can an indoor cat become an outdoor cat?

[ez]

Our cat of a few years keeps getting outside, my husband is over him anyway, so we are letting him be an outdoor cat. I can see him out on the pool deck during the day and he seems very content, but my friend has harshly scolded me and says because hes persian he can't be an outdoor cat. There are many cats on my street who are outdoor cats, its not a ferile thing, they all go to the vet and have owners, but they just hang outside. She says we should take him to the humane society and some old lady will snatch him up. By my point is, he is the one who wanted to be outside in the first place. Thoughts?

 

[ebaynut31]

I have always had cats and they have all gone outside. There are obvious dangers with that but that is the chance you take as a pet owner. There have been many, many stray feral cats that we have cared for over the years.

The choice is yours. Keep them vaccinated and have regular check-ups. IMO that is all we can do.

 

[helenabear]

I may be the wrong person to respond to this but I am pretty much against cats being outdoor cats. Some I can understand but for the most part, a cat, especially a Persian, should not be out in the streets. Just because other owners do it, does not mean it is a wise thing to do. Outdoor cats have much shorter life spans on average than an indoor cat. And as a previous owner of a Persian, I cannot imagine the condition his fur would be in after going outside and getting all dirty. If you are around streets, the cat could easily be hit and killed. We had an outdoor cat that adopted us (he became an indoor/outdoor cat) and he was hit one day... he did live but let me tell you it was touch and go for about a month. My cats do like to go outside now and then and I do take them... on a leash under my supervision. If you can't do that and can't keep him inside, then I think your friend is on the right track... although if you do that, take him to a no kill shelter please.

Sorry to be so harsh sounding but truly a Persian does NOT belong outside at all!

 

[WilmaBud]

It's very dangerous for a cat to be an outside cat. And I imagine it's especially dangerous for a cat who's spent his life indoors and hasn't learned any street smarts. He'll have a high chance of getting hit by a car. He can get injured by other animals, and he has a much higher chance of contracting serious diseases.

If your husband is "over him" , as I surmise you are too (since you just stuck him outside), I suggest you try to find him a home with someone who wants to take care of him and keep him safe.

Cats, Persian or otherwise, belong indoors.

 

[shortbun]

1.All my outdoor cats have come in at night and various times
during the day to sleep/eat/socialize. Most go out for short
visits to the outdoors; they don't live there. That's the way
my neighbors do it too.

2. pets are not disposable things. If you don't want your
pet anymore, find him an owner that will take care of him
and do yourself and animals a favor; don't try to be a pet
owner again.

3. it's pretty dangerous for an indoor cat to all of a sudden
become an outdoor cat. I had one successfully do it and
live to be 21 but that's rare. He insisted that he get out
but still spent a majority of nights and lots of day time
inside.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I suppose they could. But their are risks that associated with it. They can get snatched, live somewhere else, hit by a car, cat fights resulting in injury (lots of vet trips to get healed and meds), even though they are vaccinated they can still get FeLk.

My cats were all "outdoor" cats. This was before "indoor" cats were the thing to do.

I do know one thing, it is very hard to go back to being an indoor cat once they are an outdoor. For some cats it is impossible.

 

[CheshireVal]

When I was growing up I had only outdoor cats (my parents weren't big on indoor-only cats) and I don't think any of them lived past 5. Too many cars and dogs.

Now that I'm on my own my cat is strictly indoors and I would NEVER let him run around outside after seeing how dangerous it can be.

 

[ez]

It looks like someone at DH work would like to take the cat, I just discussed it with DH. My street is a very secluded, dead end, rarely traveled street, so I was not so worried about the car thing. Also, we have an enormous fenced in pool area, where the cat seemed to be hanging out most of the day, but still, I guess he would be better off in a new home than outside. Actually, when he got out Sunday, DH tried 2 times to get him back in and he ran under the jacuzzi deck. Since my son moved away from home in Jan., DH has had to do the kitty litter which he absolutely hates (I am PG so cannot) Also the cat was urinating in the bedroom, scratching on bedroom doors in the middle of the night, and laying on my husbands half of the closet and leaving long white hair on everything. So that is why my husband is over him. I feel sorry for my DD because she is attached to the cat, I was kinda on the fence about it. I know that there are alot of cat lovers out there, and I appreciate your good advice. And I must say, one great thing about this cat is that he is incredibly gorgeous, I guess it will be a relief to get him into his new home, I know the family who wants to take him, and they are very nice, 3 kids.

 

[Virgo10]

In my neighborhood it's a death sentence. Why? Feline Aids and Leukemia. It's rampant here. You may want to read this article on FIV.
http://petplace.netscape.com/Articles/artShow.asp?artID=1358

It's a chance I don't want to take.

Roberta

 

[tiggersmom2]

First off let me say I DO NOT believe a persian should be an outside cat. I have had persians all my life (I currently am owned by three! )but there are some extenuating (sp?) circumstances.

We had a persian that would not quit peeing EVERYWHERE in the house (it was not a medical problem, we spent at least a year at the vet and found it was a behavioral problem), as hard as it was we let her become an outside cat. My husband fenced in our backyard and we shaved her coat every month. This is the only cat I have EVER had to do this to. She still came inside to visit. If I had it to do over I would not put her outside. My persians will never go outside, I just believe with all of my heart that a persian belongs inside.

 

[Flyfly_Eclipse]

My two cats were indoor/outdoor cats for 9 years. They are now strictly indoor cats. The female cat, although she had her front paws declawed, never had any problems. The male cat, not declawed at all (just never got around to it), got into fights. Once on his side, and once had puncture wounds in his hind leg. Had to take him to the Emergency Vet because it got infected, and he had a dangerously high fever. He's better now, and even though he wants to go outside again (don't know why), if he sneaks out, he stops and rolls in the driveway, and lets us pick him up, and carry him back in. Cats have been indoor cats for about a year now. Female cat loved the outdoors (would stay out for many hours at a time), but we had only one or two instances where she got out since.

We live near two small lakes, and have the worries of alligators, in addition to cars, raccoons, and other animals.

On the way home, I was unfortunate to see a cat who was hit by a car. I was scarred for life about that.

 

[gymnasticsmom68]

my husband is over him anyway

What does 'over him' mean? He's bored of him now? I'd suggest not getting any more cats in the future.

 

[Bumbles]

What a disgusting thing to say

Once again the attitude that pets are disposable commodities shines through

 

[MosMom]

Do you have a screened in porch? One of my cats loves to be outside (the other one is deathly afraid of the outdoors haha) so we let her out on the screened porch so she can get fresh air, daylight, and the feeling of being outside without the danger. She is a happy cat when she gets to lounge on the porch in the afternoon.

 

[piglet too]

If you find someone who will take him, please do it. Growing up, my cats were always indoor/outdoor cats. Then one day someone did something so awful (I won't post it here it is that bad) to one of our cats that they became indoor only that very night. Please find him another home if the only reason you are allowing him out is your husband does not want to change the litter. (BTW - that could be why he is peeing outside of the litter box, if it is dirty they don't like going in it)

 

[my3kids]

I had strictly indoor cats, but after finding out that my child's severe asthmatic reactions were partially triggered by cats, they had to become outdoor pets.

I was very frightened, but the cats are very happy. They sleep in various spots around the yard. We always know where they will be depending on where the sun is at a given moment. They have a very well insulated and dry house for the winter.

All in all, it has been fine. We miss them inside, but for medical reasons, felt we had no choice. We keep up to date with all the vet appointments, and play with them outside. We are very careful to change shirts and thoroughly scrub our hands and arms afterwards though. We do what we can to prevent dander from coming into the indoor environment.