4 ms·

Outdoor cats generally don't really get lost, they get flattened by cars or eaten by coyotes depending upon where you live, neither of which a GPS is going to h

Outdoor cats generally don't really get lost, they get flattened by cars or eaten by coyotes depending upon where you live, neither of which a GPS is going to help with. On rare occasions they get snatched up by animal control. For anyone with a cat, I highly recommend getting it microchipped (in case they get out and happen to fall into that last category) and making it indoor-only. The average lifespan of an outdoor cat is ~3-6 years.

joshschreuder 12y ago
I'm pleased to hear this advice, we got a cat a year ago and she has been indoor-only since we got her. We do let her out on a harness with us alongside to sniff around outdoors, and she loves it (and is sad to return inside). I feel somewhat vindicated in making her indoor-only.
- georgemcbay 12y ago
  That's awesome that you bring her out on a harness. I wish my cat would let me do that, but she won't; she's pretty anxious in general (adopted her when she was 2 and she had been in the shelter twice already) and still has a lot of issues (she's very loving/lovable, but very afraid of strangers, especially males). Her anxiousness stops her from wanting to run off though, which is really, really rare for a cat, so I hang out with her on the deck in front of my place a lot so she can be "outside" but in a safe way and she doesn't leave the deck area (prior to her I wouldn't have believed this of any cat, because I grew up with some cats and all of them would attempt to run out if given the chance). IMO indoor cats can have a perfectly fulfilled life if their owners put in some effort (regularly engage them in play that uses their built-in-hunting instincts, mine loves to chase laser pointers and play with a bird feather on a string thing, the one I use is called "Da Bird", but I'm sure other brands exist).
anotherevan 12y ago
About a year ago our cats went from free-range to contained. We now have a contained outdoor area for them which I’ve dubbed the “cat terrarium” as it is outside my office window so I get to watch them prowl while I’m working. Photos and design explanation here: http://www.michevan.id.au/content/cat-terrarium/ http://www.michevan.id.au/content/cat-terrarium/ A year later it has worked pretty well. I had to put some more netting along the bottom of the fence when the neighbour moved a garden bed on their side of the fence which opened up a gap they could get through. But apart from that, their escapes have always been via a door left open too long, not via the terrarium. I really need to set up some more toys and stuff for them out there sometime. Any ideas?

joshschreuder 12y ago

I'm pleased to hear this advice, we got a cat a year ago and she has been indoor-only since we got her. We do let her out on a harness with us alongside to sniff around outdoors, and she loves it (and is sad to return inside). I feel somewhat vindicated in making her indoor-only.

georgemcbay 12y ago
That's awesome that you bring her out on a harness. I wish my cat would let me do that, but she won't; she's pretty anxious in general (adopted her when she was 2 and she had been in the shelter twice already) and still has a lot of issues (she's very loving/lovable, but very afraid of strangers, especially males). Her anxiousness stops her from wanting to run off though, which is really, really rare for a cat, so I hang out with her on the deck in front of my place a lot so she can be "outside" but in a safe way and she doesn't leave the deck area (prior to her I wouldn't have believed this of any cat, because I grew up with some cats and all of them would attempt to run out if given the chance). IMO indoor cats can have a perfectly fulfilled life if their owners put in some effort (regularly engage them in play that uses their built-in-hunting instincts, mine loves to chase laser pointers and play with a bird feather on a string thing, the one I use is called "Da Bird", but I'm sure other brands exist).

anotherevan 12y ago

About a year ago our cats went from free-range to contained. We now have a contained outdoor area for them which I’ve dubbed the “cat terrarium” as it is outside my office window so I get to watch them prowl while I’m working. Photos and design explanation here: http://www.michevan.id.au/content/cat-terrarium/ http://www.michevan.id.au/content/cat-terrarium/ A year later it has worked pretty well. I had to put some more netting along the bottom of the fence when the neighbour moved a garden bed on their side of the fence which opened up a gap they could get through. But apart from that, their escapes have always been via a door left open too long, not via the terrarium. I really need to set up some more toys and stuff for them out there sometime. Any ideas?