Do you ever feel guilty?

[sunset05]

I'm doing really well at keeping my kitties as inside cats. Mittens wants to go out, though, often and I do feel guilty about not letting her. I feel like I'm depriving her.

I know it is safer to keep her in but I want her to be happy. I play with her but she gets bored easily with that.

Those of you who keep you kitties inside -- do you ever feel guilty about it?

[coppersmom]

Yeah, I feel guilty about that some. But then I see cats dead on the road and just think of it as "tough love". They're much more safer...plus you've got that cool garage set-up. Don't beat yourself up!

[halaroo]

I take mine outside whenever I can on a harness, so I don't feel too bad. But ever since the baby arrived, they haven't gotten nearly as much attention as they were use to before. So for that, I feel guilty.

[tuttifrutti]

I feel guilty occasionally about letting Gracie outside but there's no way I could keep her in, she is very determined. But unlike my last cat, she doesn't wander from the yard at all, nor does she cross the street or anything, which keeps my worries to a minimum.

[t_chelle16]

Absolutely not. I'd feel guilty if I let them outside where they would contstantly be in danger of getting sick, injured, or killed.

I keep my cats safely inside and I never regret it.

-Chelle

[Chezza]

Yep Im in full agreement with Chelle

[sunset05]

Thank you. You are all making me feel better about it. I see some of you struggle with it a little, too. t_chelle - you're an inspiration. I wish I could be as confident as you.

My kitties do like to go into the garage when I have the gate set up but I don't always have time to put it up. But when I do, it does help some.

[t_chelle16]

We do have harnesses & leashes and occasionally take them out, but not often. But inside they have lots of windows to look out, lots of toys to play with (including a huge custom made kitty tree), and they get lots of love so there's really no need for them to get out. Actually, the only one that every shows any real desire to get out is Ghost and I think that's because he was a stray that we took in so he knows the area. But he doesn't try to get out too often. He did manage to sneak out twice. The first time, he was a pain in the butt to catch. The second time was in the middle of summer and as soon as we opened the door, he ran inside because it was air conditioned.

And even though they are strictly indoor cats, they are all still microchipped and all have collars and tags engraved with their name, microchip ID# and the phone number of the microchip service. Just in case.

-Chelle

[eman]

i let Max go outside and tie him to a leash in the middle of the backyard. i just make sure there is nothing around him that he could jump on and strangle himself. and that there is nothing he could go around and get stuck. the leash is 15 feet long, it is long enough that he can come to the back door and scratch the door if he wants to come back in. Of course i go and check on him every 20 or 30 mins to make sure everything is ok.
Does ur cat tolarate a leash? Mini didnt like it at first, but when she realized that the leash would allow her to go outside..she got used to it.
here is Max outside:


here is Mini

[sunset05]

We did manage to get a harness and leash on Mittens once and took her outside. She did okay. She kept pulling at the leash like she wanted to go somewhere. We just let Socks out that time without a leash since she doesn't go anywhere.

I tried again recently to get a harness on Mittens but had no luck. She kept flopping around and trying to attack my hand. It was too stressful for both of us so I gave up.

Has any of your kitties gotten out of their harnessess? I had one on a kitty I used to have and when I went out back to check on her, she was gone. She had gotten out of the harness.

[eman]

i dont put a harness on my cats anymore. cuz i realized that if i dont put it tight enough, they are able to get away and if i try to make it tighter, i feel it annoys them and they start walking in a funny way. so now i just attach the leash to their collars. they dont have breakaway collars so even if they pull away it will not come off. just make sure that the collar is not too loose and not too tight. u should be able to slip one or two fingers under the collar. and of course for the first few times..keep an eye on ur cat just to see if she is trying to get away..or is she relaxed enjoying her time.by the way..what kind of harness did u use? the H or 8 figure?

[Chezza]

My Daughter took Jay out today for a walk, god he just loves it..He loves toddling around, he runs and bounces with her on the harness, its magical to watch..I will try get a video nest time, because you would not believe how much he enjoys going for a walk...He was used to the harness straight up..Did not bother himmin the least, Tiffiny was meowing at the door, she wanted to go out with him but she is still to little and she needs her full injections yet... He even went down by the creek and was going to dip his paws in, he has a fascination with running water, he goes beserk when the kids run a bath... But my daughter brung him back up lol..
He was well tired at the end of the afternoon, he had his tea and his treat, and was bang asleep..

[sunset05]

Cute story Chezza.

eman - The collar I have I don't think is a figure 8. It is more like a harness. It looks similar to the one that is on Mini in your picture. If my hubby is home between the two of us we can get the collar on but I can't do it alone.

I guess the reason I feel so guilty is because Socks and Mittens have been allowed to go out for 9 years and now suddenly I'm keeping them in. If they had never gone out since kittenhood, I wouldn't feel so guilty.

[Bente]

I know how you feel Sunset... Kyrre was allowed to go outside before we moved, but now he is indoor only. I can see he is easily bored, and I know I don't give him the attention he needs as an indoor cat, so I feel very guilty He has never tried to get out, but thats because he doesn't know where the exit is. No way if I could have kept him inside in my old appartment, where he knew where the exit was. At least he now has company in Buster, and they have lots of space.
I'm thinking about moving again, and then I think I'll look for a place where he can go outside. I really miss the times when he and I would play hide and seek outside. If you had seen him then, you'd know he was in his right element outside: so eager and full of life

[lynnhaz]

im with t chelle....i never ever feel guilty having indoor cats. i think it might be how i was raised. we always had indoor siamese cats....my mom would let our cats go out in the garage, but not outside. but...once she started letting them in the garage...it was all over....



MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW....


constantly meowing to go out in the garage. lols...so...i figure its the same with letting them go outside..

and...its not like they know whats really out there if theyve never been. they see things through the window...but how do they know thats just not the way its supposed to be?? like, the way i figure it...they dont have big enough brains to realize all the possibilities if theyve never been let out.

[sunset05]

[vene]

After Vene (RIP, hit by a car) died, I was determined to keep Milo (last of his litter), her brother indoors. However, hubby would let Milo out when he's home. I've seen how much happier Milo is when outdoors so I relented and have been letting him out on a daily basis. Luckily for me, Milo likes to stay around our house and does not venture far. He'll go out for an hour or 2 and come straight home. He rarely hunts as well, unlike Vene. I wish I had your resolve to keep Mittens and Socks indoors. I feel guilty if I keep Milo strictly inside and I feel guilty if I don't let him out. I think the best solution is to harness train but I just don't have the time or the patience to do that so I'll live with the guilt.