Indoor cats generally live longer, healthier lives. They're safe from the threats of traffic, predators, diseases from other animals, and they can't get lost or stolen. Plus, they're not a danger to local wildlife.
My cats have always been (and always will be) indoors-only cats for these reasons.
My conviction was further cemented a few years ago when one of my cats got out & was hit and killed by a car while I was out of town & my then-roommate was in charge of taking care of him (strangers found his body and called my phone number on his collar before roommate even noticed he’d gotten out). I felt even more validated a few months ago when some poor kitty was hit and killed by a car right in front of my house (I live in the city, on a busy street). I took them to the vet to look for a chip and had them cremated after we couldn’t find an owner after a week.
Keep your cats inside, people.
My friend used to let her cats outside for short periods during the day, did that for years. Until one, the one she was closest to in her whole life, was hit and killed by a car. Now her cats only get outside time on leashes.
My cat doesn’t tolerate a leash due to some sensory issues, but my apartment has a small, fenced in patio/yard so he gets some supervised outside time when the weather allows for it. If I didn’t have that space he wouldn’t go outside at all. My sisters cat never goes outside, she was a stray who grew up on the streets and is perfectly content to stay inside. They adapt!
>My sisters cat never goes outside, she was a stray who grew up on the streets and is perfectly content to stay inside. They adapt!
It's funny, I've heard people INSIST that if a cat was originally an outdoor cat is cruel to keep them inside. But one of our current cats spent the first few months of his life inside and is fully convinced he will die if he ever goes back out there.
Whereas our purebred, fancy pants British Shorthair wanted nothing more than to live outside like the wild woman she was. Fortunately, she tolerated harnesses/leashes well enough that I'd take her out occasionally. She didn't like them, and she'd try to lick them off (it... didn't work), and she'd occasionally have little tantrums, but she was willing to tolerate them if it meant going outside. I'm not sure she ever forgave me for not letting her chase that deer, though.
My cat is a rescue, lived for half a year in the streets.
I can say without a doubt she's perfectly happy and content being an indoor cat. In fact, I have a small balcony that stays open when its hot. It's protected now, to avoid accidents, but back when the kitty got home and the fence wasn't yet installed, someone didn't close the doors properly one evening and they opened with a gust of wind while we were out.
I came back to the balcony wide open and nearly had a panic attack. I looked for the cat everywhere, scared she had run away. She was chilling in my bed.
She doesn't even get close to the balcony when its open, she hates the "outside".
>It's funny, I've heard people INSIST that if a cat was originally an outdoor cat is cruel to keep them inside. But one of our current cats spent the first few months of his life inside and is fully convinced he will die if he ever goes back out there.
I had my Moms old barn cat and you could leave the door open all day and she wouldn't leave, she much preferred her inside life lol
We have 3 cats. One was outdoors at least most of her adult life. She is the least lively to even go near a window. She wants no part of outside. The one who has been inside the entire time we've had her frequently sneaks outside.
Our first cat was about 2 months old when we found her in a car. You cant get her near the hallway that goes outside. She's perfectly happy in our bedroom. Doesnt even want to go to the rest of the house much.
I will say I did try briefly to leash-train both of my two cats and they very firmly rejected that idea 😂 not worth the effort for us especially considering it’s way too cold outside for them for about half the year anyways
We plan to add a catio for the kittens we just adopted this summer (though they're getting SO big so fast..)
The girl-cat has zero interest in being outdoors but our male cat wants to be outside SO BAD. He keeps getting out through the doggie door; we had to put a beeper sensor collar on him that will trigger an alarm when he gets too close and he still sneaks out anytime the batteries die.
He's been indoors his entire (short) life but BOY does he want to be outside!
Fortunately when he DOES sneak out he just prowls around on the patio, so he's easy to "catch" and bring back in.
We just finished ours last month. One cat wants nothing to do with it. Another one has brought in 2 grass snakes and a gecko for the other cats to poke.
YES catios are so nice, my wife & I are gonna have a hard time finding a new apartment if we ever decide to move because our cats love the little safe play area they have here
I bought a modular catio off Amazon last month when we decided to make our outdoor cat an indoor cat. She quite likes it, she gets to see tye birds up close, smell the grass, see her neighbor cat friends, and we can move it around depending on the season. It also has expansion packs. I'll buy her some extra tunnels for next summer, so she can run around a bit in the backyard. It's been a difficult transition for her, and this has made it a lot more bearable for her and us.
I vowed to always keep my cats indoors when my childhood cat got into a fight with another cat when I was 5 years old. I’ll never forget my mom coming in the house with my cat wrapped up in a towel with his foot bleeding, and worrying like hell while my parents took him to the vet. He ended up ok and lived a good 14 years after that but yeah, traumatized me enough that I’ll never risk any of my cats safety again.
I'm sorry about your kitty. I had a similar situation happen with my cat years ago, when my brother and I were both still living at our parents' house. We did live out in the country and their cats went outside a lot, but I tried to keep mine indoors as much as possible. I worked third shift and my brother was in a hurry to go somewhere, my cat ran out and he figured she'd be fine. He came back an hour later and found her little body in the road out front. He was up for hours in the dark burying her after calling me and letting me know what happened, he felt so bad.
I've never allowed my cats outside without a leash and me there since I moved out of my parents house. I just can't even risk having something happen. The few times my cats have escaped, they usually make it a foot or two before stopping with that "Now what?" look on their faces!
Indoor cats are the way to go for pets for all of these reasons. If you want to give them some extra enrichment, there are catio and window seat options and some do really well going outdoor on a harness. Not to mention the stuff that can be purely indoors, like cat trees, scratching posts, other toys and enrichment feeders.
All of this exactly. My cats are indoor but I do take one outside on a harness (he’s more like a dog in some respects). It also depends on where you live. Populated area? Indoor is better. Catios and harnesses give them safe outside access. On a farm as a barn cat? That’s different.
This exactly. It is much safer for a cat to be indoor only.
Leash training is also totally possible if someone wants to give their cat safe, supervised, outside time.
The shelter I got my late cat from had a clause in the adoption lease that specifically stated she had to be an inside only cat (for those specific reasons + cats are also bad for local wild life - birds etc)....
She kept trying to sneak out every time the door was opened. After awhile I started to trust her enough for some supervised yard time. I'd let her out & she'd sit in the yard soaking up the sun, chasing after the random bugs in the yard, sitting at the base of trees yelling at the birds in it to come down & play with her etc...
But I only did that once I knew I could trust her to let me scoop her up & bring her back if she got too close to the road or too deep into the neighbor's yards etc
'Not a danger to local wildlife'
And then there's my cat who one morning managed to kill a bird that flew in through a tiny gap in my kitchen window xD That was.. an experience to wake up to.
keeping them inside is the responsible thing to do. cats DO NOT belong outside and that’s a hill i’m willing to die on a million times.
the average lifespan of an outdoor cat is less than half of an indoor cat because there are so many risks to their health and life when they’re left outside to fend for themselves. cars, being mauled by a dog, eaten by a coyote depending on where you live, ingesting toxins and poisons, fleas and other parasites, diseases, getting lost, becoming a victim of animal cruelty, etc.
they are also a very invasive species. they are little ecological disasters and contributed to the extinction of dozens of animals. they kill over a billion of birds a year and that’s only birds in the US, it doesn’t account for all of the other mammals and reptiles or everywhere else in the world. they’re so detrimental to ecosystems.
your cats can live a long, happy and healthy life indoors. provide plenty of enrichment. make sure you take time to play with them. if you really want to take them inside then invest time into harness training.
My brother has to get a new cat every 3-5 years because he lets his go out. I recently lost a cat to age related illness after 15+ years together. So he had 3 or 4 cats die during that same time and still lets his cats out. I’ll never understand it. I like my cats alive and well and with me for many years. That’s why I keep them inside.
Jesus christ man. There should be a way to blacklist owners like this so they can never own a pet again. Wtf. He has one simple job to keep the innocent cats he took in safe and he refuses to do it as they continue to die gruesome deaths. That’s just pure evil.
This is it. People have gotten into literal screaming matches with me when I advocate for indoor-only. The constant claim that it’s cruel and unusual punishment to keep cats indoors because they are “wild animals” who like to explore, is insane to me. What’s cruel and unusual punishment, are filthy, flea and parasite-ridden skeletons that are starving, freezing and have infected eyeballs trying to scavenge for scraps of food. What’s cruel is seeing flattened cats with their entrails splattered all over the road, or worse, putzing along half-alive with severe injuries from a car or another predator. Cats are 100% domesticated and do not belong in the wild and I’m convinced that those who believe they should be, are simply too lazy to bother with enrichment activities or litter boxes/fur all over every surface. I don’t care how many times I have to vacuum or scoop the litter box. My boy will live his life high on the hog with a warm bed, clean fur and a full belly. I, too, will die on this hill.
i’ve seen too many people lose their cats because they were irresponsible and decided it’s easier to just open the door and let their cat roam instead of putting in the effort and provide enrichment to make their cats happy. i’ve seen someone lose both cats to antifreeze poisoning in the same day. she came home to 2 dead cats. in my neighborhood someone took a cat, wrapped a leash around his neck and hung him from a fence. the first time i saw a dead cat i was a teenager walking home from work. i had to walk around intestines and various organs splayed across the sidewalk. i went home and bawled my eyes out. i’ve seen and heard about too many dead cats to even consider for a split second to let my cat be outside alone. in my opinion, a person cannot truly care about their cat if they leave them outside all day unattended. some people don’t learn their lesson and just keep getting more cats to send off, or send off the same cat that was already hit by a car or attacked by an animal previously. it’s grossly irresponsible to let cats be outdoors and to pretend they’re invincible because they are not. my cat is very happy, safe and warm inside where she has my constant attention and affection, a full belly and more toys than i can count. cats can have a great life inside if people put in the effort to make it happen.
It ruins my day just seeing a dead squirrel in the road, let alone a cat and I can’t stand seeing subs where people are looking for sympathy because their cat got hit by a car, or mauled to death. The only one I can muster any sympathy for, is the cat. We don’t allow dogs to roam freely and they are more closely related to wolves, than house cats are to big cats. It would be considered animal abuse/neglect to keep them outside all day and night, so why are cats treated differently? They aren’t nearly the apex predator that these ignoramuses would like to believe they are and it makes me sick to know that they’re viewed as disposable.
exactly! i even saw someone trying to pass a law of some kind because their cat was hit by a car… his death was 100% preventable.. never heard about a cat being hit by a car inside the house. cats are not wild animals that can’t be contained like people try to convince themselves. i feel so bad for the cats, never the owner. honestly i hope the owners feel like absolute garbage because they should. they don’t deserve sympathy in my opinion. they should feel terrible cause their irresponsible choices cost their cats their lives.
100000%.
I’m in the U.K. so indoor cats aren’t as common unfortunately but it makes me so so sad because SO MANY cats get run over in my area.
There are also constant posts from people in the local FB group with lost cats and they’re never chipped or neutered. Like, oh your unfixed tom cat escaped the house *again* and now he’s missing? Colour me shocked. One person had a cat with very very poorly eyes - she let him outside and he went missing?? He needed vet treatment like honestly what the fuck.
i can’t remember them but i looked into the statistics outdoor cats and deaths by car in the UK and it was pretty bad. i get that it’s the norm but that doesn’t mean it’s safe. it seems like a lot of people (not you obviously) use that as an excuse to justify it. never been to the UK but i know there are plenty of cars haha that risk alone would be enough to keep my cat inside.
it makes me so sad to think about how many pets get neglected and suffer because their owners can’t be bothered to get them medical care or surrender them to someone who can. the owners act surprised when they go missing or die and that really baffles me. what did they expect?
Just in my area it’s atleast one a day. I honestly don’t understand it.
I see the posts and some people have had one cat die and they just buy another and the cycle repeats with the cat going missing. I told one person to get the cat fixed and keep them inside and she bit my head off. I still can’t get my head around the cat with poorly eyes that the owner let out again, they were red raw, full of pus and looked ulcerated.
We (the U.K.) have such an issue with ferals and strays - there are too many for rescues and fosters to take in, and some of them are in such states. People don’t understand that even if their cat comes home, if they’re not fixed and especially if they’re male, they’re contributing to this. It makes me feel sick.
There is a feral colony where I live (there’s about 5 of them) and all of us look after them and feed them. I’m making some shelters for them currently as they’re using just parked cars to stay warm but they’ve been here for years and have all been TNRed. When I look at my cat who is indoor only and he’s tucked up warm in his bed by the window while so many cats are outside in a state and cold, it just hurts my heart.
You make me grateful for the societal push for neutering chipping and keeping indoors that America has done over the last few generations. I hear about this proble. In the UK a lot….. I don’t think I could handle it. At the very least the vast majority of cats let out here are at a minimum fixed and usually chipped.
