Why is it Fair for Dogs, but not Cats, to go Outside?
A reader responded to one of my recent tirades (here and here) against outdoor cats with a very reasonable question. Why, she asked, is it OK for dogs to go outside but not OK for cats?
My pal Buster, a dog, goes outside every day. But I would never dream of allowing a cat to go outside.
When Buster goes outside he is accompanied by a human. For his safety he is kept on a leash whenever he is not playing fetch in a secure area.
I would never, ever consider opening the front door for Buster to spend the afternoon outside unattended. I doubt he would make it 10 minutes on the streets of San Francisco without suffering serious trauma.
But unattended outdoor activity is standard operating procedure for many cats.
If dogs were allowed outside in the way that many cats are, veterinary emergency hospitals would be as common as gas stations or convenience stores. Canine life expectancy would drop 80%.
I know many cats who are allowed outdoors only on leash (cat harnesses and leashes are readily available at pet stores). None of these cats is likely to get into fights or be hit by cars. They are, however, at risk of contracting feline leukemia.
Cats and dogs are not equipped with the wherewithal to thrive outdoors in human society. It is our responsibility to look out for them.
You have questions. 
Dr. Eric, it sounds like you’re not a fan of leashing walking cats. Is the possibility of contracting FIV that high for supervised walks? I’m starting to to walk my cats and I do feel like I’m opening up a pandora’s box of problems even though my intentions (giving some outdoor time and variety for my cats) are good.
Cats simply have too many avenues of escape…they can climb, slip through smaller openings, etc. Lost cats turn up at our shelter every day. Cats who are obviously house pets, well-fed, well-mannered, groomed, sometimes declawed, etc. – but they are rarely ever claimed. If you care enough about a pet to take care of it, keep it secure. My dogs are never outside of a fenced area unless they are leashed. Cats have no real need (in my opinion) to go outside at all. Everything they really need is inside the house.
Cats often go to houses where they do not belong. They can end up being cared for there and fed who-knows-what which can be a problem if the cat has health issues and your vet needs to know what they’ve been eating, etc. Or they can face being poisoned, trapped, shot at, have things thrown at them, etc. Not to mention being hit by cars. In our town, cats are trapped on a regular basis, turned into the shelter and euthanized if not adopted. Is it “fair” for cats to be subjected to any of that just because you want to let them experience the outdoors for a while?
No pet should ever be allowed to roam unsecured.
It is a longstanding myth that cats WANT to stay outside. While once getting a taste of the outdoors it is difficult to break some of them of the habit, cats are not wild animals and are unequipped to be outdoor creatures. That is why it is illegal in most areas to let cats (and dogs) roam free. The only exception to that is feral colonies who will never tolerate human contact. Trap-Neuter-Release is best for this situation. Even a regularly-fed T-N-R colony cat has a longer lifespan than the basic outdoor cat. Indoor cats have 3x the lifespan of both; they belong indoors. It is not impossible to keep them from escaping; be cognizant of your cat’s whereabouts as you enter/exit and, if necessary, keep a squirt bottle by the door to deter them!
I’m very grateful to see your posts about this. As a professional pet sitter, I have the occasional client who allows their cat outside – and tells me not to worry if Kitty doesn’t come home for a day or two! It’s so irresponsible and unfair. Outdoor cats’ lives are shortened, period, and I refuse those assignments.
A friend of mine has lost about 5 cats in as many years – all allowed to roam outside. Today they had to put their 3-legged Tripod kitty to sleep after he was hit by a car. So sad and unnecessary.
Hummm… I think there is always two sides to a story. It all depends on where you live. I really hope cats don’t take all this info too much to heart as it’ll drive those that do let their kitty’s outside off Catster. I feel guilty when I post about the cats outside knowing that someone might say something about it. When I came to Catster I was shocked so many locked their cats up. Honestly where I live it is considered cruel to do that. I’ve since heard of a few that are under house arrest but in our country it almost unheard of. Maybe we are behind the times, I don’t know.
