Is it best to just have an indooor cat bit an outdoor one

Iluvmydog · 19/01/2026 01:54

Sorry what are you asking?

Isittimeformynapyet · 19/01/2026 01:55

Indoor cats should not bite outdoor cats.

I've no idea if that helps.

Catza · 19/01/2026 08:52

Best for..?
I've had both. Indoor cat was safe indoors but you have an added business of cat litter. He died anyway and at a young age due to a genetic condition we didn't know about.
First outdoor cat disappeared after four years. Not sure what happened to it. He was getting pretty fat in the months prior so I assume he just adopted a new family.
My current cat just showed up at my door one day. For the first month I provided shelter but no food. He kept showing up. I asked round the neighbours, everyone saw him but didn't know where he came from. So I started feeding him then and he's currently sleeping on my lap. I take him out every night because he doesn't let me sleep otherwise. He is there bright and early by the door as soon as he hears me wake up. I assume one day he will just move on if given a better offer elsewhere. Pros - no cat smell as no indoor toilet.

bridgetreilly · 19/01/2026 09:25

No. Cats are outdoor creatures.

scrimblescramble · 19/01/2026 09:28

bridgetreilly · 19/01/2026 09:25

No. Cats are outdoor creatures.

Not always. They can also be indoor creatures, or both. Cats are much safer indoors

babyproblems · 19/01/2026 09:28

I think outdoors access and indoors so they can do all the catty things.

ComtesseDeSpair · 19/01/2026 09:32

I wouldn’t have an indoor cat, I think it’s cruel, animals aren’t supposed to be stuck indoors I just remember lockdown when we were all cooped up inside our houses with little to think about behind our next meal - and that must be how indoor cats feel their whole lives. I’ve always said that I’d rather have cats with less long but enriched lives exploring the outdoors, and have always stood by that. The last cats I had were a pair of Bengal brothers and they thrived stalking and hunting and adventuring the outdoors.

Sahara123 · 19/01/2026 09:37

I can’t imagine how to keep a cat indoors, mine make a run for it every time I open a door ! Plus I like to have doors wide open in the summer. Although I am aware that some cats need to be indoors, my daughter has a blind cat who really can’t cope outside.

Usernamenotfound1 · 19/01/2026 09:45

Depends on the cat.

i had one that was happy indoors, with a stroll around the garden now and then. Never attempted to get out, would only go out if you went with it.

then I had another who screamed all night to be out. Literally howling. No sleep at all. Absolutely no way anyone could live with that cat as an indoor cat.

pp mentioned bengal cats- I always find it fascinating that breeders and enthusiasts insist they are indoor only. The bengals I have known have been massive wanderers with huge territories, and also very difficult to live with as indoor cats.

IamChipmunk · 19/01/2026 09:47

They can be a bit of both. We have two, they have a cat flap and can access outside during the day as they wish. We lock the flap when its dark and they stay in overnight.
Obviously this is longer in summer but they are not really fussed for being out a lot when the weather is bad so it seems to work quite well.

Sonolanona · 19/01/2026 10:32

I wouldn't keep a cat indoors. Apart from the stress of trying to ensure they didn't escape (and then be ill equipped to manage), cats are cats.. they roam naturally.
Obviously neutered!
My DD1 has an indoor cat as he's a ragdoll with very little intelligence, but she has a groundfloor flat with a courtyard with 20 ft high walls so he has an outside space that he can't escape from, which is a nice compromise.
DS1 has two indoor cats because where he lives in Adelaide, cats aren't allowed to roam free... so he walks them on harnesses and they have the garden cat proofed so they can go out the back.
I've had cats for 50+ years. They go in and out as they please. I have lost two to road accidents (out of around ten I think) but the rest have led great lives.
I always try to call them in at night, but on hot summer days they usually refuse.

Stompythedinosaur · 19/01/2026 10:37

I think people underestimate the amount of effort it is to provide proper stimulation for an indoor cat.

Indoor is safer but the quality of life is generally less. I have outdoor cats for that reason.

minipie · 19/01/2026 10:40

Personally I would only have an indoor cat if there were health reasons it needed to be indoor (FIV, poor sight etc). I couldn’t keep a cat indoors that was perfectly capable of going out. Wouldn’t you hate to be kept indoors all your life? Even if it is safer?

TemporarilyCantDoMyself · 19/01/2026 10:42

Stompythedinosaur · 19/01/2026 10:37

I think people underestimate the amount of effort it is to provide proper stimulation for an indoor cat.

Indoor is safer but the quality of life is generally less. I have outdoor cats for that reason.

This is so true! I house and cat sit, so I've looked after A LOT of cats. Without exception the outdoor cats are happier and easier to care for. Indoor cats drive me mad, to be honest, they're so needy. I've vowed I won't do any indoor cat sits again. They make me sad!

sprigatito · 19/01/2026 10:49

I’m not in favour of “indoor cats” because I think it’s cruel to restrict a cat’s roaming instinct. The US has a culture of keeping cats indoors and it’s led to a major feline obesity problem and lower life expectancies. That said, I don’t entirely condemn people for choosing it, because cats die on the roads a lot as well, and the “indoor cat” thing is usually coming from a place of love and protectiveness (I still think it’s the wrong choice).

I have no patience with people insisting cats must be indoors because they’re a nuisance. Any decision I make for my cats is for their benefit, not my neighbours’.

Usernamenotfound1 · 19/01/2026 12:49

sprigatito · 19/01/2026 10:49

I’m not in favour of “indoor cats” because I think it’s cruel to restrict a cat’s roaming instinct. The US has a culture of keeping cats indoors and it’s led to a major feline obesity problem and lower life expectancies. That said, I don’t entirely condemn people for choosing it, because cats die on the roads a lot as well, and the “indoor cat” thing is usually coming from a place of love and protectiveness (I still think it’s the wrong choice).

I have no patience with people insisting cats must be indoors because they’re a nuisance. Any decision I make for my cats is for their benefit, not my neighbours’.

See also the US practice of declawing cats.

if keeping a cat indoors means you have to cut their toes off, you shouldn’t be keeping cats at all.

BirdytheHero · 19/01/2026 12:55

To me a more natural life is better, even if it comes with some additional risks (or rather, different risks- indoor cats are more at risk of obesity, heart problems etc but that's discounted for some reason). I'd also be less likely to be run over if I never left my house but that doesn't make it the right choice!

That said, some cats are perfectly happy indoors- my SIL's cat is indoor by choice. But I think they're the minority.

JengaNonConfirming · 19/01/2026 12:56

My cat is an indoor cat. He's my first cat and we were his third home at nearly 4 years old. He's always been an indoor cat and seems happy and never tries to get out. At the age he was , we didn't feel it right to start letting him out.

DramaAlpaca · 19/01/2026 13:00

I would rather not have a cat at all than have one that was kept indoors.

All my cats (alas, I am currently catless) have been pampered creatures with free access in and out via a cat flap.

Gettingbysomehow · 19/01/2026 13:03

I have both, a very old cat who refuses to go out ever and a four year old who would be incredibly unhappy if I made her stay in.
She was head butting the cat flap and yowling when I made her stay in for firework night.
Depends on your cat really and if your local area is safe for them to go out.

BettysRoasties · 19/01/2026 13:03

I think ideally a compromise of cat proofing the garden or large catio where there is some nature inside it.