To feel sad for my friends little cat

[ArizonaRobbins]

My friend has a young cat. They live together in a (fairly large) flat. She has had the cat since she was a kitten. Little cat does not get to go outside. Friend fears she will get lost or run over. Which is understandable.

Poor cat seems to spend a lot of time sitting at the living room window. When I think about this too closely I feel sad. They poor little cat’s whole life is within those four walls. How boring and unfulfilling must that be?

I have no pets. Maybe I just don’t get it. It just seems a little selfish to me.

A lot of outdoor cats will sit and look out of the windows too.

See - perfectly happy on the sofa

As the cat has been indoors from kitten she will not have any street wise knowledge so wouldnt last very long outside, and will not miss what she has never had, so dont feel sad for her

You are right, but they do need more playtime with their owners if only indoors. Does she get that, or is she just left to her own devices? Does she have a playtower?

We have had cats for 20 years - me and DH/our family...

We have always lived in a safe area - cul-de-sac/no main road etc. We have never had any cat harmed (touch wood!) We have had 3. One died of natural causes 2 years ago aged 18, and the other two (15 and 13) are still alive and kicking. They are all female, and have never wandered more than 50 yards from our property. I think male cats are more likely to get killed because they wander off more. (Not the owner's fault at all.)

Ours have always been outside, but a few years ago I had penpals and I told one (from Northern California) that we let our cats outside. She slagged me off something rotten. She said I was putting my cats in danger and peril, and if I loved them and cared about them I would keep them in.

She lived near a freeway (only 200 yards from her garden,) and also there were wild dogs and big wild cougars around her area (in the hills,) so yeah it WAS a bit dangerous for her cats. But not in a cul-de-sac, 10 minutes walk from a main road in bloody Milton Keynes!

My aunt and uncle lived on a through-road (not busy though,) and had a female cat called Penny, who lived to 24! And she was allowed out.

Ours are allowed out, and have always been fine. I think cats SHOULD be allowed out, unless you live somewhere that has the M5 at the bottom of your garden (Then again, you probably shouldn't have a cat unless you live more than 6 to 7 minutes walk from a road with a fairly high volume of speedy traffic!)

Oh yeah @ArizonaRobbins YANBU!

(btw, I stopped writing to my Northern Californian penpal after she said I was being cruel to my cats!)

The average lifespan of an indoor cat is 16 years. The average lifespan of an outdoor cat is 5 years.

Where did this stat come from? Are you in the US? We've had 5 cats who roam outdoors at will and every single one has lived longer than 12 years (one made 18 years). But we're in the UK where there are very few wild animals to contend with.

Even outdoor cats spend most of their time indoors in my experience. They like to be near their food and safety. Not to mention a comfy lap or warm basket.

One of my 16 year old boys is free range and likes to go out; the other is firmly attached to the sofa, his sheepskin, or my bed. He only goes out for a couple of minutes, and not if it is wet. They both seem happy, and both sleep a lot.

@RightYesButNo

The average lifespan of an indoor cat is 16 years. The average lifespan of an outdoor cat is 5 years.

Where on earth did you drag this from?

Mine have always been outside cats, and are 13 years +.

Do you live on the hard shoulder of the M1?

Unless it's the US & you have a prob with coyotes (My Cat from Hell etc) , I don't get the modern trend for indoor cats. All my cats have been outside too at will, & lived til late teens. Yes they snooze all day & love a windowsill, but come night time they're out & trying to keep them in would only result in hours of yowling & distress.

Agree with @Jaxhog

The person who said the outdoor cat lives only 5 years must be from a country other than the UK (or live 20 yards from the motorway!)

My current cat is indoors as she pedigree and sadly they get stolen. Next doors Bengal got stolen not that long ago. She’s happy and we have a cat proof garden so she does get to go outside.

My other two used to have a flap and come and go as they pleased. One lived outdoors (farm cat) the other hated it and would only go outside to do her business and then fly back in through the cat flap like a rocket.

They are all different but our current fluff is very content

We have 2 cats. We have a cat flap that they can use 24/7. One cat will spend hours at a time outside, day and night. The other will very rarely go out, especially as it gets colder. The cat flap is linked to an app that tells us how often they go out, on a good day she will spend 15 minutes outside, she honestly wouldn't be fussed if she wasn't allowed out. And if being inside is what they are used to, it can be more cruel to then let them out.

In defence of our furry friends:

www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/advice/gardening-for-wildlife/animal-deterrents/cats-and-garden-birds/are-cats-causing-bird-declines/

The RSPB says no evidence cats cause bird decline.

As for average lifespan of outdoor v. indoor cats, my vet actually said indoor cats tend to die sooner and have more health problems, due to their inactivity. As in humans populations if you sit on your bum all day you aren't doing yourself any favours!

I googled that 2-5 year lifespan thing and it seems to be about mostly feral cats.
Cats that are un-neutered, un-vaccinated and have to find their own food.
It says that cats that live outside don't get noticed quickly enough if the get ill or injured.

Surely that doesn't mean cats with a loving home who just like to go out for an explore?

My cat can go outside if she wants but she's never been much of an explorer
She just likes to sit in the garden. I've taken my blinds down off the window and she loves to sit staring out of the window.

