Is it cruel to keep a cat indoors full time?

[user1493202565]

Hello all,

All my life i have had dogs and have always wanted a cat. I would really like to get one now but I really need some opinions from people with more experience with cats than me.

I am absolutely terrified of letting a cat out where we live now. Every 2 out of 3 houses in my neighbourhood have a dog. A lot of them are quite unstable and the owners are completely unaware of this fact. Many of them let dogs roam free that they have absolutely no control over.

Furthermore we are quite close to a busy road and we live next to a canal so we have tons of ducks and water birds running around with little chicklings right now.

So for the sake of the cat, and the birds, and my own sanity, if i were to get a cat it would be "indoors only". Would this be selfish and cruel to the cat? Are some breeds better adapted to being indoors than others? I wouldnt normally go for a breeder but will my cat be more stressed to be inside if I get a stray from the shelter who was used to being outside? Would having 2 cats be better than 1 for stimulation/preventing boredom?

For reference, I am mostly home so the cat would have plenty of daily play/engagement. We live in a 3 story house about 150m2 so not a huge place but not a tiny apartment either. We do have a dog but he is quite decent with cats, just stays out of their way and does his own thing. And he is generally not allowed on 2n and 3rd stories so the cat would have plenty of eacape spots if it needed it. We have a pretty small garden, would it be an option to "cat-proof" the garden or let the cat be on a very long leash for them to get some fresh air?

Thank you in advance for any and all advice. Sorry for any typos, nightmare to type on my phone.

I don't like to see cats cooped up inside, the majority are happier with some outside life to display their natural behaviours (hunting, scent marking, etc). There are often behavioural problems with cats who aren't allowed out. I also worry about lack of UV for creatures who are designed for outdoor exposure. Having said that, cat proofing your garden will help with some of that. And you could find an indoor only cat (eg FIV) from speaking to a rescue. I don't buy the idea that pedigrees need to be kept in. Certainly some are higher risk to let out, but high energy breeds would be neurotic indoors unless you lived in a mansion. Next door has a Persian who loves being out rolling around in the dirt and our Burmese have coped brilliantly with being outside (albeit demon hunters who need multiple bells on their collars).

My girls are both indoor cats. They have access to an enclosed back garden but are not really bothered about it. They really don't have the brains to be let out into the big wide world. When one did get out she didn't go far. They are perfectly happy as indoor beanbags.

Although cats are domesticated they are hunters by nature. If they don't choose to go out that is one thing but imagine being kept inside all day? I think it is unfair on the cat.

What about cats with health issues like FIV Bertrand? Part of owning is not necessarily living with the possibility it won't come home, cat proofing is often a possibility.

We've got quite a small garden OP but we've cat proofed it as I hated the idea of Harry going near the road and also because the UK cat killer has struck near us a few times. OK, Harry hasn't got so far to roam now but at least I know where he is. We've got netting on top of the fences - DH did ours but got the idea from Securacat.

I'm quite baffled by posters insistent it's natural and "the only way" for a cat to live to be outside. I agree that from kittenhood and with no medical or behavioural factors it is normal, natural and preferable for cats to be outside. But not all cats in need of a home are a blank slate! Many have already been "denaturalised" by their experiences with humans; should they not be happily rehomed simply because they can only be happy inside?

My little girl and her littermates were kept for SIX YEARS in cages in a barn with caged dogs, never allowed out, never handled. At least her littermates were in a cage together but she was on her own. The rescue centre were surprised she was even handleable, but her desire for cuddles was strong enough to overcome all of that.

She spent the first two weeks behind the sofa, then gradually expanded the area she felt comfortable with. You'd think she was a completely normal cat these days, but you'd give the poor thing a heart attack if you put her out in the big wide world!

There are a million reasons a cat would be happier indoors, despite it not being a natural thing for cats in general. Cats living with humans at all isn't strictly "natural" is it. Don't let it put you off OP.

My rescue cats all go out, it would be unkind to keep them in as they are used to being outside.
My DS has two pedigree cats who have never been outside and they are happy enough.
If you get a shelter cat that has never been out you will probably be ok, they do have them or get a kitten.
My friend self built a lovely cat run onto the back of the house which her cat loves. It means the cat can go out and breath fresh air safely.

I'm not sure but I would definitely not have a cat myself if they couldn't go out. I watch my cat I have now enjoying the garden and it would make him sad if he could no longer go out. He roles around in the sun and sniffs the flowers, he's quite old now and stays close to the house most of the time, doesn't bother hunting either.

My Cookie lived rough before coming to the rescue. She had a tough time and is now terrified of the great outdoors.

She accidentally slipped out the front door and cowered under a neighbour's car when she couldn't find our house (2 doors down). She's also the type of cat who might try to befriend moving vehicles. The SPCA support my decision to keep her in.

Cats are different and some hear the call of the wild louder than others.

I have this discussion about my cat a lot. We accidentally adopted her (owners asked us to look after her for a couple of months when they moved house then changed their minds). She's about 8, has never been outdoors and we rent so no cat flap. My dp is convinced she should be allowed out and sometimes she scratches at a window. But i am not convinced that she is smart enough to know roads having never been out before (she gets hit by our roomba a lot which doesn't help her case) or find her way home if she wonders off. I think if we had a cat flap I'd let her try because without one, what do we do if we let her out and she doesn't come back? Wait at the back door all night? She would also definetly be the type of cat to get fed as well and decide that this is now home. So I'd never find out what happened to her if she did that.

