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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

Opinions on indoor cats please!

97 replies

Anon7777 · 11/05/2021 08:52

Ok, give me your opinions on indoor cats... we had been looking to adopt a cat possibly through rescue to join our family and had been looking for one who had been used to / wanted to be indoors as we are on a busy main road. Didn’t want to be actively keeping one in if they wanted out but thought we could give a home to one that for whatever reason needed to be inside. We hadn’t found anything and are now looking at buying a kitten from a litter on a farm nearby. The mother cat has access to outdoors but chooses to be indoors almost all the time, and the breeder thinks the kittens would make lovely indoor cats and would be happy for them to be that. From the reading I’ve been doing some sources are actually passionately pro-indoor including one rescue near us but some advise it’s not fair.. would you recommend having a cat who’d be kept indoors at least for the first couple of years while we’re in this home? Thanks for all advice!

OP posts:

MintyCedric · 11/05/2021 18:59

we automatically thought at first that the only fair reason to keep a cat inside would be a medical or behavioural reason

I'd always felt the same but in the year prior to getting ours two of my friends lost cats I'm road accidents and another in an even less pleasant manner .

We live in a culture de sac off a busy road, with a garage compound around the corner and a fair
few feral boisterous kids. Whilst I don't think they would deliberately hurt an animal the likelihood of them getting on the wrong end of a bike, electric scooter or Nerf gun was enough to put me off risking it.

MintyCedric · 11/05/2021 19:00

Oh and a close friend of mine is a senior veterinary nurse who has successfully raised 6 well adjusted, healthy indoor cats from abandoned kittens which I also found reassuring

Els1e · 11/05/2021 19:09

My last cat was from the RSPCA and was described as being an indoor cat. He had a bit of brain damage and couldn’t cope. He would sit by an open door and make no move to go out.

Cocoaone · 11/05/2021 19:19

I had an indoor cat - she lived to be 16 and actively hated the outside world.
Our new cat is 2 and he's much more adventurous - but still nervy outside and will run straight back in from the garden when he's had enough or is spooked.
They're both British Shorthairs - fat and lazy and make good indoor cats!

My friend rescued two kittens who were outdoor ones - neither made it past 3 years old (one was run over and the other just disappeared) and they had many trips to the vets in their short lives due to eating weird things, getting in fights, generally injuring themselves. I had a cat who was run over when I was little - he was aged 5 or so. Another friend's kitten was run over at about a year old.

I don't think I could cope with the heartache and stress from outdoor cats.

jaundicedoutlook · 11/05/2021 20:53

We have a BSH who is indoors only plus enclosed catio. In fact, the breeder made it a condition of the sale contract that her kittens were bought to be indoors only, but ours would have been regardless of this.

I can’t quite understand why some people get so vehemently against indoor cats. Provided they have enough space and stimulation they are quite able to live long and happy lives.

cupsofcoffee · 11/05/2021 21:42

I have three indoor cats. Two we've had since they were kittens and one we adopted aged 2. He previously went out but doesn't anymore.

We live on a really busy road (60mph out the back of our house) and I just don't think they'd survive very long. Only this morning a little kitten was run over and killed on our road - it was only five months old 💔 and that's a regular occurrence sadly.

I know it's caused fierce debate on MN in the past and some have told me it's cruel to keep them inside but I feel it's so much safer than just letting them out to take their chances against the traffic, dogs, foxes and people who may not be very nice to them.

Trinacham · 11/05/2021 21:49

If it's all the cat has ever known there is nothing wrong with keeping them in. I have 2 indoor cats. They are Ragdoll cats which is the main reason why I keep them in (google the breed if anyone wants to know why)
We are planning on a catio soon as I'd like them to have a bit of safe outdoor access however.

CartTriesToDriveTheHorse · 11/05/2021 21:55

Rehome a cat with FIV, they should be kept indoors to avoid giving other cats FIV. Perfect match

Pidgythe2nd · 12/05/2021 06:54

This is such a difficult one. Having just lost our cat to a road accident the pain is still very fresh. Had we kept her as an inside cat this wouldn’t have happened.
I personally won’t be getting another cat unless we cat proof our garden. I think this is the best of both worlds.
The joy she had out there was immense so I’m glad she experienced that. She loved being outside. But, she died a horrible way and I’ll always hold that guilt.

CovidCorvid · 12/05/2021 07:26

I have a pedigree cat who stays inside. He’s likely to be stolen if he goes out. He does have company though....as well as the humans we have a dog and they are best friends. Also have another non house cat. He seems happy enough. He likes watching the world out the windows but doesn’t seem unhappy.

