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!

@Grumpyoldpersonwithcats

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

Here he is!

That's a very cute kitten.

I think you really need to wait and see what your cat wants. Some are happy to be indoor cats, and that is fine. Others desperately need to be outside, and allowed to roam. If yours is the latter then I think you would be cruel to keep them in. The cat will make up its own mind. I have three. One would happily be an indoor cat. One would probably cope with just a run in the garden, the other needs to roam.

I vote cat proofing. There are various options, some look better than others. I like Securacat personally. Very subtle once it is up. We genuinely had to point it out to people even on the walls that were half height so we'd had to use the netting up to full height. Others prefer the look of the ones on wooden rollers like Katzecure

We have lost lots of collars, the quick release definitely works! I once had a neighbour at the door with an old collar of our cat's. Their cat had found it and brought it home from the field next door! It had been missing for months, maybe even a year.
We've given up with collars - your neighbours will soon learn it's your cat (unless you have one of those weird cat thief neighbours).

Ours are indoors only because we have coyotes in the area and I doubt they'd last a month outdoors. We do have a large second story deck that functions as a catio and a birdfeeder they can watch from the kitchen window when they fancy a bit of cat TV.

My vote would be for cat-proofing the garden.

Cat proof your garden. Mine was essentially a house cat but adored being in the garden. Then he started getting a bit nosy and climbing things peering over fences. I was researching cat proofing last week with a view to getting it done ASAP. Last sunday night he managed to get out and was hit by a car and killed directly outside our house. I will never forgive myself. I loved him to bits but my 2 fears of having a cat were 1. They’re “choose” someone else or 2. They’d get run over. First time my cat ever ventured outside the house he died. I am heartbroken. Catproof the garden 100%. They adore being outside and it’s so hard keeping them in especially when the weather is warmer. I was constantly checking where he was. The one time I didn’t the worst happened.

Oh @justpoppy, I am so sorry to hear that. Try not to blame yourself too much.

I’m so sorry @justpoppy.

I think it's cruel to keep cats indoors. It's no life for them at all and it's just making work for you; cleaning out a litter tray every day, keeping windows and doors closed. We have four cats and they come and go as they please. Life is to be lived and the world to be explored, not contained within the walls of a house!

I have an adopted stray, so never considered keeping him inside, but still try to minimise risk. Most cats are run over at night, so he stays in after dusk (smart cat flap, but he also comes to call): he has only ever skipped curfew once.

We adopted an 11 year old indoor cat and over the course of a year slowly introduced him to outside. The change is unbelievable - he's much more affectionate and playful, compared with the sleepy old boy he was before. He's much happier now. Absolutely worth the risk IMO, they love the smells and excitement of their territory! P.s. he's a soft ginger Tom like yours so prepare yourself for endless head bumps and chatty miaows 😁

Op we had the same dilemma, didn’t want to ruin our garden with cat proofing but wanted our cats to enjoy garden without being able to get out.

We found a company who install a hidden wire going round the garden which works on radio wave. Cats wear special collars. The system is endorsed by Cata Protection League and is often used by farmers. It works a treat, we have two happy cats and don’t have to worry about them not coming home.

Cats really are creatures of habit. We let ours out early in the morning then he comes back by 10 (or he doesn't get his dinner), then we lock in over night. They do bring stuff in occasionally which is grim but part of having a cat. Also if you've had him from a kitten I find they are pretty crap hunters. (The one we got from a shelter and was feral before that was a different story; brought in a squirrel once! )

I do worry when he's out but sadly it's a price worth paying, when I see him lolling about in the grass or chasing flies and running round like a lion I know outside is best.

Definitely look at cat proofing your garden. Lots of companies provide various levels of costs. If your DH is handy with DIY then he could fit the system which would bring costs down. The peace of mind is well worth it - no worries at all re being hit by cars etc (plus, your neighbours will love you - MN does not like random cats in gardens).