When my great nan was a child it was normal for dogs to roam loose during the day and be shut in a garden / shed or if really lucky be allowed indoors at night. When people started to not allow dogs to free roam there was this same debate about being it being cruel and unnatural, but I cant imagine anyone in the uk being happy to let there dog loose nowadays, infact even a kennel in the garden send most people into the whole, poor dog attitude. The same thing is happening with cats. I love my cat and spend a lot of time ,effort and money on her and want to enjoy her as long as possible, why would I chuck her outside for half of her life unattended? She has toys, a buggy and walks on lead as well as a run in the garden. She plays with me ,the kids and my dogs and I give her plenty of physical and mental stimulation as well as a bed on the window sill do she can watch the world go by! She seems happy and when I come home and open the door she rubs around my legs but never tries to go out. A lot of factors will influence if your friends cat is happy and getting all it needs but being g indoors on it's own isn't a reason to feel sorry for it x

My DF has an indoor cat that belonged to a neighbour who moved house and left it behind.

It WAS an outdoor cat before they moved but once it had ensconced itself in my DFs house it refused to budge. It goes out to do its business under a bush and comes right back in again.

It too likes to sit in the window and watch the world go by!

We got a 2 year old indoor cat, we live in a 4th floor flat and he lived with us very happily for a few years with no issues.

It took him quite a while to even show an interest in the balcony, despite us leaving the door

When people started to not allow dogs to free roam there was this same debate about being it being cruel and unnatural, but I cant imagine anyone in the uk being happy to let there dog loose nowadays,
@Gdfiirvj

Perhaps not. But there has been a significant increase in dog obesity and behavioural disorders associated with poor socialisation and lack of exercise. Whilst free roaming dogs are not tolerated by society it’s difficult to construct a behavioural welfare argument against it. Just because we now prefer to keep dogs indoors, it doesn't Mean their welfare is better, just that the risks are different -obesity and frustration versus trauma and road accidents

First, I want to clarify something I said, thoughtlessly. While I think people who keep their cats in are trying to save them from a brutally shortened life, that’s based not just on those numbers, but what they know about their neighbourhood. In my neighbourhood, due to traffic, there are almost exclusively indoor cats. Outdoor cats would never live to 17. Anyone trying to have an outdoor cat would be accepting that their cat would almost certainly be killed by a vehicle within a few years or less. But I commented very myopically and I’m sorry to all the loving outdoor owners out there; I know many from other areas. I don’t believe that anyone who loves their cat would intentionally let it out to be cruel, and owners make their own decisions about how safe it is in their area for their cat (@littlehappyhippo pointed out some important differences). I have friends who have outdoor cats, and I have never accused them of being cruel - they love their cats and are as much slaves to them as my friends with indoor cats.

As for where I got the numbers, I completely understand that everyone is now sharing how long their cats have lived as proof of how long all outdoor cats live. I don’t know - of course it’s possible that the numbers could be much higher in your specific neighbourhood or postal code. I used numbers from Catster, which surveyed 10 sites and averaged the numbers. WebMD’s pet site, PetMD, states indoor cats are 17 years and up while outdoor cats are 2-5 years.

Here are the links. As I said, they’re not the exact cat life expectancy for your post code and your cat. I’m very glad that some of you have had very long-lived outdoor cats.
www.catster.com/cat-health-care/how-long-do-cats-live-cat-health-facts
pets.webmd.com/cats/features/should-you-have-an-indoor-cat-or-an-outdoor-cat

I’m not in the US, but the reasons listed online as dangerous to outdoor cats didn’t seem US-centric to me. While there may be less of a chance of your cat being hit by a car or attacked by a gang of meth addicts (not sure, it was all I could think of) if you live in a tiny Cotswolds village, of course, PetMD actually lists the reason why outdoor cats die sooner is because owners can’t catch health problems as soon as they can with indoor cats. Not something different between tiny Cotswolds vs. center of London. So I really have no idea.

I do believe that everyone is trying to make the best decision for their cat. OP, if you think the cat seems bored, maybe you could try gifting it a toy and see if the cat shows a lot of interest in playing?

It took him quite a while to even show an interest in the balcony, despite us leaving the door...

Post fail

...open.

Then we had to rehome him to DPs parents house and he now has access to a garden and couldn't really care about it. He doesn't like walking in the grass but he'll go and sit on the patio

This can be a heated topic.

Some car owners are horrified at the thought of cats being allowed outside incase they come to harm.

I let Mine out - though I do worry.

I think as long as the cat is cared for and played with it will be ok. But I agree that most cats love being able to get outside.

YANBU my cats would be miserable. I tried to keep them both in when I got them and it was always a race to the door. But I do know some cats like to lounge around at home all day.

@RightYesButNo Most problems, such as getting hit by a car or having a wild animal like a coyote after themselves

Limited coyotes in my garden

Virtually all cats here are outdoor cats but it is a very quiet road. I've only had cats live into their late teens and one into early twenties. Seems a long time when they're grumpy bastards...

That said I did know one cat who was indoor only by choice and was very, very happy with his lot. He was a rescue who they think had been homeless/feral and was very happy lying around on heated blankets and gazing out of the window. Towards the very end of his life he would potter out into a secure garden but only for a few minutes.

YABU. I have 2 indoor cats. I tried to introduce them into garden but they ran back in. They are happy inside.

Also a family cat was brutally murdered last weekend in our area. Was even in the news. Massive petition online as well to bring culprits to justice.

I have a house cat and she is very happy. Her mum was a house cat too as are all her other siblings. Her breed is better suited indoors also. She is incredibly spoilt and has several rooms to roam around with plenty of toys. I've taken her outside before when she was a kitten and she just ran back inside.