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[smeeprocket]

Just because you don't want to put time into your cat, it doesn't mean you should advise others to put their cat in danger. It's bad advice. The major organizations out there flat out say not to do it. If you are willfully ignoring the advice of organizations like HSUS and the ASPCA you are doing it wrong.

[Dutchling]

All I know is that you live in a very dangerous neighborhood. I completely agree with you that you should not keep cats outside in such a situation.

And about the wildlife, they can certainly help too! My dad has had trouble with moles in the past but the current cat has taken care of that.

[smeeprocket]

most of my neighborhoods were suburban and away from dangerous roads. That might lessen the chance of something bad happening, but it is still a sizable chance.

I've also taken in strays that had things like bb pellets in them from people shooting them for fun.

You realize that the trouble your dad had with moles went away because ALL the moles were killed. ANd the mice and the rats and any small rodent. Just because one species is inconvenient for you doesn't mean you should let your cat kill every small living creature in a large radius around your house.

The cats around one of my neighborhoods actually destroyed the entirety of the rabbit population. You would see them now and again, then outdoor cats started being a thing, and they disappeared entirely.

[Dutchling]

Well, if you care about random wild animals living around your house then I guess you could indeed decide not to let your cat live outside. Seems like an odd thing to care about though.

(no offense to people who do care, I guess )

[smeeprocket]

yea the ecosystem of your neighborhood is in fact important, I can't figure out why you would want to decimate the small animal population in a large area, either way, it seems rather apathetic and thoughtless, but that's only one part of the myriad of reasons not to let your cat wander outside (if that was the only problem, you could just put a bell on your cat anyway.)

Incidentally, don't declaw your cat. A lot of vets will just cut off the nail at the bone, cutting off some of the bone, with what amounts to a sort of cigar cutting device, like one might clip a dog's nails with. I worked for a vet for awhile and people would bring their cats in that were experiencing pain and had a rather bad disposition, and the nail would have managed to grow back and curl its way around inside the skin. Good vets will remove the last bone in the paw on each claw completely, which doesn't have complications like that. But even then, those claws are your cat's self-defense. It's a way for them to tell you to stop doing whatever you are doing that annoys them, and if, god forbid, they do get outside, defend themselves from other animals.

[Dutchling]

Is declawing cats an American thing? I've certainly not heard of anyone ever doing it here. Seems like a rather cruel alternative to spraying some water on your cat whenever he tries ruining your furniture.

edit: never mind, it's illegal here under animal cruelty laws.

[smeeprocket]

Is declawing cats an American thing? I've certainly not heard of anyone ever doing it here. Seems like a rather cruel alternative to spraying some water on your cat whenever he tries ruining your furniture.

edit: never mind, it's illegal here under animal cruelty laws.

yea it should be illegal here but it's actually fairly common. I think we can all agree that you should, under no circumstances, declaw your cat.

My cat likes to play this game where she will put her claws out a little bit, a sort of "if I wanted to hurt you I could, you know." but if she is genuinely unhappy with me I want her to be able to scratch me and let me know. (Though generally one can tell before it gets to that.)

Of course, lsd was put in her mother's water when her mother was pregnant with her, so she has a lot of issues, like if she gets outside she goes completely feral and forgets everyone and just hides terrified. She will rip you to shred when you try to get her back in the house, my boyfriend lost some of the feeling in his thumb one of the times she escaped. (I had to crawl under the house to find her, and when we got her back inside she acted completely normal again, save for being a bit thirsty.)

[Drakasin]

Oh wow, just came back home and there's a lot of stuff to read in here. Thank you all for the advices and tips, I'll be sure to read through every one of them. And yes, she'll be an inside cat, with me living in a urban area in an apartment on the sixth floor and all that.

[Illogical_Blox]

To make a cat happy, simply place a small (sometimes smaller than a cat) piece of paper/cloth on the ground. Even if the item is in the middle of an exposed area in a cold place, the cat will lie on it. It's ridiculous.

[Bumber]

My cats really go nuts over these plastic spring things:

Of course, the springs always go missing under furniture. That's basically a rule for all cat toys.

[smeeprocket]

yea cats seem to like abstract toys more. The stuff marketed towards their human companions aren't very effective.

[Thief^]

Just because you don't want to put time into your cat, it doesn't mean you should advise others to put their cat in danger. It's bad advice. The major organizations out there flat out say not to do it. If you are willfully ignoring the advice of organizations like HSUS and the ASPCA you are doing it wrong.

The British RSPCA say that there's no evidence that keeping a cat indoors exclusively is any better than allowing it out: http://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/cats/environment/indoors

[Sappho]

Just because you don't want to put time into your cat, it doesn't mean you should advise others to put their cat in danger. It's bad advice. The major organizations out there flat out say not to do it. If you are willfully ignoring the advice of organizations like HSUS and the ASPCA you are doing it wrong.

The British RSPCA say that there's no evidence that keeping a cat indoors exclusively is any better than allowing it out: http://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/cats/environment/indoors

I'm sure it depends heavily on where you live. If you're in an unsafe area, then of course keeping them indoors is best. If you're in an area with low traffic, no predatory wild animals, and no psychotic neighbors, I've found outside cats to be much happier. As I said before, of all the outdoor cats I've had (we're talking at least 15 animals here), all but one of them lived to a very old age. They all died of the same natural "old age" problems indoor cats tend to die from (heart failure, liver failure, or just plain age). They all lived to be at least 16 years old, and several of them lived to 18. In fact, the indoor cats my friends have had have often died quite young due to diabetes, obesity, and similar issues.

If your neighborhood is dangerous, as smeeprocket's neighborhood clearly is, then obviously keep them indoors. And, of course, if you live in an apartment above ground level (especially if it's in a city), as the OP does, then yeah, they'll have to stay in. Just don't try to take an outdoor cat and make it live indoors, or it will be miserable for the rest of its life.

[DJ]

I'd say indoors is better for physical health, but outdoors is better for mental health as it's much more stimulating.

[smeeprocket]

look, it should be obvious that being indoors will lengthen your cat's life, it's not like it's a hard deduction to make.

You have a very specific set of controlled factors inside a house. Outside, you have a whole lot more elements to deal with. Your cat isn't going to get hit by a car inside, they aren't going to get stolen inside, they aren't going to get picked up by animal control inside, or get burned in the engine of a car, etc etc.

This is not rocket science.

You are adding more dangerous elements to the mix and then proposing that there will be no increased risk.

I have lived in a lot of different neighborhoods, and while the torture thing is specific to a psychopathic household of neighbors in this one neighborhood, things like you cat getting taken in by AC or just flat out shot for rifling through peoples' trash, getting hit by a car, getting attacked by other cats or wildlife, or just getting sick from eating toads and lizards are universal problems that your cat will completely not have to worry about indoors.

Cats need a lot of stimulation so if you aren't going to dedicate yourself to them, (and really you should be willing to do that or shouldn't have a pet,) then yea, they will get neurotic and anxious and upset being locked in the house all the time.

So I suppose the argument boils down to, how much effort are you willing to put into your cat versus how much risk you are willing to place them in.