Indoor Cat Vs. Outdoor Cat?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 มิ.ย. 2024
- Indoor Cat Vs. Outdoor Cat?
In this episode of Cat Mojo, I take you through the sometimes very sticky landscape that is the indoor vs. outdoor debate. Of course each side has merits (as does the middle ground), and no matter where you land, there’s always something new to learn!
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00:00 Introduction
00:29 Pros and Cons of Indoor / Outdoor
02:43 Tips for Outdoor Cats
04:27 The Best of Both Worlds
06:43 Conclusion
Jackson should have added 'make sure your cats are spayed or neutered' to his list of things for outdoor cats. Yes, it's obvious, but so important that it still needed to be said.
Should tell that to my neighbor 😂 i tried myself but she's such a jerk.
I live in Germany and here you have to neutere/spay your cats BY LAW (only if they can go outdoors) because our shelters were overflown with unwanted kittens.
@@yatshie8717 Good, that's how it should be
Hi Jackson, my wife and I live in an apartment. We have an indoor cat who used to be super agitated all the time and didn't like to be pet.
We tried your methods regarding catification and scheduling daily play time into feeding time. It took a few weeks, but the results are incredible! Our cat has become much more cuddly and confident. So thank you for helping us understand her and improving life at home for the 3 of us, soon to be 4. Cheers from France!
Bonne nouvelle pour votre chat! Et félicitations bien sûr!
@@banger2998 Did you actually watched the video? Nobody is arguing whether to keep cat indoor or outdoor, just what are the benefits and dangers of both. That's all, it's mostly how your cat acts and what are your preferences. Basically, for me, it depends of your surroundings. I have a very happy indoor cat and I live in an apartment that is surrounded by high traffic and lots of stray dogs roaming the streets (some of them attack people as well) and I shouldn't mention all the other diseases and dangers laying around. Should I just let her go then? She wouldn't survive few days out there. Of course, we try to provide everything, every day, with regular playing time, toys, quality and healthy food, as much as she needs. We also made protection on windows that she can't go through and she loves to sit by it. It's all about knowing your cat and try to keep it happy, wherever she is.
@@banger2998 I don't think it's really fair to jump to that conclusion, especially considering there are cats that have never been outdoor cats. My cat, for instance, was in a home where she wasn't properly taken care of. They treat animals like accessories there. They let me adopt her, and she's never been outside of the house. Even after months of trying to get her outside with a leash and harness on just so she could be familiar with our area before I let her come and go, she's not interested. The outdoors is something she prefers to watch through the windows. I would give her treats outside and play with her outside to make it a more positive space, because I thought the same thing as you, you know, but she's just an indoor cat. At the end of the day, cats are more than capable of conveying how they feel about something, and we're just here to make sure they're happy. Also, not everyone that has an indoor cat keeps their cat completely indoors. While mine isn't interested in walks outside, or being outside in general, I have a couple friends that walk their cats and the cats get to enjoy the best of both worlds while being safe. An owner that is interested in their cats well-being will do the research necessary and make sure that their cat can have a fulfilling life and a long one.
@@banger2998 I understand your concern. We hesitated to adopt her because of that very issue, but she'd have been sent to a shelter otherwise, so we took her in and haven't regretted a second of it.
Still, you're right, it is unnatural keeping cats indoors, so is neutering them btw. I can even make the case it's always been unnatural to domesticate wild animals altogether, so having them indoors is just one step further. I guess we have to be pragmatic and deal with the world as it is, not as it should be ideally. Also don't underestimate cats, they're very adaptable creatures.
Our cat has never knows otherwise and she is a very playful and cuddly little feline with guardians who constantly try to make her life as enjoyable as possible. Our apartment is fairly sized, highly catified, and we have a balcony which she loves to look at the world from and she could easily escape if she were miserable, but I guess she realizes her chances of survival on the traffic heavy streets are very tiny. She also gets yearly vacation time at my in-laws who have a garden, but even there she spends most, if not all of her time inside.
I've always thought that keeping my cat indoors was in both our best interests. However, my current cat is a 3 year old Maine Coon, I took him in from the outside after being abandoned, malnourished and bullied by other outdoor cats. Although I believe he is happy being indoors most of the time, he still has the yearning for being outside and just being a cat. It's the only thing he actually asks for by his meows, his body language and sitting at the door. I put him on a leash and harness and take him outside for at least an hour, it's his time so I let him control the walk but I control his safety but I let him do whatever he would do if he was outdoors alone unless there's danger. He listens incredibly well when I tell him no, follow me or you can't go there. He now lets me know when he's done and heads for the door and I praise him for being a good boy and I give him a good boy treat and he is content to stay inside the rest of the time. He has windows to look out, plenty of toys, cat trees, scratching posts and pads to keep him entertained inside. This way we're both happy.
They're not actually since they ain't getting enough exercise.
@@CristanioPeweyyy shut up
That's nice, it sounds like he's staying safe and getting outside!
I would really love to see a picture of your Maine coon a lll bet he is beautiful and you are a very good for owner tacking him in and tacking such good care of him you deserve a glod star l mean that in a good way
Since this post one year ago I started noticing a behavioral change and what appeared to be a depression. I was going to adopt a kitten but I discovered a beautiful older (about 7ish) orange cat that had given birth to her now last litter. She was a fostered rescue that had been abused and was informed she need a home. I abandoned the kitten idea and adopted this beautiful girl. Her and my 1st cat get along perfectly and they play together, chase each other and rest together. We're all happy and her first 7 years were traumatic but the rest of her life she'll live like a princes. I've updated the photo to show both.
I have had cats for forty years. At first I didn't think much about whether I should let them out. Then after many years of letting cats out and losing all of them to cars, coyotes, and evil people I finally made up my mind to not let them out. Instead I built a cat enclosure on the back of my house. This allowed the cats to be outside and yet completely safe. They loved it and some of them spend entire days in it, sometimes even in the rain. Now, I have five cats and they are so trained to stay indoors even if I accidentally leave a door open they will not go outside. Also, added benefit, my indoor cats don't get fleas anymore.
I'm glad to see this evolution. You're a good pet owner
Dented take, people live in places without yards like apartment btw. Hate 99% of the cat owners cuz they dont do things your way xd
Thats a great idea, i cant imagine having the insane senses of a cat and being locked in a box my whole life. You are an awesome person for doing that.😊
I have a decent enough space for a patio. I was thinking of building an enclosure for my future cats there. All of my cats eventually died by having their life outside, males are the ones who die faster 😢
@@Blackout_CDXX you know that some people have apartments, right?? I live on second floor and at least I was able to give my cats a nice balcony. There are so many cars and dogs without leashes that I'm sure they will die quickly if I let them outside especially since I can't control that they can come in freely as I'm not allowed to put cat doors into my door or the building's door. Now you could say "then don't have cats" and even if that may be a valid point - firstly: It's too late for that now, secondly: That's still better than being in the small shelter cage were I got them from.
My cat LOVES his harness! He will bolt out of a room meowing loudly when he hears his leash and harness..purrs the whole time im putting it on lol
Abby R mine too! This is exactly how my cat acts. When he wants to go outside he will also follow me all over the house until I make eye contact then run to the door. I put the harness on by the door and he just won’t stop purring!
Mine gets excited when I go for the harness, but he hates the process of getting it on. But he has long hair which probably gets pulled when I try to snap the harness.
Abby R brilliant 🤣❤️❤️
no it doesnt. Its called pavlov.
Its the anticipation of going out, that makes it purr.
Unbelievable how dumb so many cat owners are.
We humans do the same, when we fly somewhere.
We get excited, We are annoyed, We are happy.
Its the anticipation that makes us endure the whole airport scenario.
Aggressive little rich no purring on you 🤣chill out people are aloud to express their opinions
My first cat was indoor/outdoor - we let her in and out as she pleased. She got the occasional infected scratch, but was otherwise in good health until she was 15 years old, eventually dying of cancer, so I didn't see why letting a cat roam free outside was such a big deal. Then we got my second cat who was a sweetheart - about a year old when we adopted her from the shelter. Which would have made her 3 years old when, after not seeing her for a couple of days, we found her walking at a snail's pace and severely dehydrated. We rushed her to an emergency vet, who did some tests and determined that, basically, her kidneys were wrecked. The vet said this most likely happened if she ingested something toxic, most likely anti-freeze, and that there was nothing that could be done. This is why my third cat is indoor only.
We did a cat fencing system in the backyard and I cannot recommend it enough. Our lives and our cats life is changed completely. Everyone is finally happy. AND safe.
how does that work? is it difficult to install?
And it stops your cat getting shot by feral cat hunters mistaking it for a feral cat! 👍
I'm a vet tech and I adopted one of our patients after he required an amputation due to someone shooting him as a stray. 😭 But now he is indoor living his best life! ❤️🐈
I'm lucky to live on a gravel road, slow traffic and of course the noise of the wheels. Had an indoor/outdoor cat that lived 19 yrs!
