People with indoor/outdoor cats...what if they don't return?

[z1ggy]

I wouldn't get an indoor outdoor cat. Their life expectancy is cut by about 50% and they can bring home all sorts of unwanted goodies, such as:

ticks
fleas
small birds
rodents
another cat buddy
random gross dirt and other crap

TLDR; don't do it.

 

[Ichinisan]

Anybody who says people that own outdoor cats should be shot sounds like one of the biggest blowhard dickheads on the planet. And we have Trump running for office.

Growing up, I've had outdoor cats because my mother didn't want to officially claim them. People who do it now are ignorant of pet cats' impact on birds.

Keep cats indoors. It's irresponsible to do otherwise.

 

[Kazukian]

We have 2 indoor/outdoor cats and 1 indoor, all their choice.

The outdoor cats in general will come back as long as they're happy, if they don't like "home" they'll find another. Growing up, we had several cats with evidently 2 homes, they'd disappear for a week or two and return, fat and happy for a couple of weeks.

Our outdoor cats seem happy and independent, one lived indoors for 2 years and transitioned to I/O, I miss him being around in the house, but he loves being outside, and while it may shorten his lifespan, he seems seriously happy.

 

[evident]

I could never deal with an indoor outdoor. I already have anxiety attacks when I think of what if situations about my indoor buddies going missing and getting out

 

[NetWareHead]

Best part of having an indoor/outdoor cat is you barely have to change the litter box during the warm months. Our cats prefer to go outside. You really notice the difference when its winter and cats prefer to stay in the warm indoors so the box get used frequently.

We plant a ton of catnip in the yard and attract all sorts of neighborhood cats to keep other animals out of the veggie garden. Our veggies are never touched all season long by squirrels, groundhogs, moles etc...

The bad part of an outdoor cat, and this applies especially if they are young, is the incessant yowling to go outside, especially at 4 AM. And the yowling outside the window to be let back in, also at 4 AM. Older cats tend to sleep more and stay inside but younger cats wake you up at night.

We live on a quiet street and feel comfortable letting out cats out. If we were more in an urban environment or busy street, I would keep them inside. You do have to worry about assholes that shoot cats or poison them. It is a thought that crosses my mind here and there...

 

[Ichinisan]

Best part of having an indoor/outdoor cat is you barely have to change the litter box during the warm months. Our cats prefer to go outside. You really notice the difference when its winter and cats prefer to stay in the warm indoors so the box get used frequently.

Your neighbors probably hate you for this.

 

[NetWareHead]

Your neighbors probably hate you for this.

Why would they? A cat is kinda private where it goes and then buries it. Cats dont leave turds in plain site like dogs do.

 

[NetWareHead]

We're thinking of getting a cat to help with potential rodent issues. Our preference would be indoor/outdoor cats. But I just can't get my head around this one particular aspect, and I'm hoping you cat owners can help me out.

Aren't you afraid they won't come back one day? They could get killed by a larger cat, hit by a car, shot at by a neighbor, or just decide "fuck it" and walk off. I think on a personal level I would be devastated by losing an animal w/o knowing what happened to it. Do y'all just accept this as a possibility and deal with it if/when it happens?

My grandfather kept a cat on the farm in the old days as a working cat for vermin purposes. He only fed it 3-4 times a week; semi-starved it on purpose so it would always hunt. It always lived outdoors with the exception of the winter and allowed it to enter the house to keep warm. That cat killed something everyday, and many times multiple times a day and did its job.

OP if you want to get a cat for mousing purposes, I'd advise you to not do it. Not every cat is a mouser, it takes a certain temperament and cat personality to be the kind that constantly hunts and is then good at it. Most cats when presented with the option to be fed by a human or have to actually hunt to eat will take the easier road. There are cats that kill for fun, even when well fed, and this in indicative of a mouser personality. Getting a cat for mousing purposes is a uncertain prospect. Get a cat for companionship. Get an exterminator or use poison is you have a vermin problem.

 

[flexy]

We had (MANY...) cats and up until 6+ months or so ago they were always indoor/outdoor cats. Needless to say we love(d) every single cat we have/had, but unfortunately there are many dangers out there and we already lost TONS of cats, it's really crazy to even think about it.

