Is it cruel or kind to keep a cat in?

[nc8975]

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?

@AllThingsServeTheBeam this is a thread about indoor cats. Not your border collie. Do you open your door and let your border collie spend all day roaming about? Or do you keep them safe inside or in a secure garden? Can you not tell the difference?

It’s cruel.

Ask yourself if you’d rather stay inside your whole life or go outside and take the risk of being run over / raped and murdered etc.

I leave the house most days and assume you do too. If I had to stay inside every day forever I don’t think I could go on.

One option might be to let her outside for much of day but keep her in at night, that’s what I do with mine. Night is when most cat fights take place and when she’s less likely to notice hazards.

Another option is to try to cat proof your garden but my research tells me this is expensive and very hard unless you have a particular type of garden.

Here's a couple of links to the RSPCA and Cats Protection.

Neither are ringing endorsements for keeping a cat indoors.

www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/cats/environment/indoors

www.cats.org.uk/help-and-advice/home-and-environment/indoor-cats

Can you answer my question or not?

They are an animal used to outdoor time allowed to run and be a dog which cannot be met indoors. Just like MY cats. It would be cruel not to walk him. Just as it would be cruel to keep MY cats, used to going out, inside. Fact. Not opinion. You can argue black is white, still doesn't change it just by saying 'my opinion'

I agree with you for what it's worth.

I think if you've experienced cats getting killed or otherwise suffering, it's natural that you're going to want to avoid that. Especially (as in my case) if you have a cat that doesn't show much interest in going out anyway.

Ask yourself if you’d rather stay inside your whole life or go outside and take the risk of being run over / raped and murdered etc.

I leave the house most days and assume you do too. If I had to stay inside every day forever I don’t think I could go on.

Why are so many on this thread trying to compare cats (who have the mental age of a toddler) with fully grown adult humans?

"Why are so many on this thread trying to compare cats (who have the mental age of a toddler) with fully grown adult humans?"

What utter nonsense. Cats are hunters, territorial, climbers, amazingly agile and smart.

Check out RSPCA or Cats Protection - neither say cats should be kept indoors, and there is no evidence that indoor cats live longer.

This verbatim:

Should I keep my cat indoors?
There are lots of reasons you might need to keep your cat in the house. For example, if you’ve only just got your cat it’s better for them to stay inside for a few weeks to fully settle, or if they have been diagnosed with feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), also known as feline AIDS, they will need to be kept indoors all the time, away from other cats.
Keeping your cat indoors will depend on your cat’s situation and individual needs. If you’ve adopted a cat who has always lived inside, for example, going out might be a scary and stressful experience for them so it could be better for them to continue living as a house cat.
If you’re wanting to keep your cat indoors to protect wildlife, consider only keeping them indoors at dawn and dusk when they’re most likely to want to hunt. Make sure to spend lots of time playing with them so they can express their natural hunting behaviour.
For cats who are used to having the choice to go outside, life as an indoor cat can be stressful. If your cat shows signs of stress when kept indoors, as long as they do not have a medical or physical condition which requires them to stay indoors, then consider allowing access to outside to prevent further upset.

@AllThingsServeTheBeam ok I'll answer your silly question, that has absolutely no resemblance to indoor/outdoor roaming cats. I agree it would be cruel to not walk your dog, if that's what they need. It doesn't change how I feel on keeping a cat indoors. It's not safe to let a dog free roam, I don't believe it isn't always safe to let a cat free roam either. And I still don't believe it's cruel to keep an animal safe inside. In an ideal world cats/dogs/domesticated animals could come and go as they please and free roam to their hearts content. But we don't live in an ideal world do we, we have the option to keep our animals safe from being attacked by other animals or run over by cars/vehicles. That isn't cruel in the slightest.

It's not a fact. It's your opinion. I don't agree with your opinion that it's cruel to keep your cat indoors, but it's a valid opinion so I won't tell you your wrong. You can state it as a fact all you want, still doesn't change it just by saying 'fact'.

Ah Now Ted, it is ridiculous to compare cats to grown humans. The rest of your post doesn't dispute that.

It's not silly. Glad you agree. It would be cruel not to walk my dog just as it would be cruel to keep my roaming cats inside. You don't have to live with my cat when they want out. It is fact. I know 100% that they would be extremely distressed not able to go out. Which would make it cruel. You're telling me how silly I am about comparing dogs and cats and then doing it right back at me. (Re dogs roaming)

As ridiculous as comparing a cat to a toddler.

@AllThingsServeTheBeam so do you let your dog outside, anytime it wants to go out? To free roam, not just into a secure garden. If not, why not?

I do actually, as if he really wanted to he could jump over the fence. But he doesn't. He might if the garden was the only area he was allowed though.

@AllThingsServeTheBeam I don't for one minute believe you just open your door and let your dog out to roam the streets alone for hours.

Again... I think you're having issues reading my posts.

I'm pretty sure if the RSPCA thought it was better for cats to stay indoors for safety they would say so. They don't.

"The RSPCA doesn’t recommend keeping a cat that is used to going outside, as
an ‘indoor-only cat’, unless it is for health reasons."

www.rspca.org.uk/documents/1494939/8736188/How+to+take+care+of+your+cat.pdf/5f61af7d-d09b-a643-122d-dd100d8ab19b?t=1550587168178

I think if they want to go out then it's is cruel to keep them inside. Plus how do you do that in summer when you want your windows and back door open?

I've always been worried about mine but the 3 girls don't go out much (and 2 can't leave the garden anymore as they can't climb). Make sure you let them out hungry and give them treats when they come back in. My two little ones come to a whistle as they know it means cat treats.

@AhNowTed it's quite on the fence advice though, it states they don't recommend keeping them in IF they are used to going out already.

I think it's quite measured In recognition of the fact that some people do keep them indoors.

But nowhere does it advocate they should be. Only for health reasons like feline AIDS.

@AhNowTed no I agree, but equally it doesn't say they should be let out. Which demonstrates it's not as black and white and some posters, like yourself, are trying to make out.

*they ALL should be let out I should clarify

Nor should they be treated like "toddlers", as other posters are trying to portray.

They are intelligent, agile, sentient creatures, evolved into the hunters they are.

I'm not trying to shame anyone. It's a public forum. I think it's cruel and unnecessary. I couldn't keep my cat in if I wanted to.

Personally I'd rather he lived a free life with an element of risk, than stuck indoors. He'd be miserable.

And it's been noted, again, thanks.

What utter nonsense. Cats are hunters, territorial, climbers, amazingly agile and smart.

I don't think anyone has said otherwise.

But if it was so safe to let cats outside, they wouldn't getting knocked over and killed on the roads every single day.

Some posters would rather take the risk and let their cats out but I'm getting pretty sick of people getting called cruel and neglectful just because they want to do all they can to protect their pets.

Cats are hunters, territorial, climbers, amazingly agile and smart.

Hmmm, you haven't met Harry! Territorial and smart yes, a hunter, climber and amazingly agile no. He once tried to climb the six foot fence - he took a running jump, hit it at about five foot and fell backwards!