Same here. Our first cat lived to 18, died of old age, and the second one seems to be following the same trend. Female cats, especially spayed ones, have relatively tiny ranges compared to intact males.
Absolutely. It really depends on the context. A smart owner will know if the outside enviornment is reasonably safe. Part of the reason the lifespan average is so low is because of idiots who shouldn't have cats.
Yep I've had three indoor /outdoor cats living to 18, 16 and 16 and still going strong. The 18 year old died of kidney disease/old age, the 16 year old had a lung tumor. Definitely agree that it is people who shouldn't have cats and who've taken no time to care about their cat's outdoor safety.
@@Miluielle I don't understand.. can the cats be let out on their own and they'll come back? What if they get lost
@@GadGetHackss Cats dont normally "get lost". they wander. They find their way back by scent. Cats know a good thing when they have it, like, a food source. The reason cats left outside dont return are for all the reasons Jackson points for why they shouldnt go out.
I had two indoor/outdoor cats that were both harness trained and would go on tethers. I would actually take them for walks in the woods that surround the property on their leashes. they grew up together. One of them passed away from natural causes and the other was quite obviously missing its house mate. One day shortly after the one had passed I was outside with him, off his leash and I turned my back for 2 minutes and he was gone. He was "missing" for two weeks. He showed back up at the back porch door, full of ticks and fleas but actually no worse for wear. I assume he went looking for his house mate.
I definitely feel a lot more comfortable having my cats indoors. We used to have indoor/outdoor cats growing up and I always noticed how short a time I had with them. Since having mine indoors they have lived twice as long. My current cat is 8 and he doesn't mind being inside; not even very interested in go out. But he loves all his window spaces and with all the birds and squirrels he's pretty entertained by them lol
My biggest issue with an outdoor cat is the fact that they are one of the most devastating invasive species on planet earth. It baffles me at how many people don’t understand how negative of an impact that have on local environments.
@@dahleno2014 They have been outside way before us.
@@dahleno2014 Would you like it if someone trapped you inside? We are the TRUE invasive species. You would not like it, so do not treat your cat that way.
Would you treat a child like that? No, even though they are more invasive than cats lmao.
@@Im_Na_Yeon they are an invasive species. Plus where I'm from, we shoot em of they wander in our garden.
It's not about living long but happy
I live in Australia and a lot of our native species are now endangered due to cats and foxes. My girl is an inside only. We live in a wildlife protection zone, so Cat TV is pretty spectacular around here with Bandicoots, Lizards and birds. Thankfully she doesn't seem to be a "door dasher" or give any indication she wants to explore the greater outdoors - we try to ensure that her indoor environment is enriched as much as possible and many thanks to Jackson for the guidance his information gives on this.
Thanks for mentioning this!
4 indoor cats who have playtime in the backyard with me daily :) couldn't bare the thought of them wandering on their own into a car or a dog
That's crazy. I think it depends on where you live to determine if it's dangerous or not.
Same thing in my house, 2 older cats fully backyard trained and 3 kitties that are getting trained for the backyard on their leash. I like letting them get fresh air and play in the garden but its always supervised. :D
Our two cats have supervised, daily backyard play as well.
I feel exactly the same. My boy can spend some time in the backyard with his harness and leash but no roaming for the young sir. Twice he escaped to mark the neighboring gardens and although it was just a few minutes and I could see him, I was worried sick because let's be honest the worst danger for cats is people who hate animals and they're numerous unhappily!
I got 3 indoor cats as well. It's safer to keep them indoor I think. We catify our house our cats! 👍
im definitely gonna keep my cat indoors. just would like to add that the cat we had before managed to live 21 full years despite being an outdoor cat. and shes lived half of her live in a very busy city before moving to the country side. i just think its impressive
Just like us Cats chose their death and how long they want to stay.
As the owner of a black cat, he stays indoors. I’ve lost too many kittens because my father believed in letting them outside. When I worked I wanted to know my cat was safe. Now we enjoy each other’s company. Also because they are indoor safe, I can avoid some of the shots as he’s not around other animals. My neighbors appreciate that he’s not tearing up their gardens. Love your catify ideas. Thank you.
Black cats always need to be kept inside on Halloween. There are superstitious people who may hurt or kill them.
All my outdoor cats were hit by cars and killed when I was a child, so as an adult all my cats stay indoors only.
I was going to bring that up in my own comment but I will type it here. My twin sister and I were too young to understand how our parents were putting the lives of the family cats (two at a time) at risk by letting them outside. Each year it seemed the two, at different times, were run over by cars on the road not far from where we lived. Every year it seemed we would adopt two new cats. We lived in Connecticut so they were usually Maine Coons. I believe it was not until I moved from there to Arizona when I finally woke up to the fact that, as Jackson said, indoor cats lived longer lives. Because my current apartment has a partially fenced-in yard I did let my cat out there but I was outside with him so he never came to any harm. Otherwise, all my cats were kept indoors at all times except for a pair I owned years back that I would walk while they wore harnesses and leashes. just be sure you do as Jackson recommends and catify your home so you can bring some of the outdoors inside.
Well i live in a village so my cats go out all the time and they never got injured or killed
RajaReign78 I can understand that
Really? We have 2 that are about 8 years old, and have never been hit. We’re up a long enough passage, but still
I had a car who was outdoors most of the time. He lived till 17 nothing ever happened. I think it might be because I live in a small town and he was also nearly always outside at night when there was no traffic. Doing the same with my cat right now and he also stays very close to the house max 10-20 meters away. I still don’t feel totally comfortable with him being outside so I’m trying to get my parents to let me walk him.
We were “owned” by a feral kitten about a month ago. She was about 8 weeks old and camped out at our front door. I felt sorry for her in the cold and provided a shoebox with a towel. Slowly she wiggled her way into our hearts, so we purchased a litter box. Until the litter box, she faithfully went outside to take care of those needs. Now that she has an “indoor bathroom,” she has NO interest in going outside! 😆
I do open the door when she sits and peers through the glass, but she seems to just want to watch “cat tv!” (She has come out on the deck since, but only when my wife or I go out and she accompanies us)
Our old girl lived to 21 and she was an outdoor cat. We live in a suburban area away from main roads so that will have helped a lot. She was so street savvy, we reckon she would go walkabout for miles, down to the park and all around. She was incredible and so tough ❤️
And the animals that they kill? Up for a discussion if wanted.
@@missingtundra1624 Whole heartedly agree. These people celebrating each other for neglecting (borderline abusing) their cats. I feel so bad for these creatures.
@@MrGduder What do you mean?
@@MrGduder It's not abuse. The cats love it and if not they're not going outside. The animals they kill is natural selection. Only the strong survive. Also they are great for pest control
@@dwaynethewokjohnson7773 You're a lazy cat owner who can't put in the time to stimulate your cat so you throw it outside with all the dangers in the world and here you are justifying yourself. Why even get a pet if you're going to just throw it outside? Stop neglecting your animal.
My boy is 21 this year, been a indoor cat all his life.
That's awesome. It sounds like he has had a healthy long life.
I was just adding up mine is 17 and outdoor all summer.. he is not a fan of winter and we are in Colorado. I don’t encourage but I don’t prevent. He is Maine coon from shelter and outside is his happy place but I still can’t believe 17.. talk bout beating odds
God damn
My cat has been living outside and he is 14 and he is doing just fine. Every now and then he comes in, look around in 2 to 3 min. he back at the door.
Awww🥺🥰
I think it largely depends on where you live and how safe it is for your cat outside (like rural vs. urban area). Also, it is still possible to take your cat outside and let them explore for a bit with supervision (in a garden or park or wooded area) as long as you train them well and have the time to supervise them the entire time.
Even rural areas can be very dangerous. My aunt has an outdoor cat and he usually hangs in the wooded area behind the house, we call for him before it gets dark and keep him onside overnight. They had one cat they're positive got mauled by coyotes, one year there was a ton and they some some hanging by the house for a few weeks and shortly after kitty went missing.
I live in the UK and my neighbours have a cat that goes crazy if she gets stuck inside for a few hours, she likes to be able to come and go as she pleases.
I used to live on a quiter road. Traffic wasn't common. Allies with rooftops. Had a cat that used to come into my house. Cam int through the window whe I opened it. Slept with me on the bed.
Had to move. Busy street. Cat is left where they are. Probably dead of old age at this point.
Rural isn't dangerous everywhere. No coyotes or bears or anything in the UK. The biggest risk in the UK is cars, so it's not a good idea to let them outdoors if you live near a busy road. Another risk is other cats. There can be a lot of outdoor cats in some areas so you have to watch out because some can be aggressive.