Within the enclosed garden, maybe get one or two outdoor cat towers (obviously away from the boundary line), or anything else that provides interest and stimulation for the cat).

Sound expensive, but if you buy well, then should a) last for a long time and b) save you multiple worries of cat going missing/cat hit by car/ cat fighting with other cats/cat being fed by others - plus the possible vet bills arising from all of those (and more) scenarios).

BTW, kitten looks very cute - any more photos (that one looks weirdly like a stock photo!)

I would be guided by the cat and how safe your area is. We have a cat and she has always wanted to be in next to us or a radiator, very rare for her to go in garden and will only do it if sun shining and door open and a metre away from it. But most cats want to go out. I know a lot that have been killed on roads very young. I would go for catproofing garden. I wouldn't worry about your dh, mine didn't want a cat but now the two of them are glued to each other and anything the cat wants she gets.

I've had several cats, but never an Incy tiny kitten. If I had an incy tiny kitten it wouldn't be going out at all without me, then only into the back garden with me and he'd be coming in too when I went in.
I don't have an enclosed back garden and despite living on a fairly quiet street, it's a magnet to cats & has claimed many victims

All mine have arrived as outdoor cats (to differing degrees). Any time they had to be kep in they were an absolute nightmare but easier if they know no different I suppose. I'd have to get some kind of permanent screens for all the windows & doors as I can't abide them being closed when I'm home.

I think I'd go with back garden visits with me and build up to him playing out there by himself and eventually going out front with me but really reward playing in the back garden discouraging the front garden.

Definitely in at night. We have foxes around here that would surely get the kitten/cat!!!

@arapacis.

He's adorable!! What have you called him?

We need more photos!! Please

It gets easier. It's nerve-wracking when they first go out, and when they get braver and start venturing further afield.

But, cats also tend to know how good they've got it. When I stand at the back door and shake their bag of biscuits, they suddenly pelt back up the garden in 0.0003 nanoseconds.

Ultimately, we give them a home to give them a lovely life. And I suspect a bit like having kids, that means giving them some freedom at the right time, even if it feels terrifying.

I'm not sure you can truly cat proof a garden. Just build up the outdoor time, and know that if they're happy, they'll gladly come home when they're ready.

And it's a joy to watch them explore the outside world. Seeing them meet bees and butterflies, chomping on plants, lounging in the soil - I love it.

@Furries

Definitely look at cat proofing your garden. Lots of companies provide various levels of costs. If your DH is handy with DIY then he could fit the system which would bring costs down. The peace of mind is well worth it - no worries at all re being hit by cars etc (plus, your neighbours will love you - MN does not like random cats in gardens).

Within the enclosed garden, maybe get one or two outdoor cat towers (obviously away from the boundary line), or anything else that provides interest and stimulation for the cat).

Sound expensive, but if you buy well, then should a) last for a long time and b) save you multiple worries of cat going missing/cat hit by car/ cat fighting with other cats/cat being fed by others - plus the possible vet bills arising from all of those (and more) scenarios).

BTW, kitten looks very cute - any more photos (that one looks weirdly like a stock photo!)

Definitely not a stock photo!

@AlmostSummer21

I've had several cats, but never an Incy tiny kitten. If I had an incy tiny kitten it wouldn't be going out at all without me, then only into the back garden with me and he'd be coming in too when I went in. I don't have an enclosed back garden and despite living on a fairly quiet street, it's a magnet to cats & has claimed many victims

All mine have arrived as outdoor cats (to differing degrees). Any time they had to be kep in they were an absolute nightmare but easier if they know no different I suppose. I'd have to get some kind of permanent screens for all the windows & doors as I can't abide them being closed when I'm home.

I think I'd go with back garden visits with me and build up to him playing out there by himself and eventually going out front with me but really reward playing in the back garden discouraging the front garden.

Definitely in at night. We have foxes around here that would surely get the kitten/cat!!!

@arapacis.

