Should Cats Be Allowed To Stay Out All Night ?

Hi Lizzie

Well this is a simple one. No cat should EVER be allowed to stay out all night long. That is when accidents happen, particularly road traffic accidents.

There is also a growing trend in certain parts of the UK for 'cat catchers' to roam the streets at night, gathering up and kidnapping as many cats as they can. Cat skins are big business and are used to make up all kinds of trendy clothes, which you will see labelled as rabbit or 'real fur'. It could well be from a kidnapped cat.

There is one part of the UK which has been dubbed the 'Bermuda Triangle' for cats. Hundreds have disappeared over the last year or so.

So be advised - get your cat onto a routine. Let them out for a late night time to 'do their business' then call them in. Don't give them their final feed of the night until AFTER they have been outside and returned. After three days or so of the same routine, they will do it automatically.

It goes without saying that you will need to provide a litter tray (at least one) for them, so that they can use it during the night if they need to.

Having said that, every cat we have ever had soon settles down into a routine of going outside, coming in and eating, and then maybe using the litter box, and then settling down somewhere cosy (usually my bed) for the night.

If everyone in the UK did this, then the criminals who hurt cats for the value of their fur would soon go out of business.

Regards

I am the organiser for the local Cats Protection League here in Scotland, and we ALWAYS tell people who adopt cats from us NEVER to let their cats out at night.

That is the time when your cat is at most risk of being cat-napped or of having a terrible road accident.

You can easily keep them in by establishing a firm routine. The trick is not to feed them the last meal of the night, until you know they are safely inside and they cant get out again until the morning.

Make sure you remember to provide them with at least one tray of cat litter which they understand they can use. With very young kittens, we teach them to use newspaper on the floor in a corner somewhere which is easy to clean, and then when they are big enough to climb into the cat litter box, we put a litter box on top of a layer of newspapers. In that way the association is made in the cats mind from newspapers on the floor to the litter tray.

There are plenty of free information leaflets available from the CPL (Cats Protection League) which will tell you all kinds of things about cats.

But for online information, it is hard to beat this site. I am a regular 'lurker' here and always happy to answer questions.

We lost our cat at night. She just disappeared. We put notices up all over the neighbourhood trying to find her, offering rewards and in the local newspapers, but nothing.

Then about a month later, there was a big headline in the local paper saying that cats had been disappearing for about six months, from our area. The police had caught them and they were prosecuted, but were out very quickly.

The moral of this story is ALWAYS keep your cat in the house at night.

It breaks my heart to think of what our poor puss went through all because we did not bring her into the safety of our house at night.

Dierdra

If you love your cat, you will keep him or her in the house at night. That is the time when they get hurt, mostly by road traffic accidents, but also by fighting and being kidnapped for their fur.

This kidnapping 'business' is fast expanding, and you really should take it seriously. It is very easy to keep them in at night, especially if you have one of the cat flaps which can be set to stop them using it to get out from the inside.

It is kinder to your cat, and you will be saving yourself untold heartache when he or she goes missing, never to return.

Any representative of the RSPCA or CPL will tell you the same thing. They have free leaflets at their offices for anyone who needs to see it in writing.

Keep your feline friend safe. You wouldn't fail to have a male cat (or a female cat) neutered for their own safety, so why would you let them out into the night with all its dangerous aspects?

Nothing much to add to this thread, just that it is WRONG to let your cats out at night to roam the streets.

If you want them safe, keep them indoors at night. You will have to get into a routine, dont feed them before they go out at night and then about ten mins later, we call ours in.

She comes because she knows she will be fed then. Then lock the cat flap and keep her it.

It is safe for her, and gives you peace of mind.

Hi,

First time on here and I understand everyone's views. The cat-napping for fur issue is something I'd never heard of and is quite awful.

My cat, keith, is a shelter cat that we've had for 6 months now. During the winter he would go outside for a couple of hours each evening but always return before bed. We never feed him before letting him out and this has always seemed to do the trick.

With the weather being better over the past week or so he has now started to stay out later and later. I've stayed up until 3am a couple of times waiting for him to come home but this is obviosuly unsustainable in the long term.

The problem seems to be worse when we've see him playing / fighting with a local cat (male) in the area. I've tried calling him in, but he just ignores me and doesn't allow me anywhere near him when this other cat is present.

For the first time last night we had to leave him out all night. When i got up in the morning he was curled up under my car looking a little worse for wear and very happy to be let back into the warm to get some breakfast.

