How to Decide on an Indoor or Outdoor Lifestyle for Your Cat

Indoor or Outdoor Cat Lifestyle

You have just brought your new kitten home, and she is asking to go out. Have you thought about whether you will elect to keep your cat as an indoor cat, as a cat with a home base going outside, or a "cat about town" who may drop over to the porch for a treat now and then but lives on your farm or rural property as an outdoor kitty?

This is a big decision and should be considered carefully. A cat that asks to go out is not a cat that needs to go out! Millions of cats spend their lifespan in an apartment or busy urban area without ever going past the doorstop, and are safe, healthy, and comfortable.

It is wise to make a choice and stick with it. If you are inconsistent and let the cat out sometimes but not others, it is confusing to the cat and will tend to encourage her to hang around the doors, just in case you will let her out. A cat that does not go outside does not seem to know what she is missing, so don't feel that keeping her in is an inappropriate caregiver decision.

Common Reasons Cats Are Allowed Outside

Here are some of the common reasons people allow their cats outdoors: