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.

It depends on the cat, some are happy being indoors and some get really stressed if they cant go out.

I agree with this. A friend had two kittens who were sisters. One was fine with living indoors but the other was so stressed the vet advised her to re-home it.

Our cats are indoor by choice. I've just about convinced two of them to come and sit in our small walled in back garden when I go out. One will not be persuaded no matter how hard I try.

You obviously want these kittens to go to the best home possible. Letting a cat go outside no more indicates a good owner than keeping a cat indoor a bad owner. If this guy seems like a good fit then definitely probe deeper to see how committed he is to the cats welfare.

Is he clued up on good quality cat food?
How is he going to ensure the cat is safe inside (hot stove tops, high balconies or windows)?
How big is the flat?
Is the flat owned by him, and if not can you see permission from landlord?

If the flat is rented even with permission from the landlord he might not be allowed to make use of any vertical space with cat shelves, secure any freestanding furniture so it doesn't topple if the cat jumps on it, or secure a large cat tower to the wall as some require.

You might also want to talk to the brother to see if he's aware of the cat and happy with the situation. If he's not a fan then that might significantly limit the amount of space the cat is allowed in.

I have 2 indoor cats. Had them from kittens. They are happy. When it's nice weather I have the back door open. They will tentatively walk up to the door and nosey outside. They will NOT go outside. One of them is very brave and will put a paw on the back doorstep(!) but then dash inside at any sound or movement. They show no interest in going out, don't sit at the door or anything. They have each other and us for company, the kids play with them for hours and they follow us round like lap dogs. They are gentle and loving.

But the fact is you don't want your kitten to be an indoor cat. Ask the potential adopter if he intends to let kitty out. If so, great. If not, then give to someone else. You've raised and cared for them and want the best for them so you need to feel happy with the home the kitten will go to. You don't want to be wondering if they're sad or not by (possibly) being kept in. I hope it all works out to your satisfaction. The kitten is just absolutely adorable.

I’m from the US and have lived in the Middle East. We have ALWAYS had indoor cats. They are much more content and also it protects wildlife like birds.

When I see howuch time ours spend outside through the summer, I couldn't keep one in. In US animal welfare regs are a lot lower than ours.

Remember,this would be a flat,not even a two storey house, but one floor, and which floor was my first concern, dcats jump put of windows when desperate to be free.

I can't think of anything more exasperating for a dcat than to have to watch birds just outside a window!!!

I love love luuurve that ickly Kittie!! Squueeee!!!

Many breeders won't sell kittens to outdoor access homes. I was looking for info on a specific breed of cat and spoke to a breeder. I wasn't actually looking for a kitten, but they said that they couldn't sell to me as all my existing cats have outdoor access, and they only sell to indoor homes. They wouldn't place one of their kittens where it would see the existing cats doing things it wouldn't be allowed to.

My first cat many years ago had three litters of two kittens per litter. She outlived every single one of them by 15+ years. The one I kept died of an illness, the other five were killed on a road.

So I'd be okay with it staying indoors, on the proviso that if it wants outdoor access, they'd rehome it, and I'd want first refusal.

I wouldn't buy from a breeder for that reason. No-one needs to buy a 'specially' bred dcat there are so many special dcats that need homes.

Dcats should not be shut in for their lifetime.

I can't think of anything more exasperating for a dcat than to have to watch birds just outside a window!!!

Can't think of much worse for a bird than being killed slowly by a cat (along with their entire species).

It really isn’t cruel to keep a cat indoors. It keeps my cat (and the local wildlife) safer. We live with a lot of snakes, wild dogs, foxes, and the occasional passing car that would be a menace to her. I take her outside on a leash every now and then so she can eat some grass and throw it up again, but otherwise she’s fine with the arrangement.

My SiL adopted 3 feral kittens who spent very happy lives as indoor cats despite being born and living theirs first few months outside.

I have several friends who have pedigree cats and occasionally breed a litter. They insist on indoor only homes when homing their kittens. They do not want the kitten they have invested huge time and effort in rearing being run over/poisoned/exposed to disease from other cats etc.

Growing up my Mum had many cats as she would adopt any waif and stray. One out of dozens of cats that she took in lived a long life (to 17). Every other one went missing, fate unknown. Except 2 that we know were killed on the road - a very quiet village road.

