Do you think its cruel to keep cats as "house cats"?

Idiophreak

I think it's weird to keep animals as pets, anyway...But if you're going to, I don't see it makes much difference whether you keep them inside or not...

Mrs_Z

Personally I'm with Tanith on this one - but I understand that there are 2 schools of thoughts on this topic.

What I absolutely would disagree on is to try and make an indoor cat from a cat that previously had access to outdoors.

We have 2 cats and they have access to outdoors through catflap 24/7 - both are 10yrs + and don't seem to venture very far at all, and now that the sunny days are over, spend 23hrs indoors.

sparrer

My two had a feral mum so their instinct is to be out but I do keep them in overnight, I've done so with all the cats I've ever had. The 'night' cats can often be heard scrapping and I don't fancy mopping blood in the morning! My two are so used to the routine that they're always waiting by the back door around 11pm, then they go straight up to their beds.

If a cat is brought up to live indoors they can't miss what they've not experienced but imho it's as unnatural as keeping a bird in a cage.

h007

i have 2 cats. i used to live in a ground floor flat with a garden. one of them loved being outside and the other hated it and was a self impossed indoors cat.

then i had to move and ended up in a 1st floor flat with no garden. i knew my indoors cat would be fine there but i was worried about the other one and made arrangements for her to be rehomed if she didnt like being inside.

but to my relief (cos i love her to bits) she has been absolutely fine. she does sometimes sit at the window and watch birds etc but has never made any kind of fuss or 'asked' to go out the door or window. and believe me she is very vocal and would soon let me know if she was unhappy with the situation!

chloebug

Having experienced the loss many years ago of a cat that was run over and another cat who died of poisoning I have always kept our cats as indoor cats (as a breeder now I wouldn't want our girls out anyway). Cats may be independent but with the right toys and attention they do not need to be 'free' outside. Many cats die on roads or are shot or poisoned by non cat people. Also I prefer to know that our pets are not catching 'presents' for us or leaving their mark in someone elses garden. I prefer my cats to be safe and sound and I do not think their quality of life is diminished by being inside (and looking around at four of them on the bed next to me I think they'de agree). Each to their own though and its up to individuals to decide.

graceey_2

I think it depends on the cat and your circumstances. I have seen indoor cats with obvious behavioural problems (the owners seem to think they are being cute and don't realise it's because they aren't able to act according to their natural instincts.

However, one of our cats is pretty much an indoor cat by choice and is not that interested in outside (we got her from the cats protection league and the wide open sky when she's outside seems all too much for her), so it would be cruel to shut her outside.

The other always wants to be out and it would be equally as cruel to keep her in - in fact when she couldn't be outside as much last year due the snow and freezing cold, she developed cystitis, which totally resolved once she could spend her days outside again Although I'd be devastated if she was run over, I don't see that as a reason to keep her in when she is far happier with the freedom to roam.

I don't think there's a right or wrong answer, if your cat is indoors you just need to make sure they can show natural behaviour like hunting/stalking/sharpening their claws, even if its just through play (although I realise some cats just aren't interested in hunting/playing)

bacardi66

Ive always given my cats a cat flap and the freedom to choose. They have loved going out, especially in the summer and in their younger days loved to hunt. My elderly cat still enjoys sitting in the garden in the sun and Im not going to deprive him now. But I can understand why some people choose indoor lives for their cats.

I think in these days when there are so many unwanted, abandoned and unloved cats, that to give a cat a happy, caring and loving home whether it be inside or outside, is the most important thing of all.

coffeebeen

We have two indoor cats. We don't have a garden, but will in a couple of months so I find this thread interesting! One is terrified of everything and even the vet recommends she is a permanent indoor cat (she won't even go near windows/ doors anyway), but the other one is quite brave and chilled, so I will give him the choice to go outside. I completely understand both sides of this debate- I suppose it depends on where you live. I certainly wouldn't think it was cruel keeping cats as permanent house cats if they're happy with it.

Kimberley

I have 3 Bengal cats who have to remain indoors because these cats have no idea how dangerous the roads or some people are. I wouldn't even risk it because i had a silver Bengal kitten go missing a couple of years ago and never got her back. I give mine plenty of stimulation with live flying locusts and recreate their hunting instinct with dead day old chicks etc and feed them a raw diet as well as mental stimulation by us human slaves They also have an outside enclosure that they can access via a window from the house for fresh air and get taken on the grass supervised or with a harness. It is not cruel to keep a cat indoors if they get plenty of stimulation indoors to stimulate what they would do on the outside. It would be different if you lived in a very rural area with no or minimal traffic but if you lived in a built up area then it's best to keep them indoors.

little_evo

We have two indoor cats. Our boy Moe who is 6 yrs old likes to dart outside and nibble on some grass as long as we stand there with the door open and heaven help us if we close it as he screams and scracthes the door down to get back inside. We also have a girl cat, Mog who is absolutely terrified of any open doors and we think something happened in her previous life which makes her so jumpy about the great outdooors. (she's had three previous owners) Two perfectly healthy and happy cats.:)