Keeping a cat indoors - cruel?

thespiderspeed

krlyr wrote: »

Personally I am very pro- indoor cats. I think we live in a world that just isn't suited to freeroaming cats, like it's not suited to latchkey dogs. The rules and laws around dogs have changed to reflect this, I'm just really puzzled at times as to why they haven't for cats.

Perhaps the term indoor cat conjurs up a mental image of a cat never to have a whiff of fresh air or touch a blade of grass again? But owners can provide outdoor access and stimulation in safer ways, like dog owners do using leads, longlines and training.

Cats can be taught to stay within a garden - or if not, you can put physical barriers in place to prevent them leaving. For example, fence toppers, nets, a cat aviary/run, a lead and harness.

You can 'bring the outdoors in' and provide plenty of opportunities for cats to practice natural behaviours indoors - so cat trees (and I've seen some literal cat trees, made from real tree branches!), toys that allow them to 'hunt', grass grown in trays and so on.

Cats, dogs, hamsters, rabbits - they all came from the wild in the first place. I'm not convinced there is anything preventing us from moulding cats to be just as happy indoors as a dog or rabbit, other than this strange (to me) wide opinion that anything other than free roaming is cruel to them. In my opinion, it's far crueler to leave a cat to face dangers like cars, wild animals, poisoning or mistreatment from other people, bad weather and so on. My pets are my pets, and as well as taking responsibility to keeping them under control, I'm also there to protect them - I can't do either if I don't know where they are!

Well said. People will use the argument that it's in their nature to explore, climb, hunt, etc. It is also in a dogs nature to do the same but as a dog owner I am expected by law to keep my dogs under control either on my own property or in public spaces. I don't understand why it is acceptable for cats owners to turf out the family pet on a morning when they go to work and let them back in on their return. As a pet owner we have a duty of care to ensure that our animal is cared for at all times and not just when you can see it.

meritaten

WOACats wrote: »

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.

The breed wouldn't be Peke faced Persians by any chance? they are rare here.

mentaljessie

In a sentence who in their right minds would adopt a cat with epilepsy we did. He has random strolls when we are at home and has learned the green cross code.

We live in a first floor flat, and limit our cats outside experiences. On the other hand if Mr Woo had not been homed to us, we had not been nurses then his condition would of probably killed him. After spending 3K on his treatment in July, and spending £200 pm on his meds, seeing him frolicking with the semi-feral phesant on xmas day made it worthwhile.

WOACats

meritaten wrote: »

The breed wouldn't be Peke faced Persians by any chance? they are rare here.

Hi, no it is not. If you'd like to know, please PM me so we don't derail the thread too much!

ladymagpie

Person_one wrote: »

Caveat, I'm a dog owner and have never had a cat.

I think that all animals need to get enough exercise and mental stimulation. With some animals, you can give them this without them ever leaving your home, or even one room in your home, like a hamster or a guinea pig.

Can a cat really get these things without going outside at all? A dog couldn't. Do you have a balcony or a shared garden or is there no outside space at all?

Comparing dogs and cats is literally comparing two different animals expecting them to have the same needs. A dog requires a lot more exercise than a cat, a cat will spend 2/3 of its life sleeping, does that sound like an animal that needs 2-3 long walks a day?

I have two rescue cats, the charity told us regarding access to outdoors that we should see if they're interested and go from there. We've had them since August and during that time we accidently left the front door open twice (we were in the house) and they were terrified of the noise from the traffic outside and made no moves towards the door. I found them sat on the stairs staring at he door with their ears flat and eyes wide.

They were both abused by previous owners and one of them has never got over it and is a very nervous cat. It took him months before he would move comfortably around the house. If we have visitors he won't come down for a few hours afterwards. I'm scared that if we started putting him outside he'll bolt somewhere he thinks is safe and be too scared to come out again. The other is very small and is a totally black cat, very loving but nervous too. With strangers she is very confident, and comes down to see whose in her territory!

Regardless we had a discussion about trying to let them outdoors and we decided we were against it, my partner had had cats go missing before and it is very upsetting.

My cats have a very happy life indoors with plenty of stimulation. They have each other for companionship and will chase each other round our house for exercise, and play with toys on their own or with us. They do look out the windows every now and then but not very often. They know what the front door is and they've never "asked" to go out. When we come home they're waiting on the stairs and come down meowing at me for attention, and sleep in the bedroom with us at night.

Only a few weeks ago one of my work colleagues told me her cat had come home injured - turns out it had several broken ribs, and the vet said the injuries were compatible with being kicked. There are so many dangers outside, it's not worth it.

adouglasmhor

ladymagpie wrote: »

Comparing dogs and cats is literally comparing two different animals expecting them to have the same needs. A dog requires a lot more exercise than a cat, a cat will spend 2/3 of its life sleeping, does that sound like an animal that needs 2-3 long walks a day?

You have never realy met a greyhound have you?
They can sometimes outsleep cats and though they should be walked can get by happily and healthily on three walks of about twenty minutes a day or just being allowed out into the garden. Dogs like cats cover a vast spectrum.

adouglasmhor

ladymagpie wrote: »

Only a few weeks ago one of my work colleagues told me her cat had come home injured - turns out it had several broken ribs, and the vet said the injuries were compatible with being kicked. There are so many dangers outside, it's not worth it.

My cat when I was about 13 was shot with a high power air rifle by a neighbours son.

ladymagpie

adouglasmhor wrote: »

You have never realy met a greyhound have you?
They can sometimes outsleep cats and though they should be walked can get by happily and healthily on three walks of about twenty minutes a day or just being allowed out into the garden. Dogs like cats cover a vast spectrum.

But you still need to take them out for walks. Cats don't need those. That's still an hours exercise that more often than not needs a human intervention and is needed by the dog.

ladymagpie

adouglasmhor wrote: »

My cat when I was about 13 was shot with a high power air rifle by a neighbours son.

I believe that many evil people start off their life injuring animals for the sake of fun. It's certainly a bad sign in any case. Its disgusting. I'm sorry to hear about that, did he survive?

System

I have an indoor cat, who has a heart condition. She would be in big trouble if she got into a scrap outside and I am able to keep an eye on her at all times to monitor for signs of imminent heart failure.

She has absolutely no desire to go outside and on the occasions where I tried, to see how she felt, she stood still and cried and cried, out of character for her, so I am happy to just have her inside, with numerous toys and me working from home.

Of course different strokes for different folks but it works for us.