It starts with males which often and then totally unexpectedly won't come back one day, it can happen within months or years. A vet told me it's normal and that male cats might roam in a radius of some miles around your hme, and all stuff can happen or they simply find a female one day and decide not to come back.
Then of course there are many nasty people out there, cars...and most importantly OTHER cats. I have seen cats fighting to the death.
Back then when the cats still went in/out as they wanted we were aware about that there is a certain risk and that it definitely shortens their life-span, but it was a balance act since our cats LOOOOVED going outside, and not allowing them this would have been like punishing them.

In your case, think about whether you want the cat miserable because it cannot go outside (assuming it is *relatively* safe outside where you live) or if you want her a sad (?) indoor cat but then healthy and with a longer life, but confined inside. I don't know what's "better" really, you and your cat have to know that

Fortunately, now we found some type of compromise. One problem was that our cats didn't exactly "thrill" our neighbors (we live in an apt complex but people have many pets here), so after a talk about the cats causing problems we decided that they can NOT go outside downstairs anymore. We however have a balcony AND a sun-roof, and since we live in Spain this is basically most of the year open and the cats can go in/out on the roof or balcony and actually stay there. It is actually ideal for them because it means they CAN go "outside" but they're safe on the roof, no other cats, people, cars etc. Problem only late in Winter when it gets cold and then we also have to close the door there.

 

[flexy]

Do y'all just accept this as a possibility and deal with it if/when it happens?

There is really nothing you can do, even if each loss is of course anywhere from very sad to devastating. We had, at one time, three of ours disappear within like 3 or 4 days. (The total of our cats who disappeared is MUCH, MUCH higher). And one of those cats entirely surprisingly for us all came back like 6+ months later, was totally dumbfounded seeing the cat on the window, all thin, who knows where he was...but here he was.

My favorite cat also disappeared one day, same here, 6 or so months later my wife "found him" on the way to the grocer. Unfortunately, he disappeared a second time many months later, this time likely got into a fight with a "bad" cat. We had neighbors in the apt complex with a giant, extremely nasty and super-aggressive cat which was an absolute asshole.

And by the way, one big argument against cats outside can be diseases and pests, they catch all sorts things from other cats.

Edit: If we were to live somewhere rural like on a farm with even less cars and where it's considered safe I'd definitely allow them to go outside even if it would mean potentially losing them. It really depends where you live. Cats are simply not like we who are fine with sitting on a computer all-day long playing some game, I wouldn't want to take their freedom.

 

[NetWareHead]

There is really nothing you can do, even if each loss is of course anywhere from very sad to devastating. We had, at one time, three of ours disappear within like 3 or 4 days. (The total of our cats who disappeared is MUCH, MUCH higher). And one of those cats entirely surprisingly for us all came back like 6+ months later, was totally dumbfounded seeing the cat on the window, all thin, who knows where he was...but here he was.

My favorite cat also disappeared one day, same here, 6 or so months later my wife "found him" on the way to the grocer. Unfortunately, he disappeared a second time many months later, this time likely got into a fight with a "bad" cat. We had neighbors in the apt complex with a giant, extremely nasty and super-aggressive cat which was an absolute asshole.

And by the way, one big argument against cats outside can be diseases and pests, they catch all sorts things from other cats.

This happened to my fiance's cat. She mourned him and was devastated as he is such a friendly cat and truly one of her favorites. Was gone for months when one day she came home and there he was waiting to be let into the house like nothing happened. She hugged him and cried with happiness that he had returned. He was dirty and thin and he ate 2 days worth of food before settling down and sleeping for nearly 2 days straight. She thinks that maybe he wandered off and got trapped in a neighbor's house, shed, garage somewhere before escaping and making his way back home.

 

[zinfamous]

If you're primarily interested in rodent control and don't want to risk losing a pet, just install a rat snake in your crawl space.

