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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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JungleBungles · 03/03/2022 22:26

@Fluffycloudland77 I have 3 indoor bengals and no issues at all - they get plenty of play time and stimulation 🤷‍♀️

I do have one cat which does go out - he’s an outdoor boy

JustBkind · 03/03/2022 22:42

I have 2 maine coon girl sisters who are indoor cats and had no issues at all. They have a Catio (a large outdoor caged area that spans two double patio doors) so that they can go outside and get some “fresh air”, play, leap, run, jump at their leisure but still protects them. They won’t go out in winter but love it when the weather warms up.
I’ve had outdoor cats and also lost cats to the road etc. one being a maine coon in 2020. It’s heart breaking! Our girls are doing just fine as indoor cats and showing no interest in going outside. They also live with our beagle dog and they all get along really well together. I wouldn’t hesitate at keeping a cat indoors but it would be dependant on the breed and their acceptance of it.

CheeseAndHackers · 03/03/2022 22:45

We cat proofed our back garden last year with Protectapet so they can have outside access and have mesh on the windows to prevent falling accidents,etc. We originally had one indoor cat from kitten age and a stray cat chose us a few years ago who initially lived in the garage and hung around the front area of our driveway and was quite happy but the local cat poisoner put paid to that so she has now moved in with access to the garden and we're slowly introducing the two cats.

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Cats
MallampatiCatty · 04/03/2022 00:52

We have a British shorthair who is free to go out but will only go out with us present. We leave doors open in summer and she can wander in and out as she pleases. She hates the cold, rain or snow so it's only in summer anyway. We never make any particular effort to keep her in but it's her choice- she comes in, when we go in.

She's very content. She has ample space and lounges around outside happily on the lawn in summer.

Lemonlady22 · 04/03/2022 02:13

Our 6 month old cat is going to be an indoor cat, he's quite timid. My last boy was an out door cat, he came to live with me after being hit by a car at a year old, he nearly died then. Two years later he was hit by a car again, more major surgery involved. Last year he got hit by a car and died instantly. I'm heartbroken still, but he was an outdoor cat who had always been an outdoor cat, so it would have been cruel to keep him in. I don't even live in a busy road tbh. So we now have an indoor cat, who knows no different

Heytheredemons · 04/03/2022 02:34

I have several cats, a moggy, a maine coon Cross and a bengal Cross. All indoor cats.
Honesty the bengal Cross is bonkers.
He spends most of his day chirruping, tearing about and going up the curtains.
He loves to play and will bring his favourite toys for you to throw and is immensely affectionate, but if I'd realised how much energy the breed has, I'd never have got him as an indoor cat.
The other 2 are really placid and have times they play throughout the day, have some food and sleep for a few hours, like you'd expect cats too.
Oh I'm also awake now as the bengal has brought toys into the bed as 2am is apparently the perfect playtime Hmm

Silkierabbit · 04/03/2022 03:32

We have a tabby cat that has always been an indoor cat but was her choice. Got her as a kitten, put her in the garden and she was trembling attached to my leg, terrified so brought her back in. She did work up the courage a few years later at our next house to try again and went out at the speed of a snail then a dog pushed its nose under our garden door and barked at her and she ran at speed of light back indoors. A few years later she was at the back garden doors looking out, looking like she wanted to go out then I noticed there was a fox sitting there making eyes at her clearly thinking nice lunch. She was making eyes at him looking like great looking boyfriend but that clearly was not going to end well.

Only other time she got out, she went on the roof and came back pregnant. That put her off going out again. She always been very happy indoors, a radiator cat, purrs all day long. Exercise, hmm, not a lot now she is 17. When younger she would do more like run up doors, jump off the top of them on to the bed but until she got old always been the right weight and no health issues. But if you got a kitten would be very hard to know which one would be happy inside and which would hate it. An older cat from a rescue might be more suitable as personalities are known.

Dishh · 04/03/2022 05:32

I live in an area where, technically, cats aren't allowed to protect the wildlife. I love cats though, so my cat (a Burmese) is an indoor cat. The wildlife can be dangerous for cats too - my neighbours' cat was killed by wild dogs - so it is safer for her to be inside anyway.

I know someone who is on her 4th kitten. The other three have been run over. When this happens, she just gets a new one 😞 I simply don't understand how anyone can treat a living thing the same as you would a broken cup.

WhatAHexIGotInto · 04/03/2022 05:42

I would never keep a cat locked indoors, I think it's cruel. Their nature is to roam. I also wouldn't get a cat if I lived on a busy road.

I have 3 - they're 18, 16 and 9. We live rurally and they have a great life.

onlyhereforthefood · 04/03/2022 05:49

We have a large, indoor only moggy. We let him out once and he almost died. He's a walking hazard even indoors but our vet suggested we keep him inside for his own safety and our sanity! He has a huge cat tree/den, loads of toys and feeder puzzles to keep him active and stimulated.

knitnerd90 · 04/03/2022 05:59

My three are indoors. ASPCA push it heavily and many shelters & rescues in North America, including the ones where I got my cats, require you to promise to keep them indoors. (It isn't at all universal though: the neighbours' cat is regularly on my back deck.) They also forbade us to declaw them. People here who are very adamant about indoor cats also tend to be completely against declawing.

It may seem kinder to the cat to allow them outdoors, but it's not kind to wildlife. Cats are the largest threat to wild birds. It's also dangerous for the cats, who are more likely to be hit by cars and may be attacked by other animals too.

