In or out?

Hi group.

Just got a kitten (Our first cat) She's 7 weeks old.

I don't know what to do regarding whether to keep her indoors all the time
or let her out.

I think with winter coming and the cat being so young, I will keep her
indoors till the spring when things start warming up and decide what to do
from there.

Is it ok to keep cats indoors all the time? Or do they 'need' to be let
out? Does it have to be a 'one or the other' decision?

If it is, will keeping the kitten indoors over winter have an effect on the
in/out option come spring time?

I'd like to know peoples views on this?

One other thing. Is it normal for a kitten to 'purr' constantly? When I
say 'purr', it's not like the purrs I've heard from adult cats when they're
being stroked. It doesn't seem like she's purring because something nice is
happening to her, as in, say, being stroked. This goes on for most of the
time she's awake. Is it normal for a kitten to 'purr' like this?

Cheers

Jay

"Jay Kaner" wrote in message
...
Hi group.

Just got a kitten (Our first cat) She's 7 weeks old.

I don't know what to do regarding whether to keep her indoors all the time
or let her out.

I think with winter coming and the cat being so young, I will keep her
indoors till the spring when things start warming up and decide what to do
from there.

Is it ok to keep cats indoors all the time? Or do they 'need' to be let
out? Does it have to be a 'one or the other' decision?

No they don't need to be let out. A cat can stay indoors all their life
with no problems

If it is, will keeping the kitten indoors over winter have an effect on
the
in/out option come spring time?

7 weeks is just a baby IMO KEEP THE FURBALL INSIDE. This will start a major
debate but think about the area you live in how many cars go by a 3 mile
radius of your house daily. Winter will kill a baby cat if they can't find
shelter. Think about all the predators out there and not just animal think
about human and the dangers they will cause purposely.


But it also depends on the are you live in the USA has more dangers than
say Europe. You have to make the judgment call. Think about it from a
child point of view what will they get into and what can hurt them

Phil has a great site about all of this
http://www.maxshouse.com/outdoor_risks.htm

I'd like to know peoples views on this?

One other thing. Is it normal for a kitten to 'purr' constantly? When
I
say 'purr', it's not like the purrs I've heard from adult cats when
they're
being stroked. It doesn't seem like she's purring because something nice
is
happening to her, as in, say, being stroked. This goes on for most of
the
time she's awake. Is it normal for a kitten to 'purr' like this?

Cheers

Jay


A cat will purr even when it is dying or in pain.

Suddenly, without warning, Jay Kaner exclaimed (28-Nov-06 11:56 AM):
Hi group.

Just got a kitten (Our first cat) She's 7 weeks old.

I don't know what to do regarding whether to keep her indoors all the time
or let her out.

I think with winter coming and the cat being so young, I will keep her
indoors till the spring when things start warming up and decide what to do
from there.

Is it ok to keep cats indoors all the time? Or do they 'need' to be let
out? Does it have to be a 'one or the other' decision?

If it is, will keeping the kitten indoors over winter have an effect on the
in/out option come spring time?

I'd like to know peoples views on this?

One other thing. Is it normal for a kitten to 'purr' constantly? When I
say 'purr', it's not like the purrs I've heard from adult cats when they're
being stroked. It doesn't seem like she's purring because something nice is
happening to her, as in, say, being stroked. This goes on for most of the
time she's awake. Is it normal for a kitten to 'purr' like this?

Cheers

Jay



Oh, you've opened a can of worms here! This is a subject that often
devolves into a flameware.

I'm a moderate on this subject. I think if it has to be black or white,
all indoor is better than all outdoor. She'll be healthier, and live
longer, as an indoor cat. If you give her plenty of attention and
sufficient toys, etc to keep her occupied, she'll be a happy indoor
kitty as well.

However, if you have a safe, enclosed outdoor area, I see no harm in
letting her outside, "under supervision". This is what Meep gets. We
let her outside in our enclosed back yard, but only when we're home, and
if we're not out there, we check on her periodically. She's never out
at night, or out when we're not home. It's our choice to offer to let
her go out, but her choice whether she does so.