You are so right about nasty people being a possibility! This one time I had let my cat outside, not even an hour of being outside I see him walking around the front yard. I’m by the window, just admiring and partially wanting to monitor him. One of my neighbors is also outside walking their husky, they aren’t trained at all as they had just recently received their dog. He notices my cat and there’s an obvious collar with a tag on it(with a bell!). My cat sits there to watch the dog, and the man purposefully loosens his leash to allow his dog to run and bark after my cat, My cat backs up a bit to where the leash can’t reach him. I simply thought he might’ve loosened the leash to allow his dog to find a spot to potty, but no, the man continued to walk towards my cat with his dog obviously showing aggression towards him. Barking and growling at him. This is when I decide to step out of my house, he notices, and he pulls his dog back towards him, he then attempts to squat down and call my cat over to him but my cat no longer trusted him at this point. Instead he ran up to me, I pick him up and the man replies with, “is that your cat?”. I simply reply, “yes, this is my cat.”, and walk away. Imagine if I hadn’t been watching? Would he have let his dog get a bite out of my cat? I have no bias against dogs as I own two of them, both very loving babies, and it made me upset that this man, instead of educating his dog, he allowed his dog to continue its behavior and even encouraged it by following my cat. I could tell he felt embarrassed because I was clearly upset with the tone of my reply. He hasn’t walked his dog near my house since.
WOW. F*** that guy would have gone off on him.
@@moonman2216 Waited for him to put the dog away and took him to the ground and made him eat some shit.
Your fault. Keep. your. cats. inside.
@@imakaren7671 I agree but the person with the dog was in the wrong too
@@pigwhaleg wouldn't have happened if the cat would've been an indoor, as every responsible owner knows. Only this cat "owner's" fault.
Some time ago I rescued this feral kitten that had been abandoned by its mom. I didn’t own any other cats so the kitten grew up around dogs and I think to a certain extent believed himself to be a dog. So, when we’d let our dogs out he wanted to be out too. Eventually we just always left our garden door open so he’d go out in the morning, come back around midday to curl up with me for a nap, leave in the afternoon and comeback at night. I felt pretty safe about cause our house is near the end of our street (so limited cars), we don’t have any big predators in the area and we have a large backyard/lot so I figured he’d generally stay in the area and not wander too far.
All was fine and good until he didn’t come home one day. I looked for days and when I did ‘find him’ I realized one of the neighbors had left poison out for him.
No matter how safe you think your area is, you can never account for human cruelty. Your cat might be smart enough to fend off/avoid most dangers but they’re pretty much defenseless against thought out/intentional harm. Any cat I get from now on is going to be strictly indoors only.
You should have called the police. That's animal cruelty. And really a good argument for knowing your neighbors, even if it's just knowing them enough to stay away.
I'm so sorry that happened to you :( that breaks my heart. What horrid neighbors. Report them for animal cruelty. Nasty people.
I was always worried that my old neighbors were going to leave poison out for my cats. Thank gosh they didn’t and that they are gone now (being the neighbors), but still. I am sorry that happened.
Add E the police can’t really do anything with circumstantial evidence. Even if proven there won’t be any arrests. The punishment for animal cruelty is usually just a fine.
As for knowing your neighbors-no one can ever really know their neighbors, at least not to where they would tell you if they planned on killing your pet.
That is so horrible. Something I've never thought of before. I'm sorry you had to go through that.
Netting my entire balcony (professionally and securely) for my cat was THE BEST money I spent since adopting my sweet girl.
You are wonderful :)
What material did you use? I would like to do this to our rental balcony but with the materials I've found, it is way out of budget for me.
elines acevedo I’m in a rental as well and hired a company to do it. A pigeon netting company. It was VERY worth the low cost. Install was quick and neat. Netting is strong, taut, and from floor to ceiling. I live in Canada. She takes so much joy from being out there. I call her neighbourhood watch! She naps there. Watches birds. Hours on end xo
I did the same. My house has a litltle yard on the side, so i net everything from ground to top. My 4 cats love It. It was a well spend monney in exchange to god know what dangers they could have on the streets
@@77cns thank you! I will definitely look into it! 😊
We adopted an in/out cat. She was ok to be indoors after she was spayed during winter, but the moment she was fit to be out again we would let her. Part of me wish I didn't and kept her in for safety and selfish reason, but I can see that climbing her tree, chasing birds, sleeping on a patio bench made her happy,fit and healthy cat. She is also very smart and mostly stays within the borders of our property (plus next door lady) and never venture on the street. The only problem is that she got used to using our vegie garden as her litter box and wont use one inside.
My story expect they are 2 🐱🐱
The place where I used to live was very close to a lot of fields at the back. We would let our 3 cats out through the back door to keep them away from the road. If they got out through the front, they would run around the house to get to the back.
If us humans were hanging out in the garden and had the back door open, the cats would usually stay in the garden with us rather than going and exploring like they normally did. If it was really warm, they'd be inside laying on the cool wooden floor, but close enough to the door that it still felt like they were part of the group, sometimes coming out for a quick pet before going inside again.
They'd somehow know when I was almost home after school and he waiting by the front door for me (the only time they would stay by the front) so they could go in.
We have moved house since then and there are more roads. Even though we will let them out when they want to, they tend to just chill in the garden, whether anyone was out with them or not. They've never had any training to keep them in the garden, it's just what they choose to do now, probably because there isn't anything exciting anymore.
When I adopted my cat she was only inside. She would stare outside though as if she was begging to go outside. I remember she would scratch at the windows to get to children playing outside. Then I moved to the country at my parents' place to go back to school and took her with me. She gradually learned to be outdoors and shes obsessed. She generally comes back inside at night to sleep but she loves to be out exploring and even follows us around if we walks around.
She also kills a lot of native animals
Tried taking my cat outside once. As soon as I put him on the ground he climbed my leg and clung onto my shirt. He hasn't been outside since.
You’re lucky
My cat is about 5 years old. I got her from an animal shelter about 3 years ago. We bonded instantly, and she was always very calm and well behaved. One day after a few months of having her, I tried to bring her out to the screened patio with me. Right when we stepped out the door, she clung on to me for dear life, and would not let me set her down. I've tried luring her out with treats, etc. She won't go for it. I don't think she would like a cation either as it's basically the same thing...
They all start that way. They dont know what it is. But curiosity is in their nature and if you continue to slowly introduce them to it they will be open.
@@jesseRya I am working on getting her ok with being in the window for now. She seems scared of any aspect of the outside. She doesn't even like to look out the window very much. I'm thinking sadly that she may have been hurt outside or had some kind of trauma before. I'm just trying my best to make her a happy and confident cat. These vids and the kind comments definitely help. Thank you 🐱
Acornsquad my cat is also slightly terrified of the outside world haha 😹😹 she’s very happy being an inside cat.
My kitties are indoor-outdoor and I love them for it because they catch our garage mice. They all learned my bedtime schedule, so they run to the door every night for me to let them in. I work from home so i can supervise them coming in and out all day long. (Been doing it for 15 years, they healthy and happy)
I rescued 6 month old kitten and he has never been outside as far as I know. I am single in a studio apt and I keep him in here with me. He has all his shots from the shelter, a collar with ID tags and microchip. I don't ever want to let him out. He means the world to me.
I have two outdoor cats, I know, I know, they have safe ID's. They've taken care of mouse issues on the property. They have lovely food and water available in their protected shelter (garage) with PM locking door. I love the chattering when they're watching birds outside. They rock. We know it's tough on the cats to have a free lifestyle and then there's us trying to keep them to ourselves, but we work to have them outdoors for at least a thrid of the day, free. Thanks for your awesome vids!!
The propblem is that they not only kill mouse, they kill birds and other spicies.
they are not natural predator. Keep ur cat in your home.
My cat been an outdoor car for 5 years. I trust him whatever he goes he always come on the right time but sometime again as for male cat they get heated as they looking for female and one time he went out he didn't return he was gone for a week and came back which scared me I thought I lost him forever. My cat is smart and I feel like he knows the area where we live but at the same time I believe getting your car neture or spayed is safer for them and health for them to not getting stress out when they are in Hest season. I decided to get my cat castrate finally cuz he awalys come with bad scratches from fights as well fighting with the neighbors cat which we got complaint by it. It's natural for them acting that because of territories and well we did it and he stop going out regularly as he used to :) he safer at home now and of course he still goes out but not the whole day at least he hasn't lost his sense of the outside. Miss him alot RIP Manuel ❤
My dad hated cats for a long time...
Now he's turning our front porch into a catio for my three cats lul
Kaina jones sexist
@Kaina jones And you'll never keep a man with a sucky attitude like that.
omg sameee, my dad used to throw knives at those stray cats, because they always steal our food. but now, he even shares his food with them! he even bought them cat food hehehe
Haha my dad is exactly the same! He used to refer to cats as ‘horrible creatures’ until I got my little one- now he’s always asking if he can pet him etc 😀 xx
Kaina jones sexist bitch
At least hopefully we can all see that declawing a cat is bad
I absolutely love Jackson and his channel. So much love and information about cats, it's wonderful and I'm learning so much. I'm getting an indoor cat in a few months ( can't wait) and all these videos are so helpful with preparing for it, but also for calming my nerves.
