November 08, 2004

• And not just on the indoor/outdoor issue, either.
• Well, I have 2 indoor cats. Both Declawed/Spayed. The declawing is had it's benefits(no messed up furniture, messed up hands...etc..) and of course it's downside(no natural defense). Which is ok if you keep them inside. if you let them out I'd suggest not getting them declawed. Other cats will be attracted to them. I know from personal experience, I've had my cats spooked many a time by a stray at our back sliding glass door. Let me tell you, the growl they let out sounds like a mountain lion! anywho, if you get boy cats and you don't neuter them they WILL mark their territory, indoor or out. if you dont spay female cats it will definantly attract more strays, you'll have a chorus of singing cats parked outside your house expressing their love. as for the outdoor issue, we have a fully fenced in backyard, so on days when we're outside we let them wander around under our supervision and they seem to like it. that's all I can say! good luck!
• ok... i'm assuming you're getting a kitten: if it's vaccinated, you'll need to keep it inside until after its second round of shots - adult cats who roam outside carry lots of mild diseases that can affect kittens really badly. cat flu and so on. then, after the vaccinations, you can start to accustom kitten to outside. go outside with it, talk to it and play with it in the outside world - he/she will be curious but may want to run somewhere safe and familiar (keep the back door open, and stay near enough to him/her to be reassuring) and please, desex your cat. there are altogether too many kittens that die homeless (and i can't save them all, so i cry)
• oh, and there's some good tips here and here.
• What's your neighbourhood like? Is there a lot of vehicular traffic? I'm all for letting a cat roam where it will, but I've always lived in a place where cats can do that. If there are lots of other cats, there will be catfights and you should decide if you're willing to let your cat duke it out for territory or whether it's not worth the abcesses and trips to the vet for lancing. Most important: get your cat wormed (if it isn't already) and spayed/neutered. And get a chip or some sort of ID for it. When I got my kitten years ago, she spent the first two-three days hiding under the bed. I put her litterbox next to the bed and gradually moved it away; likewise the food, so she had to come out. Since she was a free-ranging kitty I eventually got rid of the litterbox altogether by gradually moving it closer and closer to the door outside, then outside, then gone. If you let your cat go outside, get a cat-flap wossit with the magnet-thingy, so your cat can come and go but no other cats can. Oh, and if it's a male, expect a lot of spraying for a while as it names its territory both outside and in.
• It sounds nasty, but consider a raw diet. The canned stuff at the supermarket is all horse and filler, and the kibble is all corn and wheat. Can you imagine a cat in the wild eating corn? Its damn funny, but it's not right. Most smaller pet stores now have a few raw options, I can name at least 4 in Seattle. My roommate buys turkey liver at the supermarket (wicked cheap) and gets turkey necks from the pet store (he said check the butcher too) and blends them up with some Instincts TC enzyme powder and thats all the cat eats. He mixes up a few months worth at a time and freezes it. She is incredibly healthy compared to any other cats I've ever known. On that de-clawing thing. You might know, it is sort of the equivalent to cutting off the 1st joint of your finger. Keep a few scratching posts around and get double sided tape to keep them off the sofa. And yes, as Bob Barker used to say, please get your pet spayed or neutered.
• I will probably get a female cat/kitten, and will have it spayed. My neighborhood does not have much traffic, the occasional car, but a block away from my house in one direction there is a major road where I have almost been hit. There are tons of other cats around, though. What are the benefits that the cat will recieve either way? The past thread got me thinking about stir-crazy cats. Also, what are the advantages/disadvantages of a brand new kitten or a cat from the humane society?
