Indoor Cat Vs. Outdoor Cat?

[@laughingbehelit]

Hi Jackson, my wife and I live in an apartment. We have an indoor cat who used to be super agitated all the time and didn't like to be pet. We tried your methods regarding catification and scheduling daily play time into feeding time. It took a few weeks, but the results are incredible! Our cat has become much more cuddly and confident. So thank you for helping us understand her and improving life at home for the 3 of us, soon to be 4. Cheers from France!

[@emmsnins9571]

Bonne nouvelle pour votre chat! Et félicitations bien sûr!

[@OfficialReve]

@@banger2998 Did you actually watched the video? Nobody is arguing whether to keep cat indoor or outdoor, just what are the benefits and dangers of both. That's all, it's mostly how your cat acts and what are your preferences. Basically, for me, it depends of your surroundings. I have a very happy indoor cat and I live in an apartment that is surrounded by high traffic and lots of stray dogs roaming the streets (some of them attack people as well) and I shouldn't mention all the other diseases and dangers laying around. Should I just let her go then? She wouldn't survive few days out there. Of course, we try to provide everything, every day, with regular playing time, toys, quality and healthy food, as much as she needs. We also made protection on windows that she can't go through and she loves to sit by it. It's all about knowing your cat and try to keep it happy, wherever she is.

[@lysahudson7570]

@@banger2998 I don't think it's really fair to jump to that conclusion, especially considering there are cats that have never been outdoor cats. My cat, for instance, was in a home where she wasn't properly taken care of. They treat animals like accessories there. They let me adopt her, and she's never been outside of the house. Even after months of trying to get her outside with a leash and harness on just so she could be familiar with our area before I let her come and go, she's not interested. The outdoors is something she prefers to watch through the windows. I would give her treats outside and play with her outside to make it a more positive space, because I thought the same thing as you, you know, but she's just an indoor cat. At the end of the day, cats are more than capable of conveying how they feel about something, and we're just here to make sure they're happy. Also, not everyone that has an indoor cat keeps their cat completely indoors. While mine isn't interested in walks outside, or being outside in general, I have a couple friends that walk their cats and the cats get to enjoy the best of both worlds while being safe. An owner that is interested in their cats well-being will do the research necessary and make sure that their cat can have a fulfilling life and a long one.

[@laughingbehelit]

@@banger2998 I understand your concern. We hesitated to adopt her because of that very issue, but she'd have been sent to a shelter otherwise, so we took her in and haven't regretted a second of it. Still, you're right, it is unnatural keeping cats indoors, so is neutering them btw. I can even make the case it's always been unnatural to domesticate wild animals altogether, so having them indoors is just one step further. I guess we have to be pragmatic and deal with the world as it is, not as it should be ideally. Also don't underestimate cats, they're very adaptable creatures. Our cat has never knows otherwise and she is a very playful and cuddly little feline with guardians who constantly try to make her life as enjoyable as possible. Our apartment is fairly sized, highly catified, and we have a balcony which she loves to look at the world from and she could easily escape if she were miserable, but I guess she realizes her chances of survival on the traffic heavy streets are very tiny. She also gets yearly vacation time at my in-laws who have a garden, but even there she spends most, if not all of her time inside.

[@MM-Iconoclast]

Jackson should have added 'make sure your cats are spayed or neutered' to his list of things for outdoor cats. Yes, it's obvious, but so important that it still needed to be said.

[@imakaren7671]

Should tell that to my neighbor 😂 i tried myself but she's such a jerk.

[@yatshie8717]

I live in Germany and here you have to neutere/spay your cats BY LAW (only if they can go outdoors) because our shelters were overflown with unwanted kittens.

[@aryore2411]

@@yatshie8717 Good, that's how it should be

[@tlst94]

How'd he forget about that?

[@HeathersaMommyful]

I'm a vet tech and I adopted one of our patients after he required an amputation due to someone shooting him as a stray. 😭 But now he is indoor living his best life! ❤️🐈

[@ShivaLadiva-sb9nw]

Bravo

[@michaelsaintz]

I've always thought that keeping my cat indoors was in both our best interests. However, my current cat is a 3 year old Maine Coon, I took him in from the outside after being abandoned, malnourished and bullied by other outdoor cats. Although I believe he is happy being indoors most of the time, he still has the yearning for being outside and just being a cat. It's the only thing he actually asks for by his meows, his body language and sitting at the door. I put him on a leash and harness and take him outside for at least an hour, it's his time so I let him control the walk but I control his safety but I let him do whatever he would do if he was outdoors alone unless there's danger. He listens incredibly well when I tell him no, follow me or you can't go there. He now lets me know when he's done and heads for the door and I praise him for being a good boy and I give him a good boy treat and he is content to stay inside the rest of the time. He has windows to look out, plenty of toys, cat trees, scratching posts and pads to keep him entertained inside. This way we're both happy.

[@CristanioPeweyyy]

They're not actually since they ain't getting enough exercise.

[@samfunfun646]

@@CristanioPeweyyy shut up

[@s.d774]

That's nice, it sounds like he's staying safe and getting outside!

[@dianemanna771]

I would really love to see a picture of your Maine coon a lll bet he is beautiful and you are a very good for owner tacking him in and tacking such good care of him you deserve a glod star l mean that in a good way

[@michaelsaintz]

Since this post one year ago I started noticing a behavioral change and what appeared to be a depression. I was going to adopt a kitten but I discovered a beautiful older (about 7ish) orange cat that had given birth to her now last litter. She was a fostered rescue that had been abused and was informed she need a home. I abandoned the kitten idea and adopted this beautiful girl. Her and my 1st cat get along perfectly and they play together, chase each other and rest together. We're all happy and her first 7 years were traumatic but the rest of her life she'll live like a princes. I've updated the photo to show both.

[@lynnbarns8051]

You forgot to add, "make sure your cat is fixed". BTW...I have 3, indoor!

[@DrCatdeJong]

Haha yep, mine is allowed to go outdoors but i'm not waiting for people on my doorstep with black and white kittens asking for kittensupport lol

[@StainedBrain]

I heard that 90% of cat owners fix their cats, but there's still so many unwanted litters.. 😕

[@krisniznik3953]

@@StainedBrain That 10% can produce a whole lot of kittens! Plus many kittens are born to street cats.

[@StainedBrain]

@@krisniznik3953 Yeah! 2 of my sister's coworkers cat's had litters recently. People should really just fix their dang cats!

[@krisniznik3953]

@@StainedBrain I have 4 fosters in my bathroom right now. It's unbelievable how many there are all the time! They are so stinkin' cute though!

[@victoriablake3826]

Some time ago I rescued this feral kitten that had been abandoned by its mom. I didn’t own any other cats so the kitten grew up around dogs and I think to a certain extent believed himself to be a dog. So, when we’d let our dogs out he wanted to be out too. Eventually we just always left our garden door open so he’d go out in the morning, come back around midday to curl up with me for a nap, leave in the afternoon and comeback at night. I felt pretty safe about cause our house is near the end of our street (so limited cars), we don’t have any big predators in the area and we have a large backyard/lot so I figured he’d generally stay in the area and not wander too far. All was fine and good until he didn’t come home one day. I looked for days and when I did ‘find him’ I realized one of the neighbors had left poison out for him. No matter how safe you think your area is, you can never account for human cruelty. Your cat might be smart enough to fend off/avoid most dangers but they’re pretty much defenseless against thought out/intentional harm. Any cat I get from now on is going to be strictly indoors only.

[@adde9506]

You should have called the police. That's animal cruelty. And really a good argument for knowing your neighbors, even if it's just knowing them enough to stay away.

[@SA-hi5sc]

I'm so sorry that happened to you :( that breaks my heart. What horrid neighbors. Report them for animal cruelty. Nasty people.

[@madomtomlinson]

I was always worried that my old neighbors were going to leave poison out for my cats. Thank gosh they didn’t and that they are gone now (being the neighbors), but still. I am sorry that happened.

[@linzum1812]

Add E the police can’t really do anything with circumstantial evidence. Even if proven there won’t be any arrests. The punishment for animal cruelty is usually just a fine. As for knowing your neighbors-no one can ever really know their neighbors, at least not to where they would tell you if they planned on killing your pet.

[@codirennke1109]

That is so horrible. Something I've never thought of before. I'm sorry you had to go through that.

[@terriimel2682]

I'm lucky to live on a gravel road, slow traffic and of course the noise of the wheels. Had an indoor/outdoor cat that lived 19 yrs!

[@tinycrimester]

Same here. Our first cat lived to 18, died of old age, and the second one seems to be following the same trend. Female cats, especially spayed ones, have relatively tiny ranges compared to intact males.

[@marcusmalone]

Absolutely. It really depends on the context. A smart owner will know if the outside enviornment is reasonably safe. Part of the reason the lifespan average is so low is because of idiots who shouldn't have cats.

[@Miluielle]

Yep I've had three indoor /outdoor cats living to 18, 16 and 16 and still going strong. The 18 year old died of kidney disease/old age, the 16 year old had a lung tumor. Definitely agree that it is people who shouldn't have cats and who've taken no time to care about their cat's outdoor safety.

[@GadGetHackss]

@@Miluielle I don't understand.. can the cats be let out on their own and they'll come back? What if they get lost

[@Mortalis2]

@@GadGetHackss Cats dont normally "get lost". they wander. They find their way back by scent. Cats know a good thing when they have it, like, a food source. The reason cats left outside dont return are for all the reasons Jackson points for why they shouldnt go out. I had two indoor/outdoor cats that were both harness trained and would go on tethers. I would actually take them for walks in the woods that surround the property on their leashes. they grew up together. One of them passed away from natural causes and the other was quite obviously missing its house mate. One day shortly after the one had passed I was outside with him, off his leash and I turned my back for 2 minutes and he was gone. He was "missing" for two weeks. He showed back up at the back porch door, full of ticks and fleas but actually no worse for wear. I assume he went looking for his house mate.

[@Bobbotov]

I have had cats for forty years. At first I didn't think much about whether I should let them out. Then after many years of letting cats out and losing all of them to cars, coyotes, and evil people I finally made up my mind to not let them out. Instead I built a cat enclosure on the back of my house. This allowed the cats to be outside and yet completely safe. They loved it and some of them spend entire days in it, sometimes even in the rain. Now, I have five cats and they are so trained to stay indoors even if I accidentally leave a door open they will not go outside. Also, added benefit, my indoor cats don't get fleas anymore.

[@LiaRaye]

I'm glad to see this evolution. You're a good pet owner

[@earsup5664]

Dented take, people live in places without yards like apartment btw. Hate 99% of the cat owners cuz they dont do things your way xd

[@rybuds47]

Thats a great idea, i cant imagine having the insane senses of a cat and being locked in a box my whole life. You are an awesome person for doing that.😊

[@luisapaza317]

I have a decent enough space for a patio. I was thinking of building an enclosure for my future cats there. All of my cats eventually died by having their life outside, males are the ones who die faster 😢

[@yatshie8717]

@Blackout_CDXX you know that some people have apartments, right?? I live on second floor and at least I was able to give my cats a nice balcony. There are so many cars and dogs without leashes that I'm sure they will die quickly if I let them outside especially since I can't control that they can come in freely as I'm not allowed to put cat doors into my door or the building's door. Now you could say "then don't have cats" and even if that may be a valid point - firstly: It's too late for that now, secondly: That's still better than being in the small shelter cage were I got them from.

[@13jq5ll]

I totally agree. I’ve heard people online calling indoor cat owners “evil” and “cruel”, which made my blood boil. And this is why: My cats were outdoor cats for a few years. During that time, my oldest cat got into many dangerous fights and was threatened with euthanasia by one of my neighbors(who made no effort to protect her cat and really just wanted a reason to sue). He has a very uncomfortable chronic ear infection from his time outdoors that will never go away. He was also stolen(and luckily returned) and even arrested(yes, someone arrested my cat just for being outside). My other outdoor cat went missing years ago and just the feeling of not knowing if he was dead, homeless, or stolen was torture. We haven’t seen him in years, and his sister misses him very much. For all of these reasons, my family switched them to living indoors. I’m not against outdoor cats, it just didn’t work for us and it’s ignorant to judge people who keep their cats inside.

[@thebossrealm]

Ava Wolchuk our barn cats often make it to around 14 we got one that’s around 17 for an outdoor cat. You need to know how to handle an outdoor cat.

[@miss1of2]

@@thebossrealm if you have a barn you're on the country side. So there's less dangers! Less car to hit then, less cat to fight then! Nothing to do with "handling an outdoor cat"

[@thebossrealm]

miss1of2 we have smaller hawks and are not far from a highway

[@jonasdickmann220]

Do you live in the US? Everything in Germany is fucking countryside

[@thebossrealm]

Kaina jones that sounds a ok to me sorry about the scare we have had that a couple times with barn cats. Our older 1 went away for a week and came back with a big muskrat (big pest and highly dangerous in our area) she used to be in a feral cat colony so she has a lot of experience in surviving. We have an active yote hunting license in the area so they don’t come close to buildings or open areas at all. Barn cats may be outdoor but they have a home base either the barn for the 2 younger ones or in a little dog house on the porch by the house that the elder has claimed. They come back when food time comes or we just call them if they are late they normally come sometimes they can be a few hours late but that’s mostly the worst. Occasionally they go out on big hunt trips or territory walking and don’t come back for about 2 days. Actually one of the younger ones got lost following the old cat out to her territory and just hid for 2 days and when she found the old cat again followed her back out. As much as the old one hates dealing with other cats and prefers to be alone she seems to help them when needed.

