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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

Is it cruel or kind to keep a cat in?

285 replies

nc8975 · 14/01/2023 19:38

We adopted our kitten back in the summer, she's now 8 months old, spayed, vaccinated, chipped etc. She was semi wild (on a farm) from birth until we got her at about 13 weeks, living with her mum and litter mates outside but fed by someone.

She is keen to go outside; dashes for the door and looks longingly out the window), but we're really worried she won't come back or will get hurt. We live on a housing estate next to a bit of open land, but also quite close to a railway line (not hugely busy one). We have a good sized home but can't help but feel we are cooping her up a bit (I WFH so she has company most of the day and we play with her)

Which option is kinder? Will she just adapt to being indoors?

OP posts:
Rosio · 14/01/2023 21:09

I was on the fence until we started looking into adopting a cat and all the rescues I looked into only let you adopt if you agree to let the cat go outside

Floralnomad · 14/01/2023 21:10

I do think if you are going to keep a cat in you need to pick one that’s more suited for it .

Original poster
nc8975 · 14/01/2023 21:11

@Rosio oh that's interesting, thank you. I haven't spoken to the vet about it, I will at her next check up. I know they suggest bringing them in at night. I'm just worried she will go so far I won't have the ability to encourage her back in!

OP posts:
WildFlowerBees · 14/01/2023 21:13

We are lucky enough to have a large garden, so we used Cat secure proofing, ours are getting old now and one loves being in the garden but one always stays inside unless we go outside too. She was hit by a car a few years ago and luckily survived.

KylieKangaroo · 14/01/2023 21:14

Oh you would hate me then I let mine stay out all night! We live in a very safe cul de sac and I'm pretty sure she has cat friends I see her playing with 😅 I can understand why people are hesitant though, especially with where you live.

DillDanding · 14/01/2023 21:15

I think it’s cruel to keep them in. Cats love going outside. It’s not a nice, stimulating life for them being cooped up inside.

Actionfilm · 14/01/2023 21:18

I think caging a cat is not kind.

Judystilldreamsofhorses · 14/01/2023 21:22

Ours loves sitting in the garden, climbing the trees or sitting up on the shed roof. She only “roams” in the immediate neighbours’ gardens and comes to us calling her name. Right now she is sitting in the utility room with the back door open, staring longingly out, furious at the rain!

We don’t have a cat flap though, so she is only out when we are here, and always in overnight. I feel like that is a reasonable compromise for us/her.

Original poster
nc8975 · 14/01/2023 21:22

@KylieKangaroo not at all, if my Ring notifications are anything to go by there are plenty of cats out at night ha! Tbh we don't have a lot of traffic by us so I'm not sure why night would be any more dangerous for our area.

OP posts:
Indigoshift · 14/01/2023 21:24

Our local rescue will only allow indoor cats.

Holdinghnds · 14/01/2023 21:27

I felt like you with my two, so at the start of summer (they were about 18 months old) I started to let them out each day close to when I’d normally give them food. It was just for a bit in the garden, I’d be out there ant the same time and then I’d put food just in the inside of the door and they’d come in for it. Built it up over time.
One cat has benefitted massively from it, the other (who was the one who seemed most desperate to go out) barely goes out at all!

I normally keep the cat flap locked at night, sometimes I forget but the adventurer stays in anyway, just goes out a bit earlier than normal in the morning then comes in shouting for breakfast.
There’s a lot of people being quite nasty on this thread.

Original poster
nc8975 · 14/01/2023 21:29

One of the reasons I wasn't too concerned (except looking outside and door dashes) is that she's not showing "bad" behaviours like scratching, chewing, biting or other signs of boredom. When we first got her she was doing a lot of chewing (wires) so we bought a lot more toys, cat tree etc and it stopped. I hoped that was a positive sign. She also doesn't paw at doors or meow incessantly or anything like that.

I think I've decided we will keep her in until she's 1 (but look to fully cat proof the garden which should be easy so she can do that in the meantime) and re-evaluate then. When she's fully grown and it's spring.

OP posts:
AllThingsServeTheBeam · 14/01/2023 21:29

Indigoshift · 14/01/2023 21:24

Our local rescue will only allow indoor cats.