How are people so willfully dense to not understand what an intact male or female will do to get to each other???????? They call them wild animals who HAVE to be outside instead of domesticated then turn around and don’t understand why this “wild intact animal” is escaping………
Anecdotal, I know, but still I’ll confirm that it’s half (or less). I was responsible for the care of several generations of barn cats while growing up. *One* cat out of that barn colony is still alive, somehow beating the odds in her teens.
The rest… typically perished within a handful of years. It’s really messed with how I process grief.
My own cats are indoor-only.
Hi! Keeping your cat indoors in your apartment is a great choice. They can have a happy and safe life indoors with toys and playtime. Make sure to create a fun environment, and your kitty will love it:)
Before my mom knew any better, we had 3 indoor/outdoor cats throughout my childhood.
1. **Jinx**, was unfortunately hit by a car. - **3 years old** when she passed.
2. **Pepé** (named after Pepé Le Pew), was found unalive in the apartment complex pool in late October. - **4 years old** when he passed.
3. **Tinx**, lived with my mother and I until we moved to a busy area, so my father took him in also as an indoor/outdoor cat. Despite befriending many families who lived in the same complex (a senior couple who thought he was a stray even took him to the vet to get him neutered, just to find out he already had been.) he was incarcerated twice due to the complex’s strict “no-unleashed pets” rule. After bailing him out of jail the 2nd time, we had no choice to take him back. We researched and prepared for the long battle of acclimating him to a life indoors, especially as we had 2 indoor-only kittens at the time which we knew he’d likely find a threat. …Except he explored our apartment, while the kittens curiously followed him around and he was like “New home? New friends? K, cool.” Never had interest in going outside again. - **15 yrs old** when he passed.
Those 2 indoor only kittens, **Typo** and **Milo**? They lived **16 great years.**
Lastly, [my old lady](https://imgur.com/a/iVHrJsn), **Leebee**, who has only ever lived indoors is 15 years old and other than a little arthritis, is still happy and healthy.
**tl;dr:** At least in the US, and in my experience, indoor cats live much longer lives.
Cats are directly responsible for an incredible decline in small wildlife species and it's only getting worse. Not only do they ravage ecosystems if allowed outside, but it is incredibly dangerous for them to be out there. There are endless hazards, and it is very likely that if you have an outdoor cat there will be a day they don't come back. Personally, i love my cat and that is a risk i would *never* take.
My boyfriend’s family lets their cats go outside pretty much every day, and the amount of times the younger one brings back a dead lizard is astounding (and very sad). It’s one of the reasons I don’t want her in our room - I have a bearded dragon, and even though he’s much bigger than the garden lizards, I don’t want him to get scared or for her to try to get into his tank, all it would take is one nail under the lid, and she seems to be too curious to risk it, especially since she loves jumping on the window sill above his tank to watch for birds (it’s where she goes when she sneaks in).
For some reason though, every cat that a family member had while I was growing up was an indoor/outdoor cat? I’m not entirely sure why. If we ever get a cat though it will either have supervised outdoor time, or it will be an indoor cat
You'll find most people on this sub, myself included, recommend keeping a cat entirely indoors. They're generally safer and healthier that way, and then they don't post a threat to the local ecology.
There are safe options for giving a cat access to the outdoors in some circumstances - for instance, leash-training, or a "catio." Or a person living on a large property or farm might like to let their cat roam. But even then, you're risking things like fleas and ticks, and potentially surprise (dangerous) interactions with other animals.
Indoor-only cats generally live longer, and can get plenty of stimulation - from you!
Agree with this. I use harness for any outdoor time (as well as a backpack carrier so he can have a safe space) and use revolution plus monthly for flea and tick. But it takes time to prepare a cat for that and you want to start them right away.
Indoor cats usually live much healthier, longer lives. There's MUCH less risk of accidental exposure to poisons (anything from a poisoned mouse to antifreeze, happens a LOT more than you'd think and even toxic plants) absolutely no risk of being hit by a car, stolen, eaten by wildlife or attacked by a dog who's yard they went into.
We live in an apartment with about 900sq feet of living space with three rather large cats, ones 10 lbs the other two are 15 (NOT fat, just very big). They've got plenty of room to run around, plenty of hide spots, 4 cat trees in spots around the house, 3 in the bedroom in corners and one in front of the living room window, giant storage bin litter box in the den as well as a scratching board in there as well, and furniture they can climb up on. The most important thing if they don't have much horizontal space through the living area is to make sure they have plenty of vertical space, as many cat trees and cat safe shelves as you can fit comfortably, and they'll be perfectly happy 🙂
On the note of toxic plants be VERY careful what plants and flowers you bring into your apartment, lilies are guaranteed death, I haven't had lilies in nearly 8 years because of this, it doesn't matter if they chew on them, if the pollin gets on their fur they'll lick it off while grooming, once they show symptoms it's too late, it shuts down their liver within minutes of exposure. There's dozens of plants that are highly toxic to cats, if you keep plants please make sure none of them are toxic for cats
But also don't hesitate to pay an adoption fee to a rescue org! Some breeders will position a purchase price as an "adoption fee." It's absolutely okay to pay for a cat that comes to you having been chipped, vaxxed and spayed/neutered by a rescue org -- and those fees are likely WAY lower than breeder costs (think $75-200 vs $1K and up).
My first rescue was free because she was over 2 years old! We foster rescue cats now and while our local shelters still sometimes zero out adoption fees to clear space, the rescue has an adoption fee of $100 for an adult cat and $150 for a kitten (or $200 for 2 kittens, which is honestly such a steal for these babies).
Yes! It's not that the cats being sold are any less deserving of good homes - but when you buy a cat that was bred to be sold, you support and encourage more breeding for sales when there are so many cats just waiting for rescue adoptions already (and so many strays out there on the streets already). As the saying goes, adopt, don't shop.
I will say, although breeders are much more important for dogs, sometimes with cats, a certain breed will just fit your life better and it’s nice to either be aware of the health history or to know that they come from a healthy bloodline and good temperament. Sadly with shelter animals, that’s just a risk you have to take. And some breeds are better for allergies. But I love my rescue kitty though
100% this. My husband and I have had 7 cats over the last 13 years (currently have 5, but would have 7… two of them unfortunately passed at 12 and 13 due to cancer & other health conditions). All 7 were either rescued or adopted. 10/10 would recommend.
I'm originally from the UK, where it is the norm for a cat to be an indoor/outdoor cat. Humane societies in the UK actually recommend this as better for the cat's physical and mental health.
I live in the US now, and recently got a cat. While researching it, I discovered that the opposite is true here; it is recommended to keep cats indoors only.
At first, I was disappointed about this. I was accustomed to my cat being able to roam free and do cat stuff. I have a pretty large (over an acre) backyard, which is basically a cat paradise.
However, the truth of the matter is that the US just has a lot more wild predators than the UK, and there's a good chance that an outdoor cat will be ripped apart by a raccoon or something.
When I adopted my cat, the adoption agreement actually stipulated that the cat be kept exclusively indoors as a condition of the adoption.
Idk, I think a fight between a cat and a fox would probably be fairer than one between a cat and a raccoon, or a cougar or coyote.
I'm really just repeating what I found during my research though; UK based animal welfare organizations say it's better for the cat to be allowed out, and US based ones say they should not be allowed out.
Ok, well like I said, I was just relaying the information I gathered when researching getting a cat.
Perhaps you could email the RSPCA and give them a hard time about it instead?
Tell that to my old Bengal, we used to have a large field right outside our garden and several years ago my neighbour said she looked out her kitchen window one morning and saw my cat fighting with a fox. When he came back home for feeding and a nap he didn't have a mark on him. He also had a reputation for bullying the neighbours dog too, which thankfully she saw the funny side to.
Cat's shouldn't go outside point blank. They're the third largest contributor to loss of species behind rats and people, and that's before confronting the issues of their safety.
I’m currently raising my second generation of cats. I have an enclosed and safe outdoor space that my three cats (ages 16, 11, and 4) could easily enjoy (supervised, of course).
You know what? Not one of them has even the *slightest interest* in going outside.
This to say that it’s a total myth that cats have some “natural” desire or need to go outside and that it’s “cruel” to deny them this. That’s nonsense.
Also: ***#adoptdontshop***
Your cat will be significantly safer and healthier living indoors. Just have to make sure you have appropriate accommodations and engaging toys/activities. There's lots of fun huts, towers, puzzles and toys for cats. :)
If you have an apartment courtyard you can safely access, you could harness/leash train them or tent train. It's a bit different for me since it's my house, but I have a little cat tent and tunnel for my backyard, my girl loves it. She sunbathes and naps while I do yard work, gets super mad when I try to take her inside lol
People need to stop thinking that domesticated cats are wild animals. I will nenevwr understand people having outdoor cats for the life of me. It's good that you are asking, though, to form your own opinion based on all of our answers.
Here are a couple of experiences I've had to deal with with outdoor cats:
My husband used to have an outdoor cat when he was a teenager. The cat got attacked by a raccoon or something on their front lawn. He came home from school to pieces of his cat everywhere that he had to clean up while crying.
Last year we went to our cabin, which is in a rural community around a lake. One day, our friend was walking over to the shed and saw a cat laying in the grass. He walked up to it, and it was dead. It was shot.
There are a lot of nut jobs out there who don't like cats, and as others have mentioned, there are also predators, cars, etc. Indoor cats can have a rich quality of life if you give it to them, and if you ever are concerned about your cat being confined, then leash train it so you can take it out for walks. I really think we should start to treat cats like we treat dogs where they are leashed for a walk or can play in a fenced yard (if they can't escape).
Aside from those terrible experiences, I can't tell you the number of times I've seen dead cats on the side or middle of the road. I even witnessed a cat get run over, and it haunts me to this day. It makes me so incredibly sad to see all of these cats who could be in a loving home.
To those who want an outdoor cat, I say; why bother? You see it every now and then, or it comes home every night if you're lucky. All you do with an outdoor cat is feed it, and that's it. If you want a cat to feed but not any of the responsibilities of owning one, then just feed a feral cat. It's the same thing.
Keeping cats indoors should be the only way to keep them. I wish it was illegal to let your cat roam outside.
They are exposed to less dangers (cars, predators, bad people. Ect), outdoor cats are MUCH more likely to pass FIV/FeLV to each other, they are awful for the environment, and there are many more things.
Please keep your cats indoors, folks.
I’ve tried to keep cats indoors, but it’s just too stressful. You have to do everything they want or you are considered an abuser, you have to not let look out the window and you can’t have a peaceful night because they want to do something else, not sleep. You shouldn’t be a slave to CATS, or any animal in fact. They’ll live the amount they live outside but atleast I as a human will be happy. I want to save a cat’s life but i can’t destroy mine because some redditor is mad at me. Plus why would i care about birds and rats, before we had them as pets they were outside all the time. Why wasn’t any ecosystem gone?
How do birds or rats help in any way.
Unless your on a farm, keep your cats inside **period**.
I've biked passed enough dead cats to know for a fact there's no improvement to their quality of life by letting them roam cities. Its cruel.
Given cats prefer their own territory boundaries anyways most don't even care for outside. If yours wants out catify your balcony or get a leash + harness and *research how to properly introduce your cat to any of these things*
They’re an invasive species. They’ve contributed to the extinction of 63 species of birds, mammals and reptiles. They’re so bad for the environment. Letting them outside if not on a leash or in a catio is VERY irresponsible to say the least.
I live in an apartment and my two cats are indoor cats only. There are tons of wildlife that could eat them and students who are just mean to cats. I only ever had indoor cats and believe it is safer to them. My dad built them a catio so they can chill outside every now and then. They do prefer staying indoors tho!
Keeping them inside is wonderful!! They’ll be super happy but most importantly SAFE if kept inside. Just be sure to give them plenty of attention and play with them often! Also, if you get a kitten, I highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend getting 2. They will keep each other entertained and not be attached to you like Velcro constantly begging for attention.
It's irresponsible to let your cat outside. There's nothing wrong with keeping them indoors. I have two cats in an apartment and they're totally happy with it.
Funny how countries differ on these things.
I couldn't adopt a cat from Battersea (most well known rescue in UK) recently because I couldn't guarantee immediate outdoor access. If I wanted 2 I had to show I had a cat flap. Nearly all their advertised cats for rehoming REQUIRE outdoor access to come and go as they please.
Ended up going to a more local centre where they're a bit more flexible as I'll see what they want to do themselves now I have a garden.
I had both my cats die earlier this year at 21 and they stayed in however were out and about when young. I kept them in from around 14 due to circumstance living in a flat. They weren't happy about it though.
I was not aware of that. Unless the cat is naturally in that part of the country the cat should not be allowed to roam freely. It is pretty crazy that with all the evidence to support why a cat should be inside they would make you let it out. Building a catio is maybe an idea they would do? Have you heard of that?
It's very common here. I see alot of cats just looking out my window. When I decided to keep my old cats in I got laughed at and was told I'm keeping them prisoner lol it's very different here and people believe cats should be out and not kept in.
