Should I let my cat go?

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Should I, to me (who is not ASD as far as I know) let the kitty cat that I rescued from a building in winter in Canada, free from my small apartment now that it's summer?

I feed her and pat her when she wants it. I have taken her outside a few times on a leash with a body body harness, but I still perceive (remember, I am not ASD AFAIK, I feel my perceptions are accurate) that she is ultimately bored here.

I want what is best for her. She has no fleas or ticks and seems otherwise in good health, but she is VERY active otherwise, and fixing her would change her hormones and personality completely. Do I have that RIGHT to do that to her?
Even when I don't think she is in heat, she meows for something to DO. And I do not provide that for her properly.

I love Baboo (as I have named her), but I want her to have the best life possible. How do I do that? should I keep her as is? Should I let her free and fend for herself, hoping she can live through the next winter or otherwise die in a natural way if she does, or should I fix her and keep her as a pet, or is it best to do nothing and let her go into heat and otherwise be bored in my small apartment and meow? I mention that I am not ASD because I perceive that I can read her to a degree. I have been diagnosed BPD, which is, from what I've read, extra-perceptual to negative emotions, and I read negative emotions in her by keeping her here :-/

I know what other people do for cats, but that doesn't mean, in the least, that other people are correct in assuming this is best thing for thier individual pet.

I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting to have a pet around as a buddy. Provided all of their needs are being taken care of, I don't see keeping pets as wrong under the idea that it's not what's best for them. A safe place where they are cared for, well fed and warm seems much better than the street. As far as fixing her, it's the responsible thing to do at large. Even on the street, the last thing anyone needs are more homeless cats running around.

I was/am a long time owner of a parrot and this discussion is commonplace with bird owners so i may have a skewed view. Some bird people think you're a monster for keeping a parrot in an apartment, which to me was always insane since our bird was a king in that place. If I thought reincarnation possible, I'd want to die and come back as my pet. While not perfect, providing proper responsible care for my animal is of utmost importance and I'll totally alter my life (which I did) to make sure my pet is not only ok, but happy.

You appear to provide good care and could use a buddy around. Nothing in the slightest wrong with keeping her in my mind. Get her some stuff to play around on maybe and come up with some creative ways to amuse her if you feel she's bored. I love having a pet and think it's good for you.

I am not sure letting her go is the answer. Because cats are domestic animals they often stuggle to survive in the wild.

Cats love high places to perch to survey their domain and sleep. I'm from england so my cats are allowed outdoors but they spend all the time sleeping of playing with their toys.

Cats aren't human so the perception of bordem os different. A bored cat will knock over items, destroy furniture or nip you to get attention.

If your concerned by her some toys that require her to use her brain or her hunting skills. You have to give them enrichment uch as feather on a string or treat toy where they have to work to get it out.

If you ever have time check out this behaviourist called Jackson galaxy. He is amazing and has methods to help give cats great lives

Also getting her fixed will help her out alot

Please don't release your cat into the street. He would have a very bad quality of life. It's not like releasing a wild animal into the wild. He is a domesticated cat.

It sounds like you have rescued someones abandoned or lost pet. Cats that are born wild or go feral usually do not tolerate humans being near them. So she is much better of with you than out in the wild fending for herself.

Whatever you choose to do, please get her fixed, it will change her personality but for the better, it will make her calmer. Cats have 2 litters per year averaging 4 kittens. In the wild most of these kittens are likely to die before reaching adulthood, and those that do will produce more. It's far more suffering than your cat having a short operation and living a longer and happier life.

It sounds like you could play with her more. She needs to get enough exercise so that she is worn out and breathless, this satisfies her urge to hunt and keeps her healthy. It should be fun for you too. You can get lots of toys that are basically a lure or feathers attached to the end of a rod by some string. Like a fishing rod, you could make your own if you wanted. Then you can flick the rod around and the cat chases the lure on the end.

As Alliekit says, some high up shelves just for the cat are good and gives her own space.

This guy is a cat behaviour specialist with his own TV show and lots of Youtube videos.

Please don't let your cat go. Cats are healthier and live longer if they are 100% indoor cats. I do think taking her for a walk on a leash is beneficial (though many won't tolerate the harness), but running loose is not. How will you feel if you see her body in a gutter after she is run over by a car?

If you can afford to have a second one, a pair of cats can amuse themselves greatly by mutual play, and they are cute when they groom each other and sleep together. So I would recommend doing that if you can afford it.

There are cheap or even free toys you can give your cat. Most cats love a cardboard box, exploring it, jumping inside, and so on. Some also really like a paper grocery bag, and others enjoy pouncing on a plastic grocery bag. A cat tree of any size can engage cats and they like to look down at the world, as another person mentioned. Bringing some fresh or dried catnip to your cat is another fun thing to do. A catnip mouse is inexpensive, or you can make your very own using dry catnip. Rotate your toys to keep things interesting - put them out of sight for a few weeks so when you bring one out again, the cat will act like it is completely new.

indoor cats live three times as long on average as outdoor cats. keep her and she will have a longer, better life.

If you are going to keep the cat then get it fixed, having an animal in heat is just unbearable in my experiene and it will just cause them to want to escape. You can keep the cat but if won't get it fixed then it will be a problem, maybe you want kittens tho? Do you have to keep the cat in the house like it's a hostage, is it just looking for that one opportunity?

Releasing her is probably the worst choice. She is a domestic animal, bred for a home, not the wild. If released she will likely die young, but probably not before having litters that will add to the stray population.

Keep her, get her spayed, so she doesn't have kittens if she gets loose, and just do like you are doing, giving her a loving home. She's a lucky cat. If you want to have cats regularly, perhaps get her a companion cat?

Are you able to take care of her? If so I would keep her. If not finding a suitable owner, through advertising or shelter is a better solution.

Either way putting her back on the street is not a good solution.

Fixing her, keeping her indoors (maybe with leash outings) WILL give her the best life possible.

Fixing her is not a cruel thing to do to her -- on the contrary. Fixing a domestic animal gives them peace and calm as they are free of the urges their hormones cause them.

Keeping her as an indoor cat is not a cruel thing to do to her -- especially if you fix her. Indoor cats live longer, safer and happier lives as long as they are provided with everything they need.

Do not, under any circumstances, just turn her out onto the world to fend for herself. Domestic cats actually live MISERABLE and very short lives as ferals. They have something like 5,000 years of domestication in their genes. It's slim pickings out there even for an animal that still has hunting ability. There is danger in the form of other ferals, dogs on the loose, wildlife possibly carrying rabies, traffic and cruel people who like to grab cats and do things to them. Feral cats are not happier.

Indoor cats need love, attention, playtime and things to play with, and it's also good to have climbing aparatus for them to get exercise with -- you can buy tall "cat trees" that are structures made of wood, with carpeted ledges, sisal rope scratching posts and little cubby hole. You also must trim her nails regularly with little clippers you can buy at the pet store, the same way we clip our own fingernails, as an indoor cat doesn't get all the claw wear-down on concrete that an outdoor city or town cat gets, even with a scratching post.

Provide your cat with cat toys. Most cats are still interested in play even beyond kitten hood unless they've had no toys at all, which can make them lose interest even when they get some.

Right now she's bored not because she's simply inside per se, but because her hormones are driving her crazy because you haven't spayed her. Trust me, spaying and neutering doesn't change their personalities for the worse, but for the better, if you consider feeling much calmer as a better thing to be -- I sure think calmer is better for any living creature including us.