Best breed for indoor cat?

[TheCatMonty]

Just wondering? Thinking of getting a cat, that can be indoors and is okay being alone in the day? If no such cat exists, rats it is I'd definitely be with it all evenings though!

Get 2 then they can occupy each other. We have indoor Ragdolls, our first kitten cried when I left to go to work and I felt bad so we went back and bought her sister also. They are much much happier together!

We have two sisters. Sister A winds up sister B. B HATES A. If they were shut up all day together in a flat I have no doubt they would actually fight.

My mum has an indoor ragdoll, but she is his 24 hour slave.

We had 2 Bengals, mother and son, who came to us at 2+ years and 6 months. The breeder would only sell them to us on condition we kept them indoors.

As it happened mum escaped a couple of times but son would sit in front of an open door refusing to cross the threshold.

We lost mum to a stroke a couple of years later and worried that son was lonely we got 2 cross-breed kittens, who again we didn't let out. A year later one kitten got very sick and on investigation turned out both were Felv+ . The vet told us the remaining one must not go out under any circumstances and says the kits must have got the infection from their mother as both were kept indoors and vaxxed.

Very lucky for the neighbourhood cats that ours hadn't been out as apparently it is highly contagious (and deadly for some, as we found out). Bengal is clear, luckily.

I'm really surprised - my local rescue would rehome FIV+ and blind/deaf as well as elderly cats to someone who works.

Why do we say get a rescue - because there are 1 million unwanted cats in rescues in the UK - if the hundreds of thousands of people who buy rehomed.

Ragdoll. Brilliant temperament. I have two. And two Yorkshire terrier too!

I have. 2 British shorthair brother, 5 month olds. They are total dotes and lazy as sin, aside from the mad hour in the evening. They love each other and either keep each company or go find their own space to sleep all day. Me and DH both work full time but if have the chance to be at home, they aren't too fussed and snooze regardless. They are very loving despite the assertion BSHs aren't lap cats I have one snoozing on me right now!

I wouldn't get Burmese unless you have a huge house and lots of time for them. They are very active, mischievous when bored and need their people. My 2 rule the street and love being outside. They are street smart which surprised me.

@ElizaDontlittle - there are thousands of children in care... Should no one have their own child? Animals in shelters often have issues (unsurprising) and are normally interbred. It's not unreasonable for someone to bring up a pedigree kitten.

Animals in shelters often have issues (unsurprising) and are normally interbred.

Curiously you are actually describing exactly how pedigree cats are manufactured which results in the well documented health issues associated with many breeds.

What is the cat meant to do all day when you're out?

Well, judging from what mine does all day while I'm here -- sleep, in blissed-out, belly-up fashion, for about 20 hours out of 24.

Maine Coon!

Get a Birman. They are adorable. Mine tends to sleep all day, even when I am home. He is an indoor cat and is totally fine. I have lived in a house with a garden and he looks at me like I have gone mad if I try and make him go outside. He is much happier staying in bed ☺

Gratuitous Siberian kitten shot! She's arriving in 5 weeks!

Here is my "indoor only" ragdoll.

Maine Coon!

I woulnd't say main coons are indoor cats.. have you seen how they gallop when they get a good run?

What is the cat meant to do all day when you're out?

Sleep, groom, eat, play with toys, sleep, groom, climb a cat tree, groom, sleep, play with more toys, sleep, sleep, sleep. Play with its litter mate if you have 2 cats.

I got a BSH to be an indoor cat but turns out he likes the outside a LOT, I do feel much happier now he can go outside and chase flys and stuff in the garden.

I don't think it's fair to keep either Siberians or Maine Coons indoors. They are very intelligent, active breeds that need a lot of stimulation, they wouldn't get that indoors. Mine gets really miserable when the weather is too bad for her to play out.

I think if it a bit like people - some people are content to hang out in their pants eating pizza and watching mind numbing TV. Some people are highly driven motivate individuals who need to be or working and achieving.

You want the former kind for an indoor cat!

Why don't you get a disabled cat that can't go outdoors? From a rescue centre. That way you rescue one that might struggle to be homed

I'm afraid I haven't RTFT so apologies if rescue has been totally ruled out already, but if you're in the SE (or willing to travel) Celia Hammond rescue centre definately re-home indoor only cats (they might suggest you get a pair though).

www.celiahammond.org

Burmese! I have two and they are amazing and happy- no matter what type
You need to invest time
In playing and stimulation .

Gratuitous Burmese pair.

Oh wow Burmese are stunning. We had two when I was growing up and they would not have been happy as indoor only cats.
No breed can be guaranteed to be indoors only. Different breeds may have certain traits but they all have their own temperaments.

Are your Burmese happy to stay in stuck? Mine love to be out, they tell me off until I open the door. I keep them in at night and when I'm out they stay in. They are such an active breed they have mad hours when they can't go out. I think maybe they'd be ok if we had a huge house but they love hunting, sniffing air, hanging out with next door's cat. The breeder said they don't have road sense but that's untrue, I've seen them looking both ways before they cross the road.