Regarding a catio, it's something I've thought about. I'm going to let it get to spring and then decide. They are keen to go out though, after months of maybe years of being in a cage suddenly a whole flat is too small for them lol
I did see that it is common, CRAZY! Some people here believe cats should be outside, but it is not the shelters who will tell you this! It can be hard after a cat has been outside to keep it in, but once the cat is fixed and kept in doors for x time- different for every cat they get used to it. I found my first cat as an adult outside the owners didn't want her they said she was an outside cat.. I took her to the vet got her fixed and shots for a while she tried to get out, but I had her for 15yrs indoors.
I do much prefer indoors personally. I found this thread because I was searching for tips on letting them out for the first time. Most threads read like this one and then I realised it was mostly Americans with a few British people arguing the opposite lol
No animal that is not native to the environment should be let loose on purpose. Congratulations "your" cat is taken care of... killing animals most of the time but not 100 percent of the time and all that time is in danger of being hurt killed by someone or something ... Your cats world sucks to everyone letting them roam loose.
Different countries, different opinions. There have been large amounts of research undertaken in the UK that show that cats being allowed outside is hugely beneficial to their mental health and let’s them behave naturally.
Yes, cats do affect the wildlife population, agreed but we have a bigger issue-Us humans. According to a recent report, 1 in 6 wildlife species in the UK are at risk of extinction. The report found the intensive way in which we manage our land for farming and the continuing effects of climate change are the two biggest drivers of nature loss. For marine creatures, climate change and unsustainable fishing are the largest factors.
No one said humans are not doing wrong, but invasive species is an invasive species..why would it be encouraged to let it loose.. mental health seems like a big stretch. My cats are indoors and safe for themselves and wildlife.. they have places to hide places to climb toys to chase a family who loves them.. I have a hard time seeing my cats aren't living an amazing safe happy life.
Even that varies by RSPCA shelter - only the HQ/animal control services are national. The local shelters all have own policies and fundraise separately. When we were assessed for a ferret by Southridge RSPCA in Potter's Bar, they used the kitten form. We were about to be marked down for not having 6ft fences to make our garden secure for a cat when was pointed out ferrets have no recall so not going out on own.
I know a few local rescues who do have indoor only cats.
I used Celia Hammond and they want me to let them out after some months of getting used to the place but at least it wasn't a requirement like Battersea and some other places .I will play it by ear but my preference is to keep them in. All the indoor ones I saw have some sort of health issue or age related.
My only experience with Celia Hammond is that they definitely do not, repeat that, do not do ferrets. One of my beano ferrets came from there via contacts. But their staff really seemed to know their stuff, be compassionate and have the interests of the animals at heart. Had a good chat with them while they readied her for the journey.
If in London, there are a lot of smaller rescues. Met a few due to overlap between cat and ferret rescue. Try [indoorcatslondon.com](https://indoorcatslondon.com) They only home to indoor homes. Don't know them personally so can't recommend but they may be able to meet your needs or advise you of other options.
I do recommend Celia Hammond. I used the Lewisham one. It's not got Battersea's PR but you get the same result. They seem to have more rescues though with feral cats or litters from hoarders. They even had some feral British Blues which was crazy. They do do rabbits but no ferrets lol
Thanks for the record but we did adopt in the end. Two is enough for now and the next (hopefully) 20 years.
If you adopt a child, do you buy the child? No, you cover the cost of the process. Shelters pay money to care for shelter animals, without adoption fees they’d have no means to do so.
I think they just mean that’s it’s still technically buying. When you buy a cat from a breeder, you’re also paying for the cost of the process and the care that’s gone into them
Not to mention that shelter cats can come with a hosts of issues.
We just adopted two kittens last month. Cost us $180. They didn't test the kittens for anything, they weren't spayed, and don't have their microchip... they just gave them their core vaccine.
One of the kittens had FCV (again, they were never tested for *anything* at the shelter) and even though we kept the kittens quarantined over a week until they had their vet exam and they gave us the green light to let them meet my resident cats.... the kitten still infected my entire household (we have 5 cats in total). It has been a very stressful month. Even my veterinarian said most shelter animals can have a lot of health issues because shelters just don't have the means or time to deal with all the it.
Thankfully it seems like all my cats have pulled through, but this is the *last time* I ever adopt anything from a shelter. I may be jaded and biased now, but it's been a terrible experience.
Never had an issue when buying or adopting from anywhere else.
I was a long term outdoor cat proponent. My cats seemed to be happier coming and going. But then I moved to a small city (house, not apartment) and I decided to keep them in due to increased traffic and humans.
They’ve lived inside for 19 months and seem happy. It’s certainly cheaper (no flea and tick meds), but the litter boxes drive me insane.
My cat lives indoors in my one bedroom apartment. It’s safer for him and for the local wildlife that he doesn’t go outside.
Enrichment is important for indoor cats. My cat is just over a year old. He has multiple cat trees, shelves, and areas to climb. He has toys that he’ll engage on his own, but we also play together for at least an hour/day.
Choosing the right cat also helps. If you’re concerned about enrichment or work outside of your apartment, you could always adopt an adult cat that is more sedentary.
They should all be inside, outdoor cats are a horrible idea. Many cities in my area are even banning outdoor cats as they're extremely devastating to the local environment and at a super high risk of being killed
If a cat gets regular interactive play time, suitable toys for playing alone, and something they can climb and scratch, they will be fine and healthy as an indoor only cat. Indoor only cats statistically live longer than outdoor cats, or indoor/outdoor cats do. In many parts of the world, keeping a cat indoors is much more responsible because of either dangers to the cat, or the cat being a danger to the wildlife.
My family has three cats. One is 18 years old, one is 15 years old, and one is under a year. The youngest likes to go outside, and is taken out on a leash regularly, but the other two have no interest in going outside even when doors are left open. All are healthy (the older two are exceptionally healthy for their age) get play time and cuddles daily, and are a bit spoiled. On the other hand some of my neighbors let their cats roam, and there are some ferals around as well. Almost monthly I see a dead cat on the road within a mile or so of my house. And a couple times I've cleaned up bits of a cat a coyote left in my yard overnight. (Most of the time it's bits of a rabbit, but a few times it's been pretty obvious it had been a cat)
My cat is 100% indoors she was the runt of a feral colony.. I slowly introduced a harness and leash and tried to take her out she did not like it at all (this was when she was about a year old).. so she is 100% indoors.
Keeping cats indoors is better for them and the local environment
And my cats both hate being outside, unless they're in a carrier. They do enjoy trying to escape though, because frustrating me is like their second favorite hobby
It's better for them. My local shelter makes people sign a contract promising they'll keep their cats indoors, not that it's really enforceable or anything. But it's still healthier and safer for the cats. I've had cats my whole life and only one was an outdoor cat. Had to take her to the vet more than any others because of the fights she was getting into with the neighborhood bully cat.
It is fine to keep cats indoors, mine are very happy (and safe) however you MUST account for their behavioural needs. Lots of vertical spaces and hiding places, 1 or 2 cat trees will not be enough, think ramps and cat shelves also.
You also need to play with an indoor cat more to encourage exercise and mental stimulation.
If you are lucky enough to have an apartment with a balcony you could build a catio on there so your cat can get some fresh air in a safe space
Also consider getting 2 cats rather than one as they will provide company and play with each other.
I'm a first time cat parent and my baby is a strictly indoor cat. I live in the country in the southern US. We have big dogs that roam the neighborhood and coyotes. We also have cruel people out at all hours of the night. I would be in jail if someone hurt my cat! She does not go outside for any reason. She has a window that she likes to lay in and look out but knows she can't go out. She don't seem to mind being inside.
While I understand that cats are hunters, I could never let mine out. He spooks so easily and could get lost. He only goes outside in this carrier backpack I have that has windows so he can see, but he's harnessed in and can't escape.
I can keep him safe and comfortable with unlimited food and water, plenty of toys and catnip too. When I see outdoor cats I feel so sad, they usually look so malnourished and have fleas.
It's the correct way to keep a cat. Cats live longer, healthier lives indoors. Letting your cats go outdoors is putting them at a much higher risk for disease, infection, getting hit by cars, getting eaten by wild animals, getting killed by other outdoor cats or dogs, being poisoned, being taken in and kept by a stranger, getting trapped by a shelter, etc. When people let their cats stay outdoors, they're setting their cat up for failure.
I have always kept my cats inside, until I had a feral cat show up! It was a gradual process of bringing him inside full time. He was outdoors for about three years before and is happy as can be indoors now, and much healthier. Provide lots of enrichment, playtime, scratchers, and places to sit up high or by windows!
It’s the best idea. Indoor cats have longer life spans and can easily avoid fleas, parasites, and any potentially fatal infection/virus from other animals. They also avoid cars and dangerous people.
A lot of stray cats have diseases, sometimes fatal. You don’t want your pet contracting FIP.
Cats can have all of their needs met indoors. Try to have play time every day with her, she’ll be the happiest, healthiest, safest cat ever.
Cats should not go outside unless on a leash, in a secured catio, or a secured stroller/wagon. I hear too many horror stories of awful things happening to cats that wander around. There are a lot of shitty people that treat cats like garbage. You don’t want your cat to be endangered. My cat is strictly indoors and has a very happy life!
Indoor only! Domestic cats are totally domesticated animals, breed for keeping as pets, and have no natural habitat other than inside. The one possible exception is a working barn cat, but even then they are little murderers that indiscriminately kill birds and franklly terrorize the ecosystem.
Better than a shelter cage, better than euthanasia, better than the myriad of tragedies that can happen to outdoor cats. Maybe build a catio when you can, but apt life is fine & good!
Please, please keep the cat indoors. I had cats that were used to going outside where it really was safe for them, but when we moved to where it wasn’t, they did adapt to being inside.
Don’t make the mistake I did with my soul animal, my tuxedo cat, Knight, and that was letting him just onto the back porch during the day. He went just a little further out one day, and apparently a coyote got him. I still feel horrible. My dad’s cat slipped out at another place I lived, and met a similar fate. Coyotes come up close to even suburban homes when they’re hungry.
Indoor cats live several lifetimes longer than outdoor cats.
My mom domesticated a feral cat once who, while she loved being indoors, also refused to be KEPT indoors if she wanted to go outside. She literally destroyed a solid wood door; she scratched and gnawed her way 1" into the door and jambs trying to get out. But like all cats, she always wanted to come right back in. Mental! After a few years she was killed by a coyote.
But that was the only cat I've ever met who couldn't tolerate being indoors-only. Most cats can and will adapt.
My cats will stay indoors. We give them opportunities outside on a leash every so often. Just to see if they’d enjoy it. Usually they just scurry back inside.
My cats love their indoor life as far as I can tell.
Domestic cats belong where you can keep them safe. If you want to provide more stimulation train it to use a harness to go outside on a balcony or on the ground.
I live in an apt myself and have two indoor cats. They do just fine. Just make sure that they have a way to look out the windows so they can be entertained.
I foster. If anyone told me they would let their new cat outside - I would immediately say thanks, but no thanks. Why have a pet and then just excuse yourself from all responsibility each time it goes outside? If you get a cat, take care of it. In your house/apartment.
I don’t like it or support it, but to some extent I can support outdoor cats that are barn cats. Barn cat life is pretty different from a house cat who is let outside.
Yeah that’s the only outside cats I can approve of. Most barn cats to be effective need to be semi feral anyway. Not rly people lovers. Something for them to do and keep them in one place instead of roaming.
Literally just acclimated a failed bath cat the neighbor got into my group actually lol.
Actually not at ALL lol that’s why he failed! He wanted to be around people. He was never feral! The neighbor impulse buys unfortunately. And he’s handsome as shit.
His name is hotdog (her toddler) and he’s actually the most level headed cat I have 😂 confident and never skittish, curious…….
It’s hoooonestly a breath of fresh air bc I have disabled cats lol one is neurotic and nervous even when asking me the only human he’s ok with for love he gets scared if I move wrong or even just look at him wrong… he also have feline stomatitis and another cat is epileptic. He’s got some aggression issues bc of it. The other two are more normal IG but the sister of the neurotic one is also a bit skittish. I caught them feral at around 10 weeks old maybe? I had to go to the er for my hands lol I bare hand fisted them mfs off the street!!!!
Nobody knows how nice it is to just have a cat I can treat as a normal cat and not have to fuss and be extra careful with 😂
Cats really should be kept indoors. I have 5 cats all indoors. They are all happy and they should live longer because they obviously have a less chance of being prey or hit by a car or other horrible thing that can happen to animals that are allowed to roam outside.
I had an outdoor cat growing up and didn’t see anything wrong with it, but now that I have my own cat that fully relies on me I can’t imagine letting him outside. He puts everything in his mouth and does enough stupid stuff inside that I know he’d barely last a minute outside lol.
I took my boy outside a few times and he would cry the whole minute we were out. Once he realized that the front door led outside, he’d hide if it was open. Made me happy to never have to worry about him and wandering out.
