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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.

Original poster

Indoor only pedigree cats?

45 replies

Galliano · 18/12/2022 13:08

In the new year my 26 year old DS is moving out and planning to take the cat he rescued during lockdown with him. I never wanted a cat previously but now can’t imagine being without one. Probably will miss him more than DS.

There’s a couple of breeds of cats I really like and which I think are well suited to my home and garden. Mostly I’d like to be guaranteed a generous sized and friendly cat as my house/garden will feel very big and empty. However all breeders seem to say their cats must be indoor only which I wouldn’t inflict on a cat without very good reason. I live semi rurally but there are other gardens as well as fields and woods and there are definitely roads. How seriously would you take a contract like that?

OP posts:
gogohmm · 18/12/2022 13:17

Go to a rescue or ask around locally, kittens don't need to be pedigree

hellsbells99 · 18/12/2022 13:20

I have a couple of female British Shorthairs. They have a cat flap but don’t got far at all.

MistletoeMouse · 18/12/2022 13:21

I got my Ragdoll as a rescue from the Ragdoll Cat Club. As much as it pained me to agree I'd keep him indoors, I know it's for his own safety. The risk of being run over or stolen is too great. He is an extremely happy, content and loving cat. More so than any other cat I've ever owned.

helloisitmeyourelookingfor · 18/12/2022 13:24

My ragdoll is essentially a dog

Always around my ankles begging for food for sleeping nearby

I take him outside but he has no interest in staying out there when I come back in

Toomanysleepycats · 18/12/2022 13:26

I am in love with Maine Coons and the Norwegian Forest cat, but I could never bring myself to pay a large amount of money for a cat when there are so many other cats that need rescuing.

I also believe it is cruel to deny a cat an outside existence, even though they are responsible for killing wildlife.

Perhaps look for the breed you are keen on at rescue centres. Maybe you will see another cat you like the look of and then won’t need to deal with a breeders contract.

P.s. Two cats are better than one.

CoffeeBoy · 18/12/2022 13:29

I have a Birman and a BSH I keep them both inside and they seem happy. My Birman has been outside for walks on a harness and we’re thinking of building a catio. My Birman coast £500 and the bsh cost £1000. No way are they going outside to be run over or stolen. My Birman is an absolute baby and the bsh doesn’t seem to realise she’s a cat and can’t even jump over the stair gate, I don’t think either of them are smart enough to go outside. 😁

Thelonelychicken · 18/12/2022 13:33

Get a maine coon Cross. So bigger than normal cats but not huge. I have one i adopted and he dosent go far. He's loves pets but not a lap cat. Loads on selling sites.

mumofone2019 · 18/12/2022 13:34

This reply has been withdrawn

This post has been withdrawn at the poster's request due to privacy concerns.

superdupernova · 18/12/2022 13:35

I have a British shorthair and she lets herself in and out as she pleases.

I also have a Maine coon. He follows DH like a dog for most of the day. He runs out to the back garden when we open the door but has no interest in being out there alone. He spent most of summer in the garden with us but doesn't seem bothered now we're not out there. He sits at the cat flap waiting for the BSH to come home but has never tried to open it.

Threadkillacilla · 18/12/2022 13:38

I have a Burmese and Siamese and they have an enclosed catio but never go out of it. They don't have the road sense or survival instincts of a moggie and would go with anyone.

eurochick · 18/12/2022 13:41

We have two BSH sisters. They are house cats. I got harnesses to take them outside but they hate them and just generally look terrified as soon as they cross the threshold. We had planned to let them out when we moved to our current house, which is away from main roads, but the neighbour has a dog she warned us has a high prey drive so we decided to keep them in. They seem perfectly happy. I buy quite a few toys for enrichment but they don't seem that bothered!

Original poster
Galliano · 18/12/2022 13:44

The breed is Maine Coon. I wasn’t planning to get a kitten but hope I could get a young cat that had been earmarked for breeding but then it had been decided wasn’t suited. I think from research that this is possible from time to time. Our garden is big and slopes up so has various zones and levels. Current cat loves it and spends a lot of time out there especially in the summer but he can and does leave it from time to time. I’m out there a lot gardening and he hangs out with me then but I do also have a full time job (largely wfh).

OP posts:
BungleandGeorge · 18/12/2022 13:49

If you want the cat to go outside you need to source an outdoor cat. You can’t take on an indoor only cat and ignore the contract with the breeder, no. Maybe increase your search area and include rescue centres.