[@ghoultiful]

There are coyotes near me and a bunch of major roads. Indoor cats only for me!

[@AmyLSacks]

We have the same issues, but our backyard is fenced in. So we'll let our guy out but then each of us will stand at the opposite end of the yard so he can run around, but he can't get past us to slip under the fence. (He tries, though. :D) What's hilarious is he wants to go out the front all the time, too, but we're on a main road & he's deathly scared of bus and truck noises. I don't know how to explain to him that the vehicles can't get him so long as he's inside.

[@joannemazurek9075]

We have coyotes nearby and we have an irresponsible neighbor whose cat is continuously popping out babies so it's a matter of time before the disaster of the coyotes getting a kitten meal becomes a reality if it already hasn't.

[@savanahstrange]

Same! We have bobcats and hawks.

[@AmyLSacks]

@@joannemazurek9075 That sucks. :(

[@knmid]

@@joannemazurek9075 Call animal control

[@stressedkitty]

4 indoor cats who have playtime in the backyard with me daily :) couldn't bare the thought of them wandering on their own into a car or a dog

[@holistic7980]

That's crazy. I think it depends on where you live to determine if it's dangerous or not.

[@Amber_Oakheart]

Same thing in my house, 2 older cats fully backyard trained and 3 kitties that are getting trained for the backyard on their leash. I like letting them get fresh air and play in the garden but its always supervised. :D

[@pattymckibben8783]

Our two cats have supervised, daily backyard play as well.

[@sfleur962]

I feel exactly the same. My boy can spend some time in the backyard with his harness and leash but no roaming for the young sir. Twice he escaped to mark the neighboring gardens and although it was just a few minutes and I could see him, I was worried sick because let's be honest the worst danger for cats is people who hate animals and they're numerous unhappily!

[@CatBuddiesTV]

I got 3 indoor cats as well. It's safer to keep them indoor I think. We catify our house our cats! 👍

[@Avalikia]

My first cat was indoor/outdoor - we let her in and out as she pleased. She got the occasional infected scratch, but was otherwise in good health until she was 15 years old, eventually dying of cancer, so I didn't see why letting a cat roam free outside was such a big deal. Then we got my second cat who was a sweetheart - about a year old when we adopted her from the shelter. Which would have made her 3 years old when, after not seeing her for a couple of days, we found her walking at a snail's pace and severely dehydrated. We rushed her to an emergency vet, who did some tests and determined that, basically, her kidneys were wrecked. The vet said this most likely happened if she ingested something toxic, most likely anti-freeze, and that there was nothing that could be done. This is why my third cat is indoor only.

[@froggamer4884]

Because you are letting an invasive species outside and it will kill birds, lizards, frogs, toads, snakes, rodents, and more for sport. They are incredibly good killers and have contributed greatly to the extinction of many species. It is illegal to release an invasive species but call it a domesticated cat and it's suddenly okay.

[@IeremiasMoore-El]

@@froggamer4884 you must be fun at parties!

[@RajaReign78]

All my outdoor cats were hit by cars and killed when I was a child, so as an adult all my cats stay indoors only.

[@nancysherburne7445]

I was going to bring that up in my own comment but I will type it here. My twin sister and I were too young to understand how our parents were putting the lives of the family cats (two at a time) at risk by letting them outside. Each year it seemed the two, at different times, were run over by cars on the road not far from where we lived. Every year it seemed we would adopt two new cats. We lived in Connecticut so they were usually Maine Coons. I believe it was not until I moved from there to Arizona when I finally woke up to the fact that, as Jackson said, indoor cats lived longer lives. Because my current apartment has a partially fenced-in yard I did let my cat out there but I was outside with him so he never came to any harm. Otherwise, all my cats were kept indoors at all times except for a pair I owned years back that I would walk while they wore harnesses and leashes. just be sure you do as Jackson recommends and catify your home so you can bring some of the outdoors inside.

[@slavicapybara_7892]

Well i live in a village so my cats go out all the time and they never got injured or killed

[@gatocat2387]

RajaReign78 I can understand that

[@CalvesFanatic]

Really? We have 2 that are about 8 years old, and have never been hit. We’re up a long enough passage, but still

[@ImToob]

I had a car who was outdoors most of the time. He lived till 17 nothing ever happened. I think it might be because I live in a small town and he was also nearly always outside at night when there was no traffic. Doing the same with my cat right now and he also stays very close to the house max 10-20 meters away. I still don’t feel totally comfortable with him being outside so I’m trying to get my parents to let me walk him.

[@sneezersmom]

I agree with you about keeping my cats indoors. Especially since I live in an apartment.

[@pawsnotclaws2772]

Joemamapinkandsqueaky same

[@thecelticcrone7927]

Joemamapinkandsqueaky I live in an Apartment too.... However, I have 3 that are Obsessed with what’s Downstairs!!! So, I just Go Out WITH Them. It’s a Whole Lot EASIER than trying to Reclaim Them from my Downstairs Neighbor’s Patio, after They Have JUMPED OFF my Balcony!!!🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😂

[@cathyconey3273]

I got my first kitten and he is four months old stays in apartment

[@AmyLSacks]

@@thecelticcrone7927 Several years ago, I saw an apartment cat almost fall from a balcony/fire escape only 2-3 stories up from the street. Several of us were having breakfast in a cafe' across the street, and we all saw it. Very scary, but at least Kitty was able to pull themselves back up and to safety at the last minute.

[@thecelticcrone7927]

Amy L. Sacks Oh My!!!! My balcony is only 1 Story Down, and there are Bushes right underneath. Mine don’t so much ‘Fall’ as JUMP!🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@alexdebrema3977]

My cat is both... she's also kinda the alpha of our area and just recently stopped leaving our house and the garden.. She's 18 btw..

[@littleboots9800]

Lol. My girls the boss of her patch too. Doesn't stray far, daytime mostly the garden, or lying on the garden wall watching who goes by, getting head scratches from old ladies. Night time she's further from home mousing but only the surrounding streets. She likes to patrol!

[@aviendha1154]

Ah my boy was the top cat of the area. Only cats allowed on his patch were his buds. Felt bad when we moved.

[@Vinny-bb2tj]

I got my outside cats a tractive GPS collar it's only 5 bucks a month. I can track my cat on my phone or computer best thing I ever bought

[@Kitties_are_pretty]

​@@Vinny-bb2tj That's cool. The government put one of those devices in my skin so they can tell where I am all the time. Why did you put the tracking device on your cat, did your cat get too close to the truth too?

[@ras_krystafari3333]

This thread is what's up for a truly fullfilled and faithful cat human relationship

[@silverseedcat]

We did a cat fencing system in the backyard and I cannot recommend it enough. Our lives and our cats life is changed completely. Everyone is finally happy. AND safe.

[@amar2933]

how does that work? is it difficult to install?

[@Stratiis]

And it stops your cat getting shot by feral cat hunters mistaking it for a feral cat! 👍

[@sj4iy]

We've had both indoor/outdoor cats, but we were on a farm. The 'outdoor cats' we had were feral cats that moved into our barn...we tamed them enough to neuter/spay/vaccinate them, then allowed them to live in the barn to keep the mice down. They hunted and we would feed them (although they hunted most of the time). Basically, they had a job to do, and they did it very well...they were never really 'pets'. Our grain stores were safer with them around, and on a farm, it's important to have working animals. Even if they weren't pets, we were still sad when they died. We did have a few 'pet cats' that lived indoors, but they were few and far between (my mom was never big on animals in the house but she did like cats).

[@Firstfalconfree]

Yeah, same. We have our indoor cats, and we also have a couple indoor/outdoor that live mostly in the barn. They are working animals, just like my Livestock Guardian Dog who also lives outside (and protects the cats from predators, as well as the livestock). That doesn't mean we don't care about them, or don't want them to have good lives, but that everyone has to pitch in to make the farm work. Although best laid plans are subject to change, haha. My best outdoor hunting cat decided she'd rather be an indoor cat with my parents next door, since they didn't have any other cats- LOL. Then my new bottle kitten, that was meant to be a barn kitten, had an accident (while indoors!) and became paraplegic. Move another one to the indoor category. ;)

[@sj4iy]

@@Firstfalconfree True, we occasionally would get a pregnant feral cat that had kittens which we fully tamed and either made indoor cats or rehomed (then we'd get the mom spayed and vaccinated). But for the most part, our outdoor cats lived long lives (9-12 years on averages) because they did stay in our yard and had a whole barn to themselves. But yeah, working animals have jobs to do, and even if they don't become 'pets', they are just as important as pets.

[@kenwaid8239]

To cats that’s not working not at all. my mother was born on my grandfathers farm and I’ve got a picture of all the barn cats lined up while he’s milking the cow and he spraying some milk all over their faces he noticed there was one cat didn’t join the others for the milk spray then he discovered there was a minor leak in the cream separator hose and that Cat would post up there and clean up whatever dripped down since he was only losing an ounce or so my grandfather just let it be and let the cat enjoy having the best

[@izzikat9252]

Yeah, farm cats are really their own category.

[@professorbutters]

sj4iy Working cats are a whole different kettle of fish and there is still a place for them. In fact, there are street cats who would make lousy pets but who are fabulous at finding “jobs.” Once in a while, one will decide they want to be *your cat* and the heck with work. Then you have a cat.

[@rutheirhart4190]

My indoor/outdoor cats lived to ages 18 and 20. I know we were very lucky. When I got another cat from the shelter, I intended to keep him indoors all the time. He didn't agree. After weeks and weeks of the battle to try to keep him in, we gave up. He never uses the litter box, but goes out to take care of business. He has set himself a pretty regular schedule. He is microchipped. I just have to hope for the best and give him plenty of love so he always wants to come home.

[@kweli05]

My family's outdoor cats lived to over 20 years, and the current one is 17.

[@lisac9522]

Our indoor/outdoor cat is about 10. She came to us this way. We too lost the battle to keep her inside, but have the comfort of knowing that when she’s outside, she keeps to the front and back yard. It happened gradually. She knows it’s her yard and house and is very happy. Long story short, she is as happy and safe as we can make her so we’re not planning on attempting to force her to be an indoor only cat again.

[@YoSoFunnyx3]

My former cat lived to 21, and the cats at my moms house now are currently 14 and still going. I think it really just depends on the location.

[@kropotkinnie]

@@2plus2cats We've had indoor/outdoor for over fourty years and our cats consistently live their full, happy lifespans. It's less of a rarity than you'd imagine. Cats do extrordinarily well out on their own, hence the problem with feral cats being everywhere. Indoor outdoor kitties surviving isn't so much luck as it is a given, considering they've evolved to do exactly that.

[@l692]

My outdoor cat lived to 19. I have two other healthy 9 year old out door cats. I know another person who is also a vet who had an outdoor cat live to 24. The outdoor cats living to 2 - 5 years is actually a myth based of one study from 33 years ago. This study only looked at cats killed in road traffic accidents and over 80% of the cats studied were strays. A lot of stray kittens that were killed were taken into account too and kittens are more vunerable so skewed the results down. Vaccinated, neutered and looked after cats should live to their late teens.

[@abbyr5287]

My cat LOVES his harness! He will bolt out of a room meowing loudly when he hears his leash and harness..purrs the whole time im putting it on lol

[@trishatrout4648]

Abby R mine too! This is exactly how my cat acts. When he wants to go outside he will also follow me all over the house until I make eye contact then run to the door. I put the harness on by the door and he just won’t stop purring!

[@marcilk7534]

Mine gets excited when I go for the harness, but he hates the process of getting it on. But he has long hair which probably gets pulled when I try to snap the harness.

[@Norannmcguire]

Abby R brilliant 🤣❤️❤️

[@StremmeR]

no it doesnt. Its called pavlov. Its the anticipation of going out, that makes it purr. Unbelievable how dumb so many cat owners are. We humans do the same, when we fly somewhere. We get excited, We are annoyed, We are happy. Its the anticipation that makes us endure the whole airport scenario.

[@Norannmcguire]

Aggressive little rich no purring on you 🤣chill out people are aloud to express their opinions

[@lliverfailure]

im definitely gonna keep my cat indoors. just would like to add that the cat we had before managed to live 21 full years despite being an outdoor cat. and shes lived half of her live in a very busy city before moving to the country side. i just think its impressive

[@GalacticFrequencies]

Just like us Cats chose their death and how long they want to stay.

[@MarblesLegosWoW]

2 Indoor cats that I walk one on a leash, and the other freely roams with supervision. I never let my cats outside without myself or someone I trust around. I feel that they would really like to be able to go outside freely, but I live an area with coyotes, foxes, wolves, and bears. No thank you.

[@catlord69]

yeah I would be worried for the wild animals ;) :D

[@sandramagnusson7799]

Same routine here, no coyotes, but one of my cats was born deaf. And the otherone is an indoorbreed (briman).

[@redchic]

Same exact schedule here. I used to let my cat and dog roam the yard freely when I was outside, after the dog was attacked by a cougar (dont worry, dog survived thanks to a shovel to the cougar) whiles only about 200 feet away, I changed my policy. Both animals are now trained to stay within about 20' of me whenever I'm outside. Yep, even the cat, follows me around the yard. Lol

[@redchic]

One thing that might help people with wildlife to deal with... Play a radio (or any like device) outside when you and your pets are outside. I was given that advice by the game warden people after my dog was attacked by the cougar in broad daylight. I passed that info on to my neighbors, we all have been doing that and haven't had any large animal sightings during daylight hours since then (little over a year) . I miss the typical outdoor sounds, but given how much my cat and dog love playing outside, it's a good exchange.