My indoor/outdoor cats lived to ages 18 and 20. I know we were very lucky. When I got another cat from the shelter, I intended to keep him indoors all the time. He didn't agree. After weeks and weeks of the battle to try to keep him in, we gave up. He never uses the litter box, but goes out to take care of business. He has set himself a pretty regular schedule. He is microchipped. I just have to hope for the best and give him plenty of love so he always wants to come home.
My family's outdoor cats lived to over 20 years, and the current one is 17.
Our indoor/outdoor cat is about 10. She came to us this way. We too lost the battle to keep her inside, but have the comfort of knowing that when she’s outside, she keeps to the front and back yard. It happened gradually. She knows it’s her yard and house and is very happy. Long story short, she is as happy and safe as we can make her so we’re not planning on attempting to force her to be an indoor only cat again.
My former cat lived to 21, and the cats at my moms house now are currently 14 and still going. I think it really just depends on the location.
@@2plus2cats We've had indoor/outdoor for over fourty years and our cats consistently live their full, happy lifespans. It's less of a rarity than you'd imagine. Cats do extrordinarily well out on their own, hence the problem with feral cats being everywhere. Indoor outdoor kitties surviving isn't so much luck as it is a given, considering they've evolved to do exactly that.
My outdoor cat lived to 19. I have two other healthy 9 year old out door cats. I know another person who is also a vet who had an outdoor cat live to 24. The outdoor cats living to 2 - 5 years is actually a myth based of one study from 33 years ago. This study only looked at cats killed in road traffic accidents and over 80% of the cats studied were strays. A lot of stray kittens that were killed were taken into account too and kittens are more vunerable so skewed the results down. Vaccinated, neutered and looked after cats should live to their late teens.
Interesting viewpoint, thank you. I had been trying to get a cat from the shelter for ages and they always refused me because I only have a balcony, and they wouldn’t give cats to people who *won’t* let them go outside. So now I bought one from a small ad but always felt guilty for only letting him live indoors. Glad to hear he can still have a good a good life with me if I put some effort in. :)
I really appreciate that you gave arguments and advice for both sides of this debate, while also not sacrificing or diminishing your own values. What an excellent video, thank you!
I built an outdoor enclosure/"catio" for my indoor cats. Works like a champ, they go out there whenever they want, and don't give up safety. I know not everyone can do it, but I could and I'm really glad I did.
My SO and I are planning to screen in our back patio for this very reason! All of our kitties love getting outside in the backyard to explore under supervision, but we don’t want them to be outside cats. A catio will be perfect!
They can to, with a doggy crate, works great!!!
I love your show! For NY’ers and other urban areas, would you please do an episode on cat proofing a balcony and making it fun for cats? Maybe advice on do’s and don’ts in the winter or snow season?
Hi Jackson, I would love to adopt a cat and I live in an apartment, so it would be very difficult for me to let him out. I can totally build a catio and provide toys and activities to do inside, I have plenty of windows for cat TV.However, we both work and he will have to spend some time alone and I’m worried that he will feel lonely or abandoned. Everyone is telling me that the cat should be free to go wherever he wants but you are right, it is about safety after all. We have too many free cats in the neighbourhood. Thank you for this video ❤️
My cat lives in an apartment, he is perfectly happy !! Just make sure they have enrichment and love and usually they will adjust
And make sure you don't declaw your cat. No matter what anyone says!! It's cruel and painful.
Also if you're worried about the cat being lonely - take two cats. Two isbalway better that one. I have only one because my landlord doesn't allow any more, but I will get a friend for my small kittin when I can. Cat shouldn't be free to go wherever, because it's not part of natural environment and it kills small birds etc
Umm idk what else to say, it's 6a.m and I haven't sleep at all this night :D
@@l1lium Fellow night owl
I'm so happy my cat is absolutely terrified of being outside
Me too. When I went to adopt a cat, I asked for an adult cat with the personality to be indoors, as I live in an apartment in midtown, and I just could not imagine letting a cat out into those streets. I got a sweet, mellow, very sociable cat, who absolutely HATES being outside. Hes very unhappy just for 200m trip to the vet for ½ yearly checkups! Hes still chipped, just in case, but we're both very happy as is.
As some1 else mentioned, its all about location. I'd also add, its all about personality. At the shelter they had the cats for 2-3 months, b4 they were neutered, vaccinated etc and ready to be adopted, and they knew exactly, which cats would need to be outdoor cats, and which cats would be happy as indoor cats. I got the absolutely perfect cat for me, our personalities just fit, and as an added bonus I was able to give a home to a grown black cat, who are usually the 1s hardest to find a home for (seriously, how are ppl still that superstitious?).
Dfuher D nice I have 2 dogs and want a cat but my problem is I leave the door to go outside into my backyard open pretty much all day for my dogs and I don’t want a outdoor cat But I want to be able to leave the door open for my dogs do you have any advice ?
@@Andy-ow4gt there are pet doors that open with a proximity device on the pets collar. You could have 2 for the dogs and a normal one for the cat. Before you get one, learn the correct procedure on how to introduce your feline to your family and other pets, so it's a smooth transition ;) enjoy. Life is better with a cat.
Okami Dy oh ok there’s also shock collars but I don’t wanna have to do that to my cat
@@Andy-ow4gt yeah, never do that to your furry friends.
I love an outdoor cat! Super sweet. I looked after an outdoor cat who lived to 20 years old. Angel the black cat with the green eyes. Adorable cat.
Amazing amazing video!! I understand how you are very firmly for keeping cats indoor, but thank you for still giving out solid safety tips for the outdoors lifestyle. My new cat adores the outdoors- completely loves it. Itscares me though when she's outside alone/unsupervised. I'm going to try to find a happy middle
I live in a flat near a busy main road , my babies have always been adopted , indoor cats xx
are they disabled or why cant they go outside? if they arent disabled why did u get nonedisabled cats that could go outside in an apartment they wont be fully happy in? i had ot move several times. i always chose places my cat can go outside. i will never make the selfish choice to move into an apartment that cannot cater to her needs. if she at some point passes and i am somehow forced to live in a way that doesnt allow cats to go outside i will get a disabled/senior/sick cat from a shelter that cannot go outside in the first place. everything else in my opinion is selfish animal abuse. i mean who would like to be kept their entire life in a tiny apartment. no matter how cosy, "fun" and healthy it is. who would want a long unhappy life?
I live inner city and I rescued 2 cats from a shelter that were already indoor cats . Fyi , I also live in a very big Scottish flat not a small American apartment They are loved and healthy and have a good life .
Hello Anne how are you doing today.
The black cat meowing at the end of the video is TOO CUTE😻😻😻. Thank you for all the advice JG❤️
Jackson, my compliments on your weight loss. You are genius when it comes to cats. Keep up your awsome work and I hope it's for many years to come.
I have a catio porch added in my backyard. They can witness outside, smell the air, watch birds, squirrels, bunnies and other visiting critters.
Similar to the Aussie, we keep our cats inside to protect the native species here in New Zealand. Cats are one of the most horrible predators here, so we never considered allowing ours to wander freely. Unfortunately, a lot of people do let their cats wander.
"You forgot to mention spaying and neutering" OMG guys really? He also forgot to mention that cats need food to eat and air to breathe. Haven't you ever heard of the phrase "goes without saying?" He didn't say it because he didn't think he NEEDED TO.
Well to be fair, not everyone knows that
Actually, one of the biggest arguments against outdoor cats is that they make feral kittens. It was inappropriate for him to ignore that.
But you're talking to a VAST amount of people. Because you think and know it doesn't mean everyone else does or will. It doesn't stop at your level of learning with cats lmao
He made enough videos where he does mention that already. Just watch his vids.
Add E he didn’t ignore it, it’s a basic thing that mostly everyone knows or actually should know so that’s why he didn’t think it was necessary to mention it
You are absolutely right, we lost 3 cats due to feline aids and one to feline leukemia. My two indoor cats are healthy and happy, we just make sure we play with them often.
My indoor cat caught feline aids at the vets.
And cancer really has nothing to do if they are indoor or outdoor cats, it just happens.
Lost both indoor and outdoor cats to that
That's what I was gonna say was cancer doesn't have anything to do with being indoor or outdoor.
@@suziarcher1260 cats are way more likely to get cancer if they are outside though
@@mrhorse6587 It is not! They live longer inside.
FeLeuk and cat aids are actually the same thing. They were working in developing cures for HIV by experiment g of the FeLeuk
Cats.
One day my precious Persian Minya whow had been infected at 6 months by a cat we thought was not infected, sureprised the hell out of my best. After about 9 years with FeLeuk/ FIV she tested negative! Oh she still had it, but it was dormant in her. She could still infect any cat that was exposed to her long enough, but SHE tested negative! This was before I knew of the link between FeLeuk and HIV. But I started thinking about it
If cats could go negative and still have the virus in there, would that mean the same thing in the future with people infected with AIDS. I
still haven't heard about that, but I wouldn't be surprised if it continued to act like FeLeuk.