Though we are very lucky feline leukaemia is not common here and Rabies I don’t think exists at all. We don’t have squirrels, skunks, snakes, bears, wild big cats, coyotes, roaming dogs. But we do have cars, cat fights, the odd run in with a dogs, (Not us, but it can happen here, if a cat strays into a yard) Balty adores his time outside and he’s just celebrated his 19th birthday. I have a question. Humans that stay inside without any sunshine can suffer from Vit D deficiency. Can cats also suffer this, can their immune system take a beating because of being kept indoors? Maybe those kept indoors should have a small wire enclosed cat run. So they can get out and smell the fresh air, feel the wind blowing through their fur and feel the warmth of the direct sun on their coat. Balty loves sunbathing but funny enough he doesn’t sit in the sun when it streams through the windows. He prefers to be outside.
There are many many things that could harm an indoor kitty too
Maybe we should have a list of things to be aware of.
Like pins I’m amazed how many kitty’s have eaten pins on Catster
Kitty litter, some have died eating it. Being declawed and falling off the cat tree. Plastic bags, Hair ties, Onion, Christmas tinsel, the string from blinds. Poisons, the list can go on and on. It would be interesting to see them all. It’s so hard to cat proof everything or you’ll have them in a small 1′ x 3′ cage.
Yikes!!!!
just throwing this out here…i know that cats are safer inside, and mine stay inside except for occasional leash-excursions. the kitten (jadyn) loves them, kaya sits wide-eyed then suddenly panics and needs to go back in. then we have rhymon-or we HAD rhymon. )-: i haven’t given up entirely, but she’s been gone over a month, so…anyway, i gave up on taking her out on a leash before we ever moved to this house after the fire-she’s an incredibly timid cat, it made her crazy. then, last months, somehow she went out a loose screen. i’m not sure what happened-it looked like the box she was perched on knocked the screen loose, maybe she was so startled she jumped out. anyway, ever since i’ve wondered if i would have done better to force her to go out and come in, so she’d be more likely to recognize the smells and sights of our yard, and recognize OUR door as a way to come back and be safe. i’m basing this on the fact that slinky little jadyn has escaped a time or two-and alerted us to her presence on the porch (didn’t even know the bugger had gotten out) by banging on the screen door. there’s something to be said for familiarity with the immediate outside environment i think-i mean, jadyn actually KNOCKED! (lol)
on another note, some cats just will NOT stay inside, even if they’re friendly with people. jadyn’s momcat is a case in point. we were friends before she had kittens, and i brought her and her May litter of 3 inside to try to find homes for the lot. jadyn i kept, and the other two are in a nice home together…but momcat, who i call “ayla” is outside again. she went very weird inside. stopped nursing the kittens very early, and after that would moan unless i was right there with her. would attack the walls when headlights hit a window. crept around with her belly on the ground and her tail tucked…it was horrible. i could settle her down, but soothing her from outright terror to total dejection didn’t seem the way to go.
so i let her back out, and until i can find some other solution-like maybe getting a TNR going around here or finding someone who wants a barn cat, i am simply feeding her outside and hoping for the best. she LIKES people…it’s INSIDE that terrifies her.
My cat refuses to come in the house. when I got her from my vet (stray) she was kept in the house but as soon as summer came and the door was open a lot she would hide, then dart out.. Eventually she quit coming in at all.
I think it is perfectly fine to allow cats outside and I know of many, many cats who live to be pretty old while living outdoors.
Ok, I’ve typed this up twice already and Catster keeps erasing it as I submit it – one more try!
Anyway, I see nothing wrong with taking cats out on a harness and leash. I walk my two cats in our yard and woods and they really look forward to our walks. I think that it is extreme to say that cats should not be taken out on supervised walks because of the slight possibility that they will come across shed FeLV virus. My vet told me that my cats do not need the FeLV vaccine just because they are walked on their leashes. Would it be advised that dogs too should not be walked if they could do their business inside? I somehow doubt it!
