Help with indoor/outdoor cat dilemma!

[arapacis]

We have a kitten around 4 months old and are struggling with whether he should be an indoor or outdoor cat. If I outline below what we perceive the pros/cons to be of various solutions that we've considered, please can you give advice on your experiences! He will be done before any of this comes to fruition.

Outdoor
This is what we originally intended. However I've since read up and am struggling with the average life span of outdoor cats plus the many different issues such as being run over, cat aids, fighting, being fed by neighbours, not coming home, collar or no collar/tracker or no tracker, bring home wildlife dead or alive and all the stress that goes with all of the above. The pros would be that he can just be a normal cat.

Indoor
Husband not keen on the aesthetics of cat trees etc and I feel we would need to increase a lot from the one we have in order to ensure he is active enough. Would also need to play with him a lot and ensure he's happy. I worry about the cats mental health being stuck indoors. The benefit would be always knowing where he is and not having to worry.

Harness trained
We originally wanted a dog. Don't think it's natural to walk a cat and then we are back to being bound by needing to walk the cat every day. Not keen on this idea really.

Cat proofing the garden
My preference however it looks £££ and husband needs convincing. He doesn't like the aesthetics. It seems like the compromise to me.

Any info on experiences, costs and what's best for cat are much appreciated!

Is it a US Facebook group by any chance. They have v different views on cat ownership and generally keep them all in.

Unless there is a good reason to keep a car indoors I think it's pretty cruel tbh. Cats love going outdoors and ime get very bored when they can't.

I don't see the pint in keeping a cat indoors all the time. Completely against their nature and unfair on them. Also very hard to stop them getting out at some point!
Re road safety, my childhood cat would look both ways before crossing the road! It's something they just pick up I think, I mean, you can't teach them the green cross code!

We keep ours in at night
Started by feeding her in the evenings and now it’s just her habit that she comes in for the night.

It was a nightmare keeping windows and doors shut through that first summer, waiting for her jabs and being spayed etc - I don’t think I could live like that.

Cat proof the garden and they get the best of both worlds.

My cat is indoor only, I specifically requested an indoor only cat when adopting. She lives a very full and happy life, but my house is very catified all over. I have three cat trees, cat walkways and cat TV set up at windows. I've put netting up at windows so I can open them.

I'm saving for a catio. About £500 fitted I think.

A cat proof garden would be my ultimate dream. I know you can get cat fencing that they can't climb.

I’d catproof or catio. Mine was run over November 2019 & I miss him every single day. We live on a cul de sac with speed bumps.

Catproofing would've saved a lot of heartache.

I would never let a cat free range now.

Thank you for all of your replies, lots of food for thought there. For those of you who are adamant that cats should be outdoors, what are your thoughts on cat proofing the garden as a half-way measure?

For those of you who are adamant that cats should be outdoors, what are your thoughts on cat proofing the garden as a half-way measure?

It's obviously much better than than just keeping them inside.

@arapacis

Thank you for all of your replies, lots of food for thought there. For those of you who are adamant that cats should be outdoors, what are your thoughts on cat proofing the garden as a half-way measure?

Better than inside, but it would just frustrate mine and they'd make it their life work to either escape or get out of the house at the front

@LST exactly the same here. I have 2 proper adventurers.

We let ours have more independence gradually. Accompanied outside to short periods on their own and now free range in the day. They are always back for food at about 4pm and I shut them in then for the night. You could consider a gps collar so you can see where they go and/or a microchip cat flap that you can programme. There are plenty of steps between fully indoor or total freedom.

@SarahMused

We let ours have more independence gradually. Accompanied outside to short periods on their own and now free range in the day. They are always back for food at about 4pm and I shut them in then for the night. You could consider a gps collar so you can see where they go and/or a microchip cat flap that you can programme. There are plenty of steps between fully indoor or total freedom.

Thank you. I've considered the gps collars - it's not clear to me how they stay on if you have to have the quick release collars? Wouldn't it get lost all the time?

I think some will depend on the temperament of the cat - some will take to an indoor life better than others.

If you have a cat that is a born explorer it can be hard work to keep them indoors.

Our last cat was indoors only for health reasons - this was fine when we lived in a flat but we moved to a house and it proved very difficult to keep her indoors as she was incredibly keen to explore. She escaped one day, got lost and was found dead on a building site.

We’ve recently got a new cat and just in the few weeks we’ve had to keep her indoors she has made it her life’s mission to get out of the house - getting out of the front door has been a military exercise.

@arapacis

Thank you for all of your replies, lots of food for thought there. For those of you who are adamant that cats should be outdoors, what are your thoughts on cat proofing the garden as a half-way measure?

I've got a big garden, with a hedge round it. I couldn't cat proof it without also keeping out all wildlife, eg hedgehogs etc. If I managed to cat proof the back garden, they'd manage to get out of the front door onto the front garden which is open to the neighbours, no fence or hedge. Better to let them roam. They have a microchip activated cat flap which records when they go in and out. Despite loving the outdoors they all have their routines and I usually know when they're due to be home.

