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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

Can you make a cat be a house cat?

63 replies

Memom · 21/09/2016 11:49

We are pondering getting a cat BUT I seriously can not handle it killing things/bringing things in - never managed to get over this fear with previous cat. It's not just worry of it happening it's avoiding coming home, avoiding going into rooms until they have been checked, lots of tears etc.

So, a house cat would be our ideal. Can you make a kitten/cat be a house cat? Do they always want to run for freedom the second a door or window is open?

My biggest question is, is it fair? I hate the thought of having a cat and us make it miserable.

We live miles from anywhere so it's safe but there is also lots of wildlife! Previous cat had 5 bells and an electronic cat flap and she still managed to murder!

OP posts:
crayfish · 21/09/2016 14:11

I've got two (bengals) and one would be happy as an indoor cat forever but the other one wants to go out. Unfortunately the 'wants to go out' one has a bit of a disability which makes him prone to injury and I'm not really comfortable with idea of him trying to climb trees or leap up fences (he has no sense either so wouldn't not do these things) while I wasn't able to keep an eye on him in case he hurt himself. As a compromise thet have a large outdoor run which they can access from the house and that is as much the best of both worlds as I can come up with!

To be fair the hunting thing never bothered me with previous cats - circle of life and all that - I think if that's the only thing that bothers you then you need to try and accept that and let the cat out. I've had lots of cats and only one or two were serious hunters (bats/rabbits/moles - you name it), the rest were quite lazy.

Original poster
Memom · 21/09/2016 14:12

Thanks for all the replies, a real mixture of opinions.

A house rabbit isn't for us, we have a rabbit who is blissfully happy running around the garden, digging and eating everything!

OP posts:
MsMims · 21/09/2016 14:18

The average lifespan of an outdoor cat is just two years. Now that is cruel. I was a bit ignorant and used to let my cats free roam, partly because we lived somewhere safe and partly because there's a huge issue in our culture where we consider it the norm.

Have now converted 6 cats from outdoor cats to indoor ones, and had a further 6 who have never been allowed to free roam.

My cats will never be mauled to death by a dog (experience of this in relatives cats), never be squished under someone's tyre, never be accidentally locked in someone's shed and starve to death, never vanish into thin air one day never to be seen again.

My indoor cats are delightful and actually so much more loving and affectionate since losing free access to the outdoors. They do have access to cat runs and I plan to cat proof my new garden. Chucking your pet outside to crap on other people's gardens and to amuse themselves is quite lazy really. There would be uproar if dogs were allowed to do the same, and yet cats are no more intelligent or able to keep themselves safe than dogs.

We've had so many cats with such a huge range of personalities that I don't think it's down to the individual cat, it's down to the resolve of the owners. One particular cat of mine did used to try and escape (and has succeeded a few times) but when he's tired out with interactive play and has safe access to the outdoors in his run he's happy as larry. I'm sure some people would have taken the easy option and just given up and let him out, but with time and effort being an indoor cat works for him.

I'm probably a bit evangelical about this but I find it abhorrent the attitude we have towards cats in this country. Getting run over isn't an unavoidable risk, it's totally unnecessary.

ProfYaffle · 21/09/2016 14:18

Depends on the cat imho. Some are happy to stay around the house, others want to adventure far and wide and would make sustained efforts to escape.

We wanted a housecat due to living on a main road and having lost our last one to a traffic collision. We have and enclosed garden and put cat proofing around the top of the fence (we got ours from www.secur-a-cat.com/ but if you look closely at their system it's easy to copy and do a diy version)

We got a older cat from a rescue centre which is an advantage as you know what their character is like. We adopted a small cat who is very content to be confined to the house and garden. The only prey she brings home are Daddy Long Legs so I can cope with that Grin

IamWendy · 21/09/2016 14:25

Microchip cat flap? so it can go outside, but is then trapped out until he has been cleared for dead thing possession.

Unicorn1981 · 21/09/2016 14:26

We got our two year old cat when she was ten weeks. She goes out but not a lot and has never brought anything home. She's always worn a bell so I think she just never bothered. She likes catching spiders and flies though.

MrsNuckyThompson · 21/09/2016 14:27

Having a house cat is cruel unless there are medical / rehoming reasons they shouldn't go out. Please don't do this. It's just as sad as keeping birds locked in cages and unable to fly :(

BertrandRussell · 21/09/2016 14:33

"The average lifespan of an outdoor cat is just two years."

Really? Who says?

And people keep their cats in for purely selfish reasons. Their instinct is to roam and hunt. That means that yes, they are more at risk, but they are leading cat lives. Not human ones. And as cat owners we just have to deal with the fact that by letting them be cats, we accept that they are running risks. They don't know why they are being kept in. They don't know they are safer. All they know is that their instincts are being thwarted.

Elephantsaremygods · 21/09/2016 14:37

bert what about cats who are kept indoors for medical reasons? Or cats who simply aren't interested in going out?

Animals aren't all one homogenous mass, much like humans.

BertrandRussell · 21/09/2016 14:41

If they have the opportunity and don't go out, then that's their choice. I'm not sure what medical reasons would be, but I suppose that would need to be on a case by case basis. I know that, with one of mine, not going out would make him so incredibly stressed and unhappy that I would probably have to have him PTS. The other? We'd have to see.

