Hi, just looking for a bit of advice.

Our neutered tom cat is nearly 2 years old - we've had him since he was a 10 week old kitten. He was very ill and had a low immune system so we decided it best to keep him as an indoor only cat. However, for the last year we've had a stray cat who has kind of adopted us - we made her a shelter in the garden and we feed her twice daily/ let her in the house for naps and when it's raining/ cold etc and they get on really well. But since she's been coming in and out Rio (our cat) has begun sitting at the back door and trying to get out when the back door is opened. He obviously sees her enjoying the best of both worlds and wants a bit for himself!

We walk with him up and down the garden and to be honest he just likes to eat the grass and sniff around - *touch wood* never runs off. He just seems to come alive when he's outside - tail straight up in the air, fur blowing in the breeze and we thought that maybe it's time to stop being selfish and worrying about things that may never happen. One of the other main reasons he's an indoor cat is because I was so worried about the life expectancy of an outdoor cat and the fact that there's so many dangers. He's now a big, strong and healthy (albeit very clumsy) man cat and I just wonder, is it too late to let him outside to roam 'til his hearts content? My OH has been trying to convince me that I'm not being fair by keeping him in when he clearly would rather be outside. Sorry for the ramble. Any experiences or advice are welcome. Thanks.

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Well, 2 things: I lost my big, bruising, gorgeous, outdoors-loving, hunting cat last October to a car on our not very busy road. I still cry about that. My newest boy, Simba was allowed out in the garden with me supervising him, until one day he gave me the slip and my sister-in-law said she'd just seen him coming back from over the road. He now only goes out on his lead. Truth is, it takes years for them to build up road sense, and most cats that get hit by cars are very young. Because your cat hasn't ever been an outside cat, he'll be starting from a zero knowledge base.
My cat Misi was hit by a car some years ago, but was lucky to escape with a grazed chin and a lost canine. Her dearly departed companion Tarka was also hit by a car and was okay. These were important life lessons for them both, but they were incredibly lucky. After losing Bruno, I will never let my cats out again. Just a thought...

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http://catscanjump.blogspot.com

Wendy, mum to:
Simba von Wurzbachtal, Turkish Van, born Austria, 5/9/10

RIP
Tarka, 1989 - 2008 my gentle Phileas Fogg
Bruno, 2008 - 2010 taken too soon my darling boy
Misi, 1993 - 25/3/2012 My brave, beautiful tabby

Hello - I think you have to look at your own personal situation and your surroundings to make a decision - personally if I had kept my cat indoors I would not have let him go out at all cos once they get a taste its hard to keep them in that said if u do want to let him out then weigh up all the dangers first - ie where u live is it near a main road ? is there a lot of traffic? is there lots of other cats? is he neutered? also make your home readily available that he can come and go as he pleases so he is more of an indoor/outdoor this is what my cat is and its much better imo because u can keep a constant check on them - always make sure they are in at a certain time in the evening - dont let them stay out over night as this is when they are most likely to get into scraps with other cats or roam around - I also sort of keep it in the back of my mind when I let mine out and if he not back within a couple of hours etc I normally go out and find him - just to keep an extra eye - there is a lot of dangers letting them out but if u minimise them as much as possible then hopefully he will be ok - but there is always a chance something will happen - its a risk - and u have to decide is it worth it ? good luck whatever u decidex

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It's like letting children go out alone - except that you can't teach a cat any road sense I can only say that if you have weighed up all the pros and cons, can leave with your fears or the sorrow if anything was to happen, then it is not too late to let him be an outdoor cat.
A better option imo, however would be either to cat-proof your garden or put in a cat run so that he can have some limited freedom in a safer environment. Or to get him used to going for walks on a harness.

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How we behave toward cats here below determines our status in heaven. - Robert A. Heinlein
http://www.lambchopsiamese.webs.com

Thank you for your reply, and sorry for your losses. That's the thing, it's so difficult. I said before we even had Rio that if we ever got a cat, it'd be indoor only. I read so many horror stories whereby they've been used in dog fights, poisoned by animal haters, tortured by kids, shot at, run over and that's precisely why I made that decision.

My OH has had many cats (Rio is my first - can you tell? ) and said that they all lived till a ripe old age whilst still being outdoor cats. It was also put to me: 'would you rather live to 100 being stuck in a house the whole time when all you want to do is go outside OR live to 40 and be able to go out and do whatever you want, do what you want to do - but know that there would always be dangers.'

He's always been quite aloof and doesn't really care much for human attention - he's definately not a lap cat and can be downright aggressive. I always thought that it was down to his bad start in life before we got him and his illness in the early days but now I'm beginning to wonder if it's because he doesn't want to be indoors. He has scratchposts, attention, love and all the toys you could imagine but it's not enough to make him happy.

We live on a main road although with very limited access - terraced houses with only a few alleyways to get from the back of the houses to the front where the road is. But still, I do worry about the things that could happen.

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ooh, I took too long to write that and didn't see the other messages - thank you for your replies.

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IF - and it's a big if at the moment we do decide to let him out, do you think it's better to have a collar on or not? He'll be microchipped so is there need for a collar as well?

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If u live close to a main road then I would prob say no then hun the fact is at 2yrs old he will not have learnt any road sense and could quite easily get into strife - can u cat proof your garden maybe?? if so I would go for that option x

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Collars imo are a bit iffy - esp if they are not safety catch ones which automatically unclip if he gets caught on something - but on a plus side it shows he is not a stray if u do get one make sure its a safety catch clasp one and not a buckle one

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We wouldn't be able to cat-proof it, unfortunately, that's something I had considered before. One reason that it would be too expensive - we have quite a large garden with different sized and uneven fences on either side (and gaps underneath!) and secondly because we rent - we were lucky enough that the landlord said we could have a cat as it's in our contract that pets aren't allowed....one legitimate cat, a stray and 3 hamsters later.... we're probbly pushing it a bit

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