[@redchic]

@Moth’s Mummy .... I'm not trying to put you on the defensive, just defending our furry family members. A) I'm pretty sure a point of the conversation was missed if the habits of the fox are what seemed important. B) yes, they do. They're are different types of fox for starters, and some kinds are more aggressive than others. While I I'm sure cats are not their preference, if it's a year where food is scarce for them, they'll eat what's available. We have a few types of fox in this area too, while it's incredible rare for a fox to go after a cat, i have neighbors who saw their cat be attacked and drug away before they could intervene. They were horrified. :-( Im glad that you have a fox that doesn't have to go hungry a d hence thinks of your cat as a friend. It would be exceedingly cute to watch. But definitely better for most of us to not be complacent because most fox seem so innocent and friendly towards cats.... Until they have nothing else left for good.

[@RavenBlack74]

My boy is 21 this year, been a indoor cat all his life.

[@vickieclark5931]

That's awesome. It sounds like he has had a healthy long life.

[@Think-dont-believe]

I was just adding up mine is 17 and outdoor all summer.. he is not a fan of winter and we are in Colorado. I don’t encourage but I don’t prevent. He is Maine coon from shelter and outside is his happy place but I still can’t believe 17.. talk bout beating odds

[@iamsearchingforthefiletmignon]

God damn

[@lordshaliko]

My cat has been living outside and he is 14 and he is doing just fine. Every now and then he comes in, look around in 2 to 3 min. he back at the door.

[@Carmen-qe5nn]

Awww🥺🥰

[@Acornsquad1]

Tried taking my cat outside once. As soon as I put him on the ground he climbed my leg and clung onto my shirt. He hasn't been outside since.

[@rubaalrashed1404]

You’re lucky

[@gabiayala2495]

My cat is about 5 years old. I got her from an animal shelter about 3 years ago. We bonded instantly, and she was always very calm and well behaved. One day after a few months of having her, I tried to bring her out to the screened patio with me. Right when we stepped out the door, she clung on to me for dear life, and would not let me set her down. I've tried luring her out with treats, etc. She won't go for it. I don't think she would like a cation either as it's basically the same thing...

[@jesseRya]

They all start that way. They dont know what it is. But curiosity is in their nature and if you continue to slowly introduce them to it they will be open.

[@gabiayala2495]

@@jesseRya I am working on getting her ok with being in the window for now. She seems scared of any aspect of the outside. She doesn't even like to look out the window very much. I'm thinking sadly that she may have been hurt outside or had some kind of trauma before. I'm just trying my best to make her a happy and confident cat. These vids and the kind comments definitely help. Thank you 🐱

[@zetylin]

Acornsquad my cat is also slightly terrified of the outside world haha 😹😹 she’s very happy being an inside cat.

[@Eric1SanDiego1]

"You forgot to mention spaying and neutering" OMG guys really? He also forgot to mention that cats need food to eat and air to breathe. Haven't you ever heard of the phrase "goes without saying?" He didn't say it because he didn't think he NEEDED TO.

[@Silver-yh9hk]

Well to be fair, not everyone knows that

[@adde9506]

Actually, one of the biggest arguments against outdoor cats is that they make feral kittens. It was inappropriate for him to ignore that.

[@KATSUvo]

But you're talking to a VAST amount of people. Because you think and know it doesn't mean everyone else does or will. It doesn't stop at your level of learning with cats lmao

[@squirrelnl6400]

He made enough videos where he does mention that already. Just watch his vids.

[@Mari-qx8hm]

Add E he didn’t ignore it, it’s a basic thing that mostly everyone knows or actually should know so that’s why he didn’t think it was necessary to mention it

[@77cns]

Netting my entire balcony (professionally and securely) for my cat was THE BEST money I spent since adopting my sweet girl.

[@artemisrain]

You are wonderful :)

[@jelatinosa]

What material did you use? I would like to do this to our rental balcony but with the materials I've found, it is way out of budget for me.

[@77cns]

elines acevedo I’m in a rental as well and hired a company to do it. A pigeon netting company. It was VERY worth the low cost. Install was quick and neat. Netting is strong, taut, and from floor to ceiling. I live in Canada. She takes so much joy from being out there. I call her neighbourhood watch! She naps there. Watches birds. Hours on end xo

[@raquelmota14]

I did the same. My house has a litltle yard on the side, so i net everything from ground to top. My 4 cats love It. It was a well spend monney in exchange to god know what dangers they could have on the streets

[@jelatinosa]

@@77cns thank you! I will definitely look into it! 😊

[@peteg475]

I built an outdoor enclosure/"catio" for my indoor cats. Works like a champ, they go out there whenever they want, and don't give up safety. I know not everyone can do it, but I could and I'm really glad I did.

[@veri.contrary]

My SO and I are planning to screen in our back patio for this very reason! All of our kitties love getting outside in the backyard to explore under supervision, but we don’t want them to be outside cats. A catio will be perfect!

[@kewlade719]

They can to, with a doggy crate, works great!!!

[@michaelbingaman2434]

We were “owned” by a feral kitten about a month ago. She was about 8 weeks old and camped out at our front door. I felt sorry for her in the cold and provided a shoebox with a towel. Slowly she wiggled her way into our hearts, so we purchased a litter box. Until the litter box, she faithfully went outside to take care of those needs. Now that she has an “indoor bathroom,” she has NO interest in going outside! 😆 I do open the door when she sits and peers through the glass, but she seems to just want to watch “cat tv!” (She has come out on the deck since, but only when my wife or I go out and she accompanies us)

[@elizabethgilmore9038]

My kitties are indoor-outdoor and I love them for it because they catch our garage mice. They all learned my bedtime schedule, so they run to the door every night for me to let them in. I work from home so i can supervise them coming in and out all day long. (Been doing it for 15 years, they healthy and happy)

[@npop5270]

We lost our Mocha (was 10 months old Korat mixed rascal), hit by a vehicle during school rush hour even at our mostly calm street. She liked to get out for a few hours to play with the other cats, never stayed out overnight. We were devastated, don't let them out. It is a huge gamble, also we have the coyotes and most likely owls and other predators.

[@Lionesse-z41553]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

[@alzbetaponkova1383]

We live next to road and my parents don't let cats be indoors Only for cuddling in evenings when they watching TV and then put them into cowshed to night We lost few cats in my life ... Last it was very pretty grey year old tomcat ... When nature start calling him he start going often behind road ... Only good thing are that parents spay cats to not have kittens but not tombcats But we have now very nice ginger tombcat Hopefully after last he will be neutered he is 3months or four old and came from road 2weeks ago but he have own head and we teaching him not to go near road but he follows sometimes neigbours to road :/

[@shandyshrain439]

Sorry about that.

[@knuddelkatze452]

I am so sorry!

[@evelienthys6253]

we lost ours that way too... cried for weeks... We used to debate over it and decided to let him go outside because in this street there are about 10 cats and we adopted him from our neighboor who moved... so it didn't feel right to not let him play anymore with the other cats (was already used to them for 3 years and his brothers where also outside playing with him daily). now we have a new one from a shelter and its garden only for her (and the entire house).

[@rianavermeulen8689]

You are absolutely right, we lost 3 cats due to feline aids and one to feline leukemia. My two indoor cats are healthy and happy, we just make sure we play with them often.

[@suziarcher1260]

My indoor cat caught feline aids at the vets. And cancer really has nothing to do if they are indoor or outdoor cats, it just happens. Lost both indoor and outdoor cats to that

[@TheMunchyelena]

That's what I was gonna say was cancer doesn't have anything to do with being indoor or outdoor.

[@sky19804]

@@suziarcher1260 cats are way more likely to get cancer if they are outside though

[@sky19804]

@@mrhorse6587 It is not! They live longer inside.

[@karenshaub8273]

FeLeuk and cat aids are actually the same thing. They were working in developing cures for HIV by experiment g of the FeLeuk Cats. One day my precious Persian Minya whow had been infected at 6 months by a cat we thought was not infected, sureprised the hell out of my best. After about 9 years with FeLeuk/ FIV she tested negative! Oh she still had it, but it was dormant in her. She could still infect any cat that was exposed to her long enough, but SHE tested negative! This was before I knew of the link between FeLeuk and HIV. But I started thinking about it If cats could go negative and still have the virus in there, would that mean the same thing in the future with people infected with AIDS. I still haven't heard about that, but I wouldn't be surprised if it continued to act like FeLeuk.

[@madmisskelly]

When I adopted my cat she was only inside. She would stare outside though as if she was begging to go outside. I remember she would scratch at the windows to get to children playing outside. Then I moved to the country at my parents' place to go back to school and took her with me. She gradually learned to be outdoors and shes obsessed. She generally comes back inside at night to sleep but she loves to be out exploring and even follows us around if we walks around.

[@ultimumdraco4957]

She also kills a lot of native animals

[@lilheart666]

I've had outdoor cats since I was born, most of them aged well my cat just turned 18. I think it really depends on where you're living at because I'm from a small town from Germany so I guess if you live in America it's more difficult to let your cats outdoor safe

[@dp2404]

Same here! My l'outdoor cat just turned 16. I wouldn't leave her out if I lived close to a high traffic street. Fortunately we live in the country

[@madelinerayburn354]

Mein Oskar ist jetzt 14 aus einem kleinen Dorf

[@evahagen9131]

Same here! My girl is also 18 and we're from germany ^^

[@silja95]

My outdoor cat died at 20 years old, but of natural causes, we live in a calm street in Germany :)

[@tracy1210]

Same ! I'm in France and my cat is an outdoor cat and she's 17 !

[@gnarr]

You forgot to mention neutering. If cats are outdoor cats they must be neutered

[@MsShella64]

Agree, I have rescued two cats, meaning they showed up in my backyard and never went away. Both cats were male and I had them neutered. Because they were full grown, I didn't think it was right to keep them inside 24/7. If we're home during the day the cats can go in and out, but we make sure they are in by 7 p.m. We never let our cats stay out at night. The first Kitty lived until he was 14 and the second Kitty we still have. My point being you can have an indoor outdoor cat as long as you train them to come in before dark.

[@vermilion6966]

@@2plus2cats True but for those who go out its a solid must

[@wross5961]

Yeah two chinese restaurants popped up when i noticed too many cats then 6 year later they moved.

[@catsuwu4192]

Or spayed.

[@damystery123]

@@MsShella64 totally agree! My cat is 17 this December and is indoor/outdoor. She us never out when its dark or when we aren't home.

[@RiiLove]

My dad hated cats for a long time... Now he's turning our front porch into a catio for my three cats lul

[@sergiodiaz1365]

Kaina jones sexist

[@gammonsandwich1756]

@Kaina jones And you'll never keep a man with a sucky attitude like that.

[@yezhiaelyz3844]

omg sameee, my dad used to throw knives at those stray cats, because they always steal our food. but now, he even shares his food with them! he even bought them cat food hehehe

[@thejordanchronicles6715]

Haha my dad is exactly the same! He used to refer to cats as ‘horrible creatures’ until I got my little one- now he’s always asking if he can pet him etc 😀 xx

[@sergiodiaz1365]

Kaina jones sexist bitch

[@heyitsmae3109]

You are so right about nasty people being a possibility! This one time I had let my cat outside, not even an hour of being outside I see him walking around the front yard. I’m by the window, just admiring and partially wanting to monitor him. One of my neighbors is also outside walking their husky, they aren’t trained at all as they had just recently received their dog. He notices my cat and there’s an obvious collar with a tag on it(with a bell!). My cat sits there to watch the dog, and the man purposefully loosens his leash to allow his dog to run and bark after my cat, My cat backs up a bit to where the leash can’t reach him. I simply thought he might’ve loosened the leash to allow his dog to find a spot to potty, but no, the man continued to walk towards my cat with his dog obviously showing aggression towards him. Barking and growling at him. This is when I decide to step out of my house, he notices, and he pulls his dog back towards him, he then attempts to squat down and call my cat over to him but my cat no longer trusted him at this point. Instead he ran up to me, I pick him up and the man replies with, “is that your cat?”. I simply reply, “yes, this is my cat.”, and walk away. Imagine if I hadn’t been watching? Would he have let his dog get a bite out of my cat? I have no bias against dogs as I own two of them, both very loving babies, and it made me upset that this man, instead of educating his dog, he allowed his dog to continue its behavior and even encouraged it by following my cat. I could tell he felt embarrassed because I was clearly upset with the tone of my reply. He hasn’t walked his dog near my house since.

[@moonman2216]

WOW. F*** that guy would have gone off on him.

[@jamesd.2066]

@@moonman2216 Waited for him to put the dog away and took him to the ground and made him eat some shit.

[@imakaren7671]

Your fault. Keep. your. cats. inside.

[@pigwhaleg]

@@imakaren7671 I agree but the person with the dog was in the wrong too

[@imakaren7671]

@@pigwhaleg wouldn't have happened if the cat would've been an indoor, as every responsible owner knows. Only this cat "owner's" fault.

[@lisalimon978]

I’m against declawing inside cats I would never declaw . People Shouldn’t declaw cats for so many reasons

[@hankstorm3135]

people who declaw cats should be declawed themselves.