As for keeping an indoor/outdoor cat, ours is too fat/uninterested (not really fat, just a large-sized cat) to climb a fence. We only allow her in the backyard and she's perfectly content. She isn't allowed outside when we aren't there or during the evening. Keep her well fed and trained to expect food when she returns (just a tiny amount is all they need). This cat loves being outside but she understands her boundaries. it also helps that she spent the first couple of years confined to smaller apartments and very minimal outside time, so she likes both environments.

I wouldn't allow a pet cat to have free access to the neighborhood, though. It's terrible for the cat's health and even worse for the migratory/song bird population.

 

[flexy]

This happened to my fiance's cat. She mourned him and was devastated as he is such a friendly cat and truly one of her favorites. Was gone for months when one day she came home and there he was waiting to be let into the house like nothing happened. She hugged him and cried with happiness that he had returned. He was dirty and thin and he ate 2 days worth of food before settling down and sleeping for nearly 2 days straight. She thinks that maybe he wandered off and got trapped in a neighbor's house, shed, garage somewhere before escaping and making his way back home.

EVERY.SINGLE.TIME when one disappeared we of course play through all types of scenarios what might have happened. Our favorite scenario is that "some Brit" found the cat and took them home. Of course you never know.

Re: The song-bird argument. Yes I heard this argument often but the times when our cats caught a bird you can count with 5 fingers, spread over many years. I have some problems with the math here since it would need an awful amount of wild roaming cats constantly killing birds so they make a significant threat. Seeing that one tree here at times in summer holds literally hundreds of (rather loud and annoying!) birds, and cats are definitely not "always" killing birds, I cannot even see the entire stray cat population in this town (and there are quite many!) cause any statistical significant damage to the bird population. As said,this math doesn't really add up for me even tho I know that cats do hunt birds.

 

[FeuerFrei]

Well our ex-cat lived the in/out lifestyle and she lasted 16 years. We seldom sweated her whereabouts. She displayed good judgement in dodging our cars rolling down the driveway, so I'd say she had a good head on her shoulders. One cat shouldn't be too much of a nuisance to neighbors. I think she was wary of strangers. I know if she heard unfamiliar footsteps or voices in the house she would look for an exit.

 

[Ichinisan]

Why would they? A cat is kinda private where it goes and then buries it. Cats dont leave turds in plain site like dogs do.

Buried turds are more difficult to see and avoid. People still step in it.

 

[Ichinisan]

If your cat ever spends time outside, it probably has FIV from fighting with other cats.

 

[Ichinisan]

EVERY.SINGLE.TIME when one disappeared we of course play through all types of scenarios what might have happened. Our favorite scenario is that "some Brit" found the cat and took them home. Of course you never know.

Re: The song-bird argument. Yes I heard this argument often but the times when our cats caught a bird you can count with 5 fingers, spread over many years. I have some problems with the math here since it would need an awful amount of wild roaming cats constantly killing birds so they make a significant threat. Seeing that one tree here at times in summer holds literally hundreds of (rather loud and annoying!) birds, and cats are definitely not "always" killing birds, I cannot even see the entire stray cat population in this town (and there are quite many!) cause any statistical significant damage to the bird population. As said,this math doesn't really add up for me even tho I know that cats do hunt birds.

You've probably only seen a small percentage of their total kills. This has been tracked scientifically. Not all cats are "killers," but the ones that are kill FAR more than most people realize.

 

[Ns1]

Looks like I'm not getting a working cat. Thanks all for the feedback.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

If you want a barn cat, get a barn cat. Probably a few (since most will die). They will not be sociable, and they will avoid you, other than the food you put out for them. They'll basically be strays.

If you get a housecat, or an indoor/outdoor cat, it probably won't hunt mice the way you'd want them to, as they have a steady supply of food and will get bored with the mice eventually. And as others have said, indoor/outdoor cats can have issues depending on your living arrangement. Large open area? Cat will stay near the house as they don't have anywhere to naturally go (I found if you're an acre from trees/bushes, they usually don't roam too much). If it's a neighborhood I wouldn't bother letting them outside unless you don't mind the idea of them getting killed by something.

 

[Ns1]

Am I reading this right? The recommended advice is to have dedicated barn cats and/or indoor cats, but not indoor/outdoor cats.

