Thread: One indoor one outdoor cat-problems?

Several years ago we took in a MC mix stray that had lived outside for a while in our neighborhood. We were not going to allow him out--particularly since he turned out to have HCM so needed medication several times per day--but he loved the outside and was used to going out, so we allowed him out on a harness and rope. He had two runs, one in front and one in back, with approx 50' ropes on pulleys, so he actually could reach about 150-200 feet. In other words, these were just like standard "dog runs" that many people have. Everyone said you cannot do this with a cat, but we had few problems. So, he ended up being outside on these setups most of the time when we were home (was always inside at night and if we were not home).

Eventually we got more cats, and this cat continued spending most of his time outside. The first MC male that we got also wanted to go outside and we had a hard time keeping him from getting out, so we started letting him go outside on a rope with the other cat for short stints most days. This seemed to be sufficient for him, and the escape attempts largely stopped. Unfortunately, that cat died. Since then we have gotten four other MCs, all from breeders that do not want them going out unless supervised. Of these, one wants to go out, one has absolutely no interest in going out, another is just slightly interested, and we are not sure about the kitten. So, cats definitely differ in their desire to go out. The one that wants to go out gets taken out for half to one hour many days, on a leash or rope, and is always being watched. She loves this, and pesters me to take her out when I come home from work. She does not at all seem to care that she is not out all the time, though; the outings are sufficient.

As for being an outside cat...we would not ever consider such a thing. There are just too many safety issues and our cats are too important to us. If one were to die due to being allowed outside, we would consider ourselves to be to blame for the death. This is simply not acceptable. Now, we don't live in a particularly dangerous area for cats, as we are in a quiet neighborhood in the country. Other people in the neighborhood have outdoor cats that have lived for years. However, it is true that a couple of these cats have been attacked by strays and ended up having to have surgery to fix injuries. Luckily, none of these cats contracted FIV, etc., but that is certainly possible. There have been at least a couple of cats that have simply disappeared (there are coyotes not that far outside the neighborhood so who knows where they went). Then there are other neighbors with large dogs, heartworm from mosquitoes, and a variety of diseases from ticks, at least one of which is always fatal (and has occurred in the area). No, being outside all day unsupervised is just not a safe enough alternative for pets that we love. So in the end, if it comes down to our cats being alive and slightly unhappy they cannot go out vs. going out and risking injury or death, there is simply no question about the what the right decision is for us. (There is also the issue of all the wildlife that domestic cats kill, and we are big bird lovers, so yet another reason to keep cats inside!)