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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To want my cat to stay indoors for a very silly reason?

207 replies

monkeysafari · 18/09/2012 12:54

I have a 4 month old kitten. My partner wants to let her out soon. I really don't want to let her out at all, ever. Why? Because I don't want her bringing home dead, or living, birds/mice etc.

Is it really wrong to keep a cat inside? Do they have to go out??

OP posts:
Feminine · 18/09/2012 13:24

We had two inside cats for many years.

I thought they were happy , until I discovered that one of our cats had taken a liking to sitting on rooftops!

Such a funny sight, him with his serious persian face...fur blowing in the wind.

IMO, now I think its nicer and kinder to let them out.

I have read that inside cats tend to live longer though...that really wasn't much help was it? Grin

aldiwhore · 18/09/2012 13:25

So a reputable breeder of cats won't sell one of their cats to someone who wants an actual cat and not a living furby? How odd.

Callisto · 18/09/2012 13:28

Keep it inside. Then it won't be able to devastate the local wildlife or shit in everyone else's garden.

susitwoshoes · 18/09/2012 13:28

don't get a cat from a breeder, there is no reason to breed cats as a business, any cat rescue centre will tell you they are awash with kittens and cats that need homes. And the reason for this is that too many people don't get there cats neutered - cats can breed from 6 months, 2 litters a year - so, OP, whatever you do (and personally if you don't want to let it out I would get it rehomed asap) do NOT let the kitten out until it has been neutered.

aldiwhore · 18/09/2012 13:31

There's a killer cat at every house along our lane, and lots of wildlife...

geegee888 · 18/09/2012 13:41

Its not a toy - its a living creature with instincts. I think supressing an animal's instincts so you can get use out of it is wrong.

KellyElly · 18/09/2012 13:53

Here is the current RSPCA advice www.rspca.org.uk/allaboutanimals/pets/cats/environment/indoors

Nagoo · 18/09/2012 13:59

you might be lucky, all 3 of mine are completely inept.

or they don't love me

lljkk · 18/09/2012 14:01

If you can give her a happy life indoors then I don't see a problem. Though I prefer my own cats to have an outside life.

Sazzle41 · 18/09/2012 14:01

Having had cats for years, it seems cruel to deny it its natural instincts. FWIW a 'have u seen our kitten?' got ignored by me when the 2nd note said 'he wasn't allowed out'. I'd just that minute seen him too, happy as larry, well fed/shiny coated and having a whale of a time chasing butterflies in next doors garden: and i couldn't do it to him, £150 reward or not ! Goes all teary at memories of live baby field mice 'prezzies' off my first cat - that were duly returned to the field out the back every single time....

GoinCourtin · 18/09/2012 14:02

You may find that the cat has other ideas anyway about going out.

Our first cat decided to be a house cat (his choice, he didnt want to go out) until he was 7 years when our DD started toddling around - I think the thought of her charging after him made him think outside was a good bet. He then became such an outdoor cat, spending all day and night outside in the summer and he was a very good hunter despite not being out for the first 7 years of his life. But when he decided he wanted to go out, there was no stopping him - he would shoot for the front door when it was open.

It would be very difficult to have kept him or our current cat in if they didnt want to stay in as they are very nippy on their paws.

naturalbaby · 18/09/2012 14:06

My first 2 cats had no real interest in hunting and were/are fair weather creatures - first hint of a cool breeze and they refused to go out.

My 2 kittens came from a farm and couldn't wait to get out. Our garden is very well enclosed (it took my last 2 ages to work out how to get out) but they've managed to squeeze under the fence.

No dead things yet....apart from the spiders in the house which they devour in seconds .

BaronessBomburst · 18/09/2012 14:09

My cat never brought me anything more than dead leaves. You may be worrying unnecessarily.

MigGril · 18/09/2012 14:15

We always let our cats out but after two incidents with our first. 1 cat fight,2 another cat fight, which cost my mum a lot in vet bills we decided to limit outside access to daylight hours. It seems to stop the cat fights and reduce the hunting effectiveness. I would hope it reduced the possibility of road accidents to. But lucky non of our cats had any.

They always seem quit happy with that aragment to. So why not go for a compromise. Our in the day in at night.

totallypearshaped · 18/09/2012 14:16

What are you going to do when she kills the little mousey behind the sink.

Come on... she's a hunter - let her express her instincts as she sees fit.

