Do outdoor cats eventually gain reliable survival skills?
November 12, 2015 5:50 PM Subscribe
I've hesitated to ask this question (partly cause I assume it'll receive malicious responses from the usual suspects), but here it goes--my current two indoor/outdoor cats have been with my around 8 years. I live in an area with a lot of predators but cats always respond intelligently to threats and are quite healthy and happy.
So, I'd be interested to hear others experience who've had outdoor cats--can I rest easy and assume that now they've survived a long time, they essentially know how to stay safe?
My current cats behave in a way that seems safe and aware (e.g., at first sign of something unusual they head to a tree, they get together when a fox or coyote confronts them, or go to a safe spot on an outdoor porch I set up that hopefully only they know how to get into.) I also live a few miles from a National Wildlife Preserve where there are gobs of predators and I talked to a ranger there who said he's had an outdoor cat for years with same experience as me.
This makes me think that perhaps living in an area with predators may actually be beneficial, as it keeps them alert and encourages their natural survival instincts. (I also think that having each other to play with is critical--e.g., one always mock surprise-attacks the other and I've got to believe that evolution designed that behavior to keep their instincts sharp.)
My current cats behave in a way that seems safe and aware (e.g., at first sign of something unusual they head to a tree, they get together when a fox or coyote confronts them, or go to a safe spot on an outdoor porch I set up that hopefully only they know how to get into.) I also live a few miles from a National Wildlife Preserve where there are gobs of predators and I talked to a ranger there who said he's had an outdoor cat for years with same experience as me.
This makes me think that perhaps living in an area with predators may actually be beneficial, as it keeps them alert and encourages their natural survival instincts. (I also think that having each other to play with is critical--e.g., one always mock surprise-attacks the other and I've got to believe that evolution designed that behavior to keep their instincts sharp.)
Well.....if this were true, then no feral animal would ever be preyed upon by another, because they would always know how to stay safe. Obviously, that hasn't happened, so I don't think the assumption that safe for a while = safe forever is possible to make.
That said, I grew up with two indoor/outdoor cats, both of whom lived to good ages for outdoor cats. One died at age 17 of a combination of failing health and likely complications following a nasty fight with a neighbor cat. The other died at around age 15 due to old age and congenital health problems. Your cats are probably as safe as any other outdoor cat, which is to say that until old age/ill health/bad luck visit them, they are probably as street savvy as they'll ever need to be.
I hope that helps.
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 6:03 PM on November 12, 2015 [8 favorites]
That said, I grew up with two indoor/outdoor cats, both of whom lived to good ages for outdoor cats. One died at age 17 of a combination of failing health and likely complications following a nasty fight with a neighbor cat. The other died at around age 15 due to old age and congenital health problems. Your cats are probably as safe as any other outdoor cat, which is to say that until old age/ill health/bad luck visit them, they are probably as street savvy as they'll ever need to be.
I hope that helps.
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 6:03 PM on November 12, 2015 [8 favorites]
Well, this isn't just about your cats. Outdoor cats are tremendously devestating to local bird populations. Some estimates say they kill one in three birds outside. 3.7 billion birds a year was another estimate being thrown around in the media recently.
My own cat was once an outdoor cat and she was pretty adept at killing things I imagine since she survived. But now she is lazy and so sweetly clumsy that I wouldn't trust that she'd be ok outside. Age makes us all slow.
posted by sockermom at 6:04 PM on November 12, 2015 [6 favorites]
My own cat was once an outdoor cat and she was pretty adept at killing things I imagine since she survived. But now she is lazy and so sweetly clumsy that I wouldn't trust that she'd be ok outside. Age makes us all slow.
posted by sockermom at 6:04 PM on November 12, 2015 [6 favorites]
Best answer: I've always had indoor/outdoor cats. I've always lived in small town neighborhoods. The only cat who died of violence was killed by two neighborhood dogs who were running loose. Anecdotal: I was once in the yard lounging with the cats when they suddenly became super alert, poised to run, completely focused, as a man walking (on a leash) a very obvious dog/wolf mix. They definitely recognized danger they had never seen before, and were prepared to run like hell.
All my cats have seemed to be very aware of cars and their dangers, also.
And although I've never participated in the Very-Self-Righteous discussions of outdoor cats, I personally think it's inhumane to keep a cat inside all its life. Prison is prison, no matter how many cute toys litter the floor. And I know the statistics, but have never seen any evidence of cats killing the birds at our feeder, but have actually watched hawks eat two birds. Of course personal experience doesn't trump statistics, but it does seem you're asking about what to worry about concerning letting your cats outside.
posted by kestralwing at 6:04 PM on November 12, 2015 [8 favorites]
All my cats have seemed to be very aware of cars and their dangers, also.
And although I've never participated in the Very-Self-Righteous discussions of outdoor cats, I personally think it's inhumane to keep a cat inside all its life. Prison is prison, no matter how many cute toys litter the floor. And I know the statistics, but have never seen any evidence of cats killing the birds at our feeder, but have actually watched hawks eat two birds. Of course personal experience doesn't trump statistics, but it does seem you're asking about what to worry about concerning letting your cats outside.
posted by kestralwing at 6:04 PM on November 12, 2015 [8 favorites]
Response by poster: @peanut....
Good point--my thinking on your point that, of course in nature, someone ends up as prey, is that my cats have an advantage in that they're always well-fed, rested, etc. and it's now their turf.
posted by Jon44 at 6:06 PM on November 12, 2015
Good point--my thinking on your point that, of course in nature, someone ends up as prey, is that my cats have an advantage in that they're always well-fed, rested, etc. and it's now their turf.
posted by Jon44 at 6:06 PM on November 12, 2015
So, I'd be interested to hear others experience who've had outdoor cats--can I rest easy and assume that now they've survived a long time, they essentially know how to stay safe?
I don't have outdoor cats, but I have friends with outdoor cats in areas like that - where it's not so much traffic, but other (wild) animals that re the concern.
Some of them have lived to old age or died due to other causes, but more than one of these cats went missing, and more than one of them has died traumatically (for the cat, and the owner).
So while they may have survival skills, it's really not a guarantee. The point made above about how wild animals can and do get killed by other wild animals is spot on: When your cat's outdoors, it's in that same animal-eat-animal world, not somehow apart from it because it's your cat. I think telling yourself that it's "beneficial" for them to be exposed to danger is really just ... to be honest, a justification.
