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Original poster

Indoor cats?

127 replies

Ohdoleavemealone · 03/03/2022 10:17

Are there any breeds that can't be an indoor cat? If we get them from a kitten? Looking at tabby cats/moggies.

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Soubriquet · 03/03/2022 14:16

@Teddybearen

I always wonder how practical it actually is to have an indoor cat. What about in the summer when you’re in and out the garden With the doors open? Most cats would go out of an open door and to keep the doors closed limits your life somewhat
We have the doors open in the summer and the cat rarely goes outside.

Occasionally you might find her sprawled on the stones in the garden but it isn’t often or for very long

WaltzingToWalsingham · 03/03/2022 14:16

I think most cats prefer to be able to go outside, and although individual cats may be happy to be kept indoors, there's no one breed who will always thrive in that situation. I have a cat of a breed often recommended as an indoor cat, and she would go crazy if she wasn't allowed out, especially in the summertime (in the winter, she's not so keen).
Why is it that you don't want your cat to go out? If it's due to safety concerns/a desire to prevent roaming, some people enclose part of their garden as a run for the cat (a catio), with grass, a small tree etc so it can enjoy the sunshine and the sights and smells of the great outdoors. It's even possible to put rollers on top of your fence, all around the garden, so your cat can't leave your garden.

AngelsWithSilverWings · 03/03/2022 14:28

I have two indoor cats. We live on a busy road and cats don't last long around here sadly. My house is big so they can really run and jump around.

Mine are Burmese and as a breed prefer to be close to their human. I've trained mine to have a walk around the garden , initially on a harness but now they can be trusted to walk around the garden freely while I watch them.

I have friends who have bengals and a neighbour who has some sort of fancy breed called a leopard cat or something similar and they did not cope as indoor cats. Their hunting instinct and need to be able to mark their territory is so strong. They now roam and the leopard cat has killed chickens in another neighbours garden.

Someone mentioned the fence rollers. A friend paid a fortune to get these put in her garden and her cats worked out how to get over them after one day.

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FlippyFloppyFlappy · 03/03/2022 14:31

They now roam and the leopard cat has killed chickens in another neighbours garden.

They still allow it to roam? It would have a pellet fired up its arse if it had killed my pets.

thecatneuterer · 03/03/2022 14:36

@elver

If you want an indoor cat, why don't you try rescue centers? They might have some that are unable or unwilling to be outdoor cats.

I don't think it's fair to get a kitten knowing it's never going to be let out, cats need to be able to express natural behavior.

Very good advice. Our rescue has quite a number of indoor cats. These are either cats that have come from indoor only homes, or ones with particular needs that means they can't go outside, or simply cats that have been in foster and have been judged to have no particular interest in going out (they are usually older).

If you're in London or surroundings feel free to pm me.

thecatneuterer · 03/03/2022 14:39

@Soubriquet

What about getting a FIV cat? They can’t go outside and are really hard to rehome because of it
There is really no reason why FIV cats should stay inside. At Celia Hammonds we home them as outdoor cats. Once they are neutered there pose very little risk to the neighbouring cats, and as nearly all unneutered toms in towns and cities are already FIV positive it practically isn't going to make much difference to anything.
thecatneuterer · 03/03/2022 14:41

@Teddybearen

I always wonder how practical it actually is to have an indoor cat. What about in the summer when you’re in and out the garden With the doors open? Most cats would go out of an open door and to keep the doors closed limits your life somewhat
Well exactly. It's only really practical to have indoor only cats if you are in a flat. Otherwise you have no chance, unless you have a very laid back cat who isn't particularly interested in the outside anyway.
AngelsWithSilverWings · 03/03/2022 14:42

@FlippyFloppyFlappy yes - one of them got killed in the road a few years ago and I saw the remaining one get hit by a car too and it survived but needed part of its tail amputated. When I spoke to the owner after he updated me after the accident I asked if he would consider keeping him inside now and he said it was impossible - they had tried but the cat went mad.

The chicken owning neighbours were annoyed but we have a far bigger problem with foxes around here to be honest. It's not possible to keep a pet rabbit in the garden.

thecatneuterer · 03/03/2022 14:44

And on general points, assuming you are in a flat, you need to be very careful of windows and use either restrictors or netting of some sort so that they can't get out. Cats fall out of the windows of flats all the time. And if you have a balcony then I wouldn't consider having cats unless the whole balcony can be netted.

FrenchMustard · 03/03/2022 14:46

I think it depends on the cat, my boy for example could not be an indoor cat and absolutely loves being outside. I think if you raised them from being a kitten and they were always indoors, they would never know the difference. Just make sure you have plenty of entertainment (cat tree, scratching posts, things they can stalk/chase etc) to mimic the way they would behave outside.

Would not recommend getting something like a Bengal unless you are an experienced cat owner. They are usually kept as indoor cats but need A LOT of attention and exercise, they are a bit more 'dog' than 'cat' IMO.

dancemom · 03/03/2022 14:50

2 cats here, have always been indoor cats even in their previous home.

I started taking them out on a harness every morning and they enjoyed it at first but lately they just can't be bothered. I offer them each morning and they turn their backs and head off to laze on their beds instead. They aren't fans of the cold and rain so they might start going out again once the weather improves.

I would never have outdoor cats again though, it's so unsafe with roads and traffic. You wouldn't open your door and let your dog wander the streets.

AngelsWithSilverWings · 03/03/2022 14:53

@Teddybearen we have plantation shutters on our windows so we can keep windows open without worrying about the cats escaping.