Yeah. That's pretty impossible to police.

kittenkipping · 14/01/2023 21:32

Indoor cats are much harder. Other pps are right that cats have instincts and needs, all of which are easily met by letting them outdoors where they can hunt and play. HOWEVER that doesn't mean indoor cats can't be content. You have to commit real time, daily, and varied, to playing with your cat. Preferably provide an outdoor space- a catio or the like. You have to maximise the cat happy space in your home- vertical playgrounds particularly. But much like dogs/ hamsters/ rats and parrots (and probably all animals- they are not designed as our play things but creatures in their own right!) to keep them as a companion means meeting their needs as well as possible. Mycats are indoor, and they are safe and happy. But I do have to put in the time to ensure their happiness

BungleandGeorge · 14/01/2023 21:35

How much time do you spend playing with the cat? An indoor cat needs stimulation, from you, possibly from another pet. It’s rubbish to say that all cats need and want to go out, some are quite clearly not fussed! However, yours sounds like it started off semi feral so possibly not a cat that will be suited to indoors. I would have thought rail lines were extremely hazardous to cats given the speed involved? A compromise would be a cat proof garden…

Voice0fReason · 14/01/2023 21:37

Cats are all different and homes are all different.
I've had indoor and outdoor cats.
Indoor cats live longer on average.
My outdoor cats have had numerous trips to the vets for various injuries. I had one that got lost and one that was killed by a car.
A catio is a really good compromise for some cats in some environments.

lottie198 · 14/01/2023 21:41

You could look at getting your garden cat proofed, that's our aim for the summer. I have two indoor cats , they are both Siamese. The reason they are indoor cats is because Siamese are really not "street wise" and they are so precious I'd hate anything to happen to them. There are so many cats that get run over and injured etc.
However, they do have time outside supervised, eg when I hang the washing out or I'll just let them out for an hour and they stay in the garden. In the summer if we are out they come in the garden with us and lay in the sun. Most of the time they just want to be where I am (Siamese are veryyyy needy for their owners) , so if I'm inside, they are happy. I'm at home all the time too so they get plenty of attention.
Hope this helps, you have to do what's best for your family. People saying it's cruel not letting the cat out are being utterly ridiculous. You are doing the opposite and protecting her...

caringcarer · 14/01/2023 21:41

My son got a rescue Bengal from a work colleague who's marriage broke down. The house was sold, very little equity which went on repaying debt. Both had to move into shared accommodation and neither could have pets. Before going to my son the cat went in and out as it pleased. My son tried to keep cat in but it kept weeing on his sofa and crying and clawing at windows. He made cat several shelves covered with carpet it could climb on as well as a large cat palace and got a lead for it to go for walk in garden. Cat just wanted to run as climb his tree. In the end he let it out alone and cats behaviour proved straight away. It depends most time in house but goes in and out cat flap in evening. It comes back in night because sleeps in his room and always back if he wakes in night. He says it is much happier now. Maybe an indoor cat would be ok if had never known being outside.

whataboutsecondbreakfast · 14/01/2023 21:44

Personally I couldn't bring myself to just let my cats out to fend for themselves. Roads are dangerous and people aren't always kind or nice. I also don't trust people to keep their dogs and children under control around my animals.

We live backing onto an NSL road and cats are killed on it all the time.

AnnaMagnani · 14/01/2023 21:46

It depends on the cat - unfortunately yours sounds like it wants to be outdoors.

One of mine would be utterly unbearable if he was indoors only. He's in at night and complains vociferously about that.

Even my girl who would rather be an indoor cat needs kicking out at least once a day for her mental health. She needs to spend time being a cat, doing cat behaviours and having all the stimulation of the natural world. However she generally thinks 10 minutes of this is enough.

Devilou666 · 14/01/2023 21:47

I asked the vet this with latest cat as lost 3 in the last 12 years to cars,vets answer was if they are happy to stay in fine but if they want to go out then let them go,it is hard when you lose them.Misty was 12,Binx was 3 and poor flint wasn't quite 2.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 14/01/2023 21:48

Our cats were found in a garden as kittens (with the Mum) we got them at a year old .(Cat Protection League)
On their details it said "Needs access to outdoors"

They have a microchip catdoor and get locked in overnight , but in Summer the female likes to sit out on the table and ignore us <sigh> till 3am

They love their garden but love having the house so no plans that I know of to go back to their feral ways

GotAnyGrapez · 14/01/2023 21:48

I have 3 cats.

One likes to go outdoors on his own, he doesn't go far just sits in the bushes starring at the birds.

And two house cats. One is 3 years old but the size of a kitten so she'd get killed on the roads or someone would pick her up.
The third one hates going outside, she used to go out but now only goes in the garden if I'm with her as soon as I go indoors she runs in with me.

It's not cruel in the slighest. Long as they have stimulation, they are fine.

sjxoxo · 14/01/2023 21:50

Our lived indoors until we moved into our house and they’re definitely much happier now. I thought they were before but now I can compare I don’t think being inside is a good life for them. In the winter they are still mostly indoors but in the summer they adore being outside in the shade. I think it’s cruel to keep them in now and I wouldn’t do it again. Yes there are risks but it’s a selfish choice. There’s risks to our kids too.. we don’t keep them couped up. You manage the risk as best you can and let life be enjoyed X

GotAnyGrapez · 14/01/2023 21:51

also if you want them to go outside without the risks, just use a leash. My second one has a leash so she can use the garden in the summer. I know I sound crazy but it works!

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