If this is a risk you're willing to take because you want outdoor cats, then that's one thing, but don't kid yourself about your cats being invincible.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 6:07 PM on November 12, 2015 [9 favorites]
I don't have outdoor cats, but I have friends with outdoor cats in areas like that - where it's not so much traffic, but other (wild) animals that re the concern.
Some of them have lived to old age or died due to other causes, but more than one of these cats went missing, and more than one of them has died traumatically (for the cat, and the owner).
So while they may have survival skills, it's really not a guarantee. The point made above about how wild animals can and do get killed by other wild animals is spot on: When your cat's outdoors, it's in that same animal-eat-animal world, not somehow apart from it because it's your cat. I think telling yourself that it's "beneficial" for them to be exposed to danger is really just ... to be honest, a justification.
If this is a risk you're willing to take because you want outdoor cats, then that's one thing, but don't kid yourself about your cats being invincible.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 6:07 PM on November 12, 2015 [9 favorites]
Your smart cat might eventually meet a smarter coyote.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 6:13 PM on November 12, 2015 [7 favorites]
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 6:13 PM on November 12, 2015 [7 favorites]
The most "street smart" cat I've ever known eventually (age 17? 18? over 15 at least) got mauled by a coyote.
posted by quaking fajita at 6:31 PM on November 12, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by quaking fajita at 6:31 PM on November 12, 2015 [3 favorites]
IME having indoor/outdoor free roaming pets will end tragically and painfully 25% of the time. You need to decide if it's worth it to you. I'm not saying this because I give a shit about loud-ass birds getting eaten but because it is something that I'd rather not go through again personally, losing a pet in a bloody way, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone else.
posted by poffin boffin at 6:33 PM on November 12, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 6:33 PM on November 12, 2015 [2 favorites]
Cats hunt things for fun. Our indoor cats rarely care about actually eating the moth, but they're happy to chase it.
And yes, they can absolutely become prey, whether by something that wants to eat them (e.g. a coyote) or something that will just fight them and hurt them (racoon). And, of course, cars.
posted by rtha at 6:33 PM on November 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
And yes, they can absolutely become prey, whether by something that wants to eat them (e.g. a coyote) or something that will just fight them and hurt them (racoon). And, of course, cars.
posted by rtha at 6:33 PM on November 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
My aunt was an incredible softy about cats - she fed anyone who dropped by, let them come in the house and leave whenever they wanted, etc. There were at least 11 hanging out inside her place and another 15 or twenty in the yard the last time I remember being there; most of them were several years old and she claimed they were all longtime regulars. They were definitely all well-fed, between her offerings and the local bird and mouse populations.
However, there were also regular disappearances within her crew, despite the weather being fairly advantageous (basically like the foothills above Los Angeles) and her living on a dead-end street. Supposedly the problem was coyotes, but I have no idea how she could actually know that. For heaven's sake, there are people who put out poisoned food explicitly to kill feral cats - not to mention all the raccoon traps, rat bait, etc. There were also guys in that neighborhood who felt that a .22 was for both squirrels and cats equally.
Only one out of every ten (or so) of her cats had any external sign that they had a family - collars, bells, etc. Those ones lived longer in my estimation (it helped that I could remember seeing a coat pattern with that particular collar,) but those were also the laziest and most indoor-oriented cats, too. My guess is that curiosity and adventurous behavior really does correlate highly with early feline mortality.
As fast as I know she never had any problems with fleas. I think she may have been endowed with miraculous cat-lady powers or something. She was also the sort of person whose car was nicknamed "pigpen" by her high school classmates and then majored in fine art.
posted by SMPA at 6:36 PM on November 12, 2015
However, there were also regular disappearances within her crew, despite the weather being fairly advantageous (basically like the foothills above Los Angeles) and her living on a dead-end street. Supposedly the problem was coyotes, but I have no idea how she could actually know that. For heaven's sake, there are people who put out poisoned food explicitly to kill feral cats - not to mention all the raccoon traps, rat bait, etc. There were also guys in that neighborhood who felt that a .22 was for both squirrels and cats equally.
Only one out of every ten (or so) of her cats had any external sign that they had a family - collars, bells, etc. Those ones lived longer in my estimation (it helped that I could remember seeing a coat pattern with that particular collar,) but those were also the laziest and most indoor-oriented cats, too. My guess is that curiosity and adventurous behavior really does correlate highly with early feline mortality.
As fast as I know she never had any problems with fleas. I think she may have been endowed with miraculous cat-lady powers or something. She was also the sort of person whose car was nicknamed "pigpen" by her high school classmates and then majored in fine art.
posted by SMPA at 6:36 PM on November 12, 2015
Mod note: Comment deleted - this is not a forum for debate, Jon44. You've asked your question, people will give what answers they can, and you can take them or leave them. Thanks.
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 6:49 PM on November 12, 2015
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 6:49 PM on November 12, 2015
You could have a fantastically fighty cat who fends off predators - even those much more motivated by hunger than your cats ever are - and they could still injure themselves or have a heart attack while away from you, and you'd never have any idea. They'd just not come home, and you wouldn't know what happened. Happened to the first two indoor cats my family had. Did they break a collarbone in a slipped jump and slowly die alone in the woods somewhere? Get hit by a car? Eaten by a predator? We didn't know, we didn't get to help, we didn't get to say goodbye. /Happy owner of happy indoor cats since 1990.
posted by Miko at 6:51 PM on November 12, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Miko at 6:51 PM on November 12, 2015 [3 favorites]
Outdoor cats generally have a life expectancy of 1-5 years. Indoor cats have a life expectancy of 12-15 years. Indoor/outdoor cats have a life expectancy between the two I imagine.
posted by sanka at 6:52 PM on November 12, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by sanka at 6:52 PM on November 12, 2015 [5 favorites]
This 2103 article in the peer reviewed journal Veterinary Record uses kitty cams to track the risk behaviors of 55 indoor/outdoor cats. It indicates that cats engage in several risky behaviors in suburban neighborhoods, including crossing the road, encountering other cats, eating or drinking stuff, exploring storm drains, and getting into crawl spaces in other homes. They conclude by urging people to keep their cats indoors or to supervise them when they're outside.
posted by sockermom at 6:53 PM on November 12, 2015 [6 favorites]
posted by sockermom at 6:53 PM on November 12, 2015 [6 favorites]
I had a smart, self-sufficient, badass indoor/outdoor cat for seven years. He easily held his own against the neighbor cats and took down plenty of squirrels and rabbits. We lived on a quiet street with almost no traffic, and I don't think we had coyotes.
