Should I Let My Cat Go Outside ?

It is always a worry when you first get a cat, whether to let it go out or not

It is always a worry when you first get a cat whether to let it go out or not. It is true that the world can be a dangerous place for felines, cats can get run over by cars, they can get lost, they can get into fights with other cats, and they can catch contagious diseases. I do not know what percentage of cats suffer misfortune but I would guess it would be about 2.5% of the cat population which is allowed to roam free. Left to its own devices of course a cat will always want to go out and explore the environment around where it lives and hunt for birds and small rodents, I guess it is natural for them.

Quite a few of my clients especially those who have previously lost a cat under unfortunate circumstances keep their cats indoors and never let them go out. Other clients have high value cats like Bengals and are understandably reluctant to see their £2000.00 investment run over the horizon and not come back. Over the years I have spoken with these owners who keep their cats indoors and they tell me that their cats adapt well and seem happy with their enclosed life. I think that under these circumstances it may be best to have two cats so that they are company for each other and of course it would also be a good idea to provide a scratching post and suitable toys to keep them occupied as well.

One of the biggest worries is of course letting a new cat out for the first time or letting your existing cat go out into new surroundings when you move house. In my experience cats adapt well to such a move and seem to quickly regard their new garden and environment as their exclusive territory. There are some things you can do to make things run smoothly, one is to keep the cat in the house with a litter tray for the first week so it becomes orientated to its surroundings, and it is best not to feed your cat before it goes out for the first time. Another tip is to let it go out for the first time at the weekend so you will be about to go and look for it if it fails to return, also it is best if the cat finds its owners at home when it returns to the house for the first time. Remember to make a fuss of him when he shows up!

Do I let my own cat go out? Well the above photo is my cat Zak taken in the clinic garden last week. While obviously as a vet I am more aware of the dangers than most I also know it is natural for him to wander and hunt and I know he loves the outside life.At the end of the day it is up to each owner to weigh things up for themselves, the area round the clinic is does not have too much fast moving traffic, I guess I might think differently if I lived on a main road.

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This entry was posted on December 16, 2007 at 9:47 am and is filed under Cats. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.