AhNowTed · 12/05/2021 07:40

@Pidgythe2nd

This is such a difficult one. Having just lost our cat to a road accident the pain is still very fresh. Had we kept her as an inside cat this wouldn’t have happened. I personally won’t be getting another cat unless we cat proof our garden. I think this is the best of both worlds. The joy she had out there was immense so I’m glad she experienced that. She loved being outside. But, she died a horrible way and I’ll always hold that guilt.

Don't feel bad. I would much rather my cat had a full and active life, allowed to roam with some risk, than a long dull and unnatural one inside.

Quality of life, rather than quantity.

Original poster

Anon7777 · 12/05/2021 07:49

@pidgeythe2nd I’m so very sorry for your loss, it must be such a difficult time for you but I don’t think you should have any guilt at all, your cat sounds like she had such a wonderful life. to you xxxx

OP posts:

Trinacham · 12/05/2021 11:34

@AhNowTed
I agree that there's no need to feel guilt and that the cat had a happy life but please don't try and make others feel guilty about their decisions to keep their cats safe. That's just nasty. It is a tough choice but when factors such as breed, disability, or just fear of the cat getting hurt.. it is the best option for a lot of cat owners these days. An indoor life doesn't mean a dull life. There's no need to be nasty.

Trinacham · 12/05/2021 11:36

and to follow on from my post above, my cat escaped once. It terrified him and he was found trying to jump back in the window. Not all cats want out, even when given the option.

YesItsMeIDontCare · 12/05/2021 11:48

This is Leroy suffering his very boring indoor life. He has FIV.

This could be a compromise?

Original poster

Anon7777 · 12/05/2021 11:55

@YesItsMeIDontCare I think this is what we are going to go for. We have an ideal space out the back to build a DIY Catio at first which due to the angles of house and fence already is actually going to be quite an inexpensive and not too difficult task I think (I say that now, we’ll see when we start the project!) with the rest of the garden as an option further down the line if necessary. Will definitely look into the potential of harnesses too for explores! Thank you all. Ps Leroy is gorgeous!

OP posts:

Divebar2021 · 12/05/2021 12:08

I got my kitten from a rescue overseas. I asked for an outdoor cat and was offered Juno. The same rescue centre have been advertising indoor cats on their Instagram page. I have no idea what would determine one is indoor or outdoor (apart from an illness ) but I can confirm she’s very adventurous and was trying to get out the house pretty much from the start. Perhaps her foster parent saw that about her. I personally don’t want to keep an animal in if it would rather be out. I would rather she had a better quality of life even if it was shorter. I wouldn’t keep rabbits in hutches or birds in cages either for the same reason. I’ve just seen a post from a rescue looking for adopters so I suspect the demand for cats has dropped a little bit now lockdown is easing so you might find more cats available. Good luck.

Divebar2021 · 12/05/2021 12:10

Gratuitous picture of Juno.

YesItsMeIDontCare · 12/05/2021 12:17

I personally don’t want to keep an animal in if it would rather be out. I would rather she had a better quality of life even if it was shorter.

Going out doesn't always mean a better quality. For Leroy going out means opening himself up to infections that his body can't fight off. He got out once and was so sick I never want to see him like that again. He was ill for a week 😢

Divebar2021 · 12/05/2021 12:20

Yes. I’m not making a judgement on cats who can’t go out...no one wants a sick animal. I live in a quiet, leafy area and the main danger for Juno is a fox not cars.

Pidgythe2nd · 12/05/2021 12:51

@Divebar2021 is Juno a Mau?
She looks similar to my cat. Beautiful whatever she is!

Re: the guilt. We only adopted her 3 months ago so although she knew love and had a family, her life in her forever home was too brief.
She’d only just started going outside and usually stayed in our garden or our neighbours. Seems she ventured across the road and on the way back just ran out and the timing was terribly unlucky.
She got a lot from being outside though.
In this house with this road I wouldn’t get a cat. So, any decision needs to be based on the location.
My previous cat lived 18 years, but it was a much quieter road with no thru traffic.

Chewbecca · 12/05/2021 13:02

I agree with the PP who said
I wouldn’t raise a healthy kitten as an indoor cat. There would have to be a good reason they needed to be kept from roaming

My cat adores going out and flying around the garden. I would continue to seek out a cat that needs to be or chooses to be indoors for whatever reason.

romdowa · 12/05/2021 13:05

I have an indoor cat simply because he has food allergies and he gets really really unwell when he eats the wrong stuff and it costs us hundreds every time. He misses going out side sometimes but he is a greedy guts and will eat food that's left out or that he finds

Lollypop4 · 12/05/2021 13:07

Ive 2 indoor cats but they have a catip built across back of house and have 24-7 access.
It has high shelving ect for entertainment and I feel much happier they are safe

Lollypop4 · 12/05/2021 13:08

*Catio not catip!!

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