As for the purring... cats do purr for other reasons than happiness.
I've never come across a kitten that purrs continuously, but that
doesn't mean much. Is there anything else that seems off about her?
Does she seem quieter than you'd expect a kitten to be? Does she eat
and eliminate normally? Does she cry, or hiss at odd times? It's
probably nothing, but if anything else seems odd about her, a call to
the vet wouldn't be amiss.

At any rate, if you haven't already, you should take her to the vet for
a checkup anyway, find out what shots she needs and when... and you can
ask the vet about her purring.

jmc

Jay Kaner wrote:

Just got a kitten (Our first cat) She's 7 weeks old.
I don't know what to do regarding whether to keep her indoors all the time
or let her out.
At seven weeks, she is too small anyways to be outside.

I think with winter coming and the cat being so young, I will keep her
indoors till the spring when things start warming up and decide what to do
from there.
Whatever you decide to do, make sure all of her vaccinations are
up-to-date and she is spayed before you let her outside, or you will
likely end up with a litter of kittens.

Is it ok to keep cats indoors all the time?
It is ok to keep a cat indoors, provided they've never know anything
else. Preferably you should have two cats though, so they can keep each
other company. Maybe there's still a littermate of the kitten
available?

Or do they 'need' to be let out? Does it have to be a 'one or the other' decision?
You will hear lots of opinions about this - I have always adopted adult
cats which had been outdoor-only / indoor-outdoor when I adopted them,
so they remained that way. I have a bias towards trying to leave a cat
indoors if you adopt a kitten (kittens). If they accept it, great, if
not, you may decide to let them outside IF you live in a safe
environment, the cats are neutered, microchipped and have all their
vaccinations. Keep in mind that you will need to treat for fleas and
deworm regularly.

If it is, will keeping the kitten indoors over winter have an effect on the in/out option come spring time?
She will know her home well by the time you start letting her out :-)

Jay Kaner wrote:
Hi group.

Just got a kitten (Our first cat) She's 7 weeks old.

I don't know what to do regarding whether to keep her indoors all the time
or let her out.

I think with winter coming and the cat being so young, I will keep her
indoors till the spring when things start warming up and decide what to do
from there.

Is it ok to keep cats indoors all the time? Or do they 'need' to be let
out? Does it have to be a 'one or the other' decision?

If it is, will keeping the kitten indoors over winter have an effect on the
in/out option come spring time?

I'd like to know peoples views on this?

One other thing. Is it normal for a kitten to 'purr' constantly? When I
say 'purr', it's not like the purrs I've heard from adult cats when they're
being stroked. It doesn't seem like she's purring because something nice is
happening to her, as in, say, being stroked. This goes on for most of the
time she's awake. Is it normal for a kitten to 'purr' like this?

Cheers

Jay

For Gods shake let your cat out,she has to discover,play and learn in
natural enviroment.Do not have your cat caged in your
appartment,especially now that she is young no matter how many silly
cat toys you have

"Jay Kaner" wrote in
:

Hi group.

Just got a kitten (Our first cat) She's 7 weeks old.

I don't know what to do regarding whether to keep her indoors all the
time or let her out.

I think with winter coming and the cat being so young, I will keep her
indoors till the spring when things start warming up and decide what
to do from there.

Is it ok to keep cats indoors all the time? Or do they 'need' to be
let out? Does it have to be a 'one or the other' decision?

If it is, will keeping the kitten indoors over winter have an effect
on the in/out option come spring time?

I'd like to know peoples views on this?

One other thing. Is it normal for a kitten to 'purr' constantly?
When I say 'purr', it's not like the purrs I've heard from adult cats
when they're being stroked. It doesn't seem like she's purring
because something nice is happening to her, as in, say, being stroked.
This goes on for most of the time she's awake. Is it normal for a
kitten to 'purr' like this?

Cheers

Jay



I've had indoor cats and outdoor cats. The indoor cats lived to be 17
and 19 years of age. The outdoor ones all died around 12 and cost me a
fortune in vet bills (cat fights, flea treatments, etc.).

