Indoor cats?

[Ohdoleavemealone]

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

I have two indoor cats. One is a Siamese and other is a tabby.. ok the tabby did decide to jump out the window but manage to get her back. I have now cat proof the windows with strong mesh.

Just need to make sure there is plenty of places the cats can hide if scared and places for them to sleep. Mine is mainly on beds or on top of a wardrobe. Lots of different toys to help with boredom.

@ufucoffee

All of them. If you cant let them out don't get a cat. It's not fair on them.

Not true. Look up Ragdoll cats.

@ppeony

Cats roam for miles and miles. How can they possibly get enough exercise at home?

Not all cats roam. Many choose not to.

Thanks Everyone.
I know people are saying get a rescue cat but all the local ones are saying the cats can't be with children so that isn't going to work for us.
We have a big house not a flat but are by a busy road so it would need to be an indoor cat. We looked at rehoming a Sphynx but one sprays everywhere and the other one we wanted the lady sold to someone else 😩

One of my neighbours has two indoor cats, I think they are British Shorthairs.
Maybe look into one of those 🤷‍♀️

I do think though that if your road is so dangerous that you can’t have a cat safely, I would question if a cat is really an appropriate choice of pet tbh.

Some of them seem to be perfectly happy indoors, but others (like my old cat) are absolutely not!

Our two are older and their mental health is affected if they have to stay in. A friend has a cat from a kitten and it howls to go out even though it never has.

I think cats need to go outside. They need the enrichment and it gives them something to do.

@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

I have two indoors cats after we lost our beloved cat to a road accident. He was killed almost instantly in front of me by a speeding car.

They have a catio that is attached to the house (bit like a conservatory) that they love. We are planning to secure the garden next year so that they can go out there but no roam or get killed on the roads.

We do have to be aware of where they are at all times. So when the post knocks on for eg, it's a quick, where's the cats!

In the summer, they stay in the back lounge with the door shut so that we can all come and go without letting them out inadvertently.

People who say it's cruel only need to think about how many cats are killed every day on the roads or by poisoning etc.

You wouldn't open your front door and let out a golden retriever to play wherever he felt! It's the same thing.

It can be a little bit of a pain - especially if we have guests who just wouldn't think so we have to remind them. But the joy we have from our two cats is worth it 10 fold. They're both ragdolls and have zero road sense anyway. It's actually part of their contract that they're kept indoors.

oh and the other pain is the litter trays obviously! Never had to worry about that with my outdoor boy.

@burnthur5t

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

Not all cats like that, though.

Mine are all more than happy to stay indoors and enjoy the sunshine from there. We've allowed them all access to outside in the past and none of them have shown any real interest in it.

They do very occasionally go in the garden in the summer but not for longer than 5-10 minutes before going back inside.

If you want an indoor cat (I have concerns similar to PPs re keeping cats indoors, your cat may be happy or prefer it but you have no way of knowing until you get them. Ours were desperate to get outside as kittens, they made that very clear!!!), then consider getting a ragdoll. They shouldn't let out as they don't have the normal cat fear instinct so it's not safe to do so. They have been bred (temperament wise) to be indoor cats.

@WetRainbowRoses

I do think though that if your road is so dangerous that you can’t have a cat safely, I would question if a cat is really an appropriate choice of pet tbh.

Some of them seem to be perfectly happy indoors, but others (like my old cat) are absolutely not!

My boy was killed by a loan speeding driver. We live down a 20mph very quiet road, no where near a busy road at all.

ANY road is dangerous. In fact, the quieter roads could arguably be more dangerous as the cat doesn't get the opportunities to realise how dangerous traffic is.

@Ohdoleavemealone

Thanks Everyone. I know people are saying get a rescue cat but all the local ones are saying the cats can't be with children so that isn't going to work for us. We have a big house not a flat but are by a busy road so it would need to be an indoor cat. We looked at rehoming a Sphynx but one sprays everywhere and the other one we wanted the lady sold to someone else 😩

Ragdolls are amazing. Lovely temperament and bred to be indoors. Great with children. Just an amazing breed. More like a chilled out dog in my experience except they purr loudly!

@RandomQuest

It’s cultural in the U.K. to let cats roam but in America they’re very much seen as house pets. I’ve never heard of anyone letting a cat out over there and it doesn’t seem to cause the cats any harm! Just get them from being a kitten and they won’t know any different. What you shouldn’t do is keep in a cat that is used to roaming as it wouldn’t be fair. My house cat is 9 now, I did get him a catflap when we moved back from the US but he wasn’t having any of it so I can only assume he’s happy as he is.

I was just thinking this. I live in the United States and it's considered cruelty to put a cat outside. They're territorial and will fight, they roam and get lost or hit by cars. They get killed by dogs and coyotes. I witnessed a cat get run over and it was one of the most sickening experiences of my life. It was writhing in pain, twisting and flipping as another car then ran it over.

