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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

Are your cats indoor or outdoor?

103 replies

Spudlover · 12/02/2023 18:28

I know there are pros and cons to both, I’m just so undecided!

I live in a large cul-de-sac in suburbia. No especially busy roads in the vicinity and a 20 mph speed limit. There are plenty of other cats around who all seem to be fine and happy. However, about half a mile away through some woods is a dual carriageway and we have tons of foxes.

They are 6 months and 11 months at the moment and while they are very curious about the outside, they seem very content. Both chipped and neutered.

Someone accidentally let the eldest out when she was 5 months and spent a night under the stars. It was the most stressful night of my life I think and keen to avoid that again but equally, want them to be a bit street smart in case they do get out.

OP posts:
Grumpyoldpersonwithcats · 12/02/2023 20:02

Thanks for all responses, I’m erring towards letting them out, although perhaps once GCSES and A levels are done.
Wow, very academic cats. Even so I think you can let them out before they sit their GCSEs and A levels. 🤣

Deadringer · 12/02/2023 20:06

We have the best of both worlds in that our cat is primarily indoors but she does enjoy short sessions out in the back garden during the daytime. She never goes further than next door and comes in to use the litter.

MrsMariaReynolds · 12/02/2023 20:08

Grumpyoldpersonwithcats · 12/02/2023 20:02

Thanks for all responses, I’m erring towards letting them out, although perhaps once GCSES and A levels are done.
Wow, very academic cats. Even so I think you can let them out before they sit their GCSEs and A levels. 🤣

😁

LT2 · 12/02/2023 20:09

Indoor. They are famously an indoor breed though. I had to sign a contract from the breeder to say I wouldn't let them out. They most certainly wouldn't survive. They are 7 and 8 now. They are very trusting cats - too trusting - and they certainly wouldn't run out of the way of a car.

LT2 · 12/02/2023 20:10

Oops, meant to mention that the breed is Ragdoll. Gorgeous, affectionate cats.

jacult · 12/02/2023 20:11

Indoors, they have been out but are pretty unstreetwise (live in central London), and petrified of literally everything (rescue cats). They’ve calmed down a lot and have the run of the house (it’s over 4 floors so love running up and down in the weird twilight hours). They’re so comfortable now and affectionate. There are lots of big cats about round here (ours are tiny) and I think one of ours had a traumatic experience with one of them when they did go out. They’re so happy and content now.

FormerlyPathologicallyHappy · 12/02/2023 20:12

Indoor but she’s very timid and I can’t imagine her out. Asbo was outdoor and got run over. Broke my heart.

Cat proof garden is the compromise.

Floralnomad · 12/02/2023 20:21

My Siamese ‘grand cats’ are indoor but with all day ( daylight hours ) access to a large catio , which they do use a lot . Keeping cats indoors is fine if you are prepared to make your house entertaining and do a lot of entertaining yourself . Ours have floor to ceiling climbing poles , walkways from wardrobe to wardrobe , wall hanging shelving and walkways as well as the usual cat trees , toys and tunnels .

Phos · 12/02/2023 20:29

Outside. Our girl was an indoor cat in her old home before she was given up for adoption at the age of 4, but as soon as we introduced her and her brother to the outside, they got the hang of the cat flap right away and that was it. Our boy came to us at the age of 2(ish) after our neighbours decided they didn't want him. I know he'd been indoor and outdoor with them as we had seen him wandering around but the bugger will not use a cat flap!

When we've offered them cat litter on bonfire night and stuff they chose to go outside anyway so we don't bother. I much prefer not having cat litter in the house as well. We do have a main road maybe 100m away but in the other direction its just traffic free and lots of fields and woodland so no prizes which way they turn when they go out.

Anna783426 · 12/02/2023 20:32

Outdoor in old house, indoor now as we've got busy roads nearby.

Cons are definitely the litter tray

Pros are not having dead things/semi-dead things brought in on a regular basis, and knowing they aren't shitting in neighbourhood gardens

They're older now and don't seem to mind being indoor, when they were littler they were super keen to be out and about. We put bells on their collars to try and reduce the hunting but it just made them super efficient, and honestly bring back all kinds of stuff I didn't want dragged through the cat flap - pigeons, squirrels, slow worms, voles, rabbits etc. The litter tray is not a highlight but on balance...

bellswithwhistles · 12/02/2023 20:33

helpfulperson · 12/02/2023 18:40

Outdoors. I'd rather they had a short happy life enjoying the outdoors than kept inside all the time.

I used to say exactly that and then some twat mowed down my precious precious 2yr old boy right in front of me. 20mph road, quiet, safe (allegedly)

Now I wish I'd protected him. It's so easy to put netting around your garden or to build a catio.