I'm with you there @Apricotsandjaminspring. Cookie tends to stretch happily while having her tummy scratched and subsequently fall of my lap. Doing that on a six foot wall could land her right in the jaws of my neighbour's vicious dog!

I've always thought so - yes.
Would you like to kept indoors all your life? No?
well then, why is it good enough for a cat?

We had always planned to let our cats out when we got them and I'd say any access is better than none.

Our boy was desperate to go out and would sit meowing at the back glass door for ages as a kitten. Even though he was so ill during his final hours, he made his way out onto the patio one last time. We'd wake up in bad weather to find him happily outside and he loved it if we joined him outside and was all over us - he just loved it outdoors. His sister, on the other hand, is totally different. She's enjoyed sniffing the fresh air, watching birds, but really only goes out for her business. I think she'd have been quite happy being kept inside. So what I'm saying, I think it depends on the cat, and what you can offer in terms of company and space.

It depends entirely on the cat, we had one be indoor by choice.

I think an adult rescue cat is the best option, the rescue should know if it's an indoor or outdoor cat.

If you really want an indoor cat then look to a shelter with indoor cats to rehome. There are a number of reasons why a rescue cat may need to live indoors. They will also know if the cat temperamentally is an 'indoor cat'.

I've always had outdoor cats including in areas with dogs, cars etc. I would only keep a cat indoors if there was a specific need however I have had cats that simply don't like going out.

I used to think it was cruel but then my cat was hid by a car and killed. Even though I live in a very quiet area with very few cars on a 20 mph road it didn't stop him being killed. Since then I've kept my others cats indoors as I've been too scared to let them out. They are absolutely fine, no difference in their behaviour at all. In fact I'd say they are happier indoors as now they get lots of attention and I spend a lot of time playing with them whereas before they would have been out and not had that same attention.

We've catproofed our garden. It's not huge but it's enough for our little guy to enjoy fresh air and freedom while staying safe.
He has lots of toys, lots of company and the garden is quite interesting with things to climb on, places to hide and lots of flies to chase.
I think it's an ok arrangement.

I would say it depends on the cat. I have one that would happily be a house cat whilst my kitten is desperate to get out and spends the whole day looking for a chance to escape.

My cat was allowed to roam free from March this year till June when he then got hit by a car and spent his 1st birthday in a pet hospital!

We have now cat proofed our garden so he can still go outside but hes safe as i thought after being allowed to wander free and then being made a house cat would make him miserable. Hes not even attempted to get out and he is perfectly happy only being allowed in the garden especially as hes now allowed to stay out till i go to bed at 11 and enjoys catching all the bugs flying about!

It's a very British thing to let cats free access outdoors. Most other European countries and the US have mostly indoor cats, or safe outdoor enclosures.

In an ideal world cats could get free outside access but in reality most of us live in areas that are simply not safe for that. In my London area the local Facebook group has at least one post a week about a cat killed on the (residential) roads.

I noticed another poster says outdoor cats live longer, this is actually not supported by statistics at all - indoor cats live much longer lives away from the dangers outdoors.

Maybe you could consider a special needs cat that needs to live indoors? Blind cats, cats who've lost limbs, FIV cats etc. all wait a long time at shelters to find the right rescue-minded homes.

We live in a two bedroom flat and foster. Here is what we have learned:

• Some cats prefer to be inside. Even if you leave the door open they're not bothered and won't attempt to "escape".
• You cannot train a cat to be an indoor cat. I think the notion of getting a kitten and then never letting it out is not indicative of its preference. That being said, some purebred cats have not idea of how to keep themselves safe and some should be kept in for their own safety.
• Just because a cat has lived as a stray for a while doesn't mean it will miss the outdoors. Our old boy had a horrible life on the streets, he loved nothing more than crashing out all day on the sofa and watching the squirrel in the tree outside our window. Not once did he try to get out. I think he was happy for a safe life with regular meals.
• If we were to adopt we would look for an adult cat who had been in foster care and was not interested in open doors. We would provide plenty of enrichment and exercise opportunities like playtime and different levels for them to get up high if they wanted. I would potentially try to lead train them for a change in scenery once in a while.

I think a well looked after indoor cat, with plenty of company, attention and enrichment and a good environment can be very happy.

We've also found that a cat-proofed garden is a good compromise. Our oldest boy had lived in a flat his whole life until we got him aged two, and we were just too worried that that was too late to develop road sense. We realised after a bit that he actually could get out of the garden, if he really wanted - and, apparently, he doesn't. However, he now has a very adventurous little brother, so we'll see what happens when he's a bit bigger!

I think the posts calling it 'cruel' are over the top. Yes, of course wild cats live outside. So do wild hamsters - should they be allowed a run around outside when they feel like it? This is surely an argument against pet ownership at all. 'Naturally' a cat would never snuggle up in front of a radiator on a fluffy cushion - but I think you'd have a tough time convincing my cat that that's a preferable life!