[@beccacooper1537]

I strongly agree for many reasons.

[@beccacooper1537]

I 💘 cats

[@ThexDynastxQueen]

Hank Storm In places where it's still legal many owners don't know how painful and terrible declawing is. Vets who do it treat it as a normal harmless procedure due to being legal and don't explain they're butchering a cat's paws forever. It took doing my own research to learn what the procedure actually is and I was horrified as was my mother who hates cats but still thought declawing was horrible. Like docking dogs people need to keep being educated on what declawing actually is as most owners don't wanna mutilate their cat when they learn that's what it does.

[@frankieaddams3937]

NEVER declaw a cat. It's terrible. Many people don't realize what the operation entails. If you declaw a cat then you don't "love" cats.

[@mickey7217]

*me trying to watch an informative video on adorable cats* *Goes to comments* *Sees typical negative and angry cat people attacking each other* "I think thats enough for tonight"

[@user-ze8fr9wq1t]

@MOHO that happens to me all the time!, like I want to hear other people’s experiences so I go to the comments then get instantly disappointed 😔

[@fluto6997]

UNDERRATED PRFTT

[@saundersae1414]

I live in a flat near a busy main road , my babies have always been adopted , indoor cats xx

[@chiarakoch6034]

are they disabled or why cant they go outside? if they arent disabled why did u get nonedisabled cats that could go outside in an apartment they wont be fully happy in? i had ot move several times. i always chose places my cat can go outside. i will never make the selfish choice to move into an apartment that cannot cater to her needs. if she at some point passes and i am somehow forced to live in a way that doesnt allow cats to go outside i will get a disabled/senior/sick cat from a shelter that cannot go outside in the first place. everything else in my opinion is selfish animal abuse. i mean who would like to be kept their entire life in a tiny apartment. no matter how cosy, "fun" and healthy it is. who would want a long unhappy life?

[@saundersae1414]

I live inner city and I rescued 2 cats from a shelter that were already indoor cats . Fyi , I also live in a very big Scottish flat not a small American apartment They are loved and healthy and have a good life .

[@kellythomas5596]

Hello Anne how are you doing today.

[@generalpatzer6893]

I rescued 6 month old kitten and he has never been outside as far as I know. I am single in a studio apt and I keep him in here with me. He has all his shots from the shelter, a collar with ID tags and microchip. I don't ever want to let him out. He means the world to me.

[@scarymath6666]

I'm so happy my cat is absolutely terrified of being outside

[@dfuher968]

Me too. When I went to adopt a cat, I asked for an adult cat with the personality to be indoors, as I live in an apartment in midtown, and I just could not imagine letting a cat out into those streets. I got a sweet, mellow, very sociable cat, who absolutely HATES being outside. Hes very unhappy just for 200m trip to the vet for ½ yearly checkups! Hes still chipped, just in case, but we're both very happy as is. As some1 else mentioned, its all about location. I'd also add, its all about personality. At the shelter they had the cats for 2-3 months, b4 they were neutered, vaccinated etc and ready to be adopted, and they knew exactly, which cats would need to be outdoor cats, and which cats would be happy as indoor cats. I got the absolutely perfect cat for me, our personalities just fit, and as an added bonus I was able to give a home to a grown black cat, who are usually the 1s hardest to find a home for (seriously, how are ppl still that superstitious?).

[@Andy-ow4gt]

Dfuher D nice I have 2 dogs and want a cat but my problem is I leave the door to go outside into my backyard open pretty much all day for my dogs and I don’t want a outdoor cat But I want to be able to leave the door open for my dogs do you have any advice ?

[@diegokurokun]

@@Andy-ow4gt there are pet doors that open with a proximity device on the pets collar. You could have 2 for the dogs and a normal one for the cat. Before you get one, learn the correct procedure on how to introduce your feline to your family and other pets, so it's a smooth transition ;) enjoy. Life is better with a cat.

[@Andy-ow4gt]

Okami Dy oh ok there’s also shock collars but I don’t wanna have to do that to my cat

[@diegokurokun]

@@Andy-ow4gt yeah, never do that to your furry friends.

[@swordseye2]

I'm going to need to keep my cat indoors completely. We have kids that break everything and throw stones at cats in this area. I don't want them to die like that

[@BlackBackLioness]

Good point, we had two cats who were shot with pellets, one of them had the pellet lodged in his soft palate. When he ate, food would come out of his nose, he had to have a operation to fix and remove the problem. Much happier and safer indoors.

[@cutie4417]

Good choice someone should discipline those kids

[@justapotato1176]

Stupid school and parents, I want to smack them for not educating kids.

[@swordseye2]

amen. I also think on some level they must know it's wrong because human nature isn't to be such gits

[@desratlinda8639]

@@BlackBackLioness (Poor baby)...should've shot the kids with a few pellets

[@frostdragon64]

"My cat lived to be XX outside" And people who do drugs can still live long. Its a gamble either way. I don't have to worry about anything about my indoor cat. He's safe from cars, predators, poison, and just plain mean people. I am currently harness training him so he can get some supervised outdoor time, by honestly he seems quite content being able to look out of the window 2/7 whenever he wants.

[@CatPawLover]

It really all depends on position. People who live in far suburbs, away from roads with large areas of land, its alot safer. Hell in places like the netherland suburbs, theres not even cat predation, so they're safe as hell there. Saftey and position is key!

[@funkygerbil2530]

My cats vet said to me, "Cats live longer if you keep them inside". I said, "So do humans". If I lived in a place where my cats couldn't go outside I would not have cats. I would not own a bird, or a fish or any pet that required a container and dogs are a pain in the ass. My cats are well fed, well cared for but most of all they are happy. Very, very happy. Sometimes Suki will start purring just by saying hi to her and Bert only needs me to touch him. And happy cats stay close to home.

[@cordeliaharrisson3922]

completely agree - its a gamble.

[@kaiza6696]

@@funkygerbil2530 I agree so much. My cat goes out in the morning because she wants to go out to play, hunt and patrol her area. I would never refuse her the outside world just because it's safer inside. But then again I live in very safe and calm suburbs and would not own a cat if I couldn't let him/her go outside.

[@sandracarpenter144]

As the owner of a black cat, he stays indoors. I’ve lost too many kittens because my father believed in letting them outside. When I worked I wanted to know my cat was safe. Now we enjoy each other’s company. Also because they are indoor safe, I can avoid some of the shots as he’s not around other animals. My neighbors appreciate that he’s not tearing up their gardens. Love your catify ideas. Thank you.

[@bellestarr6484]

Black cats always need to be kept inside on Halloween. There are superstitious people who may hurt or kill them.

[@mspears_bobobuddytheseniorcat]

Let me first say, the story of my cat has a happy ending... I met my cat Buddy when I found him eating a chicken wing in the middle of the road a few years ago. He followed me home and became my soulmate kitty! He was already a very well developed adult street cat when we met and I didn't have an option at the time to make him fully indoors (I would sneak him inside my bedroom every night.) One night several years ago the unthinkable happened and he got hit by a car in the face! Thank God I was able to rush him to the 24 hour emergency vet. He was hospitalized for a lengthy time and had months of rehabilitation. His jaw was the worst and he couldn't eat on his own with his severe break and had to be syringe fed every 3 hours for several months. From that moment forward, I fought to do everything I could to keep him inside forever and thank God he is and we have been inseparable ever since! I would never even want to have an outside kitty again because the thought of them getting hurt is just too scary. I love my buddy so much and I wish he would live forever! ❤😻😍❤

[@redchic]

I'm so glad your kitty is ok. Sorry for the pain and agony he must have been in, but so glad all is well now and he's indoor.

[@mspears_bobobuddytheseniorcat]

@@redchic Thank you so much for your sweet comment! ❤

[@Pat_Speaks]

I felt the same way about my last two cats when I had to say goodbye. They were both nearly 18 when I said goodbye and really there is never enough time. Fearless, ran in my house one morning a wet, bedraggled kitten and she never left. She was my soul cat, who was always next to me and the sweetest tabby-torti ever. Daisy was my Calico who was the most hysterically funny cat...she was a silly girl and turned the “not cat lovers” into cat lovers. Her personality, looks and small size (6.5 lbs was the most she every weighed) won everyone over. But the long story here is I’m sure I had far more years with both because they were indoors only...but again like you I wanted them to live forever and there was never enough time. I’m so glad you fought to keep your boy alive and that he is doing well now. It’s all worth it and when it’s time to say goodbye (I hope that is many many years from now) , you will always have the memories of how much they loved you and you loved them and their funny individual personality. He sounds like he is a wonderful boy!

[@mkayla7299]

Awh so cute!! I'm glad that hes okay

[@mkayla7299]

@@Pat_Speaks Yeah, I'm very sorry about your lost

[@DrunkenGuitarGuy]

didn't mention the harm that cats due to some wildlife populations, especially ground dwelling birds!

[@neatznotso7424]

Thank you....i was waiting and waiting and nada. I live in australia and lived in a tiny rural town for years where most people kept their cats inside with an enclosure, my neighbors cat even managed to catch a few little birds out in that cage which just shows how amazingly quick they are. Its not just about the cats feelings, its about the native wildlife. I dont know about other countries but feral cats are a real big threat here which is awful for all involved.

[@brostenen]

If you have the right cat, it will catch rats too. From my experience, it takes a cat few days to learn how to cats a mouse. It takes years, for a cat to learn how to catch a small bird. It also depends on if a cat is introduced to that part of the globe. Or it is a natural part. Like australia, cats are not great. Steve Irwin spoke against cats in Australia. On the level that he showed what wild cats did to nature. You know, australian nature is not meant for cats. Europe on the other hand. Here cats have been a part of nature, in the way, that they have always been outdoor cats and nature have learned how to cope with it. Sure we have to get rid of wild cats, as we have 4 to 6 times more wild cats than pets. I think we have around 500.000 wild cats here. The good part is, that once winther sets in, most of them starve or freeze to death anyway. It all depends on were on the globe we are living. So a simple answer that all cats should be indoor only, can simply not work in all parts of the world. Keep in mind, that the best way to deal with mouse and rat problems on a farm, are still to have cats living in a barn.

[@clairewheeler2937]

On the other end of the scale, without cats, we would be so overrun with mice and rats ect that a world without cats would be pretty dangerous to us with less crops for us to eat. I mention this as a non meat eating cat owner, who still appreciates the way nature has it's own balance. www.livescience.com/18294-cats-world-died.html

[@neatznotso7424]

@@brostenen i totally agree, especially about the impact of cats in other countries, nature, when it works and is in balance is amazing. Pine trees are not native to australia, we have pine plantations but ive never been a fan, especially when we have our own soft wood that could be used instead. I travelled to mexico though where they are native and it was so cool just experiencing such an amazing tree without thinking about them being a threat to the natural order of our bush. I remember not that long ago for some reason it became more well known that we hunt and bait the feral cat population and there was a total uproar about it around the world. It was crazy. People didnt understand what feral cats were doing to our native animals, its not only birds obviously but also any creature smaller then them. Its a massive issue for us. I love cats and its horrible to think of having to kill so many, especially when in the end, this is our fault, not theirs, but the reality is is that its pretty much either them or our own native animals. So yeah obviously in other countries, to get back to the point, the whole outdoor indoor debate has different issues involved.

[@brostenen]

@@neatznotso7424 Well true that. Feral cats in Australia are a menace. They kill almost anything they can get their claws on. And because of the climate, the feral cats will not die during winther time, like they do in northern parts of Europe. That is why the feral cats in Australia needs to be removed by any means. It is like the same with minks. We have mink farms here, in Denmark, and we actually produce the worlds most error free fur's. And the thing is, that if mink's are stressed or in any way live a bad life. Then they will eighter damage their fur or they will loose hair. Never the less, some activists have been trespassing and just let the minks loose. What happens next is kind of what you have in Australia with feral cats. The minks do not belong in the Danish nature and they go into some sort of blood-lust or trance, in were they will kill anything. Sure I can follow the activists on the point that we need to take care of minks and give them a decent life, yet letting them loose will hurt the nature even more. You do not need fur, if you can produce a safer and better product. By that I mean that you do not use raw/crude oil or any type of plastic. By using too much of that oil, you actually hurt nature more, because it is transported by ship. And ship's are the main polluters of the world.The refinement will polute as well, and if you make PVC, you need to add pthalates in order to make it soft. Adding that will cause cancer in the long run and birth defect's. If you make nylon material, then you need two kilograms of raw oil (or was it diesel), in order to make one kilogram of nylon. So... Fur can actually be the future if we need to cut down on global pollution, that will damage all life in the long run. Making mink fur that are 100% error free, means that the mink had a life that did not stress or hurt it. The question is. Will we pollute globally, or will we make real fur, thus only killing few ones compared to the number of all animals globally? We don't need fur, unless we climb mount everest, travel on the poles or something like that. We can get by, with the use of whool and cotton instead of using raw/crude oil for clothing. If we live in a non extreme climate. Happy that you saw them tree's. Nature is a beauty and we do not need to spread it were it was not originally meant to florish. If nature it self expands, then we must let nature do it's thing.

[@kewldude23xx]

My cat is indoor and outdoor. He goes out during the day and then keep him inside at night .

[@Vinny-bb2tj]

Get your outside cats a tractive GPS collar it's only 5 bucks a month. I can track my cat on my phone or computer best thing I ever bought

[@ridiculouslyoverpoweredsup4421]

Mines the opposite.