Not letting him out at all isn't an option as he is very much an indoor / outdoor cat and would be very depressed if we were to keep him in all of the time. I would dearly love for him to come in when i want him to before i go to bed but I can't see how this can be achieved if he simply doesn't listen.

Has anyone got any ideas on how i can make it seem more attractive to come to bed, particulalrly when his pal / foe the local cat is around???

Many Thanks,

Stu

Ps. Which area of the country is this 'Bermuda Triangle' of cat-napping??? I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

We let our cat to out even all night. You know cats - they are so independant :)

Cat owners need to be educated about the dangers of the night for cats.

Almost ALL accidents occur at night. Whether it is a road trafffic accident involving a car or cat-kidnapping which is on the increase in the UK.

ALWAYS KEEP YOUR CAT IN THE HOME AT NIGHT IF YOU LOVE THEM.

We lost two cats to cat kidnapping in the last year.

Jess

There is one simple rule which should be tatooed on cat owners foreheads.

NEVER LET YOUR CAT OUT AT NIGHT

End of story.

Nita

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO

NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER

let your pet cat out at night. That is when most road traffic accidents happen, AND when the cat stealers (who want your cat for their fur) are around.

Call in to your police station and ask if there have been any areas where cats have gone missing en masse - you will likely get a shock how widespread this is..........

They export them to China for making into fashion clothing.

DISGUSTING

I have a problem with my cat as she will now not come in at night. I think no harm will come to her as she just sits on a patch of grass under a tree in my garden. I would rather she came in though but just can not catch her.

I googled the question about whether I should let my cat out at night and this site came up. I am so pleased it did as the message is loud and clear and I know I am doing the right thing! My cat came to me from NAWT 4 weeks ago and settled in beautifully. She seemed keen to go out quite early (I live indented property with no cat flap options) but I followed guidelines and kept her in for 3 weeks then let her out hungry for short intervals. At first she roamed along fences and into other gardens and even on my garage roof! But now she just does a circuit of the garden then wants back in. I was never keen to let her out at night but since she doesn't go out much during the day and sleeps most if the time, I worry that I am denying her her hunting time. Do you still think I am right to keep her in? should I be more tough during the day and leave her out there for a couple of hours? She has a cat carrier under a bush invade it rains. thanks for you help, sorry for the essay!!!!!
Lauren x :)

I lost my cat last Friday morning. I never let them out at night and they went out at 7.30am and one of them has not been seen since. I have since found out that 2 others disappeared in my area around the same time. I can only assume they have all been cat napped. Of course, I am still looking for her. I have put leaflets thro doors and and a picture on lamp posts and put an advert in the local paper. My other cat is ok thank god. But I'm devastated. I live in Hamsey Green, Croydon, Surrey.

I don't understand catnapping. Surely it is easier and much much much cheaper to breed cats especially for their fur over in china rather than going to the trouble of catching domestic cats in the middle of the night and paying to have them exported. This seems like nonsense to me. It is much more likely that some horrible Chav with an air rifle and terrier has attacked these cats as it seems to be rife in south Yorkshire.

No, they shouldn't be allowed out at all! I'm not exactly what you would call an animal lover but neither do I dislike animals, but I get enraged at cat owners who think it's fine for them to let their cats out to roam at will, using other people's gardens as a toilet, destroying plants not to mention property. Cats should be licensed as dogs are and owners held responsible for their pets, the operative word here being 'pet', it's not a feral cat it's a domestic pet and should therefore be under the control of the owner at all times. Maybe if prospective cat owners had to pay a hefty licence fee and also be liable to fines if complaints are made about their cat then they would think twice about owning one. If you aren't prepared to keep your cat indoors or at least have an enclosed area in your garden which it can't escape from then you shouldn't have one.

How angry :( My cat is always allowed outside. Nad at least cats are not as noisy as dogs!

Hi All

Have had my cat for about three months now. We got him from a cat rescue. He is five years old and neutered.

We kept him in the house fro five weeks. Then after installing a cat flap we let him out and it ws a great feeling hearing him coming back home through the flap.

We close the cat flap at night so he can't get out.

But for the last couple of nights he has been "mee-owing" at the door just when it's my bed time a time ... that is .... the time when normally he is usually settled down indoors for the night. He won't take no for an answer and his mee-owing is annoying since I feel so guilty at not lettting him out ....not to mention his mee-woing is keeping me awake !! ! : )

Any tips on what''s the matter and how to get things under control would be really really appreciated.