To add to Terri’s comment about cats finding their homes again. Early one morning in July after I had gone to work, a screen came out of one of our bedroom windows and the cats got out. My husband didn’t notice that they were gone as he was in the shower, but once he did, he found them sitting by the front door waiting to come back in. They are trained to know that the front door is they way back into their home. Additionally, because they know the territory around the house, they know how to find it if they do get out and wander a bit. I feel good knowing that if they do get out by accident (and yes we are very careful, but you never know as evidenced by the screen thing) that they won’t freak out and run away, but will know the way back in.
I forgot to mention there are things to remember for an outdoor kitty. You can’t just start letting them outside or they will get in trouble.
If your kitty is an indoor one or been brought up with an indoor mother, the chances are they won’t do to well outside. As the mother does seem to pass on some skills.
I’ve always been brought up with…. You have to watch a kitty when you first introduce it to a home. People would say put butter on it’s paws. I suppose it’ll take their mind off going outside until they have cleaned their paws. I walk my cats outside on a harness a few times, to get them use to an area then leave the doors open, (but it’s not common here to use harnesses)
Also from the age of about 8 month to two years seem to be the worst time for RTAs (run ins with cars) as the kittys are young, and tend to dart across the street forgetting to look.
I suppose it’s like the human teenagers and cars LOL.
Also if your kitty has grown up in a quiet street with very little traffic you may strike problems if you move to a busy street. It’s an education thing here. Make sure your kitty is scared of cars. If you see them close, rev the engine toot the horn, chase them away but lol, not towards the road
Though I prefer to live a fair distance from a road of any kind and that is something that is my number one thing when looking for a home. (A long drive way)
For a country that has mostly indoor / outdoor kittys the clinics aren’t full with RTA’s even vet clinic cats have the freedom to come and go. Many vet clinics (were we go) we are met at the door by the resident cat whether it’s inside or outside.
I was asked if I’d move to another country, I said no because I had cats and I won’t take them with me. Not because I don’t want too as they can fly. It’s because they won’t last a week over there. Here in this country they are used to what to can play with and what no to touch, It has also been installed in them from their mother. If I was to fly them to another country, where there are snakes and poisonous toads. I’m sure they would think they were toys and want to play with them. It’s a education thing, Cats aren’t stupid but like us, do need to be taught these things.
terri (from kalamazoo, MI) I’m sorry you have lost your kitty. If you are on Catster there are a few groups for missing kitties. We have one called the Purrs and woofs for the missing. There there’s heaps of hints and ideas of what you can do to look for your furry friend. Also there is another excellent group on Yahoo called the ‘Missing Cat Assistance’ group, which also has good ideas. I hope you see your furry friend again. Check out the cats meow there’s heaps of amazing found stories, good to lift the spirits.
I think it depends a lot on where you live. Over 30 years in same place away from busy road, area woodsy, yet not very wild.. all my cats have lived into later teens and prefered outdoors to in. Like to come in for some loving and sometimes to lie by the fire. Then want out. Been super healthy.. way healthly!
We have three cats, and all three are allowed outside when they want, except Mittens (we’re scared he’d get catnapped, he’s incredibly friendly and a polydactyle). If we make Harley stay inside, he gets extremely violent with everyone. But we also live in a small town in Indiana, population is no higher than 600. The street we live on is low-traffic and the people going down the street keep an eye out for animals (there are ALOT of animals on the street, at least as many animals as there are kids). All three cats still have their claws, so they escape into trees if they feel threatened. They are also all up-to-date on FeLV vaccines, Rabies vaccines, and a couple others (Harley also gets an injection of a combination vaccine, because he’s very territorial). And all three of them have been “fixed”. I feel better letting them outside, because they know the area and know how to get home if something happens (like if there’s a fire or tornado). Harley has the neighborhood dogs afraid to come into our yard except the neighbor’s terrier mix. Bear (who turned 11 in July) spent the first half of her life strictly outside and has never suffered illness *knock on wood*. My mom thinks that because of being outside, her immune system is stronger than Harley’s (who used to get upper respiritory infections every summer). They also get immediate treatment for any injuries or illnesses suffered as a result of being outside, such as wounds from fighting. Harley house-trained himself and also learned that he can get inside by knocking on the door; now he refuses to use the litter box unless the weather is bad, which means he’s forced to stay inside (despite the scratches everyone, including the other two cats, receive as a result). I do worry if Harley doesn’t come inside all day, or if Mittens doesn’t check in every few hours on the nice days. But i also know that they know how to get home if something spooks them.
