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.

I hate this topic... it is regularly brought up... I currently have five indoor cats, two would literally fight you if you tried to take them outside, one is disabled but loves a mooch in my cat proofed back garden on a daily basis, two are ex/feral rescues who are tiny due to poor breeding and lack of nutrition as kittens- they only get out in the garden with me occasionally under supervision..
I would happily let anyone into my house to see how happy my little tribe is.. and I won’t apologise for keeping them happy and safe..
I have personally lifted five cats killed and left on the road and made sure they got back to their owners and just this week two cats have been poisoned in my local area. I had to go lift my neighbours much loved cat two months ago and cuddled it as it died in my arms. I then cuddled it’s owner as she howled in my arms after I brought her little one home to her...
I foster the mess ups left behind by others and I won’t apologise for keeping them inside,warm, cuddled, safe and well fed

@Potentialmadcatlady

Mine are rescue indoor cats and don’t care about outside, they just want food, playtime and cuddles.

This utter bollocks, my house cats have never got out, some of us are careful, caring owners.

@GreyHare Just take a look at your local Lost Pets Facebook pages - if they're anything like round here, there are loads of "indoor" pets which have miraculously escaped.
It's not bollocks.

My cat is a house cat through his choice, when he was small I took him outside a few times, in case it was just he didn't know there was an outside, he ran straight back indoors every time, even in the summer when the door is always open he sticks his nose out and sniffs occasionally but will not step off the doorstep. He loves to sit on the windowsill and look out though.

in America people think it's wrong to let cats out because they get lost/injured/viruses etc.

Rather the opposite we have 4 cats and they are only outside. Not allowed in. To be honest as it's a farm they're pretty happy with the deal.

Years ago a friend rehomed around 50 battery hens. When they arrived they wouldn't come out of the pen, stayed at the back and cowered in the dark. It took months before they ventured out and in the end roamed everywhere!

I expect a house cat is similar. If it's all they know after a while that instinct/desire to go outside disappears and they don't consider it. So yes I can see that many house cats don't try to get outside etc.

I had a school friend whose Mother worked for the RSPCA and she used to constantly bring cats home. They lived in a bog standard three bed semi for reference so not large and they ended up with around 10-12 cats, none of them were allowed outside. The house just stunk of cat piss constantly, I think they’d stopped being able to smell it. The cats barely had room to move as well, seemed cruel to me at the time.

She brought them home because they were healthy but nobody would adopt them so RSPCA were going to put them down. Not sure which was crueler tbh.

YANBU OP. I love cats but do not have one as I live in a flat.

I adopted a rescue pedigree British Shorthair, and part of the requirements were to keep her inside. She has only dver lived inside and we can leave the front door open and she doesn't even try to leave. She also loves our dining room window because it gets the sun. She sits there most of the day because she likes it, not because she is pining to live outside!

Sounds ideal. Unless you can contain your pets your shouldn't have them. Letting them into a cat proofed garden is also acceptable.

I love my garden birds and hate that so many birds are killed by cats every year. Hopefully letting your cats roam free will be a distant memory eventually, just like nobody just lets there dogs out of the front door for a walk like they used to.

*their