 

[Eug]

Your neighbors probably hate you for this.

I have no problems with neighbours' cats on our property.

You want to dedicate 13 yrs of commitment of having a cat... just to get rid of mice?

We have two purely indoor cats. They are both 16 already. And they aren't particularly good at catching mice.

Luckily after we renovated the basement and closed up all the holes, mice in the house are rare now.

 

[lxskllr]

Am I reading this right? The recommended advice is to have dedicated barn cats and/or indoor cats, but not indoor/outdoor cats.

That would be my philosophy. A barn cat is basically a feral that stays somewhere around your property. An indoor cat is a protected friend. I wouldn't want my protected friend to become a road pizza.

 

[NetWareHead]

Our upstairs tenants have a young male cat that is quite an aggressive hunter and catches all sorts of things: birds especially. We call it a bird holocaust when we come home and see a pile of feathers and bloody bits on the lawn. At least 4-5 bird kills a month in our backyard alone, not to mention other kills too. And the cat is well fed and steals food from our cats too. Kinda flies in the face of logic. Cats have elaborate personalities and some are more murderous or hungry than others.

Another point is that a feral cat will not really hang around your house exclusively and will have quite a large roaming territory. I'm betting you dont exactly have a large and constantly renewing supplies of rodents to support a mouser and offspring. My grandfather had a farm with a huge supply of stored wheat, barley, oats as well as a basement with cheeses, sausages, vegetables and other preserves for the family. A haven for mice and a guaranteed replenishing food source for a mouser cat. We saw our mouser cat on a daily basis because of the enormous mouse/rat population around which is probably not the case with you. Your mouser will be off roaming somewhere there is actual food for him while you complain that your mice are not being dealt with... I mean how much of a rodent problem are you talking about?

 

[zinfamous]

That would be my philosophy. A barn cat is basically a feral that stays somewhere around your property. An indoor cat is a protected friend. I wouldn't want my protected friend to become a road pizza.

Pretty much this. We did discover that the cat was randomly visiting the neighbor's yard--she had chased a roaming cat that found its way into our backyard--so we put some fencing over the place in the gate that she could actually climb and that halted her evening adventuring. She had already been trained to ignore wooden fences as climbing posts when she was younger: we noticed how she could only climb that ~6 foot fence at our apartment in CA by wrapping her legs on either side of the posts and shimmying up. She never once tried to jump up to the middle cross post along the fence. We picked up some plastic press-board wall dividers at Home Depot and cut them to about 10 inches long--whatever made it too wide for her to wrap her paws around them--and stapled them to the posts. Now, she pretty much ignores fences and trees and just seems content to check the perimeter and regularly monitor the rodent tunnels that she has identified. She's also fixed, of course.

 

[Muse]

We're thinking of getting a cat to help with potential rodent issues. Our preference would be indoor/outdoor cats. But I just can't get my head around this one particular aspect, and I'm hoping you cat owners can help me out.

Aren't you afraid they won't come back one day? They could get killed by a larger cat, hit by a car, shot at by a neighbor, or just decide "fuck it" and walk off. I think on a personal level I would be devastated by losing an animal w/o knowing what happened to it. Do y'all just accept this as a possibility and deal with it if/when it happens?

My GF had an indoor/outdoor male cat, black. It would occasionally bring in a catch (maybe a bird or rodent, don't remember). That aspect upset her.

One day the cat disappeared and she looked all around the neighborhood. I tried to find it myself, couldn't. After maybe a week or two GF decided she'd never see it again and went to local animal shelter and adopted a female kitten. Then the first cat came home. Of course, there was quite a bit of animosity between the rival cats for a while but that slowly resolved. So, if your cat disappears for a while, yes, look for it, put up flyers, whatever, but don't give up too soon. It can come home after some long time gone.

I suppose a major reason an outdoor cat won't return is cars. Dogs too are a threat, I suppose. I don't know how often a cat just finds an alternative life style. My GF decided to make her replacement cat an indoor cat, the other still went outside. Monitoring that was something of a problem for her but she managed it. She had a cat door that only the outdoor cat used.