• Depending on the age of the cat when you get it, certain actions/habits can determine many of the cats behaviors. Most cats are both indoor and out door. If I have a kitten, I get it used to coming in for food when it gets dark. Then I leave it inside all night and let it out in the morning. After a few months the cat equates night to inside. Keeping your cat inside at night reduces the risk of catfights and getting bounced off a car. A cat that goes out in the morining will often reduce the amount of crap in the litter box by waiting to 'go' outside. This can be a benifit to you, you get to clean less. Get it de-sexed stright away, unless you want lots of howling/fighting or even more kitties. If you want an active, strong cat feed it the odd bit of fresh red meat. cooked rice also helps with bulk fiber. Hard foods are good for cleaning teeth and insides. With uncooked meat, remember to get it de-wormed every now and again. Don't feed it pork. Ever. Those dry pet food things are not enough on their own for a healthy cat, so diet top ups as treats are good. Cats do like fish, but de-bone it well. Some cats also like cheese, but I don't know if thats good or not. Essentially, with escaping, a cat will always go back to the owner, esp if it was gotten as a kitten. A cat will always go back to where it knows good food and a warm lap are waiting for it. If you want a lap cat, stay with the kitten as much as possible when it's young. Mollycodlle it. Pet it all the time. If you want a cat that likes you, will hang around but not pester you every minute your home, leave it on it's own for a few hours a day. (never leave a 6 week old kitten alone for 8 hours, it's akin to leaving a 6 month old baby on its own)(/rant) Get lots of things for it to play with, furry things that are large, but not heavy. After a while it will have a favorite. Also, a laser pen will amuse you both for days on end. Cats REALLY like chasing red dots. A scratching post if you like your couch, but a tree ouside is better. A covered litter tray is good, for your sake more than theirs. _ I used to breed cats with my parents. We used these techniques to family-ise them for people with young kids. I used some other techniques on my own cat. It could pull pidgeons out of the air, so not really one for kiddies. The whole army of cats thing never really worked out though. _ Cats are good for your mental health too, so good luck if you go ahead. Sorry for the long text
• I live in a suburban area without a lot of street traffic and have been caring, for about the past 2 months, for 2 adult cats that a between apartments friend entrusted me with. For the first week I kept and fed them in my room, just to let them know where home base was. After that, one of the cats immediately began wandering the house and its immediate outside environs via the essential cat door. The other only began leaving the comfort of my room last week. What I'm saying is that it really depends on the cat, but the important thing is that you establish that "this is where you eat" connection in relation to your home.
• I had to check, didn't I? I stand corrected This is perfectly natural.
• i have a cat, and i AGONIZED about the decision to make her an outdoor one. long story short, once upon a time she was an indoor cat, but she was very, very sad and fat (i got her from the spca and suspect she was an outdoor cat before). she accidentally started getting out after we moved out of an apartment, and now she is happy and not so fat. she's been in a couple of fights (she's not very animal-friendly), but no big deal. i don't think she goes very far. now, some of these things could be idiosynchratic to my cat, but she's the only one i've ever had as an adult, so...it's all about figuring out your cat's personality. if you're getting him/her as a kitten, you should be able to guide him/her in the indoor direction if you prefer. outdoor cats do have a much shorter lifespan, and i will someday have to deal with the tragedy of smooshed muppet, which will devastate me. sorry this is so long, but i just wanted to add...there's some controversy about the declawing issue, even for indoor cats.
• sorry, we live between two very busy roads, and she is still fine
• toohep - cats from humane society-type organisations are the best. well, for me, anyway. they'll be well cared for from the get-go, and any money you pay to the society will go towards helping more animals. also, the cages full of kittens are... well, if you like cats, it's like heaven. being clambered on by kittens is a marvellous thing. my last kitten (now, sadly, living with my ex's mother) from The Lort Smith Animal Hospital shelter, was chosen because she strolled up to me, bold as brass, was picked up, and promptly fell asleep in my arms with little kitten purrs. she was a little chocolate tabby with a white chest and ginger tummy (and little cute ginger bits behind her ears). oh, the love. anyway. the lort smith vaccinates and desexes any animal that leaves their shelter before you pick it up, as part of the purchase price. I would imagine that your local shelter will do something similar. So, absolutely worth it.
• *** * *** The best over all solution is to have a cat door so the cat can enter or leave their new home at will. I have found this type of freedom for the cat is great and they shiite out side too. Cat's can be educated, take for instance the Egyptian Guard Cat, the King had ledges around the King's house and above the doorways so the Guard Cat could pounce upon strangers, they would tear at the face of an intruder and make cat rackette. Male cats roam the hood looking for pussy to rape this is a cat behavior so if your cat can get away to her house she would be a happy cat. Watch your cat they are very good sensory extensions and will look in the direction of an intruder, alerting you to possible trouble. It is a good idea to go to a pet store and buy a mouse to teach your cat about mice meat. You must blood the cat so she learns that rodents are food. This act will add a new dimension to your co-relationship. Cats are not dogs. A great cat and dog team is rare. .|.