He disappeared. He didn't come home one day, nor the next day, nor the day after that. I'll never know what happened to him, and I hate to imagine it. And since he was an indoor/outdoor cat and occasionally stayed out on extended adventures, we didn't realize something was wrong until day three or four; if an indoor cat slipped out and disappeared you know right away.
Once a cat gets used to hanging around outside, it's nearly impossible to convert them to indoor-only, and I'm not against letting cats roam outside. But it's pretty dangerous out there for cats, even ones with great survival skills.
posted by Metroid Baby at 6:56 PM on November 12, 2015 [5 favorites]
He disappeared. He didn't come home one day, nor the next day, nor the day after that. I'll never know what happened to him, and I hate to imagine it. And since he was an indoor/outdoor cat and occasionally stayed out on extended adventures, we didn't realize something was wrong until day three or four; if an indoor cat slipped out and disappeared you know right away.
Once a cat gets used to hanging around outside, it's nearly impossible to convert them to indoor-only, and I'm not against letting cats roam outside. But it's pretty dangerous out there for cats, even ones with great survival skills.
posted by Metroid Baby at 6:56 PM on November 12, 2015 [5 favorites]
Ours was always until recently indoors at night, indoor/outdoor as he wished during the day. He grew up in Hawaii with few predators, but then we moved to the woods of Western Washington. He seemed smart and safe enough, but it had to be a stressful life. He didn't enjoy having to be nervous and wary all the time outside. He's lately started spending less and less time outdoors, just a walk to look around the yard and house exterior really anymore, then back inside. We just started keeping him in and he seems perfectly fine with that after a few days of complaining about missing his routine.
I've got to think just the stress of having to be outdoor-safety-smart takes at least some toll. And then, of course, some aren't smart enough, eventually.
posted by ctmf at 7:04 PM on November 12, 2015
I've got to think just the stress of having to be outdoor-safety-smart takes at least some toll. And then, of course, some aren't smart enough, eventually.
posted by ctmf at 7:04 PM on November 12, 2015
Not really, no. Here are a few anecdotes about cats I've lived with (belonging to housemates, not me).
Cat A was indoor/outdoor for several years, normally extremely cautious. One day she was run over by a car, and that was gory and terrible.
Cat B, also indoor/outdoor for several years, started getting in fights one year. I think a bigger/meaner cat moved to the neighborhood. She had multiple deep serious wounds that resulted in stitches and antibiotics and serious vet bills. No fun for anybody.
Cat C gradually went blind. At first, we had no idea, but obviously this put her at a serious disadvantage outside, even though she had been fine for years. Eventually a decision was made to keep her inside. However, there was another downside to her outdoor time -- she kept picking up fleas from the neighborhood, and now the standard flea meds don't work well for her, so getting rid of her fleas once and for all is proving troublesome (though hopefully another option from the vet will get them).
Cat D was indoor/outdoor until he aged into extreme laziness. He got into fights with other cats and also had ridiculous vet bills as a result.
Cat E went missing for three months, then finally come home mostly starved. He was nursed back to health, but stayed indoor/outdoor, but went missing for good several months later. (We pretend he found himself a new family due to offense at a dog moving in, but more likely something terrible happened to him, as he was chipped.)
posted by ktkt at 7:20 PM on November 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
Cat A was indoor/outdoor for several years, normally extremely cautious. One day she was run over by a car, and that was gory and terrible.
Cat B, also indoor/outdoor for several years, started getting in fights one year. I think a bigger/meaner cat moved to the neighborhood. She had multiple deep serious wounds that resulted in stitches and antibiotics and serious vet bills. No fun for anybody.
Cat C gradually went blind. At first, we had no idea, but obviously this put her at a serious disadvantage outside, even though she had been fine for years. Eventually a decision was made to keep her inside. However, there was another downside to her outdoor time -- she kept picking up fleas from the neighborhood, and now the standard flea meds don't work well for her, so getting rid of her fleas once and for all is proving troublesome (though hopefully another option from the vet will get them).
Cat D was indoor/outdoor until he aged into extreme laziness. He got into fights with other cats and also had ridiculous vet bills as a result.
Cat E went missing for three months, then finally come home mostly starved. He was nursed back to health, but stayed indoor/outdoor, but went missing for good several months later. (We pretend he found himself a new family due to offense at a dog moving in, but more likely something terrible happened to him, as he was chipped.)
posted by ktkt at 7:20 PM on November 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
My Hobo was indoor/outdoor for about five years. He killed a lot of birds, squirrels, rabbits, and anything else he could find. He staked out my neighbor's bird feeder. The neighbor kids found half a dozen dead birds under it one day and asked me to keep him in. I wasn't sure he'd like that but he didn't have a problem being inside-only.
Cats can do pretty good outside with a safe place to come back home to. Right up until something bad happens. And it might. You never can tell. Bad luck can happen to anyone.
posted by irisclara at 7:32 PM on November 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
Cats can do pretty good outside with a safe place to come back home to. Right up until something bad happens. And it might. You never can tell. Bad luck can happen to anyone.
posted by irisclara at 7:32 PM on November 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
I've had a long run of indoor/outdoor cats due to adopting older cats from rescues and being unable to live with their inability to live purely indoors. In my experience most of these cats either died/disappeared quite quickly or lived at least a decade in my care. The Wanderers lived on the edge, basically, and either learned basic survivor skills early or didn't. But then, basic survivor skills only work so many times against cars, coyotes or who-knows-what-else. The Porch-sitters had longer lives and I wasn't nearly as worried for them. These few chose to stick to the yard in daylight hours when given a chance, and were quite indignant when I didn't let them in at dusk. Like ctmf's cat, I think these cats had "seen things" and knew the good deal they had. Most of them made it to their mid- or late teens. I don't regret the freedom I gave either group of cats because they made it quite clear (angry kitties are very persuasive) that they believed in self-determination in that regard and I couldn't break that habit. I mourned them when something bad happened, but I also feel like by the time I got them it was their right to choose the life they wanted. But I also was a lot happier and less anxious about the Porch-sitters, so if I knew how to make rescue cats just stick to the damn porch I would do that every time. And, my current cat has been raised since kitten-hood as an indoor cat and views the Backyard as a 15-minute-tops over-stimulation zone, and that is the happiest situation.
posted by dness2 at 8:29 PM on November 12, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by dness2 at 8:29 PM on November 12, 2015 [2 favorites]
Smart cats can kill other smart cats. And if the cat that's been in our backyard comes back, I will trap it and take it to a shelter in another town because cats kill native birds and creatures. If you have human neighbours that are vaguely environmentish types, they're a bigger risk.
posted by taff at 8:41 PM on November 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by taff at 8:41 PM on November 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
All my cats have been indoor/outdoor. Three died of cancer in their mid/late teens (15-17 or so). One was killed by a neighbor (sicced his dog on her). One is alive, adorable, and currently 5-years-old. Tbh, human beings have been BY FAR the most dangerous "predators" that any of my cats have had to deal with.
