Keeping a cat indoors - cruel?

calicocat

/\/\/\.....mine has never tried to catch any food or been up a tree...and has had opportunity to do so. she's not interested one bit and is a complete lazy mare.

She walks outside to follow me, she goes out to sunbathe, to eat grass, and to do a couple of laps of the garden to check everything is in order...nothing else.

paulineb_2

You know what. My big fat ginger tom rascal, hes as happy as the day is long, same as my cat shadow who died of cancer, both had big loud purrs, always purring. If I look at rascal and say his name he does a silent meow and purrs at me.

My cats beans and smudge, they are aunty and nephew. One lies at one side of my pillow and the other the other, I would defy anyone to tell me those two arent happy

My flat isnt tiny, I have two bedrooms, they have the run of the house, all of them.

You know when your cats are miserable and when they arent, mine are a happy bunch. 4 rescues and 2 who were very much wanted by their owner but who couldnt keep them.

Its as if people think you cant tell when your cat is happy. Mine are happy, they are attached to me, they love me, when I go away for a few days its pandemonium when I get back.

Happy as the day is long. And the thing is, even my mums cats who get out, they dont go far and over the years as theyve got older, my mums cats have decided they dont actually want to go out much

Even in the 20 odd years of my mum having outdoor cats, bringing home birds and mice was at a minimum.

My cats are happy, Im happy to have them and Im happy they are ok

And as I said before, for 5 of them it was either be an indoor cat or be dead

Ive had rascal almost 7 years, ant and dec 8 years, zeus 7 years and smudge and beans 2 years

All happy as the day is long, if they were miserable, it would show

My cats arent aloof, they are all attention lovers, but some food, water, attention, they are happy and they are great cats

Nothing wrong with indoor cats, or outdoor cats. My cat shadow who died of cancer 6 years ago, everyone who knew him said, he never had one unhappy day in his life, he was just a happy cat and he loved me and vice versa

He had a great quality of life, lost nothing from being in a flat. Never known a cat apart from rascal to purr all the time, he was so happy.

Cats adapt, that is the bottom line.

Soleil_lune

thegirlintheattic wrote: »

I don't think dog owners should monopolize public spaces. If your dog isn't trained well enough not to chase small animals, then it shouldn't be off the lead. If you can't control it on a lead then you shouldn't own that dog.

I live in a rural area and we have regular issues with dog walkers who let their dogs off the lead who then proceed to chase sheep, lambs and nesting birds. I actually used to go walking with a woman who insisted that her dog wasn't interested in sheep at all, yet every time she let it off the lead near sheep it would go for them. There was a very close encounter when it got a lamb in its mouth, and another when a sheep jumped a fence to escape the dog and could have easily hurt itself. Suffice it to say I no longer go walking with this individual.

I agree.

I get sick to death of going for walks and meeting irresponsible dog-owners who have NO control of their mutt(s) With cries of 'he won't hurt you!' (Yeah right!) and the bloody thing bounding towards me barking its head off, and/or jumping up me, covering me in mud and knocking me flying.

As for the cat issue. I'm not much into the idea of keeping cats indoors, but then I have almost always lived in safe, quiet neighbourhoods with little or no traffic.

Have to say though; my friend's cat got killed a couple of years ago, even though she lived in a safe area. (She had had cats for 10 years and nothing had happened to them.) But one of her cats got killed, and she didn't know how. She just found it - sadly - behind the neighbour's shed a week after it went missing.

Anyway, she told someone about it on this one particular message board, and got jumped on by two posters - one Canadian and one American - calling her everything under the sun, saying she was an evil cow and a horrible person, and that it was her fault her cat died, and that she doesn't deserve another cat, and if they found out where she was, they would called the RSPCA - or whatever their equivalent is.

Basically, it was HER fault, because she let her cats outside. Apparently, it's a cardinal sin to let them out where they're from. Cruel and evil. My friend was devastated enough at losing her cat, without these 2 vile individuals blaming HER for it.

So it seems that in Canada, and the far north of the USA, it is the done thing to keep cats IN. Whereas, over here, most people let them go out.

But yes, I do think that cats should be allowed out, and find the whole concept of indoor cats a bit strange. JMHO.

~Chameleon~

Arachne wrote: »

The dogs actually *were* both red-nosed pitbulls, not Staffies, however I am aware that you get good- and bad-natured dogs of all breeds.

Have you invented a new breed of dog here?! :rotfl:

~Chameleon~

At this time of year many people are putting anti-freeze into their cars. This is highly attractive yet extremely toxic and fatal to cats. Please be careful to wash away any spills.

calicocat

Soleil_lune wrote: »

I agree.

I get sick to death of going for walks and meeting irresponsible dog-owners who have NO control of their mutt(s) With cries of 'he won't hurt you!' (Yeah right!) and the bloody thing bounding towards me barking its head off, and/or jumping up me, covering me in mud and knocking me flying.

As for the cat issue. I'm not much into the idea of keeping cats indoors, but then I have almost always lived in safe, quiet neighbourhoods with little or no traffic.

