Tell me about having a house cat

[Silviasilvertoes]

I desperately miss having a feline familiar. We live next to a relatively busy road (rural but lorries).

It’s a big house so plenty of room to roam indoors.

How do you stop your house cat going out? Is it even possible? How do you make their lives interesting?

I’d be very happy with a rescue, in fact that’s the ideal.

Not if they’re rescued and can’t go out for some reason.

My indoor boy, he just likes company and playing with ping pong balls, toddler tunnel and chaser toys.

Educate yourself 🙄

Lead walks would definitely be an option too. We did that with one of our previous rescues for about a year until she was confident enough to go in her own.

Cat activity centres and toys exist you know.
Attacked by vicious dogs and killed for fun by psychos or run over is clearly your preference for cats SMH

Oh he’s beautiful 😻

My cats have outdoor access when I'm home and the door is open. One chooses not to go out unless I am outside with her. She's very nervous and prefers the security of inside, upstairs mostly where she can chatter at the seagulls but they can't attack her.

I have two housecats and I guess they entertain each other a lot. Had them both from kittens. The older one will shoot out the door given half a chance but it becomes second nature to check where he is before opening the door.

i had a catio built a few weeks ago and they can go through a catflap into it at any point. Older one is in and out, younger one won’t set foot in it! 😁

Exactly. I will never have a fully free roaming cat again having lost one to a traumatic road accident (didn't die straight away) and having seen far too many posts on this forum of distraught owners with missing or dead cats, or those being bullied or attacked by other cats or neighbourhoods dogs. I'd argue THAT is cruel.

It's entirely possible to have a strong, happy heathy indoor cat with no 'muscle wastage'. How ridiculous @Phoebefail. In fact Rex is the 6.3kg poster boy for a big, muscular cat. He loves playing, running and jumping with toys and we play chase up and down the flat several times a day when he needs to wear off some excess energy. He loves bird/cat/fox watching out the window and just watching the world go by. Yes, I'd prefer him to have some safe outside space but that isn't possible right now.

OP I hadn't planned an indoor cat and did worry he'd be unhappy but he's fine, despite having been outdoors & rural before coming to me. He has a big cat tree with well used scratching poles, loves his toys and being very affectionate and needy cat he loves all the attention from me being mainly working from home. I'd not hesitate if I was you, just go for a rescue that has fosterers who will know which cats will be OK being indoor only

FlatCats for the windows helps re escaping though if you have a fenced garden (and can afford it) it would be fairly easy to cat proof it so kitty can't escape. Otherwise a catio would be an option - there are several companies online if you google.

They're not trained!

My cat would happily be a house cat. He likes to look out the windows and yell at the birds and if I'm outside he comes to sit right next to me. Apart from that he isn't bothered and that's with the windows open. He could go out any time he wants

Mine are indoor - they seriously have no fucking sense and would get into so much trouble (and get hurt) if allowed outside.
They do go in the garden )with supervision) but they hate rain and often just bring themselves in - they have no interest in going for a walk with a harness on.
They play and sleep and tear arse around the house - seem happy enough to me.
Not opening the windows is a pita but my dozy cat got stuck on the roof and frightened herself so I have to be really careful

This is exactly what we did and he's a very happy boy 😍

Our last cat was a house cat by choice for about eighteen months, then once she’d got her
confidence, she’d revert again to house cat status in winter. I just meant that unless you get a rescue that you know can’t go out it’s a bit of a character lottery!

The cat we had when I was a teenager went totally deaf and a bit senile aged 17. We ended up having to keep her in as she’d go and sleep in the cornfield outside our house and we had a couple of occasions where we had to run in front of a combine waving our arms until we found her 😵‍💫

Oh he’s gorgeous 😻 I love tuxedo cats, we’ve had two.

This is our last tuxedo cat, the one who started as a house cat (and who once climbed me like a tree when something scared her on the lead 🙈).

Googles…. 😺

One of mine is a house cat due to a chronic condition (epilepsy). He has the run of the house and is totally fine. I don’t agree with keeping a healthy cat in, they do prefer a wander, but if there’s a health issue then needs must. You just get used to checking where he is, so he’s not sneaking out a door, lol. I have dogs and other cats, and it’s no bother really. I do have a harness for him, so can take him out with me on occasion, but he’s older now and doesn’t seem bothered. My other cats are all older now too and can go out if they want but rarely bother, they would rather snooze in the house.

Shameless pic of my wonderful boy - he’s 15 now and just the sweetest soul

Oh he’s lovely. He has such a statesmanlike face! Looks like he should be an advisor to Larry.

Exactly this.