I've only ever dealt with one outdoor-adventure-related vet bill; a cat ate something outside that got caught in his intestine, and he needed surgery to get it out. In my experience, indoor/outdoor cats actually tend to have strong constitutions and good general health, probably because they get plenty of exercise and mental stimulation.
I don't think that cats learn survival skills, really. Their individual temperaments seem to dictate their behavior a lot more than any learned skills do. Ime, timid and intelligent cats tend to run into less trouble than bolder cats or cats with poorer judgment (i.e., who aren't very bright). But just like with humans, a lot about how their lives turn out seem to be dictated by simple "luck of the draw."
Frankly, imprisoning a cat inside 24-7 is inhumane imo, and is not an option that I'll ever consider.
she kept picking up fleas from the neighborhood, and now the standard flea meds don't work well for her, so getting rid of her fleas once and for all is proving troublesome
A flea comb and a bowl of soapy water have worked very well for my cats. If you're diligent about combing her (try to do it every day until the infestation is gone), she should be fine within a couple weeks. It can take a cat a while to get used to being combed, but once they're used to it, ime they LOVE IT.
How I do it is: take one stroke of the comb, dunk the comb in the bowl and push off any debris into the water (you might get dirt and shed fur, too), completely dry the comb with a paper towel, and then another stroke (and so on). If you don't completely dry the comb between strokes, the cat will probably hate it because she'll be getting all wet and soapy-smelling, so don't skip that part.
posted by rue72 at 9:35 PM on November 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
I've only ever dealt with one outdoor-adventure-related vet bill; a cat ate something outside that got caught in his intestine, and he needed surgery to get it out. In my experience, indoor/outdoor cats actually tend to have strong constitutions and good general health, probably because they get plenty of exercise and mental stimulation.
I don't think that cats learn survival skills, really. Their individual temperaments seem to dictate their behavior a lot more than any learned skills do. Ime, timid and intelligent cats tend to run into less trouble than bolder cats or cats with poorer judgment (i.e., who aren't very bright). But just like with humans, a lot about how their lives turn out seem to be dictated by simple "luck of the draw."
Frankly, imprisoning a cat inside 24-7 is inhumane imo, and is not an option that I'll ever consider.
she kept picking up fleas from the neighborhood, and now the standard flea meds don't work well for her, so getting rid of her fleas once and for all is proving troublesome
A flea comb and a bowl of soapy water have worked very well for my cats. If you're diligent about combing her (try to do it every day until the infestation is gone), she should be fine within a couple weeks. It can take a cat a while to get used to being combed, but once they're used to it, ime they LOVE IT.
How I do it is: take one stroke of the comb, dunk the comb in the bowl and push off any debris into the water (you might get dirt and shed fur, too), completely dry the comb with a paper towel, and then another stroke (and so on). If you don't completely dry the comb between strokes, the cat will probably hate it because she'll be getting all wet and soapy-smelling, so don't skip that part.
posted by rue72 at 9:35 PM on November 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
I live in a rural area and people are constantly losing their barn cats to coyotes, so there's no magic to being an outdoor cat that makes you able to outsmart a coyote. That said, if I were a cat I would want to be an outdoor cat. And my last cat was in fact an outdoor cat, and lived to be 16 and was put to sleep by our vet in our back yard. But, it could have gone the other way. You just never know.
posted by HotToddy at 11:31 PM on November 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by HotToddy at 11:31 PM on November 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
In my experience, smart outdoor cats were smart even while being mauled and torn to pieces by a pack of coyotes. It didn't matter.
posted by persona au gratin at 12:10 AM on November 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by persona au gratin at 12:10 AM on November 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
I grew up in the not-too-deep country with something like seven or eight indoor-outdoor cats. Something like 5 were killed by coyotes, one was hit by a car, two lived reasonable lives. The only one to make it past 10 years old (and most of them barely made it to 5) was a brutal, smart, efficient hunter who spend the second half of his 16 year life 4/5 indoors after my mother moved to the burbs.
I'm think sanka is right on the money:
Outdoor cats generally have a life expectancy of 1-5 years. Indoor cats have a life expectancy of 12-15 years. Indoor/outdoor cats have a life expectancy between the two I imagine.
My urban cats now are indoor only. To say their happy, energetic, healthy lives are inhumane is ridiculous. I was just at the vet when I overheard her giving an indoor-outdoor cat's owner what for because of yet another visit where the cat had injuries, wounds, and fleas. I thought that sounded almost neglectful.
posted by mostlymartha at 12:49 AM on November 13, 2015 [7 favorites]
I'm think sanka is right on the money:
Outdoor cats generally have a life expectancy of 1-5 years. Indoor cats have a life expectancy of 12-15 years. Indoor/outdoor cats have a life expectancy between the two I imagine.
My urban cats now are indoor only. To say their happy, energetic, healthy lives are inhumane is ridiculous. I was just at the vet when I overheard her giving an indoor-outdoor cat's owner what for because of yet another visit where the cat had injuries, wounds, and fleas. I thought that sounded almost neglectful.
posted by mostlymartha at 12:49 AM on November 13, 2015 [7 favorites]
can I rest easy and assume that now they've survived a long time, they essentially know how to stay safe?
Hmmm. I feel like this is such a disingenuous question. No, all this means is that so far your cats haven't been successfully hunted by another predator/hit by a car/run into traffic/mauled by neighborhood psychpath kid, etc. Think about it; outdoor cats don't get immediately killed the first time they go outside and then all cat owners realize, "Oh hey that's a stupid idea; better keep them in." Cats go outdoors for long periods of time until that one time they get killed or injured and don't come home.
It's common knowledge that outdoor cats don't live as long as indoor cats. It's not even debatable. You're just getting anecdotes of yes I had outdoor cats and they were happy and lived a long time, no I had outdoor cats who were killed. I'm not getting into which cat seems happier and catz be hunterz. Indoor cats live longer, period.
