Indoor cat - what should I do?

[sayerville]

My cat's an indoor one as the road we live on, though it's one way can be busy at times and they tend to go fast as it's uphill and they get speed up. Anyhow he's coming up for 3, always been indoors and every summer it break my heart seeing him jump up at the window at moths etc. He is also very territorial and gets aggressive at times I think this may be due to frustration.
Now the weathers nice I have been toying with the idea, but the problem is I would be devastated if anything hapenned to him, and I would feel so responsible having that on my conscience. Hubby hates him, but this little cat loves me so much, he follows be absolutely everywhere, just me no one else. Hubby refuses to make (not that he could anyway) a cat run, I've tried him with a harness but he went crazy. So I just dunno what to do, is a short eventful life better than a boring one?

[Hobby2014]

If he's getting love, play time, stimulation etc whilst being indoors I'd keep him indoors. If you don't spend time playing and snuggles etc then he'd probably enjoy being out. But I don't know how it works letting a 3 yo cat out, do you just let them out ? I have no idea, mines an indoor cat.

[sayerville]

He seems happy enough, apart from the aggression, he's not a lapcat though, I thought I would uncover the flap (from years ago when our other cat went out) as he uses one on his litter tray, maybe he'd be more anxious and it'd freak him out. Today my DD went out and I panicked about the door being open for a short while (that is a bind) and she said fgs would it be the end of the world if he went out?

[patienceisvirtuous]

Get someone else to make you a run?

Or get some Feliway and keep up the playtime and affection. I wouldn't let him out nr the road.

[PoonAnnie]

It is not a prerequisite for cats to be outside. Neither of my cats have ever been outdoors.

[RubbishMantra]

We live on a busy-ish road. We only let cat out the back (NEVER out the front), and because we live in a row of terraces, cat can't get round to the road.

Is there any possibility of you being able to do that?

You said your old cat went out? How did they get on?

[cozietoesie]

I think it depends on the circumstances and the cat. My Mom had Seniorboy as a housecat after having lost half a dozen or so cats to RTAs on an allegedly backwater country road - so when he came to live with me, we just continud that as it was all he'd ever known and he was getting on a bit even then.

I work from home, though, so (barring trips to shops etc) there's always someone here to be around with him, play with him etc - and the house itself, while old, is pretty big with lots of room for him. (He's just had a mad moment in fact, and galloped up the long stairs, across the upstairs hall and leapt onto the bed - all with great enjoyment.) I wouldn't be so sanguine about keeping a cat inside, say, a one-bedroom flat where there was rarely someone around.

(I have to say that the house and the living arrangements are such that even The Lodger when he lived here was spending more and more time inside - and he's a young cat who was brought up on the streets. The other cats round here are a bit tough though (they tend to carry automatic weaponry and drink strong lager in the daytime) so I guess he felt more secure that way.)

How much play time and human time does he get, sayerville ?

[Itisafact]

My cat is about the same age as yours and has been an indoor cat. Recently she has been crying to go out and very restless even though we play with her lots.

We have started leaving her in the garden and it's so nice to see her enjoying the sunshine, putting her face up to the breeze etc.

I think it all depends on your cat, if mine had stayed happy I would of continued keeping her in but I won't do it if it makes her miserable.