WithoutCaution · 18/09/2012 14:22

Don't let her out until she has been spayed (should buy you a few more weeks/months of her being indoors) and prevents unwanted kittens.

SparkyTGD · 18/09/2012 14:25

I don't want my cat to bring in dead (or half dead things) either so no cat flap & she only goes out in daytime (less chance of being road victim).

She tried to bring in a bird, I got her a collar & bell but its rubbish (she kept scratching & getting her claws stuck in it), she hasn't brought anything else in so far...Grin

Uses indoor tray, don't mind that, stops her doing it in neighbours gardens.

StatisticallyChallenged · 18/09/2012 14:34

Going totally against the grain but I currently have 3 indoor cats- pedigrees, all from different breeders. Each insisted on them being indoor or at most totally secure garden access only. They are absolutely fine- they have each other which keeps them amused, we have two enormous scratch posts (7ft plus) and numerous toys. They've never been outside and make no effort to.

Paiviaso · 18/09/2012 14:41

YANBU

I keep two cats indoors, and they have no problems. I take one out into the garden on a harness (the other isn't keen) so he can have a nose around sometimes, but 99% of the time they are inside. And no, they are not breaking down the door to get out.

As with any pet, you must keep them physically and mentally stimulated.

For all those saying cats must go out because they are hunters, mine do plenty of hunting indoors. They hunt and eat every fly/moth/spider they find. We also play with toys so they get a good chase and "kill." I'm not denying them any instincts.

Megatron · 18/09/2012 14:41

It's up to you really but I'm not one for indoor cats personally. One of mine loves to sunbathe on top of the shed roof and l would hate to deny him that! The other one hunts like a bastard so we have developed a 'mouse passport' system when he has to let me see what he has in his mouth before I'll let him in. This was developed after he tried to bring a dead hare twice the size of him through the, now locked, catflap. They have both had a couple of scrapes but are very healthy happy cats.

LadyBeagleEyes · 18/09/2012 15:37

I think if you were to ask the cats , given the choice they would vote to go outside.

ScatterChasse · 18/09/2012 15:45

A friend of mine years ago had two kittens, and I was there on the day they first let them out. One spent about thirty seconds standing in the middle of the garden before streaking back inside and would never go out again without a human with her Grin. The other one used to be out and about a bit, and the only thing she ever brought back was half a freshly killed...newspaper.

fluffyraggies · 18/09/2012 15:47

Both my cats have always lived indoors. Very happy and well adjusted cats. Now we have a garden I let them out when I am home but they rarely venture far. Litter trays are a pain but no worse than clearing up after a dog and especially if you feed them decent food. What makes me happiest is knowing my cats will never end up as road kill.

this ^^

Plus we've put a little sticky out net thing round our fence so the cats can't leave the garden.

they still catch field mice that are passing through and bring them proudly to me

Nymia · 18/09/2012 15:55

I'm in the same position as StatisticallyChallenged .

It's in my contract that they do not go outdoors (and have all been neutered promptly at 6 months). There are a couple of reasons for this:

i) We live in the middle of a city

ii) They're not bright enough to deal with traffic/foxes/hazards

iii) Outdoor cats have about half to one-third the lifespan of indoor cats (ours should live 16-18 years barring accidents and illnesses)

iv) They're very attractive fluffy cats with little noses and big eyes - the Garfield type, but not Persians - and extremely sociable. Adults and children love them, and they wouldn't last a week outside without being taken. Two are litter-mates and cannot be separated, and one has a heart complaint that needs monitoring and restricted diet so he doesn't gain too much weight.

We have a small patio with a six foot wall that they love to sit in and watch birds and planes from, but they are never allowed out unsupervised. One cat can climb the wall and sit on the top, one can't, and it hasn't yet occurred to the third why he might ever want to.

Catsmamma · 18/09/2012 16:06

I have three cats, one is mostly an indoor cat, but he occasionally sneaks out and is always horrified if we see him out there, I have no idea why! He used to go out before we moved here.

The other two come and go as they please, but not after supper, I like them to be in at night. Partly as otherwise a window has to be left open for them and we freeze to death.... but mainly I cannot bear to imagine them shut out :( And also keeping them in at night does reduce the murder rate amongst the local wild life.

My first two cats were subject to the same rules and were both absolute killers, one lived till almost 17 and the other would have been 20 , so not sure where this extended life span of indoor cats is coming from.