[@rattoota]

One of my cats is both too but he spends a majority of his time indoors because he's very clingy and cuddly. He likes to hangout on my bedroom ac waiting for me to open the window because he knows that's where he can get direct access to attention lol

[@purplepriestess7648]

@sara Allison aka Miss true Freeman so does mine. He's protective over his cats....lol!

[@ridiculouslyoverpoweredsup4421]

@sara Allison aka Miss true Freeman that's no way to talk about your mum mate

[@buenoblanco]

I have two outdoor cats, I know, I know, they have safe ID's. They've taken care of mouse issues on the property. They have lovely food and water available in their protected shelter (garage) with PM locking door. I love the chattering when they're watching birds outside. They rock. We know it's tough on the cats to have a free lifestyle and then there's us trying to keep them to ourselves, but we work to have them outdoors for at least a thrid of the day, free. Thanks for your awesome vids!!

[@joryworld8330]

The propblem is that they not only kill mouse, they kill birds and other spicies. they are not natural predator. Keep ur cat in your home.

[@angixx2464]

My cat been an outdoor car for 5 years. I trust him whatever he goes he always come on the right time but sometime again as for male cat they get heated as they looking for female and one time he went out he didn't return he was gone for a week and came back which scared me I thought I lost him forever. My cat is smart and I feel like he knows the area where we live but at the same time I believe getting your car neture or spayed is safer for them and health for them to not getting stress out when they are in Hest season. I decided to get my cat castrate finally cuz he awalys come with bad scratches from fights as well fighting with the neighbors cat which we got complaint by it. It's natural for them acting that because of territories and well we did it and he stop going out regularly as he used to :) he safer at home now and of course he still goes out but not the whole day at least he hasn't lost his sense of the outside. Miss him alot RIP Manuel ❤

[@Rulle666]

My cat has been a indoors cat for 11 years now and she loves playing and laying around. I chose to have a indoors cat because of 2 reasons. Reason 1 being all the dangers that are outside, and reason 2 being that i love her so much that i want her as safe as possible + the fact that i do not have the nerves to sit at home wondering if she is coming home or not!

[@barbatloosenutproductions2027]

Exactly!😍👍

[@barbatloosenutproductions2027]

@M. Sami A backyard is fine. As long as they stay in the backyard, and nothing else ( like another cat or other animal) can enter the yard! Cats can jump fences, and neighbors may not appreciate someone cat on their property. Yes others have the say, as to cats or dogs being on their property! I love my cats, but I have to respect the neighbors as well. Most communities have a nuisance animal law that sides with the property owners!

[@barbatloosenutproductions2027]

@plushii Exactly! Rather then talking to the pet owner, they take it out on the poor cat! Like they understand property lines. Duh. So sorry to hear about your kitty. I hope karma strikes that neighbor down! 😖

[@barbatloosenutproductions2027]

@plushii keep some cameras or use your cell phone! If they keep it up? Call the police. Had some neighbors like that. They got caught by another neighbor's surveillance system. The police watched the video, & they got arrested!! Lol! 📽💪👍🤣

[@f.u.c8308]

M. Sami besides intentional poisoning and murder like the other commenter experienced happening to their cat, simple, common things can poison a cat, like lily pollen or antifreeze. Cats also like to hide in or under cars. Cats can actually hide in the underside of a car so if you let your cat outside your cat may hitch a ride to your neighbors workplace and get lost forever. it happens a lot. And no, cats do not know about these dangers to cats. Just because they have certain hunting instincts does not mean they know how to survive the world humans created. I think you need to re-evaluate your idealized view of cats.

[@lightgaming2125]

My cat just passed away 5 months ago and he was a indoor/outdoor cat. He lived a good 20 years.

[@lucaskebow8368]

That’s great. But anecdotes are not evidence. Your cat is an outlier.

[@fraser7570]

I had a cat a few years ago and he had heart problems, back problems, mouth problems, lung problems, and arthritis/back problems. He was indoor/outdoor and was free to do either whenever he wanted he was only expected to live to around 10 but he died at nearly 19. First cat I had and he was already there when I was born, can’t be happier with how well he did.

[@Fabina4190]

@@lucaskebow8368 I always hear this but all the cats I’ve seen outdoors have lived long lives into their teens. Our oldest cat lived until almost 22 but sadly her kidneys started to go. We have a few more that are living the same way and they seem to be doing okay. Maybe it’s an environment factor?

[@Mari-lq9xx]

Mine just passed away a week ago he is a indoor/outdoor cat because hebgot hit by a car. He lived for about 12 years. 😭😭😭

[@lucaskebow8368]

@@Fabina4190 It certainly could be! I'm sure certain parts of the world are safer. However, you can never know for sure. And, sadly, domestic cats are terribly damaging to the local ecosystem.

[@ForgottenSouls36]

I personally have 1 old, healthy outdoor cat. And by old I mean she's a good 14 years old by now. We let her go in and out as she wishes, but we keep her food bowl on the first floor rather than the main floor so she'll be more motivated to go into one of either me or my sister's rooms and take a little nap, maybe groom herself, etc. We also do this because we have a very active dog and she's a cat that - at this point - prefers a much calmer day. Aside from that, there's the fact that I live in a very small town in Denmark, so the chances of birds of prey coming to snatch her or her getting run over or hit by a car are as minimal as they can be (I mean, not completely, but almost). She's also vaccinated, microchipped, and even had her inner ears tattooed in case someone were to pick her up off the street. I will admit that having her outdoors can be risky, but she's living her best life and she's lived a long one so far, so I'm cheering her on.

[@dwatkins8130]

We bought 7 acres in the US. We have birds of prey and coyotes. Two cats came with the property. There is a large detached garage that they were used to living in. One died a couple years ago. The other one now comes in and out of the house. She’s old. She too is living her best life and I’m cheering her on. We have little traffic and a lot of trees and the kitties can get in and out of the garage so we let our other three go out. One of those three would be dead by now if she had stayed an indoor cat. I got her from my aunt when she went into a nursing home and the cat was 25 pounds, I didn’t mean for her to get out but she did and she wanted out all the time. Six months after I got her she weighed 17 pounds. I can’t get that cranky cat to play with me but she’ll run around outside and it’s been the best thing for her. I don’t feel like it’s fair to not let some out so after two years I started letting the youngest out but this one is so attached to me that if I close the sliding glass door behind her she’s back at it with pouty eyes and a heart wrenching meow. The middle kitty just comes in and out as she pleases and is happy and healthy . We have plenty of places the kitties can go to be safe. If we had a different set up I’d be more about them being inside only. For now I’ll let them choose.

[@gwenwruck]

My last kitty (who has passed away) was an outdoors only cat by his choice, he never fully adjusted to being in a family home so we let him be where he wanted to be. He lived to 18 years of age.

[@honestlyitwassobigiwantedt4046]

What do you mean her inner ears are tattooed

[@annlidslot8212]

@@honestlyitwassobigiwantedt4046 Hi, I live in the country next door and we use the same technique. Before the microchip, we tattooed the inside one of our cats and dogs ears with their identification number. A lot of people still use this way of identification and most pet owners use both methods. I would too if I had a pet. I hope I made it a bit clearer. Yours Ann Hej Tilde, Jag hoppas att du är okay med att jag svarade. Ann

[@honestlyitwassobigiwantedt4046]

@@annlidslot8212 hey Ann thanks for explaining, I've never heard of anyone using this as another method of identification

[@rpmerrill1656]

At least hopefully we can all see that declawing a cat is bad

[@amethystprism5749]

I had a neighbor that would put her cat outside and not let it back in the whole day and called it “outdoor”. It would frequently follow me and try to get into my house and found out it did the same to others who lived on my block. It clearly did not want to be outside. It was eventually mauled when it slipped into a back yard with dogs.

[@immalou3050]

Reading that just made me so angry. It's like forcing a child to do something, no-one would want to do that either!

[@immalou3050]

I would steal the cat Lmao

[@theotheseaeagle]

Letting your cats outdoors is fine but denying them access indoors to your house so it has to go to other people houses who may have dogs who don’t get on with cats, seriously people?

[@char6081]

This is what I think my neighbor is like. It was once 30 degrees outside and they left him out there. They leave their cat out all day and sometimes it follows us into our house. But again that’s just what I think. They could be taking good care of him

[@GeoNeilUK]

I'd have just let that cat bum round mine, probably would have even started buying cat food!

[@kropotkinnie]

I'll never like this argument because it seems like nobody ever just regards the cat's feelings. I think it's two very simple questions. Does the cat want to be outdoors? Is the house situated outside of a city and away from a major road? If both of those are yes, you have a perfect situation for an indoor/outdoor cat. The cat will be happier, healthier, and live a fantastic long life. If no to one or both questions, congrats, you have a situation for an indoor only cat. The cat wants to be in and you cannot let them out without a promise they'll be dead on a main road, so things are fine as they are. Your cat will tell you if they want out. A good friend of mine rescued a feral cat, then proceeded to keep said cat in a house no bigger than a bedroom. This is a cat whose entire childhood was spent outdoors. One day a few doors were left open and of course the cat had escaped immediately, hissing as people tried to catch her, desperately trying to get away from my friend. She was brought back inside and stuffed back into the tiny area she lived in. No matter how much she's played with, I've never once seen such an unhappy cat in my life. It's absolutely crushing. Nowadays she can't let someone pet her without biting because of her insecurity and territorial attitude. She overeats in boredom. She needs to be outdoors. This is one of many cases of unintentional animal abuse borne of people being too worried about their own losses to understand what they are forcing their animal family members to lose. There's no good argument against or for indoor/outdoor, in my opinion, other than "do it if the cat wants it". We've had indoor outdoors and have had some who spend most of their (long) lives outside. Others have loved being inside with us and only go outside when we do. For us, where we live, the only threat the occasional coyote (solved by having a pet door), the only concievable option is to let every cat that lives with us choose where they want to be and give them pet doors to make them feel like they will never loose that choice. It breeds happy, trusting family members. A lot of people aren't in a situation like that, but I'd say that if your (young) cat really seems to want out, you should allow them to see what it's like. Supervise the first few times and you'll soon know whether your cat likes indoor/outdoor life. And no, they won't run away. They only do that if they distrust or dislike you or their living situation, in which the next question should be, "How have I hurt my cat?" Basically, in the end, it's situational. There's no better option. The better option is the one that makes your cat happy. If your cat is experiencing depression or signs of restlessness with one option, switch to the other. Not that hard and no need to bring helicopter parenting to the mix.

[@Irlydntcare]

Sincerly, thank you. I thought the exact same thing.

[@anadani81917]

Yes, I agree... Imagine spending your entire life trapped in a building! I'd go crazy.

[@deepalall647]

Cat's feelings? A cat won't think before walking in front of a speeding car.A cat who has it's guard down around humans is twice more likely to get abused and killed.I see bird and squirrel lovers threatening cat owners that their cats would be killed.Cat haters shoot cats who dig on their properties.I don't know how people are OK with risking their cats lives.Too many innocent cats have been killed,run over,stolen or ran away from home because owners were thinking that cats know what is best for them.

[@jenniferlin9900]

@@deepalall647 While I don't disagree that anything could befall a trusting outside cat, I think it's also worth noting whether or not your cat is friendly to strangers (ours is not), and at the end of the day, it's the difficult choice of (potentially shorter) happy life VS (potentially longer) unhappy life for the cat.

[@deepalall647]

@@jenniferlin9900 But why would you assume that indoor cats are unhappy? You can't measure that unless you invent a cat mindreading machine.If you raise a kitten indoors,it would probably freak out going outdoors.Why do you think so many feral/stray pregnant cats start showing up at people's doorstep demanding food and shelter? She knows giving birth to her babies would be safer inside.A lot of wounded and hungry cats choose to adopt people and are extremely grateful to be an indoor cat.There are plenty of ways to keep your cat entertained inside.Why would they complain about not starving,not getting wet in rain,not being on predator alert 24/7,not being chased or killed? Indoor cats are happy,keeping them active and busy is upto the owner completely.Leash training and adventure cats are very much popular now.A lot of world travelers have trained their kitties for long journeys.One can keep them safe as well as let them enjoy outdoors without putting unnecessary risk to their lives.

[@MasochistMouse]

Outdoor cats can also have the risk of being caught by dogfighters (there was a ring near me the police broke-up not that long ago)....Dogfighters use cats & small dogs like Chihuahuas to train their dogs for fights (get the dogs to tear them apart alive), they are horrible creatures- but most humans are.... Dog or other animal fighters are all over the world.

[@linajurgensen4698]

Well we don’t have such horrible things in my country (thank god).

[@ivanka991]

We adopted an in/out cat. She was ok to be indoors after she was spayed during winter, but the moment she was fit to be out again we would let her. Part of me wish I didn't and kept her in for safety and selfish reason, but I can see that climbing her tree, chasing birds, sleeping on a patio bench made her happy,fit and healthy cat. She is also very smart and mostly stays within the borders of our property (plus next door lady) and never venture on the street. The only problem is that she got used to using our vegie garden as her litter box and wont use one inside.

