Hot take: I think letting cats free roam outside is safer than people admit

I know everyone on here is all about keeping cats indoors 24/7. And I get it, cars, predators, disease. But hear me out. I live in the suburbs outside Portland where I grew up with barn cats who lived to be 16 and 18. They came and went as they pleased. My current cat, a rescue I got 3 years ago, was miserable after 6 months stuck inside. Chewing cords, attacking my ankles, yowling at the door at 4am. Finally I started letting him out for a few hours a day. He still comes back for meals, gets his vet checks, and he is way calmer inside now. Not saying this works for everyone, especially in busy cities. But has anyone else had a cat that just didn't vibe with being strictly indoor?

2 comments

2 Comments

simoncarr12d ago

Oh boy, this brings back memories of my uncle's cat back in the 90s. That cat was an absolute menace indoors, knocking over plants and hissing at the mailman every single day. They finally gave up and let it roam, and it turned into this lazy old thing that just slept in the sun on their porch all afternoon. Guess some cats just have a different idea of a good life, you know?

karenf4012d ago

Guess some cats just have a different idea of a good life" - I mean, yeah, that's basically every cat ever though, right? They're pretty much all stubborn little weirdos who do what they want. I don't get why people act like it's some huge mystery that a cat calmed down once it got to go outside and do cat stuff. It's not that deep.