It really depends on where you live. I think cat proofing a garden is best of both worlds if you have busy roads nearby.
I don’t agree with indoor cats or catios, having seen the joy that being outside brings to a cat.
But, we lost our cat a few weeks ago to the road. I’m still devastated it happened. There are other cats locally that seem to be ok with the road, but our neighbour just told me they lost 2 to this road so it’s obviously not safe for cats. (Parked cars, and idiots use it as a rat run at rush hour...then it’s quietish).
Until you’ve picked your cat off the road, with the resulting trauma, you do feel differently.
For us, I would love another cat, but in this house I would only get one if we could cat proof the garden.
Not sure if the logistics though... 3 children, open windows and a front door to guard. Sounds stressful and they are so quick to dash out.

You can get flat cat windows screens.

Front doors trickier, you can get automatic door closers that fit into the door frame, hinge side, so the doors nearest to the front door are always shut.

Katzecure cat proofing isn’t awful looking. They can only jump so far before needing to dig their claws in so a 2ft wide strip of clear Perspex type material attached to the fence would stop them getting to the rollers or protectapet fencing.

It’s no cats destiny to get run over, stolen, poisoned, attacked by dogs/humans or get lost. It just isn’t.

Sometimes it depends on the cats nature. I once had a cat so lazy it wouldn’t occur to her to attempt to jump over the fence and out the garden. She’s sit at the open front door and make no attempt to go out, just liked having a good look! She was content with the house and garden and not interested in wandering.

Our current cat is an outdoor one. Once we get to spring time she’s out all day until we come home, then she’s in and out til bedtime. We couldn’t keep her in if we tried - she will charge at the front door soon as you open it. Once she tried getting out of the velux window and onto the roof when she had to stay in after a trip to the vet!

She’s learned to have a big breakfast, then she’s out all day, pops back when we get home for biscuit too up then she’s always back and hungry by bedtime. We keep her in at night, and she’s got a field behind us she spends most of the day in. Yes she sometimes brings home presents (keeps the rat population down) but she doesn’t poo in neighbours gardens, and she’s happy, fit and healthy.

For me quality of life is more important than quantity. Cats live in the moment. They don't have bucket lists. They don't have regrets. They don't have plans.

My two roam as they please, microchip cat flap to make sure they've got a safe place to rest here when they want.

The female stays close to home and garden and is keen to chase off any interloper cats.

The male wanders and hunts and can disappear for hours. Often he is under a bush nearby snoozing outside.

Ive had to put posters out when he disappeared for 3 days. He turned up. Perhaps he was stuck in a shed, or perhaps he just had a great run of eating out and warm weather and didn't fancy home yet.

I am happy to manage my emotions of worry and fear for them, if they get to live in the moment and indulge their wildness as much as their laziness.

@mugofwater

You've summarised my views on this perfectly too.

@mugofwater

For me quality of life is more important than quantity. Cats live in the moment. They don't have bucket lists. They don't have regrets. They don't have plans.

My two roam as they please, microchip cat flap to make sure they've got a safe place to rest here when they want.

The female stays close to home and garden and is keen to chase off any interloper cats.

The male wanders and hunts and can disappear for hours. Often he is under a bush nearby snoozing outside.

Ive had to put posters out when he disappeared for 3 days. He turned up. Perhaps he was stuck in a shed, or perhaps he just had a great run of eating out and warm weather and didn't fancy home yet.

I am happy to manage my emotions of worry and fear for them, if they get to live in the moment and indulge their wildness as much as their laziness.

I agree with this. Mine are loving coming and going today

I suspect the cat will decide for you. My parents adopted a cat who was supposed to be indoor. He decided he was out door.

Thank you for all of the advice and replies! We're getting quotes for cat proofing the garden, but also trying him with a quick release collar to see how he gets on and looking into the GPS collars. Having never owned a cat I did not anticipate how much I would love him and I just want him to be safe, but also live a full, happy life. I guess it's just about finding the balance

@mugofwater

For me quality of life is more important than quantity. Cats live in the moment. They don't have bucket lists. They don't have regrets. They don't have plans.

My two roam as they please, microchip cat flap to make sure they've got a safe place to rest here when they want.

The female stays close to home and garden and is keen to chase off any interloper cats.

The male wanders and hunts and can disappear for hours. Often he is under a bush nearby snoozing outside.

Ive had to put posters out when he disappeared for 3 days. He turned up. Perhaps he was stuck in a shed, or perhaps he just had a great run of eating out and warm weather and didn't fancy home yet.

I am happy to manage my emotions of worry and fear for them, if they get to live in the moment and indulge their wildness as much as their laziness.

I love love love this! I think I really need to get this ingrained in my head and try to bare this in mind whilst making these decisions...

OP - after all this advice, can we get a photo of your kitten please? .

@arapacis

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/the_litter_tray/a4261980-outdoor-cat-enclosure-diy?msgid=107923180#prettyPhoto

This thread has pergola-based cat enclosures.