Add +1 to no, I had an outdoor cat who was very clever and an excellent hunter and was killed by a fishercat who was a far better hunter than my good boy Spinky. Let's not even get into how I never would have let him out had I known we had fishercats out there and because of my stupidity he died?
posted by kinetic at 2:11 AM on November 13, 2015 [7 favorites]
Hmmm. I feel like this is such a disingenuous question. No, all this means is that so far your cats haven't been successfully hunted by another predator/hit by a car/run into traffic/mauled by neighborhood psychpath kid, etc. Think about it; outdoor cats don't get immediately killed the first time they go outside and then all cat owners realize, "Oh hey that's a stupid idea; better keep them in." Cats go outdoors for long periods of time until that one time they get killed or injured and don't come home.
It's common knowledge that outdoor cats don't live as long as indoor cats. It's not even debatable. You're just getting anecdotes of yes I had outdoor cats and they were happy and lived a long time, no I had outdoor cats who were killed. I'm not getting into which cat seems happier and catz be hunterz. Indoor cats live longer, period.
Add +1 to no, I had an outdoor cat who was very clever and an excellent hunter and was killed by a fishercat who was a far better hunter than my good boy Spinky. Let's not even get into how I never would have let him out had I known we had fishercats out there and because of my stupidity he died?
posted by kinetic at 2:11 AM on November 13, 2015 [7 favorites]
Oh yeah, it's also possible your outdoor cat will leave you and adopt another family.
Ask me how I know.
posted by kinetic at 2:23 AM on November 13, 2015 [3 favorites]
Ask me how I know.
posted by kinetic at 2:23 AM on November 13, 2015 [3 favorites]
As the owner of indoor-outdoor cats (as is the norm here): I do believe that cats acquire some outdoor smarts. But those will never protect them completely. Even smart cats can be surprised, be out of their depth, or just run into rotten luck.
I'm pretty sure that cats who can roam freely tend to either be killed off quickly, before they gain the skills they need, or survive for years and years. But that's an average (if it is indeed true), and it doesn't mean that outdoor-smart cats don't face any risks. They definitely do.
So no, I would not say that you can now rest easy and trust your cats to always come home safely. Freedom comes at a price.
posted by Too-Ticky at 3:49 AM on November 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
I'm pretty sure that cats who can roam freely tend to either be killed off quickly, before they gain the skills they need, or survive for years and years. But that's an average (if it is indeed true), and it doesn't mean that outdoor-smart cats don't face any risks. They definitely do.
So no, I would not say that you can now rest easy and trust your cats to always come home safely. Freedom comes at a price.
posted by Too-Ticky at 3:49 AM on November 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
my parents have always had cats that are free to enter / leave during the day. this is in a semi-rural area in the uk. out of four, i think one was killed by a car, two died of old age / illness and one is still alive. so from that experience it seems like they're generally ok, but i don't think you can expect 100% safety - i mean, they're animals and it's a big wild world out there where things die.
(now i read the other answers it seems this is a social minefield in the usa, about which i know nothing. in the uk the above behaviour is, as far as i know, completely normal).
posted by andrewcooke at 3:54 AM on November 13, 2015 [3 favorites]
(now i read the other answers it seems this is a social minefield in the usa, about which i know nothing. in the uk the above behaviour is, as far as i know, completely normal).
posted by andrewcooke at 3:54 AM on November 13, 2015 [3 favorites]
No, you can't assume your cats will remain safe outside simply because they've made it this far. That's confirmation bias talking. The hard truth is that there are a lot of hazards that cats face outdoors. Despite their speed, intelligence or hunting skills, cats may still be felled by other animals, humans, machines, parasites, diseases, injury, chemicals or exposure to the elements. Age is something to consider, as well, since your cats are middle aged now.
If you're worried about them dying outside, there's really only one way to keep that from happening: keep them indoors. If that's unpalatable, then try to embrace the fact that it's possible your cats may not live as long as indoor cats but they're living the way you want them to.
posted by i feel possessed at 5:01 AM on November 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
If you're worried about them dying outside, there's really only one way to keep that from happening: keep them indoors. If that's unpalatable, then try to embrace the fact that it's possible your cats may not live as long as indoor cats but they're living the way you want them to.
posted by i feel possessed at 5:01 AM on November 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
My beautiful but ferocious 7 month old kitten tried to bring down a car and failed gloriously, but fatally, last Christmas (after midnight on a holiday, on a residential cul-de-sac... don't ask me how he even found one, let alone thought he could take one out).
I've always had outdoor cats before - and they've started the same way as Jimmy, but mellowed with age. This is the first one I've lost.
My conclusion at the time was cats start life with more bravery than sense, and outdoor cats need to have a few narrow squeaks before they learn what they can and can't survive.
posted by bifter at 5:17 AM on November 13, 2015
I've always had outdoor cats before - and they've started the same way as Jimmy, but mellowed with age. This is the first one I've lost.
My conclusion at the time was cats start life with more bravery than sense, and outdoor cats need to have a few narrow squeaks before they learn what they can and can't survive.
posted by bifter at 5:17 AM on November 13, 2015
Our indoor/outdoor cat lived a long life, but he did die, at 18, of something only outdoor cats get: feline immunodeficiency virus, aka Cat AIDS.
So there's that.
posted by Short Attention Sp at 6:04 AM on November 13, 2015
So there's that.
posted by Short Attention Sp at 6:04 AM on November 13, 2015
Coyotoes are faster than cats, its not a point of how smart your cat is.
posted by florencetnoa at 7:00 AM on November 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by florencetnoa at 7:00 AM on November 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
I grew up with indoor/outdoor cats in a rural area. I am now very much a believer that cats should be indoors full-time, with the exception of people who take their cats out on leashes/leads and supervise them. Take my perspective with that grain of salt, I suppose.
The cats of my youth died at the jaws of various predators (including a neighbour's dog). Several died after being hit by cars. One cat was significantly injured (requiring a permanent metal plate in her leg) due to getting caught in the fan belt of a car. At least one cat was kicked by a neighbour - injuring it enough that it had to be euthanised. All of them had frequent parasites (worms, fleas, etc.) due to ingesting mice, squirrels, birds and other creatures, and that required vet visits and meds. Plenty of scratched-up faces, gnawed ears, and weird injuries. I believe all of them lived shorter lives as compared to indoor-only cats.