We made sure our indoor cats knew the outside of their house by taking
them out on a leash & harness regularly. If your cat runs out (as most
do) or a visitor or burglar lets her out, you want her to know the
smells outside her house so she can find her way back. However, never
leave her outside on the leash unattended because she might be attacked
and defenseless.

If I had my druthers, all my cats would be indoor cats. Birds and
chipmunks are safer, and so are the cats (think cars, dogs, other cats,
falls from trees or fences, poisons left out by nasty neighbours who are
fed up with your cat digging their flower or vegetable gardens, etc.).


Bobble

--
Have you hugged your cat today?

Sonny's web page -- http://web.ncf.ca/ai151/index2.html

"_eek_"

snipped for just being posted by this person

Get some mental help.

On Tue, 28 Nov 2006, Jay Kaner wrote:

Hi group.

Just got a kitten (Our first cat) She's 7 weeks old.

I don't know what to do regarding whether to keep her indoors all the time
or let her out.

I think with winter coming and the cat being so young, I will keep her
indoors till the spring when things start warming up and decide what to do
from there.

Is it ok to keep cats indoors all the time? Or do they 'need' to be let
out? Does it have to be a 'one or the other' decision?

If it is, will keeping the kitten indoors over winter have an effect on the
in/out option come spring time?

I'd like to know peoples views on this?

One other thing. Is it normal for a kitten to 'purr' constantly? When I
say 'purr', it's not like the purrs I've heard from adult cats when they're
being stroked. It doesn't seem like she's purring because something nice is
happening to her, as in, say, being stroked. This goes on for most of the
time she's awake. Is it normal for a kitten to 'purr' like this?

Cheers

Jay

I agree with the others who've said 7 weeks is too young to go outside
alone. I personally keep my cats indoors only. Some people think that's
mean. But the last cat I allowed to be indoor-outdoor disappeared when he
was only 18 months old. That's the last cat I allowed to go outside. I
live in a rural area, and I thought he'd be OK out there since I had
another cat at the time who came and went as he pleased. He lived to be
17, but he was the exception, I think. There are many dangers outside --
cars, dogs, people.

I also think it's important for indoor kitties to have another cat as a
playmate. They need their own furniture, too. I have lots of cat trees
and other things for them to rip to shreds.

My brother has two cats that he lets roam anywhere they want. They kill
everything they can find. I'm sure that most of the pheasant babies in
the area have fallen prey to these two cats. That's another reason I
don't like to let the cats outside. Mine get their killing thrills by
getting a mouse or two a year who think it's a good idea to come in here
when it starts to get cold.

I don't know about the purring thing either. I had a cat once who purred
if you looked at him. But kittens will purr to comfort themselves. He's
a little young to be taken away from his mother and his siblings, and he
may be doing so much purring because he's lonesome for feline
companionship. I suggest you get another kitten and let them grow up
together. The best time to introduce a second cat is when they are so
young and will take to each other easily.

Good luck!

Eva

By all means, keep the cat inside when she's young. At seven weeks old,
she is far too young - unsupervised or supervised. If you decide to go
indoors/outdoors, do some hard calculating about how safe the outdoor
area is, introduce her outdoors with a harness and
make sure she is supervised the first dozen plus times she ventures
outside and that you do not leave her outside unsupervised until you
know the extent of her territory, the other neighborhood cats, and that
she knows to stay away from the street and moving cars.
Also, she must be spayed prior to going outside. And it is okay to keep
her indoors with a playmate if you decide to go that way.

-Tracy

Eva Quesnell wrote:
On Tue, 28 Nov 2006, Jay Kaner wrote:

Hi group.

Just got a kitten (Our first cat) She's 7 weeks old.

I don't know what to do regarding whether to keep her indoors all the time
or let her out.

I think with winter coming and the cat being so young, I will keep her
indoors till the spring when things start warming up and decide what to do
from there.

