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Calling The Shots
How can we as conscious human beings, individuals, each unique with differing views of what’s right and what’s wrong decide what is best for another living being, animal or human. But we do, everyday, innocently or not, subconsciously or not, we impose our opinions and views on those we come into contact with. Are we doing what’s best for them, or what’s best for us? Does anyone have the answer to this chicken and egg question?
Indoor Cats Outside
Today I wanted to mainly discuss the argument of indoor vs outdoor cats, because my boyfriend and I are brooding for another kitty, but have alternative views on the cat’s liberty. However as I wrote this post, and went off on various tangents, it got me thinking about the bigger picture. How we control and influence things and others around us, either under the guise of trying to help, or openly for our own benefit. How do we define what the right thing to do is, for ourselves or others, especially when the party in question can’t intelligibly discuss it?
Beware it’s a long one! If you are not into reading, or cats then come back tomorrow for a new post on the regular Lundi Leopard feature.
I’d love to hear your opinions, cat related or not – on this debate/question – leave them in the comments below, or you can find my social links under the Over to You section at the end of the post.
Indoor Cats Outside | Indoor vs Outdoor
It seems everyone feels differently on the matter of a domesticated cat’s well being. While a lot of people believe that a moggy should be free, free to come and go as it pleases, going off on adventures and fulfilling their desire to hunt. Others believe that their beloved pet kitty should remain indoors and safe – after all you wouldn’t extend as much freedom to your dog, why should your cat be any different?
I’ll be honest, I’m on the fence with this one. I have an indoor kitty myself. I rescued him from Gumtree and was told that he was an indoor cat, didn’t like cars and the outside world at all. This suited me just fine, I lived in Manchester as a student at the time and had heard stories of some students who had ‘adopted’ seemingly stray cats by feeding them and luring them into their house. All I thought about was how it could be someone elses cat! Someone else who is now distraught, worried and panicking that their baby has been squashed on the tarmac, but still frantically hanging lost cat signs in vain hope of seeing his little furry face again.
Of course I believe that cats should experience the outside world if they want to, but it’s not as simple as that in the city. Both in Manchester and London I’ve seen an endless stream of missing cat posters taped to lamp posts and it makes me nervous, not to mention the foxes who have claimed this neighbourhood as their own night time playground. I also read in a newspaper a few years ago in Manchester about a teenage girl whose boyfriend gave her a crossbow for her birthday. She proceeded to give it a whirl, and see what the weapon was capable of – out of her bedroom window. Target – the next door neighbour’s cat. She shot her neighbour’s cat in it’s side as it walked the fence between their gardens and didn’t show any remorse until she was sentenced in court. She got some of what she deserved, but the helpless, innocent cat sadly died.
I love my cat, and I don’t want any of the above to happen to him, so I kept him as an indoor cat as the previous owners suggested. My cat is extremely intrigued by open windows however, making it his mission to jump through them at any opportunity. He has a way of rushing past as you open the front door, and is a pro at evading the most watchful of eyes. He has clawed his way through cat cage bug window screens and survived a first floor window push-and-dash fall unscathed. Consequently, he’s been outside unsupervised a number of times, however each time not exceeding a few hours, not going far from the house, and seeming incredibly shell shocked by the whole experience upon his safe return.
So because it seemed like he wanted nothing more than to go outside, many years ago after reading about people taking their indoor cats for walks, and the benefits for the cat. I trained him on a harness and lead, but as you can imagine, wasn’t very successful at getting him to walk along with me. As expected he behaved entirely as a cat would, instead leading me where he wanted to go. Which wasn’t very far at all, before inching closer and closer to the front door.
I didn’t walk him much at all after that, however if we sat outside in the summer, I would harness him up so that he could come along too, and he seemed to rather enjoy that.
Anyway fast forward a few years, I now live in London with my boyfriend, who is firmly in the ‘cats are for outdoors’ camp. Although he doesn’t necessarily believe my 9 year old indoor cat should now start acclimating himself to outdoor life on his own. He is dead set that any new addition to the kitty family should be able to go outside, case closed.
Cue my see-sawing on the fence of the indoor/outdoor argument. I like that my cat is safe from busy roads, cars, evil people, fireworks and other dangers. I like that he is only as dirty as my house, he won’t be bringing bacteria and gross things in from outside (OCD much) nor will he come home with fleas, worms or wounds from fighting over his turf. After all, the domesticated cat is no longer a wild beast, they have evolved and dwell comfortably alongside humans and lap up the comfort of a warm pouf.