[@aromany]

My story expect they are 2 🐱🐱

[@lisahenry20]

The place where I used to live was very close to a lot of fields at the back. We would let our 3 cats out through the back door to keep them away from the road. If they got out through the front, they would run around the house to get to the back. If us humans were hanging out in the garden and had the back door open, the cats would usually stay in the garden with us rather than going and exploring like they normally did. If it was really warm, they'd be inside laying on the cool wooden floor, but close enough to the door that it still felt like they were part of the group, sometimes coming out for a quick pet before going inside again. They'd somehow know when I was almost home after school and he waiting by the front door for me (the only time they would stay by the front) so they could go in. We have moved house since then and there are more roads. Even though we will let them out when they want to, they tend to just chill in the garden, whether anyone was out with them or not. They've never had any training to keep them in the garden, it's just what they choose to do now, probably because there isn't anything exciting anymore.

[@gammayin3245]

Before I had ever heard of Jackson, my cats were indoor kitties (with supervised jaunts outside from time to time) because I wanted to keep my cats clean and disease free - but also to save the birds and lizards and other small wildlife that cats love to hunt, kill and leave the dead bodies on the front door mat. Another benefit of indoor cats is a complete lack of house mice! Cats are the best!!

[@CreatureOTNight]

That is a complete jail sentence. 23 hours inside a cell with 1 hours exercise. Dead bodies on door mat is kitty trying to teach you to hunt. You own a dog you learn from a cat, just like you would from a parent or a child. And parents can learn from tehir kids.

[@gammayin3245]

@@CreatureOTNight So in my world, my cat (an alien to North America) has a loving home indoors and the birds fly free . . . in your world the cats are allowed to roam, get squished by cars, get into cat fights, swell up, die early and the skies are empty . . .

[@CreatureOTNight]

@@gammayin3245 But atleast they were free, even for a short time. Letting them out is trust, that they'll return on their own free will.

[@gammayin3245]

@@CreatureOTNight so you consider freedom for cats higher than life for birds

[@CreatureOTNight]

@@gammayin3245 A cat's natural killer instinct. Teeth claws nature's own little hunters.

[@jenniferbassfirstchannel]

My cat is indoor cat! I play calming music everyday! And we play blanket monster I put a toy under blanket and she likes to pounce on it and bite and scratch and claw! Also let her look out the window especially at night! we watch tv together a lot! And have a nice long hallway she gets to run back and forth in house and she loves it! we have a amazing mommy kitty relationship !

[@shgy]

my cat tries to kill me

[@kamerad_marzuki3631]

Lazy-ass indoor cats that don't hunt pissed me off.

[@grogsmashrock7240]

@@kamerad_marzuki3631 lazy ass outdoor cat owners piss me off

[@kamerad_marzuki3631]

​@@grogsmashrock7240 Lol, you are a cat's slave. I still can hear the birds chirping outside. there are like millions of stray cats in my place.

[@kamerad_marzuki3631]

@@grogsmashrock7240 City cats are useless nowadays. While country cats are still dangerous killing machines, helping the farmers killing the varmints.

[@jsmit1101js]

In Australia outdoor cats are a huge problem, they kill our natural wildlife in record numbers. They have been such a huge problem that in some places outdoor cats are very very regularly picked up by the pound, just like stray dogs. In Australia it’s a bit of a expectation at least where I live to keep your cat indoor

[@sumahlinton9604]

It’s unfortunate. My mums cats are indoor/outdoor, occasionally she’ll get wild birds delivered and that’s a problem. It is the nature of cats but in the large scale it’s not good. Every night at 5 pm they’re fed so they’re normally home about 45 minutes earlier to start to beg. My girls indoor only because there are big fines in my region if she’s caught outside of the yard and it’s so hard to keep a cat within a small zone like a yard. I’m hoping to harness train her.

[@user-rn6zb2jc3e]

a great solution in your area would be schedueled leash walking. or creating a nice sized catio. im very against free roaming outside cats, especially if they dont have a bell on their collar to scare away any animals they could be trying to hunt. theyre very harmful to the environment, (caused over 60 species of small animals to go extinct) which is us humans faults for being so irresponsible,, and we need to be taking proper care of the planet AND of our feline companions. the local ferals wont take well to a housecat intruding on them, and in areas where outdoor cats are extremely looked down upon a human may very well kill your cat. my hometown has almost no strays or outdoor cats because its a town "tradition" for teenage boys to catch them and cut off their heads. absolutely terrible.

[@pklewandowska]

Sumah Linton That’s amazing - what country is it? It not only in the large scale, who are you to decide that your cat’s life is more precious than a (native!) bird’s life? What kind of thinking is that?

[@TheBucketSkill]

@@mrhorse6587 yes, i live in australia and shoot all stray cats. i'd love to see urs

[@dragontonic]

noyfb all though I do agree that keeping cats in all the time is cruel, I also believe that native wildlife is also very important. Although you should care for your cats needs, you should be wary of native wildlife, as they’re really important too!

[@LOLrigole]

Interesting viewpoint, thank you. I had been trying to get a cat from the shelter for ages and they always refused me because I only have a balcony, and they wouldn’t give cats to people who *won’t* let them go outside. So now I bought one from a small ad but always felt guilty for only letting him live indoors. Glad to hear he can still have a good a good life with me if I put some effort in. :)

[@stillinhere]

I was traumatized when I was younger when someone I knew lost a few cats to nasty people, and I do not trust other people to come in contact with my cat. Thank you for all the tips.

[@pphedup]

A serial cat killer lived in the neighborhood of someone I know. She kept wondering why 2 of her cats and neighbors' cats as well kept disappearing. DUH

[@RottingHound]

@@pphedup Stop crying about it, cats are pests and are not meant to be outside, you're putting them at risk, so dont cry when they wont come home one day. Keep your cats inside

[@pphedup]

@@RottingHound That's exactly why I believe cats should NOT be let out. I DO keep my cats inside. My comment was an example of the hazards when cats aren't.

[@cuthbertjolly4859]

@@RottingHound Cats are not pests, people are pests.

[@LunaMondhexe]

@@RottingHound What an awful human being you are.

[@ketikatz]

I definitely feel a lot more comfortable having my cats indoors. We used to have indoor/outdoor cats growing up and I always noticed how short a time I had with them. Since having mine indoors they have lived twice as long. My current cat is 8 and he doesn't mind being inside; not even very interested in go out. But he loves all his window spaces and with all the birds and squirrels he's pretty entertained by them lol

[@dahleno2014]

My biggest issue with an outdoor cat is the fact that they are one of the most devastating invasive species on planet earth. It baffles me at how many people don’t understand how negative of an impact that have on local environments.

[@CristanioPeweyyy]

​@@dahleno2014 They have been outside way before us.

[@CristanioPeweyyy]

​@@dahleno2014 Would you like it if someone trapped you inside? We are the TRUE invasive species. You would not like it, so do not treat your cat that way. Would you treat a child like that? No, even though they are more invasive than cats lmao.

[@pitohui1800]

@@Im_Na_Yeon they are an invasive species. Plus where I'm from, we shoot em of they wander in our garden.

[@dieterrosswag933]

It's not about living long but happy

[@kimwatchesstuff]

So glad I have 15 acres and a doggy door. My kitties get the best of both worlds!

[@Vinny-bb2tj]

Get your outside cats a tractive GPS collar it's only 5 bucks a month. I can track my cat on my phone or computer best thing I ever bought

[@Summer-zq8ot]

Remember: coyotes, hawks, and rat poison are just a few of the hazards your cats can come across. Keep your cats safe.

[@kimwatchesstuff]

@@Summer-zq8ot True. Thankfully of the 15 acres, only about 1/2 acre is considered "yard". In the 6 years we've been here the cats never go into the wooded edge more than 10 feet tops. We live very very secluded and they are very happy! Plus we have a dog who will protect them like they are her own :)

[@sarasthoughts]

If you think your cats do not go outside of that or are safe just because it's your propriety, nope.

[@taradaycatalortaraifyourno8482]

Still disease (from eating bad foods, drinking bad water, prodaters etc. ) still super bad and still way shorter life span.

[@changeling-child]

I think it largely depends on where you live and how safe it is for your cat outside (like rural vs. urban area). Also, it is still possible to take your cat outside and let them explore for a bit with supervision (in a garden or park or wooded area) as long as you train them well and have the time to supervise them the entire time.

[@jacobblacks1fan12345]

Even rural areas can be very dangerous. My aunt has an outdoor cat and he usually hangs in the wooded area behind the house, we call for him before it gets dark and keep him onside overnight. They had one cat they're positive got mauled by coyotes, one year there was a ton and they some some hanging by the house for a few weeks and shortly after kitty went missing.

[@eleanorcooke7136]

I live in the UK and my neighbours have a cat that goes crazy if she gets stuck inside for a few hours, she likes to be able to come and go as she pleases.

[@Veldazandtea]

I used to live on a quiter road. Traffic wasn't common. Allies with rooftops. Had a cat that used to come into my house. Cam int through the window whe I opened it. Slept with me on the bed. Had to move. Busy street. Cat is left where they are. Probably dead of old age at this point.

[@bassetts1899]

Rural isn't dangerous everywhere. No coyotes or bears or anything in the UK. The biggest risk in the UK is cars, so it's not a good idea to let them outdoors if you live near a busy road. Another risk is other cats. There can be a lot of outdoor cats in some areas so you have to watch out because some can be aggressive.

[@witchy-b0nes657]

Having an outdoor cat is a huge gamble and it's literally just luck if a cat lives a long time or not. Yeah, get them fixed and get them vaccinated, but nothing is going to protect them from cars and predators. My outdoor cat only lived for three years before a car hit him and it sucks that it took that amount of hurt to realize that I never want an outdoor cat again. I'd rather have my kiddo safe inside where I know they'll be okay and safe. Harnesses are literally a life safer for a cat that wants to go outside, my house cat did a really good job on just a normal collar and leash tbh and he was only a year old (Sadly i lost him to feline leukemia that he was born with a few months ago) In the long run, it's a personal choice on where you want your cat to live, it's a gamble no matter what, having a pet isn't sunshine and rainbows all the time. My outdoor cat lived longer than my indoor cat did and I couldn't control either way on how they passed on from this world.

[@melodyharmony17]

You’re completely forgetting to factor that you COULD control your outdoor cat dying. Literally if you hadn’t let him out he’d probably still be alive today. Equating “my cat died from an actually uncontrollable illness” to “my cat died because I CHOSE to let him outside and he got hit by a car” is b-a-d bad. Your cat being hit by a car is COMPLETELY controllable. Yes, every cat is going to die eventually but you shouldn’t use that as a reason to argue that letting them out makes that a rational choice. My own first cat never came back when he was only a year old, and my next cat who never went outside lived till she was twenty.

[@witchy-b0nes657]

​@@melodyharmony17 Well, when your parents don't let your cat inside because they think "cats belong outside" it's a different story. Even inside cats can get hit by a car if they somehow slip out a door unnoticed by their owners. It's literally uncontrollable how any animal dies unless you're the one deliberately killing the animal. Was him being outside increasing his chances of getting hit? Yeah. But I've known tons of people that have outdoor cats that just died of old age and were lucky enough to live that long. Having an outdoor cat is just putting it's life in fate's hands. No one can control what happens if a cat lives outside.

[@melodyharmony17]

wendigoboi ??????? Sure a cat COULD escape, but again you’re equating something that is completely unpurposeful and highly unlikely with a DELIBERATE AND CONSCIOUS ACT that is absolutely under your control which is again wrong

[@SienAppelsien]

It depends on the place where you live. My cat has never had any problems, my previous cat lived on for 19 years while being half outdoors cat. I live in a calm neighourhood where pretty much no cat gets killed by cars, there are no predators that can hunt them and no crazy ass people. Meanwhile my grandma was so unlucky to have two cats hit by a car because she lives close to a busy street

[@michael_and_lowe]

wendigoboi my outdoor cat lived 8 months! It ripped my heart out my chest when the little warrior still managed to make it home after having been hit by a car! He died before the vet could even x-ray him for internal injuries! I had to call home to relay the sad news to my wife and children! It was awful and unbearable! What made it worse was that our 7 year old border collie was such good mates with onyx in such a short space of time. He was very distraught when I brought onyx home and his buddy wouldn't play with him anymore? He rests peacefully underneath a Camellia Japonica now! We have decided for now, definitely no cats, far too painful to go through that again! Especially for the kids!!

[@fpp9183]

My position is the same as yours. My family gave a kitten in adoption to a friend and she raised her as an outdoors cat... long story short.. all the siblins are still alive and the cat she adopted was run down by a car. And 2 weeks after that her black cat was poisoned. That kind of sealed the deal for me. If you take them out of the streets it makes no sense to keep them on the streets subjected to the same dangers

[@atropabelladonna]

Most cat rescue organisations I know don't adopt cats to outdoor homes unless in very special circumstances (e.g when the cat is not fully tamed and it goes to a stable or farm). Too much money, time, emotional involvement to just hear in a few weeks/months that the animal you cared for died a tragic death or went missing (which usually=died a tragic death).

[@Lessthanaverage16]

I've had my cat for 6years and had gotten him when he was about 7months old he was a stray and his mom abandoned him. I was sleeping by the front door and it was snowing hard out side I heard him meowing so I left him some food and a blanket in our shed and he's been following me around since. When started as just an outside cat, then outside indoor, then finally purely indoor. I never really had to train him much. He picked up the litterbox concept immmediantely and never jumps up on counters and has no instest in human food. Only issues are him scratching on furtinuture and feet when moving suitably. He's actually the first pet I ever had. He's still energetic and playful also very healthy I think I am gonna have him for a long time.

