Anybody with only outside cats?

[sunlver]

Does anybody own cats that are strictly outdoor cats? Do you think they are happy?
We are a dog family and my husband "claims" to allergic to cats
We have 4 dogs, 2 we own, and 2 who are fosters. Our dogs are inside, lazy happy dogs . They basically get off the sofa to eat and go potty outside.

2 yrs ago my neighbors were feeding this kitten. At the time I would of guessed the kitten to be about 4 months old. Well they went on vacation and I started feeding her. Well nobody told me if you feed a cat, they never leave. Well it has been two years. We have a doghouse on the front porch, and my husband hooked up a small heater, that is outside the doghouse.It is nice and toasty in the doghouse in the winter. We have even vetted this cat, she is up to date on shots etc..she is the sweetest cat, she is more like a dog. When she hears my van, she comes running. If I go across the street to talk to the neighbor, she walks to the end of the lawn and sits and waits for me. She never roams the neighborhood like most outside cats, she is either in the backyard, or in front in her house, or laying on a chair.She greets all visitors at the door with her talking and rolling on her back.

I just couldnt bringmyself to bring her to a shelter.So 2 yrs later, she is still here. I often wonder if she is happy being outside all the time?

 

[Dan Murphy]

I have never understood why people allow cats to be 'outside' cats, so many wind up looking like roofing shingles on the streets and roads, lunch and dinner for various wild predators, or frozen like bacon slabs in the cold of winter. Seems cruel to me.

 

[aprilgail2]

I have never understood why people allow cats to be 'outside' cats, so many wind up looking like roofing shingles on the streets and roads, lunch and dinner for various wild predators, or frozen like bacon slabs in the cold of winter. Seems cruel to me.

I agree- there really is no such thing around here as an outside cat anymore, everyone keeps them inside. People don't take kindly to other peoples cats peeing and crapping in their yards.
My brother was allergic to cats but we have had them up until about 10 years ago but he spent his whole allergic childhood around them and now he owns his own but goes for allergy shots to keep his allergies from acting up.

 

[Disney1fan2002]

A friend of mine has a cat that she does not allow in the house. He sleeps under the house. She feeds him and gives him water, but basically the kids have no interaction with him.

I have always wondered why she bothers tohave a cat. it is not a "pet", that's for sure.

We have a cat and both DH and I are allergic. I have the worse allergy. Dh claims he gets a headache, where my eyes itch, burn and puff up. Tha cat sleeps on the bed with us. My allergies are fine most days. We have had the cat 4 years now. The cat is a sweetheart, the kids love her so I deal with my reactions.

 

[taximomfor4]

Does anybody own cats that are strictly outdoor cats? Do you think they are happy?
We are a dog family and my husband "claims" to allergic to cats
We have 4 dogs, 2 we own, and 2 who are fosters. Our dogs are inside, lazy happy dogs . They basically get off the sofa to eat and go potty outside.

2 yrs ago my neighbors were feeding this kitten. At the time I would of guessed the kitten to be about 4 months old. Well they went on vacation and I started feeding her. Well nobody told me if you feed a cat, they never leave. Well it has been two years. We have a doghouse on the front porch, and my husband hooked up a small heater, that is outside the doghouse.It is nice and toasty in the doghouse in the winter. We have even vetted this cat, she is up to date on shots etc..she is the sweetest cat, she is more like a dog. When she hears my van, she comes running. If I go across the street to talk to the neighbor, she walks to the end of the lawn and sits and waits for me. She never roams the neighborhood like most outside cats, she is either in the backyard, or in front in her house, or laying on a chair.She greets all visitors at the door with her talking and rolling on her back.

I just couldnt bringmyself to bring her to a shelter.So 2 yrs later, she is still here. I often wonder if she is happy being outside all the time?

Biggest question: has the vet spayed her?

 

[sunlver]

Biggest question: has the vet spayed her?

I forgot to state that in my original post. This cat was declawed , which I didnt understand how you can declaw a cat and leave it outside. Nobody ever came looking for it either.No flyers, no adds on craigslist or newspaper..
When we took her to the vet they couldnt tell if she was spayed or not. The dr did state if I had her for 2 yrs and she hasn't become pregnant, she was most likely spayed when she was declawed.

It has actually been over 2 years. We were going to get her spayed when the dr said they couldnt tell

 

[ckay87]

See, I grew up in the country with all outdoor pets, so my view of the pet thing is skewed I guess. If your question is, are they happy, my answer is yes. Furthermore, your kitty, OP, is a thousand times happier than in a little cage in the shelter.

There is simply not enough indoor space for all the cats out there. Sad but true. So I guess I feel like a houseless kitty like this one can live out his life running around outside with the risk of being hit by a car or he can live out his life caged up in a shelter, running the risk of being euthanized. Ideally, however, the kitty could have a nice cozy house to live in, but when that's not possible, I'd bet anything he would pick option 1. Especially when he is being cared for and fed by someone like you.

That said....you just gotta be courteous to your neighbors. If you don't have neighbors, I say take in all the "barn cats" you can feed. If you do, the neighbors are not going to be happy with you.

 

[sunlver]

All I can say there are several cats I see roaming around. Some I KNOW are indoor/outdoor cats. I know my neighbors cats love to be outside even in the winter. When she gets home from work she brings them in.

I know my outside cat keeps warm in her doghouse with the heater on. I have about 3 blankets in there to keep her comfy. One day I did try to bring her in, just to see how she would react. I put all the dogs out in the yard first. All the cat did was meow, REALLY LOUD, and tried to get back outside. I guess being inside would be new territory for her and it scared her

 

[RadioNate]

you have a declawed cat living outside?? Why do people think this is ok?? You wouldn't take off your dogs nails and banish it to the outside would you? No that isn't ok because it is a dog but cats...sure that is fine.

