2 or 1 cat, indoor or not..

gettingready

My lot can go out - it is just that they do not want to. They choose not to. Not all cats are the same...

morg_monster

Cats are more likely to be killed on the roads at night I believe, so we go for a compromise and keep them in during the hours of darkness, we have a spangly petporte catflap to do this. Our cats love being outside and one tends to batter the catflap in the evening, but we hold fast! It can be a hard decision about keeping them in/out and there are strong advocates on each side. As you get to know the cats you'll be able to make the decision more easily.

We also have a road in front (past our driveway & pavement) and a nice garden and woods behind. We never let the cats out the front door and the catflap is in the back door. They generally stay at the back, in the garden. Occasionally they hop over the side wall but are pretty wary of the road and don't find anything to keep their interest amongst the concrete and tarmac of our driveway. Sometimes i sit with them on the front doorstep and HISS as cars go by... may be weird but seems to work a little.

Some vets are starting to neuter early, if your vet does this and the kittens are big enough (the vet will tell you), you might as well get them done early, esp. if you are getting a boy and a girl, definitely no "whoops" litters which is better for everyone! You shouldn't be letting them outside til they're neutered, but having said that a kitten is too young really to be let out on it's own til its at least 6m anyway, and maybe longer.

Having 2 cats isn't twice as expensive as one (but probably nearly) - if your vet is nice they'll let you share a consultation slot when you get injections done etc, which saves a little. The main thing is, if you are concerned about a kitten destroying the house like your last one, two kittens will entertain each other so much better, they will be less bored, tire each other out more, so despite being 8 sets of sharp claws and 2 meowing mouths, they generally should be no more stressful than the one you had on its own.

ladymarmalade1970

mutter wrote: »

When I've had kittens, I've always had them in pairs so they'd amuse each other (and also wouldn't be too overwhelmed by whatever older cats I had at the time).

I can't bear the thought of keeping cats indoors, it's so very much against their nature, but I'm the sort of person who can be reduced to tears by the sight of a bird in cage or a dog in a handbag.

I prefer my cats to hunt and prowl and stalk and feel the wind, sunshine and showers and live as cat-like a life as possible.

They're free spirits full of instincts and curiosity and I hate to think of all that being stifled by being kept a prisoner indoors.

I feel like this but can i just add that i have 2 cats and only 1 goes out. The other one spends 90% of his time in the house. Just wanted to show that it's not always against their nature (as we assume) to be house cats.
Both are free to come and go as they please.

mutter

ladymarmalade1970 wrote: »

I feel like this but can i just add that i have 2 cats and only 1 goes out. The other one spends 90% of his time in the house. Just wanted to show that it's not always against their nature (as we assume) to be house cats.
Both are free to come and go as they please.

I quite agree.
I've always had a cat flap, and I like to keep the door onto the garden open in decent weather, so my cats have always haad the opportunity to come and go as they please.

That don't live outdoors, but they have 24/7 access - even though in the winter, or when they get older, they sometimes prefer to spend their days snoozing on a bed or sofa.

I just feel awful for those cats who don't have a choice, and for those who haven't been brought up with free access to the outdoors, which often has the effect of making them scared to do so.

Many years ago, I rehomed a pair of 7 or 8 year old indoor cats who protested very strongly at any attempt to get them outside at first,
and though it took a whole summer of leaving the patio door open, they eventually started to explore and experience the world.

There was no more gratifying sight than seeing Sophie lying on her back, legs spread wide, enjoying the feeling of warm sunshine on her tummy, and I don't feel I've got any right to stop them from knowing that pleasure and freedom.

ladymarmalade1970

mutter wrote: »

I quite agree.
There was no more gratifying sight than seeing Sophie lying on her back, legs spread wide, enjoying the feeling of warm sunshine on her tummy, and I don't feel I've got any right to stop them from knowing that pleasure and freedom.

Completely agree.

tinksy

i would always get two as they always have a friend then!

sorry the debate on house v outside annoys me. I have two indoor kitties. They are rescues who suffered severe abuse at the hands of their previous owners. it took 6 months to get them from under our bed and even now one little boy has his safe place in the bedroom. The first summer we had them we let them out and they were terrified. They both have severe anxiety problems and they need to be somewhere safe and thats not outside to them. They also have an urge to know where we are at all times and shut doors can cause serious problems. After a couple of months attempting to get them out they were left to be indoor kitties. And they have thrived. Both cats have now put on weight, one has finally beaten his health problems (he has very few teeth thanks to gingervitus and suffered from a kidney infection brought on from the stress of the op). They also live outside of the bedroom.

However we do have a conservatory which is their room with two snuggley chairs, three baskets, a 7ft cat tree and god knows how many half dead catnip mice!

I have had cats all my life and they have always been outdoor until these two.

rita-rabbit

Having had one cat at a time v having had two cats together & making comparisons for cat happiness & family happiness I think two is best.

