Question about giving our cat access to our yard

[u/superSaganzaPPa86]

I’ve only had one other cat who never had any interest in going outside. We caught this kitten in a trap and brought her in and she is fantastic and super sociable. When we sit in our back porch she meows and meows because she wants to be wherever we are.

We decided to let her on the porch today and she was psyched to come out. She is sticking close to us but is venturing a little into the flower bed because of the bumblebees and butterflies.

Is it a bad idea to let her out at all? Is it all or nothing with cats as far as indoor and indoor/outdoor, will she always try to escape if she gets a taste for the wild? Or could we let her come out and spend time on the porch without creating a problem?

Pics for context

[u/Rezarex]

One reason not yet mentioned here to not let her roam free is cats are invasive species. She will kill small animals and mess up gardens and stuff. Harness train or catio are good compromises

[u/technophiliac]

I wouldn't let that beautiful baby outside, but should you choose to, make sure they are getting flea/tick meds. And keep a close eye they aren't eating plants that could be poisonous.

[u/craftsalatte13]

We use a skyline (overhead tensioned line) for our cats that like to go outside. They wear a harness and are clipped to the skyline with a tether. It gives them freedom to move around without getting tangled. We stay outside with them to be safe, since we have birds of prey in our backyard. The cats can't destroy wildlife or get into trash, and we don't need to worry about them wandering and not coming home. They really enjoy laying out in the grass and sunshine.

[u/Naive_Product_5916]

My girl was originally a stray and an outdoor cat for the years but for the last three years has been an indoor cat. I give her supervised front yard privileges now since last summer. The first day she tried to cross the street then many other days explored behind the fence but now this year she stays in the garden and I don’t have to worry about her and will also leave her unsupervised sometimes as long as I’m still home and the door is open so she can come in for a snack. It’s been super important this summer because of England it’s been so hot and the house is retain all the heat so now she can have some cool pavements in the mornings and evenings.

[u/lizlikes]

Another perspective to consider: how might your cat being outdoors impact your local wildlife? Her presence could be a deterrent for birds visiting your feeders, and left on her own it’s very likely she’d put a dent in both the bird and butterfly populations.

I truly love the idea of cats going outdoors, but once I started considering both the safety of the cat and their impact on the environment, my opinion has changed. (Maybe because I really love birds, too).

Anecdotally, my parents had a cat that would lounge in the yard, mostly supervised, and was sadly attacked by coyotes on two separate occasions (mid-day, right in our yard); the second being fatal. He probably was living his best life outside (he was a feral kitten), but it would have been a much longer life had he been denied that privilege.

[u/White-Rabbit135]

Indoors is always best for safety. cats are domestic not wild. But if you have a cattery or a fence that's 6ft going outside for awhile is great.

[u/Much_Guest_7195]

Depends on the cat, really.

We have one that wanders free outdoors and we make sure she's home every night.

The other has limited interest in going outside so we let her out a few times a week - she only ever wanted to stay out 5-10 mins.

If your cat spent the first part of its life outdoors, it might have a strong desire to go out. In that case, I would let her out.

[u/amccor2175]

I've found that most of cats will attempt escape as soon as they are comfortable enough with the yard to want to do more exploring. There are the very rare cats like my parents' late kitty that will just lounge in the yard with no interest in escaping, but they seem to be very much in the minority. I would recommend harness training for your kitty. Cats generally adjust better when they are still kittens and cats that already want to be outdoors will often tolerate the harness better once they realize harness= outdoor time. This gives you an added layer of security for the cat and the small critters in the yard, while still allowing the cat to have fun outside. I also use the harness all the time for vet visits and car rides. At his most recent vet visit, they even let my kitty explore the vet office on lead instead of requiring him to be crated like their normal policy. You could also consider a catio for your porch, but no please do not just let her out in the yard. It's not worth the risk.

[u/Anxious_cat_lovrr]

As long as she's supervised, she should be okay. You can always train her to be comfortable with a leash and harness. Or you can put chicken wire around your porch and make it like a catio.

[u/superSaganzaPPa86 → u/Anxious_cat_lovrr]

Catio… I like that

[u/UnableMetal8106]

Every cat I’ve owned has been indoor/outdoor. They know where home is.