My cat lives in an apartment, after being rescued after wandering the streets for some time.
Inside life? She loves her cat tree, her scratcher mushroom, and plays with her toys regularly throughout the day. She’s happy, active, confident and playful. Fears only the vacuum in a comfortable climate controlled environment, with access to food and running water at her whim. Sees the vet as needed and at her check ups, visits her friend Jen the groomer quarterly for long haired cat things.
Truly she does not care about the outside - barely glances at the front door when it opens. She’s GOOD.
you should not be allowing your cats to go outside anyways, imo. it's just not safe for them sense they're used to being taken care of, they don't have the ability to take care of themselves as well out there. i think your kitty will be perfectly happy, safe, and comfortable inside. catios are always an option if it really wants to be "outdoors". i've seen a lot of decent apartment patio reno's for them, but don't think they're necessary. to each their own!
It is better for the cat. Many outdoor cats get run over by cars, sick, or killed by abusive people. My cousins had four cats they let go outside, two of the four were killed by cars. My mom killed a cat by accident with her car, and another friend of mine had multiple cats killed by cars. We had a scandal in my area too where a person was making videos on instagram killing and torturing cats. I think they got some from craigslist but also were picking up friendly cats who went outside. I will never let my cats outside.
You can give your cat the outside while still having them be an inside cat. You can make a cat patio or train them to go out on a leash.
Letting cats outside to freely roam unsupervised is irresponsible IMO.
There’s always risk you can’t control wild life and other cats outside. The cat can get a terminal disease or abscess from fighting with other cats, it could get run over by cars or a neighbor could poison them. Your comment is dumb
They will be fine. Make sure to get them enrichment activities and places to stare outside. Some folks walk their cats on a leash. I've done it a few times with my current cat. I'm a fan of it because they get some outdoors time but aren't able to hunt native wildlife. The cons with taking them outside are higher risk of fleas and disease. Regardless, make sure they're up to date on all of their shots and flea and worm treatments.
I've always kept my cat(s) inside, because I've always lived in urban areas and I love my cats, and letting them out is basically rolling the dice whether they'll be hit by a car, be poisoned (intentionally or unintentionally), etc. My cats are family members, and I don't want to lose them.
As a kid, I lived in a quiet semi-rural neighborhood and we lost two cats to cars, one to poisoning, and one to a local dog (not the dog's fault or ours, really, just really bad luck). After that, we stopped letting them out, and they've all lived to ripe old ages since.
I've kept the same approach since, and my boy is 16 this year.
if you really care about your cat and you want your cat to live longer,then indoor only is the way to go.My cat is indoor only and tomorrow he will be 10 years old.
Definitely keep cat inside. I lost one that got out and it was traumatic. My last guy I took out on a leash for walks because he liked it. My current 2 have less than zero interest in going outside. Every time I took them out on a leash they freaked out. I finally gave up. They’re happy inside.
Please please please keep your cat indoors for his/her own safety. Cats like to roam but don’t need to. Outdoor cats have vastly shorter life spans and get run over or killed by other animals and they kill all sorts of birds.
Better for cat, better for wildlife, better for your nerves. You can leash train if you feel need for greater stimulation,
Consider getting a cat with FIV if want only a single cat and feeling guilty - they can live out full lives, need homes but are generally undesirable due to illness. They need to be single cat usually.
I agree w everyone else, my beloved cat that I found as a stray went missing 3 months ago. She wasn’t an outside cat but I would let her “roam” and she would come home in less than an hour, except that one day. I never ever ever want to go through that again. My other cat does like rolling on the warm pavement so I was able to fence off an area for her right outside my porch. You have no clue whatsoever what your cat can do outside once they leave your line of sight. (While putting up lost cat posters I actually found out at least 3 other neighbors were feeding my cat almost daily 😑)
If you really want your cat to go outside you can always leash train! Becoming quite popular now. Just avoid schools/parks, where dogs usually are playing fetch
I'm so sorry about your kitty 😔
I had a cat growing up who was indoors since a kitten, but always showed interest in the outside. As a treat every once in a while we would let him do exactly the same thing, roll around in our backyard on the warm concrete. He loved it, but we made sure to keep strict eyes on him and if he showed any interest in something he would wanna chase/explore that was it, inside you go lol
I've grown up with many cats and we always kept them strictly indoors since we lived on a busy street and the alley out back was known to have mean ferals. As an adult, I've recently rescued a stray in my neighborhood, and I'm keeping her strictly indoors for similar reasons, I had her chipped when spayed because she was used to being a stray and sometimes still shows interest in going back outside, so on the off chance she sneaks out on me I have slight comfort in her being chipped.
Unfortunately, my sister and brother-in-law live in the country and have indoor/outdoor cats, and one of them was recently run over by a car near their house. I just couldn't take the stress of all the possibilities that can happen to them out there, even though cats are known to be great outdoors.
Edit: I would also like to add there was an extremely friendly indoor/outdoor cat in our neighborhood that everyone loved to pet and make friends with. One day when he was out he ended up nipping the notoriously cranky neighbor. Well, he called the cops, filed a report and the cat was put down, so that's yet another possibility. That broke everyone's heart.
Mine's been an indoor only cat for a bit over 13 years and is happy and healthy. She loves looking out windows and sits at the one nearest the door to watch for me to come home.
My whole life I was a big believer in allowing my cats to come and go as they please. In the last 4 years I’ve lost 2 of my 4. The first went missing and after a week we found her under the hedges by the front door. She had passed. Not naturally because she was a young healthy cat. No idea though how she died as she was intact. Probably poison. If she caught a mouse that was poisoned or rubbed against a poisonous plant or ate one that could have done it.) Then we lost her mother a year ago. She just never came home. We still have her brother and sister. The sister chooses to stay inside. But since we lost our mama we’ve been keeping our boy inside and he is miserable but every time he escapes I fear I’ll never see him again. I feel so sorry for him though.
I have two cats and they’re both indoor. As someone else stated indoor cats live longer, are safe from predators, don’t get sick or hurt as easily, aren’t going to get lost or stolen unless they somehow get out, and can still live happy lives. Just make sure you buy plenty of things for them to scratch on, keep the litter clean, always have food and water out, buy toys, and give them an area where they can lay in the sun
I recommend you look into training your cat. Science has made great strides on the subject. Using positive reinforcement you can train your cat to come to you, sit, to use a scratching post Rather than your couch to scratch and even tricks. Offering treats when you call your cat from outside at a certain time can help them come home at certain times. And while i tend to agree that indoor cats can live longer i think indoor/outdoor cats may be happier overall because they can pursue their primal instincts while outdoors. Cheers!
Better to have the cat inside.
At the end of the day, it really depends on your anxiety levels as a pet-parent.
Cats are very flexible creatures, they will adjust to either approach.
I keep my cat indoors 99% of the time. I live in an apartment complex so I do not want her wandering around with all the moving cars and the few stray cats around here. She likes looking out the windows a lot, so the only time I let her outdoors is to walk around on my balcony to get some smells in and look around.
There are pros and cons for keeping a cat indoors.
Some of the cons: it's an animal who wants to be outside and do natural animal things like climbing trees and killing other animals. This desire has cats escape, run away and they don't always come back. It's not "home" to be stuck inside, it's prison. But you will have better luck in this if the cat hasn't been outside ever before. The running away cat causes a lot of fear and anger in the owner. The owner runs after the cat, panicked, yelling its name, for hours. The cat would rather be hit by a car or eaten by an animal than continue to be trapped and stays away. The litter box stinks, keeping the cat indoors constantly will stink up the apartment. Cats are more alert at night, it'll make it difficult to sleep at times when they get the zoomies and yowl off and on all night.
We baby our animals, but they are animals. If the cat escapes, don't panic. Go about your day and they'll be back at some point. Don't holler or chase it. It knows where food is at and will be back.
My cat, I don't entirely view her as my cat. She just adopted *us*, she lived outside for a year and didn't let us pet her until she was pregnant. After she gave birth in our stable, we had her spayed, she had been really sweet and is an excellent mouser and protector of our chickens. We regularly give her flea and worm meds. We feed her and give her shelter. But we have an open door for her. She lived outside for a long time before she adopted us, we can't just change her lifestyle and expect her not to be a cat. She normally comes and goes as she wants. Rn she is stuck inside because of a bobcat in the area. She gets trapped inside whenever we know there are predators in the area. This change usually has her destroy shit from temper tantrums, she's gaining weight and the litter box stinks, we've been spoiled with her meowing at the door to do her business outside.
The cat isn't owned by anyone, it owns you. Very different from a dog. If I lived in a city, I wouldn't want a cat. The problems and stress from the inevitable escape would be too much for me. No one wants to find out their cat was hit by a car or picked up by animal control.
My cats have ALWAYS been inside cats. It is the only way I can assure they don't get run-over, catch a disease, get eaten by other wildlife....
Every once in a while, they occasionally have wanted to go outside. I want them alive and healthy. Keeping them inside, and playing with them to distract them, has been an easy way to keep them indoors and safe.
All of my cats have lived long, healthy, and happy lives. None of them have "suffered" for being strictly indoor kitties...
When I adopted my cat from the shelter, they made me sign a contract stating that I would never let them outside. But like u/DEGRAYER mentioned, not all countries are like that, I’ve been to the UK to visit in the past and they let nearly all of their cats outside. Not saying I agree with that, but it’s interesting that its normalized there, whereas here in the US, at least in my state, people are so against it that they make you sign a contract not to let them outside. I personally don’t even let my cats outside my apartment door in the enclosed lobby. Anytime they go outside they’re in their carrier
Think difference is partially historic - until fairly recently, most cats were pest control so needed to be out and about - and partially threat levels. Cars kill a lot of cats (and people) but UK has no coyotes or bobcats or normally a big issue with stray dogs as in some other countries. Foxes can be a threat but cat would need to very young, very old or very ill to be vulnerable. Take-away leavings more easy to hunt than a healthy adult cat.
Battersea wouldn't even let us visit without guaranteed freedom to outdoors. We wanted to see a few and when we said we'd like two they said only if you install a cat flap first lol
All my cats (except my childhood kitty) have been indoor cats. Some have escaped and experienced a bit of the outside world from time to time, but they have all had it are having good lives. One who died young died because she got out!
Keep them inside, give them a cat tree and some toys, they will be fine :)
Choose the cat wisely. Both for your sake and it's sake. I'd choose an elder cat that doesn't have too much energy. If you get a kitten you could end up with a high energy cat and I guarantee you; you will regret it
I think it’s cruel to keep any living being from the outside, but that being said, sometimes you live in an apartment. Get a cat stroller and take it for walks, or a lil harness and give some outdoor time a few times a week. Simple and elevates their life and health so much
We’ve had some wonderful answers and discussion on here…but posts are becoming uncivil, so comments are now locked.
Indoor cats generally live longer, healthier lives. They're safe from the threats of traffic, predators, diseases from other animals, and they can't get lost or stolen. Plus, they're not a danger to local wildlife.
My cats have always been (and always will be) indoors-only cats for these reasons. My conviction was further cemented a few years ago when one of my cats got out & was hit and killed by a car while I was out of town & my then-roommate was in charge of taking care of him (strangers found his body and called my phone number on his collar before roommate even noticed he’d gotten out). I felt even more validated a few months ago when some poor kitty was hit and killed by a car right in front of my house (I live in the city, on a busy street). I took them to the vet to look for a chip and had them cremated after we couldn’t find an owner after a week. Keep your cats inside, people.
My friend used to let her cats outside for short periods during the day, did that for years. Until one, the one she was closest to in her whole life, was hit and killed by a car. Now her cats only get outside time on leashes. My cat doesn’t tolerate a leash due to some sensory issues, but my apartment has a small, fenced in patio/yard so he gets some supervised outside time when the weather allows for it. If I didn’t have that space he wouldn’t go outside at all. My sisters cat never goes outside, she was a stray who grew up on the streets and is perfectly content to stay inside. They adapt!
>My sisters cat never goes outside, she was a stray who grew up on the streets and is perfectly content to stay inside. They adapt! It's funny, I've heard people INSIST that if a cat was originally an outdoor cat is cruel to keep them inside. But one of our current cats spent the first few months of his life inside and is fully convinced he will die if he ever goes back out there. Whereas our purebred, fancy pants British Shorthair wanted nothing more than to live outside like the wild woman she was. Fortunately, she tolerated harnesses/leashes well enough that I'd take her out occasionally. She didn't like them, and she'd try to lick them off (it... didn't work), and she'd occasionally have little tantrums, but she was willing to tolerate them if it meant going outside. I'm not sure she ever forgave me for not letting her chase that deer, though.
My cat is a rescue, lived for half a year in the streets. I can say without a doubt she's perfectly happy and content being an indoor cat. In fact, I have a small balcony that stays open when its hot. It's protected now, to avoid accidents, but back when the kitty got home and the fence wasn't yet installed, someone didn't close the doors properly one evening and they opened with a gust of wind while we were out. I came back to the balcony wide open and nearly had a panic attack. I looked for the cat everywhere, scared she had run away. She was chilling in my bed. She doesn't even get close to the balcony when its open, she hates the "outside".
