About my cat?

[Esmeismyhero]

I have a kitten he is 13 weeks old. I haven't had his injections yet (will do soon) and I want him to be an indoor cat.

My sister had two kittens and she lives next door and this morning has let her cats roam around the garden.

I'm being pressured to let my cat outside with her cats (they are all from the same litter) and I've said no but they are all making me feel guilty.

It's my cat and I don't want him outside, aibu to tell my family who is here to "back off"?

It's like I'm holding the cat hostage or something :/

If you wanted an indoor cat you should have asked the rescue centre for advice. It's cruel to keep a cat indoors. My first cat loved going out but my second one wouldn't go anywhere near the door.

Yanbu to wait till jabs and neutering done, and in my opinion waiting till closer to 12 months to let him out because they are more likely to develop some sense.
But unless you're cat proofing your garden, yabu to keep a cat in permanently that doesn't have a communicable non preventable disease. No animal should be denied the chance of living what to it is a reasonably natural lifestyle.

I should have added, after he's had all his jabs and been microchipped, of course.

As pp have said, kitten should stay in until fully vaccinated and spayed. I don't understand why anyone would get a kitten with the intention of never letting it out. Its not natural for a cat. Fair enough if it has the choice and chooses not to. But to deny it the choice us not nice.

I so don't understand why people who live in busy areas with main roads get cats.

YANBU. It is your choice what you decide for your cats, and that should be respected. Several cats show no interest of being outside. As for it being cruel to keep cats indoors? No, it isn't.

As pp said indoor cats in States very common. Outdoor predators in US quite scary, e.g coyote.
The key is to have plenty of stimulation for cat. Look online for Jackson Galaxy.

The kittens will become territorial and will either hate each other or occasionally play if they cross paths, they won't see each other as brothers or sisters, they are animals. stating the obvious

You do what you like with your cat and just ignore other people's opinions.
I have an outdoor cat and kept her in til she was at least 9 month old chipped, snipped and vacs. But I got constant keep your cat indoors forever type lectures as it's a big bad world out there for cats. So it is but my cats happy and I have a cat friendly area.

You cats health and safety I'd your concern and no one else's.

I'm on a few local lost cat/rescue fb pages and someone 8 week old kitten dissappeared in their secure garden.
that kitten would not have lived by the end of that day, taken by a fox or any other predators out there or simply death by exposure. People don't think.

YANBU. My indoor cat gang has grown to three since I had my first and although they were all 'rescued' it was my choice to have them, but cats are domesticated animals nowadays not lions or tigers that roam free, and personally I couldn't hack it if I had let them be outdoors and they were run over/killed by a fox/attacked by another cat/poisoned etc. Lots of people like to keep them as outdoors and that's fine but don't let them bully you into it if it's not what you want to do. You'll know if your cat isn't happy indoors and if you make sure he's fed appropriately, played with and kept happy he'll be absolutely fine.

We'd all be less at risk if we stayed indoors 24/7 but we don't because its not exactly much fun. I've lost a cat to a fox, and had a mostly Feral Tom that regularly got injured fighting, not to mention the regular worry when he wasn't seen for months sometimes and then turned up injured, bedraggled and emaciated just as I gave him up for dead. And they actually were happy, not I believed it so because it suited my needs. But I'd make the same choice again even if I knew they would definitely live and die the same, and current 2 also roam. Because their need to express cat behavior trumps my selfish need to have them healthy and well for as long as possible. Because that's it really, same principle as people who won't pts a suffering pet cos they 'just love it too much'. I'll believe they are happy in when you give them that choice for 12 months and see how they react to being confined after it. It's not really up to us to decide we know best, let the cat. Even the law, which is hardly a strong advocate of animal rights recognises cats as 'wild' thus their right to roam and the owners absolution for any responsibility. They say if humans died out tomorrow cats would be completely wild and just as healthy in one generation, which hardly correlates with some anecdotes about someone's perceived to be happy cat. Dogs are so domesticated they'd mainly die off if we did, yet we still all promote the idea they should never live inside 24/7 without a garden or walks.
Same for any other animal not allowed to express natural behaviors whether birds in cages or rodents living 24/7 in inappropriate cages/ hutches. Pure selfishness.

I've had 9 multiple indoors cats and the poppycock being spouted on this thread about them being bored, scratching the house to pieces, spraying indoors is just that - utter poppycock and nonsense.

My cats have always been happy and fulfilled indoors. Yes, indoor cats need more input and interaction but why have a pet if you aren't prepared to do that?

On the plus side, I will never scrape my cats off the road after they've been squashed under a tyre. They'll never be mauled to death by an out of control dog. Never suffer an agonising death from poisoning, deliberate or otherwise. Equally they will never inflict death on other animals. They won't be a nuisance to my neighbours.

Fwiw, before keeping my cats indoors they did free roam for 10 years. I've lived both sides of the argument and indoor is ultimately better for the cats. It's a huge cultural problem in this country, in America most cats are indoors. The average lifespan of an outdoor cat is just two years. That is a tragedy when the species can live until teens and beyond when cared for properly and kept safe.

