Indoor vs Outdoor cat

[sunshineandkindle]

Would it be cruel/unreasonable to get 2 cats and have them as indoor cats?
We have 2 children who would love love love a cat but we live near a main road and I worry it would get hit by a car.

It depends on the cat. My last very loved cat was indoor by choice (despite me installing a cat flap for her). Of my two cats now, one would hate being confined indoors, the other likes sitting outside close to the house and would be okay as an indoor cat if needed provided there was adequate worship and stimulation. Somewhere out there will be the right cat

I’ve been heart in my mouth many times since we started letting our girls out, and it’s not been without issues, but I’m firmly in the “cats gotta cat” camp. And yes, they might get hurt. And yes, that would break my heart. But firmly with the PP who said they believe their cats would choose a shorter life of freedom.

It's much safer for your cat to be indoors.

I volunteer for a cat charity and regularly collect cats that have been hit by cars it's horrendous .

They will be just fine with suitable space and enrichment

For me it's like keeping a bird in a cage, I couldn't do it. I feel like it's better for the cat to live a free life even at the risk of dying younger. That's my view.

Also litter trays do not smell if used correctly .

Stainless steel fully cleaned out weekly with sanitizer , odor minimization clumping litter , and all deposits removed asap

I also have a carbon air purifier for good measure .

I am a bit of super smeller - I am not immune to the smell of my own house sadly for me 😆

I hate the smell of the cat food far more

My outdoor cat was attacked and killed by a neighbours dog, while me and my family were in the garden. Obviously this was horrific for all involved. She didn’t usually go far, but never went into their garden due to the dog. Until that one day. I’ve kept my other two indoor only since and both are very happy. Lots of stimulation, places to hide, toys and their own space.

Not even close! I’d prefer my cat where he is now. Alive and well.

I’m not sure that’s true about vets and animal protection. I’ve googled and can’t find stats to back it up either but I can see from a glance that Blue Cross, RSPCA and Cats Protection don’t recommend indoor only.

My sister is a vet and has a big house. All four of her cats have free access to the outside whenever they want it. She says cats generally aren’t happy being kept indoors and she sees more in practice for behavioural issues related to that than she does she outdoor injuries.

Some cats have to live indoors and most rescue centres will have one of them from time to time.

As a long-time cat owner who used to be very pro keeping cats indoors, I now believe it’s cruel and you shouldn’t get a cat if you aren’t willing to let it outside, even if that is an enclosed garden.

You can own one cat and be a long time cat owner. It does not make you an expert. By having an inside cat how many birds survive? How many cats survive?

All pets should come with some responsibility.

The majority of my cats have been indoor cats and have been fine. I currently have a older rescue persian who is perfectly happy inside. It all depends on the cat. I have had a couple that would have driven me mad if kept inside. As others have mentioned your best bet would be to go to a charity and get one specifically suited to being indoors.

Ridiculous comment as obviously not everyone lives in these circumstances

I think if (and that's a big if) you can provide ample indoor stimulation and company and also get a breed that is happy indoors then go for it. You can bring some outside in also like cut down tree barks and such.

Do I agree with it? It depends so much on the cat and what they want. Some are happy to stay inside, some are happy to potter about in the garden on a nice, warm sunny day. Others enjoy a harness walk. Some like to roam for miles.
It is a very difficult decision to make when cats are so variable in their personalities. Are you willing to cat proof your garden if they decide the want to be outside?

I don't envy you your choice. I have a cat who likes to go outside and it has become one of the top three choices we have to consider if and whenever we decide to move.

I don’t think it’s cruel if they choose to stay in. Mine will go in the garden to lie next to me or supervise me to the bin
otherwise I can sit with every window and door open and he’s not fussed
he is very much… “why outside? Where’s my Netflix, snacks and sofa? Also I need my blanket”

And for those who do??

My daughter's cat is an indoor one. He seems happy enough, plenty of zooming up and down stairs. They hide his toys in his tunnel so he can "hunt" them.