• Okay; well I am informed on that decision now, will probably allow outdoor ventures. Okay, now here is the other part; I am a highschool student, and will be going to college probably in 2-3 years. Since I have to devote the earlier part of my weekday to school, and some latenights do occur in large stretches. Would I be viewed as a horrible person if I got a cat now?
• you ought to hang off until you have plenty of free time, to socialise your kitten until it's old enough to be independent. you'd need a couple of days - a week is better - to intensively spend time with her and develop your relationship (cats have habits and preferences just like anyone else!) also to love her and cuddle her as much as she will stand. kittenhood only lasts a short time. then they grow up and start killing things. in which case you're going to need all the happy memories of fluff that you can muster - she'll be leaving little presents in exciting places, like your bed. often these little presents will still be twitching. best ever cat present story: i was working on a show that was taking me away from the house for long hours (i was 19, living with my parents at the time) and 'twas the hottest summer on record. one stinking hot january day, i didn't get home until well after 11 pm (having left at 7:30 am) I opened the door to my room, and it stank. Not normal teenage boy stink either. Ripe flesh stink. The scent was emanating from my bed. I tore off the covers. Nothing. Opened drawers. Nothing. Looked under the bed. Bloated, torn carcass of a pigeon. With no head. And a trail of black, dried blood along the walls underneath my bed. Ew.
• I'm a strong proponent of keeping them indoors. Too many dangers - pesticides, dog, humans, cars, poisons, diseases from other animals. I don't think I could handle the feelings of guilt if one of my animals got injured or killed because I let them out willingly. I used to think it was ok to let my cats out until my cat was poisoned and died because of it. Another cat who snuck out after a friend left a door ajar, got bitten by a neighbours dog and had to be put to sleep. I don't think it is harming their 'inner kitten' by keeping them indoors. The 2 cats I have now don't yowl to get out and make protest signs saying, 'set my puddy free - let me out!!!' I used to live in a house near an area where cats were abandoned for whatever reason and every 6 months or so I had a batch of kittens that needed homes. One of those kittens I kept (wish I could have kept them all - I'm such a cat ho) she has never demanded to get out, now if a door opens she runs away from it. If you don't let them out they'll never know the difference and some that used to be outside (like mine) don't have the desire to go back out again once they got indoors. She's a little fat, very happy and healthy and its all the really matters in the end.
• There are many arguments on either side, but you should know that the average lifespan of an outdoor cat is 2-3 years. The average lifespan of an indoor cat is 12-15 years. Sure, plenty of people have outdoor cats which live to ripe old age, but we're talking averages, here. I have had one outdoor cat who lived to 14, and three outdoor cats who vanished (presumably hit by cars or killed by dogs) before the age of 5. (See earlier thread right here on this very site regarding cat hit by car.) The cats I have now are indoor-only, and certainly don't act deprived. For anyone who has trouble with cats scratching or spraying, I can't recommend Feliway highly enough. It's a synthetic cat cheek hormone spray. Cats mark their territorial items by either rubbing their face on it, scratching it, or peeing on it. If an item has been marked with one method, it will not be marked with any of the others. If you spray Feliway on the item, the cat will sniff it and think "Ah, I've covered that one already!" and go do something else. I know it sounds like mystical snake oil, but if used as directed (i.e. use it daily for at least a month), it really works. Feliway has saved my couches, eased many moving transitions (cats feel less stressed in an environment that's already been marked by them), and cured my neutered male cat of his nasty spraying habit. And no, they didn't pay me to say so!
• PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep your cat inside. It is healthier for your cat. The probability of your cat being run over, killed by a dog, killed by a coyote, hurt or killed by another cat, catching rabies, catching any number of other diseases from other animals or from their shit or blood IS EXACTLY ZERO if your cat is indoors. You should be doing stuff with your cat to keep it sane and active. Every day. If you're not willing to do that, or know that when push comes to shove you won't, then the answer is to simply NOT GET A CAT, not to let your cat outside. Finally, consider your neighbors. Say that I live next to you. Do you think I want to step in your cat's crap in my back yard? Do you think that I want to see a scattering of feathers by my birdfeeder instead of a tufted titmouse or downy woodpecker? Do you think I appreciate your cat bothering my dog in my backyard, or my dog attacking your cat because it's wandered into my yard? Keep your cat inside.
