Monday, January 14, 2013

Infographic: Indoor Cats vs. Outdoor Cats

We know some cats who were formerly feral have a very hard time acclimating to life indoors. That's why so many shelters we know and respect have Barn Cat Programs. 

But the infographic below is why we personally believe that if your cat is happy indoors, it's far safer and better for their health. 

This illustration shows associative aging of an outdoor cat vs. an indoor cat, with the outer brown rings being the equivalent in human years. 

According to the author of the Cat Owner's Manual (published by Quirk Books), the shortened life span of an outdoor cat becomes increasingly apparent after age 2.

Although we agree in principle with this concept, we do wonder what they based this data on...?



18 comments:

  1. Good question. I would have to agree however. Outdoor kitties always get injured more often than ones who stay indoors. My cat never would stay inside though. She came to me from the outdoors and always enjoyed hunting and stuff.

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  2. Barn Program sounds a good compromise. Have a magnificent Monday.
    Best wishes Molly

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  3. We think this is probably pretty accurate and hope they just followed some volunteers to gather their data. We say the proof is in the pudding, er puddy. All of us indoor furbabies have lived much longer than our feral barn community. Great post. Have a happy Monday!

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  4. We know people who feel that a cat's indoor life is so restrictive that it is better for a cat to have access to the outdoors and have a full but possibly shorter life than to live indoors and have a boring, long life. It's a sensitive subject that is for sure. That said, all our cats are indoors and they seem very happy :)


    the critters in the cottage xo

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    1. We agree - sensitive subject. And so hard on us who volunteer at shelters when someone comes in looking for an "outdoor cat" - many of us don't want to let that person adopt! It's a real dilemma....

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  5. Our cats are all indoor only kitties and seem to be happy. They have each other to play with and lots of interactive toys and a safe area for them to view the outdoors. A city environment just isn't safe for kitties to be outdoors (in my opinion). :)

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  6. I've always had indoor cAts too except they are allowed out on a leash or in the Kritter Kondo. Mario is the first who begged to get out the first year we had him. Thus along came the leash and next the KK - in any case we are outside with him to be sure he not get into trouble. I know this is a very sensitive subject, but good to discuss now and then.

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  7. Although I agree that indoor cats have longer, healthier lives than outdoor cats - and there ARE stats to back that up - I am not sure what kind of criteria this infographic is using. The cat before me lived to be 15-1/2 and was indoor/outdoor her whole life. The last year and a half she battled bone cancer. She was still jumping through second story windows and killed her last bird around six or so months before she died. Not like 120+ years old at all! Actually not much like most 72-year-old humans either.

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    1. We're kinda wondering if they didn't do a survey of veterinarians across the U.S. - and if they included some rural areas where predators are more prevalent, that might account for it. If we had to guess, that is!

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  8. We're all indoor here too. We live downtown in the city with a railroad track running right behind our townhouse, so Glogirly wouldn't have it any other way. She'd probably feel the same no matter where we live though. But we play a lot and have lots of attention. I suppose you could say we're *gasp* spoiled.
    ; ) Katie

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  9. We are indoor/restricted outdoor. We have 24 hour access to our large securely fenced garden. We also walk the fields most days weather permitting, but only accompanied by mum. When our mum's MIL died she left 10 cats which our mum took on. They were outdoor cats who had lived in one of the barns, but not feral. Two sisters lived to 23 and 24, the three sons of one of them lived to 15, 18 and 19. Mum doesn't know the ages of the others when they died, but all were over 15.
    Mum never realised how far cats travel when out hunting until one day she was out riding and was about 2 miles from home when she met one of the sister kitties walking up the lane and she asked her what she thought she was doing there and to get back home immediately. The kitty followed mum and her horse all the way back home.

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    1. Allie's like you boys. She only goes out under the strictest supervision! Mommy's afraid of predators we have in our area - she's seen three foxes in the past several years, and there's now report of a coyote nearby who has killed two dogs in their fenced-in backyard.

      When mommy was young, they lived out in the country and had 4 indoor cats and over 20 barn cats. The average lifespan of those outdoor kitties was somewhere between 5 and 7 years. :(

      Mommy told daddy she just couldn't handle coming home to find one of us after an encounter with a fox or other animal - so we're strictly inside. (Except Allie gets those outdoor privileges we boyz covet like mad...*sigh*)

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  10. We are all indoor only.
    And we all like that arrangement just fine! :)

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  11. Oh dear! All of us are indoor-only but we think our new sister Ruby was mostly outdoor at her old home! Our Mom says this makes her believe that Ruby is older than first thought and more determined that she live out a soft, comfortable life. Thanks! Purrs from your friends at Colehauscats.com

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  12. Hmmm, we is not really outdoor cats, but we does gets to go outdoors...we is NEVER EVER allowed out when Mommy and Daddy is not home and never after dark as wes lives in the middle of nowhere and there is lits of wild animals that would thinks cats was a nice snack. Hissy old Licorice was the same and he lived to 18, another previous cat - Kitty was both, and she lived to 23....
    So, is they talking about ferals?
    Kisses
    Nellie

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  13. Austin would not countenance being kept indoors, he would go crazypants! We are fortunate that it is not a particularly dangerous area and he keeps away from moving traffic of which there isn't much! He comes in at night and in fact spends most of the day napping indoors! In the summer he has a sunny place he likes to go nap outside!

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  14. We agree in principle. Mommy started keeping us all indoors after having two cats killed by cars (in a very quiet neighborhood). On the other hand, her indoor-ourdoor cat Fuz lived to be over 21. He was a very smart cat and hated cars.

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  15. We have had cats at my former shelter who simply could not live inside. Very social, loving, but acted out so badly, no one would adopt so she lives happily at a horse barn and is spoiled rotten. I don't like it, but she is alive and very happy and loved. paw pats, Savannah

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Coolio! A comment? For US?