Help for Cats Who Want to Go Outdoors

Help, my owner is holding me prisoner in this house. I am a male cat and it is spring, I would really like to be outside now. There is so much to do outside, chase birds, catch mice, visit lady cats. Why is my owner so mean, how can I escape?  I mean, cats should be outside right?

Signed Jailcat

photo source

Dear Jailcat

Although it may seem that your owner is being mean by keeping you indoors, your owner is actually doing you a favor. It is recommended by nearly every animal welfare group, including the SPCA, and humane society, that cats be kept indoors only and not allowed to roam freely even if laws allow it.

Cats who go outside face many risks. Being hit by a car is probably the most common risk, but cats who are outdoors are also at risk of being poisoned by neighbors (either intentionally, or accidentally). Cats who go outside are often taken and dumped in other parts of town because other people don’t like them being out (pooping in the yard, spraying, meowing, digging). You are at risk for diseases from other cats, cat fights, and even other animals – depending where you live.

Cats who go outdoors are said to have much shorter lifespans, on average, than cats who are indoors only. On farms the average cat only lives to one year of age (although certainly many live longer, most die while young). In most cities the average lifespan for a cat that goes outdoors is two years, cats who are kept indoors only often live well into their teens.

If you are not neutered this could also be a reason your owner has you confined indoors only. Male cats who are not neutered tend to roam further, and can get lost, as they look for female cats. They also tend to get into more fights and will “spray” to mark territory – which lots of people do not like. Cats who are not fixed (spayed or neutered) should not go outside at all.

As well a cat who is not vaccinated should not go outside.  You may also want to be aware that catching mice isn’t always safe either.

Jailbird cat, your owner is not being cruel by keeping you as an indoor only cat they are being responsible.  Many indoor only cats are happy.

An alternative solution that both you, and your owner, may agree on is a “catio” or cat enclosure. This would be an area that is built so you can go outside without leaving your owners property. Some people go so far as to put up a cat fence around their yard to contain their feline, or have it leash trained. Leash training a cat takes time and you should not be tied up outdoors or you could be at risk from cat thieves, wandering dogs, and so forth.

Cat in a cat enclosure – photo by author.

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