Would it be possible to have a cat here?

[EdinburghFox]

I am a cat person and love them. Had a cat throughout my entire childhood and young adulthood growing up, who died at the grand old age of 24. My family got her from the Cats Protection League as a kitten and we adored her. But I have never owned a cat of my own since being an adult myself iyswim.

DH and I live in a city in a flat. I always thought we would never be able to have a cat until we got a garden one day, but I have been reading a bit recently about keeping cats indoors under certain circumstances such as if they have special needs, came from a previous home with no outdoor space etc. I have also read that in some countries (Canada?) it's normal to keep cats indoors- however I'm not sure how I feel about this, as I grew up in the countryside and our lovely cat had the run of the garden and surrounding fields and I have always thought this was best. However if we could provide a home for a cat who for whatever reason could not go outside we would love to.

Anyway, would DH and I be mad to consider getting a cat or is this a possibility? I'd be grateful for cat owners' views on whether we should consider it or not, and if so what preparations would be needed and anything to consider regarding the breed of cat, where to find one, whether a kitten or older cat would be better, and so on. The flat is very large and spacious with numerous rooms, but there is a balcony. The balcony has a glass barrier about a meter or so high. There's a separate utility space in the flat where the litter tray could go so the cat could have privacy, and plenty of places for beds, shelves and high up places to sleep.

[KellyHall]

I'd say go for it, just be careful of the balcony.

I had cats who would jump from an upstairs window if they couldn't be bothered using the stairs!

I currently live in a 1 bed first floor flat and have a house cat. She's an 8 year old rescue and far too old and stupid to go outside anyway.

[GrandmaSharksDentures]

I got a kitten fully intending her to be an indoor cat. However, she had other ideas & kept trying to escape through any doors or windows she could. Eventually I gave in & she is now much happier. I guess...just remember the cat will have its own personality

[ladybird69]

I’ve just got a new Ragdoll kitten (they are easy going, laid back and happy to live in doors) that I’m going to keep as a house cat. I’m going to put trellis panels over the windows so that she can’t escape. If you could get some trellis up over your balcony it should be safe. I’ve had cats when I lived rurally and they were fine but there’s so much traffic here I’m not going to risk it.

[viccat]

Of course, sounds great. As you say, in most countries it's the norm. And yes you've pretty much already listed all various possibilities such as cats who've always lived happily indoors, or had outdoor access but preferred to stay in, cats with disabilities/special needs (blind, deaf, missing a leg etc.), some breeds that are generally more suited to not roaming, older cats, etc.

Most cat charities will have indoor cats regularly available - they don't always make it to their website listings because they are very popular, lots of adopters don't have outdoor space. If you are in London I can recommend a charity I know has several indoor cats all the time.

In regards to the balcony, you will either need to be extremely committed to never letting the cat there (as in, never leaving the balcony door open at all) or as a better option, there are ways to catproof a balcony with netting to prevent falls. If there's another floor above, then you just attach hooks there to secure the netting - as well as securing it around the railing. If it's all open above then it's a bit more complicated but not impossible - lots of ideas online and netting is available from places like ZooPlus.

[EdinburghFox]

Interesting, thank you. Yes please @viccat go the rescue place recommendation.

I'll check out balcony security too. We are very high up so that's my main concern.

[Toddlerteaplease]

I have Persians, they would be happy in a flat. They don't care about going out much, and They also wouldn't be able to jump the fence on the balcony. But I'd still put a net up just incase.

[EdinburghFox]

Would we be able to get a kitten under these circumstances?

[thecatneuterer]

The balcony would need to be netted and the windows would either need window restrictors or Flat Cats netting or similar.

Charities do have indoor only cats. These are cats that have come from flats, or have disabilities, or are middle aged/old and don't seem bothered about going out. Many charities will also home kittens (usually in pairs) on the basis of what they've never had they won't miss. Unless there is someone home most of the time then a pair of cats is a good idea as they will have company.