Vince

get a life you saddos,
cats are animals, have been on this planet as long as us, and are built to live outside, have you never noticed the fur coat as standard, sharp teeth and razor claws.
My two cats roam the neighbourhood getting into all sorts of mischief and they love it.
if your cat wants to go out, let him/her out, and if they want to come in, well you get the gist!
oh yeah, cat nabbers....do me a favour!!!!

I am split on this, but tend to agree with the last post about cats essentially being wild animals that we have domesticated. Their instinct is to hunt and to roam within their territory. I let my cat Benny out all night if he wants to go out. He used to have a catflap and was used to coming and going, but now we have moved house he lets me know when he wants to go out and if he doesn't come back I go to bed! Every morning he seems to have evaded the evil clutches of the car fur gangs. Which brings me onto another point. Who exactly are these people and has anyone actually ever been caught in the act or brought to trial? I am not necessarily disputing the trade, but it does sound a little like scare tactics to me. Are there teams of villains in balaclavas shaking boxes of Go-Cat on every street corner after midnight?

And as for stopping them hunting small animals. Is that our right? I too get upset if Benny brings a mouse home. Actually, it's usually just the head. ::roll:: But it is part of nature and has been happening for years. If I catch him with a live one I will try to get it off of him and release it. No matter how much we domesticate any creature the fact is that evolution has got the upper hand. As with most things it comes down to common sense. If you live near a very busy road, yes probably best to keep your cat indoors. If you see a car full of shifty looking people holding a tin of sardines and a butterfly net, again keep your cat indoors! :)

Oh and as for the poster who said we should follow our cats into neighbours gardens to clear up with them. Erm..is that not called trespassing? I thought I had heard it all! :)

Most cats are crepuscular (most active during dawn and dusk), so coupled with the fact that they are essential wild animals that only recently in the scheme of evolution have been domesticated its arguable that its cruel to enclose and trap them during this time. It would be like putting you in Jail just for the waking day but releasing you at night. You can not penalise all cats for the extremely rare act of cat kidnapping, which by all accounts is localised problem anyway. So before you make a decision are you doing whats right for your cat or for yourself?

We don't live in the UK and our cats are used to spending the night outside (mostly, sometimes they prefer to stay in). Every morning for years now, they are waiting at the door by 6am to come in for breakfast....
Four days ago our male cat (neutered as a kitten) didn't show up. We looked for four days and called the humane society and everything. We were sure he was run over by a car or something.
Tonight we got a call from TWO DOORS DOWN - he was in a bush there for the last two nights. We can't figure out why on earth our cat would suddenly not come home (he's exhausted, filthy and wet) and he was just a few hundred meters from his house!!

Anyone have some advice? We took him to the vet right away but other than a fever (which might be from stress) he appears fine.
There have been no changes in his life recently except we're sitting for my sister's dog (but we've done that tons of times since he was a kitten and he could care less about her).
Any insight would be much appreciated - as anyone whose lost a cat before knows - you don't want to go through that again!!

I have a brother and sister who are nearly 2 and we did all the right things to introduce them to the outside gradually because we love them and want to treat them right. I recently got into the habit of feeding them before I go to bed and locking the catflap for the night. It took my girl Dolly a while to settle down but her brother would jump right in his bed for the night. It was also to keep uninvited guests out at night and also we get foxes in our garden occasionally but not often. However recently Dolly has started to create a racket at night and paws and cries at the catflap relentlessly. I have now started to let her out again at night because we work and it was keeping us awake into the small hours. She's in her bed sound asleep every morning and of the neighbours who have/had cats, one died recently of old age and last year another just curled up and passed away also 15 yrs old. I'm still uneasy about her being out at night though and I think I'll go back to trying to get her into the routine of staying in. However, I think we need to keep it in perspective. If I lived near a main road for instance or there was 'catnapping' stories in the area, I would definitely think again. I love my cats and they have a wonderful life so I'm just going on instinct. Also for the person who thinks we should crawl through brambles and hedges to follow our cats into our neighbours gardens - please!!! My cats defecate in one area of my garden and bury it very well. The rain washes it away. I actually gave my neighbour a water pistol when my cats first started to go out and gave him permission to direct a jet of water at them if he caught them using his garden. Not to hurt them in any way, just to send them home to do their business which they did and we all live happily together.

