Do cats have road sense?

missindecisive

in short..No. Cats do not have road sense. However, many are free spirits who would be imprisoned if never allowed out. So its up to you to judge on how happy your cats is. Personally I think they should be free to roam where they want.

Lesleyzz1

I have a pedigree longhaired cat and he doesn't go out unless its summer and I'm with him. He gets scared and runs back in if he hears a loud noise.

I agree with most of the posts on here. Keep indoors and make sure she gets plenty of exercise and stimulation. Ive lost too many cats to the roads and also the pick up fleas, get tatty ( long hairs) fight and get infected bites and kill wildlife.

Ive had indoor and outdoor cats and provided you have the space and time for an indoor cat and it isn't distressing her to stay in, keep her in!
Don't let her fall victim to a car. Its awful when they get killed. No, they don't have road sense or so many wouldn't die on the road
Xx

50Twuncle

If you do keep your cat indoors - please supply him/her with grass to munch on - try cat grass if you can afford it !!
They need it for their digestion

Marmaduke123

Cats don't have road sense as such, but they are usually frightened by fast moving cars in my experience.

You do see some cats crossing roads who appear to look up and down the road before crossing, maybe they are ones which have had a narrow escape.

I don't live on a busy road, but if I did I don't think I would have a cat at all. There's always a chance an indoor cat which wanted to get outside would escape, and without any experience of the outside world they would be very vulnerable.

Personally I would never keep a cat as an indoor only pet. By nature cats are most active around dawn and dusk - I love to see ours when she comes back in after being out in the semi dark, with huge eyes and obviously having had a whale of a time.

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

Raffles, our current house sitter, is fearless. he sides on the shower, leaps on the kitchen sink. walks across the stove to check the boiling kettle. No, we do not encourage him. He chases the spraying hosepipes, climbs over cars etc. Sleeps on the boiler, loves being boss. In fact, we have no vcontrol over his fearless instincts. Even flicks of water do not stir him.

Fortuantely we are not on a busy road.

50Twuncle

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth wrote: »

Raffles, our current house sitter, is fearless. he sides on the shower, leaps on the kitchen sink. walks across the stove to check the boiling kettle. No, we do not encourage him. He chases the spraying hosepipes, climbs over cars etc. Sleeps on the boiler, loves being boss. In fact, we have no vcontrol over his fearless instincts. Even flicks of water do not stir him.

Fortuantely we are not on a busy road.

Our Feline Friends are a big black male and his "brother" - a small but much bolder multi-coloured cross-breed
Together they make a formidable foe for any cats that stray on to (or near) our garden - they have been seen chasing off fully grown foxes and even badgers from their territory !!


Dogs do not even stop for a sniff at our garden gate ...

Angelicdevil

krlyr wrote: »

My dogs "want" to run around like loonies on the road, but obviously that isn't safe for anyone involved! They'd also quite like to eat chocolate, but that's not particularly good for them either.

Yes, it's about meeting an animal's needs - but it's also a case of keeping them safe. I personally am not a fan of outdoor cats - like I say, what they want and what's safe for them aren't always the same thing. I just don't think the world nowadays is a safe place for any pet to be roaming unsupervised, not just because of the danger of roads but other things - malicious attacks from people, accidentally getting trapped in sheds or garages, ingesting antifreeze, wild animals that could attack them and so on.

I know others are perfectly happy letting their cats roam, but there's my opinion for you!

I agree I was being diplomatic, knowing that some people (none in particular that I've come across on this forum!!!) that get quite militant about cats being out door creatures and anything else is seen as cruelty.

My personal opinion is as yours and I'm so lucky that neither of my cats are showing an interest in going out, so I'm not feeling any guilt

50Twuncle wrote: »

If you do keep your cat indoors - please supply him/her with grass to munch on - try cat grass if you can afford it !!
They need it for their digestion

I tried this but neither of mine were interested! The rabbit ate it all