I live in the country and a family of feral cats came with the house when we bought it several years ago. I’m grateful for their pest control abilities but I hate that they kill as many birds, rabbits and hares as they do rats and mice. If I chose to have a pet cat, I’d have an indoor cat just to spare the local wildlife.

My cat is indoors. I've made sure she has plenty of scope for doing her cat thing - climbing, hiding, sun worshiping, scratching. I play with her to make sure she gets lots of hunting type opportunities. Her water supply is away from her food.
And she doesn't have to do battle with a busy road and a local bastard who tortures cats - verified by a local non- drama prone vet.

My cat is indoor, as a responsible pet owner I would never put him at risk of fights, being stolen, or being killed.

Sometimes people say “my cat can’t stay inside as he/she goes crazy”, what they really mean is “my home isn’t car friendly and I can’t be bothered playing with him/her”.

Lots of rescues rehome indoor, my cat was two when I adopted her from cats protection with zero health problems.

I’ve got two indoor cats, who don’t want for anything. Where I live, there are some really horrible people doing some really horrible things to cat’s so they are Kept in for safety reasons.

Ex cat fosterer here.The kitten will be fine if she has ever been outside. Cats live up to 20 years so the owner may well move.

Cats' Protection rehome some cats as house cats, usually those with FIV and all foster cats have to be kept indoors.

Love your overlords, @Geekmama

I let my cats go outdoors because I am lazy and they want to go out. But honestly, when I adopted my cats, I was told it was healthier for them and for the environment if they remained indoor pets. Cats are highly efficient predators and they kill many birds, which is problematic for some bird species. Outdoor cats have shorter lifespans due to injuries, fights, and diseases. They also poop on other people's lawns, which isn't nice. Even though I love watching my kitties gamboling about the backyard and am a bit of an anarchist, I know I kind of suck because I am letting this nonsense go on.

The American Humane Society says cats should be kept indoors: www.americanhumane.org/fact-sheet/indoor-cats-vs-outdoor-cats/

Outdoor cats are three times as likely to be infected by parasites as indoor cats. www.newsweek.com/should-you-keep-your-cat-indoors-yes-scientists-1399881

www.vetinfo.com/reasons-cat-indoor.html
Here's another article. Which just goes to show you something really important about cats. Which is to say that I have a lot of work to do that I really don't feel like doing, hence, I am posting about cats.

We have an indoor cat. Entirely her own choice. She has access to outside but prefers to lie in our blanket box...well, now her blanket box, and sit in the window. She might pop outside for a short time on a really sunny day but never goes further than a few metres from the house.I Don’t think she’s ever even ventured to the bottom of the garden.

I have an indoor cat and I'm conflicted. He's happy now he's older to stay in but for many years I had to take him out on a harness because I felt awful that he couldn't go outside (busy main road, breed with no road sense) he loved sitting outside with the wind ruffling his fur and the sun on his back. He'd spend hours out there in the garden which was a real time consuming activity for me. This was in a large house as well with plenty of room and toys etc, he still wanted to be outside. So I wouldn't re-home the kitten to someone living in a small flat. Medium to large house, maybe. But having had this cat for a good few years, I wouldn't get another indoor cat much as I love him, it's not fair on him to never go out. If I were you I'd keep hold of the kitten until you find a more suitable home.

I have 4 cats and they are all indoor cats none of them have ever wanted to go outside I live in flat and my cats are all very happy and healthy they have toys and scratch posts and plenty of space to run round.

When we got our kitten in our flat to begin with he was fine with just having the balcony, would follow our older cat around and just laze in the sun but as he got older he was desperate to go outside properly, he started catching birds from the balcony!
Eventually we asked my sister who has a garden to take him and he's now much happier and is apparently now more of a neighbourhood cat than her cat.
My older cat who is now 15 is more than happy to be inside after being able to go outside for 10 years of his life. He's happy to just lie on the balcony for hours!!

I tried to keep a cat indoors last summer, as the kitten grew he became more and more desperate to get out. First he stared at windows all day, then he meowed constantly at doors, he became a little destructive. Also he constantly went for doors, if I’d kept it in it would be a constant battle of door closing. I. Couldn’t cooknwith the kitechen door open, open the patio doors ever or open windows in the summer. It driving me crazy! He’s settled down so much now he roams outside