Original poster
Galliano · 18/12/2022 13:49

Some neighbours have 2 Norwegian forest cats in an outdoor shed thing with an open caged bit and an enclosed house bit. In the 9 years we’ve been here we’ve never seen the cats leave this enclosure. It’s horrible and if I had one wish granted in life it would be to liberate those two cats and bring them into my house but cannot think of any way of broaching that that wouldn’t cause major offence.

OP posts:
Notanotherusername4321 · 18/12/2022 13:55

personally I’d contact a few rescues for an adult cat with a known personality.

a cat that wants to go outside but can’t is a pain all around. If you get a kitten you won’t know if it’s a wannabe wanderer until later on.

Get an adult cat-easier to tell if they will be happy indoors. There’s a lot in rescue can’t go out as well, fiv+, sight impaired etc, so at least you’ll know the cat is better off indoors.

WarmBeerAndSandwiches · 18/12/2022 14:05

I have two Ragdolls. They have it written into their contract that they will not be allowed outside. I totally agree with this as they are so gentle and friendly that they will run up to dogs and people without any fear. They are not great climbers either and have no road sense. Neither show any inclination whatsoever to go outside anyway, they just love being with us and my other cat and are total cuddle monsters. It is not cruel to keep cats inside, some breeds don’t have the urge to roam and in these days of people getting so angry with cats about cat poo and hunting etc it’s often safer if they don’t.

Having said that, I would never have kept my rescue moggies indoors as they had already had access to the outside and enjoyed roaming.

PoinsettiaPosturing · 18/12/2022 14:12

I've got 2 ragdolls and they're not suited to being outdoors, we live near a motorway (across a small field) and they'd have no road sense. They're also very often stolen as adults can sell for several hundred pounds.

I don't think it's fair to say indoor cats are inherently cruel, as we do a huge amount of enrichment for our cats, and they want to be by our side 24/7. We've also thought about building a catio next year so they can access the sights and smells of outdoors which is a halfway house & doesn't slaughter them wildlife/piss off neighbours with antisocial cat poo

SpentDandelion · 18/12/2022 14:23

I have a Maine coon cross, he is enormous, very loving and highly intelligent, he does go outdoors but when l leave for work l have to keep him indoors as he follows me for ages and makes me late. He is a big softy with my younger rescue cats and loves company, but doesn't bother with neighbours etc, faithful.

justasking111 · 18/12/2022 14:29

helloisitmeyourelookingfor · 18/12/2022 13:24

My ragdoll is essentially a dog

Always around my ankles begging for food for sleeping nearby

I take him outside but he has no interest in staying out there when I come back in

Family ragdoll does go out catches mice but never wanders far. She's allowed to come and go. Just now she's a real indoor cat. BUT she acts like a dog playing fetch, always finds a lap or a bed to sleep on with a human

Floralnomad · 18/12/2022 14:31

Our adult son has 2 Siamese , they have the house and a catio attached to the conservatory for fresh air / sunshine . There is nothing wrong with cats being indoor cats you just need to put more time and effort into entertaining them / providing enrichment activities than you would for an outdoor cat . Aside from the catio ours have cat trees , floor to ceiling poles for access to the wardrobes ,wall walkways and seating areas . The house is basically a cat playground .

Floralnomad · 18/12/2022 14:32

I should add Siamese make the perfect pet , they love everyone , love company , play fetch and actively want to engage .

TheOGCCL · 18/12/2022 14:33

There are hordes of cats waiting for a lovely home in rescues. It’s better to adopt an adult cat, who you know the personality of.

Some pedigree cats are just better off inside, either as their elaborate coats get filthy, or they aren’t very streetwise as a breed, or they don’t even want to go out, or they are at risk of being stolen. Hard work imo, compared to a DSH who comes and go as they wish and often don’t need a litter tray.

Notanotherusername4321 · 18/12/2022 14:42

Don’t know if I’d class Siamese cats as a “perfect” pet…

m.youtube.com/watch?v=WwSYm1NPHP4

on the not so funny side I know at least one person who had to rehome a siamese because this kind of behaviour was intolerable.

Lulualoo · 18/12/2022 14:45

I’m considering the same with a cat, but cannot - absolutely cannot deal with a cat litter. That’s the deal breaker for me, so it can’t be an indoor pet.

But I feel terrible guilt about local wildlife being killed by another cat!

underneaththeash · 18/12/2022 14:48

I just nodded when our breeder told us the cat had to be indoor and then ignored her.