# letting kitty go outside



## ThreeCatzGirl (Jan 16, 2009)

if you had a cat that hates living inside...would you let him go outside and be free? 

Remember when i posted about my friend's cat getting outside and how they didnt bother to look for him. Well he still hasnt returned home. They are not looking for him either. So my friend told me that this cat hates living inside. so it seems liks that they dont care about him b/c he is outside somewhere.

So today my friend comes online and tells me that they adopted a kitten. A 4 month old black kitten. he is cute i must say. but i am worried that he might get outside some day. on the plus side...he is microchipped.

get this...she said the mom cat was orange/white. she had a litter of different color kittens. 2 blacks,a grey,a cali,and a torite. so that makes you wonder what color the dad was. or maybe there were other dad cats???


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## cinderflower (Apr 22, 2012)

i've never lived anywhere it would be safe to let a cat out. i've either been downtown or evergreen. evergreen is nice and natural but i think there's far too much wildlife to preoccupy a cat and then it would get into trouble.

you can't worry about every slipshod cat owner there is, it's too frustrating. it's just like people you _know_ shouldn't be parents--you can't go around telling people they're too stupid or careless to have kids.
(well you can but you'll end up making a lot of enemies.) i find it easier to not be friends with people i think are careless with their pets or children.

i've heard that cats can have multiple sires for one litter, but i think that's probably as rare as the woman who had twins where one was black and the other was white.

at least they chipped the kitten.


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## BigDaveyL (Jun 26, 2012)

I would not let cats go outside especially in an urban/suburban area.

Yesterday, on my way to work I saw a dead kitty on the side of the road.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

EmilyMayWilcha said:


> I personally would not be friends with someone who has that kind attitude.


Very much this. Quality over quantity when it comes to friends.


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## Arianwen (Jun 3, 2012)

The norm for my cats over the years has been indoor / outdoor and some of them have been ferals who have taken months if not years to set foot voluntarily inside at all. I cannot imagine how anyone can have this cavalier attitude towards any cat - whether he / she wants to be inside or not. This person does not deserve to have a new kitten.


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## Fatnfluffy (Aug 22, 2012)

Both my cats have free reign of the outdoors , but if someone is not willing to go out to look for their cat if it goes missing , it indicates that he/she isnt responsible enough. Having said that , because your friend adopted the kitten and got it microchipped , it seems like he/she does care. Weird situation .


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Fatnfluffy said:


> Having said that , because your friend adopted the kitten and got it microchipped , it seems like he/she does care. Weird situation .


The kitten likely came chipped by the shelter it was adopted from, so it doesn't say anything about the person's responsibility level.


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

First off do you know which shelter or rescue they got this kitten from? I would let them know the history of this person so they will be put on a no adopt list when this poor kitten goes missing too.

Next, sit down or email this person. Tell them all thaat can happen to a cat that is let outside. Inform them that when you adopt a indoor cat you have responsibilities to keep this cat happy. Cat trees, window seats, daily play activities, decent food, clean litter boxes and vet care.

If they turn a deaf ear, well theyve been told. May karma do a royal number on them. Then walk away from this friendship. They do not display the character you would want in people in your life. They are heartless and purposely ignorant cruel individuals


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## binkyhoo (Feb 16, 2003)

Where i live there are no laws against having an out door cat. It happens. There are areas of the world where they would not think of having "indoor" cats. That would be cruel.

I, myself am totaly for the indoor option. When I was young we had indoor/outdoor cats and the life expentancy is 4 yrs. I found that to be true. More than once a cat did not come home and was found dead on the highway. Not a good day for a young gal I was.

That was a bit of a tangent, I guess what I ment to say is the best you can do is educate but you cant make a person listen.


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## yingying (Jul 19, 2011)

I never had outdoor cat and would never have one.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Yay!

**ANOTHER** indoor vs. outdoor debate.


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

MowMow which color boxing gloves do you want for the debate. Personnally I like lime green.

To poster, tell your friend a microchip wont help find a cat which has been run over, or killed by a dog or wild animal, or a cat which ate rat poison, or a lost cat which starved to death, or or or! The odds of a cat returned by a microchip has its limits.


