Birman, inside or outside cat? Mixed breed question too.

[Anonsad]

We are looking to adopt a Birman kitten and it seems like there is a lot online about them being inside cats. Why is this? We don't live near any main roads and know all our neighbours so am not worried about the possibility of the cat being stolen. Could I have it so the cat can use the cat flap?

Also, if I was to get a mixed breed cat, how would you go about it? I've looked at celia Hammond etc and a lot of places seem to require you to take two kittens, which I don't want. Am at home during the day so am not worried about cat getting lonely.

[lottielou7]

I'm not sure about the temperament of Birmans but I have ragdolls and we never let them out, partly because of theft but also because they have had all the aggression and streetwise nature of a cat bred out of them.

[isamonster]

First off - birmans are not the most street wise animals. Mine likes to sit in the garden and sun himself from time to time but he's essentially indoors and likes to be part of the human action, whatever that is. I've heard of others that are hunters and do well outdoors but it isn't generally the case. I lost mine overnight and then found him sitting in next door's garden having looked everywhere. He just looked up at me as though to say - what took you so long?

As to mixed breed cats - I'm not sure what you mean by this exactly. Do you mean a moggie? Anyone selling a so-called mixed breed kitten is a shark. I've seen them online, 'part siamese' etc. If you want a kitten there will be lots up for adoption in shelters pretty soon.

[1stWorldProblems]

My mum's had two & both have had access to the outside world via a cat flap - though the second can't always remember how it works! Birmans are not as 'relaxed' as Rag Dolls and the current one is a bundle of energy / aggression (despite having had the chop) - he hunts & has ripped large chunks of their wall paper off the walls & no loo roll goes un-killed. He's chipped so hopefully would be tracked down if nicked but he doesn't have a massive range. I think some people just don't let out pedigree cats but our family have always felt cats need space to roam.

[Bogburglar99]

BogBastards breeder also had Birmans and described them as, to put it politely, not the sharpest tool in the box. Apparently there was only one pair left in Britain after WW2 and all Birmans are descended from them, or something.

A lot of pedigree breeders just don't want cats to go out anyway though.
BogBastard is a Siberian and they are fairly immediate descendants of Russian wildcats - he's a tree climbing, roof stalking, feather hunting adventurous menace but many breeders still say Siberians only to be kept as indoor cats. So sometimes it's simply about the risk of them getting nicked, hurt or lost and the relative value of the cat. I worry like hell about BogBastard but would do the same if he were the commonest of moggys. What he cost really doesn't and shouldn't come into it.