This video is great.
I wasn‘t even aware of the fact that there was a debate about it and just upright assumed that cats should never be kept just indoors (even if they have enough to play there) but this video gives me hope that I can still have a cat and give it a good life even though I live in a flat in a city where I couldn‘t let a cat outside without supervision.
I've been a an old timer when you started teaching about cats and things... Anyway, great work snd thank you making a difference loving our cats that live a very short time compared to ours. Great idea to keep 1 of our indoor-outdoor cats and our other indoor to enjoy the outdoors just like them being in the zoo. They get to be with nature but are controlled not to leave your home. A project to do list. Thanks again.
My cat just passed away 5 months ago and he was a indoor/outdoor cat. He lived a good 20 years.
That’s great. But anecdotes are not evidence. Your cat is an outlier.
I had a cat a few years ago and he had heart problems, back problems, mouth problems, lung problems, and arthritis/back problems. He was indoor/outdoor and was free to do either whenever he wanted he was only expected to live to around 10 but he died at nearly 19.
First cat I had and he was already there when I was born, can’t be happier with how well he did.
@@lucaskebow8368 I always hear this but all the cats I’ve seen outdoors have lived long lives into their teens. Our oldest cat lived until almost 22 but sadly her kidneys started to go. We have a few more that are living the same way and they seem to be doing okay. Maybe it’s an environment factor?
Mine just passed away a week ago he is a indoor/outdoor cat because hebgot hit by a car. He lived for about 12 years. 😭😭😭
@@Fabina4190 It certainly could be! I'm sure certain parts of the world are safer. However, you can never know for sure. And, sadly, domestic cats are terribly damaging to the local ecosystem.
Had two cats together that were indoor/outdoor. They were attacked by a pack of dogs. The oldest gave her life protecting the youngest. Since then, the younger surviving one lived 16 long years, the remainder being indoors following that incident. I felt bad letting the dog outside but restraining the cat indoors. However, he was afraid whenever he went outside and I tried giving him whatever he needed inside.
Even if you live in a place where it's relatively safe for the cat to go outside, a lot of ppl don't seem to consider how much cats kill. And it's not just harmful if they are invasive. Even if you live in like Germany (like me). They kill a lot of small kritters, not only birds and mice but frogs and reptiles and it's a rigged game because there are no consequences for the cat if it is unsuccessful for a while. Usually if there are less prey animals the predators decline too and prey populations can recover.
Especially birds have a really hard time around here because of a decline in safe breeding spots coupled with a lot of cat predation.
So you're saying that the evidence that what you're saying is a myth is wrong?
*me trying to watch an informative video on adorable cats*
*Goes to comments*
*Sees typical negative and angry cat people attacking each other*
"I think thats enough for tonight"
@MOHO that happens to me all the time!, like I want to hear other people’s experiences so I go to the comments then get instantly disappointed 😔
UNDERRATED PRFTT
If I let my new kitten outside, I will be keeping a close eye on him. My older cat used to go in and out as she pleased (even at night) and occasionally got into some minor skirmishes. She lived until 17.5 years old. 😊👍
Yeah, pretty sure it’s not recommended to let kittens outside at all. They’re babies. If they run off they have a tougher time finding home. Don’t fool yourself, if that kitten wants to run ofc you’re not fast enough to catch it. Not a good idea. Hopefully you got lucky and he didn’t run off.
i let my cat walk around our property the same way you’d let a dog play in the yard. i do this a couple times a week, supervised outdoor time can be a happy medium in my opinion
My cat is indoor cat!
I play calming music everyday! And we play blanket monster I put a toy under blanket and she likes to pounce on it and bite and scratch and claw! Also let her look out the window especially at night!
we watch tv together a lot! And have a nice long hallway she gets to run back and forth in house and she loves it!
we have a amazing mommy kitty relationship !
my cat tries to kill me
Lazy-ass indoor cats that don't hunt pissed me off.
@@kamerad_marzuki3631 lazy ass outdoor cat owners piss me off
@@grogsmashrock7240 Lol, you are a cat's slave. I still can hear the birds chirping outside. there are like millions of stray cats in my place.
@@grogsmashrock7240 City cats are useless nowadays. While country cats are still dangerous killing machines, helping the farmers killing the varmints.
I'm recommending this video in my new post/video on How to Take Care of a Cat. Love this guy!
This video just convinced me even more that I want an outdoor cat. Mine have all lived long and happy lives being outdoor cats and have always come running in at the sight
of me arriving home.
Please do keep in mind on how many small animals cats do kill,and that they don't always kill for food either but for sport as well so they kill more than they eat. It is always something to keep in mind and look up.
Not shaming you or anything though :) i grew up with indoor outdoor cats myself, and nowadays i am against having them go or live outside for that reason among all the safety issues.
@@enderriolugirl7358 So I'm guessing you aren't a driver. Because you wouldn't be mentioning loss of wildlife if you had a car. More animals die from cars than they do cats.
@@CelticVictory well, you are correct that i am not a driver, but i would still say what i have said even if i did have a license. If it was true that cars and what comes with them do cause more damage than cats, it honestly doesn't matter which one kills more than the other in my honest opinion. They are both issues and humanity should do their part on reducing their impacts.
With cars, i guess encourage drivers to try to be more careful and be aware of surroundings and warning signs? I'm very sure there are other ways and that experts are trying to find more ways as well. I'm not well read about cars and such so do excuse my lack of knowing what else to say. that also goes with habit destruction and such from the building of the roads for the cars, i don't know what to say or suggest.
Now with cats i have some things to say about. We should absolutely reduce feral/ unowned populations, fix our pet cats which has its many benefits besides population control, and don't let our pet cats roam free outside without supervision for their and the environment's safety. Cats are considered as an invasive species that we have introduced like so many other invasive species of both plants and animals around the world. The issue with it is that they are quite well beloved by humans for various reasons compared to other problematic species which could make efforts difficult along with other issues that comes with cats like the very high amounts of them.
I highly doubt we could eliminate all issues and impacts we cause to the world, it would be very unrealistic to do so, but we surely could try to reduce them.
@@enderriolugirl7358 And yet, I don't hear people whining about how destructive cars are to the wildlife. They just accept it which sounds hypocritical to me.
@@CelticVictory well, i personally do hear about it outside of youtube in my family. It is one of the reasons my parents are so very careful with driving because they don't want to hit anything or even go over anything that was once hit by others since it would be quite disrespectful to the animal and the scavengers that use it to eat. You just won't really hear about it under a video about some of the pros and cons of outdoor cats since most of the comments are about the topic at hand. Though i do wish he went over their impacts than how it could be unsafe for the cats themselves it was a decent video.
I suppose it just depends on where you live and where you look for such discussions. I'm very sure you will find people talking about your topic under a video about it or outside of youtube were the topic is brought up at appropriate times. It's similar to how you won't really find discussions about the nature of ice cubes under a video about lava or a chat about a neighbor's dog right in the middle of conversation about some family member's wedding. it's just not at the topic at hand.
I personally don't hear about loss of wildlife period from either thing who isn't in my household besides like...the whole climate change and our carbon footprint that is causing havoc to the world which cars are front and center in that rare discussion i hear in my town. I live in quite a conservative state after all and that is somewhat taboo to some i know. People are more concerned about trying to put food on the table or the gangs that run the not well off neighborhood than environmental suff they think that doesn't directly involve them, and i'm sure you can agree with me on that.
I personally hope for both of these issues are properly adressed and are more well known along with any other matters that involve the environment so we all can find ways to help reduce the impacts we cause to the world we live on from invasive animals and plants to how we run as a society.
I hope you have a wonderful and lovely day celtic. :3
I'm going to need to keep my cat indoors completely. We have kids that break everything and throw stones at cats in this area. I don't want them to die like that
Good point, we had two cats who were shot with pellets, one of them had the pellet lodged in his soft palate. When he ate, food would come out of his nose, he had to have a operation to fix and remove the problem. Much happier and safer indoors.
Good choice someone should discipline those kids
Stupid school and parents, I want to smack them for not educating kids.
amen. I also think on some level they must know it's wrong because human nature isn't to be such gits
@@BlackBackLioness (Poor baby)...should've shot the kids with a few pellets
Before I had ever heard of Jackson, my cats were indoor kitties (with supervised jaunts outside from time to time) because I wanted to keep my cats clean and disease free - but also to save the birds and lizards and other small wildlife that cats love to hunt, kill and leave the dead bodies on the front door mat. Another benefit of indoor cats is a complete lack of house mice! Cats are the best!!
That is a complete jail sentence. 23 hours inside a cell with 1 hours exercise. Dead bodies on door mat is kitty trying to teach you to hunt. You own a dog you learn from a cat, just like you would from a parent or a child. And parents can learn from tehir kids.
@@CreatureOTNight So in my world, my cat (an alien to North America) has a loving home indoors and the birds fly free . . . in your world the cats are allowed to roam, get squished by cars, get into cat fights, swell up, die early and the skies are empty . . .
