To feel guilty I have indoor cats?

[Mycatlivesindoors]

My DS is autistic and was desperate for a ragdoll kitten. They have been described as being great “therapy” cats due to their calm and devoted nature. DS has had a difficult time at secondary school (he’s 12) and he researched ragdolls thoroughly, showing me lots of articles and videos about how lovely they are and how they really help people with their mental health.

I also researched the breed and read how most of them don’t really like going outside as they are quite “lazy” cats and like to spend their time with their owners. More importantly everything I read said they should NEVER go outside as they are too dumb to navigate roads, will let strangers pick them up, get lost etc etc

I bought 2 sibling kittens from a reputable breeder so they would always have a friend, someone to play with. They have lots of toys, we play with them constantly but all they want to do is go outside. It probably doesn’t help that our house layout is such that they are surrounded by glass overlooking the garden. It’s the only thing they see. As a result they both cry and wail to go outside.

After months of listening to them crying and howling by the door I took them outside, supervised. They loved it. I have been taking them out twice a day and they run up and down, watch the birds and generally have a lovely time. However our garden is not cat proof. It means DS and I have to “guard” the areas where they could escape. Last week one of them shot through a tiny hole in the hedge into next doors garden. Luckily we got her back but ever since the two of them spend all their time trying to escape.

I have had quotes from companies to catproof the garden but it is expensive and we are planning to move in the next year or so, so I can’t really justify the expense. I am now wary about taking them out in the garden as it is inevitable they will escape again! I have blocked the hole in the fence but they have now started on a new area in the garden trying to jump the wall.

I feel so guilty about keeping them indoors. But I’ve been told by so many people that if they get out the garden some awful fate will befall them because ragdolls should never be allowed to roam free.

I wish I’d just bought a cat that can go outside now, listening to 2 ragdolls howling at the door all day is so stressful.

Not just worth it, it has just or is about to become law.

No cat tax payment ?
Very slack.

They should have been genetically modified more so they're suitable as indoor cats and can manage on a lead imo, as should all cats. The day cats come with the expected cost of cat proofing and harness training will be a very good day for cats, wildlife, and cat owners neighbours. I have a number of pedigree cats and none have cried to be out of their cat proofed garden, and any who did would not be bred from.

One of mine who likes to wander wears a GPS tracker and a flashing light at night in case he wanders near a road.
He's already a few lives down after being hit by a car in November

You have ornaments

Get a catio, and cat leads. Ragdolls are typically very amenable to wearing harnesses and being walked like dogs. (The one worry would be aggressive dogs like XL bullies attacking them).

Our neighbour had an adorable ragdoll, she spent almost all of her time outdoors (mainly in our garden) and she was a prolific hunter. She was very confident and friendly, but quite savvy. I've known cats with so little common sense it wasn't safe for them to be outdoors, but she wasn't one of them.

Protection for wildlife is one benefit of having indoor cats, as is preventing them being hit by cars, which is a risk for all cats that go outside.

"I would rather hunt in the wild than eat in captivity."
It's not natural for cats to be kept inside,.how do you think they manage in the wild as ferrels etc?
I wish people wouldn't buy cats that they then keep imprisoned for the rest of their lives, it's so cruel. Just get a rescue moggy.

I have 2 indoor cats. The catio has been great. Also super important I think is indoor places for them to play - they love being high up - I have a large cat tree and am setting up some cat wall shelves - I think that makes a huge difference to them, as cats love being high up and able to climb.

We have M/F ragdolls who were inside until they were about 4 years old and we moved - the neighborhood cats had been visiting the new garden and our male ragdoll was very distressed and peeing all over our sofas and floors near the garden. He kept getting stress induced cystitis and the vet explained this is very dangerous in male cats, as due to their uretha going through a bone, things can get backed up and their kidneys can explode. The vet recommended the cats have access to the garden, which they do now 24/7 (we have cat doors linked to the chip in their necks).
Our female cat stays mostly indoors with the occasion visit to the garden. Our male cat spent several years practically living outside under bushes but he's now become more of an inside cat of his own choice. He never goes out the front of the house but we suspect he goes over a fence to a neighbours as he comes back looking like he has been lovingly brushed most days.
Ragdolls are very smart cats - they can be trained to fetch like dogs. They are just not very street smart - and there is a concern they will get hit by a car or a stranger will just pick them up because they go floppy around people.
But I came to the conclusion our cats are so much happier being able to go outside. We would be devastated if something happened to them, but their quality of live being made to stay indoors when they wanted to go outside was something we had to consider.

Why can they not just go out the garden, where they want? That's normal for cats. Give them collar/tags and microchips. Cruel to make them stay in.

What a horrible thing to say, I didn't say you have vermin. My cats can do tricks, they cuddle with me most of the day, they love their toys and cat trees and playing with each other I love them like they are family and just because they're nice to look at does not make them an ornament. They're beautiful to look at, but I'd be just as happy to have a hideous cat who acted the same as a purebred.

This post sums up why I have never, and will never have a pedigree cat.

So called professional breeders have done huge damage to generations of cats (and of course dogs) by deliberately in-breeding them to create genetic abnormalities like deformed skulls, curly or no fur, deformed ears and limbs, and removing any sense of self protection. This is done purely for the benefit of owners who want something that looks cute on TikTok. It certainly isn't for the animal's benefit.
I think the world would be a better place were most of these 'breeds' banned.