• Before you decide to allow outdoor ventures, I urge you to check the actual facts about how dangerous this is, it drastically shortens the cat's lifespan, as well as causing damage to local wildlife, please don't. There is no reason a cat has to go outside if you provide adequate stimulation inside, and I'm sorry (hot topic with many people, I know) but allowing your pet to wander onto, and damage, other people's property is irresponsible. You wouldn't allow your dog to do this, why should you allow your cat to? Training a kitten to accept walking on a lead and harness is doable (the internet has good advice about this), and this way you can take your cat out without danger. Buy decent-quality cat food (hint: nothing you can buy at the supermarket is "decent quality") - Felidae, Natural Balance, Innova and Royal Canin are some good ones. Make sure you have a litterbox that is large enough for the cat, use bag liners for easy litter changing. Make sure it's in a relatively private area, but not so private that you won't notice when it needs scooping or a full change. Also, it should be at least 12 feet away from the food and water bowls, and ideally in a different room. Stainless steel bowls are the best choice, they're durable, easy to clean, do not absorb odours and do not cause skin reactions (like plastic bowls can). Find a good vet now. Find out where your local animal emergency clinic is and put that information on your fridge. Get some interactive cat toys, as well as some that the cat can play with alone. Do not give catnip to kittens under a year old. Get a scratching post and give the cat lots of positive reinforcement for using it. Good luck! Enjoy your kitty.
• Okay, hate to keep drudging this topic up again, but I am still considering outdoor versus indoor-- but being a highschool student, should I get a cat, or will the eight hours I spend away during the day be bad enough to merit not getting one?
• cats are pretty independent. they get used to you being out, so long as you feed them when they want to be fed. which is usually every ten minutes if you're home. *meow! hungry!* "you've got food" *meow! not that food!* "eat that" *meow! no!* "ok. here's this food." *meow! different food!* and so on...
• The other thing about outdoor cats is that they are not a natural predator in most places, so the squirrels and moles and mice and in one case, I swear to god, bats, are being unfairly hunted. Or something. I can't back it up, but it was told to me by my vet.
• I dyed mine flourescent-orange, and hung a bell around his neck. Keeps PETA off my back, anywaze.
• Today cats live longer than ever. Just 20 years ago the life expectancy of a cat was four to six years; today they live 15 years or more. Life expectancy in cats depends on many things, but the most important factor is whether he is an indoor-only cat or an outdoor cat. Life expectancy varies significantly between the two. Indoor cats generally live from 12-18 years of age. Many may live to be in their early 20s. The oldest reported cat was 28 years old at the time of death. Outdoor cats generally live to be around four to five years of age. Their deaths are typically due to traumas such as being hit by a car or dog attacks. Outdoor cats are also more susceptible to several deadly viruses that are spread by fighting or prolonged intimate contact with an infected cat. I got this from a cat care website. It boils down to this; do you decide to let your cat outside, because you, as a person, wouldn't want to kept inside? Or do you do the right thing by your cat; keeping it inside so it makes it past five and most likely will not die terrified and in pain? Obviously, I'm biased on this one. But sometimes people anthropomorphise animals to death, and it bugs me.
• By the way - putting a bell on an outdoor cat doesn't only warn birds; it also tells coyotes and other predators exactly where to get a nice hot meal.
• me, i let the cat do what it damn well likes. it will anyway! they're pretty smart.
• The biggest benefit to keeping your cat an indoor is that you will controll its environment in a way that is simply not possible if the cat goes outdoors, unsupervised. Your need to kitten-proof your house, making sure that your get rid of or more carefully store cleaning materials, paints, and medications. Many things which don't bother people can be nasty or lethal for cats. One hundred years ago, there were not so many toxic chemicals and other substances as there are today, and they were not applied in the quantities they are now to suburban lawns and plants. Because cats wash themselves with their tongues, anything a cat gets on its paws or its coat ends up inside it -- and whether agricultural spray or the wasp-killer your neighbourt sprayed, the result can mean trouble for the cat. And a vet bill for you. One of the most lethal and atrractive substances for animals is antifreeze, which dogs, cats, and wildlife all die from. I've had a number of friends whose cats or dogs have ingested this stuff -- many of their pets' deaths were slow, painfiul, and in most cases, expensive. Three years ago one of my neighbour lost two bird dogs and a litter of pups to several saucers of antifreeze one senile old b****** in the neighbourhood put out -- he said 'to kill the racoons'! About the same time another neighboour lost two cats to this poison and racked up a vet bill of over four thousand dollars trying futilely to save them. And it is not just chemicals -- some plants, both indoors and out, can be poisonous. Best advice -- research the subject. Find a vet and talk to him/her about cat-proofing your apartment or house. Adopting a cat is fine. Whether cat or kitten, be preparted to spend money -- the kitten may need more shots, the cat may have worms, need neutering. Vet bills are not cheap these days.