My cats are fit and healthy and get lots of stimulation inside the house. They'll still kill a mouse if one gets in. They do like to sit by the open window (we have window screens) and stare at the birds coming to our bird feeder. I am quite sure they do have some fantasies about killing a sparrow... but if they got out, they'd be attacked by the jays.

Cats are bred much more for appearance and to some extent personality; they vary a lot less than dogs, and temperament is not always entirely predictable by breed. If you want to be certain of a cat's suitability for indoor living, you want an adult cat who was raised indoors. It's very difficult to tell temperament from a young kitten.

liveforsummer · 04/03/2022 06:33

You'd need to really get an adult cat known to already be a happy house cat as with a kitten you won't really know what you're getting, even if you go for typical indoor breeds. A friend has 5 rag dolls and only one of them doesn't go outside but it's far from a typical one either, he's completely neurotic and spends most of his time hiding upstairs. The others are explorers and fierce hunters. It wouldn't be practical to keep them in, they'd never be able to leave the patio doors or a window open, and it wouldn't really be fair anyway. Hunting and exploring is obviously what they want and choose to do

CrunchyCarrot · 04/03/2022 06:47

I think if you're going to keep them as indoor cats, you need plenty of entertainment for them and plenty of climbing stuff, to keep them busy and happy.

Faciadipasta · 04/03/2022 06:56

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burnthur5t · 04/03/2022 07:03

People who have indoor cats are very selfish. Cats love to sit outside in the sun and explore their surroundings

JustBkind · 04/03/2022 07:41

@burnthur5t …in your opinion.

In my opinion there are thousands of cats that need a home and people with indoor cats are giving them one…feeding them, playing with them, loving them and keeping them safe…keeping any animal is costly...I wouldn’t call that selfish.

ilovebagpuss · 04/03/2022 07:48

I think if you get a kitten it's pot luck what they will be like. My 7 month old has screamed at the back door for about 2 months so if you were keeping her as an indoor cat it would drive you insane. She loves the outdoors and we live where its fairly safe to go out.
I would probably adopt a slightly older cat who had been an indoor cat if that was the only option.
Some people have catio spaces that work well.
I would be miserable denying my cat going out as she's so desperate but I've seen indoor cats who couldn't give 2 hoots about being out.

Icaru · 04/03/2022 07:50

I've got two ragdolls. One runs away anytime the door is opened, the other is much braver/naughtier and sneaked out once without us knowing, but ended up sitting by the window as soon as he realised what he'd done and was completely terrified and crying.

They're so friendly to anyone and worth enough money that I'd be concerned someone would just take them if they were outside free roam. Going to look at trying to cat proof the garden or get a catio, and have been trying to get them on a harness so we can take them out when we sit out.

Stickytreacle · 04/03/2022 07:55

I have nine cats, all were either completely feral that we trapped and fixed/games and a few that were unclaimed after living ing on the street.
Out of them all three are indoor/outdoor cats, the other six either have no desire to go out, or would revert to feral/panic mode. They still enjoy outdoors in a large catio, but much prefer the safety and comfort of indoors.

It all depends on the individual cat and the provision you can make for it, but a rescue that needs/prefer a indoors would be better than kitten that may not adapt well.

liveforsummer · 04/03/2022 07:56

My mates rag dolls have never gone missing they live in a large town. I guess it's a risk but they so desperately want to be out it would be a shame not to let them

underneaththeash · 04/03/2022 07:59

@ufucoffee

All of them. If you cant let them out don't get a cat. It's not fair on them.
I agree too. My cat gets so much pleasure from being outside and yes they probably do get less illnesses and live less time, but you could say the same for children...
Discodancinggiraffe · 04/03/2022 08:04

My cats got a disability so he is a house cat. He adapts and does things his own way. But even then his legs might give way under him meaning he isin pain and can't walk. If that happened outside he would never make it home again. His disability means he is a nervous cat. He likes what he knows. He is perfectly happy sun bathing by the french windows. He's got tunnels to run through, two 6ft high towers to climb. One over looks the bird table and he loves watching the birds. He's got a garden of indoor plants\herbs\grass provided by my DB an MIL. Each carefully selected to offer interesting smells and textures for my cat to investigate. We also do sensory boxes with items from the forest or the beach to stimulate him. The house runs on my cats timetable. I wake up at 4am because thats when his legs are sore and he needs a cuddle. We do everything we can to make sure he lives a happy life. Yet ignorant people think we are selfish keeping him inside.

liveforsummer · 04/03/2022 08:16

Yet ignorant people think we are selfish keeping him inside.

Nobody thinks that. That's an individual circumstance where it's clearly better and safer for the cat to be inside and your cat sounds like he agrees. A cat with a condition or disability that limits their ability to safely enjoy outdoor life might be a good option for OP though

Icaru · 04/03/2022 08:17

I also had the sort of outdoor cat that would put me off getting one. He was sort of feral as a kitten but we got him about 16 weeks, and he was just death in tabby stripes. We had all sorts brought in, rabbits, moles, robins, whole family of voles with the babies lined up next to the mother, regular blood soaked floors. He managed to get everything through the cat flap. Also used to try to kill any other cat he saw, fine when we lived rural in a country few people had cats, less fine when we lived in a town and he would go for any other cat he saw or small dogs. He also used to steal dog toys for some reason and bring them home. Absolutely miserable if he couldnt go out for any reason and never managed to keep a collar on him.

Babyvenusplant · 04/03/2022 08:44

My cats are indoors but I have a large outdoor pen attached to the house for them to go outside whenever they want