Cat in the flat?

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Hello, new here! :)

For a few months I've been thinking seriously about getting a cat, particularly a male kitten and would like the cat to be an indoor cat as we have a busy road nearby and I'm not too fond of receiving cat 'gifts' (ie. mice etc!)

The problem is we live in a flat, on the second floor :( DP thinks it wouldn't be practical to keep a cat shut up indoors all day. Could anyone give me an advice about whether it could work? Would a cat need to go outside everyday or would it even be possible to let the cat out in the morning and let him back in when I get in from work? Problem is the busy road and the fact that the cat would be shut out all day as we both work full time :(

I'm also worried about the cat jumping out of the window if we have them open in the summer Probably being stupid here but I've never owned a cat before so don't know if they do this

I would be really grateful if anyone could advise me, and tell me straight if I'm being ridiculous thinking I can keep a cat locked up all day

Thanks!

In your position I'd look at rehoming a suitable "indoor" cat (as above, probably an older cat that needs a quiet home to live out its days)

But, even then, the fact that you both work OOH full time isn't ideal and may well not be in the cats best interests.

No, leaving them out all day isn't an option, and yes they can and will jump out of windows IME, or so I've heard....

Thank you for your replies, very helpful :) Didn't really think about the kitten's personality and not being suited to an indoor life, might have to think about an older cat then. Or are there particular breeds who are more suited to an indoor life?

We have an indoor cat. We live on the 1st floor in a block of flats and have a small balcony.

We got her from being a kitten. We both work, but DH has erratic hours and I'm p/t so we're not both out Mon-Fri 9-5

She is very healthy, very content, very active, very fit, very very happy indeed. This is practically certifiable by the vet, who roundly praised her when we took her for her last check-up.

she does venture out onto the balcony now and then, but seems to treat it more as an exension of the flat than 'the great outdoors', IYSWIM.

I guess we might have been lucky with her temperament but i would reassure you that it's by no means impossible. You do need to ensure the cat has plenty to do, but we've never looked back and I can't begin to imagine being without her now :)

PS - our cat is a mix, I think, but mostly tabby. She is a wee tiger!

PPS - sorry, keep thinking of things: lots of people choose to keep their cats as indoor cats anyway, even if their homes have gardens. This is particularly the case for people that live on busy roads, or in very busy urban areas, or areas where there tend to be spates of cat theft. I do think it's not just the last resort for people in flat.

Thanks thescarlettpimpernel that makes me feel a bit more optimistic :) Would really prefer a kitten and I was thinking that if the cat had never been outside then it wouldn't know what it was missing IYSWIM :D

I would go for a either a cat that was used to an indoor life, or if a kitten, then one which OUGHT to be indoors - a ragdoll or similar, that's too soppy to go out, or a deaf cat, likewise.

We had our kittens from 8 weeks, never having been outside before, and once they were eight months they started going out - they were supposed to be indoor cats, but one in particular was having none of it. He tried to escape every time we opened a door, and in the summer with doors and windows open he would have been straight out. We're in a house though, so I guess that makes outdoors look a bit more tempting.

I personally wouldn't do the 'putting the cat out' thing, given the trouble ours have had being beaten up by local cats, although I know people do this with no problems at all.

we have three cats and one of them rarely goes out, never has. Great idea though about re homing a cat who needs to be indoors.

Contact Cats' protection - they often have cats that need to be completely indoor cats. Often the have FIV - this means they cannot be let out as they may infect other cats but can live a normal life.

These cats are often hard to rehome because they have to be indoors - you could have two to keep each other company.

I really would not get a kitten for an indoor cat, just because they didnt get to go out doesnt mean they cannot see through the window what they are missing and start spraying and pooing everywhere and destroying your furniture to let you know just how unhappy they are.

It is like playing roulette, you might get a natural housecat or end up with a very miserable cat.