At least my 'vermin' / 'hideous cats' haven't been bred by idiots to shorten their lives, and cause lifelong health problems.

What about a good cat harness for raffles with extendable leads

But the natural point of a cat is to be a predator and exercise self-protection.
In the case of ragdolls, they can't be predators as they don't go outside, and they have been genetically modified to have zero self-protection sense.
I mean what the hell?

It really isn't cruel

Again my cats are happy as indoor cats

I let my ragdoll out in the garden, they like to potter about, but won't go massively away from me (except from stupidity and then cry to come back). After about 20 min, they just walk in the house. I keep an eye on them outside. I also have a catio and a cat tree.

Lots of people don't let their cats roam, I have a friend with a rescue, again, she cat-proofed her garden and the cat comes back in after being outside for a bit.

I live on a busy road with buses on it, so having a roaming cat is not a possibility, it would just get squished.

I had to check I hadn't written the OP! My DS was the same: researching and presenting me with a list of reasons why we should get a ragdoll (we lived in a flat). Including helping calm his anxiety!

Well, we cracked and got a ragdoll in the December. Then unexpectedly moved overseas the next summer, to a place where we just cannot keep the cat inside (very hot, doors always open, we spend half our time outside...).

Anyway, our ragdoll has adapted really well! He LOVES going outside. At first he was in loads of fights with other cats (no serious injuries, just 2 bites) and he was rubbish at defending his territory. However within a few months he got the hang of it. Now hardly any cats come near our garden because he defends it properly. Except our neighbour's cat - they appear to have made friends and miaow at each other and will lie down near each other.

There are loads of dogs loose here which was a huge worry. At first our cat was very unsuspecting and got chased a couple of times. Now he is much more dog smart and hasn't had a problem in over a year. There are a couple of dogs who use out garden as a thoroughfare (impossible to block) but cat stays out of the way and is fine.

Other people- he ll go to our guests but not to anyone outside our house.

Cars - we're not on a main road and he's learnt to be wary of our cars on our drive.

Wildlife - unfortunately he has gotten very good at catching lizards. He definitely has learnt - his instincts seem to have really been fine tuned since coming here.

He used to wander quite far and once went missing for 36 hours after a cat fight but that was only 3 months after we moved here. Most the time he sleeps in our garden, or in the house whilst I'm working.

For the past 12 months he's come home between 5 and 5.30pm like clockwork. He's shut in overnight.

I do think his life will probably be shorter because he goes out. But he loves it so much that I'm glad we moved and didn't keep him in a flat.

tadpoles oh that sounds lovely, what a lucky ragdoll you have!

I took mine out in the garden again today, and played ball with them which they love! I’ve ordered some cat tunnels and a tent which will hopefully entertain them in the garden for a bit!

Because of the layout of the house (on a hill with steps down to garden) we can’t have a catio but I am so amazed by the ones I looked at online. What a great idea.

Looking to move this year so will either see about professionally cat proofing new garden or getting a catio. Thankyou for the ideas!

Im totally in love with my ragdolls and wouldn’t be without them. They adore each other and I’m watching them both thoroughly groom each other before they jump up on the bed to sleep with me!

First of all it's worth underscoring that cat breeds are much less well established than eg dog breeds, and much less distinct from each other genetically, so there is a lot less that you can say about any given cat's personality/behaviour based on breed than people often think - and than breeders make out! There are dim and docile Ragdolls, but also there are sharper-witted and more active ones. Breeds are really just cats with specific physical appearance traits.

I second all the recommendations for a catio and for harness training. I personally wouldn't let a cat free-roam, it's risky for them, and I'd find it too anxiety inducing. (It's so funny to me that of all the pets, cats are the only ones that have somehow secured the right to roam freely without their owners - classic cat! Nobody would let their dog, hamster etc explore alone.)

I’ve got a barn kitten. She’s now 11yr and pretty much lives outside all year. The only time she makes a fuss to come inside is in the winter, when she is of course welcome to
come in. The rest of the time she prefers to be out. Even in winter if she is still in when we go to bed she soon starts crying to go out. She likes to come and sit with us in the summer in the garden and share our bbqs. She sleeps in our caravan most of the time as it has a window that doesn’t fully shut.

I know rag dolls are different from farm bred moggies but I’d still want to find a way to get them outside safely.

One of my cats thinks he is a dog, so he goes outside in the garden with the dog for a pee then comes straight back in. He doesn’t do a pee (he has a litter tray, he just poddles about after the dog. In the Summer if we are out in the garden he will come out but he won’t go out alone. He howls to get back in the minute the door is closed.

Are you playing within them properly? Indoor cats need stimulation. Daily. Different toys, different engagement. It's challenging and should take up an hour every day in fits. They need to hunt and kill. Play can replicate that. They don't need to go outside if you offer the mental stimulation through play that they need. But most indoor cat owners fail to do this.

NonComplainingDay · Yesterday 13:46
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"I would rather hunt in the wild than eat in captivity."
It's not natural for cats to be kept inside,.how do you think they manage in the wild as ferrels etc?”

Cats are the only wild animals that domesticated themselves by ingratiating themselves with humans and developing symbiotic relationships that offered them food and protection in households.

Most ferals live sickly, short, miserable and hungry lives.

@Grumpyoldpersonwithcats Ragdolls really don't have any physical traits which cause them any pain or discomfort. Persians have breathing difficulties but Ragdolls don't. They're just very fluffy.