Pets inside/outside

[Kevin]

After reading the thread about how people cope with their pets' deaths, I wondered who here had cats/dogs and who thought of them as inside pets vs. outside pets and why?

[Sister Havana]

I have a dog. He's a Welsh Terrier named Barney. Although obviously I take him for walks and let him outside on the chain to go to the bathroom, he's definitely an indoor dog. He's a member of the family! He is allowed on the furniture and sleeps in my bed and I wouldn't have it any other way.

My ex-boyfriend's family had a hunting dog, some sort of hound, that stayed in a kennel outside ALL THE TIME. Granted, this kennel had a roof but I never saw them play with the dog, pet the dog, bring the dog in the house when it got really cold. I thought that was cruel...I'd never do that to a dog.

[tinydancer]

My kitties are indoor kitties. They are safer because my street is fairly busy. Rosebud got out once and stayed outside for 2 weeks, but he stayed right around the house. He just wouldn't come back in. He would sit outside on the window sill and meow but when I opened the door he would run. Finally, one morning at 4 a.m. I opened the door and he just walked back in like he had good sense. He is a silly boo.

[Cluey]

I've always had inside pets, whether they are cats or dogs.

Now, I am thinking of how my 2 kitties would act if they lived outside. They're so sheltered that I don't think they could handle it.

[winnieb]

We have a dog (bulldog - Peaches) and a cat (Lug). Lug is an indoor cat--never goes out. He had a rough life as a kitten, was severly abused and has brain damage (no joke). I wouldn't let Lug out, as he walks funny and I would feel awful if something happened to him. BTW, we adopted him from humane society.

And Peaches, she is primarily an indoor dog. She does go outside and spends the night outside, if it is nice weather--and if she wants. Otherwise she stays inside. However, she does not have free run of the house. If we are gone, she either sleeps in her kennel (in the garage) or in the laundry room.

-wendi

[kappaloo]

When I was little my cats were indoor cats because they were declawed. Though, the one always got out anyways and after awhile (read 12 years) we ended up just letting him come back when he wanted instead of chasing him.

My cat now is an indoor cat. She has claws, but unless I get a pretty secure backyard, I don't think I could stand to have her outside in an urban setting.

[PsychTau]

My two dogs I had in the past (they're both gone now) lived outside. They could occasionally come in for visits (and my last dog Savannah would get to stay inside sometimes when I lived alone), but they were outside pets.

I now have a cat (Little Feet) that was a stray at the apartment complex when we moved in. She originally wouldn't even come near us. We started leaving food out for her, then I would sit by the food while she ate, then she got to where we could pet her. She was considered an outside cat until recently when she decided that sleeping on our bed was much neater than staying outside.

I still consider her an outside cat (she's not litter box trained but other than a bladder infection we've had no inside accidents), but she's spending more and more time inside lately.

PsychTau

[Jill1228]

My 2 cats (who are NOT declawed) are indoor cats. I have
a fear that they would get run over or just disappear. I think it is safer for them to be indoor cats

[juniorgrrl]

Pets are for outside, people are for inside.

You don't realize how bad your house smells with indoor pets, unless you don't have them.

The condo my fiance and I just bought was home to a small dog and an old woman. We've been cleaning continuously for two weeks to get all the fur off the baseboards (and everywhere else) and the dog piss out the carpets.

Only with massive amounts of paint and bleach has the place begun to smell like humans live there.

If we ever have pets they will unequivocally be outside pets.

[AXO_MOM_3]

We have two big dogs - both labs. Ayla can come inside as she is house trained - I usually bring her in when it is cold or Mr. AXOMOM3 is out of town. She can stay in the garage too. Revel never figured out the indoor thing, and if he gets into the garage he drags everything out of the recycle bin and spreads it all over the back yard. He also chews anything and everything. Needless to say - he stays outside ALL the time!

[UKDaisy]

Originally posted by juniorgrrl
Pets are for outside, people are for inside.

You don't realize how bad your house smells with indoor pets, unless you don't have them.

The condo my fiance and I just bought was home to a small dog and an old woman. We've been cleaning continuously for two weeks to get all the fur off the baseboards (and everywhere else) and the dog piss out the carpets.

Only with massive amounts of paint and bleach has the place begun to smell like humans live there.

If we ever have pets they will unequivocally be outside pets.

