Giving kitten to someone in a flat? Is it cruel?

[janebee4]

I've posted about my kitten saga before so to recap briefly: got a cat from the RSPCA, told she was spayed but she wasn't, she had 3 kittens, we wanted to keep one but our other cat (also from RSPCA, came with mum cat) hates them and is spraying all over the house so we have to re-home them all.

One is going to someone I used to work with who adopted a cat from the RSPCA recently, I'm really happy with her set up. She's going to neuter, vaccinate and will let the kitten outdoors if he wants to go outside. She recommended a friend from her work for our other female kitten. I asked him if he lived on a main road, if he can spay/vaccinate etc and he said he didn't live on a main road and yes to vaccinating etc. He came round tonight to see the kitten and said he lived in a flat. I asked if there was any outdoor space and he said no.

I don't believe it's fair to keep a cat indoors for its entire life as it's not natural, but then I do completely understand people worrying about them getting attacked/run over etc (and also feel for people who don't like cats and don't want them crapping in their garden).

I don't know what to do. I feel bad that he came over to see her and obviously loved her, and my asking if he lived on a main road probably wasn't explicit enough that I wanted her to have access to outside space. Am I being unreasonable? I mean she could go to someone who said they'd let her out and then didn't anyway. Is it mean to keep a cat inside? I've always been brought up with this idea that it's cruel to supress their natural behaviours but happy to be told I'm being unreasonable.

DP is of the opinion they'll get a cat/kitten anyway so my believing it isn't fair won't change anything, it just wouldn't be our kitten. I'm upset at giving them away though so I just desperately want to make sure they all get the best lives possible.

I have 2 very lovely healthy and happy house cats. Previously we lived in a flat then we moved to a house. People have PFB children I have PFB cats, i had a cat killed by a car when I was a teenager and I couldn't stand that happening again.
They have big wooden climbing frames and every room is cat friendly. They chase each other around the house and the vet has no concerns about their condition. I play with them every day and they seem like happy little critters. One has never been outside but on the odd occasion that she has escaped she freaks out and gets lost and DH has to go and bring her back. The other was found as a stray and has absolutely no inclination of going back outside. I don't feel cruel or unkind, there's so many dangers out there and I love them to bits.

Perhaps that's true in the UK, but it's not true everywhere. This rescue insists on a commitment to keeping the cat indoors only.

It's not even true in the UK!

So cute. In Paris people have indoors cats it's only once I move to London that I saw domestic cats walking around. In France you would only see stray in the street

I live in a flat and have a cat. He’s almost two years old. He’s only ever lived in this flat. We have tried to let him out several times and each time he ends up stuck up a tree... so he is a house cat until we move in July 😂 I think it depends if it’s a bottom floor or not. We are bottom and I wouldn’t have dreamed of getting a kitten if we weren’t. The option to let them out should always be there. We have a garden and the idea was always to let Colin (the cat) out. But alas, he is quite dim and gets stuck in the same tree every time 🤷🏻‍♀️

Also @TippingHenry you are incorrect. Several charities re-home indoor cats who are neither ill or old. Our latest addition was 10 months with no health conditions when we adopted her.

I live in an area very close to the nutter in Norwich who has gone around mutilating local cats. Dozens of "missing cat" posters litter the lamp posts around this neighbourhood. For that reason alone, I'd have no problem keeping cats indoors. While living in America, I had two cats who were indoor only. They were never curious about going outside. Content to sit by the window and meow at birds, but they honestly hadn't a clue what they were missing. They lived long, happy and healthy lives, well into their early 20s.

My two are rescues, both house cats. They were found in a box with other kittens ands the only ones still alive. They are the most nervous, anxious cats I’ve ever had. They have no desire to go out, we are the third home to have them as people think they aren’t ‘cat like’ or friendly, it’s taken three years but now they’ll sit on laps or have cuddles.
It really depends on the cat.

That's not actually true tipping Henry. We live in a flat and have always had a pair of rescue cats having consulted both our vets and the (reputable national and local) rehoming charities around us. All of them will rehome some cats as indoor cats but it very much depends on each individual cats circumstances. For what it's worth neither our previous pair (who lived into their twenties) nor our current pair have ever shown any interest in escaping. One will meet me at the front door but isn't interested in venturing further ; the other won't go beyond the bottom step of our stairs. I do agree though that it wouldn't be reasonable to expect a cat who is used to roaming to adapt (though cats with certain viruses have to) and owners of indoor cats have to put more thought into ensuring all of their cat's needs are being met including climbing hiding chasing and hunting behaviours.

My cat is 2, she’s been an indoor cat in our flat since we got her as a kitten. She likes to sit in the windowsill when it’s open but even when we leave the door open into the stairwell she isn’t that interested in exploring outside. She is very chill and loves being with humans though. I wouldn’t say it’s cruel if there’s no better alternative, my cat has a good life.