Is it ok to keep cats indoors all the time? Or do they 'need' to be let
out? Does it have to be a 'one or the other' decision?

If it is, will keeping the kitten indoors over winter have an effect on the
in/out option come spring time?

I'd like to know peoples views on this?

One other thing. Is it normal for a kitten to 'purr' constantly? When I
say 'purr', it's not like the purrs I've heard from adult cats when they're
being stroked. It doesn't seem like she's purring because something nice is
happening to her, as in, say, being stroked. This goes on for most of the
time she's awake. Is it normal for a kitten to 'purr' like this?

Cheers

Jay

I agree with the others who've said 7 weeks is too young to go outside
alone. I personally keep my cats indoors only. Some people think that's
mean. But the last cat I allowed to be indoor-outdoor disappeared when he
was only 18 months old. That's the last cat I allowed to go outside. I
live in a rural area, and I thought he'd be OK out there since I had
another cat at the time who came and went as he pleased. He lived to be
17, but he was the exception, I think. There are many dangers outside --
cars, dogs, people.

I also think it's important for indoor kitties to have another cat as a
playmate. They need their own furniture, too. I have lots of cat trees
and other things for them to rip to shreds.

My brother has two cats that he lets roam anywhere they want. They kill
everything they can find. I'm sure that most of the pheasant babies in
the area have fallen prey to these two cats. That's another reason I
don't like to let the cats outside. Mine get their killing thrills by
getting a mouse or two a year who think it's a good idea to come in here
when it starts to get cold.

I don't know about the purring thing either. I had a cat once who purred
if you looked at him. But kittens will purr to comfort themselves. He's
a little young to be taken away from his mother and his siblings, and he
may be doing so much purring because he's lonesome for feline
companionship. I suggest you get another kitten and let them grow up
together. The best time to introduce a second cat is when they are so
young and will take to each other easily.

Good luck!

Eva

Oh, you've opened a can of worms here! This is a subject that often
devolves into a flameware.

I'm a moderate on this subject. I think if it has to be black or white,
all indoor is better than all outdoor.

I agree and prefer indoor/outdoor scheme. As I said before here, my
neighbour has an indoor/outdoor cat who is 14 years old, and still in great
shape.
At such young age I'd only take her out in my hands, but kittens try to
escape when they want to play so that's not always safe.
Of course, every case is a little diferent, for example here where I live we
don't have a lot of traffic (our gests from cities always say that they had
best nights of sleep in their lives) so very few people keep cats always
indoors. I teached my cat (6 month old, male) that it's OK to be outside
during the day, but that he'll come in at night. He doesen't mind that at
all, and even when he's outside he's always close to us (on the terrace or
around the trees). On few occasions he went to neighbours' yards but they
don't mind him and know him well. Those living in flats keep cats indoors of
course, but one of my friends who's in such situation has a cat that is
overweight and passive, cause they don't have much time to play with him and
never let him outside. So I don't think there's a perfect sollution, but I'd
advise you to introduce her to the outdoors carefully and gradually. Good
luck!

She'll be healthier, and live
longer, as an indoor cat. If you give her plenty of attention and
sufficient toys, etc to keep her occupied, she'll be a happy indoor kitty
as well.

However, if you have a safe, enclosed outdoor area, I see no harm in
letting her outside, "under supervision". This is what Meep gets. We let
her outside in our enclosed back yard, but only when we're home, and if
we're not out there, we check on her periodically. She's never out at
night, or out when we're not home. It's our choice to offer to let her go
out, but her choice whether she does so.

As for the purring... cats do purr for other reasons than happiness. I've
never come across a kitten that purrs continuously, but that doesn't mean
much. Is there anything else that seems off about her? Does she seem
quieter than you'd expect a kitten to be? Does she eat and eliminate
normally? Does she cry, or hiss at odd times? It's probably nothing, but
if anything else seems odd about her, a call to the vet wouldn't be amiss.

At any rate, if you haven't already, you should take her to the vet for a
checkup anyway, find out what shots she needs and when... and you can ask
the vet about her purring.

jmc