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The litter tray

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

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Original poster

Shutting cats in kitchen at night (with outside access). Cruel?

73 replies

squashyhat · 29/07/2017 10:45

DH and I are thinking of getting a rescue cat (or maybe two). We have had cats before - the last one had to be pts 3 years ago and he was a rescue from Celia Hammond. I think he had a happy life but we were both working so he was on his own a lot. Since then I have retired so am around at home a lot more, would like the company (DH is stilll working) and we live in a rural, very cat friendly place. The things is in the past we always shut them in the kitchen at night (with cat flap access outside) and DH now thinks this was cruel. It's a cold kitchen although they always had cozy beds to snuggle into. But I don't want a cat roaming the house at night, and certainly couldn't sleep with one on the bed.

I know the rescue place would do a home visit and I would be honest with them that this is what we plan to do. But would it be considered cruel?

OP posts:

anchor9 · 29/07/2017 12:22

they will scratch during the day too?
don't get a cat, by the sounds of it.

Polter · 29/07/2017 12:32

PolterCat has the porch, kitchen and 'breakfast room' with access to outside overnight. It's luxury for him as he had never lived in a house until he came to us from rescue at 8yo. He hunts rats at night so no way is he having free run in the house!

ImogenTubbs · 29/07/2017 15:21

We've always shut cats in the kitchen or utility room (with cat flap) at night. If the kitchen door's open they meow outside the bedrooms and wake us all up. Not sure why anyone thinks this is cruel..? As long as they have a warm bed, water, food and somewhere to go to the toilet, what's the problem?

Fluffycloudland77 · 29/07/2017 17:14

Ours is locked in the utility overnight with no access to outside.

He's in there about 8 hrs a night.

We tried leaving him upstairs one night but he miaowed until I took him down

Original poster

squashyhat · 29/07/2017 17:16

Thanks for your views everyone.

OP posts:

aramintafatbottom · 29/07/2017 17:18

It's not cruel. Ours stay in the kitchen at night. Stone floor so can be cold in winter but their bed is by the radiator (but they usually sleep on the cold leather sofa or the windowsill!) They're not allowed upstairs because they scratch on the doors and wake us all up and I don't like waking up with a cat arse on my face!!

Smeaton · 29/07/2017 17:24

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

starzig · 29/07/2017 17:35

No. Most cats get put out at night. They hunt at night

dementedpixie · 29/07/2017 17:44

I keep the cats in at night as it's safer for them. We don't have a catflap either so they are in if we are out and have access to outside when someone is in the house. They have the run of the house except for bathrooms, day and night. Not entirely sure where they sleep at night but one of them sometimes comes to visit in the night for a short while which i don't mind

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 29/07/2017 17:47

I think letting them out at night is actually worse that confining them to the kitchen, although I couldn't do that either.

I don't know of anyone who actually puts their cats out at night starzig.

ThomasinaCoverly · 29/07/2017 17:51

If you're cruel I am too: ours is confined to the kitchen overnight (with catflap to the outside: she goes bananas if we try to shut her in). We told the rescue place that was what we were planning to do, and they were happy with it.

MissBax · 29/07/2017 17:54

It's fine - our 2 cats have just the open plan living room and kitchen at night and they're always very happily snuggled into their cat beds when we come in of a morning. If it's their routine it's what they'll go with.

OlennasWimple · 29/07/2017 17:54

No, it's not cruel providing they have access to food and water . I'm genuinely at anyone who would think that it was!

Wallywobbles · 29/07/2017 17:55

Our cats go nuts if they are shut in the house at night. What you are suggesting sounds perfect.

bbpp · 29/07/2017 17:58

Our cats do and always will stay in the kitchen/dining area (which is massive - 2/3rds of floor space). They have food, water and litter tray and lots of sofas and beds to lay on. And they can't meow at bedroom doors, nor scratch or have an accident on carpet.

Don't see what's cruel about it. They get tonnes of cuddles and are allowed upstairs during the day and they don't care about coming up at night.

WiganPierre · 29/07/2017 18:01

starzig no, they don't

OP, don't get a cat if you are precious about your carpets. You sound like you care more about your house than the cat. Cats should be a beloved pet and part of the family!

GetafixTheDruid · 30/07/2017 07:10

Ours are shut in our small utility at night with no outside access. We don't let them out at night because it is far safer for them to be indoors (one of our cats died after being hit by a car at night time). Our utility is small but I figure it is comfortable, warm, they have beds, food and water and it is bigger than any pen they would be in at a cattery. The rest of the time they have the run of the house and a catflap to go outside, they are very healthy spoiled contented cats.

wigan I've had cats my whole life and adore them. I don't think the OP is more concerned about her house . Lots of people don't like being woken up at 3am by a cat sitting on their head or in fact by a cat scratching and crying outside their door (which is what our cats would do if we let them roam the house at night). I hate my carpets and furnitures being scratched and I wish my cats (all three of them) didn't do it. I don't think that is unreasonable.

LavenderDoll · 30/07/2017 08:27

I love cat cuddles in bed. He's part of the family - I couldn't shut him away in a room every night

ChestnutsRoastingOnAnOpenFire · 30/07/2017 08:32

Ours are put in the dining room at night with their cat tree, beds, toys, tray, water. About 11pm They are fine. They more often and not take themselves to bed. They are active about 4am which is too early for me. We get up about 5.30 so they get let out then.

qazxc · 30/07/2017 08:35

Nope not cruel. It's more space than they would have if staying in a cattery for example.

Cheerybigbottom · 30/07/2017 08:39

It's not cruel. We close the dining room door at night to limit the cats to dining room and kitchen only. This is because otherwise they run up and down the stairs chasing each other and our (then new) neighbour once complained about our teenagers running up and down the stairs waking her. We have one 6 year old ds

SleepFreeZone · 30/07/2017 08:40

Nope not cruel.

millifiori · 30/07/2017 08:44

It's fine. Our cat has the run of our house most nights but we shut him in the kitchen with a cat flap to outside about twice a week so we can get unrboken sleep, as he does like to drool on us, comb our hair, claw us awake at 5am.
It's not remotely cruel. Get them a cosy bed, water and a small dish of dry food. They'd survive.

BeepBeepMOVE · 30/07/2017 08:44

If they have access to the outdoors then definitely not cruel at all!

Mine are shut in the dining/living room with the cat flap open because otherwise they are running up and down all night and are very noisy. They have all their bowls and beds in there. One spends nearly all night out, I find it odd to lock cats in at night that is when they are doing all the cat things!

Also helps contain dead birds and mice to one room where we will see them straight away.

FledglingFTB · 30/07/2017 08:58

My cat is in the kitchen, with a cat flap every night otherwise we'd never sleep. He can open our bedroom doors, so that'd never work.

Even then he's still worked out how to get on a ledge closest too our bedroom window, so we get serenaded most mornings when he's questioning the delay to his breakfast time.

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