To think having an indoor cat is cruel?

I hope someone’s escaped dog comes into your property and kills your cat,

Disgusting comment.

I'd also say that many owners do exactly as you describe but if a cat wants to be outside then nothing you provide them indoors is ever going to be enough.

I used to be really evangelical about indoor cats being absolutely fine - until I had one that wasn't. The vet said that he would never be happy cooped up indoors and so we started letting them all out on her advice. They may have been content before but they are all so, so much happier now. And the one who nearly died through stress is absolutely thriving.

@Gilbertwasawuss I would personally argue that no amount of toys and playtime makes up for cats being allowed to go out to roam and do what comes naturally to them.

That doesn't mean all indoor cats suffer from behavioural issues, just that all the cats on the show who have behavioural issues happen to be indoor cats - and I don't think that's a coincidence.

I've just took him out there, he was just scared and crying trying to hide under anything he could

I got my cat on impulse when I was feeling depressed. I then got him a friend. They play together quite a lot, and play with their toys, and in their boxes that I keep for them. I'm in a flat with a dangerous road out the back, so they don't go out on their own. I take them for walks on a harness. My first cat doesn't like it and acts scared outside. My other cat loves it. I do feel sorry for them, that they don't even have a garden, and I'm thinking about moving to a house because of it

My two are indoors with access to a netted balcony

They are perfectly happy - have never even tried to go outside.

One of them is an ex stray and white - she was rescued heavily pregnant. If she was an outdoor cat not only would she be at risk from cars and wildlife she is at risk of skin cancer.

I've never had an indoor cat exhibit any type of these behaviours.

None of them have ever gone to the toilet outside the litter box, they are all ideal weights and they are all very playful, content and happy.

They also only scratch their cat trees and scratching posts. They don't damage the sofas or anything else.

Either I have the most magical cats in the whole world OR "all" indoor cats don't actually have terrible lives and it is dependent on the owner providing sufficient stimulation, play time, correct food and being vigilant with litter trays.

I have observed them outside thank you, considering it’s my line of work 😊

I’ve sadly observed many of them outside squashed on the side of the road, and I’ve also observed them dying a horrible death having eaten slug pellets from neighbours gardens and antifreeze in peoples garages.

Do you want to tell me again about how cats have a very well developed sense of danger?

I don’t ☺️ I work with cats with behavioural issues, both indoor and outdoor cats and you’d be surprised at the amount of outdoor cats who have issues due to lack of stimulation.

Sadly in the UK, cats are often treated as an ‘easy’ and low maintenance pet and are treated like a hotel guest by their owners - the door is flung open, they’re sent outside and are pretty much ignored by their owners. Many of the cats I’ve worked with crave stimulation from their owners and choose to go outside and wander because their house lacks any interaction and interesting stimulation. Particularly cats in urban areas where it’s just plain unsafe to go out, and is pretty much just a road and pavements and back gardens with some bins and a shed roof. I don’t know where the idea that all cats need outdoor access to ‘frolic in the sun and run through the grass and chase butterflies’ cause that just isn’t the reality for a lot of them.

Indoors cats are often met with the same issues in that their homes aren’t stimulating enough, and I always suggest new ways to enrich their environment. I also really strongly suggest allowing supervised outdoor access in a safe catio or a cat safe garden! It’s just about putting the effort in and realising that cats are domestic animals and as owners we have a responsibility to keep them safe and provide for them. I’d never tell a cat owner to keep their cat indoors, that’s my opinion and I’ll always recommend it, but it’s ultimately their choice and risk to make. However I am of the opinion that the indoor cats I work with are safer, more interacted with and are as happy as can be!

We got our first rescue cat earlier this year and he only really goes into the garden when we go out. He is free to go out anytime he wants. He had slowly starting venturing further and we heard the sound of cats fighting one night while we were in the living room with the back door open. Since then he hasn't been going out as much in the evenings or nights mostly during the day and stays in the garden.

Ummm cats have a very developed sense of danger and safety.