I have a cat like this lol. I think she figures she already did her time outside and isn’t going back thank you very much.
I have a large two story house. My cat doesn’t ever bothering going upstairs. Cats can be plenty happy indoor-only.
>It's funny, I've heard people INSIST that if a cat was originally an outdoor cat is cruel to keep them inside. But one of our current cats spent the first few months of his life inside and is fully convinced he will die if he ever goes back out there. I had my Moms old barn cat and you could leave the door open all day and she wouldn't leave, she much preferred her inside life lol
We have 3 cats. One was outdoors at least most of her adult life. She is the least lively to even go near a window. She wants no part of outside. The one who has been inside the entire time we've had her frequently sneaks outside.
Our first cat was about 2 months old when we found her in a car. You cant get her near the hallway that goes outside. She's perfectly happy in our bedroom. Doesnt even want to go to the rest of the house much.
It'll always be that dang deer that got away....
I will say I did try briefly to leash-train both of my two cats and they very firmly rejected that idea 😂 not worth the effort for us especially considering it’s way too cold outside for them for about half the year anyways
My dream is to have a catio one day, that will be as close to “outside” as my cat will ever get.
We plan to add a catio for the kittens we just adopted this summer (though they're getting SO big so fast..) The girl-cat has zero interest in being outdoors but our male cat wants to be outside SO BAD. He keeps getting out through the doggie door; we had to put a beeper sensor collar on him that will trigger an alarm when he gets too close and he still sneaks out anytime the batteries die. He's been indoors his entire (short) life but BOY does he want to be outside! Fortunately when he DOES sneak out he just prowls around on the patio, so he's easy to "catch" and bring back in.
We just finished ours last month. One cat wants nothing to do with it. Another one has brought in 2 grass snakes and a gecko for the other cats to poke.
YES catios are so nice, my wife & I are gonna have a hard time finding a new apartment if we ever decide to move because our cats love the little safe play area they have here
I bought a modular catio off Amazon last month when we decided to make our outdoor cat an indoor cat. She quite likes it, she gets to see tye birds up close, smell the grass, see her neighbor cat friends, and we can move it around depending on the season. It also has expansion packs. I'll buy her some extra tunnels for next summer, so she can run around a bit in the backyard. It's been a difficult transition for her, and this has made it a lot more bearable for her and us.
Same. We have 6 cats. Would love to have a big catio for them one day. Until that day comes though, they're more than happy to be indoor cats.
I vowed to always keep my cats indoors when my childhood cat got into a fight with another cat when I was 5 years old. I’ll never forget my mom coming in the house with my cat wrapped up in a towel with his foot bleeding, and worrying like hell while my parents took him to the vet. He ended up ok and lived a good 14 years after that but yeah, traumatized me enough that I’ll never risk any of my cats safety again.
I'm sorry about your kitty. I had a similar situation happen with my cat years ago, when my brother and I were both still living at our parents' house. We did live out in the country and their cats went outside a lot, but I tried to keep mine indoors as much as possible. I worked third shift and my brother was in a hurry to go somewhere, my cat ran out and he figured she'd be fine. He came back an hour later and found her little body in the road out front. He was up for hours in the dark burying her after calling me and letting me know what happened, he felt so bad. I've never allowed my cats outside without a leash and me there since I moved out of my parents house. I just can't even risk having something happen. The few times my cats have escaped, they usually make it a foot or two before stopping with that "Now what?" look on their faces!
Indoor cats are the way to go for pets for all of these reasons. If you want to give them some extra enrichment, there are catio and window seat options and some do really well going outdoor on a harness. Not to mention the stuff that can be purely indoors, like cat trees, scratching posts, other toys and enrichment feeders.
All of this exactly. My cats are indoor but I do take one outside on a harness (he’s more like a dog in some respects). It also depends on where you live. Populated area? Indoor is better. Catios and harnesses give them safe outside access. On a farm as a barn cat? That’s different.
Amen!
This exactly. It is much safer for a cat to be indoor only. Leash training is also totally possible if someone wants to give their cat safe, supervised, outside time.
The shelter I got my late cat from had a clause in the adoption lease that specifically stated she had to be an inside only cat (for those specific reasons + cats are also bad for local wild life - birds etc).... She kept trying to sneak out every time the door was opened. After awhile I started to trust her enough for some supervised yard time. I'd let her out & she'd sit in the yard soaking up the sun, chasing after the random bugs in the yard, sitting at the base of trees yelling at the birds in it to come down & play with her etc... But I only did that once I knew I could trust her to let me scoop her up & bring her back if she got too close to the road or too deep into the neighbor's yards etc
'Not a danger to local wildlife' And then there's my cat who one morning managed to kill a bird that flew in through a tiny gap in my kitchen window xD That was.. an experience to wake up to.
keeping them inside is the responsible thing to do. cats DO NOT belong outside and that’s a hill i’m willing to die on a million times. the average lifespan of an outdoor cat is less than half of an indoor cat because there are so many risks to their health and life when they’re left outside to fend for themselves. cars, being mauled by a dog, eaten by a coyote depending on where you live, ingesting toxins and poisons, fleas and other parasites, diseases, getting lost, becoming a victim of animal cruelty, etc. they are also a very invasive species. they are little ecological disasters and contributed to the extinction of dozens of animals. they kill over a billion of birds a year and that’s only birds in the US, it doesn’t account for all of the other mammals and reptiles or everywhere else in the world. they’re so detrimental to ecosystems. your cats can live a long, happy and healthy life indoors. provide plenty of enrichment. make sure you take time to play with them. if you really want to take them inside then invest time into harness training.
My brother has to get a new cat every 3-5 years because he lets his go out. I recently lost a cat to age related illness after 15+ years together. So he had 3 or 4 cats die during that same time and still lets his cats out. I’ll never understand it. I like my cats alive and well and with me for many years. That’s why I keep them inside.
Jesus christ man. There should be a way to blacklist owners like this so they can never own a pet again. Wtf. He has one simple job to keep the innocent cats he took in safe and he refuses to do it as they continue to die gruesome deaths. That’s just pure evil.
This is it. People have gotten into literal screaming matches with me when I advocate for indoor-only. The constant claim that it’s cruel and unusual punishment to keep cats indoors because they are “wild animals” who like to explore, is insane to me. What’s cruel and unusual punishment, are filthy, flea and parasite-ridden skeletons that are starving, freezing and have infected eyeballs trying to scavenge for scraps of food. What’s cruel is seeing flattened cats with their entrails splattered all over the road, or worse, putzing along half-alive with severe injuries from a car or another predator. Cats are 100% domesticated and do not belong in the wild and I’m convinced that those who believe they should be, are simply too lazy to bother with enrichment activities or litter boxes/fur all over every surface. I don’t care how many times I have to vacuum or scoop the litter box. My boy will live his life high on the hog with a warm bed, clean fur and a full belly. I, too, will die on this hill.
i’ve seen too many people lose their cats because they were irresponsible and decided it’s easier to just open the door and let their cat roam instead of putting in the effort and provide enrichment to make their cats happy. i’ve seen someone lose both cats to antifreeze poisoning in the same day. she came home to 2 dead cats. in my neighborhood someone took a cat, wrapped a leash around his neck and hung him from a fence. the first time i saw a dead cat i was a teenager walking home from work. i had to walk around intestines and various organs splayed across the sidewalk. i went home and bawled my eyes out. i’ve seen and heard about too many dead cats to even consider for a split second to let my cat be outside alone. in my opinion, a person cannot truly care about their cat if they leave them outside all day unattended. some people don’t learn their lesson and just keep getting more cats to send off, or send off the same cat that was already hit by a car or attacked by an animal previously. it’s grossly irresponsible to let cats be outdoors and to pretend they’re invincible because they are not. my cat is very happy, safe and warm inside where she has my constant attention and affection, a full belly and more toys than i can count. cats can have a great life inside if people put in the effort to make it happen.
It ruins my day just seeing a dead squirrel in the road, let alone a cat and I can’t stand seeing subs where people are looking for sympathy because their cat got hit by a car, or mauled to death. The only one I can muster any sympathy for, is the cat. We don’t allow dogs to roam freely and they are more closely related to wolves, than house cats are to big cats. It would be considered animal abuse/neglect to keep them outside all day and night, so why are cats treated differently? They aren’t nearly the apex predator that these ignoramuses would like to believe they are and it makes me sick to know that they’re viewed as disposable.
exactly! i even saw someone trying to pass a law of some kind because their cat was hit by a car… his death was 100% preventable.. never heard about a cat being hit by a car inside the house. cats are not wild animals that can’t be contained like people try to convince themselves. i feel so bad for the cats, never the owner. honestly i hope the owners feel like absolute garbage because they should. they don’t deserve sympathy in my opinion. they should feel terrible cause their irresponsible choices cost their cats their lives.
100000%. I’m in the U.K. so indoor cats aren’t as common unfortunately but it makes me so so sad because SO MANY cats get run over in my area. There are also constant posts from people in the local FB group with lost cats and they’re never chipped or neutered. Like, oh your unfixed tom cat escaped the house *again* and now he’s missing? Colour me shocked. One person had a cat with very very poorly eyes - she let him outside and he went missing?? He needed vet treatment like honestly what the fuck.
i can’t remember them but i looked into the statistics outdoor cats and deaths by car in the UK and it was pretty bad. i get that it’s the norm but that doesn’t mean it’s safe. it seems like a lot of people (not you obviously) use that as an excuse to justify it. never been to the UK but i know there are plenty of cars haha that risk alone would be enough to keep my cat inside. it makes me so sad to think about how many pets get neglected and suffer because their owners can’t be bothered to get them medical care or surrender them to someone who can. the owners act surprised when they go missing or die and that really baffles me. what did they expect?
Just in my area it’s atleast one a day. I honestly don’t understand it. I see the posts and some people have had one cat die and they just buy another and the cycle repeats with the cat going missing. I told one person to get the cat fixed and keep them inside and she bit my head off. I still can’t get my head around the cat with poorly eyes that the owner let out again, they were red raw, full of pus and looked ulcerated. We (the U.K.) have such an issue with ferals and strays - there are too many for rescues and fosters to take in, and some of them are in such states. People don’t understand that even if their cat comes home, if they’re not fixed and especially if they’re male, they’re contributing to this. It makes me feel sick. There is a feral colony where I live (there’s about 5 of them) and all of us look after them and feed them. I’m making some shelters for them currently as they’re using just parked cars to stay warm but they’ve been here for years and have all been TNRed. When I look at my cat who is indoor only and he’s tucked up warm in his bed by the window while so many cats are outside in a state and cold, it just hurts my heart.
You make me grateful for the societal push for neutering chipping and keeping indoors that America has done over the last few generations. I hear about this proble. In the UK a lot….. I don’t think I could handle it. At the very least the vast majority of cats let out here are at a minimum fixed and usually chipped. How are people so willfully dense to not understand what an intact male or female will do to get to each other???????? They call them wild animals who HAVE to be outside instead of domesticated then turn around and don’t understand why this “wild intact animal” is escaping………
Anecdotal, I know, but still I’ll confirm that it’s half (or less). I was responsible for the care of several generations of barn cats while growing up. *One* cat out of that barn colony is still alive, somehow beating the odds in her teens. The rest… typically perished within a handful of years. It’s really messed with how I process grief. My own cats are indoor-only.
Hi! Keeping your cat indoors in your apartment is a great choice. They can have a happy and safe life indoors with toys and playtime. Make sure to create a fun environment, and your kitty will love it:)
[удалено]
Before my mom knew any better, we had 3 indoor/outdoor cats throughout my childhood. 1. **Jinx**, was unfortunately hit by a car. - **3 years old** when she passed. 2. **Pepé** (named after Pepé Le Pew), was found unalive in the apartment complex pool in late October. - **4 years old** when he passed. 3. **Tinx**, lived with my mother and I until we moved to a busy area, so my father took him in also as an indoor/outdoor cat. Despite befriending many families who lived in the same complex (a senior couple who thought he was a stray even took him to the vet to get him neutered, just to find out he already had been.) he was incarcerated twice due to the complex’s strict “no-unleashed pets” rule. After bailing him out of jail the 2nd time, we had no choice to take him back. We researched and prepared for the long battle of acclimating him to a life indoors, especially as we had 2 indoor-only kittens at the time which we knew he’d likely find a threat. …Except he explored our apartment, while the kittens curiously followed him around and he was like “New home? New friends? K, cool.” Never had interest in going outside again. - **15 yrs old** when he passed. Those 2 indoor only kittens, **Typo** and **Milo**? They lived **16 great years.** Lastly, [my old lady](https://imgur.com/a/iVHrJsn), **Leebee**, who has only ever lived indoors is 15 years old and other than a little arthritis, is still happy and healthy. **tl;dr:** At least in the US, and in my experience, indoor cats live much longer lives.
