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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:
VirginiaQ · 15/01/2023 11:46

Definitely let her out. Some cats choose to be in door and others want to go outside. I got my rescue cat aged 4 because he was desperate to go outside and the owners lived in a 2 bed terrace on a busy road and he had much too much energy for them. They kept his brother who didn't have the same inclinations.

He loves going out and during the summer I hardly see him. He's found lots of sleeping places including next doors greenhouse and slept in their tent when they had one in the back garden. Definitely an outdoor cat and would have been cruel to keep him in.

toomuchwin · 15/01/2023 12:05

Our cat flap allows them out in the day time but keeps them in overnight. This reduces the risk.

Letting them out is a risk I take as they are absolutely living their best life. I have children too and it would be safer for them to stay at home but I allow them to go to school/ get in a car/ play football etc because despite it not being the safest option it's a nicer way to live.

It was very hard keeping them in when they were kittens and I want to be able to leave windows and doors open in the summer so selfishly it's also nicer for me.

Mariposa26 · 15/01/2023 15:24

Allergictoironing · 15/01/2023 09:52

I want to know where all these "indoor homes only" rescues are!

When I first got mine, cats that needed to be indoor only was at the top of my list; I don't live on a busy road as such but I know plenty of people who have lost cats to cars, we have urban foxes here, at the time we had a very aggressive local un-neutered tom who beat up all other cats, we have people doing car mechanics (anti-freeze is deadly to cats), and of course a reasonable population of thuggish little scrotes roaming around who I wouldn't trust near any animal let alone a cat.

My garden isn't cat-proof-able except at great cost (mid-terrace, assorted conservatories, various other factors), and a catio would be even more expensive due to living in the side of a hill with a terraced back garden. So indoor it was.

I spent AGES trying to find a pair of cats who didn't need access to the outdoors according to the rescue. I was happy to take special needs, elderly, FIV/FIP positive etc. Ended up going about 50 miles to a rescue that was open to letting me adopt indoor cats - in fact mine had "must be indoor" in their adoption contract - while I must have around a dozen or more good rescues in a 15 mile radius.

My pair have been content since they moved in. A little curiosity about outside yes, but no trying to get out, dashing for the doors etc. They have the run of most of a 3 bedroom house, plenty of places to get up high, stay low, hide in, stretch out etc. Loads of scratchers which they use, assorted types of toys, play time every evening (if they want), a mahoosive cat tree. Each other to chase, play fight & wrestle with, snuggle up to etc.

Over time it has become clear that Boycat is ND with "issues" - thick, no attention span, clumsy, nervous, scared of everybody except me, my DSis & Nephew no. 4, and especially terrified if any other man comes in the house. He's got a scar on his face, and we think he had an accident or was hurt when younger and he would NOT be safe for 5 mins in his own back garden. Vet refers to him a special needs and says it's a good thing he's indoor only.

Over 6.5 years apart from their MoT up until this autumn they had a total of 2 visits to the vet between them. Girlcat was doing loads of foamy vomiting so took her in just in case - worked out later that it was probably the enormous spider she'd eaten. Boycat had cherry eye, knowing him he'd walked into something! Unfortunately since then Boycat has been diagnosed with CKD, but the vet has assured me that it's despite his lifestyle rather than because of it and probably genetic. At their MoTs every year they have been pronounced as exceptionally well and healthy.

Depending on where you live, try Inner City Kitties who are London based.

Indigoshift · 15/01/2023 16:10

The one I posted was in the North.

Allergictoironing · 15/01/2023 17:06

Thanks Mariposa26. Not looking yet, will be seeing how Girlcat gets on being an only indoor cat once Boycat is gone, but I'm in North Kent so they may consider me.

AhNowTed · 15/01/2023 17:18

Cats are not dolls. They need to go out. They are hunters, that's their instinct.

I would far rather my lovely boy have a natural life, able to roam and explore, with some risk, than a boring miserable one cooped up in a house.

It's bloody cruel.

Punxsutawney · 15/01/2023 17:38

It's bloody cruel

It would have been for our boy. We miss him terribly and spent yesterday packing away his toys and bowls and scratching post ( which he never bloody used, he preferred sofas). He was at his happiest popping in and out, coming in to snooze and eat and then wander off again for more exploring. He would have scratched our house to shreds, if we hadn't let him out.

AllThingsServeTheBeam · 15/01/2023 17:57

AhNowTed · 15/01/2023 17:18

Cats are not dolls. They need to go out. They are hunters, that's their instinct.

I would far rather my lovely boy have a natural life, able to roam and explore, with some risk, than a boring miserable one cooped up in a house.

It's bloody cruel.

This is my stance

MonsoonMadness · 15/01/2023 18:31

AllThingsServeTheBeam · 15/01/2023 17:57

This is my stance

Show quote history

Mine too

whataboutsecondbreakfast · 15/01/2023 18:33

AhNowTed · 15/01/2023 17:18

Cats are not dolls. They need to go out. They are hunters, that's their instinct.

I would far rather my lovely boy have a natural life, able to roam and explore, with some risk, than a boring miserable one cooped up in a house.

It's bloody cruel.

