Letting an indoor cat outside

Jeff Levy DVM CVA owner of House Call Vet NYC also discourages owners from keeping cats outdoors. With those benefits in mind its also important to understand the drawbacks of letting your cat roam outdoors.

6 tips for letting your cat outside 1.

Letting an indoor cat outside. Can an Indoor Cat Survive Outside. As we will discuss shortly there are risks to letting indoor cats outside. It will be a judgment call as to whether you are prepared to take this chance.

Cats are hardy and governed by survival instincts. Most indoor felines can adapt to the harsh conditions of the outside. There are many benefits to letting your indoor cat go outside.

These are a more natural life of your cat more mental stimulation and better all-round health. Many people do not consider outside access for their cats because of the many hazards however it is possible for your kitty to have the best of both worlds. Pros Of Letting Cats Outside.

The American Association of Feline Practitioners maintains a position statement regarding the indooroutdoor debate recognizing that although inside is safer allowing your cat to explore outside can provide some pretty significant benefits to her physical and mental health. Some of those benefits include. Generally speaking cats who live indoors have a significantly longer life expectancy than those who go outside even part-time.

Letting her outside without having complete control over her movements is risky. She could come into contact with any number of deadly hazards that neither you nor she will be able to anticipate. If you have an indoor cat just simply letting it out its not a good idea it would be better to transition it to the outside gently and gradually.

This way youre less likely to lose it. Some cats are never going to be any good outside. Another pro of letting your cat outside is that your cat gets mental stimulation.

But on the flip side your cat can be overly stimulated by all the stress factors surrounding them. Any slight sound of a twig breaking could be a predator or a menacing cat waiting to pounce on them so they have to be alert at all times. All my cats have been indooroutdoor cats.

Its usually better to let them out when they are younger so they get slowly used to the outside world rather than when they are older. Bubbles couldnt get out of the garden until he was old enough as I have a 6ft fence all around it. Now he is bigger he jumps over it no problem.

My cat Daisy was an indoor catwe at first let her outside in a harness only but the same thing happened she would wiggle out of it. We would only do this when we were going to be outside with her though. Eventually we did let her out and when called shed come back in.

Then my mom moved to Holland. Indoor cats are known to survive outside from 2 to 5 years. This is very different from being kept indoors.

For example an indoor cat can expect to live up to 17 years. This is mainly because of all the potential hazards available to an outdoor cat such as cars other animals etc. So now you know.

If youre going to let your indoor cat outside its best to use the following practices to ensure the experience is as safe as possible. Have an adult supervise the cat while outdoors. If you see a stray nearby retreat indoors with your cat or ensure the stray stays a safe distance away from your pet.

Answer 1 of 22. I hear this idiotic reason to allow cats outside ALL the time. Unless you own a farm and are maintaining what is known as a semi-feral cat colony there is NO real reason to allow a pet cat outside on its own.

Let me give you our perspective. When youre letting cats outside for the first time its important that they be supervised and that they feel safeHow you do this depends on whether the cat is a kitten or an adult that has already been outside before. Kittens because of the risk of catching diseases or getting lost or frightened on their own should be kept indoors until they are at least six months.

Safety First Things to Do Before Letting Your Cat Outside. Indoor Cat to Outdoor Cat Transition 5 Steps to Follow. Start with Your Enclosed Yard If Possible.

Let Them out Before Meal Time. Choose a Good Time to Let Them Out. Call Them Back After 15 Minutes.

Gradually Increase Their Outdoors Time. Bonus Tip Consider Using a Cat Flap. Others choose to limit their cats to an inside environment at certain times of the day eg keeping them indoors overnight as they feel they are at more risk of a road traffic accident due to reduced visibility of the driver.

Others restrict their cats outside access to a cat-proof fenced garden or outdoor enclosure. An alarming study cited in that piece estimates that cats kill about 24 billion birds and 123 billion mammals each year in the United States. About 29 percent of those bird deaths and 10 percent.

The more comfortable life of an indoor cat significantly increases his lifespan. An indoor cat may live 15-17 years while the life expectancy for outdoor cats is only 2-5 years according to researchers at University of California-Davis. Jeff Levy DVM CVA owner of House Call Vet NYC also discourages owners from keeping cats outdoors.

He adds that the. 6 tips for letting your cat outside 1. If your cat is still young train her to listen to her name immediately.

Training is generally very important since it helps you to bond with your kitty and can even help in your feline getting lost. Buy cat treats that make a rattling noise when you shake the package. More stimulation from the outside world.

The pleasure of fresh air and sunshine. With those benefits in mind its also important to understand the drawbacks of letting your cat roam outdoors. Cats who roam outside face far more dangers than indoor cats and they often die much earlier often in painful ways.

Tell them you cant keep living there and theyll need to find a replacement roommate if it continues. Remind them they agreed to the indoor only terms before you moved in and theyre in breach of your agreement. Temporarily rehome the cat for the remainder of your lease.

If youre thinking Should I let my cat outside letting your cat go outside is the veterinary equivalent of smoking. It significantly reduces feline life expectancy.