• Indoor cats live a lot longer. Get the cat fixed either way. If you do choose to have an indoor cat, NEVER take them outside or you will constantly have the cat trying to run out any opened door. If you don't take them out, when they get older they will be afraid of the outdoors and not want to go out (a real plus, trust me). For feeding I'd suggest that you leave out dry food all the time and make that their main diet. They will regulate how much they eat. And you never have to worry about being at home at a certain time to feed them. Use wet food/pounce as treats. A squirt gun works well for torture...err I mean punishment. Laser pens work well for a toy.
• About your stage in life: what I am concerned about is that you are going to college in 2-3 years. Do you think you will be moving out? Because dorms don't allow cats, and lots of apartments won't let you either. I'd wanted a cat for my whole life (had one when we were younger, but my parents got rid of her after she got fleas) but I didn't get my darling Ada until I was married and living in a grown-up apartment for a two-year stretch. We've moved once since but to another stable, secure environment. Cats can be adaptable, but they're not a toy - you have to be willing to commit to them, for up to 20 years, and if you're going to live in a dorm, or have tons of roommates, the cat will not be a priority and might get abandoned. Or stuck in a shit-ass situation (apparently my friends' neurotic cat was once in a shared house where they "hotboxed" - closed all the windows and smoked pot - I'm sure it didn't help the cat one bit.) I don't mean to totally be down on you, but I have actual physical reactions to people who treat cats as toys or such, but you seem really conscientious, so I just wanted to rant a bit and make sure you were aware of these issues. ;) Further rant - indoor, indoor, indoor. And don't declaw, for the love of Pete. Just my two cents. Also remember, outdoor cats are usually very different from indoor cats, in terms of attachment and temperament. As suggested above, outdoor cats are good if you don't really want the cat around...but if you're motivated to get a cat, why wouldn't you want it around you? Properly trained and provided for indoor cats can keep themselves perfectly well-entertained. Plus, if my cat was outdoors, I wouldn't want her sleeping on my bed, and that's a pleasure I'd miss. Finally - 8 hours is okay, but at the beginning, when you either have a new kitten or are taking home a cat from the shelter (insane props to that idea - we got a 2 1/2 yr old cat and now that we treat her right, she's the most devoted cat you could ask for) anyway, then you should have lots of time to spend with them, socialize them, etc. at the beginning. So maybe get the cat next summer, while you're out of school, and then by the time you go back, the 8 hours won't matter. So long as you don't mind having to play as soon as you come home ! :)
• The current pet, Sugar Bear , goes where he wants , when he wants. His food-bowl is always full. He gets milk whenever I make coffee. He has always been an outdoor cat, and is 12 years old now. His predecessor, Sperm, lived to be twenty. When I moved 30 miles across town, he patiently worked his way home; arriving with a resounding thump at my mother's bedroom window, some three years later. There is a poppy field round there. Personaly, I think that maybe the cats might be addicted to the opium.
• My most loving kitty was chosen from the SPCA because otherwise, she was headed to the litter box in the sky the following day (they called her "Cat of the Week". Morbid, no?). She was a fiesty, mean, hissy and scratchy hurt little thing. A few months and much love later, she was sleeping and purring like a rusty engine on my pillow nightly. I've heard similar tales from other people. The moral of the story: save a mean/scared cat, and there's a good chance you'll end up with a loving furball.
