Should I get an "outside" cat ?

[elahon]

[quote AlphaDog]What you might do instead is pledge financial support to a no-kill shelter where cats are living out their natural lives in a "group home" because they are not adoptable or simply haven't been adopted. See if there is any place like that in your area. I know they exist, because that rescue organization that was mentioned by Spearmint's sister does just that, and I know there are several in my area, too.
We make a $100 donation every Christmas to our local shelter, which is a no-kill shelter. When we got our youngest cat, we almost left with 2 or 3 more cats. It's so hard to go into a shelter, looking for a cat or dog, and not want to take the whole bunch with you. But, that's not a possibility, so a donation is the next best thing you can do!

[dk62]

Off main topic, but I still do not understand how those of you with indoors cats keep them indoors, particularly if you have kids runnung in and out of the house all the time. I had best intentions of keeping the kitten we adopted indoors, but did not work out. And after a while of sneaking out when a door was open, we had to start letting him out for the sake of everyone's sanity and his vocal cords. This was a problem for the birds, bunnies, and the like for a while, but we finally found a happy medium of managing to keep him in at night and letting him roam during the day, when he is less likely to make a kill.

[dmann]

dk62- I never knew anyone who had indoor/outdoor pets of any kind until I went to college in Iowa! I live in a big city and don't know anyone who has indoor/outdoor cats (or dogs) as pets. I am sure some people do; I just don't know any personally.

My 14 year old cat is an indoor cat 100% of the time- always has been. I live in a highrise and she does just fine, just as she has in the previous 2 highrises and the walk up I lived in when I got her. She has never ever expressed an interest in going outside. Of course, I would never dream of letting her roam around. The threats from cars, rats that are bigger than she is, other animals etc. scares the living daylights out of me.

DM