MrsNuckyThompson · 21/09/2016 14:45

What utter codswallop that cats who go out only live two years. As an extended family we've had - what - 10/12 cats over the years and can't think of one who didn't live into its mid teens. They all went out.

SecretPeanut · 21/09/2016 14:49

On my livery yard there are 8 plus ferals. They are out being 'cats' they are also miserable, injured or have an illness of some kind. Humans cannot get anywhere near to get them treated. I have recently been leaving my barn door open and guess what they spend nearly 24 hours of the day in there and now i cant get the f**kers out! They are not happy cats living the outdoor life and these are wild

Elephantsaremygods · 21/09/2016 14:49

There are plenty of medical reasons, including being FIV+ and being blind for starters.

My girls aren't streetwise at all and are much too trusting. Given we live in an area where someone has been killing cats, I'm glad they're not bothered about going out as I feel they're a lot safer indoors.

BertrandRussell · 21/09/2016 14:55

SecretPeanut - those are badly looked after cats, not "outdoor"cats.

SecretPeanut · 21/09/2016 14:58

The cat killer is near me too. I have a responsibility towards my animals and that means, as far as possible, keeping them safe.

I certainly don't agree with the attitude that cats are cats and what becomes of them isn't our responsibility

SecretPeanut · 21/09/2016 15:00

Bert - you cant get much more outdoor than feral....pmsl!

If you can catch and 'look after' 8 feral cats please come and take them off my hands......

BertrandRussell · 21/09/2016 15:03

You are talking about them being in poor condition as if that's because they are allowed outside, rather than because they are feral, are not looked after and have nobody responsible for their care. Which is illogical at best.

ZippyNeedsFeeding · 21/09/2016 15:03

My cats have accessed to a garden with catproof fencing. The fencing was a total waste of time because the cats never want to go out. One will very occasionally consent to being taken for a walk in his harness, but only so he can eat a bit of grass- once he's done that he wants to go back in.
We have gone to a lot of trouble to make sure the house is suitable for cats, with plenty of climbing/scratching/playing opportunities for them. They are happy and healthy. the vet has no problem with them being inside (although he says he would always recommend having 2 if you do this, so they have cattty company).
Apparently, the difference in average lifespan is quite staggering. Having previously lost cats on the road and in other accidents, we were keen not to do so again. We do have ours vaccinated every year and wormed regularly, but they are far less at risk and so is the local wildlife.

NightWanderer · 21/09/2016 15:12

I think the 2 year thing is for feral cats rather than pets. I think it's a bit longer but they have a tough life.

I have started keeping in my boy cat. He got hit by a car a while back. He's fine but the vet diagnosed him with herpes and recently he had cystitis. Better to keep him in and safe. They really do cause a lot of problems killing with wildlife.

thehugemanatee · 21/09/2016 15:36

All my cats are indoor cats. They're all fine and happy.

You cannot make an outdoor cat an indoor cat, but cats that have always been indoors are perfectly happy to be indoors. Most people in the USA keep indoor cats, it's considered to not be good for the cats to let them outside in the USA unless the cats are farm cats.

hollinhurst84 · 21/09/2016 15:40

Mine goes out but not much, mainly to sleep in a patch of sun. I've had him nearly a year and he's caught a crisp packet Hmm
Nothing else, has no inclination to hunt. Probably after living 4 years as a stray he's quite happy just to have food on tap

PosiePootlePerkins · 21/09/2016 15:47

You cannot compare feral cats with cats who are well looked after in a house, and allowed free daytime access to the outside. They are two completely different things. My cat was desperate to go outside, I would hate to keep her shut indoors all day, I agree with a PP who compared it to keeping a bird in a cage and never allowing it to fly. I read on another thread about indoor/outdoor cats, that they would rather their cat had a shorter more fulfilled life than a longer unhappy life. If your cat has the opportunity to go out and chooses not to then fair enough. But if like my cat they are fit and healthy and gain a brilliant quality of life from the great outdoors, then its cruel to keep them in. I keep her in at night for safety, that's my compromise.

Allergictoironing · 21/09/2016 15:50

My DBro has indoor cats, my DSis outdoor (when they want) cats. Early on I made the decision that when I got my cats they would be indoor cats because I wanted them to be safe from cars, dogs, that bastard ginger tom that's put at least 3 other local cats in the vets recently, people who are cruel to cats, poisons, antifreeze puddles, FIV - the list is very long of things that can harm cats outdoors.

Cats have differing personalities, some like to be in and some out. If all they have ever known is in, mostly they are happy to stay in (like my DBro's Burmese) e.g. raised from kittens to be indoors only. Saying all cats need to go out and it's cruel to keep them in is like saying all dogs need to go out and walk/run the same amount, all horses like to do the same levels and types of exercise, or even that people all like the same amount of indoor vs outdoor entertainment.

Original poster
Memom · 21/09/2016 15:51

Thanks for the cat fencing link, I will look into that as that could be a solution. The thought of getting a cat and 'making' it stay indoors when really it would be happier with outdoor freedom doesn't sit comfortably with me. More pondering ...

OP posts:
PosiePootlePerkins · 21/09/2016 16:01

In your situation I would definitely be contacting local rescue centres about cats who need to be indoors for health reasons. Win win, you get an indoor cat and the cat gets a home!