*doodle*_2

get two - they need to mix with their own kind. I started off with one and ended up adopted two more and haven't regretted it once. Yeah, they have their odd spats but they love each other and provide each other with company.

Excluding insurance and the vets (wormer, flea treatment and jabs) , I spend about £50 a month on them BUT my three are spoilt.

Mine choose if they want to go outside. The cat flap is only locked on New Years Eve, Bonfire Night and the night before my girl has to go to the vets (just in case she gets wind and 'vanishes' for the day). My two boys stay in the garden but my girl explores. I live near a main road as well but she is incredibly savvy and streetwise. I tend to find that neutered boys don't roam far - like real boys they prefer their home comforts too much!

Solstice_Twilight

We have a single kitten. She's almost three months old and is incredibly lively - we often compare her to having a toddler as she requires a lot of attention, even through the night! Until last year, I'd always had cats in pairs but when my partner and I decided to get a kitten last summer after five cat-less years, we decided to have just the one. We also have two cat-friendly dogs and the kitten soon made friends with them. Sadly, we lost him early this year to hepatitis after spending most of his short life trying to combat the illness which set in when he was only a few months old. We got our current kitten in April.

In terms of feeding costs, it depends what you feed. I prefer dry food, as it can be left out, whereas wet food (whether canned or pouches) needs to be taken up before long to stop it going nasty, especially in warm weather. Unlike dogs, who tend to eat what they can get while they've got it, cats tend to eat as much as they want and go back to it throughout the day. Feeding dry food is, in my experience, quite a bit cheaper than wet food as well.

Some vets do offers on vaccinations (the one nearest us is currently doing 50% off vaccinations) so if you call around a few local clinics, you might be able to get your vaccs and first worm/flea treatments a bit cheaper. Cats Protection League also often do neutering vouchers to give money off the costs incurred there.

The indoor vs outdoor debate is something I feel quite strongly about Growing up, my family cats were always outdoor cats and I often fretted about them. It's not just traffic that's a danger - cats can simply disappear, often stolen or killed in accidents; they can get into fights with other cats (even when neutered) or attacked by dogs. Roaming cats can also be a real nuisance for other people - one of my neighbours during the years I didn't have cats had one of her dogs put to sleep because he killed a cat in his own garden. The cat wandered over the fence, and the dog (on his owners property) who wasn't very good with cats (and is always walked on a lead to prevent it going for wandering moggies) attacked it. Personally, I was devastated for the dog's poor owner as she felt her dog had a right to be loose in his own well-fenced garden, but she just wasn't fast enough to save the cat when she spotted it. She called the number on the cat's tag to tell them what had happened (rather than leaving them to wonder what had happened to their pet) and they insisted the dog be put to sleep. Regardless of whether our neighbour was legally obliged to do so, she was very distressed by the whole incident and felt she had no choice. Her dog was, in every other regard, a wonderful pet who was very good with people, other dogs and kids, but just not good with cats.

I've also had to listen for many years to cat-less people complaining about random cats attacking their pond fish, or using their flower beds as a toilet. Ultimately, if it were dogs roaming around loose, most people would be up in arms, but for some reason it's fine for cats :think:

I know lots of people who keep indoor cats (actually, I can't think of anyone I know who has an outdoor cat at the moment) and their cats are happy and healthy. From my perspective, if I'm going to have a pet, pay for it's food and medical needs, and invest my emotions in it, I'd rather know it was safe and not being overfed by going for extra meals with other families!:p

*doodle*_2

tinksy wrote: »

i would always get two as they always have a friend then!

sorry the debate on house v outside annoys me. I have two indoor kitties. They are rescues who suffered severe abuse at the hands of their previous owners. it took 6 months to get them from under our bed and even now one little boy has his safe place in the bedroom. The first summer we had them we let them out and they were terrified. They both have severe anxiety problems and they need to be somewhere safe and thats not outside to them. They also have an urge to know where we are at all times and shut doors can cause serious problems. After a couple of months attempting to get them out they were left to be indoor kitties. And they have thrived. Both cats have now put on weight, one has finally beaten his health problems (he has very few teeth thanks to gingervitus and suffered from a kidney infection brought on from the stress of the op). They also live outside of the bedroom.

However we do have a conservatory which is their room with two snuggley chairs, three baskets, a 7ft cat tree and god knows how many half dead catnip mice!

I have had cats all my life and they have always been outdoor until these two.

Oh, this is so sad! Give them a huggle for me

I don't pay too much attention to the old 'indoor vrs outdoor' debate as I prefer to focus on in the individual needs of the cat. My boy is a sensitive lad and would have a nervous breakdown at the thought of spending hours and hours outside against his will whereas my girl can't cope being stuck indoors all the time. They choose, thanks to my cat flap, what they want to do and I could never take that choice away from them.