Personally, I wouldnt keep a cat permantly indoors. Cats like to roam, scent mark and establish territory, it's their natural behaviour. Though I suppose they could do this indoors (hopefully minus the spraying).

I do keep my neutered male cat in at nights as I don't want him being a nuisance ( he meows very loudly when he wants in), and I think night is when he is at most risk, eg roaming, fighting, etc.
During the day though, he goes out. To be honest, I don't think he goes far, and spends a good deal of the day just sleeping in the garden.
I usually get him in before I go work, apart from the last couple of weeks as the weather has been nice and he refuses point blank to come in.

If he got run over and killed tomorrow I would be devastated, but I would not regret letting him out. He gets a great deal of pleasure from going out and I think its worth the risk.

Bollocks that you can't have an indoor cat.

We have a happy, healthy 8 year old cat and shock horror we don't even have a garden.

I resent being deemed as cruel for this... if anyone wants to find me a place I can afford to rent with a garden where I live then let me know

Nothing wrong with taking your kitten into the garden while you supervise. I have a cat now who came to me at five weeks (mother died) and had her in the garden from about 8 weeks old. She's curled up next to me now!

If you never give them the option how do you know they are just as happy in? Surely if it's genuine belief they'd somehow be less happy due to risk whilst roaming you solve the issue by cat proofing your garden, thus they no longer are indoor cats. I wouldn't keep a cat inside 24/7 any more than a horse in my shed. My own principles in taking on any animal is that whilst I get infinite amounts of pleasure, ultimately the animals rights come over my pleasure. And if I can't provide for it adequately I don't get it. I'd never have another semi feral Tom, because I can't take the stress of shitting it if they go awol. But neither would I shut one in.
And I don't think anyone is deliberately cruel keeping one indoors 24/7, just unintentionally so from either being mistaken about the cats needs, or placing their wants over the animals need. It's also impossible to correctly guess any animals happiness in a situation unless you have comparisons to make with other situations.

American houses are often bigger than UK houses, by quite a big margin.

I think there are some cat breeds who are much less active and happy to be indoors. Unless you have a massive house with lots to keep them busy I think most cats have more enrichment if they can go out. But this depends on weighing up risks- do you live on a main road, what dangers are there, do many cats go missing in the area. My burmese should be inside cats but they are high energy and were getting stress cystitis. Letting them out has been a good decision, they are much happier as a result, no more cystitis and the risk where I live is fairly low. They seem to have the same street smarts as neighbouring moggies and have been accepted by those cats.
All this is irrelevant to you right now though op as your cat is much too young to roam. Get them neutered, vaccinated and microchipped then wait until at least 6 months and preferably 10-12 months if you choose to let them out. If you keep them in then they'll need lots of play, stimulation, climbing and scratching areas.

It is an indoor cat soup. Dogs go out for a walk everyday... are they classed as indoor pets or outdoor pets?

They are certainly not indoor pets. That would be something like a hamster or a cat you keep penned indoors.

stairbears here here!! HATE caged animals inc rabbits, hamsters, birds

we have a pedigree (persian 7 1/2 month old). most persian owners don't let theirs out however we have done our best to make our small garden safe for her and she only goes out there when i am there. tbh, my heart melted when i watched her first go out there. the smells, sounds, wind on her, she LOVED it. she isn't overly bothered about going out there but it makes me happy knowing she has the choice to hang out there with us when we/i go out there. she certainly doesn't go out the front or out the back at night. i don't like animals kept in although that is just my view whilst i understand why some do

We chose our British blue shorthair specifically because their breed is lazy typically happy to be indoors, and we lived in a flat in central London at the time. We've since moved to a house with a garden that we want to make safe for her to enjoy because I do now feel a bit mean keeping her inside all the time. She'll be getting a noisy bell round her neck though as I don't want her attacking birds or bringing us any little presents

Cruel. They are animals. Some people seem to have forgotten this.

toots just out of interest, are you going to do it yourself or pay for one of those places to come and do it (they are really expensive). my dad fashioned some wooden strips to block off gaps, i did some weird gap filling too. our garden is really small although interesting enough through her eyes. it has a high fence at one end and high ivy/netting underneath (from previous owner who at a guess cat proofed it years ago) either side. breeder we got her from doesn't let his cats out and kept emphasising how i shouldn't let her out although i always knew i would let her in the garden. (so far...) she doesn't really jump or climb, just very laid back (apart from 8pm when she goes crazy). tbh it is a joy to watch her in the garden although she only seems to go for flies but likes watching birds and butterflys....(i don't let her get one although i doubt very much that she could)

jeans not sure yet - was just having that very conversation with my husband prompted by this thread and the cat staring longingly out the window again

We've sent away for some quotes to companies that do the fitting and what not so will be interested to see what they come back with. Our garden is quite little, so hoping it won't cost a fortune as both my husband and I are shit at DIY.

Sorry to have momentarily derailed your thread OP! Your cat is definitely too young and too small to be outside, so your sister is BU.

So where are all the people saying cats should not be allowed to roam and shit in people's gardens?

Can't have it both ways.