[@kenwaid8239]

less thanaverage4501 at six years old he’s barely turning middle-aged keep up the regular vet check ups and care you could have them for 20 years even more as for the furniture scratching you need to get him one of those cardboard scratcher‘s they absolutely love them and since getting one and refills for it my cats don’t scratch the furniture anymore just me occasionallyHa ha

[@leroyglass2621]

I bought a cat when it was a kitten and I've kept it inside at night. But I'm now thinking of putting it outside and night. Is that okay?

[@okay-uc9cy]

I really appreciate that you gave arguments and advice for both sides of this debate, while also not sacrificing or diminishing your own values. What an excellent video, thank you!

[@reikonishiya]

My cat has been living outside for first 9 years of her life. She was taken by the shelter where I volunteer because other cats from her group started keeping her away from the food they were receiving. I took her two months ago into my house and she turned from a Wallflower, scaredy cat into a confident, calm lady. She doesn't miss the outside at all after she realized she receives food under her nose, noone bothers her and she can sleep calmly most of the day. We love her very much, and we plan to put a fence onto our balcony to let her spend some time outside, but in a safe environment. I dream of a world where all cats can stay safely at home or at the well-fenced backyard. Greetings and hugs to you Jackson, and to all cat-lovers

[@lostpuppy7259]

kind of the same, I rescued a one years old outdoor cats (we believe abandonned as a 4month old kitten on the street), mind you in a busy town, but was living on some big properties with gates, but you could still pester her between the bars. She had to beg human at the bars so they would give her trash food, or try to hunt also some mice that would run on the territory (but she was always so hungry I dont think she had enough of them), she was 3 times pregnant, 1 time all her kitten died, because random people took them away from her when they were super young, and they didnt know how to care for it, they tried to return them to her realising they fucked up but it was too late, they all died. Second time a lone rescuer (like me) trapped the kitten, got bite by her, and told the gards of the place "I'll return for her" but she didnt for multiple month, mind you it was in the depth of winter. She could have died. They didnt try to contact anyone either. in 3 weeks that I encountered her (the time really it took for me to get a trap from an willing association) she was trapped. (we needed trap because she was very cautious and would panick/ keep safe distance very quickly when I tried to gently grab her, food motivation wasnt enough to make her enter a normal transport cage too). On the way to my home after she got neutered (and vet discovered she was pregnant, they didnt call me and aborted her) a random passerbye harassed me telling me I was going to hell for emprisonning the cat instead of letting her her "freedom". He keept following my slow pace for 5 minutes telling me I was a monster but he wasnt going to hit me because god or whatever was going to anyway. Lol. I said nothing, but even if it was true, then I regret nothing. Yes she was screaming, and still in the trap cage, but she was just scared and still under drug effect, there was also a lot of wind that day that blow off the cover I had on her. her reaction was normal but not alarming. Anyway, I have a lot of cats, one of mine HATES her. So she has been living in my tiny living room for multiple month now (waiting for my holiday so I can try to make them like each other using Jackson galaxy, tryed other stuff but with my work to difficult and I live alone, I think it will works, the works isnt on her part, she likes two of my more cool cat, the work will be on my other cat that attack her, she got some security issue I need to work on with her). Her territory was at least 10 to 100 times bigger than the tiny room she lives in now. The number of time she begged at the door to go out ? Never she never did, not even once. Actually she begged once and I thought it was that, but its actually that she wanted me to come back in the room. when I open the door, She does not try to leave. The first time I opened the window she got scared, because she heard again the noise of the street. Now she enjoy the window (its cat proofed), but does not beg for it either. She only scream at me when she is hungry, and when she wants to play. She doesnt care about anything else. Each time I lean in my chair she comes jumping on me for a big hug. sorry long post but yeah. "freedom" is a human concept, cats arnt savage animal, they are domesticated. They just want to feel safe.

[@reikonishiya]

@@lostpuppy7259 Oh my, the truly went through a lot during her, I'm glad she found a safe place to live at your house :) Unfortunately I do not know anything about my baby's past, if was pregnant, if anyone hurt her (althoigh she has one big scar on the top of her head, probably from a burn). But yeah, she also likes to watch the outside from the cat-proof windows and doesn't ask to go outside

[@Snow-Willow]

Being someone that has mental issues myself, I am happy to let my cat be indoor/outdoor even if it means a year or two off. He's so so much happier, he refuses to stay inside even when it's on vet's orders. We live near the neighborhood park where he can roam and we're in a nice suburban area, so much safer. He has a warm welcoming roof to come home too and he knows where and when his food is. We do all we can to keep him up to date on all vaccines and we give him a check up every night when he comes home to scope for any possible scrapes or anything to worry about. He always comes home for lunch at 9 too. (Sometimes 8 when he is extra gluttonous)

[@racs9606]

@sara Allison Don't know what kind of a neighbourhoid you live in but where I live, we don't see dead cats lying around. Lots of cats are out freely exploring, as was my last cat, who died of natural courses.

[@racs9606]

@sara Allison Sorry didn't understand that.

[@racs9606]

@sara Allison They bury it so prob solved. All animals poo in the wild. Better than sticking iit in plastic bags and throwing it in the bin. We will just have to agree to disagree. Your sarcastic hint hint remark sounds like you're getting riled, so I will end it here.

[@racs9606]

@sara Allison oh I see. Well that's your prerogative I guess.

[@reekad5687]

Btw is that cats meow at 6:55 real ??? It’s adorable sounds like a squeaky toy 😍

[@ilariarigoni6885]

Hi Jackson, I would love to adopt a cat and I live in an apartment, so it would be very difficult for me to let him out. I can totally build a catio and provide toys and activities to do inside, I have plenty of windows for cat TV.However, we both work and he will have to spend some time alone and I’m worried that he will feel lonely or abandoned. Everyone is telling me that the cat should be free to go wherever he wants but you are right, it is about safety after all. We have too many free cats in the neighbourhood. Thank you for this video ❤️

[@wanderingonionn]

My cat lives in an apartment, he is perfectly happy !! Just make sure they have enrichment and love and usually they will adjust

[@l1lium]

And make sure you don't declaw your cat. No matter what anyone says!! It's cruel and painful. Also if you're worried about the cat being lonely - take two cats. Two isbalway better that one. I have only one because my landlord doesn't allow any more, but I will get a friend for my small kittin when I can. Cat shouldn't be free to go wherever, because it's not part of natural environment and it kills small birds etc Umm idk what else to say, it's 6a.m and I haven't sleep at all this night :D

[@eftiprwtopapadakis9310]

@@l1lium Fellow night owl

[@sinwolfe4868]

My Bones goes out on a harness and leash. We live in the country and he’s not allowed near the road. He strictly stays in the yard. We are currently working on finding a place to build a catio for all our indoor cats.

[@catlord69]

what a cool cat name !

[@sinwolfe4868]

Matej Petras thanks! He’s a grey tuxedo boy. I’m known in my family for odd names

[@catlord69]

@@sinwolfe4868 tuxedo cats look awesome :)

[@sinwolfe4868]

Matej Petras I got three tuxedos, a Persian, and a tabby

[@catlord69]

@@sinwolfe4868 lucky you, dear stranger ! I have (or rather... I'm own by) two tabby cats and both are beautiful as they can get :) And I guess the tabby is in your profile pic, what a cute kittie

[@michelleallen4215]

My cats HATE outside! They love their climate control and comfy beds, I don't have to worry about them wanting to go out😊

[@kellythomas5596]

Hello Michelle how are you doing today.

[@CelticVictory]

My cat would literally not stop begging to be let outside until we agreed.

[@lilithmarleen]

For me, cats are indoors only. Like you said, they should also have the chance to enjoy nature and sunlight so taking them for walks on a harness and leash is a great option. For those fortunate enough to live in a house instead of an apartment building, turn your backyard into a secure catio from where the feline children can not escape. Let them enjoy hunting bugs and watching birds, make sure you don’t keep any toxic nor poisonous plants, and don’t keep trees too near the fence to limit the cats’ abilities to sneak out.

[@lilithmarleen]

2plus 2cats haha, that sounds awesome :) keep up the great work!

[@GDeNofa]

I have a catio porch added in my backyard. They can witness outside, smell the air, watch birds, squirrels, bunnies and other visiting critters.

[@lovinginvention]

Our old girl lived to 21 and she was an outdoor cat. We live in a suburban area away from main roads so that will have helped a lot. She was so street savvy, we reckon she would go walkabout for miles, down to the park and all around. She was incredible and so tough ❤️

[@MrGduder]

@MissingTundra16 Whole heartedly agree. These people celebrating each other for neglecting (borderline abusing) their cats. I feel so bad for these creatures.

[@dwaynethewokjohnson7773]

@@MrGduder It's not abuse. The cats love it and if not they're not going outside. The animals they kill is natural selection. Only the strong survive. Also they are great for pest control

[@MrGduder]

@@dwaynethewokjohnson7773 You're a lazy cat owner who can't put in the time to stimulate your cat so you throw it outside with all the dangers in the world and here you are justifying yourself. Why even get a pet if you're going to just throw it outside? Stop neglecting your animal.

[@dwaynethewokjohnson7773]

@@MrGduder She loves it outside. Even if I stimulate it it doesn't matter. Funny how aggressive you get. Don't like when people live like they like? She has been an outside cat for 6 years doing great. It is natural to have cats outside where I live. Also there is a huge forest right by my house.

[@MrGduder]

@@dwaynethewokjohnson7773 It's like talking to a brick wall lol. Whatever you have to tell yourself to sleep at night. Poor cat, outside for 6 years jesus. Give that cat to someone who actually cares for it please. Put your ego aside and do what's best for the animal.

[@guaranteedbyshwarmi]

i'm vehemently an indoor-cat person, not only for the lifespan of the cat and their safety, but also because cats are wildly considered an invasive species and there is an epidemic with feral cats (which, if your cat is not neutered, they can contribute to the growth of very easily). adam ruins everything has a great segment on this, there's over 30 species of birds that are now extinct because of outdoor and feral cats. most of which the corpses arent eaten, since cats are one of the species of animals that will hunt and kill for play, not just out of hunger. so on top of everything else jackson galaxy said, outdoor cats can also disrupt the web of life and hurt the enviroments they go out into also, my neighbor has 2 outdoor cats, we get along great, but her cats got fleas. and, because she hadn't thought of it, when she had returned a couple of blankets to me, she got my house infested with fleas too. lesson learned: cat owners, especially those who give their cats different lifestyles, do need to communicate when something big and potentially contagious is happening to their cat. this goes for indoor cat owners too, just because your cat is indoors, doesn't mean you can skimp out on vaccinations. cat leukemia and other diseases are contagious, and nobody wants to be the reason why a neighborhood cat suffers needlessly and when prevention was possible

[@jakual339]

Thank you! I was disappointed that Jackson didn't mention this. We definitely want what's best for our pets, but sometimes there are other important considerations too!

[@knmid]

Sadly most cat owners I've seen don't care about wildlife. My previous neighbor had an overweight outdoor cat. Even that cat was capable of killing small birds and reptiles. It also terrorized the squirrels although I never witnessed it killing one. The owners thought it was funny.

[@amaeve1950]

I am pro indoor cat for sure. shorter lifespan is enough, but they also have a huge negative impact on bird populations.

[@martinw245]

www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/advice/gardening-for-wildlife/animal-deterrents/cats-and-garden-birds/are-cats-causing-bird-declines/ "No scientific evidence Despite the large numbers of birds killed by cats in gardens, there is no clear scientific evidence that such mortality is causing bird populations to decline. This may be surprising, but many millions of birds die naturally every year, mainly through starvation, disease or other forms of predation. There is evidence that cats tend to take weak or sickly birds. " Read more at www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/advice/gardening-for-wildlife/animal-deterrents/cats-and-garden-birds/are-cats-causing-bird-declines/#k5cCv9FzJtxcBoS3.99

[@martinw245]

"No scientific evidence Despite the large numbers of birds killed by cats in gardens, there is no clear scientific evidence that such mortality is causing bird populations to decline. This may be surprising, but many millions of birds die naturally every year, mainly through starvation, disease or other forms of predation. There is evidence that cats tend to take weak or sickly birds. " www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/advice/gardening-for-wildlife/animal-deterrents/cats-and-garden-birds/are-cats-causing-bird-declines/#k5cCv9FzJtxcBoS3.99

[@blobbertmcblob4888]

There is absolutely no evidence that cats are causing a decline in bird populations. Because that's not just plausible to figure out, there ARE other bird predators, in fact, the largest and most persistent predator of birds is other birds. A crow will return to a robins nest over and over until every egg/chick is gone.

[@bonkboi9733]

"The total number of animals brought home by about 9 million cats living in Great Britain during the 5-month period April-August 1997 was estimated to be in the order of 92.4 million (95% CI 85.1-100.2). This estimate can be broken down to 57.4 (52.1-63.1) million mammals, 27.1 (25.1-29.2) million birds, 4.8 (4.1-5.6) million reptiles and amphibians and 2.8 (2.3-3.4) million other items." doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2907.2005.00071.x An actual scholarly article on the impact of house cats on wildlife in the U.K.

[@blobbertmcblob4888]

@@bonkboi9733 Does that study include the impact of rats on wildlife? What about the U.Ks nature predatory birds? did you know your Shrike birds can kill up to 5 small songbirds a day? Nature is nature is nature and there is NO way to tract how much a cat kills.

