To keep my cat indoors..?

[Purpleseaside]

I've had cats since I was born and they have always been indoor/outdoor cats. At my parents home, they have a large house with lots of land so the cats aren't near busy roads and can roam around safely.

Since having my own home, it's large but close to a busy road and sadly one of my beloved cats got run over in May. I'm still not over it, it broke mine and my fiancé's hearts. We have another cat who is quite timid, we let her outside (keep her in at night) but she doesn't go far, mainly the neighbours gardens and she always comes home when we call. We rescued a kitten in August, he is thriving, has had his operation and we love him to bits. We haven't let him outside yet.. And I don't think I want to for fear of him being run over. I nor my family have ever kept a cat as a fully indoor cat. Would I be cruel to do so? I don't want to lose another cat, our cat who passed away was only 2 and my stomach tenses everytime I drive on that road in case I see my other cat who is allowed outside run over. We've locked the cat flap so she can only go outside when we now let her out.

Should I keep my young boy inside? I have anxiety and the fear of having him run over is making me very upset!

I have a lovely indoor cat who has a very comfy playful and fullfilled life. Google Jackson Galaxy, a US cat behaviourist, who has loads of cool ideas.

We rescused a cat that was found outside - She has become an indoor cat and is pampered . We have a terrace and we have netted it so she can't jump ( its walled so you can't see ) . Our friend is currently making a play area with ramps , scratching posts and a box so that she can go out . We tried to put a harness on her but it was a no go . She sometimes comes out on the shared entrance / landing - its outside but runs back in if there is a noise ...

Ours have always been indoors only, though we do have a second story deck they go out on when the weather is nice. We have coyotes in the area as well as a busy road, so it wasn't much of a debate.

I second looking up Jackson Galaxy. His book is brilliant. He used to have a TV show too.

For those of you who are keeping your cats indoors, do you ever get fed up of the litter tray and cleaning it out? In our previous house (we didn't live near a busy road) we let our cats outside as soon as it felt right and it was such a good feeling getting rid of the litter tray. We live in a much bigger house now so the litter tray is hidden away in the utility room, but it's still a pain having to clean it out frequently.

@Purpleseaside

For those of you who are keeping your cats indoors, do you ever get fed up of the litter tray and cleaning it out? In our previous house (we didn't live near a busy road) we let our cats outside as soon as it felt right and it was such a good feeling getting rid of the litter tray. We live in a much bigger house now so the litter tray is hidden away in the utility room, but it's still a pain having to clean it out frequently.

No, not at all. I have three cats but it only takes a few minutes a day and I'd much rather do that than worry about whether my cats were going to come home at all that night.

I find it so strange that people get pets and allow them to go out and play in traffic all day long and if they die, they just say "oh well, it's quality of life not quantity" - it's just madness to me

Love that photo!
It's fine to keep them indoors as long as you provide regular play sessions and give them an opportunity to display natural hunting behaviour. Understimulated indoor cats can end up a bit psycho.

We're a bit of a half-way house, our cats can go outdoors during daylight hours, they come in when it's starting to get dark so just now they're in by 3.30pm. They don't get out in the morning till 9.30 when all the rush hour and school traffic is gone.
They seem to automatically come back now at dusk, we never have to go and look for them, and they're quite content indoors in the evenings.

I only have the one cat and therefore only one tray. It's in our bathroom. I scoop poop out immediately I see it. I change it completely once a week. I use Catsan. It's a chore but not that much of a chore. I have it down to a fine art now.

My knee-jerk reaction to the title of your post was that cats should be able to go outdoors. When we think about trying to provide good welfare to animals (from pets to zoo animals) we think in terms of providing them with the closest as possible to their natural environment which will enable them to practice all of their natural behaviours.
However, after reading about your experience, I can completely sympathise with your concerns and not knowing whether this new kitten will be as street wise as your existing cat would stress me out too.
All I can say is that if you are going to go with keeping him indoors then try to provide lots of opportunities to do those natural behaviours, people have already talked about play which is great. Think about also creating some food enrichment for him, there's some great facebook groups for inspiration, this will help with increasing activity, making him problem solve and mimic hunting.
Also, think about providing more resources as this is the main reason indoor cats fall out, so two litter trays in different locations, two water bowls, don't feed them side by side, provide multiple scratching posts and lots of beds and ideally some high-up perches, having these will help with enriching their environment but also help prevent conflict between the two.
If you can afford to make your garden cat proof that would be amazing.
Another option I see someone mentioned is letting them in the garden on a harness and lead. Cats can absolutely be taught to put on a harness, I can't find a cat specific explanation but this one for dogs is exactly the same principle, make sure to introduce it gradually and positively, don't just expect him to stick it on and be fine about it. www.dogstrust.org.uk/help-advice/training/harness-training
If you do teach a cat to wear a harness and lead, only use this to let them explore their immediate environment! If you think about natural cat behaviour, expecting them to go for a walk along the pavement like a dog is just as far away as you can get, they do roam a long way naturally but how often do you see them plodding along the pavement, they hide under cars and climb over sheds to find a route that they feel safe, they absolutely do not want to go for a walk alongside us.

Best of luck with it!

Ours is a house cat, well flat cat, she’s great and I like the comfort of knowing shes safe, warm and comfy. In our last flat I spent a lot of money cat proofing the garden, she went out once, little bugger.