I have 2 cats and they chose to stay indoors (they're brothers I got as kittens) when they was ready to be able to leave the house id leave the door open but both showed no interest.... They're now 3 and really happy
Only advice is, as you say you have kids make sure you have a child free area for cat to go to so they can get some peace

Cats sleep between 12 and 18 hours a day. It doesn't really take a lot to keep them happy and fulfilled the rest of the time, especially if that is what they have always been used to.

When I was growing up in a very rural area we had outdoor cats. But even in our very quiet village we lost some to road accidents and some to poisoning, surrounded by farms so they must have encountered noxious substances there.

DD, who lives in a flat, now has an indoor cat. He is a lovely, healthy, handsome boy who seems very happy. You only have to look at him to see what excellent physical condition he is in. He has two cat trees, one which is on five levels. Also large windows he can watch the world through. When he visits us he seems more than happy exploring the house and his litter tray is not in the least unpleasant to clean.

Up until July, I allowed my four cats out during daylight hours (well, between about 10am and 4pm). They had a cat flap that would read their microchips and was set to a timer. I was a bit worried about cars (more worried about dogs and people who might take them), but I live on a hairpin bend of a 20mph rd. Kids play out and I thought my cats would be safe.

One of them (my eldest cat, 5yrs old, v sensible and road aware) was hit by a car who didn’t stop, in the middle of the day.

I keep my remaining 3 indoors now. The first catio went up over my front door within a week of the accident. I’m having a larger catio made and put on to the back of the house as we speak. The cats have lots of wall obstacles to climb (all over the house), cat trees, toys, scratching posts etc. They’ve also got two litter robots.

The stupid thing is that in the past year or so, I toyed with the idea of having catios put up but thought I was being over the top. I wish I had listened to myself and had the catios installed.

I think everyone has different situations though, so do what is right for you/your cat. Mine have transitioned well to having the catio and seem to enjoy it (as they can access it anytime day or night).

I think it's cruel to keep them indoors. I also think it's odd that some people think some carpeted shelves and a small wire cage in the garden are equal stimulation to the actual freedom of running around in nature all day.

My cats roamed miles, we lived off a very busy dual carriageway. Both died natural deaths at 17/19.

Some cats prefer to stay close to home, maybe adopt an already indoor cat.

I do think it's a bit cruel to keep cats inside..
If you live near a main road it's important to get a breed of cat that can cope with roads. There are some that are more prone to having no road safety sense.
Perhaps adopt a cat who has previously lived near a road as an outdoor cat?

That's not what was said though so my comment stands
Personally I genuinely didn't ever live near a main road for this reason but I appreciate not everyone has that luxury
I think that consciously looking for breeds and rescues that are used to an indoor life sounds like a sensible compromise

unless happy to be indoor cats and have been given chances to go out I think it’s cruel

my cat didn’t like going out (according to previous owner) and rarely went out. Now she goes out every evening, we have a good routine and she absolutely loves it has human, cat and fox friends. She doesn’t stray far and adores all the extra attention she gets, she is very social

get another pet or wait until you move

One of mine once chased a ferret through the cat flap in to the house. I think he’d caught the ferret, brought it proudly home, but dropped him in our garden. The ferret ran upstairs and hid inside my husband’s open wardrobe, to escape Ronnie cat who was in hot pursuit! Husband managed to rescue ferret, and released it in the nearby woods. Ronnie never forgave him, and sulked for days. Thankfully only a few of the cats were hunters. A lovely tortie we had once proudly dropped a live mouse onto my foot when I was hanging out the washing, I screamed my head off, dropped the washing and ran indoors! Naughty tortie spent the rest of of the day looking for the mouse in the garden. Luckily she never found it.

My two girls are indoor/outdoor. Both spayed/chipped, I don't let them out when it's dark, and I don't put wet food down until they return from a 20min outdoor allowance... They don't like the rain, they very much want to visit the garden though... I worry about it. But it's not really fair if they actively want to go out.

We'd all crack up inside the house 24/7