When we had cats, I made sure that they were spayed and neutered. But they're not good for the bird population. They should be kept indoors, not to mention how easily they catch fleas. It had gotten to the point that none of the over the counter solutions worked, and you need to take out a small loan to afford to properly treat them.

[–] iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works 13 points 4 months ago (2 children)

They're not good for the birds, but perhaps even more importantly, the outdoors isn't good for them. The life expectancy of an indoor cat versus an outdoor cat can be 10+ years longer.

[–] Worstdriver@lemmy.world 5 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

Growing up, (I'm in my 50s) we had an orange tabby that went indoors and outdoors as much as he wanted. The cat supplemented his kibble by killing and eating (confirmed by observation) birds and rodents in the area. He lived to be 23. Most cats like him that I've known all had lifespans into the high teens.

I think you mean feral, as opposed to outdoor. In which case I would agree with your statement.

I should add, that as an adult, I currently own two cats obtained from rescue services and both are exclusively indoor cats.

[–] iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works 4 points 4 months ago (1 children)

No, I don't mean feral. I said what I meant.

[–] Worstdriver@lemmy.world 3 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Then can you quote your source for your statement? My experiential information is counter to your claim, so I would like to see your data so I can improve my understanding.

[–] iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works 6 points 4 months ago (1 children)

It should seem somewhat obvious after thinking about it for a moment. Outdoor access means more exposure to diseases and parasites, exposure to predators, and exposure to traffic.

Here's just one study. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2018.0840

I encourage you to ask any vet or your local humane society.

[–] Worstdriver@lemmy.world 4 points 4 months ago

Appreciate not getting a snarky comeback. My personal experience has been outdoor/indoor cats lead long, satisfying lives. But my experience could be an outlier which is why I asked for your source.

Will definitely give this a read once I'm done work. Again, much appreciated

[–] cheers_queers@lemm.ee 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

i could throw in my own anecdotal experience of being raised owning dozens of cats over my life, that the outdoors is very dangerous to tame cats. my dad counted it as a win if a couple kittens from each litter of our tamed barn cats would make it a year. even out in the country we had "traffic" kill a decent amount, and the wild animals did the rest. not to mention eating partially rotted dead animals and getting sick, etc.

but I prefer data, which shouldn't be that hard to find. :)

[–] Worstdriver@lemmy.world 1 points 4 months ago

Weirdly enough, actual lifespan comparisons seem to be very hard to find. Studies showing slightly higher disease (4%) rates. Higher rates of eating things their owner didn't give them. Higher dangers from traffic, cars, etc. but I have yet to an actual study with lifespan numbers, let alone the 3-5 yrs vs 10-15 I've seen bandied about.

I'm still looking for it as a lower lifespan sounds logical, but I've seen enough things defy apparent logic to not just accept the statement without supporting documentation.

Let me clear. I support in principle the statement that indoor cats live longer, I just haven't found the proof for it yet.

[–] datelmd5sum@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

What counts as an outdoor cat? Ours spends her days in the backyard on a leash.

[–] iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works 4 points 4 months ago

Backyard on a leash and monitored is very responsible! When people say outdoor cat, they are typically referring to cats that are allowed outdoors with no leash and no supervision.