Kittens dont want to go out much for the first 5-6 months anyway so you would be lulled into thinking you have done the right thing and then one day find out differently.

Rescue's will have indoor cats who would suit your lifestyle better.

We have a bengal, a lot of americans keep them indoors all the time and post clips of them on youtube, they look so bored and frustrated I just want to slap the owners when they say things like "people think your miserable but you always yowell like that dont you kitty" and I think yes thats the miaow mine uses when he wants out. Stupid bastards.

Ours are indoor cats during the day and venture out if they want in the late afternoon but I like them home by night so in winter they are almost completely indoor and seem very content. They don't roam far when out, Suzy likes sitting on the roof surveying and Slinky is less keen on the outside, he'll ask to go out then dive back in at any real or perceived noise.

Hello, I hope it's OK to add a question on to this thread, OP. I'm hoping to get an indoor cat and your circumstances are identical to mine (down to me also being in a 2nd floor flat!), so the advice here has been really useful.

Would you chaps mind having a look at this and letting me know if you agree with the advice given on suitable indoor breeds? I'd really appreciate your opinions.

PS - Sorry, forgot to mention that my preference is for a short haired cat. I used to be allergic to long-haired cats, although this has 99% cleared up, I want to err on the side of caution.

It's not really the breed its the personality of the cat. How about a rescue adult that doesn't want to go out rather than risking making a kitten an unhappy housecat.

Hi Fluffy, I'm not going to get a kitten, I am hoping to adopt an adult indoor cat from the CPL, but I wanted to research the breeds that I was likely to encounter once I start the application process.

If it's about personality matching, am I best advised to start the adoption process with the CPL right away, so we can start the assessment, etc.?

If you do go for a cat the feline advisory bureau has brilliant resources on environmental enrichment for indoor cats. Also search for Mike Lapin (a world god of the cat vets) on line he had amazing environmental enrichment for his cats who can't go out because of the cougars where he lives in Colorado.

Definitely get an indoor cat from a cat rescue. Any decent one should ask you about you're lifestyle and be able to find you a cat that will suit that.

Definitely get an indoor cat from a cat rescue. Any decent one should ask you about you're lifestyle and be able to find you a cat that will suit that.

Thank you for the great advice, I'll check out Mike Lapin and the FAB. The feline advisory bureau has made me picture lots of disgruntled cats getting legal advice because another cat has eaten their food.

Just to add, I've got an indoor cat (previously was an indoor cat from another home - I got her when she was 3) I'm in a 3rd floor flat, she sometimes will scratch at the front door & go for a quick sniff around the stairs (only goes down one flight & I trust her now not to jump through the railings or anything!) In the summer I tried taking her outside to the communal back garden, she didn't like it that much but sat beside me for a while & ate the grass etc. there's only one other very submissive friendly cat that my car watches from the window intently but hates as soon as she sees them, and yowls her head off if I try to take her outside (for grooming sometimes to stop it getting all over the flat!) Some cats just want to be inside!

Rescue centres are full of cats looking for homes and many of them would have been indoor cats in their previous homes so would be used to this. Many animal behaviourists advise making your home exciting for an indoor cat with places for them to climb and sit high up, I am sure there would be a lot of stuff on line about making an indoor environment cat friendly. I think that your concern about opening windows is a very real one, but I think that there are things you can get like screens to make them safe. Hope you find the right kitty and are very happy together.

This may have some useful information. icatcare.org/advice/making-your-home-cat-friendly

Regarding windows, I use Flat Cats for my indoor pair. They can't get out, but you can have windows open. They let through the breeze but not any larger insects so even better. You can also get kits for cat proofing balconies, usually clear but very strong netting that they can't bite through with about a 1 inch square mesh.

If you have a decent sized flat, then 2 would be fairer than a single from a company aspect. I managed to rehome a bonded pair of indoor cats from a rescue.

I have Persians who couldn't care less if they go out or not. Some breeds are perfectly happy to stay in.