Haven’t you ever seen one react to a barking dog? Or duck away from dive bombing crows?

Try observing some outside.

No one has to keep the pets you are apparently so concerned about being killed by cats either. No one needs any sort of pet full stop.

It’s ridiculous to act as if killing things is a moral failing of a cat-it’s a natural instinct.

And the moaning about birds and mice being killed is pointless- if I let my cat out it’s clear I care more about the cats desire to roam and hunt than the mouse it might kill (for fun or food)- people aren’t stupid, they know cats kill stuff, so what use is it to keep pointing it out? Do you think someone is going to say “oh my goodness, cats kill things??? I’m never letting that Naughty Fluffy outside again”?

You like wildlife and other pets- other people like cats. I’m afraid you have to live with that.

@nextdoorconundrum mine do go out into to my enclosed garden. The late Magic escaped out one day and hid behind the neighbours bin. It took Paddington a month to put a paw outside the door!

We haven't got a cat at the moment but when we did we cat proofed the garden so he could go outside but not roam so he had the best of both worlds. I don't encourage birds into the garden as it seemed a bit like calling them into the lions den, not that I think he'd have been able to catch anything!

My Persian was a complete in and out door cat.
Got her when I was 6 and she died when I was 30. (The day after my birthday).

Cats are meant to be in and outside.

I think that cats need the option to go out. With our DBoycat his mental health suffered if he had to stay in for too long. Not that he ever went far but it kept him mentally and physically active. Even when we had a rescued pedigree he would cry to go out.

Our sweet little DGirl cat goes out during the day but I keep her in at night because she gets frightened so easily. She's only in the yard but she loves it so.

It is a risk cats going out. But I still think they need to if they want to.

A lot of people think their cats don’t kill things just because they don’t bring their kills home. But unless your cat is leashed or supervised, you can’t say it’s never killed anything. Plus, sometimes they just torture and maim things instead, so they go off to die a slow and painful death from the toxic cat saliva 👍🏻

Keeping cats indoors makes for a better life for birds and small rodents though.

Cartoons prove nothing...

My friend has an indoor cat and I feel the same as you OP. I don’t feel sorry for all indoor cats, some have a ok life, some have outdoor areas (catio) and some get to go outside in a harness……but my friends cat likes in a flat, friend works a lot of hours so cat is mostly alone, they never go outside the flat, seems a bit sad 😬.

Of course it wouldn't, because the law is that dogs must be kept under control wherever they are. By law, cats have the right to roam free.

My ragdoll was a proper little adventurer! Really clever, as well. I'd be out somewhere and he'd turn up, marching in like the celeb with an all areas pass. He was, in fact, a local celeb due to his super-confident ways 😂

My country moggie, by contrast, was a ferocious hunter and explorer ... until I moved into town. After that, she flatly refused to go out 🤷🏻‍♀️ Even if I took her outside, she'd sit by the door.

Which is to say - you cannot safely assume anything about a cat's preferences. They'll get what they want anyway!

There are certain breeds that would die if let out. I have 2 Ragdolls, which are the usual example breed like this. Some people risk it and theirs are fine - but it's just luck really. Depends how typical of the breed they are. A lot of Ragdolls are dopey, too trusting and non-streetwise. One of mine would definitely flop in front of a car and not budge (and there are many people who purposely speed up to kill them).

I do find it cruel to keep one cooped up if it has ever been outside though (unless for medical reasons - my childhood cat turned blind with old age and therefore had to be kept inside, in her later years). If they've known an outdoor life before then of course they will crave it again.

I mean, I'm not particularly bothered by what a stranger online thinks of my attitude, lol.

My cats' health comes first to me - and keeping him confined was making him so unwell he almost died. I'm not going to keep him in on the say-so of someone online - I'll go with what my vet has recommended, especially as it's solved all his health issues and he's never been happier.

As for the argument about dogs - it's illegal to have your dog out of control. Cats, however, have the right to roam. If you don't agree with it, take it up with the government.