Did they enjoy being outside, hunting and running and pouncing on things? Yes, I think they probably did. I also think they had good survival instincts, all things considered, and that they adapted to various threats as best they were able. Looking back, I don't think it was an ideal life for them, however.
I used to think that it was mean to keep cats indoors - not able to chase birds, not able to skulk through tall grass. I now think it's my responsibility as a pet owner to keep my animals as physically healthy and safe as possible - which includes providing opportunities for them to chase things indoors (toys, feathers-on-sticks, etc.), tall places for them to climb and sleep, etc. Or, if I truly believe it's cruel to keep them indoors, to not get a cat as a pet in the first place.
I now live in a neighbourhood where there are ample outdoor cats wandering around. They pee on everything, shit all over the place. Most of the time, the cats I encounter aren't chasing or hunting. They're sitting on my window ledge trying to get in. They're huddled on my porch in the middle of a snowstorm because no one is home at their place to let them in. They're scarfing down bowls of kibble that I put out when I wasn't sure if they had homes at all. They're trying to drink out of my inground pool and not fall in. Many neighbours hate the outdoor cats - and turn hoses on them (at best), throw things at them, or call the humane society to retrieve them. I don't know how a cat can 'adapt' to that.
posted by VioletU at 8:36 AM on November 13, 2015 [7 favorites]
The cats of my youth died at the jaws of various predators (including a neighbour's dog). Several died after being hit by cars. One cat was significantly injured (requiring a permanent metal plate in her leg) due to getting caught in the fan belt of a car. At least one cat was kicked by a neighbour - injuring it enough that it had to be euthanised. All of them had frequent parasites (worms, fleas, etc.) due to ingesting mice, squirrels, birds and other creatures, and that required vet visits and meds. Plenty of scratched-up faces, gnawed ears, and weird injuries. I believe all of them lived shorter lives as compared to indoor-only cats.
Did they enjoy being outside, hunting and running and pouncing on things? Yes, I think they probably did. I also think they had good survival instincts, all things considered, and that they adapted to various threats as best they were able. Looking back, I don't think it was an ideal life for them, however.
I used to think that it was mean to keep cats indoors - not able to chase birds, not able to skulk through tall grass. I now think it's my responsibility as a pet owner to keep my animals as physically healthy and safe as possible - which includes providing opportunities for them to chase things indoors (toys, feathers-on-sticks, etc.), tall places for them to climb and sleep, etc. Or, if I truly believe it's cruel to keep them indoors, to not get a cat as a pet in the first place.
I now live in a neighbourhood where there are ample outdoor cats wandering around. They pee on everything, shit all over the place. Most of the time, the cats I encounter aren't chasing or hunting. They're sitting on my window ledge trying to get in. They're huddled on my porch in the middle of a snowstorm because no one is home at their place to let them in. They're scarfing down bowls of kibble that I put out when I wasn't sure if they had homes at all. They're trying to drink out of my inground pool and not fall in. Many neighbours hate the outdoor cats - and turn hoses on them (at best), throw things at them, or call the humane society to retrieve them. I don't know how a cat can 'adapt' to that.
posted by VioletU at 8:36 AM on November 13, 2015 [7 favorites]
Most of our cats have been indoor/outdoor cats. One of them some years ago was a super-cat, familiar with the likes of snakes, hawks, eagles, coyotes and foxes. She lived a long time (about 15 years), then decided to lie down one morning on our front porch and die.
Our present crew (6 cats) are a mixed bunch. Three of them use our cat-door at will. One of them uses it only in the summer--this one comes back inside to use the goddam litter box. The other two are strictly outside cats. All these cats were feral. One of them is still batshit wild, but hangs around with our mob, and shares the security of our back yard with them. The other, though we don't let him in the house, is almost doglike in his affection for mrs mule.
Don't bother to sort this mob out. My message here is that all six have a different way of associating with mrs mule and me. They probably each have a different agenda when the slip through the cat door.
We live at the edge of town near a small creek that services all sorts of wildlife, although I've never seen a bear in the neighborhood. Wild cats make a decent living along the river. Our cats don't hunt birds much anymore--they bring them home to show us when they've made a kill. The number of trophies of this sort amounts to a couple of birds per year. They may not bring all their kills home. I'm pretty sure the rodent population in the woods near our house contains only vigilant survivors: our cats are not the only critters that like gophers and groundhogs. One of our cats, Snyps, likes to kill snakes and bring them home for us. She does that about once or twice every summer. So far she's seems uninterested in birds. Our youngest, The Little Bastard, specializes in hummingbirds. He gets one or two per summer.
I expect that all these guys won't live quite as long as they might if we kept them indoors all the time. Most of them have been with us for about six years now (we captured them after the cat hoarder down the street was institutionalized, and the mob migrated to a place of safety under our back deck). I'm not trying to preach, but our sensibilities are best served by letting this crew decide for itself when to come and go.
I like it that they have their cat adventures yet they call mrs mule and I pals, warm laps, and reliable face-pillows. I understand that dangers await them in the forest outside, but the major horror, traffic, isn't an issue here. We love our critters, and will mourn any of them that fail to return home in the evening, or at dawn, from whatever it is they do out there.
posted by mule98J at 9:49 AM on November 13, 2015
Our present crew (6 cats) are a mixed bunch. Three of them use our cat-door at will. One of them uses it only in the summer--this one comes back inside to use the goddam litter box. The other two are strictly outside cats. All these cats were feral. One of them is still batshit wild, but hangs around with our mob, and shares the security of our back yard with them. The other, though we don't let him in the house, is almost doglike in his affection for mrs mule.
Don't bother to sort this mob out. My message here is that all six have a different way of associating with mrs mule and me. They probably each have a different agenda when the slip through the cat door.
We live at the edge of town near a small creek that services all sorts of wildlife, although I've never seen a bear in the neighborhood. Wild cats make a decent living along the river. Our cats don't hunt birds much anymore--they bring them home to show us when they've made a kill. The number of trophies of this sort amounts to a couple of birds per year. They may not bring all their kills home. I'm pretty sure the rodent population in the woods near our house contains only vigilant survivors: our cats are not the only critters that like gophers and groundhogs. One of our cats, Snyps, likes to kill snakes and bring them home for us. She does that about once or twice every summer. So far she's seems uninterested in birds. Our youngest, The Little Bastard, specializes in hummingbirds. He gets one or two per summer.
