Cat in a flat?

[Ginorwine30]

Hi, I’m just here for a bit of advice, I moved into a flat earlier this year which unfortunately has no garden and we’re three floors up. I would love to get a kitten and have always had cats when I was growing up, however they were always allowed outside and liked to roam in the garden etc.

I’m working from home full time and feeling lonely in the day when OH is at work so kitten would have company a lot of the time.
Would it be happy indoors? Or should I wait until we buy a house? Does anyone have experience of happy house cats?

There are certain rescue cats which have to be kept indoors as it wouldn’t be safe to let them out. This includes FIV positive cats (a bit like HIV they are generally healthy with medication but must be kept in not to spread it) and sometimes cats with sight or hearing issues or who are scared of other cats.

Would you consider a cat like this? More likely to be fully grown though you do get FiV kittens needing homes sometimes.

I think I’d feel guilty keeping a cat inside that didn’t have any need to be inside iyswim. Unless you got an older cat (say 8+) they are slowing down in life and less bothered about jumping and exploring.

We had two cats ion a second floor flat , lived there for three years. Only outdoor space was the car park and other nearby gardens.
Used to take them downstairs to go out every day and they had an indoor litter tray.

One disappeared when being looked after by family at theor home. The other lived until 14.

I have Persians. Who would happily live in a flat. They are indoor cats but couldn't care less if they go into the garden or not. They are not the most dynamic of creatures!

In some countries, e.g. the US, most cats seem to be indoor only including ones in flats (see some of the Jackson Galaxy vids on YouTube). The trick seems to be to give them plenty of places to go e.g. trees, hidey holes, shelves they can use to climb up on, aka "catifying" the home. Indoor cats also tend to need more interactive play from their humans, especially if they are an only cat.

An adult cat would probably be a better idea than a kitten, as the rescue will have been able to work out whether the cat needs to be indoors only, or if it's personality suits that way of life. And kittenhood only lasts a few months, then adulthood for many years after.

Thanks everyone, I would consider an older cat, I just was under the impression that a rescue wouldn’t let us have a cat if we lived in a flat but I will look into this
The flat is fairly spacious and we would have room for a cat tree etc.

Agree, there are always rescues who need to be kept indoors. That said, it may take a while for one to be available.
It's great your flat is spacious as that gives plenty room for them for zoomies! Indoor cats do need extra stimulation than outdoor so lots of playtime (this will also depend on the cat).

Rescues seem to vary - I’ve seen some rescues showing cats who’ve always been indoor and so (in their view) would be fine as an indoor cat. But other rescues want all healthy/young cats to have a chance of going outside in their new home, even if they were indoor cats previously.