Indoor cat

[VicksJunkie]

Having had dogs throughout my childhood, I’m getting a cat as my first grownup pet. It’s mostly for my daughter, but I’m also looking forward to having a new energy in the house. We’re getting a ginger male, it’s currently with its mum for a few more weeks.

I’m not too worried about the mess or the smells (within reason!) but I am worried about it being an indoor cat. This wouldn’t be my preference, but we live on a main road and whilst the back of the house has a garden and leads out onto fields, we are right next to a train track, and other pet owners I’ve chatted to have suggested the life span of the cat would be relatively short if I let it out, especially with the (very busy) road. 😬

So, TL:DR, I’m looking for advice on how to manage an indoor cat, when my natural preference would be to let it out. Do you have to keep windows closed all the time? How does it work?

OP you could look for an older cat - I rescued a 19(!!) year old last year and she’s perfectly happy chilling in the house and having a sniff around the garden when it’s sunny. She has tried but can’t jump over the fence 😂

The other option would be to look for a FIV+ cat as they shouldn’t be allowed to roam, so have to be kept to the house and garden.

I absolutely wouldn’t get an indoor cat, it is likely to suffer depression, anxiety etc. I have a VERY main road running right past my back garden, my cat wouldn’t dream of going near it! It’s not the very busy roads that are an issue, cats are smart. The quieter roads, where they aren’t expecting trouble, are more problematic.

get a breed that is known for road sense e.g a moggy and let the cat live as it should.

We have two indoor cats. We have installed screens on the windows we open to stop the cats getting out.
these are the ones we have
https://www.streme.co.uk/pet-screens. They take five minutes to fit. Although you can buy cheap fabric net screens that you put up with Velcro, we thought our cats are big/strong enough to push through them if determined. The screens gave the added bonus of keeping out flies and insects.

Also, I assume everyone on this thread who complains about cats following their entirely natural instincts about cats hunting, is a vegan to reduce the massive damage humans do to our eco-systems through the animal products industry. If not, please pipe down and stop being so hypocritical.

We have a train line at the back of our house and our cats lived long, happy lives hunting on the embankment. They never went up on the track. I’d be more worried about the road. Half our street have cats and I’ve never heard of any train line fatalities but quite a few have been run over. Could you put a high gate and keep him outdoors at the back only?

So I have two indoor cats, rescues with FIV. I was also used to indoor/outdoor cats but wanted a cat that would be happy indoors due to living on a busy road. I stressed this to the rescue as it worried me keeping a cat in. They reassured me that the boy we chose just wanted to sunbathe and have a nice window to look out of and they were so right. He spends his time snoozing in the sun or near the radiators, is incredibly chill and very lazy. I could open all the doors and windows and he would look at me like “wtf would I go out there?!”.

We ended up getting a second rescue and he’s much less happy indoors. I know in my heart he would love to be out and about, chasing birds and catching mice and it makes me sad for him that he can’t. We now live somewhere quieter and if he didn’t have FIV, I would let him out so now we’re considering catios etc. We have to be incredibly vigilant with doors- we check every time we come into the house by opening the door a crack that there is not a little nose poking out- we text each other to confirm cat is in another room or use the patio doors at the back to get clear entry. We’ve had FlatCats window covers fitted and only go behind them to open a window when DCat2 is in a different room, we can’t sit with our patio doors open. He needs A LOT of interaction and stimulation or he starts being a mischief so we spend a lot of time playing with him, as does DCat1. He in involved in everything we do- if you wash up, he sits on the draining board splashing the bubbles 😂. He’s very clever and needs games and engagement, not just to chase a bit of string. Entertaining a clever house cat who is not allowed outside is very very different to having a cat that is able to please itself most of the time and interact with you sometimes. We are their entire world and all of their entertainment and engagement comes from us or each other.

I’d be wary of getting a kitten and expecting it to be happy indoors as you have no idea what it’s personality will be (see DCat2!). Mine were 4 and 7 when adopted and the rescue were really great and able to advise us on personality and needs so we knew what we were getting into.

We always had cats when growing up and whilst I remember one neighbour's cat did get run over, we never saw our cats at the front of the house at all. Our road was very busy.
I have cats now and don't live on an especially busy road but still they are usually at the back of the house where there is a lot of space to roam My neighbours have an indoor cat because they worry about it.
I like the idea someone said about a tracker. It would give you good insight as to where your cat is going. They are quite predictable in my opinion - they tend to cover the same ground. One of my cats barely leaves the garden and prefers sitting just outside the back door, so you could have one like that - they're all different.

A train line runs at the back of my road’s gardens and everyone has cats. Never heard of one being killed by a train. Cats are not complete dumb dumbs, they know to stay out of the way of giant moving things. Cars are more of a concern because of their unpredictability but that’s just a risk you take with having a cat, IMO. Take sensible precautions and that’s about all you can do if you’re going to let it go outside.

Our cat is an indoor cat because of safety. We lost 3 cats on the busy road outside in a few years and decided to keep her in on the advice of the vet after we got her. I feel bad about it and won’t get another cat, although she’s also really daft and can’t really jump for some reason, so wouldn’t survive outside even without the roads.