• livii, thanks for your input on this topic, I've found it to be incredibly helpful. It didn't feel as though you were talking down to me at all. As far as treating the cat as a toy goes, I would be apalled were this going to be the case, and would never even consider owning a cat for this purpose. I am probably leaning towards indoor now, that I surveyed my neighborhood a good bit and found that a person a few blocks from me does actually keep roosters, and now have to deal with the college and time part. Ideally, what would happen is I would get the cat now and bond with it for the next 3 years or so, and then be off to college at some point with returns every so often. Then, once I was finished with college or established a permanent residence (something I plan to do very quickly during college) come get the cat from my parents, if that good relationship could be re-established. Of course, this is a pipe dream for myself; I would probably not want to put a cat through anguish if my parents did not also want to have one as well. As far as the summer plan goes, the reason this comes up is my friend thinks it would be a great idea for her to get me a cat, and I would absolutely love one (for my birthday, which happens before christmas) and this would allow for a good 20-30 day break in which I would be home a good majority of it. So, I am not going to get a cat before I evaluate that its well being would be the first priority, and not my enjoyment.
• Point: the absolute worst that would happen is that I get the cat now, go off to college, and come back to get the cat again for permanent residence somewhere.
• I'm recommending an Aquarium. As a bonus; in the event of a power outage, you have a ready source of food.
• i guess it's different for me here in Australia - cat's don't have any predators here. So, I bell the cat, let it out during the day and bring it in at night. fundamental difference, i guess.
• There is a lot of good advice that has been given, not sure I can add much to it. I have had both inside and outside cats. I have two cats, one inside/outside cat and one inside only cat. Neither are declawed, both are fixed. Both are good mouse hunters. My inside/outside cat will not use a litterbox, he goes to the door and meows to go out. He comes and goes as he pleases and he is almost 9 years old. I live in a small town, have a large yard and the neighbors all love my kitty Zero. My inside only cat is scared of outside, she is fat and sassy and rules the inside. She is still young just over a year old. She has been offered the opportunity of being an inside/outside cat, but she is scared of the great outdoors. It all works for me.
• Yeah, I hear you, prismatic7. My old cat lived to the age of 13, and that was after being hit by a car on two separate occasions and being in regular fights. He only came home to eat (and then he'd occasionally skip meals, if he'd caught a mouse or bird) and sleep on my bed. I thought that damn cat was immortal. I tried a bell on my second cat but #2 is the anti-bell and took it off her when I wasn't looking. He thinks it's demeaning because cats are natural predators.
• i once met a cat called 'tarmac' for obvious reasons, he was missing a lot of bits you'd expect a cat to have. ears mostly.
• Free-ranging (aka outdoor) cats kill millions of birds every year and perhaps billions of small mammals, including threatened and endangered species. If you care at all about wildlife you will keep your cats inside.
• More info.
• I'm always amazed by people who say declawing is cruel, but are big advocates of spaying and neutering. Ask anyone - would you rather lose the last joint of your fingers, or your ability to have sex? Seriously, declawing a cat takes away part of its fingers, but spaying and neutering takes away an essential function of its life. And spaying and neutering is also done for our convenience, not for the cat's. I have cats that are spayed and declawed - because it's a pet, and it's there for my convenience, and it's treated insanely well for all its life by me (my first cat, that I got as a present on my 3rd birthday, only died recently).
• No problem, toohep! It's the topic that I can't shut up about. :) I hadn't thought of the Christmas break - that's a good idea, and should be plenty of time to bond with the cat, unless the cat's been especially damaged. Still, most adults leave the house for a large part of the day, and the cat will get used to that very easily - I should have been more clear about that before. S/he will want affection when you get back, but it's lovely to come home and have someone be happy to see you! So long as your parents are willing to keep the cat, then your plan sounds fine. But make sure you really ask them - they're willing to feed, clean the box, give some affection, etc. They don't have to love the cat, but they do have to be competent caregivers. Again, not to put down your parents without knowing them, but I've known cats that were left with parents who, it turned out, weren't really smart about or interested in cats, and it didn't work out as well. (One family fed the cat every time she vocalized about anything, the cat doubled its weight in a year, and is now totally screwed up about food, not to mention extremely fat.) So, just a good talk with them should be enough. Good luck, and if you get the cat, post pictures!!
• would you rather lose the last joint of your fingers, or your ability to have sex? Seriously? Sex drive is just a big pain in the ass. Fingertips, however, are essential.