My cat sadly passed this past summer at 9 1/2 from liver failure, but he was a rescue I adopted from the shelter as soon as he was old enough to be weaned. He liked to sit in the sun from the window but had zero interest in going outside. He accidentally wandered out twice when the kids left the back door open, and it terrified him. I had to crawl under the house and drag him out because he would meow to me but was too overwhelmed to come to me (and he did normally come when I called him).

He was actually extremely well behaved, I believe because he was an indoor cat his whole life. He wasn't declawed and he never scratched furniture, climbed curtains, or jumped on counters. He never brought "presents" or killed anything. He was very sweet and affectionate. Really the very best pet I could've asked for.

I'm sure you already know to get it fixed at the very earliest age possible. That's so key for cats, because males will spray and become hostile, and females will sound like something dying when they go in heat. Their "love song" really sounds like torture.

As far as breed, unless it's a Savannah or partly wild cat, you're just fine to keep any inside. Mine was a Snowshoe. American shorthairs, Russian blues, Scottish Fold, Siamese... All of them are indoor cats here.

Yes, really cruel to keep them indoors

@CoastalWave

Yes, really cruel to keep them indoors

I know, very cruel isn't it??

Just about 2months ago nice, gentle elderly cat was killed by 2 roaming husky dogs in my neighbourhood.
And other cat (my neighbours) never come back from the roam.
Very upsetting for the owners.

Keep your cats indoors :)

Ragdolls here. You aren't meant to let them out.

At the mo i have one who is free to roam (she's 12 and proved herself to be very savy, like a 'normal' cat, doesn't go further than the bottom of the drive. wont let strangers touch her)

and one who is a complete nutter (he's 1 yrs old) who is clueless about traffic/people/dogs. No instincts at all. The one time he got out a few months ago he ran straight up the road at oncoming traffic trying to greet it like a dog which has escaped!

The top of our back garden fence is netted so that in summer i will let him out there and he can't escape - but i'm not letting him out the front!

If you're in a house how are you practically going to stop it going outside? Won't you ever have doors open in Summer? And windows? Can you trust children to not accidentally let it out? I think you either need to cat proof your garden (and it does work if done properly, try Protect a Puss for example) or just not get a cat.

Plenty of rescues do have cats suitable for children. Have you tried all your local ones? You can find them here www.catchat.org

@RandomQuest I'm in a few U.S dominated breed specific cat groups and the amount of indoor only cats with behaviour issues and/or obesity is quite shocking.
Mind you it's often someone with multiple cats in a small house or flat.

I've got a siamese, and she's primarily an indoor cat. She was bred to be an indoor cat, she's from generations of them.

However, our compromise, is that our dumb as bricks cat is allowed outside - but it's under constant supervision, as she's surprisingly quick to get her lardy arse over the fence and bugger off to where the risks would be lining up to kill her.

Generally, in bad weather, it's only five or ten minutes at a time. In good weather, it can be a couple of hours, mainly sunning herself on the deck.

She has a very strict routine (designed by her which wears the points), which means it's very easy to know when she will require an outside chaperone.

@CoastalWave

Yes, really cruel to keep them indoors

Tell that to my ex-feral cat, who has access to go out but isn't interested since getting lost for 3 months a few years ago. He'll sit on the wide window ledge to get the sun and air but doesn't venture further than that. He'd be terrified if we somehow made him (he comes scuttling back in to hide if a bird flies past his sunbathing spot).

If you're planning an indoor cat from day 1 then I do think it's kinder to get one that actually can't go out, like an FIV cat or one with hearing problems, than keeping a healthy cat that may wish to roam inside.

Sorry @CoastalWave, I mistook your photo for an ad (no glasses on) and didn't catch your sarcasm. My bad.

I have an indoor cat. She is a Devon Rex and wouldn't do well outdoors. She has very little fur so couldn't cope with the cold weather or would suffer sunburn during the summer. She is happy health and active girl.

Indoor cats can be very content.

All breeds can be kept indoors.

The idea that they are only happy if allowed to come and go is very much a cultural thing. With it goes the acceptance that your pet could be attacked by dogs or could end its life in pain out on the road. Not all cats hit by a car die immediately.

I've found that cats raised indoors from kittenhood are totally used to it. Mine don't want to go outside anymore. I left the door open for a bit last week when I was bringing shopping in, and one of mine peeked out, sniffed, and went back inside. If I encouraged him over time, he might get used to going out, I suppose. But we don't have to lock the cats in another room so we can go in and out of the garden.

When we say cats must be unhappy indoors, we're projecting our feelings onto them. I do think a cat might be lonely if they are alone with no companions in a small flat and nowhere to go. But it's silly to say that those of us who have to worry about traffic or wildlife or weather should just not get cats. My three chase each other around; they have places to climb and hide, they have a

(oh blast hit post accidentally!) They have toys to play with, they have sunny spots to nap. We have a decent sized house. They can't chase the birds and they can't eat grass, but it's not like they're confined to a single room day in and day out.