Keeping a cat indoors?

[BubblesPip]

I am a first time cat owner (completely unplanned) and can’t believe how much I love my 5 month old girl (always been a dog person )
She’s due to be spayed in a month or so, but still very underweight at present.
But I just don’t think I’ll be able to let her out, I’ll be worried sick
But is it cruel to keep a cat indoors? How do you make your home full of enrichment?
Cat proofing the garden isn’t a viable option unfortunately.

[YesItsMeIDontCare]

I'm currently out for a walk with my chap so he gets his mental stimulation from that. Physical exercise is mainly at home because he can run a damn sight faster than me 😁.

[viccat]

It's fine and in many countries you're only allowed to adopt if you don't let the cat wander the streets...

If you have a garden you might find it hard to keep a young cat in permanently though as you're going in and out and she'll follow you out of curiosity. Would you be able to get a catio built up to the back door so she could have some safe outside?

My eldest cat was indoor all her life until I got the garden cat proofed when I adopted more cats. My young pair love their cat proofed garden although 99% of their outdoor time is just lounging around on the raised beds and occasionally chasing bugs, and a small, safe, outdoor space is really the best of both worlds for their needs.

In terms of indoor activities - tall cat trees, different types of toys (look up Purrsuit feather wands for "hunting"!) and plenty of human company if she is to remain an only cat.

You need to be careful with windows and doors to prevent escapes - an indoor cat that gets out is most vulnerable...

[YesItsMeIDontCare]

You need to be careful with windows and doors to prevent escapes

This is very true. I have Flat Cat window coverings and I do recommend them - they keep flies out too!

[toomuchhappyland]

It depends on the cat. Some pedigrees (eg ragdolls) are only really suited to indoor homes as they have zero road sense and are so trusting they’ll go off with anyone. They’re more placid and happy to accept indoor life too. However, many cats refuse to be indoor cats as they age - moggies often make it very clear that they want to go out and won’t be confined. My girl made it extremely clear from about spaying age that she was desperate to get out and trying to make her an indoor cat would’ve been cruel. All you can do is keep her inside as long as possible and see - she’ll make it very clear if she wants to go out.

[GoodHeavensNoImAChicken]

We have indoor cats. They’re absolutely fine. In fact now I’d struggle having a cat and not knowing where they are- I always know ours are somewhere nearby! We let them out but supervised. They go out and spend sometimes hours outside but we either keep an eye on them or are out in the garden ourselves. They’ve never strayed further than our garden boundaries. It was not intentional, we had one cat with health issues and it was impossible to keep one in and let one out. Some breeds take to it better than others.

We make a big effort to keep them busy- lots of toys, laser pens, new scratching posts regularly etc and they still hunt every moth, fly, bug in sight!

If you want to walk them on a lead, do it early on. We never did and never would be able to now. We also have quite a big house which provides enough exercise and lots of hiding spots.

Also teach your cat to respond to you tapping a food bowl with a spoon and then feed them; we did this and it’s a godsend if they vanish/go into a bush/get locked in a room somewhere in the house because we can always locate them quickly. Also handy for vet visits!

[adaline]

My cats have always been indoor cats - they're two and three now and I have never shown any desire to go more than a metre away from the back door!