Getting 2 kittens - is it cruel to keep them as house cats?

[tootiredtothink]

Our old cats died on main road close to our house. 6 years later and I'm finally coming around to getting another after years of nagging from children (and seeing 2 gorgeous little brothers).

Would it be cruel to keep them indoors forever?

Misseskimo - depending on how diy minded you or your family are its not overly taxing to build one yourself. all in mine cost 400 which includes treated wood for frame, some decking for various platforms, two tunnels and a wobbly bridge, chicken wire for the whole thing and decking and wire for a connecting tunnel to the cat flap.

Tootired: when you go to a rescue they always know which cats are good with children and which aren't. They have their histories, they get to know their personalities and, effectively, they've been tested. So you could find older cats, which aren't bothered about going out and which are also good with children.

I have two indoor cats, they have never gone outside , they cant we live in a flat, they play together, we play with them they seem happy enough, I don't know if they would prefer outside maybe they would but when we adopted them they were unwanted kittens. W
e do let them sit in the balcony with us they like the sun but they cant be out there alone to stupid I think they might fall off.

People, keep cats indoors because it makes them feel better. If you choose to have animals you have to accept the possibility of the heartbreak of losing them. It it pure selfishness to restrict their freedom because you as an owner can't deal with the realities of life. If you're not prepared to let thm lead a cat- life going off doing cat things then don't have a cat. Or at the very least, give a home to an older cat who has already been institutionalised. Don't institutionalise another one.

Curlew: If by 'you have to accept the possibility of losing them' you mean 'you should be prepared to expose them to great danger' then I don't agree. If you are somewhere where it would be very dangerous to let cats go out, then you shouldn't let cats go out. Whether you should chose to have them in the first place is another matter.

Considering we are in a position where there are far more cats than homes, and thousands of cats are put down weekly because of a shortage of homes, then probably any offer of a home is a good thing.

However it would probably be kinder to chose cats that aren't that bothered about going out, such as older ones.

Curlew - so you must be against all pets then? Do you campaign also for the rights of goldfish, gerbils, rats etc?
Hell, let's apply the same rules to children - lets stop oppressing them at school and let them go free to do child like things that come naturally to them!
And dogs too!
Let them go forth, and bite others as they see fit!
Utopia! All hail Curlew our revolutionary!

Mine are indoor with a cat enclosure. The younger one is a demon for escaping despite being a rescue at about 6 weeks old and never allowed outside.

The older is an ex-feral who very rarely escapes but when he does, he goes on a daylong expedition. Bastard.

They are happy cats who like hanging out in the house.

I had 3 indoor cats for years in a flat, they were very happy. When we moved to a house they would go out in the garden for short periods of time.

I only have one now he's mainly an indoor cat but through his choice, the doors are often open but he rarely ventures out.

Mine adore outside. Huntercat is on cage rest after a car tussle broke his front leg. He and I can't wait til the metal pins are out and he can roam again. It is what he is, a cat, semi wild. All cuddles and warm bed sleeping in the house, and a totally focused and effective hunter when out and about.

He plays with the neighbourhood cats, he sprawls on the front path, he roams the fields, he brings me rabbits, mice, birds, shrews etc. He crosses a tiny country road, almost never used, which is where he got hit.

But I could not keep him in and I feel it's about quality of life, not quantity. I am content to take the risk of losing him earlier if it means he really lives freely - he is not anxious about it, he doesn't fret or worry about cars, injury potential etc. He is just bloody bored in a cage right now.

deliasmithy - I had hamsters, rabbits and guinea pigs as well as dogs and cats growing up, and I actually wouldn't get one now. I hate the thought of them trapped in a small space, especially alone. I would never keep a bird in a cage either. If I want an animal companion then I need to either have a small holding size space for them, or I need to choose a cat or a dog if I was around the house more.

I fundamentally disagree that having a cat sat in a cage recovering from a horrific car accident and surgery is quality of life.
You clearly love hunter cat.
All animals can behave in a wild manner when allowed including humans but that does not mean its for the best or that we should let them.
Your cat isn't free. You own it. You have a responsibility to keep it safe and keep others safe from it.

curlew If you choose to have animals you have to accept the possibility of the heartbreak of losing them good point.

Perhaps if you don't live on a safe road you should consider another type of pet, such as rabbits or guinea pigs, who are generally ok being kept penned?

"They are happy cats who like hanging out in the house."

But who will escape given half a chance........

