Hey folks,

Ok, so a large cat enclosure for my garden is already in the planning but..... I am starting to wonder if I should perhaps allow my cats to have free roaming time outdoors?

Recently they are ACTUALLY CLIMBING THE WALLS, and are (as I fully expected they would) becoming pretty destructive in our home. I think they need more freedom and I'm not sure a large enclosure will actually give them as much as they may want/need.

I gather from this forum that while many of you keep your bengals strictly indoors, but some of you allow them to go outdoors. I think I may be in a fairly good position to consider letting them roam free because:

I live in a small town (population around 10,000-12,000 I think) where people do not have alarms on their homes, crime is low and it is pretty rare to hear of someone's cat being stolen. Of course sometimes cats do go missing and they can find themselves stuck in someones garage or shed, worst case under the wheels of a vehicle, but generally as far as towns go, here is about as safe as you can get.

My home is on an estate at the edge of town, so while cars and buses DO go by the front of my house, the back of my house and garden leads onto fields which go on for several miles. I would hope that the fields out the back would be enough to generally keep them away from the road at the front of the house (although this isn't something one can guarantee).

I am however concerned that my bengals could end up with a bad reputation among the neighbours! However most of my neighbours do have moggies themselves. (The rabbit 2 doors down may be an area of concern so I would need to speak to them as I'd feel horrendous if either of my cats decided to eat it!) I've heard of a bengal having to be re-homed because it was upsetting their neighbours' - something I don't want to happen! So this needs serious thought... which is where you guys come in.....

Please can you share me your experiences of allowing your bengals to enjoy the freedom of outdoors. Please share your trials and tribulations with me and help me gain some insight before I make the decision as I know once it's made, it's made!

(My last cat was a moggy, but very highly strung with some destructive behaviours similar to Flick and Simba, but once she had free roam of the outdoors at about 1 year old, life became much easier for all of us.)

Its a hard one - I live in a nice estate, with only small quiet-ish roads but I still choose to not let mine out freely.
You say that a garden enclosure is a future plan (me too!) so I think that if you let your cats out freely now and then build them an enclosure then that might be a step backwards.

I do have jackets and leads for my two and I take them into my front and back garden areas. Most of the time they chase flies, play with each other, watch the birds fly about and eat the grass.
Maybe try them with a jacket/harness for some time outside and see how they get on.

I worry enough about my cats let alone the thought of them getting lost/stolen/hit by a car. My friends bengal has been hit 3 times and its devasting - but because he's such an outdoor cat and has been for years its impossible to keep him in.

There have been so many topics on this. The main thing if you want your kitty to be safe when it is outside and that's not always possible. My bengal is 7 years old and for 6 years, he lived four doors down from me. At that time, I had an alpha male cat and no other cats would enter our yard. Once that cat disappeared overnight, suddenly I had cats all over the place and this bengal showed up. I didn't know he had a home until I took him to the vet because he was limping and that's when I found out he lived a few doors down from me and the owner just let him roam free. While at the vet, the girl went over his chart and the only times he'd been in to see the vet was for infected abscesses from getting into a cat fight--three times. Not too long after that, Raiden showed up at my back door after being in a horrific cat fight. His eyes were bloody, he was in pain, and I rushed him to the emergency vet on Sunday and paid the hefty vet bill. The owner decided to give him to me and I decided he could not roam free. We built him a 12'x12' enclosure on our deck that he can access 24/7. It has two cat trees, a nice outdoor carpet, a 3-room cat house (with heated beds in the winter time). I also decided to train him to walk on a leash and he took to it immediately. We enjoy at least one walk daily and he loves it!

I live in a subdivision where the lots are small and houses are close together. Two doors down is a busy road. I've seen many deceased cats on the road. I have acres of woods behind my house that are home to coyotes and foxes. My street also has 3 (well, today I found they adopted another kitten) so four cats. Two are male and one is the problem fighter. Not that he wants to fight, but Raiden wants to fight. This cat is much larger than Raiden and Raiden gets the raw end of the deal.

I live on a dead-end street but there's still a lot of traffic from the neighbors who seem to come and go ALL the time. I've had people drive by and stop and say, "That's the most beautiful cat I've ever seen." Raiden can be lured easily and I don't want someone taking him.

When my Bear went missing, I was heartbroken and I still have no idea what happened to him. He was a stray that found me and he stayed outdoors.I hated that I didn't make him an indoor cat -- or I'd still have him. I wouldn't have Raiden -- and maybe things have worked out for the best because Raiden needed a better home. His previous owner traveled a lot and just left the garage door open a few inches so Raiden could get inside to eat. Raiden has battle scars and his ear is torn. I want him to live many, many more years and I feel it's my responsibility to see that it happens.

You say you are getting an enclosure for your cats. I would simply wait until that's done. All cats want to roam free. Raiden hates being restricted inside his enclosure -- a room that is bigger than both of the other bedrooms in my house. The wire fencing allows him to see what's going on around him. Charlie (problem cat) visits him every day and they howl and hiss at each other, but they cannot hurt each other.

