Indoor cats

[mewmeow]

Hi, sorry if this has been done to death! Me & oh have always been cat lovers but never been a position to afford the upkeep of one before. We are currently in a rented flat with 3 yr old dd. we are top floor in a central part of the city, so in all likelihood the cat/kitten would be confined to indoors. Is this cruel? We had some people from cat rescue come round years back saying that some cats had to be indoor for whatever reason, so that made us consider it, but also some people still have very negative reactions to the idea of indoor cats.
If we do go ahead Would it be better to have two so they have some feline interaction in their life?
(also anyone have any ideas how we can broach the subject/convince the landlords to let us have one?) sorry for all the questions, any advice on indoor cats welcomed!

[thecatneuterer]

All rescues have a number of indoor only cats. Some have to be indoors because it's not safe for them to go out (perhaps because they're deaf for example or have only three legs), and some just don't feel much need to go out (probably because they're older), and some are young and fit but have come from indoor only homes and the feeling is what they've never had they won't miss.

The problem is if you need to keep a cat indoors for it's own sake that doesn't really want to be indoors, then you need to be very careful with open windows. And balconies are a real problem. The best bet really is for an older cat that shows no particular desire to go out.

Really indoor only cats are safer than those that go out and some are perfectly happy not to go out. There is nothing unethical about it. You are giving a rescue cat a safe and loving home.

If someone is likely to be at home most of the time then you're fine just to have one. If they're likely to be alone a lot of the time then maybe a bonded pair might be better. But then again an older cat will often be happy alone during the day as long as they have a nice warm bed and some food.

So yes, go for it - you'll be helping a needy cat and freeing up a space in a rescue for another cat in distress.

And as for the Landlord, as long as you are good tenants the landlord is likely to want to keep you and unless they are very unreasonable I can't see they'd object.

[mewmeow]

Thanks for the reply! Yes I think we were leaning more towards a rescue cat anyway but this has confirmed it a bit. Much as a kitten would be lovely it would dangerous trying to keep it in if it wanted out.
Fingers crossed with the landlord then, this is our biggest hurdle. We have Inspection today. There's a nasty stain on the floor outside the bathroom (seeping up from the wood below it appears) which I'm a bit freaked out about, and might scupper our chances

[AllSWornOut]

We have a brother and sister that we've had since they were kittens. They've never been outside. We put some protection up around the balcony to start with but they seem quite happy just to look over the edge. We did put a big cat tree in so they have somewhere to work off their energy, but they did a lot of scratching at the walls in the first couple of years so an older cat might be better if you rent.

Our two have never known anything else and are purr-fectly happy (sorry, couldn't resist ).

[mewmeow]

Haha allsworn ah they sound lovely. Would love the idea of kittens, if we weren't renting I wouldn't care about scratches too much (never really been that houseproud). But adopting a couple (maybe brother and sister?) does sound like a nicer idea that the landlords would probably be more keen on!
Very excited now

[boofted]

We have 3 indoor cats. We live next to a busy road where cats get knocked down a lot. They show no interest in going out at all. My brother accidentally left the back door open all night once and they never moved from their beds. They are the friendliest little things and one doesn't realise it's a cat at all. We have a big house so they get plenty of exercise. The CPL were happier for us to keep them in because of the road. 2 of them (brothers) were found in a terrible state and they like to be pampered. I hope you can get 2! You will never regret it.

[Floralnomad]

My mum has an indoor Ragdoll ,he has never been tempted to go outside .He has been quite happy as an only cat ,is very indulged ,a huge nuisance and her house looks like some kind of cat playground .

[ZebraOwl]

My cats decided for themselves that they are Indoor Cats & they are very happy & very healthy: the vet was superimpressed with them when the had their check-up in July, couldn't quite believe the level of improvement I'd managed to facilitate!

As the others have said, there are lots of cats who want/need to be Indoor Only Cats so if you're able to provide a home for one (or two!) of them that would be a wonderful thing.

Afraid I have no advice landlordwise but I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that they're happy for you to get a cat or two & that you find yourself with [a] feline flatmate(s) soon