Indoor vs Outdoor cat

This is a common misconception I think - you can’t know in advance whether your kitten will be happy indoors, it’s just pot luck.

Some are fine and will adapt to a life of confinement but others won’t.

IMO the only ethical reason to keep a cat inside is if they’re blind, deaf or disabled in some way and need to be kept in for their own safety. But saying that, one of ours is nearly blind and still goes outside - he manages fine.

There’s no such thing as indoor cats. In my opinion, it’s cruel. Let your cats roam outside, it’s their nature to do so.

Depending on the age of your kids and how responsible they are, I'd be wary that if you're not very careful the cats will run out the door in a second .They will surely be hit by a car. I feel that cats can be happy indoors if you get them as kittens and they're not used to being outside. Just make sure they have a perch where they can sit elevated, toys, and a window to look out. I would also suggest getting 1 cat and see how that goes before committing to 2.

I've found our Dyson Animal vacuum's pretty useless at picking up hair so we have a couple of de-fluffing tools. I do the carpets with those, pick up the clumps of fur and then vacuum afterwards. Like this: https://amzn.eu/d/fGDr27a

Do you have enough space our back ? Our cat was supposed to be indoor but one day under one she got out and the way she sniffed the air , felt the breeze ,looked up at the sky and was alert to all around her we decided to just let her out.we have a busy road out front she doesn't try and go there. We try and make loud scary noises when the door is open . Touch wood shes about 4 now and hasn't beennput front

And added to this.. really busy roads all the time are actually probably less dangerous in a way. It’s fast roads with not much traffic which probably pose this highest risk. Like A roads described above.

It depends what type of main road. Cats get street wise pretty quickly. Depending how fast they mature which is individual. It can be anywhere between 2-5 years. If you make it to 5 your pretty home and dry.

It's best to get kittens so they will adapt. However a lot depends on their personalities. Some cats are fine living indoors all the time, others aren't happy no matter how much stimulation they get. Unfortunately there's no way to reslly know unless you get a specific breed.

Slightly off topic but can you recommend a hoover that deals with the fluff? Cat is still a kitten and we haven't found a new hoover yet.

Honestly you need to be prepared for the fact they may not be happy as indoor cats. We got our cat to be indoor, he had lots of enrichment and stimulation but just cried at the windows and doors bless him. He’s an outdoor cat now and much much happier!

I know people have said about cats destroying wildlife and yes it is sad. I personally try and rescue, help and release every bird or mouse I can. There’s a man in my village who takes in injured birds I’ve taken many to him. Luckily I’m not scared to handle mice so I rescue them when I can. I know it doesn’t eliminate the harm but I do try! I had to have a tetanus shot recently after a not very grateful mouse bit me. Mice have a surprisingly painful and sharp bite!!

Not all cats are hunters, my cat has never caught anything, she sits in the garden with birds hopping around her completely uninterested.

I have Siberians ☺️ Gorgeous cats. We have to stay on top of the fluff - it gets everywhere!

We have a Siberian who isn't allowed to free roam. He goes in the garden on a leash only. The breeder required this in the contract, and also he is obviously a pedigree cat so would probably get stolen where we live in south London. I wouldn't risk it.

Wasn't my preference to get a pedigree cat but due to family allergies we had to get this breed. Lovely natured and very fluffy cat so also worth the cost.

How does it achieve the same thing? They're still locked up. They still can't hunt, explore, roam, meet other cats or behave in a natural way.

It's marginally better than never letting them outside at all, but it's nowhere near as beneficial as letting them out to roam.

Just because there are worse cases of animals being bred to be used by humans, doesn't mean its' okay to breed ragdolls (or other breeds of animal that aren't able to live natural lives due to their temperaments and nature).

It's not about being negative. Cats are bred to roam, to hunt, to explore. Breeding them so they're incapable of doing those things and need to be locked in our homes 24/7 for their own safety is just unkind.

pet owners with indoor cats often invest in catios which achieves the same thing

I think you just want to be negative - if you research ragdolls they weren’t breed for this. It’s a consequence of their docile nature. Plus also there are a lot of animals in this world who are breed for captivity or to be ‘used’ by humans. I hardly think a docile cat is up there with animal cruelty.

One of my cats is a Ragdoll. A neutered female and she is the hunter out of them all so I’m not buying the comments about Ragdolls being indoor cats that aren’t suitable to go outside.

Honestly, I think it's something people tell themselves to justify their decision to keep their cats locked up inside all their lives.

I'd also argue it's pretty cruel to purposefully breed cats who are incapable of being cats.

Frankly I think cats are happier being indoors than they are being dead.

I can't imagine any animal being happier locked up inside four walls for their entire life instead of experiencing the joy of the sun on their fur, the wind in their face and the ability the fulfil their natural instincts to roam, hunt and explore.

Would you like to spend your life locked up inside four walls just because it was safe and meant you were never at risk of being hit by a car?

In the UK, where the majority of Mumsnet posters are, there isn’t the same coyote, mountain lion or bear threat to domestic cats as there is in Northern America and Australia has a big feral cat problem which is a threat. Many other parents of Europe are somewhere In between. It’s not comparable to the UK.

I have four cats and they can go indoors or outside when they like. We have a large garden and fields or woodland around us.

One of my cats is a Ragdoll. A neutered female and she is the hunter out of them all so I’m not buying the comments about Ragdolls being indoor cats that aren’t suitable to go outside.

I also have a British Shorthair who often voluntarily spends his days indoors. He’s older but has always preferred being inside. We have a Litter Robot that he uses and probably goes weeks at a time without venturing out, although he does like to do some sunbathing during a heatwave. He has never caught anything, unless it’s on the end of a stick and persistently played with slowly in front of his nose. I suspect at any point during his life he could have had being an indoor only cat enforced on his and been content about it.

Some cats are unhappy being house cats, regardless of their breed. Just like some people have different needs so do some cats. If you specifically want a house cat then I think you need to look for an adult who either has a medical reason to be indoors or has shown a strong preference to being content to being inside.

3 cats, all indoors. North American and Australian groups (some European countries too, but can’t remember which ones) are very keen on indoor only cats. It’s both risky for the cats and for many birds.

there’s a cultural divide and people are prone to anthropomorphisisng pets. I have a good sized house, cat trees, toys, a nice bay window.

Frankly I think cats are happier being indoors than they are being dead.

Have had indoor cats all my life. They’ve been very happy. Had ragdolls for years and now British Shorthairs. Choose a pedigree known to be a chilled indoor cat – ragdolls, Burmese, BSH etc. Get them neutered. Lots of play and stimulation – trees, toys and puzzle feeders etc.

We live on the main road through our village, I didn't think we would be allowed to rehome from the rspca but they let us have two kittens (lived here 30 years with 4 previous cats and we never had any cat vs car problems) One already is desperate to go outside, she's already hanging off the door handle and miaowing at the door. The other is showing no interest and loves her bed.

theres so many cats and kittens needing homes i think they were happy for us to take two off their hands!