@@gammayin3245 But atleast they were free, even for a short time. Letting them out is trust, that they'll return on their own free will.
@@CreatureOTNight so you consider freedom for cats higher than life for birds
@@gammayin3245 A cat's natural killer instinct. Teeth claws nature's own little hunters.
Our two boys love to go outside. We live on a col de sac with woods behind us. We follow a routine, they get fed 3 times a day and they go out and come in whenever they choose. At night, if they haven't already come in for their dinner, because sometimes they like to chase fireflies, we call them and they come running. We keep them in our room, their base camp, for the night. A few things I found was they seem to be happier and healthier than when I had indoor only cats. They are on target weight and love snuggling with the family in the evening. I have also noticed the need for less litter as they very much prefer to go to the woods or around the house for their business. They still use the litter box, but only after we've closed the door for the night. Yes they are neutered and yeah, they have had to learn how to fight for their territory from stray Tom's. But as he said, they have adapted and the Tom's do not come by anymore. I've always had indoor only cats and this method of letting them be their raw cat selves seems to be working this time around. They even hang out in the grass and watch the children play. I know we are lucky with not having nasty neighbors, but we know they have challenges of the raccoons, opossums, and coyotes. They get all their shots, plus the extra one you have to ask for because you can't control what the other animals have. I am sad because we are moving soon and I do not know if we will luck out again and do not know how they will react when they can no longer access the outdoors.
Love these videos! I am learning so much.
the old safety vs freedom debate, so relevant in so many ways
Let me first say, the story of my cat has a happy ending... I met my cat Buddy when I found him eating a chicken wing in the middle of the road a few years ago. He followed me home and became my soulmate kitty! He was already a very well developed adult street cat when we met and I didn't have an option at the time to make him fully indoors (I would sneak him inside my bedroom every night.) One night several years ago the unthinkable happened and he got hit by a car in the face! Thank God I was able to rush him to the 24 hour emergency vet. He was hospitalized for a lengthy time and had months of rehabilitation. His jaw was the worst and he couldn't eat on his own with his severe break and had to be syringe fed every 3 hours for several months. From that moment forward, I fought to do everything I could to keep him inside forever and thank God he is and we have been inseparable ever since! I would never even want to have an outside kitty again because the thought of them getting hurt is just too scary. I love my buddy so much and I wish he would live forever! ❤😻😍❤
I'm so glad your kitty is ok. Sorry for the pain and agony he must have been in, but so glad all is well now and he's indoor.
@@redchic Thank you so much for your sweet comment! ❤
I felt the same way about my last two cats when I had to say goodbye. They were both nearly 18 when I said goodbye and really there is never enough time. Fearless, ran in my house one morning a wet, bedraggled kitten and she never left. She was my soul cat, who was always next to me and the sweetest tabby-torti ever. Daisy was my Calico who was the most hysterically funny cat...she was a silly girl and turned the “not cat lovers” into cat lovers. Her personality, looks and small size (6.5 lbs was the most she every weighed) won everyone over. But the long story here is I’m sure I had far more years with both because they were indoors only...but again like you I wanted them to live forever and there was never enough time.
I’m so glad you fought to keep your boy alive and that he is doing well now. It’s all worth it and when it’s time to say goodbye (I hope that is many many years from now) , you will always have the memories of how much they loved you and you loved them and their funny individual personality. He sounds like he is a wonderful boy!
Awh so cute!! I'm glad that hes okay
@@Pat_Speaks Yeah, I'm very sorry about your lost
I had a neighbor that would put her cat outside and not let it back in the whole day and called it “outdoor”. It would frequently follow me and try to get into my house and found out it did the same to others who lived on my block. It clearly did not want to be outside. It was eventually mauled when it slipped into a back yard with dogs.
Reading that just made me so angry. It's like forcing a child to do something, no-one would want to do that either!
I would steal the cat Lmao
Letting your cats outdoors is fine but denying them access indoors to your house so it has to go to other people houses who may have dogs who don’t get on with cats, seriously people?
This is what I think my neighbor is like. It was once 30 degrees outside and they left him out there. They leave their cat out all day and sometimes it follows us into our house. But again that’s just what I think. They could be taking good care of him
I'd have just let that cat bum round mine, probably would have even started buying cat food!
My baby has been outdoor for the past 13 years and he's going into indoor retirement this winter. He's super chill and we're working on getting him used to nail clips. Treats and time galore on that one. He just turned 16 this summer. I'm glad I leash trained him, because I still want to take him for walks/time in the park.
I've had outdoor cats since I was born, most of them aged well my cat just turned 18. I think it really depends on where you're living at because I'm from a small town from Germany so I guess if you live in America it's more difficult to let your cats outdoor safe
Same here! My l'outdoor cat just turned 16.
I wouldn't leave her out if I lived close to a high traffic street. Fortunately we live in the country
Mein Oskar ist jetzt 14 aus einem kleinen Dorf
Same here! My girl is also 18 and we're from germany ^^
My outdoor cat died at 20 years old, but of natural causes, we live in a calm street in Germany :)
Same ! I'm in France and my cat is an outdoor cat and she's 17 !
You are the best! You just helped my mind get some rest as we have a garden and my cat is nuts goes over then fence we have to retrieve her and we are always on guard when she’s outside as we are afraid to lose her. She is microchipped and neutered but we are still afraid she’ll go and won’t be able to returned. For sure we will build a cat up now as have the space to do it. I thought I am nuts just because I am afraid to see her going as I thought is only my anxiety but I want her to be safe. Thank you, Jackson
Great advice, as usual! I've always had indoor/outdoor cats, for the reasons you mentioned. But, I also always made sure I didn't leave near any busy streets, or where there are known predators (like where I live now, where there are two packs of coyotes nearby and hawks, which is why I don't have a cat anymore after my last died), and always made sure they were inside around sunset. My last was 19 when she died. Also never caught any birds.
Two of my neighbours have indoor/outdoor cats, and I've been feeding a very timid or feral cat for a few months that doesn't seem to have a home. It's not my call what my neighbours do, but I wouldn't do it here.
Always feel guilty leaving my boy alone while at work or uni so he goes out too and then he comes back when I do. He’s very boisterous and big but never goes further than a voice call, he doesn’t use the litter tray either which is pretty godly
Hi Jackson, here in the UK most cats are outdoor unless they have FIV etc. Most shelters won't even let you adopt if you live in a flat as they believe cats won't be happy just inside. For example if you adopt from Cats Protection as we did you have to have a cat flap to provide them with free access to the garden! Nevertheless, I am quite worried about letting our kittens outside when they will be old enough ;(
Wondering if they control it after you adopted? If not; just keep it indoors.
He is making alot of money advising for indoor. So you will not see him advocationg for outdoor ever.
We let our cat outside and she lived for 17 years. She was so happy 😊
@@fawnifyy omg, everything is a conspiracy isn’t it? Jesus Christ. 🤦♀️
@@nenamichelle Its common sense to judge a person making money on something different as a opinion from a person (maybe equal knowledgeable that is not incentivised to deceive). Taking anything as facevalue is as damaging as high tier paranoia.
My cat has chosen to stay inside. I tried putting her on the closed in patio so she can chase lizards and watch birds. She reacted as if I tried putting her in a lake of lava.
She has firmly planted herself on the couch and is perfectly content at watching the birds and lizards from her window perch.
Being someone that has mental issues myself, I am happy to let my cat be indoor/outdoor even if it means a year or two off. He's so so much happier, he refuses to stay inside even when it's on vet's orders.
We live near the neighborhood park where he can roam and we're in a nice suburban area, so much safer. He has a warm welcoming roof to come home too and he knows where and when his food is.
We do all we can to keep him up to date on all vaccines and we give him a check up every night when he comes home to scope for any possible scrapes or anything to worry about.
He always comes home for lunch at 9 too. (Sometimes 8 when he is extra gluttonous)
@sara Allison Don't know what kind of a neighbourhoid you live in but where I live, we don't see dead cats lying around. Lots of cats are out freely exploring, as was my last cat, who died of natural courses.
@sara Allison Sorry didn't understand that.
@sara Allison They bury it so prob solved. All animals poo in the wild. Better than sticking iit in plastic bags and throwing it in the bin. We will just have to agree to disagree. Your sarcastic hint hint remark sounds like you're getting riled, so I will end it here.
@sara Allison oh I see. Well that's your prerogative I guess.
I also think an important part of the debate is discussing cats' effect on native struggling species. I live on Hawaii and I think most people know how outdoor cats can harm the already dwindling native species on colonized islands. The native species decline that occurs on islands is extreme but even if you're on the mainland there are likely some struggling local species you're unaware of that are greatly affected by cats (as well as rats and other human-introduced species). When your outdoor cat hunts it's not going to check to make sure the species of its prey is "Least Concern".