I expect that all these guys won't live quite as long as they might if we kept them indoors all the time. Most of them have been with us for about six years now (we captured them after the cat hoarder down the street was institutionalized, and the mob migrated to a place of safety under our back deck). I'm not trying to preach, but our sensibilities are best served by letting this crew decide for itself when to come and go.
I like it that they have their cat adventures yet they call mrs mule and I pals, warm laps, and reliable face-pillows. I understand that dangers await them in the forest outside, but the major horror, traffic, isn't an issue here. We love our critters, and will mourn any of them that fail to return home in the evening, or at dawn, from whatever it is they do out there.
posted by mule98J at 9:49 AM on November 13, 2015
I hear you on your hesitation to ask a question like this hear, but let's be clear: being given information that you may not want to hear is not malice. I hope my response doesn't sound a bit like malice, either.
You're not irresponsible or cruel for letting your cat outside. Most experts agree, though, that limiting or controlling and supervising cats' outdoor time is far better than allowing total outdoor access for cats. The response you indicated was the best answer above has some issues in this regard. Mostly this bit:
And although I've never participated in the Very-Self-Righteous discussions of outdoor cats, I personally think it's inhumane to keep a cat inside all its life. Prison is prison, no matter how many cute toys litter the floor. And I know the statistics, but have never seen any evidence of cats killing the birds at our feeder, but have actually watched hawks eat two birds. Of course personal experience doesn't trump statistics, but it does seem you're asking about what to worry about concerning letting your cats outside.
This is a Very Self Righteous response, and one that the American Veterinary Medical Association disagrees with. Personal feelings can inform statistics, but they cannot change them. Those statistics aren't obtuse, they're clear: outdoor cats are a reality and there's no judgment if you keep your cat outdoors, just as it is a reality that outdoor cats die from trauma more often than do indoor cats. Indoor cats do not suffer from living indoors, and indoor cats can very easily go outside while leashed or otherwise attended. It's the unattended part that's the rub. And lastly, confirmation bias has a much stronger pull than does frank assessment of these issues.
I work with animals. I've volunteered with animal shelters since 1997 and have been a dog/cat foster since about 2004. Part of my volunteering includes rotating through the emergency pager (an actual, old-school pager!) to help get animals in distress in my area to a vet. I get paged when someone in my immediate vicinity has (for example) seen a cat hit by a car that isn't dead and can't/doesn't know how to/won't take the cat to the vet. So I put on thick gloves, grab two towels and a carrier, and head out. I'm not here to tell you horror stories, but you probably already know them. In general, predators (commonly dogs, coyotes where I live now), other cats, and cars are the main culprits. There's also a lot of cast off or feral cats, though, who end up malnourished or ill or so burdened by parasite load that they stop being able to eat or pee or what have you. More than half the trips I take end at a vet for immediate euthanasia (and most of the other half are already dead by the time I arrive). The majority of cats in these situations aren't RFID tagged or wearing ID (or the collar is missing). Perhaps more informative is the number of calls shelters get looking for missing cats. The ones I see via the pager are a tiny minority of the total number of cats who vanish or die out of sight. And then again, it's very well documented that when missing unidentified cats do make it to a shelter, they're very rarely picked up by an owner (we're talking single digit recovery rates).
If you're going to give your cat unfettered outdoor access, especially overnight, measures like chipping would help you increase the odds you can control in your favor. But recognize that it's well established that the greater amount of access cats have to the outdoors (especially overnight) the shorter their average life spans become.
I did the stats work on an AVMA paper (that touches on outdoor cat life expectancy) back when I was in grad school that you might find relevant. I'd be happy to send you a copy if you memail me an email address but otherwise don't want to put my name out there for the masses.
Best!
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 11:30 AM on November 13, 2015 [3 favorites]
You're not irresponsible or cruel for letting your cat outside. Most experts agree, though, that limiting or controlling and supervising cats' outdoor time is far better than allowing total outdoor access for cats. The response you indicated was the best answer above has some issues in this regard. Mostly this bit:
And although I've never participated in the Very-Self-Righteous discussions of outdoor cats, I personally think it's inhumane to keep a cat inside all its life. Prison is prison, no matter how many cute toys litter the floor. And I know the statistics, but have never seen any evidence of cats killing the birds at our feeder, but have actually watched hawks eat two birds. Of course personal experience doesn't trump statistics, but it does seem you're asking about what to worry about concerning letting your cats outside.
This is a Very Self Righteous response, and one that the American Veterinary Medical Association disagrees with. Personal feelings can inform statistics, but they cannot change them. Those statistics aren't obtuse, they're clear: outdoor cats are a reality and there's no judgment if you keep your cat outdoors, just as it is a reality that outdoor cats die from trauma more often than do indoor cats. Indoor cats do not suffer from living indoors, and indoor cats can very easily go outside while leashed or otherwise attended. It's the unattended part that's the rub. And lastly, confirmation bias has a much stronger pull than does frank assessment of these issues.
I work with animals. I've volunteered with animal shelters since 1997 and have been a dog/cat foster since about 2004. Part of my volunteering includes rotating through the emergency pager (an actual, old-school pager!) to help get animals in distress in my area to a vet. I get paged when someone in my immediate vicinity has (for example) seen a cat hit by a car that isn't dead and can't/doesn't know how to/won't take the cat to the vet. So I put on thick gloves, grab two towels and a carrier, and head out. I'm not here to tell you horror stories, but you probably already know them. In general, predators (commonly dogs, coyotes where I live now), other cats, and cars are the main culprits. There's also a lot of cast off or feral cats, though, who end up malnourished or ill or so burdened by parasite load that they stop being able to eat or pee or what have you. More than half the trips I take end at a vet for immediate euthanasia (and most of the other half are already dead by the time I arrive). The majority of cats in these situations aren't RFID tagged or wearing ID (or the collar is missing). Perhaps more informative is the number of calls shelters get looking for missing cats. The ones I see via the pager are a tiny minority of the total number of cats who vanish or die out of sight. And then again, it's very well documented that when missing unidentified cats do make it to a shelter, they're very rarely picked up by an owner (we're talking single digit recovery rates).
If you're going to give your cat unfettered outdoor access, especially overnight, measures like chipping would help you increase the odds you can control in your favor. But recognize that it's well established that the greater amount of access cats have to the outdoors (especially overnight) the shorter their average life spans become.
