The indoor/outdoor debate has gone on for a long time and as with everything in life we all have our own opinions and are certainly entitled to them and should not force them on anyone. We can however pass our knowledge on to others so they can then make an informed choice. Most Chesterfield CP fosterers keep their cats in and would not dream of letting them out. Of course some of you are lucky enough to live in an environment that is ideal for cats to go out in these cases we are more than happy to home indoor/outdoor cats. I appreciate that there is nothing nicer than seeing a cat playing on a lawn, if only the cats would stick to the house boundaries and idiots and dogs that are not cat friendly would not infringe those boundaries it would be wonderful. I used to let my cats out however, through my own experiences and what I hear (I personally have over 700 calls a month) my reasons are: - Cats who live indoors are generally healthier and live longer (I appreciate there are exceptions to the rule) A person can have an indoor cat that didn't live very long but this would normally be because of natural issues not environmental. One of my own cats almost lived at the vets for the first 3 years of her life as there was always something wrong with her and I did not think she would survive much longer. Once I started to keep her in her health improved 100% and she lived until her late teens.
Cats who live indoors never succumb to getting run over by a car. Many cats that are hit by a car do not win the contest, or if they do, suffer terrible injuries and take many months of nursing. We have numerous accident pens which are in constant use and the daily calls I receive for help with the vet’s fees is amazing. A lady once phoned me to see if I could help with the vets fees as her cat had been run over and broken a leg, I explained the position and knowing the area where she lived said 'I would advise you to keep your cat in we only home indoor cats in your area'. A few months later I received another phone call about the same thing and recognised the voice and said 'I bet you will keep your cat in now'. she replied 'oh! it's alright it was the other leg this time'. Of course we cannot pay vet fees for owned cats, if we did we would have no funds to rescue. Most vets nowadays will not let people pay weekly as so many people have let them down and they are owed thousands, so that is perfectly understandable. We occasionally do try to help however, sadly on many occasions we too have been let down. So many people say they will have the cat PTS so it will not suffer, often in reality they are thinking that their purse will suffer and not the fact that their cat could be saved and live a happy life once again if treated by a good vet. Cats who live indoors are never in contact with other cats so are not in danger of a disease like FIV & FeLV I appreciate that there is an injection for Leukaemia however in the UK there is no injection for FIV. A couple of years ago we had 38 cats tested for FIV 35 were positive, there are also other diseases cats are protected from when living indoors. Often I am told Oh! its alright round here 'me ducks', there are loads of cats round here, again that is not the ideal situation (unless out in the countryside) as they chase each other, often into the path of a car and also the more cats the more likely to pick up infections. On another occasion a lady who lives close to a very busy road once phoned me and asked for a cat, I asked it she wanted an indoor cat, and she said oh! no, when I suggested that she lived too close to the busy road for a indoor/outdoor cat she replied oh! its ok if the cat turns right outside the front gate it can go up the street and into the woods, it would only be in danger if it turned left. If you can suggest how to teach a cat right from left please let me know. I even had a phone call at midday to say a fox has just run down my road (in the middle of an estate) with a cat in its mouth.
Cats who live indoors won't be getting into fights with neighbouring cats, or get seriously injured or killed by another animals. They are not in danger of being stolen, contrary to what some people say this is quite prevalent. Vivisection does happen and they have to get the animals from somewhere, previously some were from Hillgrove, as we all know this has now been closed. Dog baiting in certain parts of the country is also rife and of course cats for the fur trade is not uncommon either. Cats who live indoors will never be a nuisance to neighbours, I know not all cats are, but some are unintentionally. It is not unheard of for some unkind neighbours to relocate a loved cat or even hand in to are rescue as a stray. (Another reason for having your cat Micro-chipped.) see chipping
I know many people think that as long as a cat has a life outside that is OK even if it is short, and people who keep cats in are cruel however, as I said previously we are all entitled to our opinion. I personally think I am the adult able to make a choice based on informed knowledge; unfortunately my cats are not able to take in that information.
Most rescues will be happy to home certain cats indoors for a variety of reasons, some you will have read before e.g. if a cat has FIV. Can you imagine the feeling if you took in a cat/kitten found it was FIV positive and then had to take it to the vets for PTS after you had rescued it and nursed it back to health and strength? Or a mother cat had kittens, you watched them being born, their first steps etc., and then found they were FIV positive and you knew full well that, if a home could be found, the cat/kitten could live its full life span. Although there is no cure for FIV it does not mean that an infected cat (if otherwise well) has to be PTS. If a cat is diagnosed as having FIV the first thing you must do on getting it home is to make sure that it does not go outside again. It must not come into contact with the neighborhood cats, not only to protect the other cats from the disease, but also to protect the FIV infected cat from infections and diseases to which it will be susceptible from coming into contact with viruses and bacteria. We home cats that are deaf, blind, white, on certain medications and cats with a multitude of problems (many as a result of an RTA) as indoors cats and the fosterers feel that the safest environment would be indoors. We also take in numerous cats that have never been out so that too would be irresponsible to re-home them to go out. Fortunately Over 50% of requests for cats are for indoor only cats, You can nowadays get screens for the windows see
www.cataire.co.uk that allow the windows to be fully open but keep the cats safely in and of course flies out. Also it is quite easy to make a garden or part of it cat safe. We can arrange for you to see the screens and a cat safe garden if required, for literature on how to make a garden cat safe and should you decide to go ahead a £25 discount please contact Elaine
Some people who ask for an indoor cat say they will buy a harness, unfortunately some cats have lost their lives to these e.g. recently on 2 separate occasions a cat has seen a bird on the fence simply slipped the harness jumped over the fence, shot through the neighbours garden and straight into the path of a car. Other owners have thought they are doing their cat a favour and attached the collar or harness the cat was wearing to a washing line or something fixed closer to the ground, 3 cats in a short period of time were hung from lines and a couple of others have strangled themselves when fixed closer to the ground.
PLEASE NOTE It is just as important for indoor cats to be neutered/spayed as it helps to eradicate many forms of cancer, e.g. Breast, Ovarian, Uterine and Testicular, also enlargement of the prostate and related infections, female cats will not get pyometra (The word “pyometra” is derived from latin “pyo” meaning pus and “metra” meaning uterus, pyometra is an abscessed, pus-filled infected uterus. Toxins and bacteria leak across the uterine walls and into the bloodstream causing life-threatening toxic effects, without treatment death is inevitable) also cats safer from mammary tumours. Pyometra and mammary tumours are more common than you may think.
As long as you are doing what your head (with the informed information above) and heart tells you, then you are acting in what you think is your cats best interests and no one should argue with that.