The French doors to the garden are in a room that can be closed off to the rest of the house so that's not a problem and the front entrance is a porch so we have a double door system.

The side kitchen door is more of a problem but we've trained the cats to stay put by saying "stay" as you would with a dog.

The male cat is more interested in getting out than the female , who isn't even bothered when we leave the door open and invite her outside with us.

user1471548941 · 03/03/2022 14:53

I needed an indoor cat because of the road we live on.

However, I didn’t want to get a kitten as you have no idea of their character- you may get a cat who needs to roam and wander and is unhappy otherwise, you have absolutely no guarantees with kittens! A friend got a kitten to be a house cat and he used to bite and scratch the house to bits! Eventually age 3 she let him out to the garden and he is SO much happier- the biting and scratching has stopped.

Instead we rescued a 4 year old FIV boy from the RSPCA. He could die if he goes outside due to his weakened immune system. During his time at the RSPCA they assessed his character and decided he would definitely be happy as a house cat. I was still not convinced but he is the happiest, most affectionate cat I have ever met. He’s very chilled to the point of being lazy and is terrified of the front door and runs away if we open it! After 4 years as a stray, he clearly doesn’t miss outdoor life.

Do be prepared to play however- my boy needs about 45 mins a day of engaging play to satisfy his instinct to chase things!

See attached, one very happy house cat!

Indoor cats?
asparalite · 03/03/2022 15:01

Mine has chosen to be an indoor cat, the doors are frequently open to outside but she only rarely pops out just for a minute or two. She does love to sit looking outside;even in the summer when we're in the garden she doesn't venture out. We do play with her so she gets some exercise.Seems quite happy!

Alonelonelylonersbadidea · 03/03/2022 15:25

My US pal had a couple of cats who were born and lived in her manhattan apartment. She needed to go to UK and have the cats to her aunt in Florida.
The next time she saw them they had been outside for 90% of the time. They were bigger, healthier and infinitely happier. She said it was like they became their true predator selves. Fulfilling their destiny.
She'd always been against cats being outdoors (as a bird loving vegan) but changed her mind and didn't take her cats back to Manhattan.

Sunnyday321 · 03/03/2022 15:27

Our cat will sit at the open back door interested in what is going on, much in the same way he would whilst sat at the window. Go out and investigate ? Nope he's just not having any of that ! His choice .

qazxc · 03/03/2022 15:35

I have had two cats that were indoor cats. They were rescues. One was an ex farm cat and the other an ex stray, so spent most of their life outdoors.
I have no idea why but they showed no inclination of wanting to go outside after we adopted them. The only time we "made them" stay indoors was the initial couple of weeks, after that they could have gone out had they wanted. Even with the door wide open and me pottering in the garden they would come to door, sniff and head back to their favourite windowsill.

BungleandGeorge · 03/03/2022 15:36

If you’re getting a moggy the temperament will be much less predictable than a breed. Certain breeds are much more suited to being indoors and prefer human company to roaming. You do have to invest a lot of time and effort to enrich their environment if keeping indoors but if you do that lots are very home loving. Some breeds such as bengals are not often suitable for indoors, so don’t pick their sort of coat pattern in a moggy!

BungleandGeorge · 03/03/2022 15:39

If you want a moggy you could think about getting an older cat being rehomed as you’ll know temperament and rescues usually say indoor/outdoor etc

1984Winston · 03/03/2022 15:54

I have 4 indoor cats, 3 moggies and 1 pedigree, I used to be a vet nurse and saw too many run over or poisoned. We do have an enclosed garden for them though, we did the cat proofing ourselves so it didn't cost too much. All of mine have been indoor cats since they were kittens

thecatneuterer · 03/03/2022 16:07

@BungleandGeorge

If you’re getting a moggy the temperament will be much less predictable than a breed. Certain breeds are much more suited to being indoors and prefer human company to roaming. You do have to invest a lot of time and effort to enrich their environment if keeping indoors but if you do that lots are very home loving. Some breeds such as bengals are not often suitable for indoors, so don’t pick their sort of coat pattern in a moggy!
Maybe. But if you go to a good rescue they will have already assessed the temperament of each individual cat in their care and will know which would be suitable for indoor homes.
WetRainbowRoses · 03/03/2022 20:22

I had a cat.
I always intended to keep her as an indoor cat, DH eye rolled and said it was cruel and she would want to go out but ultimately relented.

It became very clear early on that our cat would have been utterly, utterly miserable as an indoor cat.

She tried to escape outside at every opportunity from a young age so I relented.

Maybe some of the more placid breeds, ragdolls, Persians and the like are okay but I think a lot of cats would be pretty miserable permanently indoors

Fluffycloudland77 · 03/03/2022 21:22

I wouldn’t try a Bengal as a house cat. High energy, easily bored, destructive.

fairylightsandwaxmelts · 03/03/2022 21:46

We have three indoor moggies.

We live backing onto a 60mph road with no lights and mine are black cats. They wouldn't last long on their own out there.

Sadly, the majority of cats here that are hit and killed by cars are black as they're just not visible to cars and traffic.

They're now 6, 5 and 2 and have never really shown any interest in the garden let alone further than that. Our female escaped once and was so scared afterwards - she's never gone near an outside door since!

sjj255 · 03/03/2022 22:00

I have 3 cats, 1 outdoor 2 indoor. One of the indoor ones is terrified of everything, she’d never last outside. We had workmen in the house and she went into hiding she’s scared of loud noises. She does have a little prowl in the garden when I’m out in summer but that’s it. The other is just a baby.