• Do fix; don't declaw. (musingmelpomene, you're projecting like crazy: animals that have been neutered don't "miss" having sex -- how could they?) Allow the outside world only if you're OK with the idea of the cat simply vanishing one day and never knowing what happened. And here's a thought no one else has brought up (unless I missed it): consider getting two cats. My first wife and I were going to get a kitten and ended up deciding to take the mother as well, partly because nobody else wanted her (she was found and finally trapped on the street with a bunch of newborns, and she was not in a good mood); it turned out great, because Masha (as I named the mom) taught Shashlyk (as my wife named the cat) how to be a cat and they kept each other company, so we didn't have to worry about leaving them alone for as long as a weekend. Having a single cat may seem more attractive because they'll bond only with you (and of course it's cheaper), but it may be better for the cat to have a feline companion. (Don't flame me -- it's just a suggestion, and I'm not saying anyone's a bad person for having just one!) Anyway, cats are great, and I look forward to having one or more again once we move out of this damn condo.
• I had my first cat as a teenager, a year-old shelter kitty. She must've been an outside kitty before I had her because she was always trying to sneak out. We never let her out - my mother had insisted on her being declawed/indoor and I was scared for her getting into a fight or something - but she would get out and if I couldn't catch her right away, she'd be out all night, back at dawn. One night after I had her about a year, she got out and didn't come back. We found her dead the next morning out on the road; hit by a car. It is heartbreaking to lose a pet like that. I had always hoped if she wanted to get out so much she would know how to take care of herself, but what can a cat do against a car? My three cats now have always been indoor cats. I couldn't bear to have one of them killed or hurt - or disappear and never know what happened. Of the three I have now, I got the first two in college. Both places I rented at charged me a pet fee - the first one $50 for a year, the second wanted $300 for an eight-month lease! You can't have a pet in the dorms, and many apartments will not let you have pets if you rent there. You will have better luck if you are negotiating with a single owner rather than a complex with set rules. You will find in many places a huge prejudice on the part of landlords and perhaps even shelters to allow a student to have a cat. Landlords think students won't care for the animals properly and they'll destroy the apartment. Shelter volunteers told me a fair amount of the cats they got were cats abandoned on campus; in their opinion the students didn't realize kittens need more attention than they could give, or they were discovered with the cat in the dorms and had to get rid of it, or the cat wasn't a cute little kitten anymore and got put out, or the students couldn't take them home for the summer so let them go. It is hard on a cat to move often, and college students tend to move often. My poor cats have been through a lot of moves and while luckily they seem fairly adaptable, as they've grown older they've had a harder time adjusting to each new place. If your parents are happy to take care of your cat for you, it will probably be easier on the kitty to leave her back home when you go away to school. I had my first kitty that I got in college declawed because my mother had impressed on me that indoor cats should be declawed. There wasn't a reason to declaw her but I hadn't gotten any information otherwise about it - I had no idea, I thought it was just clipping the claws down permanently. =( It changed her personality - she got more high-strung, less friendly - before the operation she was so sweet and bonded to me, she's never been that way since. Once I got more information about it, I felt horribly guilty and I've always regretted it. I never declawed the other two, and often I apologise to the oldest that I did that to her.
• Second what livii said. Letting your cats roam free in a urban/sub-urban setting is just plain antisocial behaviour and dangerous for your pet. Also illegal in some places. Unless you can confine your cats to your yard they will be pooping in other peoples yards, digging up flower and vegetable gardens, and scaring birds away from feeders. This last drives my father batty (he's the stereotypical old guy with the hose). Some people aren't as nice. Besides poisoning my vet has treated cats with BB and pellet wounds and my cousin has had his cat shoot by paintballs. Plus there are the cats that just don't make it home. Declawing isn't really nessasary to protect yourself or furniture. Just keep your cats nails clipped. Use regular nail clippers about once a week. You'll still need to provide a scratching post or two but it'll greatly reduce the damage your cat can inflict. Which should be minimal anyways. Cats are trainable and a little negitive reniforcement is all that is required in most cases. I like the spray bottles you can get in the hair section rather than spray guns. They don't leak and are more controlable. Cheaper too and I feel a kind of silly using a water pistol on a cat. Cats vary a lot. We have two indoor cats. One is a fat, lazy, picky eater who wouldn't dream of using a litterbox if there is already a clump in it. The other is a skinny as a rail hyperactive type who'll eat anything and never misses the box. Even though the first won't eat tuna she'll eat the corner out of a plastic garbage bag. Cats need toys but they don't have to be elaborate. One of our cat's favourite thing in the world is a large soda straw (like you get with milkshakes) or the plastic ring left behind by milk jug caps. She'll drag it around the house tossing it around and pouncing on it until it is a shadow of it's former self.