She needs a lot more attention and playing with than other cats we’ve had that go outside, I constantly have the fluffy thing on a stick with elastic type toys dropped on me when she wants to play. And we have tunnels, scratch posts and the catit tube with a ball in it toy that she absolutely loves. And hanging toys, and a lots of catnip toys. She has a toy box of her own. She can’t be left alone as long as other cats too, she would get lonely and needs company and stimulation. And she’s very affectionate. She’s a lot more like a dog than any other cat I’ve ever had in temperament, I don’t know if that’s just her personality though. But she follows us round the house and yowls to ask where you are if she can’t find you. And plays fetch.

Her claws do get longer than other cats as she’s not outside using them as much, so you get scratched more than with another cat. But other than that she has no health issues and isn’t stressed or overweight. But she’s never been outside, which helps, as she doesn’t really try to get out. We still have to be careful about not leaving doors and windows open though.

A Catio is the best of both worlds. You can even fit around windows if not much space. You can make it or buy from eBay or Amazon and put it up yourself. Mine have always had one. they can watch the birds and experience the fresh air. You need to get the correct size cat wire for their paws though. No chicken wire. It has options when you go to buy. You can padlock the door too.

It all depends on the cat personality. Some breeds are better off indoors eg Persians.
Both my rescue cats came as outdoor cats, one has turned into an indoor cat. He was very scared of everything and was a nervous cat all round. He went to stay with my dsis when I went away, he loved it there and turned into a totally different cat. Happy in his domain and strutting around her place like he owned it. She has no outdoor space. So we've left him there as he's so happy and I got another rescue ! This one does go out but generally sticks to my own garden and doesn't stay out overnight. He's let out and in the back door so generally it's just for a short burst and then he's back in. He's an old guy though so hasn't much energy for chasing squirrels or anything like that

That's especially nice of you to rescue an older cat. As you know they often get overlooked.

Hi OP! if you want to read something not so opinionated about cats and something related to your actual query, here you go.
We used to live in a 1st floor flat, next to a busy bus route. We got our kitten (now 3 year old cat) as soon as she was able to leave mom, and she was an indoor for the entirety of our time living at the flat. We moved from there now due to personal circs but I can help with the initial questions for you.

Depending on if you get a short or long haired cat, consider their food and grooming situation. If long haired, be ready for daily care.
Outdoor cats naturally eat grass and plants to help with fur balls etc, so indoor will try and source plant like material. Be wary of plants you have in your home which may be toxic to cats (flowers like lillies). You can grow your own cat grass very easily on a sunny windowsill.

Youve said you’re getting a male, while he wouldn’t be going out I would still say it would be essential for him to be snipped. If he ever escaped he could cause chaos, and he may sense females in heat from inside and begin spraying inside and trust me, it’s strong.
He will need microchipping, to be jabbed yearly, and regular flea and worming treatment. Even if he isn’t going out you and your family and visitors are, you bring things in. Always best to keep him protected.

Whilst they’re inside, they’re going to need entertaining, and at the same time space of their own to retreat to. We got cat towers, more toys than we can count, and ensured there were hidey holes for our little one to go to if she got overwhelmed by the kids.
We put food separate from the water, they prefer this naturally, so water was in the living room food in the kitchen. Litter tray is obviously an essential too.

Regarding keeping windows open, for the top windows we were able to use insect mesh cut to size and Velcro’d to fit. As she got older, we upgraded it to metal mesh as she began ripping the material. We only had one incident where she got through the material and walked outside on the windowsill and she didn’t have a clue what to do, we just grabbed her back in.

Most important thing is at the start do not overwhelm the little one, when they get there they’re going to be away from mom and wondering what’s going on. Gentle love, gentle cuddles, allow to explore, Feliway diffuser if absolutely needed, but patience is the key. Don’t give him full roam immediately, keep him in one room to get him calm for a few days. I slept on the sofa with our cat when she first arrived for about a week before letting her wonder the rest of the home.

Good luck! xx

Would you like to be kept in all day and all night and not go out?

I mean I’m housebound and I do okay so

Exactly. It’s like people who keep rabbits locked up in hutches, or birds shut up in a cage. It’s cruel (legitimate health reasons aside).

You wouldn’t purposefully bring a child into the world and keep it shut up indoors forever though.

Comparing cats and children is kinda odd.

You started it by saying you’re housebound and do okay 🙈

I’m not a child? lol
“would you like to be kept in all day and all night and not go out”
I responded to that post ^^

But would you choose that life for yourself? I doubt it.

Lots of people (and animals) can survive in sub-optimal conditions but that doesn’t mean those conditions should be the norm. Cats should be able to go outside - run, explore, climb, feel the grass on their paws, the wind in their fur and the sun on their backs.

Shutting them up inside because of our own anxieties is wrong.

I agree. My cats come and go as they please during the daytime but I shut them in at 9pm and open cat flap again at 7am because someone is stealing cats overnight in our area. 4 have disappeared and been reported missing on Neighbours App in a month, all overnight. There may have been others not reported.

Yes, mine are all inside at night too.

Someone else in a country where we're told not to let the cats out. If they're raised to it from kittenhood, they're fine. Jackson Galaxy is always going to be weighted towards cats that are unhappy. I have three indoor only cats. Heck, I know people in New York City who keep cats in their flats. Quite a few in fact.

There's a couple of options. One is a catio. The other is lots of indoor enrichment with places to climb, run etc. We have window screens so we can open up the bay window and the cats can watch the birds at the bird feeder, a big cat tree with platforms for lounging, a cat tunnel, and a cat scratcher house.

and yes, the data is that outdoor cats have a shorter lifespan.

Also, indoor cats do best with a playmate. Adopting a bonded pair is ideal. They will chase and scrap with each other.