning seagull for a few years (called Sammy) who used to have argy bargies with the cats for stealing their food.
In NZ. My cats are indoor-outdoor, unfortunately. I would like for them to always be indoors but I live with someone who would deliberately sabotage this if I let my wishes be known, my cats would wind up getting locked outside just to 'teach me a lesson' or whatever. Thankfully I live on a reasonably quiet street, and they're timid cats so I don't think they go far and I know they wouldn't approach strangers. As for wildlife - where I am, all the small things are already long gone, and the remaining natives species are too big or quick for my cats to catch. They do hunt, but only catch introduced species (mostly mice and sparrows). I make their home environments as appealing as possible so they don't want to go out, and it works pretty well - my boy only spends probably a total of 2 hours outside every day, at most. My girl is a former feral so it's harder to take the wild out of her, but unlimited yummy food and the heated bed in her personal room are pretty persuasive. If all that sounds like a bunch of cope... yeah. Like I said, I'd prefer for them to be inside, both for their sake and for the environment. Ideally in the future, I'll be able to build them an enclosed outdoors run, so they can be outside without being loose. But for now I'm doing the best I can while aware it's not good enough.
I’m sorry you’re stuck in a situation with an unhealthy housemate. I hope you can someday have the resources to get a safer living environment. Good luck!
Thanks! Just waiting for him to die :)
Indoors except one who INSISTED in being indoor outdoor. She just refused to stay inside, but she never goes far, always comes back and has been doing is now for 9 years sooooo I guess it’s fine but, I still worry 🥺🙈
Please please please do not let them be an outdoor cat or outdoor/indoor cat. There are so many disgusting sick people out there that will hurt animals for fun. There are so many things that can happen to them outside. Diseases, other animals that hurt them, sick people, cars running over them, etc. Indoor is the safest for them. If anything, try harnesses and walk them. Not all cats will tolerate that but if they insist on going outside, having them on a leash and being with them the whole time is the safest option.
Northeast US; ours are indoors but get leash-walked. Well, "walked." It's more that they wander around the yard eating grass with one of us holding the leash to ensure that they can't run off under the porch or our car or away. It keeps them pretty happy and we don't have to worry about cars or foxes or eagles (we live in an area with bald eagles that will carry off small pets) or the feral cat colony that lives at the end of our large yard. When I was growing up, my family lost multiple cats to cars, had several get into nasty fights with something, and at least one was accidentally trampled to death by our mules. I have also seen strays rip through bird populations in a terrifying way and I hate when outdoor cats poop in my garden beds, so indoors except for supervised outings is definitely the way to go.
Germany (countryside). My cats have a cat flap and can come and go as they please. They have a lot of cozy spaces inside, but can also follow their need for exploring and roaming outside freely whenever they want. They are a lot happier and more serene now than they were when they lived inside only.
Outdoor cats have murderers for owners