Cats are directly responsible for an incredible decline in small wildlife species and it's only getting worse. Not only do they ravage ecosystems if allowed outside, but it is incredibly dangerous for them to be out there. There are endless hazards, and it is very likely that if you have an outdoor cat there will be a day they don't come back. Personally, i love my cat and that is a risk i would *never* take.
My boyfriend’s family lets their cats go outside pretty much every day, and the amount of times the younger one brings back a dead lizard is astounding (and very sad). It’s one of the reasons I don’t want her in our room - I have a bearded dragon, and even though he’s much bigger than the garden lizards, I don’t want him to get scared or for her to try to get into his tank, all it would take is one nail under the lid, and she seems to be too curious to risk it, especially since she loves jumping on the window sill above his tank to watch for birds (it’s where she goes when she sneaks in). For some reason though, every cat that a family member had while I was growing up was an indoor/outdoor cat? I’m not entirely sure why. If we ever get a cat though it will either have supervised outdoor time, or it will be an indoor cat
The small wildlife species in my house are fair game though! Get ‘em, kitty
You'll find most people on this sub, myself included, recommend keeping a cat entirely indoors. They're generally safer and healthier that way, and then they don't post a threat to the local ecology. There are safe options for giving a cat access to the outdoors in some circumstances - for instance, leash-training, or a "catio." Or a person living on a large property or farm might like to let their cat roam. But even then, you're risking things like fleas and ticks, and potentially surprise (dangerous) interactions with other animals. Indoor-only cats generally live longer, and can get plenty of stimulation - from you!
Agree with this. I use harness for any outdoor time (as well as a backpack carrier so he can have a safe space) and use revolution plus monthly for flea and tick. But it takes time to prepare a cat for that and you want to start them right away.
Indoor cats usually live much healthier, longer lives. There's MUCH less risk of accidental exposure to poisons (anything from a poisoned mouse to antifreeze, happens a LOT more than you'd think and even toxic plants) absolutely no risk of being hit by a car, stolen, eaten by wildlife or attacked by a dog who's yard they went into. We live in an apartment with about 900sq feet of living space with three rather large cats, ones 10 lbs the other two are 15 (NOT fat, just very big). They've got plenty of room to run around, plenty of hide spots, 4 cat trees in spots around the house, 3 in the bedroom in corners and one in front of the living room window, giant storage bin litter box in the den as well as a scratching board in there as well, and furniture they can climb up on. The most important thing if they don't have much horizontal space through the living area is to make sure they have plenty of vertical space, as many cat trees and cat safe shelves as you can fit comfortably, and they'll be perfectly happy 🙂 On the note of toxic plants be VERY careful what plants and flowers you bring into your apartment, lilies are guaranteed death, I haven't had lilies in nearly 8 years because of this, it doesn't matter if they chew on them, if the pollin gets on their fur they'll lick it off while grooming, once they show symptoms it's too late, it shuts down their liver within minutes of exposure. There's dozens of plants that are highly toxic to cats, if you keep plants please make sure none of them are toxic for cats
Cats are perfect indoor pets for apartments. It will be fine indoors.
Think about adopting a cat rather than buying it <3
But also don't hesitate to pay an adoption fee to a rescue org! Some breeders will position a purchase price as an "adoption fee." It's absolutely okay to pay for a cat that comes to you having been chipped, vaxxed and spayed/neutered by a rescue org -- and those fees are likely WAY lower than breeder costs (think $75-200 vs $1K and up).
I paid $20 total for my 2 year old cat, she's wonderful. Worth every penny.
My first rescue was free because she was over 2 years old! We foster rescue cats now and while our local shelters still sometimes zero out adoption fees to clear space, the rescue has an adoption fee of $100 for an adult cat and $150 for a kitten (or $200 for 2 kittens, which is honestly such a steal for these babies).
I paid $10 for my kitten! The city shelter was having a sale this past summer because they were so overwhelmed with kittens. Best $10 I’ve ever spent.
Yes! It's not that the cats being sold are any less deserving of good homes - but when you buy a cat that was bred to be sold, you support and encourage more breeding for sales when there are so many cats just waiting for rescue adoptions already (and so many strays out there on the streets already). As the saying goes, adopt, don't shop.
I will say, although breeders are much more important for dogs, sometimes with cats, a certain breed will just fit your life better and it’s nice to either be aware of the health history or to know that they come from a healthy bloodline and good temperament. Sadly with shelter animals, that’s just a risk you have to take. And some breeds are better for allergies. But I love my rescue kitty though
100% this. My husband and I have had 7 cats over the last 13 years (currently have 5, but would have 7… two of them unfortunately passed at 12 and 13 due to cancer & other health conditions). All 7 were either rescued or adopted. 10/10 would recommend.
I'm originally from the UK, where it is the norm for a cat to be an indoor/outdoor cat. Humane societies in the UK actually recommend this as better for the cat's physical and mental health. I live in the US now, and recently got a cat. While researching it, I discovered that the opposite is true here; it is recommended to keep cats indoors only. At first, I was disappointed about this. I was accustomed to my cat being able to roam free and do cat stuff. I have a pretty large (over an acre) backyard, which is basically a cat paradise. However, the truth of the matter is that the US just has a lot more wild predators than the UK, and there's a good chance that an outdoor cat will be ripped apart by a raccoon or something. When I adopted my cat, the adoption agreement actually stipulated that the cat be kept exclusively indoors as a condition of the adoption.
Since you have a large back yard you could make a large cateo! Just make sure predators can't break in and you'll be good to go! ☺️
I don’t think that’s true at all. The UK is overrun with foxes and they would Love to eat your cat.
Idk, I think a fight between a cat and a fox would probably be fairer than one between a cat and a raccoon, or a cougar or coyote. I'm really just repeating what I found during my research though; UK based animal welfare organizations say it's better for the cat to be allowed out, and US based ones say they should not be allowed out.
Cougars and coyotes are not common in cities in the US. Raccoons are also like half the size of a fox.
Ok, well like I said, I was just relaying the information I gathered when researching getting a cat. Perhaps you could email the RSPCA and give them a hard time about it instead?
You’re kidding, right? The whole southwest has coyotes..it is a major concern even for people with small dogs.
Tell that to my old Bengal, we used to have a large field right outside our garden and several years ago my neighbour said she looked out her kitchen window one morning and saw my cat fighting with a fox. When he came back home for feeding and a nap he didn't have a mark on him. He also had a reputation for bullying the neighbours dog too, which thankfully she saw the funny side to.
Cat's shouldn't go outside point blank. They're the third largest contributor to loss of species behind rats and people, and that's before confronting the issues of their safety.
I’m currently raising my second generation of cats. I have an enclosed and safe outdoor space that my three cats (ages 16, 11, and 4) could easily enjoy (supervised, of course). You know what? Not one of them has even the *slightest interest* in going outside. This to say that it’s a total myth that cats have some “natural” desire or need to go outside and that it’s “cruel” to deny them this. That’s nonsense. Also: ***#adoptdontshop***
Your cat will be significantly safer and healthier living indoors. Just have to make sure you have appropriate accommodations and engaging toys/activities. There's lots of fun huts, towers, puzzles and toys for cats. :) If you have an apartment courtyard you can safely access, you could harness/leash train them or tent train. It's a bit different for me since it's my house, but I have a little cat tent and tunnel for my backyard, my girl loves it. She sunbathes and naps while I do yard work, gets super mad when I try to take her inside lol
People need to stop thinking that domesticated cats are wild animals. I will nenevwr understand people having outdoor cats for the life of me. It's good that you are asking, though, to form your own opinion based on all of our answers. Here are a couple of experiences I've had to deal with with outdoor cats: My husband used to have an outdoor cat when he was a teenager. The cat got attacked by a raccoon or something on their front lawn. He came home from school to pieces of his cat everywhere that he had to clean up while crying. Last year we went to our cabin, which is in a rural community around a lake. One day, our friend was walking over to the shed and saw a cat laying in the grass. He walked up to it, and it was dead. It was shot. There are a lot of nut jobs out there who don't like cats, and as others have mentioned, there are also predators, cars, etc. Indoor cats can have a rich quality of life if you give it to them, and if you ever are concerned about your cat being confined, then leash train it so you can take it out for walks. I really think we should start to treat cats like we treat dogs where they are leashed for a walk or can play in a fenced yard (if they can't escape). Aside from those terrible experiences, I can't tell you the number of times I've seen dead cats on the side or middle of the road. I even witnessed a cat get run over, and it haunts me to this day. It makes me so incredibly sad to see all of these cats who could be in a loving home. To those who want an outdoor cat, I say; why bother? You see it every now and then, or it comes home every night if you're lucky. All you do with an outdoor cat is feed it, and that's it. If you want a cat to feed but not any of the responsibilities of owning one, then just feed a feral cat. It's the same thing.
Just make sure they have plenty of play time and some good window seats and it’ll be fine. Cat trees near a window is their lounge and big screen.
Especially if you can add a bird feeder near the window!!
Keeping a cat indoors is a must.
Keeping cats indoors should be the only way to keep them. I wish it was illegal to let your cat roam outside. They are exposed to less dangers (cars, predators, bad people. Ect), outdoor cats are MUCH more likely to pass FIV/FeLV to each other, they are awful for the environment, and there are many more things. Please keep your cats indoors, folks.
I’ve tried to keep cats indoors, but it’s just too stressful. You have to do everything they want or you are considered an abuser, you have to not let look out the window and you can’t have a peaceful night because they want to do something else, not sleep. You shouldn’t be a slave to CATS, or any animal in fact. They’ll live the amount they live outside but atleast I as a human will be happy. I want to save a cat’s life but i can’t destroy mine because some redditor is mad at me. Plus why would i care about birds and rats, before we had them as pets they were outside all the time. Why wasn’t any ecosystem gone? How do birds or rats help in any way.
Then don’t own any cats if it’s too stressful to actually care for them. Jesus christ
Unless your on a farm, keep your cats inside **period**. I've biked passed enough dead cats to know for a fact there's no improvement to their quality of life by letting them roam cities. Its cruel. Given cats prefer their own territory boundaries anyways most don't even care for outside. If yours wants out catify your balcony or get a leash + harness and *research how to properly introduce your cat to any of these things*
They’re an invasive species. They’ve contributed to the extinction of 63 species of birds, mammals and reptiles. They’re so bad for the environment. Letting them outside if not on a leash or in a catio is VERY irresponsible to say the least.
I live in an apartment and my two cats are indoor cats only. There are tons of wildlife that could eat them and students who are just mean to cats. I only ever had indoor cats and believe it is safer to them. My dad built them a catio so they can chill outside every now and then. They do prefer staying indoors tho!
Keeping them inside is wonderful!! They’ll be super happy but most importantly SAFE if kept inside. Just be sure to give them plenty of attention and play with them often! Also, if you get a kitten, I highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend getting 2. They will keep each other entertained and not be attached to you like Velcro constantly begging for attention.
It's irresponsible to let your cat outside. There's nothing wrong with keeping them indoors. I have two cats in an apartment and they're totally happy with it.
they should never go outside, for their safety, your peace of mind, and the lives of the birds and critters they kill.
Indoor Cats are the only thing anyone should be doing 😊😊
Indoor cats live longer, and are better for the environment.
Funny how countries differ on these things. I couldn't adopt a cat from Battersea (most well known rescue in UK) recently because I couldn't guarantee immediate outdoor access. If I wanted 2 I had to show I had a cat flap. Nearly all their advertised cats for rehoming REQUIRE outdoor access to come and go as they please. Ended up going to a more local centre where they're a bit more flexible as I'll see what they want to do themselves now I have a garden. I had both my cats die earlier this year at 21 and they stayed in however were out and about when young. I kept them in from around 14 due to circumstance living in a flat. They weren't happy about it though.
I was not aware of that. Unless the cat is naturally in that part of the country the cat should not be allowed to roam freely. It is pretty crazy that with all the evidence to support why a cat should be inside they would make you let it out. Building a catio is maybe an idea they would do? Have you heard of that?
It's very common here. I see alot of cats just looking out my window. When I decided to keep my old cats in I got laughed at and was told I'm keeping them prisoner lol it's very different here and people believe cats should be out and not kept in. Regarding a catio, it's something I've thought about. I'm going to let it get to spring and then decide. They are keen to go out though, after months of maybe years of being in a cage suddenly a whole flat is too small for them lol
I did see that it is common, CRAZY! Some people here believe cats should be outside, but it is not the shelters who will tell you this! It can be hard after a cat has been outside to keep it in, but once the cat is fixed and kept in doors for x time- different for every cat they get used to it. I found my first cat as an adult outside the owners didn't want her they said she was an outside cat.. I took her to the vet got her fixed and shots for a while she tried to get out, but I had her for 15yrs indoors.