If all indoor cats are miserable and living horribly cruel lives, why do many of them never take the opportunity to go outside when they're given it?

Clarich007 · 15/01/2023 19:09

I've had 6 cats over the last 42 years, all outdoor cats, and luckily none of them have been injured or killed on the roads. I could not keep a cat indoors, it's against their nature i think.
My present cat would be a nightmare to keep in. He gets destructive and nasty if kept in.

DirectionToPerfection · 15/01/2023 19:11

In the US and other countries you would be considered a very irresponsible, and cruel, cat owner if you let them roam outside.

Lots of cats are not street smart. The risks are not remotely comparable to PP's examples of getting on a plane (where the risk is miniscule) or letting children out (presumably you'd never let children out unsupervised until they were old enough and sensible enough to understand where they can go, how to respond to risks, etc). It is so easy for a cat to run out in front of a car, get attacked, eat something they shouldn't, get shut in somewhere, etc.

Cats can have very happy and safe lives indoors, as long as they have company and stimulation.

Punxsutawney · 15/01/2023 19:31

very irresponsible, and cruel, cat owner.

We talked again today, to the rescue that our cat came from last year. They have told us that it's absolutely not our fault, despite us feeling awful about his death.

We are anything but 'very irresponsible' and 'cruel'. Our little cat was well looked after, much loved and a member of our family. But he had a huge desire to explore the outdoors, alongside spending time with us. And we tried to allow him to spend his life, doing exactly what made him happy and content. Being shut indoors, would have been cruel for him, company and stimulation would not have been enough.

BigBangSmallBang · 15/01/2023 19:36

@Punxsutawney i think most people who keep cats in for their whole life are cruel owners so I guess we will all just have to agree to disagree. I also lost one cat on the road but I still let mine out.

DirectionToPerfection · 15/01/2023 19:38

I'm not saying you were cruel Punxsutawney and I'm sorry you lost your cat.

The first part of my post was really directed at those people saying anyone who keeps indoor cats is cruel, which is nonsense. Also pointing out that this question has a very different answer in other countries.

Ultimately it depends on the cats temperament, and how risky the area around your home is.

Cat proofing the garden is a good option but it can be expensive.

knitnerd90 · 15/01/2023 19:39

USA/Canada rescues make you promise to keep them indoors and the ASPCA is strongly indoor cats only. It's not cruel if the cat is raised that way. I have 3 cats. One is curious about outside, the others are not.

Keeping the cats indoors is safer for both the cats and the other wildlife. (In North America there's other risks to cats besides traffic: coyotes, blue jays etc)

Original poster
nc8975 · 15/01/2023 19:41

Thanks all, I appreciate all the replies and validates why I feel so conflicted.

As stated previously I'm going to delay any decision until she's 1, she's a very small cat so will be interesting to see how much more she can grow. And it seems more sensible to get winter out of the way. Will cat proof garden in the meantime.

I genuinely think she has a lovely life, whatever decision we make I think she's still lucky she got us and vice versa and that we don't need to consider rehoming as some have suggested, we will figure something out.

OP posts:
Sakura7 · 15/01/2023 19:44

All of my childhood cats were allowed out and every single one either disappeared or got run over, which is extremely upsetting.

My own cat lived a very happy indoor life for nearly 20 years. Not all cats are desperate to go out.

AhNowTed · 15/01/2023 19:59

Same as keeping a bird in a cage.

But sure, keep a bird in a cage for long enough and it no longer "wants" to go out, sure it "prefers" the cage.

It's cruel, unnatural and purely for our convenience and entertainment.

Original poster
nc8975 · 15/01/2023 20:01

It's cruel, unnatural and purely for our convenience and entertainment.

If you really think that, you haven't read the thread, or my opening post.

OP posts:
ShillyShallySherbet · 15/01/2023 20:07

I think cats who don’t seem to want to go outside have simply got used to being inside, don’t know any different and probably the outside world seems scary to them. They would need encouragement to go outside, my cat did when we let it go outside for the first time. When they get used to it they love it. Saying a cat likes and wants to be indoors I think is something people who keep them indoors say to make themselves feel better.

AhNowTed · 15/01/2023 20:11

nc8975 · 15/01/2023 20:01

It's cruel, unnatural and purely for our convenience and entertainment.

If you really think that, you haven't read the thread, or my opening post.

Yes I did. Your cat wants to go out. Keeping her locked in is cruel and against their nature.

My cat is 13. My previous cat was 18 before she died of natural causes.

I would much rather they lived a happy free life with a degree of risk, than be locked in like a bird in a cage for their "protection".

knitnerd90 · 15/01/2023 20:11

Saying a cat “needs” to be outside could equally be about conditioning and applying a human perspective to an animal. The entire state of being domesticated is unnatural.

PinkSyCo · 15/01/2023 20:13

Cruel on the cats but kind on the birds.

HuntingoftheSnark · 15/01/2023 20:15

I'm really surprised by the number of people whose cats stay indoors. I live in a flat, close to a busy road and also a park. I let my cat start going outside from a few months old - she used to be out all day every day. She's nearly 18 and recently wants to be inside, sleeping, which is obviously fine because she's choosing that. Cats are naturally active and need to be stimulated.

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