We have two new additions now. Not replacements as my heart was broken from losing my boy. But these two have helped me heal enormously. No way are they going to get crushed to death. It's far too dangerous now outside for cats. We have a large catio (larger than one of my child's bedrooms!) and they're happy as Larry.

shieldmaiden7 · 12/02/2023 20:35

Indoors, we live in town centre, there are cars constantly and they are pedigree. If they didn't get knocked over I'd worry someone would go off with them.

bellswithwhistles · 12/02/2023 20:36

MissVantaBlack · 12/02/2023 19:14

My cat is outdoors, but I do keep her in at night. Also, I try to encourage her to stay in the back garden (although she has now learnt how to escape it).

Please consider switching this. It's actually safer in this day and age for them to go out at night - no traffic and traffic that does come along vibrates the road quite early on in the silence. Read my post about how I lost my boy to an RTA. I kept him in at night thinking it was safer. It's absolutely not (and although my vet didn't say it at the time, now I'm healed he has said really he should have been in sleeping during the day)

Protect a Pet netting for your garden would be absolutely the best of both worlds. Safe all around.

dishyrishi · 12/02/2023 20:37

Indoors and they're happy. Came to us as indoor cats, both lazy AF and just not interested in going out

F4chrissakes · 12/02/2023 20:45

Depends on the cat. Ours were always happy enough kept in at night and patrolling our small garden by day. We live in a cul de sac, but despite that we were unhappy about our dopey burmese being allowed out anywhere near the road, even our quiet one. So we had cat proofing net put on the fences in the back garden to keep them in, so everyone was happy. But I suspect different cats might not like it - bengals for example.

QueueEtwo · 12/02/2023 20:47

I always believed outdoor but my boy wandered off & got lost just over a year ago! He was 15 & had never been missing before!
It was really awful, we had a trap from cat rescue but couldn't catch him & eventually he just disappeared! 😕

We've got 2 new rescues & our intention was to let them out but I couldn't do it!

We've cat proofed the garden so they can come & go into the garden during the day but they are locked in at night!

I just couldn't cope with losing another one!

IloveRickyGervaisAndHisTeeth · 12/02/2023 20:48

Spudlover · 12/02/2023 19:57

Thanks for all responses, I’m erring towards letting them out, although perhaps once GCSES and A levels are done.

I would probably keep them in a night too.

It should be easier with girl cat as she’s smarter, comes when you call her and is quite shy and cautious. Boy cat is far more adventurous and pretty thick so may cause me some worry 😆

eh???

Who is doing GCSE and A levels, and what has that got to do with anything?

RandomMess · 12/02/2023 20:49

Indoors, lost one to a road previously. Lost one to a dog in our garden utterly heartbroken.

Next house will have a garden that I can cat proof or at the very least have catio attached to the house so they get the best of both worlds.

Heronatemygoldfish · 12/02/2023 20:52

Outdoors. Mum cat managed to escape 2 weeks after we'd got her from CP (shot through crack in door as I came in from work) and there's a thread on here somewhere when I was petrified I'd lost her. Boy kitten was too little to escape the garden for months which was great, but now he's a hulking teenage panther and well hard. Helps that a friend once commented that if they wanted to get to the main road they'd need a bus pass. 😀

1984Winston · 12/02/2023 20:54

Indoors, but we have an enclosed garden which is the best thing we ever did!

Alargeoneplease89 · 12/02/2023 20:58

LT2 · 12/02/2023 20:09

Indoor. They are famously an indoor breed though. I had to sign a contract from the breeder to say I wouldn't let them out. They most certainly wouldn't survive. They are 7 and 8 now. They are very trusting cats - too trusting - and they certainly wouldn't run out of the way of a car.

Must have the same breed of cat as me 😂he would absolutely love to go out but would be the equivalent of letting your dog out without supervision.

Alargeoneplease89 · 12/02/2023 20:59

IloveRickyGervaisAndHisTeeth · 12/02/2023 20:48

eh???

Who is doing GCSE and A levels, and what has that got to do with anything?

Show quote history

Maybe they are talking about children nit being upset during their exams if the cat had an accident

misslonglegs · 12/02/2023 21:00

My cats were intended to be indoor but they had other ideas. They never go far and check in home every couple of hours and are happy to settle down in warm beds for the evening.

FenghuangHoyan · 12/02/2023 21:02

Mine are house cats. We let them out into the garden quite often but supervised. They've outlived most cats in this area already at 7 years old. We'd be devastated if anything happened to them.

When we let them in the garden, they stay near us and run in the house if they hear anything scary. One is curled up on the bed looking at me now and purring.

Grizzledstrawberry · 12/02/2023 21:02

Indoors now, ive learnt my lesson over the years.

One got hit by a car, survived but got hit again years later and died (he was a previous stray but the most adorable cat, there was no keeping him in)

Another got hit by a car too and cost me £400 in bills, he's now a nervous wreck.

Another got caught up in some bramble bushes in a field near home (he was long furred) and froze to death, I didn't find him in time, I was absolutely heartbroken to know he had suffered.

My partner also had a cat who was hit by a car and died, as did my neighbours and a friend has lost a few to car accidents over the years too.

I honestly can't go through that heartbreak again, the cats I have now are indoor cats, we are going to build a catio soon so they can atleast have a bit of fresh air.