I noticed that a lot of people think it is bad to let your cats outside, and I was just wondering why that is. Cats who are kept inside all the time, in my experience, tend to be desperate to get outside, so why do a lot of people think that cats should not be allowed outside?

it's dangerous. outdoor cats can get in fights or be killed or injured by cars. my friend had a lot of (outdoor) cats growing up, and i don't think any of them lived to be older than 5 or 6.

outdoor cats also damage bird populations: http://www.ctaudubon.org/conserv/nature/cats.htm

First of all, you make it sound like an irrational viewpoint, which it most certainly is not.

Where do I start?

cats that stay strictly indoors live years longer than cats that are allowed to roam free outdoors. Here is a partial list of what a cat misses by staying indoors, courtesy of the San Francisco SPCA:

Fights with other cats
Fights with dogs
Fights with racoons and skunks
Infections from puncture wounds
gunshot wounds
thrown bottles or rocks
fleas, ticks, worms
being stolen
being hit by a car
Feline Leukemia Virus
Feline Immunodeficiency Virus
Steeljaw leghold traps
rat bait poisoning
pesticide poisoning

There are crazy people out there who have no hesitation about taking cats they see and being willing to harm or kill them. I would NEVER let my cats outdoors without supervision.

Plus, cats are predators and will kill birds and rodents. Aside from decimating bird and squirrel populations, these animals may be diseased.

I tend to agree. I have never met a group of people more opposed to letting cats outside. I never knew anyone could be so anal about it before I came here.

Yeah, and what about all the things that can kill humans? You could get hit by a car, someone could abduct you, you could be poisoned--yet I believe everyone on this board goes outdoors at least sometimes.

I've got an 11 year old indoor cat. Desparate to get outside? Hardly. If I keep the front door open, she tends to look out the door with a "Ooo! What's that?!" look on her face, but that's more curiousity than desparation, she gets the same look when I open my sock drawer or the kitchen cupboards.
The other cat in the house gets a panicked look on his face when we try to carry him to the front door and will do whatever it takes to get back inside the house. It should be noted that he was born feral and was allowed outside during his first year or two of life.
I've had cats that were allowed outside, I can tell you its not worth the amount of worry that I went through whenever one of them disappeared.
I love my cats. I want to keep them around for a long while and I don't want to worry about them being hit by a car, or them falling into the hands of unsavory folk or catching some sort of illness.

I've got an 11 year old indoor cat. Desparate to get outside? Hardly. If I keep the front door open, she tends to look out the door with a "Ooo! What's that?!" look on her face, but that's more curiousity than desparation, she gets the same look when I open my sock drawer or the kitchen cupboards.
my impression, from what i've seen and heard, is that indoor cats think they want to go out and outdoor cats think they want to come inside, but neither wants to stay in the other environment very long when they get the chance.

Yeah, and what about all the things that can kill humans? You could get hit by a car, someone could abduct you, you could be poisoned--yet I believe everyone on this board goes outdoors at least sometimes.
these things don't happen to people frequently enough to reduce our life expectancy by 60-80%.

I think it depends on the neighbourhood and the cats. Where I live, there are 3 cats that used to be strays that have adopted the house over the years. One of them has been around since being born, but the others were adults. They're inside in the day, usually coming in and out as they please (and as they find a human to open the door) and outside at night. They've occasionally come back hurt, or kill birds, but there's no keeping them inside. (They're not my cats, btw, I have no control. I just feed them and help care for them)

But if you were to get a kitten and raise her inside, it'd be more stressful on the poor cat to be outside, even if she really seems to want to go. She doesn't have much of an idea of what she might be getting into.

I tend to agree. I have never met a group of people more opposed to letting cats outside. I never knew anyone could be so anal about it before I came here.

I hardlly think is is anal to protect a small animal from harm and disease. When you take an animal in it is up to you to take responsibility for its well being.
Humans have defenses that a cat or dog does not. When's the last time you heard of one of your neighbors being picked up by a buncher and taken to a lab for a crummy six bucks? That, among other hazards is one thing I can protect my companion from by keeping them indoors and I have yet to have a cat who is desparate to get out. Mine have always been content to lay in the window watching the birds and stuff.

I noticed that a lot of people think it is bad to let your cats outside, and I was just wondering why that is. Cats who are kept inside all the time, in my experience, tend to be desperate to get outside, so why do a lot of people think that cats should not be allowed outside?

When did "a lot" become "everyone?"

But can't there be some balance? Does a cat really have to be strictly "outdoor" or strictly "indoor"? I think indoor cats should be allowed some fresh air and sunshine IF they crave it.

I have two cats. One is quite content to be inside all day and the other is very active and curious and needs go outside every now and then or he'll become seriously depressed. I let him out into my backyard every morning and he lays in the grass and suns himself, chases butterflies or munches on weeds for an hour or so, then he sits by the sliding door and waits for me to let him in. My back yard is fenced-in and safe, and he never leaves its confines, or even attempts to. I don't see the problem with this.

But can't there be some balance? Does a cat really have to be strictly "outdoor" or strictly "indoor"? I think indoor cats should be allowed some fresh air and sunshine IF they crave it.

I have two cats. One is quite content to be inside all day and the other is very active and curious and needs go outside every now and then or he'll become seriously depressed. I let him out into my backyard every morning and he lays in the grass and suns himself, chases butterflies or munches on weeds for an hour or so, then he sits by the sliding door and waits for me to let him in. My back yard is fenced-in and safe, and he never leaves its confines, or even attempts to. I don't see the problem with this.

Not everybody has a backyard. I don't have a backyard. I don't even have a deck or patio.