No I don't think the cat would like a cage at the shelter or being put down but I wouldn't say that being defenseless outside in the cold is all fun and games either.

 

[java]

I am not a fan of outside cats- as they wander into our yard and eat my plants. Also "mark" territory on my property and that's just gross.

But I do think cats can be happy outside- stalking prey and all. I know the one that frequents our yard spends all day trying to kill birds.
oops just saw she is declawed. Well then really I don't think she should be outside. How could she defend herself?

 

[happygirl]

I have one cat that prefers to be outside. He will come in to eat and do his business and when he ready to go back out he will go to the door and meow and when he wants back in he will do the same thing. I have never even seen him leave the yard.

 

[cruellababy]

Our cats are never allowed outside- there is one that does manage to sneak out every once in a while She waits by the door and is soo quick! We have 2 cats and they are declawed. We had a cat 5 years ago get hit by a car and she died; and I never want to go thru that again! So, when we got 2 new kittens 4 years ago-we declawed and made the decision (well, I made the decision) to make them inside cats. It gets really cold here- and I don't think I could sleep w my cat outside at night.

 

[Laura]

I would find the kitty a good indoor home. Both dogs and cats should not be allowed to just wander the neighborhood.

 

[Scurvy]

I think that some cats are happy outside, but I think they can be happier inside. Plus, they are likely to live much longer inside.

I think responsible pet owners don't have outside cats. It's actually illegal in my town to have outside cats (unless they are kept only on your property) - the same leash laws that apply to dogs also apply to cats here. Not that the people in my neighborhood care. I am convinced I will kill one of their cats someday because they all like to lie in my driveway, usually under our cars. They also kill the chipmunks and birds in my yard, which makes me really unhappy.

OP, I understand that you just ended up with this cat and didn't set out to have an outside cat of your own so I am not trying to be critical of you, but that's really not a good situation for that cat. Especially given the fact that it's declawed, it's a miracle that it has lived this long. The lifespan of outside cats is significantly shorter than that of indoor cats even when they have their claws.

 

[Tuffcookie]

OP, If your DH is truly allergic to cats then I feel you are doing the best you can. Even without claws, you cannot jeopardize a family member's health. BUT, you do need to find the poor kitty a more permanent, inside home as soon as possible!

TC

 

[lulugirl]

I think cats belong inside, it's safer & healthier for them.

 

[piglet too]

My DH had "outdoor only" cats when he was growing up, but he lived on a farm.

***Warning*** sad story to follow












When I was growing up, our cats were free to roam, but were in the house at night. This was allowed until the day one of our cats was found on the front porch with her face burned. From the best the vet could tell, someone had set her face on fire, most likely with an accelerant like hair spray. She lost both her ears and eventually her sight as well. My dad took care of her while she healed, it has been over 15 years, but I can still recall the stench from her skin. Tori managed to heal as well as one could expect, and lived for another 2 years. After that, the cats were never allowed out again. If they got out, we found them right away and got them in.
One time, Tori got out, and a police officer happened to see her. (he had stopped to talk to our neighbor) He was horrified to see her and sickened when I told him what happened. He told me that he hates cats, but cannot fathom doing something like that. He asked if the person(s) were ever caught, I told him no, and he said there would be a special place in Hell for them.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

while I believe that cats like to be outside and are happy to be outside, I feel they should be kept inside for their own health and well being and out of consideration for your neighbors. (not to mention my own peace of mind when it comes to my own cats! We have a pack of coyotes and too many roads around us. I just couldn't do it.)

 

[Jennasis]

This is HILARIOUS.

I have four, yes 4 cats. They are all outdoor only cats. In fact, they a re BARN CATS. I feed them daily, they have fresh clean water, plenty of warm places to snuggle in the hay, are vetted/dewormed each year and have ALL THE MICE THEY CAN EAT.

You will not find 4 happier cats around. I raised two of them from birth (they were born in the barn). I still have their mom and their step dad (a big old tom cat who was living here when we moved in to the farm). All of the cats are spayed and neutered. Of that same litter of kittens, two of them went to live with my sister and are spoiled rotten indoor cats who never ever go outside. They're happy too.

If provided with food, water and shelter from the elements, cats do quite well outside. They do not leave my property ever. My nearest neighbor is 1/4 mile away. The cats follow me around the barn all day while I work and get plenty of pets and snuggles from me.

 

[lulugirl]

This is HILARIOUS.

I have four, yes 4 cats. They are all outdoor only cats. In fact, they a re BARN CATS. I feed them daily, they have fresh clean water, plenty of warm places to snuggle in the hay, are vetted/dewormed each year and have ALL THE MICE THEY CAN EAT.

You will not find 4 happier cats around. I raised two of them from birth (they were born in the barn). I still have their mom and their step dad (a big old tom cat who was living here when we moved in to the farm). All of the cats are spayed and neutered. Of that same litter of kittens, two of them went to live with my sister and are spoiled rotten indoor cats who never ever go outside. They're happy too.

If provided with food, water and shelter from the elements, cats do quite well outside. They do not leave my property ever. My nearest neighbor is 1/4 mile away. The cats follow me around the barn all day while I work and get plenty of pets and snuggles from me.

Well, that's great that your outdoor cats are happy and well cared for.
Where I live outdoor cats wind up as roadkill or coyote food....nothing "hilarious" about that.