Thread: Maine Coon cats as wanderers?

Thanks for the replies. I ask because I had one who was such a tyrant about going out that he dug the weatherstripping out from around the back door in an effort to get it open. He would also leap at and try to grab the door handle. I wondered if they were all so intent on going outside. I'm happy to hear that they're not, because I'd like to get another one.

Originally Posted by Asheville

Thanks for the replies. I ask because I had one who was such a tyrant about going out that he dug the weatherstripping out from around the back door in an effort to get it open. He would also leap at and try to grab the door handle. I wondered if they were all so intent on going outside. I'm happy to hear that they're not, because I'd like to get another one.

As long as you provide them with a way to entertain themselves they will be perfectly fine inside, they might like a buddy, they love their toys and stuff to climb on.
Give a couple Maine Coons a Cat Tree and some toys to play with and sit back and enjoy the show.

Have to agree with cooncatbob!

Franklin, our boy that passed away 3 years ago, was obssessed with being outside and even though we cat-proofed the balcony (we lived in a first-floor flat) whe managed to escape and was gone for 9 months, surviving a Swedish winter. He was fine when we found him though, and we later moved to a house out in the sticks so we let them out, there was no harm whatsoever and he LOVED being outside. We knew he was a happy boy and his favorite pass-time was catching birds, voles or other large creatures and sleeping in the sun or bouncing through the snow! :D

Ours now are indoor only, only allowed out in the garden if on a harness

I think it's a tough decision though.
I've only ever owned moggies before now and it felt cruel to keep a cat that so desperately wants to be outdoors inside (and they ALL wanted to be outdoors). I wouldn't dream of it. But now I have Poif I really want her to be an indoor cat. At 12 weeks she's showed little interest in going outside, but i don't think she's worked out what the cat-flap does yet!
When she does work it out and if she wants to go out, I don't feel like it would be fair to stop her. And even if I did that means that I'd have to shut my normally free-roaming cats either in or out, which doesn't seem fair either...

Like I say...it's a toughie!

The research has been done, indoor only cats live over twice as long as cats that roam.
It can be an unfriendly world to a cat outside and the dangers are numerous.
When I was a child we had cat's that got run over and cats that ate something that poisoned them, we also had cats just disappear.
Since Samantha died I've been trying to wean Chiquita from going outside, I let her out then 15 minutes later I call her back in, most of the time she's either in the garage laying in her place on top of my convertible or close by.
To me the cruelty is exposing them to unnecessary dangers that could deprive them of years of life.
Indoors VS Outdoors - Cats Really Are Safer Inside
If you provide your cat with something to do and play with they can be perfectly happy spending their entire life inside.

I don't know if I mentioned this on here before but there was a massive scare in the village I used to live in - some guy was leaving out poisoned cat food and lots of cats were killed or made very ill by it. After that I swore that I'd never have a cat which could roam. One of our cats disappeared (we've assumed it was because he got ill and died) and the other was very ill and afterwards she wouldn't go any further away from the house than our back garden.

I think if a cat has been bred to be inside then they don't know any better and you're not denying them anything by keeping them indoors, you're protecting them. I'd love to have a garden enclosure or something like that but we live in a flat so can't have things like that at the moment. I'm sure if we ever move to a house with a garden we will do something like that.

I'd never dream of letting Teddy roam free.

(Just my two cents based on my personal experience!)

We have cats come into work who have used more than their fair share of "nine lives",after a second or sometimes third mishap some owners have decided to make their cats indoor only animals & are very surprised how happy they are & how much more attuned they become to each other.
Dogs used to roam wild,we have domesticated them to spend their days laying indoors except for the exercise we deem enough for them,there are notices up to tell you to clear up after them,if said dog was to go on a killing rampage be it sheep , pheasants etc your dog would be deemed to be running wild & as they are fed by us they can't be hungry,cats have been domesticated by us so why is it thought right that they should continue to roam,shit in other peoples gardens & kill all the wildlife they can,same applies,add on to that the injury factor be it accidental or sadly in lots of cases nowadays intentionally by humans then I am happy to entertain my cats in a safe home enviroment & no apologies for doing so....

Of course statistics show that indoor cats live longer. But statistics also show that animals such as tigers that live in captivity also live longer but that doesn't mean that it's a better life for them. I'm not sure if there's a happiness rating scale for cats, but I'd be interested to see how happy indoor cats are compared to the cats that are allowed to venture outdoors. Of course indoor cats are happy, I'm not denying that, but generally they are also lazier and at greater risk of being overweight.

Of my 3 previous cats who have sadly passed away 2 of them died at a young age from congenital heart failure. Sadly the other was hit by a car at 10 months, but she lived a very happy life. She often returned to the house with her recent 'killings' which mostly consisted of jammy dodgers and cooked sausage.

I'd like to say I don't think there is a right or a wrong answer to this debate. I just know that I strongly feel that my cats deserve to be able to go on outdoor cat adventures. That said, they spend 80% of their time in the house anyway!