My friend had 2 ragdolls who were supposed to be indoor cats. They spent their entire time either looking out of the windows mewling or trying to get out. It was a pita always looking for an escaping cat every time you opened a door.

They gave up and let them go outside and they had much happier lives.

I'd love a cat but live near a busy road. I wouldn't consider having an indoor cat though.

I love how the main argument for allowing cats freedom is one that hangs on rights of a pet above the destruction of the countryside. Recent research demonstrated the devastating impact unsupervised cats have on killing everything in the wild

Cats are estimated at being responsible for deaths of 1.4 and 1.7 billion birds annually.

This entirely selfish argument is hysterical.

Delia- that's an argument for not keeping cats as pets at all- and there is a lot of merit in that argument.

We have 2 outside cats. Next door have 2 inside cats as our lovely neighbour had a cat run down about 8 years ago and was obviously traumatised.

I see their 2 cats sitting on the window sills or sitting by the door looking at ours taunting them and I feel really sorry for them. I figure I'd rather our cats had a fufilled life and run the risk of road danger on our quiet road rather than stuck in the house.

delia he is in the cage for 6 weeks. Then he gets to feel the wind, sunbathe, get wet in the rain, sulk about the snow under his feet and follow his hunting instincts with every sound, whisper and movement he senses.

Yes, horrific to be hit by a car. But it happened in a second, he came home, he pretended to be fine until I saw he couldn't use his front leg, within hours he was on pain relief, treated, pinned and now recovering. He is enjoying treats, whiskers and today jumped up onto the vets table while we were assessing his improvement. His quality of life is restricted for 6 weeks then goes back to his dream life - a kingsize bed and cuddling my feet all night, a catflap when he wants out, regular food, friends locally and total choice on his movements.

I own him but I don't control him. He is a cat. Not a dog. I don't train him.

If we lived on a main road we would not have got a cat. I have a responsibility to feed him, deflea him, cuddle him, care for him and insure him.

I would prefer him not to bring me wildlife, but he does eat it after showing me and if the mammal and bird populations can't cope then there needs to be a ban on owning cats full stop. I think destroying hedgerows and paving gardens is probably having a greater affect.

I would genuinely rather he had a short happy life living in the moment and enjoying his senses and wildness than keep him in my house as a large cage. He would fight to get out every time a door opened, he would meow at every window, he would be called by the outdoors and he would be utterly miserable. He was when he came home from the rescue and we had to keep him in to bond to the new house for 3 weeks.

Some cats have to be kept in for health reasons, and some choose it 99% of the time. But for cats like Huntercat IMO it would be kinder to put him to sleep than keep him inside for the next 18 years.

hmm, my indoor cats could get out if they wanted, the front door is open loads with teenagers coming in and out and they don't seem to want to, I don't think I am stopping them leading a cats life, they were going to be dumped if I hadn't taken them. And to the cage thing one of mine broke his leg(falling out of the window ) and had to live in a cage for 6 weeks, he bloody hated it cried all the time, if he hated living in the falt im sure he would be the same.

My new kittens are going to be indoor cats. I have spent months researching this topic and arguing discussing it on another forum I use/with friends, and it's the decision i've made.

Why? They've got each other, and my house to play in. There's no way in a million I could pick up dead animals, birds rats whatever- I know my limits and I just can't do it. I live off a huge road (the A1) and know of too many dead cats to take the risk, i'd be nervous every time they left the house. I also hate it when cats shit in my garden, so even though I already hate their litter tray and know that it's only going to get worse and worse, I still prefer it to knowing they are out there shitting in my neighbours' gardens. So, indoor it is.

FYI vet said he wishes everyone would keep their cats in cos most of the cats he sees are due to accidents/illnesses from being outside.

Mirror pants- what do you do if they start crying at the window? Because they well might- many cats(not all) cats have an instinctive need to go out.

Put up with it, spend more time with them, buy them more engaging toys etc. It may not be ideal for some people but far better they're in our loving home than stuck in a shelter

So, basically, let them be unhappy. Because they are lucky not to be in a shelter.

Curlew, I genuinely have no interest in arguing with a stranger on the internet. My cats my decision.

Fair enough, but don't forget that you need to think about the cats well being as well as your own.

Well said mirror pants and pretty much the only reason I weighed in on this thread - as in the heated and judgemental remarks made by some about indoor pets based on thin arguments.

It is not cruel to have indoor cats, but there are cruel consequences to allowing them to roam outdoors unsupervised. It's up to individuals to make responsible choices based on the full picture. End of.