One of my pets was killed yesterday evening. It was one of my chickens, which free-range in the garden. Despite being home all day, I didn't see or hear anything, but she's gone, and she was the favourite. I am sad, but I expected this might happen one day, I had made my choice not to keep them in a run. And I did walk inside and tell my cats, "This is why you are not allowed out!"

I am the same as you OP, it is hard to feel completely sympathetic for the people who post that their cat is missing or found dead, because but for the fact they let their cat free roam, it wouldn't be missing or dead.

I frequent a non-pet forum that has a pet section, and I think honestly it doesn't occur to most people that you can keep cats indoors. They think its a bit weird/cruel. I remember seeing a woman post, who was terrified something bad was going to happen to her free roaming cat because she knew her children would be devestated, but she knew there was nothing she could do, cats will be cats. I set her straight on that...

If you want to let your cat roam free, that is your choice, but don't be shocked when it gets hit/poisoned/attacked/trapped. *shrug*

Like you OP, I would only let my cat out in very controlled conditions, ie owned all the land the cat would be roaming on, few near neighbours, no near roads, cat fed at home throughout the day and then brought in at night. Even with these I think I still might struggle to let them out

I think one of the main differences between America and the UK which effect whether people let their cats outside is the diversity of predators. Here we don't really have much wildlife that could do damage to a cat, so the people that live out in the country who don't need to worry about cars / their cat being stolen, generally consider it a fairly safe environment.

Whereas alot of areas in America where there are less urban dangers are then full of predators like mountain lions, coyotes, racoons etc as well as animals that carry rabies, something that we in the UK have the luxury of not considering.

Also i've noticed a lot of forum members from america who post about dangerous dogs / poisonings / shootings (!!!) and while i may just have the luxury of not having that in my area and am therefore not aware of it in other places, i am under the impression that such things are not as common in the UK.

"it is hard to feel completely sympathetic for the people who post that their cat is missing or found dead, because but for the fact they let their cat free roam, it wouldn't be missing or dead." - I must admit i am a little shocked and saddened that this is the thoughts of quite a few people on this forum it is still someone's pet that they have lost in a horrible accident, just as unfortunate accidents can happen in the home. No environment is truly safe.

I dont let my 4 bengals roam free although i do walk them on a leash except 1 of my f2 boys who refuses point blank to step outside the front door, bless him... i know in the uk many do let their cats roam free and yes sometimes things happen and when they do i feel so sad for them, i never ever think well they shouldnt have let their cat out, and im too quite saddened by the lack of feeling towards cats owners that get lost/killed.

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Miki & My Beloved Bengals http://mybelovedbengals.blogspot.com/

Shiloh, Darcy, Rudy The Roodster & Ozzy...

I let my cat (not my bengal) but my domestic short hair outside. always have since from when he was a kitten. I don't see it as cruel, or anything like that to let your cat roam free. he goes in and out when he pleases and he is quite happy to do so. i think if you worry too much about something bad happening its not a good thing to do! My cat is nearly 14 years old and the worst thats ever happened to him was he got beaten up by a possum and had a wound that took weeks to heal !! but its the same with children, you can't keep them indoors forever! so what if they fall over and hurt themselves!? same with my cat, he got hurt, but he's still alive and happy as ever! cats like to be outside! i wouldn't want to take that away from them.. and sure, accidents happen but accidents can happen to anybody even you! so would you never let yourself outside in the fear you might get hit by a car? its entirely possible.. !! but you have to live with risks they're always gonna be there, i think its a bit closed minded if you frown upon those who let their cats run the streets to be honest! nothing wrong with it.!

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The statistics I've seen usually put the average life-span of a cat that is allowed outdoors at 2-3 years. I don't consider that worth it. Also, I consider it irresponsible in terms of your cats safety AND the ecosystem's safety. Cats are an invasive species, and in many areas around the world they have wreaked havoc on the natural ecosystem, often without people even noticing. A single cat on an island once extincted an entire species of bird before his owner could notice and stop him.

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Lollo

re: Ecosystems, if one species moves to a "safer" area, it can indeed affect the entire ecosystem. Losing one species can often have a domino effect on all the other organisms in the area.

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Lollo

I do t think you can blame all those things on cats. Humans have a far, far greater impact on the environment and ecosystems than cats ever will.

In the UK feral cats are not a problem. We are not losing species of mice/birds as a result of some people letting cats outside. Everywhere has its own risks/problems.

The indoor/outdoor debate is one that pops up from time to time.

What annoys me is the attitude that people love their cars more because they keep them in.

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Lollo

My personal view is that if someone decided to get a pet they are then responsible for that pet. They are responsible for feeding and caring for the pet and for keeping it safe and they are also responsible for their pets actions. If someone had a dog who was allowed to free roam outside and it went round attacking other neighbourhood dogs and pooing on the neighbours lawn people would find this unacceptable however for some reason many cat owners seem to think that their animal should have different rules and that if their free roaming cat is attacking the neighbourhood pets and defecating on everyone elses lawn then that is the neighbours problem not theirs.

