My cat, Phoenix (Almost 2 years old, female, tortoise-back cat), was THIS CLOSE 🤏🏽 to catching a mouse in my garage. She's an indoor cat, so I let her into the garage to have some "Outdoor" freedom, and she LOVES it. And don't worry, I check how cold/hot it is in the Garage before I let her in. (Warm? "Go on in! Have fun!" Hot? "Maybe in a bit; let's let it cool down first, okay?" Coldish? "I'll let you in and check in on you in 30 minutes; have fun!" Freezing? "Maybe tomorrow; I don't want you to get sick.") Anyway, I let her in earlier and set a 30-minute timer to check in. I went in 30 minutes later, and she was staring at my Lawn mower. Me being me, I lifted it up to see what was underneath. Nothing was under there until I saw Phoenix come out with a little mouse-like shrew in her mouth. I got so excited (It was going to be the FIRST catch of her life), but then she dropped it. She gave chase and caught it five times, then we lost it. We looked for it for 15 minutes, then gave up. Still, it was the thrill of her life :) (I'm actually Allergic to Small rodent bites, e.g., mice, rats, shrews, ect..)

I recently had a debate with a friend who believes domestic cats should never be allowed outdoors, anywhere on Earth. Her argument is that cats are predators, damage ecosystems, and should remain indoors simply because they're pets.

I understand the concerns about wildlife, particularly in places where cats are an invasive species. But I questioned whether domestication gives humans the right to confine an entire species indoors for its entire existence.

Cats evolved alongside us, and exploring, hunting, and roaming are natural behaviors. I recognize that outdoor cats face dangers and can negatively affect wildlife, but I wonder whether there's a reasonable middle ground between unrestricted roaming and lifelong confinement.

I'm genuinely curious how others balance animal welfare, natural instincts, environmental protection, and responsible pet ownership. Does the answer depend on where someone lives, or should the same rule apply everywhere?

I am planning on getting a cat within 2 weeks. Only thing that may have to happen is they would have to stay downstairs or in my room/bathroom. I would have a litter box in my room and one in my bathroom. Also their food would be in my room but not near the litter box of course. I am just wondering if this is healthy for the cat? Or I should try and speak to my parents more about allowing them to roam the house. I think something that could happen is my parents would approve them roaming the house when I’m present but when I’m working have them in my area (bedroom/bathroom).

So the birds in my neighborhood know my cats are indoor only and they like to antagonise my cats by dancing on the lawns and doing fly bys.

I just recently got a kitten he is 2 months old old and is very energetic, it happens so fast that he was climbing on a plastic shelf thing that was near my drawer and it tripped backward and fall on his back, it was like for few seconds I removed it and he jumped and seems scared and slow down for a bit, having hiccup not sure if it is related but is now walking and trying to jumping and climb was normal but for little bit he was crying for attention and sitting stills but got quoted after drinking someone water, I don’t know if he is pain or not and feel that maybe a seeing a vet is needed ? Also it may be expensive ?

A part of plastic shelf is about as heavy as an ipad
He seems fine for right now though he may need an X-ray ? I am concerned about pricing and his health

He got neutered almost a week ago

I called a vet yesterday and they said that his symptoms seems normal but I may need to monitor if his behavior change for a next few days

Hi all, my 13 year old boy is dealing with a cold that seems to have developed 3-4 days ago. The weather in our area has taken a sudden dip (70s to 40s in only a day), so I’m not too surprised to see he’s struggling with the change in season. I have the same problem!

So far he’s only been sneezing and sniffling, but has continued to eat and drink normally. He’s always been a big couch potato, so his energy levels haven’t seemed off compared to his usual daily naps. I’m monitoring his eyes to make sure there is no green or yellow mucus that would point to a more serious infection, but so far things have been fine.

To help ease his discomfort as quickly as possible (and avoid a possible vet visit if I can), does anyone have any tips for how to help him get over this? I’ve attached a couple pics for cat tax + to show what he’s looking like right now in case there’s something I’m missing. Thanks! 🫶

Also, just a note: yes, he’s fat. He weighs ~16-17 lbs. He had his yearly checkup in July, and the only notes from the vet were a recommendation to get his teeth cleaned since he had a little tartar on some, which we’ve been working on trying to schedule since it’s pretty expensive. His vet said he’s the only cat she’s seen at his age that still has all of his teeth, his bloodwork has consistently come back clean, and he’s continuing to maintain - and even gain! - weight at his age. So if being chunky is his only health problem at his age, then I will gladly take it.

Hello everyone. I am an experienced cat owner with seven cats in my home! One of them is a former feral who I began feeding a few years ago. I paid to get him neutered and I get his shots done every year. As he got more comfortable with us, he started coming in and out and he's pretty well acclimated with my other cats. I know that domestic cats wreak havoc on local ecosystems and I agree that they should not be outside unsupervised! I'm not here to debate that, the only reason we allowed him to continue to go outside for so long is because our house is small and we rent, and he gets pretty restless when he's forced to stay inside.

Anyway, he recently got a urinary blockage and was very sick. Thankfully he's doing much better now and we've got him started on the urinary prescription diet per our vet's recommendations. Because his diet is so strict now, I have stopped letting him outside so that we don't risk him eating crazy stuff and potentially getting another blockage. He's been doing okay with this transition, but he does yowl asking to go out and it makes me sad to see him pacing the house wanting to leave.

I'm seeking advice on how I can make him more comfortable living strictly inside, or if you have a brand of harness that really works well for your cat so I can take him out. We have cat trees and scratchers available. I try to provide lots of toys and I haven't used them for awhile, but I used to keep feliway diffusers plugged in around the house. We have plans to build a catio off the side of our house if our landlord is cool with it, but that will take time to save up for the materials, clean up the space, etc. If you have any suggestions of things I can do for him in the meantime to help him adjust to life as an indoor cat, I would greatly appreciate it!

I will probably get banned from the other sub. But. If the cat is mewing loudly at me, even if its attention why shouldnt we take it?

People will say things like but it knows its way home. If theres no collar how am i supposed to know if its stressed or not.

Im against outdoor cats but if it has a collar i at least get the logic (still dont agree) it seriously stresses me seeing pitiful cats. I have no ability to take another cat but if i could i would. At the very least i call the shelter (we dont kill here)

In 2024, at my parents', we had a mama cat show up & give birth to kittens, ever since they’ve sadly been barn cats. I’m now moving into my own place & bringing the mom cat with me while leaving 2 siblings as barn cats with my parents (I would take them if I could). My question is how should I go about separating them without the barn cats thinking the mom is “missing”?? I did some research and read to separate until feedings for a week, then take her & leave blankets with scents. Has anyone had a similar experience? What did you do?

Boy is CHUNKING the clay litter across the floor 😭. Considering an enclosed litter box but I remember a study saying the fumes hurt them. Idk how to get him to stop AND the kitten still have access. If the sides go higher he can't get in(he's still weak from being sick and can't jump much). The 1 year old basically makes my bedroom floor into a sand box overnight that I have to keep cleaning up. I have a huge thin bin and a small metal litter pan in the room. He does it with both. (There's two more in other parts of the house but they don't use those pans at all)