I had two cats that only lived indoors, they were rescued as emmaciated and sick kittens from a trash can in the city I was living with at the time, they then travelled the world with me for 16 years, and never once had outside access due to constant high rise living. They were happy, relaxed, never showed stressed behaviours and overall had a good life.

I now have a 7 year old cat that has full access to the outdoors and a wildlife buffet, he is also relaxed, happy and unstressed.

In summary, if the cat is loved, well cared for, fed an appropriate diet and the environment is not stressful, they will thrive, regardless of being an indoor or outdoor cat.

One final point though, life expectancy of indoor cats is far higher than that of outdoor cats.

Inti clearly stressed about her 'unnatural' life while living in a flat

In terms of cruelty, depends on your definition, as indoor cats have a longer life expectancy so the kitten that goes to the flat will actually live longer than the one you give to someone who is going to make their kitten an outdoor cat. Also, some people believe that all cats should be indoors, due to the high cost to local wildlife. I love cats, but I’ve always lived in flats, and admittedly, always had indoor cats as a result. Here’s a somewhat wild American article about the wildlife cost, including the assertion that outdoor cats are responsible for the extinction of 33 species: www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/moral-cost-of-cats-180960505/

I have a huge garden, live on a quiet road, have 2 loving cats that would love a friend.... I would like to volunteer to have the kitten!!!! She’s so cute!

Cats are very domesticated. They're just not very trainable. Most breeds would have serious issues going feral.

Yassi, also while living in the flat.

I'm not sure it was possible for my cats to be any happier.

I think it is a bit mean to never let them outside for fresh air and freedom, to walk on the grass, smell all the different smells of nature, lay in the sun. I can't imagine never going outside ☹

Personally I couldn't give the kitten to him as I'd probably end up thinking about the cat from time to time over the coming years, stuck indoors for life, and I'd feel sad/guilty.

I had 2 cats in our flat in Paris, they lived a happy and long life. Probably much longer than if they had been living in a house with a garden. One of my cats never ventured outdoor at any cost. The other one used to go on the rooftops (it was at the time when we had a terrace on top so he had easy access). I suppose at that time you could say he had outdoor space but in the flat before or after I don't remember him being able to reach the rooftops much. He didn't mind and like I said my other one never even fancied it.
They are domesticated animals.
Also they are a nuisance when they crap in other people's gardens.

We adopted a cat from a big charity rescue place. We lived on a main road so they stipulated that we had to keep him inside. It was a big place and he had the run of it. He was perfectly content, had lots of toys and stimuli and people to play with/sleep on.

We had a small, fully enclosed yard at the back and he used to nip out there sometimes but never for long, he just wasn't interested.

He had access to outdoors when we moved to a quieter area and he does go out now. Never goes far though, and prefers to be in mostly.

They are adorable!

I do not think it is cruel not to allow a cat outside. As long as the cat has plenty of opportunities to play inside, there should not be an issue.

I have had indoor cats for a VERY long time and have never had stress-induced illnesses. Only one cat ever got sick and he was a neutered male who developed a UTI. He is lovely but a bit thick and hardly shows an interest in going outside anyway. (The UTI cleared up with antibiotics and we have not had any repeat incidents.)

We as humans keep fish, gerbils, hamster, ferrets, rabbits etc etc all of them are often necessarily restricted in terms of roaming space and access to outdoor space. Dogs are also restricted as we keep them on lead. None of this is natural. But the animals are usually well cared for, loved and live a longer life (if maybe a little less exciting than could have been). Personally I'd be happy with an indoor cat. However I don't actually feel comfortable with any small pet that needs to be mainly kept in a cage. But I don't go around telling people off for it, I just don't do it myself.

I think it is a bit mean to never let them outside for fresh air and freedom, to walk on the grass, smell all the different smells of nature, lay in the sun. I can't imagine never going outside ☹

My cats have a cattio and they lay in the sun more in the house than they do it their outside space. Why would you want to lay on the grass in the sun, when you can lay on a bed in the sun?

Personally I couldn't give the kitten to him as I'd probably end up thinking about the cat from time to time over the coming years, stuck indoors for life, and I'd feel sad/guilty.

But wouldn't feel guilty if you found out it had gone missing or run over? I'd rather they were happy and safe and not dead.

Adorable!

I think, if you have other people queuing up that have better cat accommodation, the flat shouldn't be your first choice. If not, then it's probably better than a shelter?

I don’t think I’d go as far as saying it’s cruel, but I wouldn’t have a cat in a flat with no access to out doors.

It seems the general consensus is it's okay to keep them indoors, and tbh I do panic myself when my cats don't instantly appear when I call them! But they were found as strays so I would never try to keep them indoors now, and the boy cat is bonkers and needs to go outside or he'll tear my house apart! I'm going to sleep on it and see how I feel in the morning. I have a huge issue with 'what iffing' every decision I have to make!

Oh I know exactly how you feel, we were in the same situation and I became the slave of 4 cats. I couldn't bear to give the kittens away and they all remain with me to this date, and I oblige to their every command, of course.