Is it okay to let our semi-house cat continue to go outside, or should we keep him inside always?

Here's a hub I have about the pros and cons of outside cats:

http://hubpages.com/hub/Outside-Cats

Although, your cat is primarily inside, it's still good to know about the dangers of letting a cat outside. The hub lists the dangers an odds of diseases and other risks

I keep my cat indoors, other than letting him out on the balcony. I live on the 9th floor so letting him out isn't really an option. However, I would keep him inside if I had a house. Like others have said, cats live longer if they remain indoors.

A cat was killed by in my city last week by being shot by a bow and arrow. I fear more for what humans do to cats than other animals can do to them.

PETA recommends keeping cats indoors for a number of reasons. See http://www.helpinganimals.co/animalsHome_cats_indo

You can create an outdoor run that keeps your cat safe.

I know that some of the outside/inside cats are able to catch the diseases that are found in many of the outside animals. So I always keep my cats inside because of this reason. Even my vet recommended keeping them inside because of these problems and the risk of injury.

Indoor cats live considerably longer than outdoor cats (even part time outdoor cats) and have fewer health problems & injuries. Cats that originally were outdoor cats can easily be trained to be indoor cats - I have done it with several of my rescue cats.

I keep my cats in the house always, unless they're out in our fenced backyard. Yeah I know they can jump, but the two I have now are elderly and fat.

I let my catskids have the run of my house and they sleep with me and my husband so therefore I don't want them running the neighborhood, getting into who knows what and then sharing my bed with me.

I personally feel that to do so leads to rampant bacteria, disease and fleas all of which I can live without.

I have a cat that actually came to me. Someone was trying to choke him and he clawed and scratched and got away from them and ran in my house. He has been an indoor cat for the past 18 years. When I take him to the vet they can't believe how healthy he is. I find that he is much healthier than an outdoor cat and he seems to be happy even though he is in the house. I didn't declaw him because he might get out on accident like he had done once. I would suggest getting some cat food especially formulated for indoor cats. I feed my cat Purina One with hairball control for indoor cats. My best friend had a cat that was half outside and half inside. One day she let her cat out and she hasn't seen it since. The cat was old and she doesnt know what happened to her. We think that she got eaten by a wild animal since she lives in a hilly area where coyotes live.

We brought a pregnant mama cat in 5 1/2 yrs ago, and she doesn't even go to the door. She like it inside! I would NEVER even think to let her go back outside. They are better off indoors, in my opinion.

I believe it depends on where you live. If your near a high traffic road I would say no, but if your in the country I would say yes. But then again you have to let your cat live his/her life. As they are living creatures to and deserve the respect of living at free will. But if you have a male cat and he is not neutered i suggest you have it done ASAP. Because if he is not he will then roam which will lead him wondering for days on end, cat fights, and sometimes when they roam to far away they can't find their way home. And I know there's alot of people out there who would disagree with me, but after all they are animals and they can't really act on instinct inside and because of this I don't believe they get enough exercise. Haven't you noticed how majority of cats whom owners keep inside are overweight? But I do advise you keep some type of flea and tick prevention. I hope this helps.

Thomas,

In all honesty the safest kitty is an indoor only kitty in the majority of situations. Sadly indoor/outdoor or outdoor only cats are at risk for a number of serious injuries that can be caused by a wide range of things from being hit by a vehicle to becoming the victim of human cruelty - lately it's become trendy for kids being initiated into gangs to be goaded into animal cruelty, the more they torture the cat or dog the more likely they are to gain favor with their peers which is frightening and disturbing in and of itself. It's not uncommon for cats to be accidentally or intentionally poisoned after ingesting substances ranging from antifreeze (it's sweet and appeals to cats so they will drink it willingly, but it's highly toxic to them - the best way to prevent this is to use an antifreeze with a bitterant additive, the product costs more, but it may save the lives of pet cats and dogs as well as wild animals) to rodenticides, pesticides and other chemicals, some people will intentionally set out to poison cats simply because they don't like them. Off leash dogs or poorly controlled dogs can be a serious threat to a cat if the dog manages to catch them and some people actually encourage their dog to chase cats for sport. Since cats are generally highly territorial by nature it's not uncommon for them to get into scrapes with other cats in the area, chronic and ultimately life threatening viral infections such as feline leukemia and FIV (aka kitty AIDS) can be transmitted through bite wounds inflicted by an infected cat during a territorial dispute.

Cats were never meant to be locked up indoors. Why don't we bring in our dogs, ponies, and anything else we consider a pet and keep them all indoors as they all face dangers from the outside world! Sounds silly? Exactly.

if you love your cat and want to keep him, keep him inside always. the only way an adopted housecat should be outside is go answer nature's call, and therefore be on a leash.

if you don't care what happens to it, let it run free or semi-free.