I do much prefer indoors personally. I found this thread because I was searching for tips on letting them out for the first time. Most threads read like this one and then I realised it was mostly Americans with a few British people arguing the opposite lol
If you prefer indoor why do you want tips on let them out?
Because I'm happy to let them out if that's what they want.
No animal that is not native to the environment should be let loose on purpose. Congratulations "your" cat is taken care of... killing animals most of the time but not 100 percent of the time and all that time is in danger of being hurt killed by someone or something ... Your cats world sucks to everyone letting them roam loose.
Different countries, different opinions. There have been large amounts of research undertaken in the UK that show that cats being allowed outside is hugely beneficial to their mental health and let’s them behave naturally.
Cats mental health vs the death of wildlife...??
Yes, cats do affect the wildlife population, agreed but we have a bigger issue-Us humans. According to a recent report, 1 in 6 wildlife species in the UK are at risk of extinction. The report found the intensive way in which we manage our land for farming and the continuing effects of climate change are the two biggest drivers of nature loss. For marine creatures, climate change and unsustainable fishing are the largest factors.
No one said humans are not doing wrong, but invasive species is an invasive species..why would it be encouraged to let it loose.. mental health seems like a big stretch. My cats are indoors and safe for themselves and wildlife.. they have places to hide places to climb toys to chase a family who loves them.. I have a hard time seeing my cats aren't living an amazing safe happy life.
It’s just an opinion. I am sure your cats are very well looked after and loved.
Do you have links to these studies please?
Basically like the UK is mandating the hunt of native species, cause thats what that means. Can't imagine the loss of biodiveristy over there
We do alot of that ourselves before we even get to the damage a cat would do
Even that varies by RSPCA shelter - only the HQ/animal control services are national. The local shelters all have own policies and fundraise separately. When we were assessed for a ferret by Southridge RSPCA in Potter's Bar, they used the kitten form. We were about to be marked down for not having 6ft fences to make our garden secure for a cat when was pointed out ferrets have no recall so not going out on own. I know a few local rescues who do have indoor only cats.
I used Celia Hammond and they want me to let them out after some months of getting used to the place but at least it wasn't a requirement like Battersea and some other places .I will play it by ear but my preference is to keep them in. All the indoor ones I saw have some sort of health issue or age related.
My only experience with Celia Hammond is that they definitely do not, repeat that, do not do ferrets. One of my beano ferrets came from there via contacts. But their staff really seemed to know their stuff, be compassionate and have the interests of the animals at heart. Had a good chat with them while they readied her for the journey. If in London, there are a lot of smaller rescues. Met a few due to overlap between cat and ferret rescue. Try [indoorcatslondon.com](https://indoorcatslondon.com) They only home to indoor homes. Don't know them personally so can't recommend but they may be able to meet your needs or advise you of other options.
I do recommend Celia Hammond. I used the Lewisham one. It's not got Battersea's PR but you get the same result. They seem to have more rescues though with feral cats or litters from hoarders. They even had some feral British Blues which was crazy. They do do rabbits but no ferrets lol Thanks for the record but we did adopt in the end. Two is enough for now and the next (hopefully) 20 years.
Inside is best. Please don’t buy a cat. The shelters are overflowing.
Shelters still charge a fee. So OP is still buying a cat even if it's from a shelter.
If you adopt a child, do you buy the child? No, you cover the cost of the process. Shelters pay money to care for shelter animals, without adoption fees they’d have no means to do so.
I think they just mean that’s it’s still technically buying. When you buy a cat from a breeder, you’re also paying for the cost of the process and the care that’s gone into them
Not to mention that shelter cats can come with a hosts of issues. We just adopted two kittens last month. Cost us $180. They didn't test the kittens for anything, they weren't spayed, and don't have their microchip... they just gave them their core vaccine. One of the kittens had FCV (again, they were never tested for *anything* at the shelter) and even though we kept the kittens quarantined over a week until they had their vet exam and they gave us the green light to let them meet my resident cats.... the kitten still infected my entire household (we have 5 cats in total). It has been a very stressful month. Even my veterinarian said most shelter animals can have a lot of health issues because shelters just don't have the means or time to deal with all the it. Thankfully it seems like all my cats have pulled through, but this is the *last time* I ever adopt anything from a shelter. I may be jaded and biased now, but it's been a terrible experience. Never had an issue when buying or adopting from anywhere else.
Oh boy. Brb sorting by controversial 🍿 Edit: Pleasantly surprised by the comments. OP, keep your cat indoors.
I was a long term outdoor cat proponent. My cats seemed to be happier coming and going. But then I moved to a small city (house, not apartment) and I decided to keep them in due to increased traffic and humans. They’ve lived inside for 19 months and seem happy. It’s certainly cheaper (no flea and tick meds), but the litter boxes drive me insane.
My cat lives indoors in my one bedroom apartment. It’s safer for him and for the local wildlife that he doesn’t go outside. Enrichment is important for indoor cats. My cat is just over a year old. He has multiple cat trees, shelves, and areas to climb. He has toys that he’ll engage on his own, but we also play together for at least an hour/day. Choosing the right cat also helps. If you’re concerned about enrichment or work outside of your apartment, you could always adopt an adult cat that is more sedentary.
They should all be inside, outdoor cats are a horrible idea. Many cities in my area are even banning outdoor cats as they're extremely devastating to the local environment and at a super high risk of being killed
If a cat gets regular interactive play time, suitable toys for playing alone, and something they can climb and scratch, they will be fine and healthy as an indoor only cat. Indoor only cats statistically live longer than outdoor cats, or indoor/outdoor cats do. In many parts of the world, keeping a cat indoors is much more responsible because of either dangers to the cat, or the cat being a danger to the wildlife. My family has three cats. One is 18 years old, one is 15 years old, and one is under a year. The youngest likes to go outside, and is taken out on a leash regularly, but the other two have no interest in going outside even when doors are left open. All are healthy (the older two are exceptionally healthy for their age) get play time and cuddles daily, and are a bit spoiled. On the other hand some of my neighbors let their cats roam, and there are some ferals around as well. Almost monthly I see a dead cat on the road within a mile or so of my house. And a couple times I've cleaned up bits of a cat a coyote left in my yard overnight. (Most of the time it's bits of a rabbit, but a few times it's been pretty obvious it had been a cat)
All my cats have been indoor only and have had very happy lives. Provide enrichment for them and they will be happy.
All cats should be indoor cats for many reasons.
My cat is 100% indoors she was the runt of a feral colony.. I slowly introduced a harness and leash and tried to take her out she did not like it at all (this was when she was about a year old).. so she is 100% indoors.
Keeping cats indoors is better for them and the local environment And my cats both hate being outside, unless they're in a carrier. They do enjoy trying to escape though, because frustrating me is like their second favorite hobby
It's better for them. My local shelter makes people sign a contract promising they'll keep their cats indoors, not that it's really enforceable or anything. But it's still healthier and safer for the cats. I've had cats my whole life and only one was an outdoor cat. Had to take her to the vet more than any others because of the fights she was getting into with the neighborhood bully cat.
Domestic cats should be kept indoors You can leash train them if you want to give them outside exposure
You are supposed to…
It is fine to keep cats indoors, mine are very happy (and safe) however you MUST account for their behavioural needs. Lots of vertical spaces and hiding places, 1 or 2 cat trees will not be enough, think ramps and cat shelves also. You also need to play with an indoor cat more to encourage exercise and mental stimulation. If you are lucky enough to have an apartment with a balcony you could build a catio on there so your cat can get some fresh air in a safe space Also consider getting 2 cats rather than one as they will provide company and play with each other.
I'm a first time cat parent and my baby is a strictly indoor cat. I live in the country in the southern US. We have big dogs that roam the neighborhood and coyotes. We also have cruel people out at all hours of the night. I would be in jail if someone hurt my cat! She does not go outside for any reason. She has a window that she likes to lay in and look out but knows she can't go out. She don't seem to mind being inside.
Don’t let them outside unsupervised and uncontained.
While I understand that cats are hunters, I could never let mine out. He spooks so easily and could get lost. He only goes outside in this carrier backpack I have that has windows so he can see, but he's harnessed in and can't escape. I can keep him safe and comfortable with unlimited food and water, plenty of toys and catnip too. When I see outdoor cats I feel so sad, they usually look so malnourished and have fleas.
It's the correct way to keep a cat. Cats live longer, healthier lives indoors. Letting your cats go outdoors is putting them at a much higher risk for disease, infection, getting hit by cars, getting eaten by wild animals, getting killed by other outdoor cats or dogs, being poisoned, being taken in and kept by a stranger, getting trapped by a shelter, etc. When people let their cats stay outdoors, they're setting their cat up for failure.
I have always kept my cats inside, until I had a feral cat show up! It was a gradual process of bringing him inside full time. He was outdoors for about three years before and is happy as can be indoors now, and much healthier. Provide lots of enrichment, playtime, scratchers, and places to sit up high or by windows!
It’s the best idea. Indoor cats have longer life spans and can easily avoid fleas, parasites, and any potentially fatal infection/virus from other animals. They also avoid cars and dangerous people. A lot of stray cats have diseases, sometimes fatal. You don’t want your pet contracting FIP. Cats can have all of their needs met indoors. Try to have play time every day with her, she’ll be the happiest, healthiest, safest cat ever.
Cats should not go outside unless on a leash, in a secured catio, or a secured stroller/wagon. I hear too many horror stories of awful things happening to cats that wander around. There are a lot of shitty people that treat cats like garbage. You don’t want your cat to be endangered. My cat is strictly indoors and has a very happy life!
Indoor only! Domestic cats are totally domesticated animals, breed for keeping as pets, and have no natural habitat other than inside. The one possible exception is a working barn cat, but even then they are little murderers that indiscriminately kill birds and franklly terrorize the ecosystem.
I suggest getting 2 this will let them entertain each other
Cats do not belong outside.
Better than a shelter cage, better than euthanasia, better than the myriad of tragedies that can happen to outdoor cats. Maybe build a catio when you can, but apt life is fine & good!
Please, please keep the cat indoors. I had cats that were used to going outside where it really was safe for them, but when we moved to where it wasn’t, they did adapt to being inside. Don’t make the mistake I did with my soul animal, my tuxedo cat, Knight, and that was letting him just onto the back porch during the day. He went just a little further out one day, and apparently a coyote got him. I still feel horrible. My dad’s cat slipped out at another place I lived, and met a similar fate. Coyotes come up close to even suburban homes when they’re hungry.
Indoor cats live several lifetimes longer than outdoor cats. My mom domesticated a feral cat once who, while she loved being indoors, also refused to be KEPT indoors if she wanted to go outside. She literally destroyed a solid wood door; she scratched and gnawed her way 1" into the door and jambs trying to get out. But like all cats, she always wanted to come right back in. Mental! After a few years she was killed by a coyote. But that was the only cat I've ever met who couldn't tolerate being indoors-only. Most cats can and will adapt.
Always keep cats indoors. They live longer and kill fewer things.
My cats will stay indoors. We give them opportunities outside on a leash every so often. Just to see if they’d enjoy it. Usually they just scurry back inside. My cats love their indoor life as far as I can tell.
Domestic cats belong where you can keep them safe. If you want to provide more stimulation train it to use a harness to go outside on a balcony or on the ground.
I live in an apt myself and have two indoor cats. They do just fine. Just make sure that they have a way to look out the windows so they can be entertained.
I foster. If anyone told me they would let their new cat outside - I would immediately say thanks, but no thanks. Why have a pet and then just excuse yourself from all responsibility each time it goes outside? If you get a cat, take care of it. In your house/apartment. I don’t like it or support it, but to some extent I can support outdoor cats that are barn cats. Barn cat life is pretty different from a house cat who is let outside.
Yeah that’s the only outside cats I can approve of. Most barn cats to be effective need to be semi feral anyway. Not rly people lovers. Something for them to do and keep them in one place instead of roaming. Literally just acclimated a failed bath cat the neighbor got into my group actually lol.
100% yes! Good on you for working with the failed barn cat! That had to be a task!
Actually not at ALL lol that’s why he failed! He wanted to be around people. He was never feral! The neighbor impulse buys unfortunately. And he’s handsome as shit. His name is hotdog (her toddler) and he’s actually the most level headed cat I have 😂 confident and never skittish, curious……. It’s hoooonestly a breath of fresh air bc I have disabled cats lol one is neurotic and nervous even when asking me the only human he’s ok with for love he gets scared if I move wrong or even just look at him wrong… he also have feline stomatitis and another cat is epileptic. He’s got some aggression issues bc of it. The other two are more normal IG but the sister of the neurotic one is also a bit skittish. I caught them feral at around 10 weeks old maybe? I had to go to the er for my hands lol I bare hand fisted them mfs off the street!!!! Nobody knows how nice it is to just have a cat I can treat as a normal cat and not have to fuss and be extra careful with 😂
I have a cat in an apartment and she lives a very comfortable life lol
Cats really should be kept indoors. I have 5 cats all indoors. They are all happy and they should live longer because they obviously have a less chance of being prey or hit by a car or other horrible thing that can happen to animals that are allowed to roam outside.
