Indoor cats, how does it work

[onetoomany]

Just lost our second cat in the last five years on the road - not a main road, can be quiet for minutes at a time but mostly a car every thirty seconds or so. It's still raw but I can't keep going through this, my children are so upset.

I used to think keeping cats indoors was almost cruel but is it? Some breeds seem to be happy inside from what I read and we could get another pedigree cat if that helps. How does it work though? Is the cat trying to get out as soon as a door/window is open? Does one need a non-carpeted large room to mostly keep a cat in?

Just exploring options as I don't think we can be cat free with children wanting a pet so much.

I've had mainly indoor cats and it's extra work. Have to be really vigilant with their litter and vacuuming. Definitely a good idea to get a little hand vacuum if you don't already have one.
It's not necessary for it to be pedigree to be an indoor car, I've had just your average tabbies etc as indoor kitties. It has really varied cat to cat as to whether they are escape artists or are completely disinterested when the front door opens.
If you get the cat as a kitten you can train it to be comfortable on a lead and could take the cat out on the lead if you feel mean keeping the kitty inside all the time.
What's more hilarious than seeing a cat being taken for a walk? Not much in my opinion hahah.

Mine isn’t remotely interested in going out. She’s a rescue and used to go outside in her last home but isn’t bothered by the outdoors here. We don’t worry about leaving the door open if we’re bringing in shopping and we have our top windows open when it’s warm. If she really wanted to go out she could get out but she just isn’t that bothered. She once wandered outside whilst I was bringing a delivery in. I didn’t notice and shut her out. It was only about 3 minutes later that I noticed her scratching the door to be let back in.

I'm about to get two kittens and as my last cat also got hit by a car I'm going to try to keep them as house cats. The rescue centre was all for it and reeled off the benefits. She thought that if a cat had never known life as an outdoor cat and had plenty to play with in the day, they would be perfectly happy. I'm interested to see who answers this and what their opinions are.

It's not cruel - a town/city with roads isn't a cat's natural habitat, I actually think if you choose to own a cat you should keep it indoors in order to look after it properly. We domesticated them so we have full responsibility over them. A lot of people don't like cats and will be cruel to them/poison them, it happened a lot in the small town I grew up in.
If you keep them in from when they are a kitten they won't know any different.

There are plenty of cats that should not go outdoors (eg those with FIV). I live in a different country where cats can't really go outside due to other wildlife, they've never been outside and are perfectly happy. We do have to watch their weight though, they probably get less exercise.

But yes, I change the litter tray every day because otherwise the house will smell. It is definitely more work. And if you have laminate you will end up standing on tiny bits of litter and it hurts

You will need to play with them more and provide mental stimulation and extra scratching posts may help.

One of my rescues was happy to convert to being an indoor his sister was a completely buggar and learnt to hide when we went to the coat cupboard to try escape, dropped herself out of first floor windows and all sorts. They ended up as daytime cat flap users.

It’s cruel. When i’m World Dictator it will be illegal, except for cats that can’t go out for health reasons.

After yet another vet trip with one of our cats, due to the enormous cat that keeps coming into our garden, I'm tempted to keep ours in.

I’ve kept mine in since he was a kitten. He’s happy and doesn’t try to escape, he hasn’t known anything different so it’s not cruel. We have loads of toys, beds and scratching posts and he loves cuddling up to us so he’s happy.

I think it could be argued that 'keeping' an animal of any kind is cruel, but if we have pets the least we can do is keep them safe, and letting them roam around to have accidents is not exactly doing that. I've lost many cats to road accidents as a child, and I would never have an outdoor cat.

Keeping cats indoors is not cruel. They need extra stimulation and attention if they don’t go outside but the RSPCA and Cats Protection both say there are pros and cons to both keeping cats indoors and allowing them outdoors. PETA explicitly advise keeping them indoors.
In the US and many other countries it is considered highly irresponsible to let your cats roam.
I don’t know of any serious animal rights charities that suggest that indoor living is cruel to cats. I don’t think it’s necessarily better than allowing them outdoors (although I do think outdoor cats should be confined to their owners property for their own safety) but I’d argue it isn’t a bad thing as long as they are happy to stay in.

My last cat was indoor cat and never tried gettinf out. She was fairly over weight but i rescued her at 4 when she was that size and I managed to get her weight down. With my 2 new kittens they will also be indoor cats and ill make sure they don't like the weight on. I think there's pros and cons for both but around my way there's posters up constantly for missing guys that imo have probably been knocked over as people drive like maniacs around here.

I've got Persians who are quite happy with a potter round my enclosed garden. After a couple of escapes out of the front door they decided they weren't keen on the big wide world. They aren't bright enough to be out near traffic and might get stolen. I am far more relaxed and don't think I could have out door cats.