• I come down on the side of letting cats roam, but then, every cat I've ever had was an adopted stray in the first place, and the majority of them wouldn't become indoor cats in the first place. So there have been varying degrees of attachment. By all means assess the dangers in the area where you live before you make your decision, though. Personally, I find categorical moral arguments about letting your cats out ridiculous and emblematic of a slew of weird Western neuroses about common spaces... but, you know, sometimes the situation calls for keeping kitty indoors, whether you want to protect the cat or other creatures.
• i volunteer with a group that helps low-income HIV/AIDS patients with pet care, food, etc., and we STRONGLYYYYYYYYYY urge all our clients to make sure their cats stay indoors. indoor kitties live longer and stay healthier. there's plenty inside to keep them busy and happy. my kitties Hotsy and Asta are both indoor cats and quite content.
• Since you want to keep your cats indoors, but you have a nice yard, why not build or buy a cat enclosure? Cats love these, and they're an easy compromise that lets you give your indoor-only cat a taste of the yard, without any danger. If you do build one, make sure that your cat is either supervised when using it, or that she can get back inside at any time (preferably both). You wouldn't want a dog or a coyote to come by and trap her inside of it.
• I find categorical moral arguments about letting your cats out ridiculous and emblematic of a slew of weird Western neuroses about common spaces WTF? Who was making categorical moral arguments? People are saying if you let your cats out they're more likely to be killed. If you have evidence to the contrary, by all means share it.
• I'm always amazed by people who say declawing is cruel, but are big advocates of spaying and neutering. Ask anyone - would you rather lose the last joint of your fingers, or your ability to have sex? Cats aren't people, they don't have an emotional attachment to their naughty bits (and spaying/neutering doesn't remove their ability to have sex, it removes their ability to make kittens, and most of their desire to have sex). Declawing, on the other hand, is cruel and unusual punishment (in my opinion as a former veterinary assistant who has assisted with many declawing procedures), unless you have actually tried and failed to train the cat more appropriate scratching. I find categorical moral arguments about letting your cats out ridiculous and emblematic of a slew of weird Western neuroses about common spaces Um...okay. But neighbours often don't agree, and unfortunately, your pet cat ruining your neighbour's flower garden makes your cat "vermin" to your neighbour, and they will often do something about it. As long as there is such a thing as private property, it is antisocial to allow your pets access to others' property uninvited. And besides that, as languagehat pointed out, the main reason to keep your cat inside is to protect the cat, and to protect wildlife.
• what kind of giant, flower-destroying mole-cats are we talking about here? Apart from a rather cute desire on the part of some cats to eat the pretty flowers (until they figure out that flowers often taste naasty!) i'm not sure that you can blame wholesale garden destruction on a cat. cats get very upset when they can't bury their crap - it's a predator thing (dogs are scavangers, not predators. that's why they're dirty animals!) but unless you've got a 28-kilo supercat the size of a small child, there's not a whole lot of digging to be done. bell the cat so it can't get at birds, collar it and chip it so that it can be found again (they can't lose the chip without serious injury!) get it spayed/neutered so it won't roam so far (do you want your house to smell of rich tomcat piss? or have the howling chorus of local toms every few weeks when you queen comes in heat? that's not fun) more to the point - if you're not wanting to breed from the cat, make sure it can't. Giving up kittens to be killed is not a great way to feel good about the world. Bugger any emotional attachment the cat might have - you're doing the world a favour by not producing more strays. the only cats i have met who are dirty, don't wash, or don't bury their crap are inside cats. unless you have lots of cats, an indoor cat is going to be poorly socialised. IMO. Apart from elderly cats who like warmth and quiet, that is. That and you miss out on things like her first tree rescue, or the spectacularly cute moment when she's watching a blade of grass move in the wind and a big gust makes it tap her on the nose - eyes cross, leaps a foot in the air, runs for daddy! outside kittens have adventures.
• Indoor kitties The Cat Who Cooked Herself Mary Winters Cats love to bake their guts. They crave warmth! -- use up their nine lives roasting in a toaster oven. Toasting on a stove burner. Our cat on the radiator cooking her gizzards: "Don't start smelling like dinner," I warn. Does cat taste more like chicken or beef? Kitty's saved, the radiator turned off in spring. The little heat addict: all we can do is love her.