To think having an indoor cat is cruel?

[Catnope]

I was looking after my mother’s cat last week - feeding him while she was on holiday and changing the litter tray - and I felt so incredibly sorry for the cat. It’s not the first time I’ve looked after him for her, and not the first time I’ve thought that.

What a shit life for the cat.

Of course I don’t like the idea of cats killing wildlife out there, but to be a prisoner indoors 100% of the time your whole life?!

It’s cruel. Right?! Just me?

Of course I was nothing but lovely to my mother and took good care of the cat. My mother doesn’t let him out because she fears he’ll get stolen or run over. She lives on a quiet and safe street, so I don’t think anyone will want to steal him. At this point, I also think he wouldn’t have a clue how to kill a bird.

Mine stopped roaming around the age of 11 and just sits around and purrs all day. I think she got fed up of other aggressive cats and seems very content to laze around.

It's up to the cat really, if it's bored and need stimulation and wants to go out then let it out, if it's content indoors then what's the problem?

I would never let him out because that would be disrespectful to her. But living in that small space with hardly any stimulation and that smelly cat litter (I scoop every day and change the whole thing every 3-4 days but yes - sorry - cat litters stink) feels oppressive and cruel to me. Her house is really dark too, and when she’s away he’s not allowed in some rooms so his space to roam is tiny.

Maybe I’m wrong! But I find it depressing whenever I go over there.

We had an indoor cat, she went into garden when door open occasionally. Would cry at door to be back in, if you stayed outside and closed the door!
I was quite happy as we live on a busy road.

We have two indoor cats we rehomed from RSPCA. RSPCA said it was fine as long as they weren’t showing distress from it, they are fine. Don’t know what you don’t miss! We do have lots of activities and quite a big house though, and the fact they play together is a really important. I think you’d have to do a lot of interaction if you just have one house cat.

This seems like a good solution! A nice life for the cat, no wildlife destroyed.

I guess properties (by that I mean indoors and outdoors) are smaller in the uk so that’s much harder to do.

No, cats in general are wandering animals but not all cats want to be outside. I’ve had a cat who was offered outside as soon as they were neutered but never went further than the garden on the best of days.

As for the wildlife issue, when humans stop being the biggest cause of harm to the natural world, then they can moan about cats eating birds. Honestly the hypocrisy of us as people to complain about cats natural instinct when we keep animals in atrocious conditions to mass produce 99p burgers…

But how's the cat? That's the main thing. Does it seem unhappy?

There's hundreds of thousands of strays around so if it seems reasonably content an indoor life really isn't a bad life in cat terms these days.

we saw an indoor cat this week, being pushed near the beach in a doggy pram. It was also on a lead. I laughed when I saw it, not meanly, and the woman stopped and unzipped the cover and let us see it. we had a lovely chat with her.

It was a beautiful Persian and she said it was a rescue cat and wasn't allowed outside, so they put it on a lead, and take it for walks/rides in the pram.

I have two cats. The older who who's 15 likes to go out into the garden and lie in the sun or just have a mooch about but doesn't stay out for long and is always kept in at night. We have a younger cat who we inherited from a neighbour and he's much more of an outdoor cat although he comes in at night. They have a micro-chip activated cat flap. My sister got a cat from Cats Protection about 6 years ago and she seems perfectly content to stay inside. Even with the back door open, she'll just sit on the step and not venture out. I think cats should have the option to go out but some just cba. Whatever your thoughts on your mum's cat please don't take it into the garden. Not worth the risk as it might decide to dash off and then get disorientated.

Overweight, scratchy sometimes; will play if offered a toy (the dangly string ones). He sounds a bit funny when he purrs, like being overweight has changed his voice box or something? I don’t know. He’s a designer breed so it might be a breed thing!

My mother absolutely dotes on him though.

YANBU

I can’t stand cats not being allowed outside.

If you don’t have the space/money to build a little cat run then don’t get a cat.

Yes I think he should be allowed the option.

But no - I would never let him out. It would be disrespectful to my mother. I don’t think this cat would dash off, though! He never runs!

Yes of course it's cruel to keep an animal shut in for its entire life.

Most people agree that it's not ok to do this to dogs, so I don't know why they think it's justified for cats.

You shouldn't get a cat if you are going to do this, but unfortunately people are cruel and selfish.