I have two cats both of which go out at night. I was previously told car accidents were less at night because obviously there are hardly any cars about. I will continue to let my cats out to have fun at night. Cat napping, honestly this is ridiculous!

It is funny how some of the comments that tell the story of cat-napping and road accidents say exactly the same, just with different words. I wonder if it is not one person writing variations on the same thing.

How do you catch a cat to sell the four to the Chinese? lol. A few are very tame, all right, but most of them just ran from strangers. Actually the big danger is some cat hater shooting the cats.

The night is the best time for cats, because they have night vision and at the same time are more "invisible", can hide more easily. Cats are hunters by nature (even if some don't do it).

It all depends on the area where you live, of course and of the neighbourhood too.

Cats are not toys.

If you want a toy go to Toys R us or any department store and buy a toy cat. There is a lot of models for all tastes. Soft cats, wind-up cats, small cats, big cats, etc. etc., even lions and tigers and panthers or elephants.

If you insist on a living creature, get an aquarium with red fish, or other colour.

Do not get a cat unless you really love cats and you are prepared to have a happy cat and your cat won't be happy if you keep it imprisoned. Cats are not children (unless they are kittens....) and they know how to care for themselves.

Are there risks? Yes, but there are risks for you too when you go outside. Would you prefer to live in a nice house but with never never going outside? If you stay inside, you won't be mugged, robbed, assaulted or violated in any way, you won't have arguments, won't meet unfriendly people (except on the internet), won't be harassed by bullies and neither will you be bullied by the police. No risk of being sent to Guantánamo or other torture centre in this age of loss of rights. So, would you prefer to stay inside for the rest of your life?

Only cat haters will recommend to let the cats locked and the use of techniques to force them to stop crying for freedom.

We had the same problems with out cats. we used a heavy box or something to cover up the cat flap as well as locking the catflap, we found that the cats wouod settle down if they couldnt see outside the flap as they could see they couldnt get out so didnt bother trying. They will get use to it. keeping going in time they will settle down, just keep at it and get them in the same time if possible. get them int a routine. our cats have got use to coming in they automatically come in at 10 ish most nights.

If you live in a quiet rural area there is no problem with putting your cat out at night. We have always had cats and they have always gone out at night. On the occasions we forget they yowl at the door wanting to get out. They always come back in the morning and are loving and affectionate. Cats are nocturnal by nature and are most active at night. I understand things are different in towns and cities but if you are a country bumkin like me let your cat out at night by all means, they will be happier for it.

I keep hearing and reading that road traffic accidents are more likely to happen at night, so I looked for some research on it to see if this was actually factually correct, interestingly a higher percentage of cats in this study that were in road accidents wore reflective collers ! anyway, here's the abstract to make your own mind up........

Study of factors that may predispose domestic cats to road traffic accidents: part 2

I. Rochlitz, BVSc, MSc, PhD, MRCVS1

+ Author Affiliations

1Animal Welfare and Human-Animal Interactions Group, Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 OES

Abstract

Between March 2000 and February 2001, six veterinary practices in Cambridgeshire collected data on 117 owned cats which they had examined after a road traffic accident (RTA). The owners of 66 of these cats completed questionnaires and the information in them was compared with the information in questionnaires from a control population of 796 cats that had never been in a road accident. The RTA cats were, on average, younger than the controls; when adjusted for age the two populations did not differ with respect to the time they spent outdoors or the time they had lived at their current address. Proportionately more of the RTA cats wore reflective collars and/or lived in areas with higher levels of traffic than the controls. The accidents were evenly distributed throughout the year, and there was a trend for more accidents to happen during the night than the day. Forty-eight per cent of the accidents whose location was known occurred just outside or very near the cat's home.

I have had my kitty Cleo for three years now, as much as I would never want anything to happen to her she does go out at night. When we get a cat as a pet we have to accept that something may happen to them! They are hunters and basic genetics dictate that they will naturally wish to roam. I would rather Cleo lived a happy life and was content than imprison her because of my need to know she is safe. Cats are smart and they are not the issue here it's drivers that are the problem and the society that we live in where people can't even walk five mins down the road hence growing obesity.