I'm a dog walker and cat sitter (ie visits in cat's own homes).

Until doing this job I did feel that the majority of cats are happier with free access to the outdoors- based on the many cats that I have owned.

I've changed my opinion having cared for hundreds of cats in their own homes.

I now feel it really depends on the cat. Some indoor cats really are not bothered about being outside, others you can tell resent the confinement and want to go out.

Some cats which are allowed outside choose not to leave their garden. Others roam far and wide.

I believe if you have a cat that is one of those who has little or no inclination to go out then it's absolutely fine to have an indoor cat.

The problem can be finding a cat that feels that way. You certainly can't tell when it's a kitten....

Lots of people think pedigree cats don't want to go outside. IMO this is an unfair generalisation- born from the fact that they are worth huge sums and owners more often choose to protect them by not letting them go outdoors.

Only one breed, the Ragdoll seems more prone to not be bothered about going outside. Apparently they have had many cat instincts bred out of them which makes them less adventurous and less streetwise.

If you have an indoor cat you have to be extremely vigilant about doors and windows unless you have a cat which shows zero interest in the outdoors. They can become very adept at dashing out of doors on dark evenings and it's really hard to prevent this.

I'm sorry you've lost so many cats to the road OP and I completely get how you feel .

I have 2 indoor cats, and never had my own outdoor cats ("aunt" to plenty over the years though). I specifically wanted indoor cats due to all the un-natural things that are harmful to cats in a town e.g. traffic, broken glass, rusty metal, anti-freeze, plus a couple of very aggressive local male cats and the possibility of cruelty by humans (sadly not as rare as it should be).

I ended up with ex-ferals, who were so she they spent a year at the rescue before I came along. Rescue wanted them to be rehomed indoor only because there was a chance they may go feral again as they were adult when first trapped. Also Boycat has turned out to have a few "issues" around reactions, memory, clumsiness, and general lack of intelligence and wouldn't last 5 mins in our own garden.

I'm lucky in that I have a porch at the front & a small conservatory at the back so can do the "airlock" thing going in & out of the house. I use Flat Cats at the windows as well, so can have a decent breeze coming in during the summer without them escaping.

Yes you do end up having to clean up litter more, but vets bills are reduced due to them not being injured and needing fewer flea & worm treatments (I do mine once a year just as a precaution). They seem to self-regulate with food as they have dry down 24/7 as well as wet at meal times and haven't put on weight, and the vet says they are in superb condition. Oh and the other downside is the clouds of soft fluffy undercoat at moulting times, as mine won't tolerate being groomed!

“They can become very adept at dashing out of doors on dark evenings and it's really hard to prevent this.”
That is a cat who shouldn’t be kept in.

I know of rag dolls Persians and main coon that are very content with being indoor cats. They are all a bit thick tbh

Ours are pedigree and many keep them as indoor only successfully 🤷🏽‍♀️

All four of my lovelies are indoor. We have a busy road, that people roar down. They are all happy and content. I know they are safe from cars, animals and people.

Indoor car here. Google Jackson Galaxy.
Our cat has loads of cat friendly options around the house; lots of play, lots of places to roost and plot, lots of places to sleep. She's the happiest most chilled cat it's ever been my pleasure to own be owned by . Her litter tray is in the bathroom. I scoop out poop as it appears and change it every week. She has water away from her food. She's awesome.

Car? Cat

You could build a catio. Ours is accessed via a cat-flap from our house, so they can come and go as they please.

I lost 2 cats within a year on the road outside my house. Current cat is an indoor cat and has been since he was a kitten he is now 2 . He is a Burmese, an adorable cuddly people oriented breed. But he seriously wants out he escapes out the door in seconds, he has learned to remove the protective special cat guards we have over open windows in the summer. It is a real pain as really can’t open windows.
We are actually moving in a few weeks to a house away from main roads so will be introducing him to the garden in December ( he hates the cold and wet) he will be allowed out during the day when we are around as he wants out and we can’t live in a closed box anymore.

I do think it depends on the cat but many do want to go out and it is restrictive
I completely understand your thinking as I have been in your position.

Thanks so much for all your advice. Sounds like one can't tell whether a kitten will be desperate to go out when it is old enough but if one gets an adult cat then it will be obvious if one has a bolter. I have seen adult cats available that have been used for breeding and so kept indoors so they might be worth a look.

Or we could move house and hope that a very quiet road reduces the risks substantially.

I've always had outdoor cats - the latest two Battersea kittens were taking every possible chance to escape from about four months old. If your cat doesn't want to go out then fair enough but I'd always prefer to have a short lived, happy, stimulated cat than a bored one stuck inside.
And luckily I've never had a cat killed on the road.