I did the stats work on an AVMA paper (that touches on outdoor cat life expectancy) back when I was in grad school that you might find relevant. I'd be happy to send you a copy if you memail me an email address but otherwise don't want to put my name out there for the masses.
Best!
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 11:30 AM on November 13, 2015 [3 favorites]
My parents successfully transitioned my indoor/outdoor cat into an outdoor only one and I am quite glad they did. She has been very healthy. However, they had several dogs who they let roam around, despite any attempt on my part to get them to actually use leashes, etc. (in a very wooded suburban area set far off from the road, as far as I could tell they never went to the road). One of the vanished after a few years. Two of them developed weird stomach/intestinal/liver things after eating rotten deer/other woodland carcasses. They both made it to 13, but were on medications for the last several years. Now, cats are more hunters than scavengers, but I wouldn't discount the possibility of them picking up not-fun parasites and requiring treatment and possibly have long term complications. Knowing that a small rodent has something nasty is not something they can always know, and cats do sometimes take bites out of what they kill.
On the other hand, an ex of mine had two indoor/outdoor cats when she was younger that made it to 15+ living in the regular old suburbs around Boston. They seldom left the yard though.
On the third hand, a friend of my dad's who was a birder told him triumphantly of a coyote den found with over twenty cat collars in it, also around Boston.
I suspect you're west of the east coast, but western coyotes can snack on cats as easily as eastern ones. It is a gamble, one that I think is not a good one, but that doesn't mean they won't live long lives.
posted by Hactar at 11:44 AM on November 13, 2015
On the other hand, an ex of mine had two indoor/outdoor cats when she was younger that made it to 15+ living in the regular old suburbs around Boston. They seldom left the yard though.
On the third hand, a friend of my dad's who was a birder told him triumphantly of a coyote den found with over twenty cat collars in it, also around Boston.
I suspect you're west of the east coast, but western coyotes can snack on cats as easily as eastern ones. It is a gamble, one that I think is not a good one, but that doesn't mean they won't live long lives.
posted by Hactar at 11:44 AM on November 13, 2015
can I rest easy and assume that now they've survived a long time, they essentially know how to stay safe?
No.
it is a reality that outdoor cats die from trauma more often than do indoor cats... Indoor cats do not suffer from living indoors
Animal physician, can confirm. I don't see a lot of outdoor cats on emergency because they typically die before I can get my hands on them. Cats die of vehicular trauma, predation and other animal (sometimes human) attacks, parasites, malnutrition, chronic disease gone unseen, or they simply disappear, never to be seen or heard from again.
I couldn't live with that. It is so easily preventable. Keep your cat indoors.
there's no judgment if you keep your cat outdoors
As much judgement as when you don't put your dog on heartworm preventative, or let your golden retriever run on the beach 2 days out from insertion of a plate on its femur, or don't spay your cat because you want your kids to experience the miracle of life.
It is irresponsible guardianship of an animal you are beholden to protect. The worst (and more rarely, the best) part of veterinary medicine is the people.
posted by Seppaku at 8:34 AM on November 14, 2015 [4 favorites]
No.
it is a reality that outdoor cats die from trauma more often than do indoor cats... Indoor cats do not suffer from living indoors
Animal physician, can confirm. I don't see a lot of outdoor cats on emergency because they typically die before I can get my hands on them. Cats die of vehicular trauma, predation and other animal (sometimes human) attacks, parasites, malnutrition, chronic disease gone unseen, or they simply disappear, never to be seen or heard from again.
I couldn't live with that. It is so easily preventable. Keep your cat indoors.
there's no judgment if you keep your cat outdoors
As much judgement as when you don't put your dog on heartworm preventative, or let your golden retriever run on the beach 2 days out from insertion of a plate on its femur, or don't spay your cat because you want your kids to experience the miracle of life.
It is irresponsible guardianship of an animal you are beholden to protect. The worst (and more rarely, the best) part of veterinary medicine is the people.
posted by Seppaku at 8:34 AM on November 14, 2015 [4 favorites]
My originally indoor cat has been indoor/outdoor since August when I moved to the country. She's had a huge shift in her personality. We lived in apartments before, and although I constantly played with her she was EXTREMELY aggressive with people and other animals. She would fly across the room to gnaw on someone's shoulder, that kind of thing (on the flip side - she cuddled up to my head in bed every night and was absurdly affectionate with her Inner Circle). This was daily and I think she was miserable.
Since transitioning to indoor/outdoor she has chilled waaaaay the fuck out. She lets my boyfriends dog stick his snout all up in her business while she lazily lounges in front of the fire - he used to jump on our laps to get away from her - and she saunters around the house like she couldn't care less. The difference is really night and day. And as its getting colder here and she's spending more time inside - her aggression is ramping up again.
I do understand when you take ownership of a pet her life is your responsibility. And for the first few years of my cats life I felt that I needed to keep her around as long as possible. But I think quality of life really matters too, and I know my cat is happier to be outside. There's no question.
She might die from a car, a coyote or a poisoned bowl of cat food, so be it. Call me a bad cat mom. But I really think therein lies the problem... cats do not care about being part of the family. They want to hunt and roam. I don't think it's callous to be OK with the reality that your outdoor cat is more likely to die from something other than old age. I think she'd prefer to go out that way.
posted by pintapicasso at 6:50 PM on November 14, 2015
Since transitioning to indoor/outdoor she has chilled waaaaay the fuck out. She lets my boyfriends dog stick his snout all up in her business while she lazily lounges in front of the fire - he used to jump on our laps to get away from her - and she saunters around the house like she couldn't care less. The difference is really night and day. And as its getting colder here and she's spending more time inside - her aggression is ramping up again.
I do understand when you take ownership of a pet her life is your responsibility. And for the first few years of my cats life I felt that I needed to keep her around as long as possible. But I think quality of life really matters too, and I know my cat is happier to be outside. There's no question.
She might die from a car, a coyote or a poisoned bowl of cat food, so be it. Call me a bad cat mom. But I really think therein lies the problem... cats do not care about being part of the family. They want to hunt and roam. I don't think it's callous to be OK with the reality that your outdoor cat is more likely to die from something other than old age. I think she'd prefer to go out that way.
posted by pintapicasso at 6:50 PM on November 14, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
We had a cat that was 100% indoors for the first few years of his life and gradually taught him to play and fight and avoid. Had an unlucky argument with a car but came home to die; but we noticed him when he came in and got him to the emergency vet and saved him.
posted by tilde at 6:03 PM on November 12, 2015 [3 favorites]