I have *never* let my cats out to roam. We live on a relatively busy street, and I've seen too many cats either get hit or suffer near-misses. My cats are not deprived. My house is large, there are plenty of places to explore and play in.
I honestly don't understand anybody who feels that cats *have* to have the Great Outdoors to be happy...
Like you, I live on a very busy street. Add in the danger from wildlife (coyotes, foxes, hawks and such), I'm definitely happier with my babies inside.
I honestly don't understand anybody who feels that all cats will be equally happy inside. Some cats have indoor cat characters (or easily adapt to an indoor life). Some don't, and you can't make them.
I dunno, most cat lovers agree that cats are individuals with highly different preferences and characters... and yet, so many of them feel that there's one set of circumstances that must make all cats happy. In my experience, there isn't. Some cats are loners; others are, in fact, highly social. Some actively enjoy the company of other cats! Equally, some cats are happy with one small space, others want an entire house to roam, and some will not even be happy with that because something about the Great Outdoors will always be more attractive than even the most cat-friendly house. (Do I understand when my cats want to go out in the thunder and the rain when they have an entire dry house to explore? No! Do I have to accept that they do? Yes!)
In conclusion, yes, cats would be safer inside. Just like humans would be safer not driving cars, not doing rock-climbing, or not going to rock festivals.
The street where I live is very high traffic, so that alone is a good reason to keep my babies inside. Add in the threat from other predators (coyotes, foxes and hawks to name but a few), and I am definitely happier with my babies inside.
One of my oldest cats, Fatters, used to be indoor/outdoor but one night I let her out and she didn't come back for about two weeks. When she did, one of her legs had been badly injured and she limped. I took her to the vet and he said that the injury was permanent; he could re-break the leg but she'd still have a limp. SO we decided to leave it be and she's been happy as a house cat ever since. My cat, Lucky, came to me in distress (she was being attacked by two dogs -- pups, really) and she made it very clear that she had seen the big world and she wanted no more to do with it.
There are a few outside cats I watch over but they don't come inside. Which I would be fine with, but the city now wants to license cats (which is a first, believe me!); what they aren't saying is that any unlicensed cats found outside will be considered feral (not all are), rounded up and killed. Oh sure, they *say* they won't do that but I *know* this town. They will. I mean, the only way to be sure a cat has a license is for them to be collared, and I hate the idea of cats wearing collars -- too easy for them to 'hang' themselves -- and there are some people who will try and catch them just to steal the collar and license. (Yes, I'm serious. I wish I wasn't.) Maybe I should write and ask Stephen King to come and immortalize my little town... hehe.
Better still, you should do the writing (under a nom-de-plum, I suppose) and make the money, rather than leaving it to Stephen King!
Humour aside, yes, that definitely sounds like a place where you're better off with indoor cats. I know that sometimes, there is no other option, and sometimes, the cats accept it happily. But take our cat!Feanáro: He's been chased by dogs several times (some idiots never learn), he's picking fights with neighbouring cats every now and then, he's even been run over by a car and needed surgery. I've definitely been hoping to keep him inside after that, but even before his hip injury was fully healed, he was absolutely desperate to get out again, and as soon as he was able to jump onto a chair on his own, there was no keeping him inside. He's been a happy indoor/outdoor cat again since then. (Even his limp has disappeared by now, and that's in spite of him not sticking to his healthy diet! Mind you, perhaps he'd be less rebellious if we'd given him a less dangerous name? ;)) In fact, he and Mr. Darcy wanted to go outside as soon as they were weaned, although we had to keep them inside exclusively (we were living on a busy street back then). No chance. Eventually, we moved into this house - not only in order to give the cats a place where they can go outside, but that was definitely one point on our minds...
TL;DR: It depends on the cat and the circumstances, always. There's no One Size Fits All solution.
In the case of your city's policy, wouldn't a chip make way more sense than a collar and license? As you say, collars can get tangled everywhere, they can get stolen, and cats are very good at "loosing" them anyway. Around here, many cats (especially outdoor cats) get "chipped" (and sometimes tattooed) so they can be found again if they get lost or stolen. The chip can be checked with a scanner at every vet's, but not easily be manipulated otherwise (whereas I suppose that ruthless people could try to tattoo their cats themselves)...