I have had 4 cats. The 1st cat was happy to come in during the evening and stay in. Sadly he died suddenly of a suspected stroke one evening when out. We then got two brothers. 1 cat was mainly in during the night but the other would not stay in. We tried to keep the cats in but the second brother would have none of it. The one that stayed in was run over one morning. We then tried again to keep the other brother in. He bashed through 2 cat flap doors, we put a wooden cover over it which he spent the whole night scratching. He became aggressive towards us. We tried treats, feliway, buying a cat tree, etc with no success. I have just got back from the vets as he was still aggressive and miserable and was told to give up - some cat just wont stay in at night. He is a prolific mouser and was a happy cat. I am going with the vets advice and giving up tonight. I would rather have a happy cat that died young than a miserable cat that died older.

In conclusion I think it depends on the cat.

Thanks for the advice Emma. Our hand has been forced on the matter due to a ginger bully that has been terrifying our male cat and who has left him so badly injured it resulted in an expensive trip to the vet. It actually came in through the cat flap one night and attacked him on the landing outside our bedroom door. It was very frightening to be woken up by cats screaming and fighting. We thought his back leg was broken but when the vet examined it you could clearly see the hole made by the bully's tooth. We have since discovered that several neighbours have had their cats attacked by this ginger monster and we can't find out where it lives. It behaves like a stray and sprays everywhere it walks. It doesn't bother our girl cat and I can't understand why it attacks our boy at every opportunity as both our cats have been 'done' and I assumed they wouldn't give off scents or whatever they are. The ginger cat is really sneaky and its impossible to even squirt it with water its so quick so we're all frustrated as to how to deal with it. We have a lovely private garden which our cats enjoy lazing about it in but they're always cautious now before they even put their noses out of the catflap.

Anyway, we decided there was nothing for it but to keep them in at night whatever fuss they made to get out. Because the ginger cat has broken our cat flap twice, we pushed the tumble dryer in front of the cat flap at night. Funny enough, I think theres something to be said for the cats not actually being able to see the cat flat because they really didn't make much fuss. We got into a lovely routine where i would call them in about 10 to feed them and lock up, but for the last few weeks they're gone off to their beds by about 9 and stay there until next morning.

Although there's no way of protecting them during the day from their attacker, we have peace of mind that at least they're safe at night. I put up flyers in the neighbourhood saying we would try to catch the ginger cat humanely and that we would take it to a cat organisation who may treat it as a stray if it hasn't been neutered or microchipped. I was living in hope that the owner would take some responsibility but to date, no change and its still on the prowl.

Does anyone have a suggestion as to how we can resolve this problem as we're at our wits end!!! No violent suggestions please - I've already thought of them and they're all illegal :) - apart from the fact I couldn't hurt it even though I can honestly say I really hate it.

Bollocks they can do what they want at night i am not having shit in my house.

we live on a busy main road and our new neighbours have 2 cats which they let out all night every night, we have not had a full nights sleep since they moved in 8 weeks ago due to their screaming and fighting cats in our garden every night. The noise they make is blood curdling they sound like they are being murdered - a question to any of you responsible cat owners: what would be the best approach to take to get the neighbours to keep the cats in at night? I am not a cat lover nor hater I dont care either way I just want to get some sleep at night!!! The new neighbours are obviously deep sleepers who are not disrupted by the noise. I also have 2 young children who are being woken in the night by this terrible noise and my youngest (3yr old daughter), who loves cats, gets very distressed by this. How about if I record my daughter screaming and crying and play it outside their bedroom window in the middle of the night and see how long it is before they complain! I am so pissed off with this, please, please can any one suggest any solutions??

i have had my cat for 15 years cats are a nocturnal animal so like to be out at night its when they do most of there haunting. my oldest cat stays out at night if he wants so trust your cat because if you keep them in thats when they rome and dont come back because they dont want to be locked up agen there nt prisoners there animals.

Hi
I recently moved into a new flat, and was adopted by next doors Cat. He's a lovely boy, who point in all the time for cuddles and keeps me cuddles in the evening. If he is not in my flat, he is roaming around the garden or on the fences, he is always outside. I am a little concerned as I don't hear his owner ever call him in, he has stayed over night twice now, but I don't want to over step the mark?! However much he is a very welcome visitor this is not his home, and surely he should be at home at night, however I don't want to kick him out when I go to bed just in case he is outside all night, every night, which I worry he might be. Does anyone have any advice or been in a similar situation?

Would love to hear from you

Most domestic cats are still capable of living in the wild and being active at night is natural and, hence, enjoyable for them. That said, there may be reasons why one would keep a cat indoors at night, e.g. if you feel there is a definite risk of road accident, being stolen, or being mauled by a fox/coyote/bear!/etc.