Some people say that cats should never be allowed outdoors, while others
leave their cats outside most or all of the time. Americans and Australians
especially have good reasons for wanting to keep cats indoors. There are big
risks to cats in many parts of the US, such as traffic, large wild animals
like coyotes, off-leash dogs, and feral cats. Australia is home to many marsupials
and other indigenous creatures, which are at risk from cats and dogs.
Yet there are also people who think that cats should never be allowed indoors.
In many parts of the world, cats live in barns or outhouses, and are seen
as useful in keeping down rat and mice populations, but are not seen as part
of the family. These cats will never been housetrained. Some people also see
cats as unhygienic in the home, because of their habit of walking on high
surfaces, including those in the kitchen.
Cats in much of Europe often lead a half-and-half life, neither purely indoor,
nor outdoor cats. There are fewer predators likely to harm cats in Europe
than in the US. Wolves live in some of the wilder parts of Europe, but in
British suburbs, urban foxes, and loose dogs are the most dangerous predators
a cat is likely to meet.
So, should you let your cat go outdoors at all? There is no hard and fast
answer to this question. It depends a lot on where you live, which affects
both the perils your cat is likely to encounter outside, as well as your cat's
effect on the local wildlife population. It also depends partly on the cat,
since some cats are more street-wise and better able to defend themselves,
while others, especially Persians, are quite content to stay at home, and
tend not to do well if picked on by local moggies.
It's worth asking the local vet and other cat owners what they consider the
risks to be where you live, and how long they expect cats to live if they
are allowed outside. Your cat may be very safe in a quiet, rural location,
with no predators, or other cats nearby, and little traffic. In areas of heavy,
fast traffic, cats are obviously at risk, as are cats in localities where
there are a lot of other cats, especially feral cats. This applies especially
to cats that are not neutered. Toms tend to roam and get in fights more as
they get older. They can be injured by traffic on their travels, or suffer
serious injuries from fights. Unspayed females can be injured if too many
of the local males try to mate with them. There is also more of a risk of
cats catching diseases from their neighbours, as well as being injured, if
your pets do not have a quiet outdoor territory that is not invaded by other
cats. This means that if you live in an urban area with a lot of fast traffic,
with many other cats living nearby, it's probably safer not to let your cat
out at all, or just in an enclosed area, or for short periods under supervision.
It's easier to provide a safe haven for your cat if you have a big garden,
because you can scare off local moggies. However, if you live somewhere where
the cat population density is high, your cat may be safer indoors when you
are not around.
Neutering is clearly an important way to protect cats, as well as reducing
numbers of unwanted litters, but it's not enough on its own. Young cats are
especially at risk from traffic accidents, and this applies especially to
young male cats, which were found in one study to be far more at risk than
females, regardless of whether they were neutered. Male cats may be bolder
than females, so more at risk. Whatever the reason, statistically, females
appear to be less at risk. Neutered cats tend to become less involved in traffic
accidents as they get older, maybe because they become better able to cross
roads, but this applies less to entire males, since they tend to roam further
after they reach adulthood.
Keeping your cat's vaccinations up-to-date, and controlling fleas, ticks
and worms are also important. Cats are much less likely to catch infections
from other cats if they are kept free of parasites. It's also worth thinking
about microchipping your cat, so that you have a better chance of finding
your pet if he or she ends up in a rescue centre, or in a vet surgery. Collars
with identity tags can be useful, but all too often they get lost, or the
part holding the address falls out!
Cats are more at risk from traffic accidents and from predators and fights
if they are out at night. Some owners still put their cats out at night, while
others call their cats in! There are also people who simply leave the cat
door open. It's really safer to bring your cat in at night, and if you live
anywhere near busy roads in the UK, your cat's bedtime should preferably be
before the pubs close, since cats are especially at risk from drunk drivers.
Cats may also find it difficult to judge the speed and size of cars at night.
What can you do if your little treasure refuses to come home at bed time?
One way to encourage a cat to come home at a particular time is to have an
evening ritual with some very tasty titbits, which the cat gets as a reward
for coming through the catflap.
Are there ways of keeping barn cats safe? First it's important to choose
the right sort of cat. Some cats are better suited to living outdoors than
indoors, and this applies especially to half-wild cats that shelters have
problems with rehoming. A cat that is used to home comforts and a lot of attention
will not do well as an outdoor cat. You can also assess the risks your cat
faces from traffic, predators, and other cats, and if they are high, then
it's worth thinking about shutting your cat in a barn or other secure outdoor
place for the night. Again, feeding the cat at the time you put it to bed,
gives the cat an incentive to be ready to be shut in! Farm cats may also be
at risk from poisons. Generally, cats are much more sensible than dogs about
what they eat, but they can be poisoned by rodenticides through eating poisoned
rats, so it is worth confining cats somewhere safe while you are using rat
poison, and ensuring that poisons are always kept in a secure container.
Many people think cats should not be allowed outside because they kill birds.
This depends a lot on the cat. Some cats are too lazy to hunt, while others
will kill for fun shortly after they have eaten. Owners of cats with strong
hunting instincts can give birds more of a chance by fitting the cats with
a collar with a bell, and by only allowing the cat out for short periods,
supervised if possible, when there are a lot of vulnerable fledglings about.
If the idea of supervising your cat makes you laugh, because your treasure
pays you no attention whatsoever, then you could try confining your cat to
your garden with high fences, with netting at the top that cats can't climb
up. If this doesn't work, you could build a cat run, to confine your pet during
the fledgling season. Cats tend to hunt more at night than in the daytime,
and, if you want to protect the local bird population, this is another reason
for bringing in your cat at night.
Gardeners are often driven to distraction by cats that scratch up their seedlings,
and they sometimes threaten to do unpleasant things to the intruders. One
way you can minimise annoyance to neighbours is to set up a cat toilet in
your yard or garden, with sand or very fine soil. You could also put in some
cat litter, to give your cat the idea of what the toilet area is for. You
may find that neighbouring cats come to use it, as well as your cat, but it
should cut down on scrabblings among your and your neighbours' seedlings.
If your cat is causing havoc next door, you could also consider putting up
higher fences, or using a cat run in spring, when your neighbours' plants
are vulnerable. Tomcats are especially likely to cause problems with neighbours,
and have been known to enter neighbouring houses and spray there, which is
another reason for neutering. Yowling, courting cats, and loud cat fights,
tend to make owners unpopular with neighbours, a further reason for neutering,
and for keeping your cat indoors at night. If you are on good terms with your
neighbours, and they know you are making an effort to ensure that your cat
doesn't bother them, they are more likely to help your cat if he or she is
in trouble, and less likely to throw stones at him or her!
Protecting your cat from outdoor perils is a question of working out the
risks, both the risks to your cat, and the risk that your cat poses to others.
If you decide it's safer to keep your cat indoors, then check out our page
on indoor cats for some ideas on how to give indoor cats an interesting life.
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