On the other hand though, I don’t like that he doesn’t have huge open space to run, jump and climb to his little heart’s content, chase butterflies, spiders and birds as nature intended. I don’t like that he can’t feel the breeze in his whiskers or poop in someone’s flower bed, and I don’t like that ultimately I’m forcing him to stay inside against his will.
I think it’s a tricky argument because you could say that humans face dangers every day when they go outside, but they do it anyway, because life is better when you are out in thick of it? Right? However, tiny humans, or young children – they can’t really go outside unsupervised, imagine just letting your toddler out because it’s good for him to get fresh air and learn the ways of the world the way he wants to.. I mean come on… Seriously, that would never happen (I hope) because it’s dangerous, they don’t know what’s best for themselves and there are some very wrong people out there.
You also wouldn’t give your dog free roam of the neighbourhood and I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t allow your gerbils to run loose either? So where does it cross over? Yes given the choice, most cats would choose to go outside, but I’m pretty sure any other pet would too. Why are cats given the choice, but not any other domesticated animal?
Is it just as simple as saying, that’s the way it is? That’s how we’ve always done it and it’s weird for anyone to do it any other way? I mean that’s what happens when someone breaks the mold of society with regards to anything else. Going outside to use the toilet in a wooden shed was part of our lives back in the day, and if you told people back then that those things would be abolished and weird to us in the future, we would have laughed, and said what – do you expect us to poop in a room off the bedroom, ha what will you call it, an ensuite?!
I digress, my point is that maybe the opinion is shifting on cats, and what is customary or what’s best is possibly being redefined? We live in an increasingly urban society, at least those in cities do… There’s more people, and weirdos, more traffic and dangers. My camp on the matter at the moment is that if your environment permits a safe haven for your cat to explore, then let him make the choice. However in densely populated urban areas, where there is a limited amount of living space for humans let alone creatures and other cats, maybe keeping them inside the majority of the time, but supervising outdoor activities is better for their health and long term well being?
Which is why we’ve bought kitty a new harness and lead and we are trying the walking again. Today my boyfriend took him out for his maiden voyage in London. At first he wasn’t too keen on leaving the door step, and was carried to the park down the road. He sat calmly in my boyfriend’s arms, completely unphased by the weird looks he was getting in his bright red harness. Cats don’t care what youuu think. However once at the park there were a few dogs, so they headed back and kitty lead the way all the way home.
I think it’s a great deal and a happy medium, kitty gets to experience the outside world, without facing the dangers associated with. But my boyfriend still thinks any new cat, that isn’t previously accustomed to being a housecat must have free reign to decide when he comes and goes. He feels so strongly about it, that he refuses to get a new cat unless he can go outside. However I almost prefer not to get a cat, then have him live so close to a main road in a busy and strange London borough. He has compromised with the idea that if we get a kitten, they stay indoors for the beginning, until we move to different area and there is a garden, then the adult cat can choose to go outside. What do you think?
Strike a Pose
I suppose this is fair, but it still makes me nervous and leaves me feeling confused as to what is truly best for the cat itself. To be honest, I’m probably ever so slightly leaning on the ‘indoor cats go for walkies’ side of the fence until there is more nature around us, at the very least. I just need to get kitty to teach me indifference to other peoples bemused stares!
Shop the Look
If you are interested in reading more on arguments for and against indoor and outdoor cats, you can see what vet Pete Wedderburn thinks on the matter here, where he interestingly highlights that there are cultural differences in how different parts of the world think cats should be kept.
The RSPCA provide some useful tips on caring for indoor only cats if you want some more information on how indoor cats can be just as happy and healthy as outdoor cats.
Some people have gone as far as building cat enclosures in their back garden or balcony. However if like me, that isn’t a feasible option for you, I got my kitty harness and lead from Amazon for about £5.
Over to You!
Do you already take your house cat for walks? Maybe you firmly believe cats should have free reign of their own business?
I’d love to know what you think, or if you have them, what you do with your cats, you can write in the comments below and tell us all about it!
Or you can find me on ➳ Twitter ➳ Facebook ➳ Pinterest ➳ Instagram ➳ Google + ➳ #IndoorVSOutdoor
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