I've had a few cats growing up and only one of them was an outdoor cat. Adopted him from a shelter, and he was pretty mean until we started letting him outside, then his temperament improved quite a bit. Although he lived till only around 9 or 10 and my indoor cat just died at age 20. But I think he enjoyed his life more than he would have if we kept him inside. In most cases though it is probably better to keep them indoor if you can.
I was traumatized when I was younger when someone I knew lost a few cats to nasty people, and I do not trust other people to come in contact with my cat. Thank you for all the tips.
A serial cat killer lived in the neighborhood of someone I know. She kept wondering why 2 of her cats and neighbors' cats as well kept disappearing. DUH
@@pphedup Stop crying about it, cats are pests and are not meant to be outside, you're putting them at risk, so dont cry when they wont come home one day. Keep your cats inside
@@RottingHound That's exactly why I believe cats should NOT be let out. I DO keep my cats inside. My comment was an example of the hazards when cats aren't.
@@RottingHound Cats are not pests, people are pests.
@@RottingHound What an awful human being you are.
One more thing to mention! I'm surprised Jackson didn't talk about this. If a cat is outdoors, it will hunt, and is therefore a threat to many native and endangered bird species. In fact, cats are the #1 cause of death for birds, with an estimated over 300,000,000 individual birds killed annually by cats in the US alone.
I heard a story about how the only finding of an endemic species (meaning a species that is found only on that island and nowhere else in the world) of an island bird was a body that the lighthouse keeper's cat had killed and brought it back to the owner. No other individual of that species has every been spotted, that one cat made the entire species go extinct single-pawdedly.
Cats are amazingly skilled hunters! They flourish in the wild, but not all birds are adapted to such skilled hunters. If you are interested in keeping rare birds around, consider Jackson Galaxy's advice. Indoors only is safer for the cat and safer for birds and other wildlife ❤
All the cats I have had over the years had the choice and were able to come and go as they pleased. They all generally preferred being outdoors when they were young and indoors as they got older and all of them lived till their late teens or early twenties. Personally, if I lived in an urban environment, I wouldn't consider owning a cat as I wouldn't be able to give them that choice due to the safety issue. Owning a cat isn't a right and you need to be able to provide them with what they need to be happy.
Cats are perfectly happy indoors when provided with adequate stimulation. I live in an apartment in Dallas where coyotes are a huge issue, my cats wouldn’t last one night outside but they’re very happy with the playtime they get inside and their catio, and we’re even working up to harness walks for added stimulation. Both cats were rescues, but I guess since I live in an urban area I should’ve let them be put down 🙄
@B. Agreed!
100% agree. They should be given a choice. If you live in the city or near a big road, don't get a cat.
I'm the same way. My cats have always had the choice whether they wanted to be outside. One cat chose to go outside when they were younger and stay inside when younger. Another chose to only go outside with us when he got older. The choice was theirs. We tried keeping them indoors when I was very young but they would escape and, because they were making the most of it, they'd spend a long time coming home. By giving them frequent visits, they tended to come home much sooner.
@@kimways8182 Yeah, that's why they try so hard to get out. Because they are happy.🙄
We have a beautiful indoor cat who gets supervised outdoor time in our front or back courtyard...when we're hanging out washing, sitting outdoors, watering the garden or just to let her have a wander. She loves it. She almost never jumps the fence and I've picked up her body language if she wants to jump. She gets sunshine, explores the garden and sees (but doesn't hurt) the birds.
It takes a bit of effort on our behalf but it's so worth it. She loves it so much and is a really happy and affectionate 'rescue cat ' and dear furry companion.
I definitely recommend it if you have a small, fenced front or back yard.
My cat is an outdoor cat by day and an indoor cat by night. He can always come back in during the day if he wants. He’s about 7 years old (we don’t know exactly he’s a stray) and yes he had a lot of injuries from fighting but he has always recovered with help of our vet 😺💪
Be careful, they will drink bad stuff from cars
Rehome. Don't have pets when you don't care about their health.
Your doing nothing wrong, don't listen to the Cat crazies who care more about how owning an animal makes them feel, as opposed to being a good animal owner who lets their animals live full lives. Cats are designed to be outdoors!
I'm so glad Jackson is pro-indoors! My cats are all indoor with occasional harness walks. I'm aiming for 20 years.
He is.
My cat made it nearly 19 years and was outdoors.
Let your cats outside, it’s literally their genetic right
@@geekygalaxy4307 cats are domesticated, meaning they do not belong to wildlife ecosystems. It's not their place, and can cause devastating damage to smaller animals.
I think it must be different here in UK, our cat has the free run of the garden and neighbours gardens, and spends a great deal of her time sleeping on the bed and with us indoors. She is tagged, neutered, vaccinated and we have loads of pictures of her. She has a cat flap and regular times for meals. She is indoors at night and the cat flap is locked. Our first cat lived to be 21 years old. When we've had to keep our cat indoors she actually becomes depressed and that is a very upsetting thing to see and deal with. Most people I know let their cats out, in fact there was a whole tv programme about cat behaviour and how far they roamed in their neighbourhood, but can't remember who made it. We also don't have the predators that you do in USA.
I also live in the UK and although cats we've had in the past were outdoor cats I think I'll be keeping any new cats I come across indoors.
Why? I recently lost an elderly stray I took in, nothing related to the outside, she sadly died of a brain tumour - but while I had her I searched high and low for her owners. I joined different sites for lost and found pets, Facebook pages and all sorts. The sheer number of lost cats, found cats and dead cats needing to be collected in a 10 mile radius of my area was heart breaking. I can't imagine how many more there are in the whole of the UK.
It's not that different. Not all areas in the US have an issue with predators. I too let my cats out and they lived long lives. My longest lived cat was nearly 19. Was the program you watched Nature?
Keep in mind that your cat is also a predator- outdoor cats wreak absolute havoc on local ecosystems, especially bird populations. 63 species of animals have gone extinct partly due to predation by domestic cats.
Growing up we always had cats who went outside and came in at night or whenever the weather was bad. Well, we had 6 cats over a 20 year period and only one of them (the first) lived to be 15 years old and then passed away from age related causes. The others passed away from poisoning (4 years), car (10months), unknown (7&8 years old). Now as an adult I'm preparing to get my first ever completely indoor cat and researching like crazy how to make indoor life best for him. I do really want to backpack train and possibly leash train so that during good weather we can get outside here and there so going to work on that. I wish we had our own place to build a catio buuut Korean apartment life doesn't make it all that easy. Still excited for our new 15month old rehoming boi to arrive this month.
it is amazing to consider my cat ended up living all the way up to 20 years old as an indoor and outdoor cat
i'm vehemently an indoor-cat person, not only for the lifespan of the cat and their safety, but also because cats are wildly considered an invasive species and there is an epidemic with feral cats (which, if your cat is not neutered, they can contribute to the growth of very easily). adam ruins everything has a great segment on this, there's over 30 species of birds that are now extinct because of outdoor and feral cats. most of which the corpses arent eaten, since cats are one of the species of animals that will hunt and kill for play, not just out of hunger. so on top of everything else jackson galaxy said, outdoor cats can also disrupt the web of life and hurt the enviroments they go out into
also, my neighbor has 2 outdoor cats, we get along great, but her cats got fleas. and, because she hadn't thought of it, when she had returned a couple of blankets to me, she got my house infested with fleas too. lesson learned: cat owners, especially those who give their cats different lifestyles, do need to communicate when something big and potentially contagious is happening to their cat. this goes for indoor cat owners too, just because your cat is indoors, doesn't mean you can skimp out on vaccinations. cat leukemia and other diseases are contagious, and nobody wants to be the reason why a neighborhood cat suffers needlessly and when prevention was possible
Thank you! I was disappointed that Jackson didn't mention this. We definitely want what's best for our pets, but sometimes there are other important considerations too!
Sadly most cat owners I've seen don't care about wildlife. My previous neighbor had an overweight outdoor cat. Even that cat was capable of killing small birds and reptiles. It also terrorized the squirrels although I never witnessed it killing one. The owners thought it was funny.
I have this little balcony outside my room that has screen windows all around. I set up a little cat playground out there so they can hear and smell the outdoors, play around and be safe by not actually being able to go outside of the home in a way. They love it out there but sometimes it gets really chilly so I have to close the door and wait for them to meow at me to let them in
My cats HATE outside! They love their climate control and comfy beds, I don't have to worry about them wanting to go out😊
Hello Michelle how are you doing today.
My cat would literally not stop begging to be let outside until we agreed.
I was surprised that he didnt mention spaying and neutering your cats. That's a must!
I think it's because all cats should be spayed or neutered. In or outdoor.
My cat wanted out BAD. Got him nutered. Still wanted out. Let him go out. Stayed close to home, apt. Complex, and came back Everytime. Novelty wore off, and he stays indoors with me. Even though I leave screen door open for him, he doesn't go out much. He's an indoor cat with Outdoor privledges if he so chooses.
