Worried an indoor cat will be bored?

[JessiCake]

We are in the process of deciding whether or not to go ahead and get a cat!!

All 3 of us are extremely keen, me DH and DD (age 5)

However DH has owned a much-loved cat before and it was killed by a car :( He still gets choked up talking about it 20 years on so a major stipulation of his is for us to get a house cat. Also we live near a very busy main road and neighbours have lost cats this way :(

BUT, assuming we find a cat that is happily a house cat, is it OK to do this? My SIL (judgy in many many other ways too) is horrified by the idea, says we are cruel to consider it and that cats need to roam.

fwiw, we have a garden (which we would cat-proof) but it's not massive, only about 5m by 7m. Our house, too, is just a standard-size terrace, we would give the cat the run of the place as much as realistic but it's not huge, 3 floors and a proportionally small downstairs, just a kitchen and a living room.

I am home all day which I guess is an advantage (I work from home) and as I say we have 1 daughter, she's a gentle sort rather than a madly-running-around sort of child.

Will our (possible) future cat be bored with us??? We are quite a busy, chatty family, with enough time to give attention to Imminent Cat!! But SIL has made me v worried.

I don't think we could possibly have 2, though I guess never say never...

DH and I have two house cats, as long as they havent been outside cats first and then brought inside, it's absolutely fine

Getting two together is actually recommended and they'll have company when no-one is home.

Lots of toys, a good high climbing post / posts!, and some stimulating playtime each day and they'll have a great time

Ignore SIL

I would either rescue an older indoor cat or cat proof the garden.
Some cats can't go out for a variety of reasons.
Don't get a kitten. You don't know whether it will grow up being happy as an indoor cat or not.

Why not consider a rescue with health issues meaning it needs to be am indoor cat? My little tripaw looks longingly at the outdoors, so knowing I'm keeping her in for medical reasons alleviates my guilt!

Really depends on the cat. One of ours wants to get out whenever he can. The other one is quite happy to stay inside most of the time trying to 'help me type'. You could also investigate cat walking. Put them in a harness and find somewhere quiet without many dogs. Or just walk them in your garden.

My pair of indoor cats seem happy, are very healthy according to the vet, and certainly find plenty of things to do when they aren't sleeping - wrestling with each other, killing toys, watching TV (yes they do this), chasing each other about, bouncing around on the furniture & cat tree, killing flies & moths, scratching the scratching post, demanding cuddles or play with me...

As pp said, most cat rescues will be eternally grateful if you adopted an adult cat who can't go outdoors for some reason e.g. FIV or a physical disability, or just have always been indoors.

I rescued a cat who is around 9. He previously used to go out and.m now he is completely not bothered. An older cat might be better or as others said a kitten who has never/will never go out.

Cats don't need to be entertained. As long as it has the run of the house, it'll be fine, especially if it can go in your escape-proofed outside space

I think if you cat proof the garden the cat will be very happy.

A whole house, a lovely human about all day, an outside area to watch birds and chase flies in.... sounds nice.

You can google how to make the cat's habitat to their liking - plenty of high stuff.

There are some really lovely natural outdoor cat climbers that look fab and give your kitty a place to climb and sit whilst still looking good in the garden.
furwoodforest.com/

To add to the suggestions it is worth rotating toys so they don't get bored of them. A slightly older cat is likely to be calmer (not always mind) than a kitten. There are plenty in rescues who need to be indoor only.

I have 2 cats and one goes out, couldn't keep him in if I tried, and also have a savannah girl who is indoors only, she has stood at the door looking out but never attempted to go out, she's 2 years old and very happy being indoors, she has a high climber and goes we're she wants indoors lots of toys has well, I would say go for it they bring a lot of joy 🤗

Ours in an indoor cat, has been all her life (that's essential, don't get one who's used to going out) she has scratchposts in most rooms, plenty of windows to look out of and we play with her for as much as we can every day - keep them stimulated and they should be fine

I have two indoor Persians. I worry about them being bored, but I think if I'm out they just sleep the day away. They don't go into the garden much, even when they are allowed.

Thanks v much indeed everyone, great advice here.

High-up perch in garden sounds good, also plemty of toys and rotating them.

I am hoping it would help to have a person (me!) at home all day, for cuddles and general interaction, even if I'm working so can't play all day long!

We would definitely get one that hasn't been used to going out, for sure, I think it would be unfair and frankly too hard work to try to persuade an outside cat to stay in.

Does anyone have advice on websites/info I can find about cat-proofing a garden? Is it expensive?

You can DIY or get a company to do it yourself. We haven't done it though.

If you go to a rescue shelter, they will know which of the cats they have for adoption are already indoor cats, or would prefer it. Having said that, they will also probably expect that there is access to outdoors available should the cat want it.

Keeping a cat indoors is only cruel if the cat is desperate to go outside and is prevented from doing so. It is equally cruel to keep a cat outside all the time without being allowed inside when it wants shelter.

I would deffo get two cats that are already bonded, mine love to entertain each other and it really puts my mind at rest, strong shelves on the wall if possible is a good idea.

I wouldn’t get a moggy. We’ve had ours from being a kitten (so she’d never been out) and from day one it was obvious she was desperate to go out. She doesn’t roam far but is out for a couple of hours each day and she’d go mad if we tried to keep her in. I’d get a pedigree and go for a docile breed, something like a ragdoll. More of a guarantee that it would be happy indoors.

Some great advice and experience on this thread. I think you'd offer a purrfect home to a housecat or two OP. We've had 4 rescue housecats over the years who needed to be indoors and garden only for a variety of reasons, one currently, and 3 who arrived rather unexpectedly all at the same time.

I would echo the advice to get a cat or an already bonded pair, who need/s to be indoors for a particular reason or is/are used to and happy being exclusively or mainly indoors.

Having said that, it's not an ideal world, and sometimes a situation that goes against all the above correct advice can work out just great, against the odds. For example, all our 4 housecats had apparently been used to going out before going into rescues, and the 3 that lived together here were previously unknown to eachother, unneutered (when they arrived - that was quickly rectified!) young adult males, including one full feral. I think it was a mixture of necessity, careful handling and pure good luck that they were/are all very happy. I wouldn't recommend risking it though, as following the usual advice above definitely comes with less risk of it all going horribly wrong for you and as importantly for the cat/s.

Another tip to add to PPs - mine have all loved watching the action at our birdfeeders and birdtables, either through the windows or out of reach in the garden. We have the best of both worlds - entertained cats and safe, abundant wild birdlife at the same time.

I don't think what you'd offer a cat or two would be boring or cruel at all. Also, size of the house or garden is one of the least important factors. Tell your SIL to judge off! She's wrong on so many levels by the sound of it.

It would be good to know what you decide and how you get on OP, if you want to come back with an update anytime. Good luck.

i dunno, I wouldnt fancy being a house person that couldnt go out.
I guess they must just be used to it to some extent, but I do think its a shit life.

You wouldnt not walk a dog

My lovely girl came to us at 4 weeks (unexpectedly! We had to feed her with a milk dropper ) and due to having so many cats run over before we kept her inside. She has got out twice - once onto the drive, and got scared by a bird and ran back in, and the second time just sat on the porch whilst I took the bins out and then came back in with me. She is 4 years old now and as long as you play with the cat, it will be fine

My indoor cats have no problems being indoors, Dcat1 just sleeps all the time she's so lazy Dcat 2 will play with his toys, sleep, follow me around the house, watch the tv with me and his personal favourite, watching people poop lol