[@ickeldi]

Even if you live in a place where it's relatively safe for the cat to go outside, a lot of ppl don't seem to consider how much cats kill. And it's not just harmful if they are invasive. Even if you live in like Germany (like me). They kill a lot of small kritters, not only birds and mice but frogs and reptiles and it's a rigged game because there are no consequences for the cat if it is unsuccessful for a while. Usually if there are less prey animals the predators decline too and prey populations can recover. Especially birds have a really hard time around here because of a decline in safe breeding spots coupled with a lot of cat predation.

[@CelticVictory]

So you're saying that the evidence that what you're saying is a myth is wrong?

[@rainbowunicornfarts346]

I live in Australia and a lot of our native species are now endangered due to cats and foxes. My girl is an inside only. We live in a wildlife protection zone, so Cat TV is pretty spectacular around here with Bandicoots, Lizards and birds. Thankfully she doesn't seem to be a "door dasher" or give any indication she wants to explore the greater outdoors - we try to ensure that her indoor environment is enriched as much as possible and many thanks to Jackson for the guidance his information gives on this.

[@jesus_reigns]

Thanks for mentioning this!

[@froggamer4884]

Outdoor cats should be banned everywhere. Releasing invasive species is typically illegal. Call it a domestic cat and it's suddenly okay.

[@rubyneedville]

My cat is spoiled indoors! Cant imagine him outside too many predators. He loves his cat trees next to a couple of windows.

[@jared_monsen]

noyfb sorry but if anything you have it backwards. Let your cat out at night or all the time. The last thing a cat wants to do when they are the most awake is be cooped up

[@jcaylalove8713]

I think it's unnatural to keep a cat inside at all times but it you have to, then you as the owner have a responsibility to ensure the cat has a fulfilling life. My cats can come and go as it pleases them. I think this is best for cats but I understand this isn't always possible.

[@Lord_of_Snels]

@@mrhorse6587 it is cruel and unnecessary to send a cat out into the ecosystem to pillage and destroy integral native wildlife populations

[@Lord_of_Snels]

@@jcaylalove8713 it is unnatural to send an alien predator into an ecosystem to wreak havoc

[@OCC_Plumbing_and_Restorations]

@@Lord_of_Snels Whatever. My cat loves it!

[@sarahpayne5658]

I had an outdoor cat that lived 15 years. I miss him so much

[@The_New_Abnormal_World_Order]

I don't know why he's saying outside cats only live 2-5 years, that's ridiculous.

[@mattiastofte7457]

​@@The_New_Abnormal_World_Order Avarage, most die of young age. While some are "smarter", more careful or live in a safer environment and can live much longer lives.

[@LeechWoman]

@@The_New_Abnormal_World_Order average male life span is 64, and most actors from the 80s are above that age or in their 70s. If that was true then all the 1980s stars would be dropping like flies.

[@mirelala25]

@@LeechWoman They're talking about cats not people smh

[@LeechWoman]

@@mirelala25 woosh! that's the point. average = doesn't mean 100%

[@Hanya1210]

One of the best episodes to me, I totally agree with you in keeping cats indoor. My deep thanks & greetings from Cairo Egypt 💐

[@ACDBunnie]

I also think an important part of the debate is discussing cats' effect on native struggling species. I live on Hawaii and I think most people know how outdoor cats can harm the already dwindling native species on colonized islands. The native species decline that occurs on islands is extreme but even if you're on the mainland there are likely some struggling local species you're unaware of that are greatly affected by cats (as well as rats and other human-introduced species). When your outdoor cat hunts it's not going to check to make sure the species of its prey is "Least Concern".

[@silkspinner7010]

I think it must be different here in UK, our cat has the free run of the garden and neighbours gardens, and spends a great deal of her time sleeping on the bed and with us indoors. She is tagged, neutered, vaccinated and we have loads of pictures of her. She has a cat flap and regular times for meals. She is indoors at night and the cat flap is locked. Our first cat lived to be 21 years old. When we've had to keep our cat indoors she actually becomes depressed and that is a very upsetting thing to see and deal with. Most people I know let their cats out, in fact there was a whole tv programme about cat behaviour and how far they roamed in their neighbourhood, but can't remember who made it. We also don't have the predators that you do in USA.

[@BlackBackLioness]

I also live in the UK and although cats we've had in the past were outdoor cats I think I'll be keeping any new cats I come across indoors. Why? I recently lost an elderly stray I took in, nothing related to the outside, she sadly died of a brain tumour - but while I had her I searched high and low for her owners. I joined different sites for lost and found pets, Facebook pages and all sorts. The sheer number of lost cats, found cats and dead cats needing to be collected in a 10 mile radius of my area was heart breaking. I can't imagine how many more there are in the whole of the UK.

[@CelticVictory]

It's not that different. Not all areas in the US have an issue with predators. I too let my cats out and they lived long lives. My longest lived cat was nearly 19. Was the program you watched Nature?

[@theonegoldengryphon]

Keep in mind that your cat is also a predator- outdoor cats wreak absolute havoc on local ecosystems, especially bird populations. 63 species of animals have gone extinct partly due to predation by domestic cats.

[@OctoberOnyx]

As an owner of an FIV cat, I’m very happy to hear you’re pro- indoor cats

[@mellovell1884]

The group on Facebook is wonderful for support for FIV I would give you the name of the group but I need to look it back up I haven’t been on Facebook in a while I had a cat they thought had FIP but I do not really think she did I think the one vet I took her to was very quick to assume without proper testing Our new vet said no way I was apart of the group and they gave me the support and knowledge I needed at that time I know that must be hard but you are taking good care of your baby I can tell and showing love is amazing I agree that indoors is best also It’s crazy how this world is so dangerous now for any wildlife

[@Staci.Gonzalez]

@@mellovell1884 yes it’s called FIP WARRIORS on Facebook. Absolutely saved my cats life! We gave her shots for 87 days ourselves and she is back or normal from having FIP and nearly about to die. She could barely walk, wouldn’t eat, and her stomach was filling with fluid as her organs were about to shut down. Medicine and lots of love saved her.

[@kamerad_marzuki3631]

Lazy-ass indoor cats that don't hunt pissed me off.

[@tanyasavescats8777]

@@Staci.Gonzalez @Mel Lovell FIP and FIV are different diseases. FIV cats just have a slightly depressed immune system and studies show they live as long as FIV+ cats. FIP is a mutation of a common cat coronavirus and, until recently, was a death sentence. Now it can be treated with an expensive regimen from China.

[@delialefay13]

something no one ever seems to talk about in this debate, just like you wouldn't let your dog roam free in your neighbors yards you shouldn't let your cat's, you may love your cat but your neighbor may not appreciate them chasing away birds from their bird feeders or using their flower beds or child's sandbox as a litter box. I've heard horror stories of neighbors leaving poison out and even shooting cats in their yard(actually lost a favorite childhood cat this way) 😿 if my cat's roamed free, I would go crazy from the anxiety 😿

[@sarasthoughts]

Yup

[@NZDLo]

Similar to the Aussie, we keep our cats inside to protect the native species here in New Zealand. Cats are one of the most horrible predators here, so we never considered allowing ours to wander freely. Unfortunately, a lot of people do let their cats wander.

[@peacetoyou63]

What about spay/neuter??? The most important part of letting your kitty outdoors!

[@atropabelladonna]

That is a must for any cat, indoor and outdoor alike.

[@atropabelladonna]

@oktopustrainer are you serious?

[@kanyenorth5711]

Atropa Belladonna since you are here, can i ask what the issue with neutering and spaying cats is? i’m not trying to be rude i’m just genuinely curious (btw my cat is spayed)

[@atropabelladonna]

@@kanyenorth5711 There are many issues. The first and most important thing is obviously an overpopulation of cats. Spaying/neutering them is a humane way to limit population growth and a number of homeless animals that live and die in horrific conditions or have to be euthanized in shelters. Secondly, cats that are not under the influence of sex hormones are less aggressive (therefore less likely to get injured) and less likely to catch transmissible diseases (such as FIV) by fighting and sex. Even if a cat stays at home at all times spaying and neutering prevents numerous illnesses, most importantly breast cancer in females. Finally, there is also a practical reason for the owner - spaying/neutered cats are less likely to exhibit annoying behaviours such us urinating outside the litter box or being aggressive. It's a win for the cat, a win for the owner and a win for the wildlife.

[@kanyenorth5711]

Atropa Belladonna i did have a suspicion about transmitted diseases but not the other reasons. thanks a lot

[@frosty8104]

I think catio provides the best of both worlds... that way your cat can still go outdoors, but in a safe environment

[@kellythomas5596]

Hello Laura how are you doing today.

[@dnb-ang]

I agree! The best of both worlds!

[@Skittlez0553]

I was surprised that he didnt mention spaying and neutering your cats. That's a must!

[@miss1of2]

I think it's because all cats should be spayed or neutered. In or outdoor.

[@kathleenreis1991]

My cat wanted out BAD. Got him nutered. Still wanted out. Let him go out. Stayed close to home, apt. Complex, and came back Everytime. Novelty wore off, and he stays indoors with me. Even though I leave screen door open for him, he doesn't go out much. He's an indoor cat with Outdoor privledges if he so chooses.

[@ZyliceLiddell]

If I let my new kitten outside, I will be keeping a close eye on him. My older cat used to go in and out as she pleased (even at night) and occasionally got into some minor skirmishes. She lived until 17.5 years old. 😊👍

[@nenamichelle]

Yeah, pretty sure it’s not recommended to let kittens outside at all. They’re babies. If they run off they have a tougher time finding home. Don’t fool yourself, if that kitten wants to run ofc you’re not fast enough to catch it. Not a good idea. Hopefully you got lucky and he didn’t run off.

[@gailalli8086]

Totally agree with you on this point! Safety first!

[@f3lispix3lus]

I'm so glad Jackson is pro-indoors! My cats are all indoor with occasional harness walks. I'm aiming for 20 years.

[@pphedup]

He is.

[@CelticVictory]

My cat made it nearly 19 years and was outdoors.

[@geekygalaxy4307]

Let your cats outside, it’s literally their genetic right

[@pitohui1800]

@@geekygalaxy4307 cats are domesticated, meaning they do not belong to wildlife ecosystems. It's not their place, and can cause devastating damage to smaller animals.

[@MilkyHorrn]

He’s not pro-indoors. Did you not watch the video? He said either indoor or outdoor is fine depending on your cats wants and needs.

[@sloppynyuszi]

I’m also on the indoor front. My two cats are “saved” strays from Shanghai. In HK now and moving to Sydney. We used to feed the cats in our compound, and those guys didn’t really survive past 3 years. I knew my cats parents. The dad was rough as hell with a ton of battle scars. Their kitten always came down to my foot. I picked it up to bring it back to the Mum, and she totally freaked out and kept attacking it. So I took it home. I read up that apparently that’s a bad thing to do, because your scent may alienate the kitten to the mother. So I now have a cat as I felt kinda guilty about it. And don’t touch any kittens I see on the street. Seeing how I’ve seen his cousins dead, disappear or mangled by being hit by a car, I can’t just let him go outside. Also bringing them to Australia I don’t want my cats be responsible for any natural wildlife issues. Possums, Gallahs didn’t ask for this.

[@teirose]

i let my cat walk around our property the same way you’d let a dog play in the yard. i do this a couple times a week, supervised outdoor time can be a happy medium in my opinion

[@pamelavanzandt3486]

My cat lived 22 and 11 months and he was indoor out door kitty

[@Ruthless_Robbery]

Same here 22 and sly as a fox so I'd say it's all a matter of how the dice rolls. I'm sure we'd be a lot safer as total shut ins too LOL but no just no

[@paulinadeluca9117]

sara Allison aka Miss true Freeman you got lucky because if your dog killed my cat, your dog will get a buck shot to the face ☺️

[@thewicked_witch4720]

@sara Allison aka Miss true Freeman Your dog needs training.

[@thewicked_witch4720]

How about nobody kills anyone pets... I love both cats and dogs. If dog/cat has aggression needs training/ care. You have pet it's your responsibility to train take care of your fur baby.

[@dfjulesful]

Any tips?

[@angelatillman4323]

I'm with you Jackson. Indoors. It's too dangerous outside anymore. I wish it was a different world. I may feel differently.

[@CarolFremel-my4hs]

Holy cow ! Talk about modern kids being wrapped in cotton wool - now people are mollycoddling their pets - its a CAT for goodness sakes

[@danielaflow3189]

The problem with outdoor cats is that they will eventually never come back so I agree:(

[@Adrellias]

@@CarolFremel-my4hs not just a cat

[@jageenperson]

Angela Tillman Of course that also depends on were in the world you live!

[@jageenperson]

Daniela Flores my cat comes back to me several times a day

[@anascarlet]

Can you make a video on building a catio or cat-proofing your backyard? Or are there any affordable options for this type kf thing? (Which also give the cat enough space)

[@98dizzard]

I've catproofed my garden. There's trial and error involved, especially with an agile cat. A catio is easier if you have a large back yard.

[@alzbetaponkova1383]

Yeah i wanna know that too

[@AshleeKnowsNot]

Look up Evan&Kaitlyn (may have spelt it wrong.) They are adorable and have a video where they make a small catio.

[@AmiraCelonOracle]

I love an outdoor cat! Super sweet. I looked after an outdoor cat who lived to 20 years old. Angel the black cat with the green eyes. Adorable cat.