It's easy to say you live in a safe area, but there really is no safe area. Things happen in a flash! If you want your kitties to enjoy the outside, I'd recommend you purchase a harness or harness jackets and leashes and take them for a stroll. Another thing to know is that cats who are allowed outdoors gradually expand their roaming territory as they gain more confidence in being outside.

It's really your decision. I think if you let them roam free right now, putting them into a cat enclosure is not going to be to their liking at all and they will be scratching to get out. And they will be very vocal about it. Raiden still cries because he wants to go outside on his own. But the heartache over losing a cat is not something I want to experience again.

You're asking the right questions and I hope you realize that this post offers my opinion only. What you do is really up to you since you're in the situation with your kitties. Good luck!

Thank you for your replies BeckyN and Sherry.

I'm not sure what to do, however it isn't as if Flick and Simba are yeowling at the back door to get out, so I have some time on my hands.

I agree that there is no point in allowing freedom, then restricting it to an enclosed space... that would be unfair on them.

I've tried them in the garden on harnesses a couple of times, but they don't really like the harness, but admittedly haven't yet had the time to get used to them. Flick did a Houdini act the other day and managed to escape (didn't go far thankfully) so better harnesses are required.

My last cat Boots enjoyed the freedom of outdoors and was a great hunter, but yes, she went to the vets quite a few times over the years with infections following on from cat scraps.

It's also hard when you work with/have friends who have regular cats that are able to wander freely - these folks can almost guilt you into opening the back door!

Thanks again folks.

Xxx

You have hit the nail on the head, SunnyChick. I hate that I have contained Raiden while these other cats just roam free, especially the one who visits my yard on a daily basis. It's Raiden's yard and not his. But I know people are used to their cats being able to roam free. If I could trust Raiden to not going in search of trouble (meaning, he hunts down these other cats), it would be one thing. He would not stay in our yard.

It may take some time to get the kitties used to their harnesses. Make sure it's snug on them. Hopefully, your enclosure will be finished soon and you'll be all set and at least have peace of mind ... that's the main thing. You know where your kitties are and that they are safe.

I agree that, if you are planning an enclosure, it is best to wait till then. If they've been allowed to roam first, they may feel restricted by the enclosure. Whereas if that is all they have known, then they will find it wonderful.

I let our two cats outside from first thing until dusk. More cat fights occur at night and there is wildlife here in Australia which is a danger to the cats - and vice versa. We have a large garden and are 40 metres from the road. Of course, there are risks, so it is a very individual decision. In part, our decision is based on our lifestyle. For the warmest 6 months of the year, we open the house up first thing, eat all meals outside in the garden, and don't come indoors ourselves until it's dark. If the cats weren't allowed out we'd never see them! Also, we are lucky not just with our position, but because I work from home. So I call them if I haven't seen them for a while, to make sure they are ok. They come when called.

To answer your question as to trials and tribulations with neighbours, we have had a few. On both sides of us are couples where the woman loves the cats, gives them cuddles and is happy to see them in their garden. Their husbands are ok with that, sort of, but don't like it when one of the cats goes into their house! (Australia + summer = houses open all day......). I have apologised and explained that, as the ladies like them, the cats feel confident there and the only way to stop it is if everyone ignores them instead of encouraging them. They all have my mobile number and I assured them I would come straightaway and take the cats home if it happens again.

Our cats have tags with their names and my mobile number. We were called by a house three doors away to say Jonesy was in their garden. They weren't bothered, but thought we would be worried. We collected him. The second time they called, I suggested I just call him to come home, and they were fine for us to try that. I called him and he came back to me, over and under the fences.

So, no real harm done. It helped that we visited all our close neighbours to say we had new kittens and let them know once they were starting to go outside. No one will be happy if they kill any birds or other wildlife (including us!) but that is also one of the risks we are taking and I guess I will need to apologise if one of them kills a bird in their garden

It's a conundrum. Personally, I wouldn't have it any other way. The cats adore being outside, especially when I call them up to our big veggie patch. They really like it when I am out and working in the garden. Really big playtime!!!

All the best

Thanks for your replies folks.

The enclosure is certainly going to take some time..... Last week I managed to get some of the trees and big bushes cut down (managed to fill a skip to the brim with all the garden waste). My garden looks HUGE now!

Next will be the ground preparation - I need to kill off a few poisonous plants/dig out their roots and make it tidy. Once this has been done, I think I'll re-plant some grass, grow some tubs of cat mint, that sort of thing. I'll cover the rest of the ground in bark chips I think, and hope it will be low maintenance to keep tidy... ooh exciting!

My cat Zuri is a house cat but once per day we take her to an isolated field across the road on a lead. She has a read jacket and runs around the field with my daughter.

I also have a 8 metre extendable lead I use which I let her out in the back garden and it reaches to the end of the garden. I have to sit out there with her or watch she doesn't get tangles up but very rarely this happens.

She mostly goes and hides under the bush and watches the birds next door.

She is very rarely destructive but does meow loudly to go out.

So if you do decide to let your cat out there's no turning back. Once they have a taste of freedom they will let you know when they want to go out