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Original poster

Indoor vs Outdoor cat

112 replies

sunshineandkindle · 04/10/2025 18:31

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.

OP posts:
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5
TwistyTurnip · 05/10/2025 05:21

How big is your house OP? If you’ve got plenty of room and a big cat tree it might work. I wouldn’t adopt a cat that has previously been outdoors and keep them as an outdoor cat though. That would be cruel. I have 2 kittens. Neither of them have been outside yet, so they don’t know any different. I probably will let them outside, but am putting it off until next year because I’m worried about them getting run over/ hopping over the garden fence and not coming home etc.

Poppyseeds79 · 05/10/2025 05:23

Also "treats" training is massive for food oriented cats. Mine both have super selective hearing 🙄 but they know the bag rattle 😁

user1471457354 · 05/10/2025 06:01

We lived in a flat when we got our cat and he seemed happy being indoor however a couple of years later we moved to a house and once he was on ground level it became very apparent that he wantes out. I was nervous about the roads etc and we kept him in for another 9 months or so but in this time he became very unhappy, was over grooming and his hair was falling out. We took him to the vet and explained his unhappiness about not going out and the vets advise was to let him out as keeping him in was doing more harm. He has now been a happy healthy 12 year old cat since being let out.

Poppyseeds79 · 05/10/2025 06:05

user1471457354 · 05/10/2025 06:01

We lived in a flat when we got our cat and he seemed happy being indoor however a couple of years later we moved to a house and once he was on ground level it became very apparent that he wantes out. I was nervous about the roads etc and we kept him in for another 9 months or so but in this time he became very unhappy, was over grooming and his hair was falling out. We took him to the vet and explained his unhappiness about not going out and the vets advise was to let him out as keeping him in was doing more harm. He has now been a happy healthy 12 year old cat since being let out.

I genuinely agree with this. I don't think indoor cats that want to explore are ever happy inside. My girls just like to know the option.is there of they want it 😅 They're naturally outdoor animals, and it's or fault not theirs they have to navigate cars and traffic.

Femalemachinest · 05/10/2025 07:16

LadyFlumpalot · 04/10/2025 21:39

I have two indoor cats. They have a huge cat tree, a massive variety of toys to play with, places to hide, comfy places to snooze and things to scratch. They don’t have to be flee’d, they won’t get worms, they won’t get run over, attacked, get into fights, manage to poison themselves or be catnapped by a stranger taking a fancy to them.

I put in a lot of time playing with them and trying to keep them from getting bored.

I also live very close to an A-Road that seems to have a new dead cat on it every week :(

As long as you are willing to put in the extra work to keep them enriched (and can cope with the litter trays) then it isn’t cruel to keep them indoors. You can always lead train them as well. I tried with mine, but they hate it 😆

I still flea/worm my indoor cat. I believe you can bring a lot of stuff into your house yourself, on your shoes/clothes etc.

thisishowloween · 05/10/2025 07:22

namestevalian · 04/10/2025 23:00

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

Except many are not fine indoors. They get stressed, overgroom, urinate inappropriately and show behavioural issues.

Almost every week there’s a thread on the Litter Tray about an indoor cat peeing on beds or fighting or showing aggression. Like a PP said it’s the equivalent of buying a bird and keeping it locked in a cage. They may be safe but that doesn’t mean they’re happy.

Breli · 05/10/2025 07:29

MoominMai · 04/10/2025 21:38

That would rule out virtually 80% or more of the population though. Vets and animal protection organisations seem to widely endorse keeping indoor cats for their own safety (as well as local wildlife). As long as they’re stimulated and played with and in a reasonably sized home and that’s all they’ve ever known I don’t think it’s as massive an issue as people think otherwise there’d be an epidemic of indoor cats howling at the doors/windows, depressed, not grooming themselves, eating etc. Also better the cats in rescues go be indoor cats in a loving home than minimal attention forever in a holding pen.

I’d only say it’s cruel if it’s a rescue cat with circumstances where the rescue advise it be an outdoor cat because of its existing history and experiences.

Show quote history

I agree. Our vet has indoor cats and she recommends to keep indoor cats if possible. Ours got attacked outside as a youngster and has not ventured out again and would definitely not be streetwise enough to be out now. Every day there are posts in my local group and lost cats, cats being run over, etc. If you live on a farm or very rurally then it might be different, but central London isn’t the safest place for outdoor cats.

CeeJay81 · 05/10/2025 08:04

We have an indoor cat. He's always been indoor since we got him 18 minths ago. The kitten, we had before him got ran over. We only had her 7 months and it was heart breaking . We live semi rurally but unfortunately her road sense was awful. Didn't want to go through that again but wanted another. He's fine, he gets plenty of attention with 4 of us here. Runs about the house. Has a cat tree and toys. Doesn't seem unhappy at all.

Needlesnah · 05/10/2025 08:31

2 cats, outdoor, central London. They are 9 years old. I couldn’t personally keep cats if I was keeping them indoors. We humans tell ourselves that our pets are happy but restricting them from their natural movements is not something I can agree with.