Maybe you could convince her to at least get a catio

She needs a catio or cat fence her garden . I have a huge garden and my cats still go down the bloody lane ! I grateful little feckers !

There are plenty of FIV positive cats in rescues that they could adopt instead of breeding more animals for a life of boredom.

FIV positive cats need to be kept in for health reasons

I don't think it's cruel, unless it's a cat that has always lived outside and loves it out there, it sounds like this is not your mum's cat, as the cat just stands on the path and isn't engaged in hunting, territory, killing birds etc. It sounds happy!

I have a breed of cat that is only for indoors/patio anyway, and it's much nicer than when my lovely 1 year old kitten was run over when I was a child which was definitely cruel.

It's cruel for birds and mice and slow worms when cats catch them and play with them.

I'm less and less convinced by outdoor cats roaming around, on a farm, maybe, in cities, all the ones I know seem to roam and then get hit by a car (my friend's cat), get cat scratches and need antibiotics, get fleas, get FIV or just not last a long time- or they are relatively boring and stay near home, in which case they might as well be indoors with a netted outdoor space, which is what I do and my other friend does with her cat. Our cats are very people oriented though, I'm not sure that's true for many.

I agree that indoors isn’t a good life for cat but I also don’t think they should be outside killing wildlife and crapping in other peoples gardens so I’d never have a cat even though I like them.

Bird populations in the UK have been decimated by cats. This is a massive issue. Letting predators out in their millions to do their thing is OK in what parallel universe?

People in societies where apartment living is the norm keep happy cats in their homes, living long lives.

My own Dcats (one after the other) have lived indoors because we have wild animals carrying rabies here, and raptors. My first cat escaped one day and came back seriously injured, probably by a raccoon, but we'll never know. She survived, but she was horribly torn up. Luckily, her rabies shots were up to date.

My current cat never goes out. I now live in an apartment on a busy street, and we have the same wildlife - just yesterday I saw a hawk sitting on the overhead wires about 20 feet from the building.

They were indoor from kittens. They come out with me for 5mins max before they go inside, i dont let them out at all,nor do they cry or ask to be let out.

its not, its really easy but costs money, google catio or cat enclosure. I am 50 50 on the indoor cat thing. I wouldn't keep a cat like it but I don't think a cat owner's right to have an outdoor cat trumps my right not to have cats in my garden. Twice I have had a dog attacked by a cat and the dog has ended up at the vet with infected wounds and once I had the stress and unpleasantness of finding a dead cat by my front door. It was a bank holiday and cat not chipped or tagged so I had to keep the body until I could dispose of it with my domestic waste and then when the owner papered the area I had the added fun of phoning her and telling her that her cat was dead, i believed run over, As the crow flies or the cat travels, we are near a busy main road but the cat's owner hadn't considered this and believed she lived in a quiet area. it does annoy me a bit when cat ownders say "oh its a risk you take" I want no part in that risk!

It sounds like your mum has chosen the right type of cat for her lifestyle though, one that nips out when she opens the door and just stands there- it will be bonded to her and want to be with her. You don't leave dogs to roam about, do you? You can walk cats, play with them, let them roam in your own garden.

I'm not getting in this instance what you think is cruel unless, and there is an argument for this, you think having pets is quite cruel and oriented around the owner's needs. I have some sympathy with this, although once the animal exists, someone has to care for it.

Sigh...

I like songbirds too. Can't have both.

My current cat is very much an outdoor boy, we kept him in till he was old enough for neutering and it made him miserable. He comes and goes as he pleases, doesn't really go too far but has a few little cat friends he calls for (or they call for him) and he likes hanging out with any kids playing outside.

Previous boy was an indoor cat by choice. He would sit with me in the back garden for a bit once in a blue moon, but only if he had company. Otherwise he refused to go outside at all.

I would rather not have a cat than have one which had to be kept inside.

I don't have a cat at the moment, but all the ones I've had have had free access to the outdoors via a cat flap and lived long, happy, adventurous lives.

The best thing about cats being allowed outdoors is no disgusting litter trays inside (exceptions made for kittens and elderly or unwell cats of course) as mine refused to use them once they started going outside regularly.

I have noticed that our large, rural garden attracts far more birds now since the demise of our last old cat.