New cat - indoors/ourdoors?

SavingPennies_2

Hi Everyone

this is my first visit to this part of the forum as I am new "owner" of a lovely 9 month old female cat. She is a rescue cat who hasnt had much feedom as far as I know and has spent last few months in a shelter. I wont be letting her out for at least another month (only had her a week)

but...

Im wondering whether to let her out or keep her as a house cat. Id prefer to keep her indoors as she is very small for her age and there are loads of outdoor cats where I live and two large cats which sepnd a lot of time around our garden. We live on a fairly quiet road but nonetheless Id be very worried about her going out and getting hurt or ran over. Its a 3 bed house so shed have plenty of space and when Im not at work im nearly always at home and no children so plenty of time to devote to her.

What do you think? I wouldnt force her to stay in but is it cruel to try and keep her as a house cat? Ive never had a cat before so not much experience with this? any advice appreciated.

oh and she is already spayed and microchipped incase she does sneak out.

Idiophreak

Personally, I think if you're happy to keep an animal as a pet, it doesn't really matter if you keep it inside or out....you're already messing with nature or whatever - so I'd probably keep it indoors.

It's possibly selfish, but the last thing I'd want would be to keep worrying about the thing being hit by a car, attacked by another cat (or chavs, for that matter) or just not coming back.

Just give it plenty of attention, if circumstances change and you don't have as much time to entertain it, get another cat for it to run around with...I know plenty of people with house cats and they all seem perfectly contented pottering around the place.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

She might follow you outside occasionally, which would give you an idea whether she likes the idea or not. More likely in Spring (as it's warmer), but you could find out whether she is interested if you have to go into the garden for something.

Some cats have no interest in outside, some are obsessed (including ones who had always been indoor cats in their previous homes) and some get as far as the garden shed, but never do anything other than chew a few blades of grass and harass a bumblebee.

SavingPennies_2

Idiophreak wrote: »

It's possibly selfish, but the last thing I'd want would be to keep worrying about the thing being hit by a car, attacked by another cat (or chavs, for that matter) or just not coming back.

.

Yes exacly, I want to her to have a happy and contented life but I also want to keep her safe as best I can.

tanith

I've always thought it was cruel to keep an animal locked up inside when all the animals instincts are made for outside living.. (they are hunters after all) but many people keep indoor cats successfully so its your choice.
Personally my cats have always been allowed outside and yes I did lose one to a car accident but it didn't change my mind I'd rather a cat was able to live a full and busy life including being able to do what comes naturally than keep it locked up indoors . I also hated having a litter tray in the house if I'm honest . Enjoy her whatever you decide.

SavingPennies_2

Thanks Jojo, I will see how she gets on sounds like its down to her preference. I wouldnt mind her having a wander round the garden but I hate the thought of her being out all night and getting hurt or not coming back. I guess I will just have to see how she feels about it in a few months when the weather improves.

SavingPennies_2

tanith wrote: »

I've always thought it was cruel to keep an animal locked up inside when all the animals instincts are made for outside living.. (they are hunters after all) but many people keep indoor cats successfully so its your choice.
Personally my cats have always been allowed outside and yes I did lose one to a car accident but it didn't change my mind I'd rather a cat was able to live a full and busy life including being able to do what comes naturally than keep it locked up indoors . I also hated having a litter tray in the house if I'm honest . Enjoy her whatever you decide.

I always thought it was cruel too, but now I have my own Im scared to let her out!!

Idiophreak

tanith wrote: »

I also hated having a litter tray in the house if I'm honest .

That's the other thing...I couldn't live with the idea of my cat going around "decorating" other people's lawns....at least you don't need to worry about that if you keep them in.

krlyr

tanith wrote: »

I've always thought it was cruel to keep an animal locked up inside when all the animals instincts are made for outside living..

And on the other side of the coin, I've always thought it's a bit unfair to let an animal outside when their instincts don't cover things like staying road-savvy (I know as a human I can misjudge a car's speed or route at times, let alone if I was a cat) or avoiding unsafe, unnatural risks (such as antifreeze, I've heard of lots of cats dying from antifreeze poison this year and the sad thing is that it's often accidental on the antifreeze user's part too as they don't realise how toxic it is and don't mop up spillages or secure bottles in the shed etc.). We keep dogs in secure gardens, on-lead and train a good recall for their own safety.

We have domesticated so many species who have the instinct to hunt, run or even soar miles, if they have the benefit of wings, yet cats seem to be the only pet we're lagging behind with in terms of keeping them restrained for their own safety.
I don't disagree that cats have many natural urges that they should be allowed, and even encouraged, to display, but I feel that like with any other domesticated animal, it needs to be done in a way that is not just safe for the animal, but also done to prevent them becoming a nuisance to other people in the area. A cat that is given free roam is not under control and while many probably go about their lives without much impact on others, if you don't know where you cat is 100% of the time you cannot be sure it is not toileting in someone's garden, terrorising their pet rabbit in its hutch, climbing in open windows and leaving fur all over the house of someone with pet allergies, etc. - I think having outdoor cats is quite an antisocial thing to do, as well as putting the cat in harms way.

If I was to ever own a cat I would certainly be securing my garden (there are many products on the market nowadays, as well as DIY solutions), and treating it much like a dog - supervised access in the garden so I can be sure my work securing it is actually effective, and to make sure that it is safe in its own garden too. Then plenty of environmental enrichment, such as cat trees, interactive toys and so on. If the house/garden layout allowed, I'd provide an aviary-type cat run with a flap or open window to allow permanent access to a secure outdoor area.

Yes, it's "going against nature" but that's domestication for you!

You'll find many mixed views on the subject OP so I would do your research, take into account the different arguments, and decide on what you feel is best for you and your cat. Just bear in mind that it's not "chucked outside to fend for themselves all the time" or "locked up indoors without a breath of fresh air", there's lots of arrangements inbetween

tanith

I think you'd be strange if you weren't worried but cats are naturally curious and love to wander its their nature, you only have to watch a cat when its walking in its own domain to see how they just fit in to life outside. Let her make the decision herself and then you'll just have to learn to live with the fear as I did.

Idiophreak

tanith wrote: »

I've always thought it was cruel to keep an animal locked up inside when all the animals instincts are made for outside living.. (they are hunters after all)

Are they, though. I'm not a pet expert, as you may have gathered, but I'm genuinely interested in this, not having a go...

My understanding was that modern, domestic, "pet" cats have been deliberately bred and are now quite distinct from the original "wild" cats, if you like...In which case, can they really be considered as hunters made for outdoor living anymore?

I guess it's like humans...we were built to climb trees, swim through water, travel on the land, survive in the elements...but over the generations, we've become a softer, indoor people, to the extent that we just couldn't survive outdoors for any period of time. Likewise, whilst my species evolved for it, personally I don't feel I'm particularly suited to chasing down antelopes and ripping them apart with my bare hands / teeth (although I'd try, if there was the need )..

In any case, as soon as you start feeding an animal, aren't you robbing it of its nature to hunt its own food? Increasing its dependency on humans and so on? Does keeping them indoors really make that much difference?