My fiance’s parents keep their cats inside only, all three cats are extremely timid and hide when the door opens or the doorbell rings. It took several times of me visiting him up there for any of them to stop hiding when I would visit, and almost a year before they would be happy to see me.
As I’ve read through the article and the comments, I see cat owners resorting to two extremes – either keep your cat in the house all the time, or let them outside to roam. After having held the common belief that cats should be allowed outside, and losing two to cars (which was excruciatingly hard and made me rethink the free roaming outside habit), I decided there has to be a compromise.
Cats can be trained. To come here, to stay, to listen. Though I live in a place with a fenced yard – which I kitty-proof, so there are no holes for them to slip through and they can’t jump (there are cat barriers you can put on the tops to prevent them from going over) – I have lived in places where there were no fences.
They stay inside when I’m gone. When I’m home, they are allowed out, but are only allowed to go a certain distance and come in when I call. If they don’t, which doesn’t happen often and not at all with the fenced yard, they are grounded for several days.
If you live in a busy area, you should keep your kitty inside – there are just too many unknowns. You wouldn’t let your toddler roam free out there. If you have a fenced yard, make sure it’s sealed up and kitty can go out. Get the fence tops if they like to jump. Train them to do as you say – this helps inside, too.
There’s also cat nets that can be put up outside to confine them so they can get fresh air and sunshine. And most importantly, give their brains and bodies activity. My three kitties are all in great health and are 9, 10, and 13.
The point is to train them, keep them away from unknowns, but still allow them to be cats. You can’t rely on them being keen to every danger, but you can take the time to make sure they don’t have access to these dangers. I realize this goes against the experts, but it has worked beautifully for me.
While I agree that most cats should be indoors, and my cat stays indoors, I find the remark that cats are “unequipped to be outdoor creatures” ridiculous. All animals are born outdoor creatures, and in a natural environment, we wouldn’t have a problem. However, our modern “civilized” world presents dangers that no animals evolved to face. Traffic. Antifreeze. Mean little boys with bb guns.
I would also like to ask how it is any more dangerous for a leashed cat to be outside than a leashed dog. Cats can get Feline Leukemia, but can unvaccinated dogs not get parvo, rabies, distemper, etc?
has anyone considered the complications of cats outside for us dog owners? In my neighborhood there is one house in particular that has multiple outside cats and I have to deal with trying to control my dogs when the cats hiss at us and some even follow us or confront us as we walk by.
[...] should live inside and not be allowed outdoors at any time. As Dr. Eric Barchas addressed recently, no pet should go outside unattended. Cats may be exposed to a variety of risks that may harm them, [...]
I think people in general have become very unbalanced in their views on this issue in recent times. In my own areaI know that people keep their cats indoors and I never see unattended cats but I do see straying dogs several times a week, often in my own (semi-rural) property!! Unfortunately I have regular near misses on the road with them, and I have seen them attacking wildlife.
To say that cats should not go out on a leash because they could get a disease – but not say that about dogs – seems illogical. Dogs can contract many horrible diseases from other dogs and if they see another dog are much more likely to want to interact with it than two cats are! How can your cat fight another cat if you have it on a leash??
What’s wrong with having an enclosed outdoor play area for your cat?