I have had cats all my life, moggies and now bengals, all my childhood cats were allowed to roam free because thats what my family believed cats needed. My first cat lived until the age of 14 when he became unwell and sadly had to be pts, he had been allowed to free roam all his life but never strayed from the garden unless we went for a walk in which case he would follow. We lived in a town with a busy road to the front of the house and he would sunbathe on the drive but never got injured by a car. We then moved to a house in the country 4 miles out of the nearest village and a further 1/2 mile up a dirt track. We rescued a female cat who turned out to be pregnant and had two kittens which we kept, my kitten was a male, he was blue and he had the long haired, squished face look of a pedigree cat even though he was a moggy. He was stolen at about 1 year old along with a few other village cats who all resembled pedigree cats. Our nearest neighbours cat was run over on the very quiet village road. When I moved out Dan and I adopted a black and white moggy kitten from someone at work (for free), we kept her indoors as we lived directly on a very busy road in the middle of a town, Dan also had 2 old cats who had lived indoors all their lives but the two older cats didn't get on with the kitten and she was eventually rehomed to a lady down the road who had lost her dog a few weeks before and was lonely. She is now allowed outside and regularly brings home dead birds as presents. After Tom and Jerry passed away we decided to get involved with breeding bengals and now all my cats live indoors. We will be building an enclosure in the garden once we have sorted it out, it needs turfing etc first and in the meantime we take the cats out on their harness for walks. It always really annoyed me that despite being responsible for my own animals we were often unable to use our garden at our previous house because the neighbour would let his cats free roam and they used our lawn as a toilet, often leaving disgusting stinking runny poo everywhere which he never took them to the vet or did anything about. I was cleaning out litter boxes AND poop-scooping every day, fun

I think people often get cats because they think they are a low commitment pet and they can just let them go and entertain themselfs out in the world rather than spend the time and effort entertaining them like you do with a dog. An indoor only cat can be just as happy as a pet dog provided you spend the same time and energy entertaining them and providing stimulation so they don't get bored. Bored dogs are far more destructive and have just as many behavioural issues as bored cats. For me the ideal solution is an outside enclosure that allows cats to go outside but also safe guards them and the neighbourhood. If that is not possible then just walk them like you would a dog. That being said I still have every sympathy for people who lose their pets even if it's to taffic etc, and I don't judge anyone for their personal feelings on whether to let their cat out or keep them in.

On the ecosystem thing. My parents are bird watchers and I've been catching critters my whole life. I live in the same neighborhood I grew up in. We no longer have Gosebeaks or Yellow Finch's one is bright and looks like Da Bird the other is slow. Both WERE cat favorites. I used to be able to catch several Eastern Short Tailed Shrews in a day and garter snakes. The shrews go in the middle of the lawn and make noise so there almost gone. The snakes although killed by cats are probably effaced most by the worst destructive feral species ...humans On the other hand we now have a problem with a new species of mouse If you don't believe one species can effect an ecosystem look at the Doe Doe Bird (sp?) (not cats fault) Its illegal in some states for exterminators to use kill traps for rodents. You have to first identify the species. If its a rare one you are required to catch the entire family and relocate them together. If you live somewhere were cats don't have an impact your lucky learn from others mistakes and stop it before it happens.

On the boredom thing I agree its hard enough to entertain one cat. Several cats I can't imagine. I don't think you should keep them from the outside but do it responsibly. My cat can run and play but its supervised. No one has indoor kids except in the move "Bubble Boy" its a funny movie and one of my favs but listening to the way some people treat their furbaby's I can't help but find it relevant. Maybe you should get a giant bubble for your cats to play in.

I'm going now play devil's advocate defend the type of people who don't have a voice here, like my parents. You won't find them on a cat forum. They live in the middle of nowhere have all the wild animals listed above plus bears and foxes too. We didn't know anyone with cats and didn't like them. I didn't know you could keep a cat indoors until a few years ago. Now I find so many of my neighbors have indoor cats because they come out to talk about cats while I'm walking mine. Story goes moms inside and hears a kitten crying and my dad laughing. She goes outside to find my dad hoseing down a kitten and yells at him to stop. 14yr later they still got the cat Cali. They didn't go buy a cat they didn't want a cat, but they rescued it from certain death. They didn't know anything about cats and when the vet suggested declawing they only declined because it cost too much. Its an outdoor cat and can't possibly have a impact on the wildlife its 14 and never a scratch there are no neighbors to bother. Although I'm agents outdoor cats I don't see the problem in their scenario. One day Cali didn't come home for dinner my mother didn't stop looking till she found her very far away. So I can't get mad at everyone with an outdoor cat. Barn cats are also common, their important to the farmers as a tool not a pet. Although I don't like it its better than traps I guess.

I'm a big advocate for the loc8tor homing tag. But when I was reading reviews one broke my heart. The person gave it 5/5 because it helped her find the remains of her cat after a coyote ate it. She praised the device because it gave her closure and she didn't have to keep looking or worrying about her cat. That's an example of someone not using it how I suggest.

lollo2304, I hope its not the only thing we agree on. I think your intelligent and have more than my 2 years of experience with cats. I never participate in forums but I've taken a liking to this one because of how people's opinions very. Its very opinion driven not like a car forum. But your the first person to hurt my feelings on the internet too. I wish I could have responded before but I'll agree to disagree. But on one thing "I'll argue with anyone who thinks their cat gets better care or more love than my Pouncey". I think you miss understood or took it out of context. He's also the smartest, most handsome, friendliest, best cat ever. Like my girlfriend is the most beautiful girl in the world. It was rhetorical and intended to cause a smile not actually start an argument

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Lily