General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Name one major environmental AND pet welfare organization that supports keeping pet cats outdoors [View all]Pathwalker
(6,603 posts)have minds of their own, and may decide for themselves. Mine did, and we've got the scars to prove it. Two are rescue cats, who, we were promised, were indoor cats. The third, and oldest, showed up at our back door on Christmas day, during a terrible snow storm. The oldest, Stormy, is a hellion, caught up on all his shots, but demands to be let outside, and will claw or bite if you say no. All cats spent most of the winter inside due to the cold - and have suffered as a result.
Stormy went into a decline, until I "had a long talk with him", explaining that winter was dying and he could go out the next day, but only if he started eating again. He ate, and demanded to be let out the next day. He was out for 10 minutes.
Bo, one of the rescue cats, is losing his hair - the vet says it's nothing physical, he just wants outside. Yes, we've had expensive tests done, to be sure. Bleu, the other rescue cat, only goes out to "do his business" and wants back inside.
I tried to keep them inside, but I couldn't afford to replace anymore of the destroyed curtains and furniture. We love them dearly, but we're not willing to have any more scars as a result of forcing them to stay inside.