Have to say though; my friend's cat got killed a couple of years ago, even though she lived in a safe area. (She had had cats for 10 years and nothing had happened to them.) But one of her cats got killed, and she didn't know how. She just found it - sadly - behind the neighbour's shed a week after it went missing.

Anyway, she told someone about it on this one particular message board, and got jumped on by two posters - one Canadian and one American - calling her everything under the sun, saying she was an evil cow and a horrible person, and that it was her fault her cat died, and that she doesn't deserve another cat, and if they found out where she was, they would called the RSPCA - or whatever their equivalent is.

Basically, it was HER fault, because she let her cats outside. Apparently, it's a cardinal sin to let them out where they're from. Cruel and evil. My friend was devastated enough at losing her cat, without these 2 vile individuals blaming HER for it.

So it seems that in Canada, and the far north of the USA, it is the done thing to keep cats IN. Whereas, over here, most people let them go out.

But yes, I do think that cats should be allowed out, and find the whole concept of indoor cats a bit strange. JMHO.

And it's possible those lovely kind Canadians and north Americans have their cats claws removed.....not saying they in particular do, but that seems to be a trend there if what i'm told is correct...which I find cruel.

There is no right or wrong provided the cat is happy, mine has always seemed happy when a house cat, and is still happy being a house cat when i'm out.

seven-day-weekend

meritaten wrote: »

Expensive cats have usually been kept indoors I would think. I certainly keep my Barney indoors! Flat Face Persian - worth about £500! plus he is not street smart and thinks everyone loves him.
My son keeps his American Ragdolls indoors. worth twice Barney if not more. and they have been raised as 'indoor' cats. it would be cruel to expect them to cope with outdoor life.
not to mention that cats do like the finer things in life! a nice warm home and an adoring owner is a basic requirement.
The argument that cats like to be outdoors to hunt etc is spurious to me. Cats are lazy - they wont hunt if food is provided.and a cat which has been brought up indoors doesn't crave being outdoors. even outdoor cats which because of illness are confined indoors adapt easily. Cats do whatever its best for that cat to do.

Oh yes they will. Every female cat I've had over forty years has hunted (some more efficiently than others ). The males sometimes don't bother, but I would say on average most cats will hunt. The two I've got now still do occasionally, at fifteen years old, especially when it is the season for baby birds, mice and frogs.

I agree that if your cat has never been outside they are probably not going to want to, but I personally wouldn't dream of starting them that way, no matter how much they are worth.

I also agree that a house cat can have a decent life but I would not chose it for the cat unless there were extenuating circumstances like the cat being too ill to go out. The cat however, may chose that life for themselves

NoGoodNamesLeft

I've got two male cats, one goes out and the other doesn't. The indoor cat will come into the garden if it's not too cold, but the slightest breeze or drop of rain sends him scurrying inside to his bed where he'll spend the rest of the day giving us wounded looks.
There is no real difference between them and the outdoor cat doesn't show any problems if he stays in for a few days.
I don't think one way is any better than the other, as long as the cat is happy.

WOACats

Hello, new here.
I'm American, but living here in the UK.
It is not a big trend in America to de-claw. I've only ever come across one cat that had been de-clawed. I have heard about it being done but I don't think it is as common as it is being made out to be.

I raise a very rare breed here in the UK. My cats are indoor only as they would without a doubt be stolen, not only that but two of them are intact and it is my responsibility to ensure that there are no unwanted litters and that my cats do not contract any diseases.
Only my intact tom tries to get into the garden now and then. He isn't a sprayer so he does not mark territory, but he likes to go out and have a little romp. I put him on a high line with a harness and let him enjoy his time outdoors. He only asks to go out about once a week or so. He is a very happy lad and would much rather spend his time being held and babied!
I feel cats can be very happy indoors, but it can take effort on your part to ensure that. I trick train my feline friends. They are very smart and pick up on simple tricks very quickly. My cats all look forward to their training time. I use a clicker and a target stick.
I also make sure I have a lot of things for them to scratch on, several different cat trees with different surfaces...also...multiple litter boxes. I change them daily and wash them out 3 times a week. Toys...lots of those! I have several interactive toys, including a food maze and a treat dispensing ball. (I just use normal kibble) The cat must roll it around in order to get the reward. This keeps one of my girls occupied for ages! She loves it! My other girl is in love with the treat maze and will spend a good deal of time working at getting the food out. We also have cat grass available and buy things like catnip and valerian toys to stimulate kitty's enjoyment.
Cat wands with feathers on the end gets them in the mood to hunt and we also have 'Cat TV' outside via the bird feeder.

I have previously owned outdoor cats in America, and I will never do that again. Rural cats can face many dangers as well as those in the cities.
Having watched one of my cats being attacked by a dog...unable to do anything to save him from his fate...I never want that to happen again. It was absolutely one of the most horrifying things I have ever witnessed and I would not wish that to happen to any cat.

calicocat

Well I have tried to get mine to go out for the last 4 days......nope, she's not having any of it and is duvet-bound.