If you think it’s fine for cats to be indoors ALL the time just think how you would feel if you could NEVER go outdoors any time in your life…….
I think most people could make some sort of safe arrangements for a bit of outside time for their cats with minimal risk.
Woops forgot to say….
When considering the risks to health of cats going outside, have you also considered the risks to health of them being constantly INside?
There are several feline health problems that are apparently growing at a great rate, and is it a coincedence that this occurs when more and more cats are being kept constantly indoors?
I have read that thyroid problems in cats are one such issue, and that there is evidence that they are more common in exclusively indoor cats. One theory is that this is due to more intense exposure to toxins used in man-made items like furniture, carpets etc. Obviously cats lick themselves so ingest these toxins in addition to the exposure humans have which is limited to absorbtion through the skin and breathing them in.
There needs to be a balance here.
Cats shouldn’t be allowed to roam free all day long. They can become a nuisance to the neighbors. Not to mention the health risk. They poop wherever they feel like it, including right on the sidewalk. Who’s going to pick that up? Nobody, because the owner wasn’t with the cat when he did it. If that cat has fleas or any contagious diseases or worms, any dog that sniffs or gets too close is at risk of contracting. That’s what happened to my dog. Our neighbors cats are always leaving “packages” around our apt. building and my dog was sniffing around there. Soon after, she got tapeworms. (She doesn’t have fleas and I only take her out on leash.) And, if those free roaming cats like to kill small animals, which my neighbors’ do, any diseases that rodent or bird or chipmunk or rabbit or squirrel have can be passed to the cat and passed through the cat’s feces. I’ve seen my neighbor’s cat kill everything from chipmunks to songbirds and everything in between. I’ve even seen him with a rabbit the size of a small dog in his mouth. It’s unnecessary killing just for the sake of killing. That cat doesn’t need to kill for sustenance. It just kills because it can. Because it’s allowed to roam free with no responsible owner around.
This is crazy talk. Our cat who recently died of hyperthyroidism lived to see her 17th birthday and she was a mostly-outside cat. We now have a cat who is even partially declawed (done by first owner, not us) and we even let her out a few hours each day. Cats are nature’s creatures and should never be isolated from the great outdoors. Now if you are a city-dweller, I can see your point. But we live here in a country/suburban setting and our cat would go insane if she couldn’t get out there each day and chase the squirells and birds. We say she takes her morning consitutional each day and comes back relaxed and happy. She even visits with some friend cats in the neighborhood. She always comes back; she even crosses streets. I believe you have to let them be cats.
Oh, and just one more thing; for all of you worried about outdoor cats passing diseases along, I for one bring my cat to the vet each year to update any shots she might need. I just tell them to keep her safe for us, others and herself. We did the same with our cat that lived a mostly healthy 17 years. I believe indoor-out-door cats have longer life-spans, which is contrary to what the veterinarians will tell you. I’ve seen this many times over for myself. And yes, I’ve seen my previous cat kill rabbits and stuff. But come on, this is nothing next to what the animal kingdom really does out in the wild. Watch some nature shows and you will see what I mean. The circle of life is reality, which is a nice way of saying that yes, there really is a food chain.
To Kathy McCarty,
Domesticated cats are not wild animals and they aren’t killing for sustenance. Animals in the wild do need to kill to eat. Your argument is not valid. You feed your cat. It doesn’t need to kill rabbits or any other animals for food. I’m all for letting wild animals be wild and not interfering with the natural food chain. But, when you domesticate a species, like cats, they’re no longer part of the natural food chain. If someone let their dog out every day and it roamed around, killing other animals, the dog would be confiscated by Animal Control. Understandable. Because dogs are domesticated animals. So, the same rules should apply to cats.
Unreal. Once again I’m amazed at how some people justify risking their cats’ lives. If you want to have your kitty spend some time outside, fine, but only if supervised, leashed, or harnessed. Roaming freely? Nope, that clearly says that you don’t love your cat enough to want to protect them properly.