Indoor Cat Or Outdoor Cat?

[Kiwigirl]

lol yep, they dont see us out hunting, so they leave you food! its a honour reserved for Top cats. chasing or punishing them for it, will only confuse the cat. imo.

I must be honest that I'm not sure how to take the statement. (chasing or punishing them for it, will only confuse the cat).
Therefor I feel I should make myself a little more clear. Chasing her back out side with that mouse she cought (still living) she now knows she can't bring them inside, and will still leave her gift at the door step. Locking the cat door so she can't bring it back in, was only lock for an hour.

Neither was she confused or punished in either action.

IMO a pet cat is no different to a pet dog, they both have to learn the house rules. How it is done is another matter altogther.

One more thing which I forgot to mention, is the only time my cat is locked inside is guyforks night (please excuse my spelling).
I live right on the borderline between rural and residential. Making it safer for me to have a cat as she goes nowhere near the main road. She prefers to go bush, which is right behind the house.

 

[raptorrex]

lol yep, they dont see us out hunting, so they leave you food! its a honour reserved for Top cats. chasing or punishing them for it, will only confuse the cat. imo.

I must be honest that I'm not sure how to take the statement. (chasing or punishing them for it, will only confuse the cat).
Therefor I feel I should make myself a little more clear. Chasing her back out side with that mouse she cought (still living) she now knows she can't bring them inside, and will still leave her gift at the door step. Locking the cat door so she can't bring it back in, was only lock for an hour.

Neither neither was she confused or punished in either action.

IMO a pet cat is no different to a pet dog, they both have to learn the house rules. How it is done is another matter altogther.

lol please i meant now disrespect. all i meant was if a cat bring you a present, if it is locked out because of it, it could cause confusion for the cat. we all can and do react and act in different ways, to this problem.

as for a cat being like a dog, when it comes to learning things, well im not sure. cat are far more independent than dogs. they can be taught tricks, well they can learn things. one of my cats can open the front door but getting him to do it is another matter, where a dog will repeatedly do tricks when taught. a cat will do the trick, only if it needs to, however hard you try to make it perform.

perhaps i just have more empathy with cats. but my dog does just what he is told when he is told to. my cats will do exactly what they want when they want to!

 

[Kiwigirl]

as for a cat being like a dog, when it comes to learning things, well im not sure. cat are far more independent than dogs. they can be taught tricks, well they can learn things. one of my cats can open the front door but getting him to do it is another matter, where a dog will repeatedly do tricks when taught. a cat will do the trick, only if it needs to, however hard you try to make it perform.

Boboboy


Ah, now I can see clearly what is happening here with this statement. When comparing cat to dog, you have compared trainability. And I do agree with you 100%, example my dog will shake hands on demand, as for my cat if I tried to teach her that she would look at me (thinking to herself, yeah right what planet are you from)lol.

Now house rules are a different matter altogether. Example both cat and dog must go to toilet outside. Neither animal is allowed on the kitchen bench or the table (for food hygene reasons). The dog is not allowed to chase the cat around inside the house and the cat is not allowed to chase a mouse around inside the house.

I hope you can see more clearly now, what I meant by saying pet cats and dogs have the same thing in common, they both have house rules to live by, they just differ slightly for what is apropriate for that given animal.

No disrespect or offence was taken.

Cheers

 

[Yazan]

No disrespect or offence was taken.

Thanks, as i don't want the thread to be closed.

 

[Kiwigirl]

No disrespect or offence was taken.

Thanks, as i don't want the thread to be closed.

Sweet as, neither do I, It's a good thread, I noticed in the pole that more people prefer to keep their cats inside and only let them outside under supervision, is that because of their location or because they own a pedigree that may get stolen?

 

[Yazan]

IMO, i think because it's about where they live.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

most people that keep their cats indoor do so because they feel the outside is unsafe. the reasons for this include:
--roaming dogs
--busy streets
--neighbors who are cruel to animals
--increased risk of disease exposure
--wild predators such as foxes

some people also keep their cats indoors because they feel that roaming cats (who are highly efficient predators) threaten populations of indigenous animals that are already in danger. please note that this is a legitimate opinion and attitude, especially in "less settled" areas.

and finally, a few people have indoor-only cats because its more convenient. cats won't get fleas or ticks if they aren't exposed; cats are also less inclined to go outside if they've never been.

