5 ms·

I have owned cats my entire adult life (I'm 58) and have never allowed them outside. They do just fine indoors. They also live longer, healthier lives, with l

I have owned cats my entire adult life (I'm 58) and have never allowed them outside. They do just fine indoors. They also live longer, healthier lives, with less disease and much less danger from cars, raccoons, etc. And they don't bother the neighbors. In the country, I could imagine letting cats outside -- though only after getting them neutered or spayed -- but in the city or suburbs, where I have lived, keeping them inside makes more sense.

jahewson 10y ago
> healthier lives, with less disease Seems unlikely. Citation needed.
- smallnamespace 10y ago
  https://www.vetinfo.com/indoor-outdoor-cat-life-expectancy.html https://www.vetinfo.com/indoor-outdoor-cat-life-expectancy.h... 'A pet that spends more time outdoors may live on average 2 to 3 years less than a cat that lives exclusively indoors.'
  - gumby 10y ago
    Yes but it's not clear that the life expectancy is shortened by disease rather than accident (interactions with cars, coyotes or unpleasant people, for example). That indoor cats live longer seems reasonably well attested. However here's some anecdata: sum of my parents' 8 indoor/outdoor cats + my 3 indoor/outdoor cats: none have lived less than 13 years (two made it to 18). My parents two indoor-only cats both died before reaching 13. I have assumed the cats that go outside survived due to the low number of vehicles and predators they had to deal with.
    - eridius 10y ago
      It seems kind of obvious that indoor cats would have less disease. Outdoor cats are exposed to a lot more than indoor cats are. And there's a few big ones, like Feline leukemia or Feline Aids, that indoor cats simply don't get because they don't come into contact with other cats that have them. As long as the cats eat a healthy diet and have enough exercise, indoor cats should be expected to live longer than outdoor cats on the average.
      - gumby 10y ago
        It does seem obvious but plenty of things that seem obviously so turn out not to be after a study is done. I don't know of any actual studies of it. It might be possible to get the data simply by reviewing at records from pet veterinarians. There are other reasons to keep cats inside, as is the subject of the article. The problem is much worse in Australia where birds and small marsupials nest on the ground.
        gumby 10y ago
        Why on earth was this down voted? It simply says a study is more useful than emotion.
narrowrail 10y ago
The freedom to roam seems like an interest to all creatures. Also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Know_Why_the_Caged_Bird_Sings https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Know_Why_the_Caged_Bird_Sing...
e40 10y ago
I agree. I did have a cat that came to me. It showed up on on my property (of rather small size) and wouldn't leave. When the weather got nasty, he would come in for the night, but would sit at the door until we let him out, and if we didn't his cries got progressively worse until we did. He was just too used to the part inside/outside life. Before he showed up, we had a serious mouse and rat problem. A few months after he arrived, no more problem. I literally never saw any evidence of rats/mice again (5+ years until we moved). The mice were getting to be a problem, btw, because they were burrowing between the walls of my house and making noise at night, and doing god knows what damage in there. My wife was once on the porch with him. She was gardening (lots of potted plants, etc). He was laying there in the sun and snapped up to grab a hummingbird in flight. She grabbed him and he spit it into her hand. The hummingbird flew away a few seconds later. That was when I realized how efficient a predator he was. EDIT: and he did get into a fight with a raccoon once, that required stitches. So, living inside will definitely increase the health and length of life.

jahewson 10y ago

> healthier lives, with less disease Seems unlikely. Citation needed.

smallnamespace 10y ago
https://www.vetinfo.com/indoor-outdoor-cat-life-expectancy.html https://www.vetinfo.com/indoor-outdoor-cat-life-expectancy.h... 'A pet that spends more time outdoors may live on average 2 to 3 years less than a cat that lives exclusively indoors.'
- gumby 10y ago
  Yes but it's not clear that the life expectancy is shortened by disease rather than accident (interactions with cars, coyotes or unpleasant people, for example). That indoor cats live longer seems reasonably well attested. However here's some anecdata: sum of my parents' 8 indoor/outdoor cats + my 3 indoor/outdoor cats: none have lived less than 13 years (two made it to 18). My parents two indoor-only cats both died before reaching 13. I have assumed the cats that go outside survived due to the low number of vehicles and predators they had to deal with.
  - eridius 10y ago
    It seems kind of obvious that indoor cats would have less disease. Outdoor cats are exposed to a lot more than indoor cats are. And there's a few big ones, like Feline leukemia or Feline Aids, that indoor cats simply don't get because they don't come into contact with other cats that have them. As long as the cats eat a healthy diet and have enough exercise, indoor cats should be expected to live longer than outdoor cats on the average.
    - gumby 10y ago
      It does seem obvious but plenty of things that seem obviously so turn out not to be after a study is done. I don't know of any actual studies of it. It might be possible to get the data simply by reviewing at records from pet veterinarians. There are other reasons to keep cats inside, as is the subject of the article. The problem is much worse in Australia where birds and small marsupials nest on the ground.
      - gumby 10y ago
        Why on earth was this down voted? It simply says a study is more useful than emotion.

narrowrail 10y ago

The freedom to roam seems like an interest to all creatures. Also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Know_Why_the_Caged_Bird_Sings https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Know_Why_the_Caged_Bird_Sing...

e40 10y ago

I agree. I did have a cat that came to me. It showed up on on my property (of rather small size) and wouldn't leave. When the weather got nasty, he would come in for the night, but would sit at the door until we let him out, and if we didn't his cries got progressively worse until we did. He was just too used to the part inside/outside life. Before he showed up, we had a serious mouse and rat problem. A few months after he arrived, no more problem. I literally never saw any evidence of rats/mice again (5+ years until we moved). The mice were getting to be a problem, btw, because they were burrowing between the walls of my house and making noise at night, and doing god knows what damage in there. My wife was once on the porch with him. She was gardening (lots of potted plants, etc). He was laying there in the sun and snapped up to grab a hummingbird in flight. She grabbed him and he spit it into her hand. The hummingbird flew away a few seconds later. That was when I realized how efficient a predator he was. EDIT: and he did get into a fight with a raccoon once, that required stitches. So, living inside will definitely increase the health and length of life.