This was very helpful, my younger brother just got a kitty and shes definitely an indoor cat although it does get a little wild with my dog chasing his cat, but man I freaking love her, shes so cute specially when she sleeps curled up on the couch
It also depends on where you live. I live in a city and my cat is indoor only, with some harness time in the communal garden a few times a day. He's very happy and I know would have been run over by a car by now if he'd been allowed to go outside by himself. My mum lives in the countryside - there are a few cars but nothing that her two cats can't handle. So the 'quality' of the outdoors has some impact in your decision.
My cat lived 22 and 11 months and he was indoor out door kitty
Same here 22 and sly as a fox so I'd say it's all a matter of how the dice rolls. I'm sure we'd be a lot safer as total shut ins too LOL but no just no
sara Allison aka Miss true Freeman you got lucky because if your dog killed my cat, your dog will get a buck shot to the face ☺️
@sara Allison aka Miss true Freeman Your dog needs training.
How about nobody kills anyone pets... I love both cats and dogs. If dog/cat has aggression needs training/ care. You have pet it's your responsibility to train take care of your fur baby.
Any tips?
We’ve taken in two stray cats. The male has accepted indoors, he has also taken over the house, which is funny because we thought he would be more difficult to adapt. The problem is that he’s so comfortable, he has pushed his sister to be outdoors. I want her to be an indoor cat so much because she’s so sweet and I am a very anxious person. I am trying to buy her more stuff to make her feel comfortable inside but we have reluctantly let her out until we can get all of these things together (neutering/spaying is expensive and I’m still paying it off) She stays in our yard, she was born in our garage, but I am afraid she will get sick.
We just adopted two feral kittens, I plan on keeping them indoors and walking them with harnesses in the future if possible. 2 of my partners outdoor cats were hit by cars in the past, I genuinely couldn't cope with letting them out knowing that's a possibility. I also see many local outdoor cats go missing regularly. I make sure they're spoilt and entertained indoors and they seem happy enough so far
Then don't get a cat if you can't cope, you ain't mentally ready to be a owner. Due to your fears you restrict the life of other animals.
@@CristanioPeweyyy Sooo abusive not to expose the cat to moving vehicles, predators, animal abusers, hunters, toxins, diseases, etc.
@@steffimaier7297 Then get an animal that's designed for indoors, you ain't mentally prepared to own a cat, it's simple.
If you love your cat so much, if you have children or plan on getting any. Don't let them outside, because they can get hurt from cars, toxins, diseases, abusers, gangs.
It's simple, let a cat be a cat and let a human be a human. Otherwise, don't bother getting a cat, because, you're not treating them correctly, cats are created to travel large distances and chase other animals at high speeds. Playing with your cat isn't enough to burn it's energy and mentally stimulate it.
I would suggest to get a different animal if you're not mentally ready to own a cat, because you ain't, how would you feel trapped indoors for the rest of your life?? Yeah, the cat would feel depressed too. Oh, the cat can get hurt going outside, you can too, other people can too, it's life. How would you feel if someone took you and trapped you in a house and they said it's because of your safety from the outdoor world? Just because a cat doesn't speak English, doesn't give you the right to rip it's freedom away.
If i'm a cat and someone trapped me inside all my life, best believe, they're getting attacked lmao.
@@CristanioPeweyyy Cats are perfectly made for indoors. 😎People that let them roam outside are animal abusers.
@@steffimaier7297 If they was made for indoors, they wouldn't have fur.
Simple as, end of discussion.
Having an outdoor cat is a huge gamble and it's literally just luck if a cat lives a long time or not. Yeah, get them fixed and get them vaccinated, but nothing is going to protect them from cars and predators. My outdoor cat only lived for three years before a car hit him and it sucks that it took that amount of hurt to realize that I never want an outdoor cat again. I'd rather have my kiddo safe inside where I know they'll be okay and safe. Harnesses are literally a life safer for a cat that wants to go outside, my house cat did a really good job on just a normal collar and leash tbh and he was only a year old (Sadly i lost him to feline leukemia that he was born with a few months ago)
In the long run, it's a personal choice on where you want your cat to live, it's a gamble no matter what, having a pet isn't sunshine and rainbows all the time. My outdoor cat lived longer than my indoor cat did and I couldn't control either way on how they passed on from this world.
You’re completely forgetting to factor that you COULD control your outdoor cat dying. Literally if you hadn’t let him out he’d probably still be alive today. Equating “my cat died from an actually uncontrollable illness” to “my cat died because I CHOSE to let him outside and he got hit by a car” is b-a-d bad. Your cat being hit by a car is COMPLETELY controllable. Yes, every cat is going to die eventually but you shouldn’t use that as a reason to argue that letting them out makes that a rational choice. My own first cat never came back when he was only a year old, and my next cat who never went outside lived till she was twenty.
@@melodyharmony17 Well, when your parents don't let your cat inside because they think "cats belong outside" it's a different story. Even inside cats can get hit by a car if they somehow slip out a door unnoticed by their owners. It's literally uncontrollable how any animal dies unless you're the one deliberately killing the animal. Was him being outside increasing his chances of getting hit? Yeah. But I've known tons of people that have outdoor cats that just died of old age and were lucky enough to live that long. Having an outdoor cat is just putting it's life in fate's hands. No one can control what happens if a cat lives outside.
wendigoboi ??????? Sure a cat COULD escape, but again you’re equating something that is completely unpurposeful and highly unlikely with a DELIBERATE AND CONSCIOUS ACT that is absolutely under your control which is again wrong
It depends on the place where you live. My cat has never had any problems, my previous cat lived on for 19 years while being half outdoors cat. I live in a calm neighourhood where pretty much no cat gets killed by cars, there are no predators that can hunt them and no crazy ass people. Meanwhile my grandma was so unlucky to have two cats hit by a car because she lives close to a busy street
wendigoboi my outdoor cat lived 8 months! It ripped my heart out my chest when the little warrior still managed to make it home after having been hit by a car! He died before the vet could even x-ray him for internal injuries! I had to call home to relay the sad news to my wife and children! It was awful and unbearable! What made it worse was that our 7 year old border collie was such good mates with onyx in such a short space of time. He was very distraught when I brought onyx home and his buddy wouldn't play with him anymore? He rests peacefully underneath a Camellia Japonica now! We have decided for now, definitely no cats, far too painful to go through that again! Especially for the kids!!
I’m also on the indoor front. My two cats are “saved” strays from Shanghai. In HK now and moving to Sydney. We used to feed the cats in our compound, and those guys didn’t really survive past 3 years. I knew my cats parents. The dad was rough as hell with a ton of battle scars. Their kitten always came down to my foot. I picked it up to bring it back to the Mum, and she totally freaked out and kept attacking it. So I took it home. I read up that apparently that’s a bad thing to do, because your scent may alienate the kitten to the mother. So I now have a cat as I felt kinda guilty about it. And don’t touch any kittens I see on the street.
Seeing how I’ve seen his cousins dead, disappear or mangled by being hit by a car, I can’t just let him go outside.
Also bringing them to Australia I don’t want my cats be responsible for any natural wildlife issues. Possums, Gallahs didn’t ask for this.
Our cats are allowed outside in the garden under supervision and they go on walks with us (in a backpack or on a lead). We will be buying a catio as soon as it becomes affordable.
Jackson you're a good man I wasn't sure where I fell in this debate until now and I have to agree with you try to keep them indoors because like you said their life expectancy goes way down the more they are outside. And I'm fairly certain that most people would want their cats to live the longest life that they can
My parents' house has a fenced in yard with a really high fence and we used to let our cat go outside in the backyard all the time. It was all open, except for the gap between the old shed and the fence, so that we could watch him. He got out once when we didn't realize there was a loose board that connected to our neighbour's yard and we could see him from our deck. We went and got him and then my dad fixed the board. That cat lived to be about 15-16 years old.
Our Emmy has been outside/Inside on demand for 17 years (winter is basically indoors). Food is only inside. Nights have been indoors only (mostly). She goes out less now that she's an old lady, and mostly lays in the garden when she does. Always kept up on shots and flea/tick meds. We live in a court with little traffic. She's had a great life. Hope she'll be around a little longer. Would love to adopt Kittens, but think we'll wait until she's gone
My cat is spoiled indoors! Cant imagine him outside too many predators. He loves his cat trees next to a couple of windows.
noyfb sorry but if anything you have it backwards. Let your cat out at night or all the time. The last thing a cat wants to do when they are the most awake is be cooped up
I think it's unnatural to keep a cat inside at all times but it you have to, then you as the owner have a responsibility to ensure the cat has a fulfilling life.
My cats can come and go as it pleases them. I think this is best for cats but I understand this isn't always possible.
@@mrhorse6587 it is cruel and unnecessary to send a cat out into the ecosystem to pillage and destroy integral native wildlife populations
@@jcaylalove8713 it is unnatural to send an alien predator into an ecosystem to wreak havoc
@@Lord_of_Snels Whatever. My cat loves it!
Totally agree with you on this point! Safety first!