Girliefriendlikespuppies · 05/10/2025 08:40

I personally wouldn’t have a cat if they couldn’t go outside, I think it is cruel but also it would be stressful every summer not being able to leave windows and doors open.

UpWhereTheyWalk · 05/10/2025 08:48

Personally I'd look into a catio.
I understand why people have indoor cats but I couldn't deprive a cat of being able to feel wind, sunshine, rain, fresh air... just my opinion.

Ginmonkeyagain · 05/10/2025 09:02

I am sure I would be mor safe if I never left the house, but it's no life is it? I am firmly of the view most indoor cat keeping is cruel. Your desire for a pet does not trump a cats right to live its life as it wishes, even if that life is shorter than you would like.

Our residential road in London has loads of outdoor cats and they happily sit in gardens watching the world go by, potter up and down the street and iinteract with humans and other cats. We are not littered with cat corpses.

Floatingdownriver · 05/10/2025 09:03

Get a litter robot. Best money you’ll spend. Consider reg dolls breeds, they’re calm and verbally well suited to indoor life.

AnOldCynic · 05/10/2025 09:03

@FloraPostIt ‘adequate worship’ 😂

Southshore18 · 05/10/2025 09:04

It's cruel. I would get a different pet or get a cat when you life in a different location. Cats aren't indoor pets.

ThatGreatMember · 05/10/2025 09:05

Femalemachinest · 04/10/2025 18:39

He also has 4 cat trees. Window shelves in the conservatory. Endless toys. Puzzle feeders. A big wheel, he uses this intermittently thought tbh.

Poor thing is desperate to get outside. Keeping a cat locked up indoors is cruel.

Twiglets1 · 05/10/2025 09:07

In my heart I don’t think that people who live on busy main roads should get cats as the risk is too high and I think it’s unkind to confine them to living inside their whole lives. My sister has a Cattio for her cats in the garden which could be a compromise solution for you @sunshineandkindle though they aren’t cheap.

TappyGilmore · 05/10/2025 09:16

We live on a very busy road and my cat has been just fine. She’s not dumb enough to go into the road! We actually moved from one end of the road to the other end of the same road, it’s probably not quite so busy at the end we’re at now, but that just means the cars go faster! She stays well away.

I’ve had local cats run in front of my car twice (not sure if the same cat both times but I don’t think so) and they were just lucky that I was able to stop in time. That was round the corner where it is much quieter. I think they are lulled into a false sense of security because it is quieter so they ventured out.

And actually when I was a child our family cat was hit by a car, and that was a quiet suburban side street.

But anyway … my girl would hate to be an indoor cat! I know if she’d never known any different then it might be okay. But I think it seems a bit cruel and unnatural.

Ginmonkeyagain · 05/10/2025 09:22

We have a chatty little tuxedo fellow who lives near us - he always runs out to meet me in the morning for an ear scratch. I think his and my life would be sadder if he wasn't allowed out.

cordeliabuffy · 05/10/2025 09:30

ThatGreatMember · 05/10/2025 09:05

Poor thing is desperate to get outside. Keeping a cat locked up indoors is cruel.

Show quote history

They’re not all desperate to get outside! I’m not forcing mine out when he doesn’t want to

ittakes2 · 05/10/2025 09:33

Get a female ragdoll cat. The breed is an indoor cat. We have a male / female - the male wanted to go outside so vet said let him. The female can go outside too but prefers to stay indoor hanging out with people. Very docile animals which is why they are indoor cats as not road savvy. My daughter would pop the female in her toy pram and push her around - cat happy to just sit there.

ittakes2 · 05/10/2025 09:35

ittakes2 · 05/10/2025 09:33

Get a female ragdoll cat. The breed is an indoor cat. We have a male / female - the male wanted to go outside so vet said let him. The female can go outside too but prefers to stay indoor hanging out with people. Very docile animals which is why they are indoor cats as not road savvy. My daughter would pop the female in her toy pram and push her around - cat happy to just sit there.

Our cat flap is open 24hrs - female cat chooses to stay indoors but this is typical of ragdoll breed.

TwoFatDucklings · 05/10/2025 09:37

Why not look for a youngish (1 to 4 ish) adult cat (or a pair who are bonded) from a rescue that were kept as house cats.

It would be be irresponsible for them to be rehomed with outdoor access anyway. You'd be able to know if they were good with kids and they wouldn't be so old that you'd expect them to pop their clogs any time soon

Twiglets1 · 05/10/2025 09:39

ittakes2 · 05/10/2025 09:35

Our cat flap is open 24hrs - female cat chooses to stay indoors but this is typical of ragdoll breed.

Show quote history

That’s a different scenario though to someone getting a cat with the expectation that they aren’t going to allow them to ever go outside because they live on a busy road or whatever.

If a cat chooses not to go outside that is still their personal choice unlike people not allowing cats the choice to go outside ever.

AnonKat · 05/10/2025 09:39

I have 2 indoor cats, i would never have an outdoor cat. Every week a cat goes missing or is ran over.

We have a large house and have put alot of money into creating a catio and making the house a good space for them. Never had any issues.