He's adorable!! What have you called him?

We need more photos!! Please

His name is Marmalade 😊

So yesterday I felt like the consensus was to let him roam, today there seems to be more saying to cat proof the garden! I don't know why I thought I'd just get a solid answer 🤦🏼‍♀️🙄!

For those of you with cat proofed gardens, do they seem happy/content?

For what it's worth, we're on the end of a cul de sac, with a wall/fence and two sides open out onto the "through road" to the whole estate. It's not a busy road, but you do get the odd idiot and it services the whole estate, a bit like a horseshoe off the main road with loads of smaller roads branching off of it. There only appears to be one huge ginger Tom in the local area, he comes out only at night.

Our garden isn't huge, but it's big enough that he would have space to run/climb if we put some bits out there for him and sun bathe. Whatever we decide we'll be getting a microchip cat flap.

It seems ridiculous but I'm really feeling the weight of this decision. And I feel like once I've decided it won't be easy to go back on (either after he's had a taste of freedom or we've spent £££ on cat proofing the garden)!

@justpoppy

Cat proof your garden. Mine was essentially a house cat but adored being in the garden. Then he started getting a bit nosy and climbing things peering over fences. I was researching cat proofing last week with a view to getting it done ASAP. Last sunday night he managed to get out and was hit by a car and killed directly outside our house. I will never forgive myself. I loved him to bits but my 2 fears of having a cat were 1. They’re “choose” someone else or 2. They’d get run over. First time my cat ever ventured outside the house he died. I am heartbroken. Catproof the garden 100%. They adore being outside and it’s so hard keeping them in especially when the weather is warmer. I was constantly checking where he was. The one time I didn’t the worst happened.

Justpoppy that's awful. Definitely my biggest fear as well 😩. I'm so sorry.

What a gorgeous boy 😍.

I have three year old sisters who we got at 8 weeks and they are indoor cats. We have a floor to ceiling cat tree, they get lots of attention and of course they do have each other to play with. They are very happy and healthy and although there was rime when I said I'd never have indoor cats I'm very pleased we went that way.

In the couple of year prior to getting them I had three friends lose cats due to road accident and another one in considerably worse circumstances 😡🥺, which really put me off letting then free range.

If I had the space and money I'd definitely consider having a catio built, but they are quite content as they are, and I suspect all the more affectionate and binded with us (particularly my cat) as a result of not going out.

@Ibizafun

Op we had the same dilemma, didn’t want to ruin our garden with cat proofing but wanted our cats to enjoy garden without being able to get out.

We found a company who install a hidden wire going round the garden which works on radio wave. Cats wear special collars. The system is endorsed by Cata Protection League and is often used by farmers. It works a treat, we have two happy cats and don’t have to worry about them not coming home.

Hi, what's the name of this company/system please? I'd like to look into it

@arapacis - sorry re the stock photo comment, your photography skills are obviously way better than mine! He is so cute, those daddy white paws are just adorable.

With regards to mine only being in the garden, they are/were both really happy and content. TBF, I’ve never even seen them attempt to get out. For their first year we were living in a 4th floor flat in London. I had a large balcony (which I also had cat proofed), so maybe they thought they’d hit the jackpot when I moved to the country with a garden 😂

For peace of mind, I’d say it’s definitely worth it. They get safe outside space to enjoy and you don’t have to worry about them being hit by a car, being stolen, being fed by anyone else, being poisoned, drinking antifreeze, getting shut in someone’s outbuilding/shed etc, shitting in neighbouring gardens, fighting with other cats - the list goes on!

Just be mindful of what’s planted in the garden. Previous owners here had a large bed planted full of lilies which I had to dig up - those tubers are an absolute bugger to get out of an established bed.

Even though the garden is enclosed, I still get mine in at night, normally around 11pm (if not already curled up on the sofa with me). Get him used to the shake of a Dreamies packet - mine moves like lightning to race in for a treat!