 

[Yazan]

most people that keep their cats indoor do so because they feel the outside is unsafe. the reasons for this include:
--roaming dogs
--busy streets
--neighbors who are cruel to animals
--increased risk of disease exposure
--wild predators such as foxes

some people also keep their cats indoors because they feel that roaming cats (who are highly efficient predators) threaten populations of indigenous animals that are already in danger. please note that this is a legitimate opinion and attitude, especially in "less settled" areas.

and finally, a few people have indoor-only cats because its more convenient. cats won't get fleas or ticks if they aren't exposed; cats are also less inclined to go outside if they've never been.

If you get a kitten and keep it indoors, it would get use to it.

 

[Yazan]

Just got the news that i'm going to get a kitten, since i live in a unit, it will be a indoor cat.

 

[Bloo]

I noticed in the pole that more people prefer to keep their cats inside and only let them outside under supervision, is that because of their location or because they own a pedigree that may get stolen?

I think it can be a combination of or just one element. Perhaps another poll is needed for reasons people keep their cats indoors as a rule and under what "supervision" they allow their cats access outdoors

 

[Teri]

Perhaps another poll is needed for reasons people keep their cats indoors as a rule and under what "supervision" they allow their cats access outdoors

I'm not sure how you can "supervise" a cat outdoors, no cat that I know would allow itself to wear a collar and leash, and would the cat not just run away, unless you held it very tightly?
Payday tommorrow, I'm clearing a space for 1 of those 6ft cat gyms!!

 

[Bloo]

Well, I "supervise" mine by only letting him out for short periods of time when I'm at home. I'll never let him out while I'm not there (*). And only ever let him out the back - not the front road.
Also, he generally stays in my garden or hops into any of the adjacent (approx) 8 back gardens. And I can usually see him walking along the fences or see which garden he's in from my top floor.

My new kitten (I'll be getting very soon) I will not be letting out at all unless on a leash for at least a year. Partly due to the "wilder by nature nature" she'll have and also her pedigree & value.

* this is due to his nature more than anything. He is far too sociable and the minute he wouldn't have me at home to come and talk to every 10 minutes or so, he'll try to find a neighbour. Some like this but most do not as they have their own cats / dogs etc.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

i've taken my cats out on lead's when i was first letting them out, just walked them around the area, they were kicking and screaming but after a few days then settle down and get used to it, and i'd rather do it as they get a chance to familiarise themselves with the local area before being let out properly when they could just run off and get lost.

our little one lu-li won't stray more than 10 feet from the front door and won't stay out if the front door is closed, miss mitten's isn't bothered though, she got past me this morning as i was leaving the house and wouldn't come in so she's out for the day. but she's quite smart and has been gone for 14 days before and come home safe so I'm pretty confident she knows how to look after herself

 

[LisaLQ]

I didn't vote for either. I think all cats should be indoor cats (with the exception of those who've been long term outdoor cats in previous homes and would miss their outdoor life). All kittens should be raised to be indoor cats, there's far too many unspayed, unvaccinated, uncared for cats going round messing up folks gardens and killing local wildlife without us adding to it. And the lifespan of an outdoor cat is dramatically lower than that of an indoor one.

And incidentally, I love cats, before I get tarred as a cat hater.

 

[Bloo]

Not so sure I entirely agree. Out of necessity I kept my kept indoors for nearly 7 years - having had no access to a garden. But now that I do and he's been out for short periods of time over the past 5 months, I see:

1) a dramatic in crease in his skin and coat quality
2) a far more alert and mentally healthy cat
3) general body condition / shape much better and improved

I do agree though that it annoys the living daylights out of me that all the neighbourhood cats use my flowerbeds as their toilets and understand the health implications and risks associated.

I'm also aware of the horrors of "enemies" such as cars, dogs, wildlife and people
I'm also aware of the damage cats can cause to the wildlife around us

etc. ad nauseum.....

There are also cats that simply cannot - not for all the love in the world - be kept indoors. Even from kitten age. The one I had in my avatar - I know I've said this before - but I tried every conceivable thing under the sun to make him an indoor cat. And after around 3 years, with tears in my eyes and a sore heart, had to give up. It was causing him too much distress and breaking my heart to see such an incredibly sad frustrated cat.

I rehomed him to my mom and flew him all the way in another country. Where I knew he could roam the garden. The change was phenomenal and never in the 3 years that I had him from the age of 8 weeks, have I seen him as chilled out and happy. That was until he was run over of course – but I know that he had a happy two years living in a garden – rather than an angry & 10 cooped up in a flat.

I'm not going to try and prove any point or convince anyone of anything. I'm merely stating my own facts and ovservations.