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## LakotaWolf (Aug 10, 2012)

That blanket statement of "outdoor cats only live 3-4 years" is one of those quick and dirty easy generalizations that I don't think is entirely true. It's terrible and unfair to condemn someone for saying they have/want to have an outdoor cat without taking things into consideration.

I think it depends HIGHLY on where you live.

I'm not saying the OP's friend isn't reprehensible for allowing their cat to get outside and then not caring enough to look for him - I'm saying it's not always fair to think that outdoor cats will always die before they're 5 years old.

I have a cat who has been outdoors her entire life ... she is 14. Does that make me evil? ;p

But, I live in a good suburban neighborhood away from busy roads. There is a park across the street, but it's one of those manicured parks that hardly contains any wildlife.

So, I don't think being "outdoors" is automatically a death sentence for a cat. It depends on the environment, level of owner care, and the cat's personality as well.

Additionally, as an interesting note, there CAN be multiple dad cats for a single litter of kittens ;} It's not all that rare of an occurence. 

http://earthpetsorganic.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/catcoatcolor1.jpeg 

Tortie/Calico are both "tabby"-based markings, gentically, so it's not surprising that you'd see them in the same litter together :}


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

LakotaWolf go read the back story of her lainbrain friend and youll see how they get a cat, not care for it, throw it outside, not care whether it is missing. Just go get another one.


Its less about indoor outdoor than lack of caring to learn about caring for a cat whether its indoor or let out of doors to prowl. Her friend thinks a microchip will locate it. I wonder if her boyfriend will lay down the law again not to look for this one either.

Better yet, ship them to me, ill microchip them, dump them in the desert and not report them missing or bother to look for them. Perfect karma for what they did to their last cat.


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## Arianwen (Jun 3, 2012)

Although they are certainly "lively", I hope it doesn't turn into another outdoor vs. indoor debate because that really isn't what this is about. I may favour indoor / outdoor cat-keeping but I am as outraged by this incident as anyone who is purely indoors. This behaviour is imply not acceptable and I worry for the new little adoptee.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

> Of course, I think it is stupid to let cats go outside





> Free reign means it is a miracle that your outdoor cat lived 14 years.


Stupid? Really? Nice way to be judgmental - and insult other members. In most other countries, it's NORMAL for cats to be inside/outside.


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## dlowan (Jul 13, 2012)

MowMow said:


> Yay!
> 
> **ANOTHER** indoor vs. outdoor debate.


I note the raw/not raw and indoor/outdoor debates here have a fervor I normally associate with religion and its offshho, politics!

Nemmind the boxing gloves, I think a super safety helmet is required.

I have never visited a cat forum before...are these debates so polarized in all cat forums?


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Yup. And you can add "declaw" to that.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

I don't mind heated debates that serve some purpose but people will NEVER agree and very few will change their minds about:

Canned/Kibble
Indoor/Outdoor
De claw/ Not declaw
Speuter/Not Speuter

The debates will just turn nasty and/or judgemental.


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

dlowan said:


> I note the raw/not raw and indoor/outdoor debates here have a fervor I normally associate with religion and its offshho, politics!
> 
> Nemmind the boxing gloves, I think a super safety helmet is required.
> 
> I have never visited a cat forum before...are these debates so polarized in all cat forums?


I laughed out loud when I read that. And as Marie said add declawing. Plus ill add the hot controversy of kill shelters. The USA is in the midst of a philosophical change on these issues, thus the strong opinions.


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## dlowan (Jul 13, 2012)

Ah....no declawing debate here. It's flat out illegal, and I don't think vets here would do it anyway.

Or perhaps they might to save a cat being dumped?

Interesting, that.


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## amelia100 (Mar 12, 2011)

that's so stupid. If they don't care, then why do they have pets in the first place? Also, was that cat neutered? If not, it would explain why it wondered off. Thank god, so far, I've never had a cat wonder off forever, and they've all been neuteured. Some people have the strangest attitude, however, if it wasn't neutered then I can see why the owners didn't care when it dissapeared. They could have sorted that out. Let's just hope the kitty had some babies and is still alive somewhere.


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## Jacq (May 17, 2012)

When I was a kid my dad's cat Rascal Pavlov wandered off for 3 months. When he came back he had been spray-painted green.


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## Catmamma (Apr 18, 2011)

Was Jacq's dad's cat Rascal Pavlov? I love that name. Is there a part of Cat Forum about names?


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