Thread: Letting your Maine Coon Out?

oh i know i wouldn be letting my kitty out either or meeka for that matter ive lost a few cats before myself, i have however got a harness and extendable lead for them so i can walk them around my back garden untill such times i could get an enclosure. my house is pretty tiny to keep them cooped up all day but my bak is massive so im sure it would be fun for them out there lol... oh people from where im from would take your eyes from your head and then sel them back to you so i darnt let my cats out lol xx

I work at a vets & see some very sorry sights with cats who have argued with cars or caught in traps & after picking our last little moggy up from the side of the road said no more cats,until we were introduced to the Maine Coon.Now six furry bundles later we have a large pen built on the side of the house with a flap going from sitting room into it giving them the choice of in or out although in nice weather we make the choice for them...! The back garden is not huge so we have high fence & when we are at home they are allowed to run outside.The birds know they are safe & come & annoy them,they have lots of toys to play with & we keep three different baskets so every month we bring new one out & put the other one away so they always have different things to stimulate them & I can think of nothing nicer than in the warm weather sharing a sun lounger with them & the joy they give us as we have formed such a close bond with them all & knowing they are in such a safe happy enviroment makes it a very special relationship & I can sleep happy at night knowing they are safe,nothing like a couple of 10kg mainecoons as hot water bottles .

Jackie

This has been an interesting read.
We let our house cats out, but our youngest one (only 2 years old) was never let outside until he was over a year old. Now he prefers to be inside but he does go outside for short periods of time.
We live in a quiet street, but we have had one cat hit by a car... not pleasant.

But we've decided that we are spending a lot of money on my maine coon and there is no way in the world it will be going outside to roam. I have a shade house out the side of our house that currently is partially enclosed... well it's got shade cloth on it, but that's been torn, so dh is going to enclose it properly and the cats will only be allowed out there and I will set up some ramps and fun things to play with as they will be out there during the day when we're at work.
there's also an old aviary out there, so there is shelter from rain, but also a large tree branch there for the cats to climb.

We're lucky in Australia to have large back yards, but then there is also a lot of dangers for an unprotected cat too.

I think I have obviously been very very lucky. I don't blame you at all for keeping your babies in doors! What an awful world we live in where people can be so vile.

Most MC breeders in the USA have a clause in the sales contract that forbids you from letting their cats outside unsupervised. This is one of the issues that a breeder will discuss with people inquiring about their kittens, and they will refuse to sell to someone that intends to allow the cat outside. At least some of these contracts also try to claim that if you violate the terms of the contract you forfeit ownership of the kitten even. Not sure how breeder would realistically be able to enforce such contracts, but it shows how the breeders feel about this issue in the US. I have never run across a breeder of registered MCs in the US that did not include a prohibition against going outside in their contracts.

I'm still undecided about this. For the moment he will be indoors only but come the summer when the doors are often left open and we tend to live in the garden it may become hard. I would feel sad not letting him out then and it maybe very hard keeping him in. I'm hoping by the time the summer comes he will be so used to being indoors he may not want to venture out. We live down a country lane so I'm not worried about traffic. Any traffic that does past is usually slow and I often see cats (and dogs sometimes) wondering around outside in the front. I think it's sad that they don't get to experience freedom outside in some ways. I understand in some circumstances it is totally impossible and understand wanting to keep them in. If we didn't have a garden or live where we do then I don't suppose he would miss being outside but if we are all out and the sun is shining then I would feel bad. It would be totally impossible for us to enclose our garden as we have a gate at the bottom that leads to six acres and we can't make that cat proof! As for the enclosures we wouldn't have room for that unless it was on the field and that belongs to my mother who keeps horses on it.

Originally Posted by Karena

I'm still undecided about this. For the moment he will be indoors only but come the summer when the doors are often left open and we tend to live in the garden it may become hard. I would feel sad not letting him out then and it maybe very hard keeping him in. I'm hoping by the time the summer comes he will be so used to being indoors he may not want to venture out. We live down a country lane so I'm not worried about traffic. Any traffic that does past is usually slow and I often see cats (and dogs sometimes) wondering around outside in the front. I think it's sad that they don't get to experience freedom outside in some ways. I understand in some circumstances it is totally impossible and understand wanting to keep them in. If we didn't have a garden or live where we do then I don't suppose he would miss being outside but if we are all out and the sun is shining then I would feel bad. It would be totally impossible for us to enclose our garden as we have a gate at the bottom that leads to six acres and we can't make that cat proof! As for the enclosures we wouldn't have room for that unless it was on the field and that belongs to my mother who keeps horses on it.

Is his breeder not stipulating that he is indoor only, then? Mine was stipulated on threat of removal but I would have done that anyway...

Do you remember the heat wave last summer (all one week of it). We had stiffling 30C temperatures outside & we couldn't have windows open as the cat would get out. I would do that for three months if I had to to protect her from a short life expectancy.

Originally Posted by messyhearts

Is his breeder not stipulating that he is indoor only, then? Mine was stipulated on threat of removal but I would have done that anyway...

Do you remember the heat wave last summer (all one week of it). We had stiffling 30C temperatures outside & we couldn't have windows open as the cat would get out. I would do that for three months if I had to to protect her from a short life expectancy.

I would never keep all doors and windows shut in temperatures of 30c unless I had air conditioning! I think it would be very unhealthy and unbearable for my three children and my two dogs little own the cat! I also think it would be extremely unhealthy! If it meant certain death or a short life letting my cat outside then I certainly wouldn't let him out but in my case I'm not sure the cons out way the pros. My point is I'm not sure it is the right thing to do in my situation. I would point out I'm not saying everyone that is keeping their cat in is wrong, and I totally understand your reasoning, I may even end up doing the same. I'm merely saying it is something I will have to think about nearer the time and make up my mind that in my situation if it is right for my cat to go out and enjoy the garden.

I noticed that many people are talking about how they live in a quiet or rural area so there should not be many dangers to outdoor cats. However, at least where we live, the main threats to outdoor cats are not considered cars, but rather diseases and other animals. Cats that are outside may get FeLV or FIV from other cats, there are several tick-borne diseases (some fatal) that crop up occasionally, and heartworm from mosquitoes Then there are large dogs running free, plus we have coyotes and even bobcats that will kill a domestic cat. Cars are way far down on my list as a concern to an outdoor cat.