But can't there be some balance? Does a cat really have to be strictly "outdoor" or strictly "indoor"? I think indoor cats should be allowed some fresh air and sunshine IF they crave it.

I have two cats. One is quite content to be inside all day and the other is very active and curious and needs go outside every now and then or he'll become seriously depressed. I let him out into my backyard every morning and he lays in the grass and suns himself, chases butterflies or munches on weeds for an hour or so, then he sits by the sliding door and waits for me to let him in. My back yard is fenced-in and safe, and he never leaves its confines, or even attempts to. I don't see the problem with this.

I personally think this is the perfect way for cats to enjoy the outdoors! With human supervision in a safe or enclosed location, cats can get the fresh air and sunshine that some so badly crave. I've even had friends whose cats loved to go for walks on a harness and leash! As a kid, we lost too many outside cats to disease, traffic, and predators...my two girls are pretty happy and healthy with their indoor life.

Yeah, and what about all the things that can kill humans? You could get hit by a car, someone could abduct you, you could be poisoned--yet I believe everyone on this board goes outdoors at least sometimes.

By the time I was about 5, my mom had taught me not to play in the middle of the street, to look both ways before crossing and to use a crosswalk, not to go anywhere with a stranger no matter how nice they seemed...etc. Perhaps you could explain all these things to the cats in my neighbourhood; they just don't seem to get it.

Ah... but cats have 9 lives you know. When their time is up... it's up.

My 3 indoor cats have no desire to go outside since they've been indoor cats their whole lives. (Actually, I don't know about Nigel since he moved in with us when he was approximately 2 years old, but seeing as he moved in of his own accord and has never made any attempt to leave, we're pretty sure he was an indoor cat that someone abandoned.) I choose to keep my kitties indoors for all the reasons already mentioned. I guess they choose to stay indoors for the same reasons...

The first dead animal I ever remember seeing was my grandmother's cat. He'd been run over by a car. She had another outdoor cat who lost his tail b/c a racoon bit it off; he was renamed "Bob."

My first cat was an outdoor/indoor kitty. She died when she was about 5 yrs after fighting a racoon. My second kitty lived a full life (15 yrs) but one day just disappeared. We think she got sick and crawled under the house and died. If she'd been indoors, maybe we could have taken her to the vet.

My third kitty was lost one day when my dad let her outside; we searched and searched and called for her and put up flyers and checked the humane society for months--we never found her.

My family's fourth cat (declawed) was beat-up by other cats quite routinely. She would always insist on going outdoors, and my parents would always let her (thus reinforcing her meows the next time). One day she was beat-up really badly and nearly died. They kept her indoors after that. For about 6 months. So now she's out and about again. And she'll probably be hurt again.

I work with a feral cat program who releases truly feral cats outdoors to managed/cared-for colonies (the other option being killing them); these cats, though able to live happy outdoor cared-for lives will still likely die before they turn 6 yrs (as opposed to 20 for an indoor cat).

So that's why I'm pro-keeping your cat indoors. It's a car-filled, stray-cat-filled, disease-ridden land!! I wouldn't want my kitty to be hurt, lost, stolen, or infected.

I've always let my cats go outside when they wanted, and I've never had a problem with it. I have no desire to have a litter box in the house regularly, and now I only bring it out when there's a blizzard or when we have a "guest cat". My cat is fully vaccinated and protected against fleas and ticks, she's been spayed, we have a large yard, and little traffic. She has her claws. She's nearly twelve. She does hunt, but she's certainly slowing down as she ages. And while I don't put out any birdfeeders or in any way try to attract other wildlife, she does manage to get an occassional vole. I don't have nearly the hair in the house that I would if she had to stay in all the time, and since my husband is slightly allergic to her anyway, it's probably for the best. While others obviously don't agree with me on this issue, letting my cat in and out (and in and out and in and out...!)works for us.

I am very pro-outdoor cat. Actually, not so much "outdoor" cat as let your in-door cat out periodically. I think it's mean and unhealthy for a cat or any being to be stuck indoors all day, everyday. My kitties just love sniffing the fresh breeze and lounging in the grass & bushes. I could never take that away from them.

eta: I'd like to add that the concerns mentioned above posts are definitely good ones, but my feeling is that quality of life is better than quantity. Plus my cats are kinda skittish, they stay close to home and mainly go out when I'm out with them.

My cats have a very high quality of life, without going outside. It's not mean and unhealthy. :rolleyes:

My cat spends half his time outdoors. He will not stay indoors all of the time. Even if he has to chew through a screen door to get out, he will. He's 8 years old, has a back and front yard to play in, and neighboring cats to "play" with on our street. Not really alot of traffic here since its a cul-da-sac, and no cat has ever came up missing, or hurt during the 5 years I've lived here. He likes to roll outside in the dirt and climb trees. Whatever floats everyone's boat. I'll continue to let Max roam around outdoors whenever he pleases.

I think it kind of depends on the outdoor environment.. whether or not there are dogs around, or if it's in a neighborhood with lots of traffic (or cat haters).

I've had several outdoor cats. Two got shot and killed by neighbors. After that happened, and after I had actually heard one of them get shot, I decided to bring my other two cats indoors. They get to sit in the window.. that's as close as they'll get to being outside. I don't know whether they're happier indoors or not. But it's much safer inside.

I don't think it's anyone's business how my cats choose to live their lives beyond myself and my neighbours.

One problem with indoor cats is lack of exercise and associated problems. Certainly, playing with the cat(s) regularly or having multiple cats to play with each other provides exercise, but I would doubt that it can compare to being outside.

But I think some form of compromise, in the form of a harness and an "owner" willing to spend a lot of time outdoors with his/her cat, is probably the best.