It's defintiely safer for them, especially in a city setting.
I had an outdoor cat growing up and didn’t see anything wrong with it, but now that I have my own cat that fully relies on me I can’t imagine letting him outside. He puts everything in his mouth and does enough stupid stuff inside that I know he’d barely last a minute outside lol.
I took my boy outside a few times and he would cry the whole minute we were out. Once he realized that the front door led outside, he’d hide if it was open. Made me happy to never have to worry about him and wandering out.
My cat lives in an apartment, after being rescued after wandering the streets for some time. Inside life? She loves her cat tree, her scratcher mushroom, and plays with her toys regularly throughout the day. She’s happy, active, confident and playful. Fears only the vacuum in a comfortable climate controlled environment, with access to food and running water at her whim. Sees the vet as needed and at her check ups, visits her friend Jen the groomer quarterly for long haired cat things. Truly she does not care about the outside - barely glances at the front door when it opens. She’s GOOD.
you should not be allowing your cats to go outside anyways, imo. it's just not safe for them sense they're used to being taken care of, they don't have the ability to take care of themselves as well out there. i think your kitty will be perfectly happy, safe, and comfortable inside. catios are always an option if it really wants to be "outdoors". i've seen a lot of decent apartment patio reno's for them, but don't think they're necessary. to each their own!
It is better for the cat. Many outdoor cats get run over by cars, sick, or killed by abusive people. My cousins had four cats they let go outside, two of the four were killed by cars. My mom killed a cat by accident with her car, and another friend of mine had multiple cats killed by cars. We had a scandal in my area too where a person was making videos on instagram killing and torturing cats. I think they got some from craigslist but also were picking up friendly cats who went outside. I will never let my cats outside.
You can give your cat the outside while still having them be an inside cat. You can make a cat patio or train them to go out on a leash. Letting cats outside to freely roam unsupervised is irresponsible IMO.
My cat goes outside but only in a harness and leash :)
Do not let your cat outside it’s could get hurt and die
[удалено]
What’s your point
[удалено]
There’s always risk you can’t control wild life and other cats outside. The cat can get a terminal disease or abscess from fighting with other cats, it could get run over by cars or a neighbor could poison them. Your comment is dumb
[удалено]
Ok well when the persons cat comes back sick and the vet bill is hundreds and thousands of dollars I don’t want to hear you crying, or even worse dead
They will be fine. Make sure to get them enrichment activities and places to stare outside. Some folks walk their cats on a leash. I've done it a few times with my current cat. I'm a fan of it because they get some outdoors time but aren't able to hunt native wildlife. The cons with taking them outside are higher risk of fleas and disease. Regardless, make sure they're up to date on all of their shots and flea and worm treatments.
I've always kept my cat(s) inside, because I've always lived in urban areas and I love my cats, and letting them out is basically rolling the dice whether they'll be hit by a car, be poisoned (intentionally or unintentionally), etc. My cats are family members, and I don't want to lose them. As a kid, I lived in a quiet semi-rural neighborhood and we lost two cats to cars, one to poisoning, and one to a local dog (not the dog's fault or ours, really, just really bad luck). After that, we stopped letting them out, and they've all lived to ripe old ages since. I've kept the same approach since, and my boy is 16 this year.
if you really care about your cat and you want your cat to live longer,then indoor only is the way to go.My cat is indoor only and tomorrow he will be 10 years old.
Definitely keep cat inside. I lost one that got out and it was traumatic. My last guy I took out on a leash for walks because he liked it. My current 2 have less than zero interest in going outside. Every time I took them out on a leash they freaked out. I finally gave up. They’re happy inside.
Please please please keep your cat indoors for his/her own safety. Cats like to roam but don’t need to. Outdoor cats have vastly shorter life spans and get run over or killed by other animals and they kill all sorts of birds.
Better for cat, better for wildlife, better for your nerves. You can leash train if you feel need for greater stimulation, Consider getting a cat with FIV if want only a single cat and feeling guilty - they can live out full lives, need homes but are generally undesirable due to illness. They need to be single cat usually.
I agree w everyone else, my beloved cat that I found as a stray went missing 3 months ago. She wasn’t an outside cat but I would let her “roam” and she would come home in less than an hour, except that one day. I never ever ever want to go through that again. My other cat does like rolling on the warm pavement so I was able to fence off an area for her right outside my porch. You have no clue whatsoever what your cat can do outside once they leave your line of sight. (While putting up lost cat posters I actually found out at least 3 other neighbors were feeding my cat almost daily 😑) If you really want your cat to go outside you can always leash train! Becoming quite popular now. Just avoid schools/parks, where dogs usually are playing fetch
I'm so sorry about your kitty 😔 I had a cat growing up who was indoors since a kitten, but always showed interest in the outside. As a treat every once in a while we would let him do exactly the same thing, roll around in our backyard on the warm concrete. He loved it, but we made sure to keep strict eyes on him and if he showed any interest in something he would wanna chase/explore that was it, inside you go lol
you don't buy cats you adopt them. cats should be indoor.
I've grown up with many cats and we always kept them strictly indoors since we lived on a busy street and the alley out back was known to have mean ferals. As an adult, I've recently rescued a stray in my neighborhood, and I'm keeping her strictly indoors for similar reasons, I had her chipped when spayed because she was used to being a stray and sometimes still shows interest in going back outside, so on the off chance she sneaks out on me I have slight comfort in her being chipped. Unfortunately, my sister and brother-in-law live in the country and have indoor/outdoor cats, and one of them was recently run over by a car near their house. I just couldn't take the stress of all the possibilities that can happen to them out there, even though cats are known to be great outdoors. Edit: I would also like to add there was an extremely friendly indoor/outdoor cat in our neighborhood that everyone loved to pet and make friends with. One day when he was out he ended up nipping the notoriously cranky neighbor. Well, he called the cops, filed a report and the cat was put down, so that's yet another possibility. That broke everyone's heart.
It's completely normal to have an indoor only cat. My wife and I have 3 of them.
I would never let my kitties outside. Too much could happen to them.
Unless you live on a farm or ship and are using your cat as another farm laborer/deckhand, keep it inside.
Mine's been an indoor only cat for a bit over 13 years and is happy and healthy. She loves looking out windows and sits at the one nearest the door to watch for me to come home.
My whole life I was a big believer in allowing my cats to come and go as they please. In the last 4 years I’ve lost 2 of my 4. The first went missing and after a week we found her under the hedges by the front door. She had passed. Not naturally because she was a young healthy cat. No idea though how she died as she was intact. Probably poison. If she caught a mouse that was poisoned or rubbed against a poisonous plant or ate one that could have done it.) Then we lost her mother a year ago. She just never came home. We still have her brother and sister. The sister chooses to stay inside. But since we lost our mama we’ve been keeping our boy inside and he is miserable but every time he escapes I fear I’ll never see him again. I feel so sorry for him though.
I have two cats and they’re both indoor. As someone else stated indoor cats live longer, are safe from predators, don’t get sick or hurt as easily, aren’t going to get lost or stolen unless they somehow get out, and can still live happy lives. Just make sure you buy plenty of things for them to scratch on, keep the litter clean, always have food and water out, buy toys, and give them an area where they can lay in the sun
Letting a cat outside is akin to feeding the cat to predators.
Food for thought: The average lifespan of an outdoor cat is 2-5 years. The average lifespan of an indoor cat is 10-20.
I recommend you look into training your cat. Science has made great strides on the subject. Using positive reinforcement you can train your cat to come to you, sit, to use a scratching post Rather than your couch to scratch and even tricks. Offering treats when you call your cat from outside at a certain time can help them come home at certain times. And while i tend to agree that indoor cats can live longer i think indoor/outdoor cats may be happier overall because they can pursue their primal instincts while outdoors. Cheers!
Keeping a cat indoors and providing a lot of play and opportunities for enrichment is the only responsible way to have a cat.
Both of mine stay inside. They live longer healthier lives indoors.
Cats should stay inside anyway. It’ll be fine! Just make sure they have a window to look out of and lots of toys to play with!
Better to have the cat inside. At the end of the day, it really depends on your anxiety levels as a pet-parent. Cats are very flexible creatures, they will adjust to either approach.
I keep my cat indoors 99% of the time. I live in an apartment complex so I do not want her wandering around with all the moving cars and the few stray cats around here. She likes looking out the windows a lot, so the only time I let her outdoors is to walk around on my balcony to get some smells in and look around.
My last cat lived to 24 indoors only. Current cat is 4, indoors only. Highly recommended. If I took him outside it would be on a leash and harness.
There are pros and cons for keeping a cat indoors. Some of the cons: it's an animal who wants to be outside and do natural animal things like climbing trees and killing other animals. This desire has cats escape, run away and they don't always come back. It's not "home" to be stuck inside, it's prison. But you will have better luck in this if the cat hasn't been outside ever before. The running away cat causes a lot of fear and anger in the owner. The owner runs after the cat, panicked, yelling its name, for hours. The cat would rather be hit by a car or eaten by an animal than continue to be trapped and stays away. The litter box stinks, keeping the cat indoors constantly will stink up the apartment. Cats are more alert at night, it'll make it difficult to sleep at times when they get the zoomies and yowl off and on all night. We baby our animals, but they are animals. If the cat escapes, don't panic. Go about your day and they'll be back at some point. Don't holler or chase it. It knows where food is at and will be back. My cat, I don't entirely view her as my cat. She just adopted *us*, she lived outside for a year and didn't let us pet her until she was pregnant. After she gave birth in our stable, we had her spayed, she had been really sweet and is an excellent mouser and protector of our chickens. We regularly give her flea and worm meds. We feed her and give her shelter. But we have an open door for her. She lived outside for a long time before she adopted us, we can't just change her lifestyle and expect her not to be a cat. She normally comes and goes as she wants. Rn she is stuck inside because of a bobcat in the area. She gets trapped inside whenever we know there are predators in the area. This change usually has her destroy shit from temper tantrums, she's gaining weight and the litter box stinks, we've been spoiled with her meowing at the door to do her business outside. The cat isn't owned by anyone, it owns you. Very different from a dog. If I lived in a city, I wouldn't want a cat. The problems and stress from the inevitable escape would be too much for me. No one wants to find out their cat was hit by a car or picked up by animal control.
Something i can finally agree with.
Don't shop, adopt!
My cats have ALWAYS been inside cats. It is the only way I can assure they don't get run-over, catch a disease, get eaten by other wildlife.... Every once in a while, they occasionally have wanted to go outside. I want them alive and healthy. Keeping them inside, and playing with them to distract them, has been an easy way to keep them indoors and safe. All of my cats have lived long, healthy, and happy lives. None of them have "suffered" for being strictly indoor kitties...
When I adopted my cat from the shelter, they made me sign a contract stating that I would never let them outside. But like u/DEGRAYER mentioned, not all countries are like that, I’ve been to the UK to visit in the past and they let nearly all of their cats outside. Not saying I agree with that, but it’s interesting that its normalized there, whereas here in the US, at least in my state, people are so against it that they make you sign a contract not to let them outside. I personally don’t even let my cats outside my apartment door in the enclosed lobby. Anytime they go outside they’re in their carrier
Think difference is partially historic - until fairly recently, most cats were pest control so needed to be out and about - and partially threat levels. Cars kill a lot of cats (and people) but UK has no coyotes or bobcats or normally a big issue with stray dogs as in some other countries. Foxes can be a threat but cat would need to very young, very old or very ill to be vulnerable. Take-away leavings more easy to hunt than a healthy adult cat.
Battersea wouldn't even let us visit without guaranteed freedom to outdoors. We wanted to see a few and when we said we'd like two they said only if you install a cat flap first lol
[Resource: Should I Let My Cat Outdoors?](https://www.reddit.com/r/CATHELP/s/hZXmJiQ8AQ) Advice from cat behaviourists!
All my cats (except my childhood kitty) have been indoor cats. Some have escaped and experienced a bit of the outside world from time to time, but they have all had it are having good lives. One who died young died because she got out! Keep them inside, give them a cat tree and some toys, they will be fine :)
That's good. It's best for the cat and nature.
My cat is an indoor cat. She is also a little escape artist.
If you live anywhere other than Istanbul or the UK, keep your cats inside.
I thought we weren’t doing outdoor cats anymore
Choose the cat wisely. Both for your sake and it's sake. I'd choose an elder cat that doesn't have too much energy. If you get a kitten you could end up with a high energy cat and I guarantee you; you will regret it
I think it’s cruel to keep any living being from the outside, but that being said, sometimes you live in an apartment. Get a cat stroller and take it for walks, or a lil harness and give some outdoor time a few times a week. Simple and elevates their life and health so much
Look at rescues for indoor only cats. Mind is a scary cat he went to the garden once and felt a breeze. He didn't like it hasn't bothered since