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Date: 2016-10-19 06:17 pm (UTC)I honestly don't understand anybody who feels that cats *have* to have the Great Outdoors to be happy...
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Date: 2016-10-20 01:47 pm (UTC)PS. Love your icon! :D
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Date: 2016-10-20 09:45 am (UTC)I honestly don't understand anybody who feels that all cats will be equally happy inside. Some cats have indoor cat characters (or easily adapt to an indoor life). Some don't, and you can't make them.
I dunno, most cat lovers agree that cats are individuals with highly different preferences and characters... and yet, so many of them feel that there's one set of circumstances that must make all cats happy. In my experience, there isn't. Some cats are loners; others are, in fact, highly social. Some actively enjoy the company of other cats! Equally, some cats are happy with one small space, others want an entire house to roam, and some will not even be happy with that because something about the Great Outdoors will always be more attractive than even the most cat-friendly house. (Do I understand when my cats want to go out in the thunder and the rain when they have an entire dry house to explore? No! Do I have to accept that they do? Yes!)
In conclusion, yes, cats would be safer inside. Just like humans would be safer not driving cars, not doing rock-climbing, or not going to rock festivals.
no subject
Date: 2016-10-20 02:08 pm (UTC)One of my oldest cats, Fatters, used to be indoor/outdoor but one night I let her out and she didn't come back for about two weeks. When she did, one of her legs had been badly injured and she limped. I took her to the vet and he said that the injury was permanent; he could re-break the leg but she'd still have a limp. SO we decided to leave it be and she's been happy as a house cat ever since. My cat, Lucky, came to me in distress (she was being attacked by two dogs -- pups, really) and she made it very clear that she had seen the big world and she wanted no more to do with it.
There are a few outside cats I watch over but they don't come inside. Which I would be fine with, but the city now wants to license cats (which is a first, believe me!); what they aren't saying is that any unlicensed cats found outside will be considered feral (not all are), rounded up and killed. Oh sure, they *say* they won't do that but I *know* this town. They will. I mean, the only way to be sure a cat has a license is for them to be collared, and I hate the idea of cats wearing collars -- too easy for them to 'hang' themselves -- and there are some people who will try and catch them just to steal the collar and license. (Yes, I'm serious. I wish I wasn't.) Maybe I should write and ask Stephen King to come and immortalize my little town... hehe.
no subject
Date: 2016-10-20 04:42 pm (UTC)Humour aside, yes, that definitely sounds like a place where you're better off with indoor cats. I know that sometimes, there is no other option, and sometimes, the cats accept it happily. But take our cat!Feanáro: He's been chased by dogs several times (some idiots never learn), he's picking fights with neighbouring cats every now and then, he's even been run over by a car and needed surgery. I've definitely been hoping to keep him inside after that, but even before his hip injury was fully healed, he was absolutely desperate to get out again, and as soon as he was able to jump onto a chair on his own, there was no keeping him inside. He's been a happy indoor/outdoor cat again since then. (Even his limp has disappeared by now, and that's in spite of him not sticking to his healthy diet! Mind you, perhaps he'd be less rebellious if we'd given him a less dangerous name? ;)) In fact, he and Mr. Darcy wanted to go outside as soon as they were weaned, although we had to keep them inside exclusively (we were living on a busy street back then). No chance. Eventually, we moved into this house - not only in order to give the cats a place where they can go outside, but that was definitely one point on our minds...
TL;DR: It depends on the cat and the circumstances, always. There's no One Size Fits All solution.
In the case of your city's policy, wouldn't a chip make way more sense than a collar and license? As you say, collars can get tangled everywhere, they can get stolen, and cats are very good at "loosing" them anyway. Around here, many cats (especially outdoor cats) get "chipped" (and sometimes tattooed) so they can be found again if they get lost or stolen. The chip can be checked with a scanner at every vet's, but not easily be manipulated otherwise (whereas I suppose that ruthless people could try to tattoo their cats themselves)...
no subject
Date: 2016-10-20 04:20 pm (UTC)What I really can't cope with is the US habit of pulling out their claws.
no subject
Date: 2016-10-20 04:45 pm (UTC)All of my cats have their claws, and they are very good at using scratching posts. It takes time, but they can be taught to *not* claw furniture.