Pets are for inside too! I think it is mean to keep your pets outside. Your house smells when you DON'T TAKE CARE of your animal. Most people should take care of their animal - therefore the house doesn't stink! For example - my apartment = 1 cat, never have I had a complaint that the apartment stunk (even from sorority sisters that are allergic to cats or boys that hate cats) Another example - my house in Ashland = 3 cats, at a Mary Kay party my consultant was talking away when she saw Pumpkin stroll through the hall - she said "oh I didn't know you had cats". IF she smelled the cats, she would know.

I will never own an animal that is an outside animal. Unless its a big dog and I have a fenced in back yard with an access to a covered shelter that suits the weather. Read my post on the loss of an animal to see why I wouldn't let cats out. Outdoor cats end up missing, hit by a car, or purposely killed. Outdoor dogs normally get blamed for things like tearing up garbage, bathroom on neighbors lawn and if they break away from their leash mean neighbors, kids, or other will call the pound, poison or be mean to the dog. Trust me, maybe I just live on a mean street or know to many horror stories but it happens all the time!!!!

Personally I think about it this way.
-Do you want to stay out on a cold night, steping in an inch of snow when you go to pee or dealing with cold wind when you are coming home?
-Do you want fight others just b/c you accidently went in their property?
-Do you want to sit in the pouring rain or thunderstorm while the person that gives you food is cozy inside?
-Do you want the possibility of your dog or cat to be poisoned by bastards that live or are around your street?
-On Halloween do you want neighborhood boys to kidnap your cat, bury it to its neck and run over it with a lawnmower?
-Would you like to stay outside all day in the sun when its 98 degrees out?

If your answer is no ......then you need to keep your animals indoor. I have way to many horror stories to tell and I help volunteer at a local animal shelter. I am very passionate about keeping animals safe and in good homes. So please keep your animal inside.

And basically for me that means that if I come home to dog pee then I clean it up. Much better than coming home to find a dead dog.

[UKDaisy]

Originally posted by PsychTau
I now have a cat (Little Feet) that was a stray at the apartment complex when we moved in. She originally wouldn't even come near us. We started leaving food out for her, then I would sit by the food while she ate, then she got to where we could pet her. She was considered an outside cat until recently when she decided that sleeping on our bed was much neater than staying outside.

I still consider her an outside cat (she's not litter box trained but other than a bladder infection we've had no inside accidents), but she's spending more and more time inside lately.

PsychTau

Good for you for spending yoru energy with a stray! That is really awesome!!!! And how I adopted 3 wonderful cats!
Also good for you alphagam-alum for adopting Lug, even though he had some damage to him.

[mmcat]

my boy, shadow, is sleeping on a pillow on my bed. he's an indoor cat, with occasional outdoor privileges. i let him out if i am there so he can be protected. he also comes when i call him. pretty good trick for a human society kitty.

[GeekyPenguin]

Originally posted by juniorgrrl
Pets are for outside, people are for inside.

You don't realize how bad your house smells with indoor pets, unless you don't have them.

The condo my fiance and I just bought was home to a small dog and an old woman. We've been cleaning continuously for two weeks to get all the fur off the baseboards (and everywhere else) and the dog piss out the carpets.

Only with massive amounts of paint and bleach has the place begun to smell like humans live there.

If we ever have pets they will unequivocally be outside pets.

Sounds like the problem was a dirty old lady, not the dogs. My family (and everybody else I know) has inside pets and there are a) not pee stains in the carpet because the dog got trained on the tile and b) no fur in the baseboards because our dog doesn't shed.

[ZTAngel]

Originally posted by juniorgrrl
Pets are for outside, people are for inside.

You don't realize how bad your house smells with indoor pets, unless you don't have them.

The condo my fiance and I just bought was home to a small dog and an old woman. We've been cleaning continuously for two weeks to get all the fur off the baseboards (and everywhere else) and the dog piss out the carpets.

Only with massive amounts of paint and bleach has the place begun to smell like humans live there.

If we ever have pets they will unequivocally be outside pets.

I'm guessing that the old woman who use to live in your condo did not regularly bathe her dog or clean up immediately after the dog peed on the floor.
I have a cat back at my parents' place. You would never know we had one. Her litter box is cleaned out daily.
The only time my boyfriend's apartment has smelled like his dog is when his roommate forgot to take care of him while my boyfriend and me went away for an extended period. Other than that, you would never know there was a dog in the apartment.
I know very few people who have homes that smell like their pets. Usually, these are the people who are not washing their dog, cleaning up the slober, cleaning out the litter box, or cleaning up after their pet uses the bathroom indoors.