Keeping a cat indoors - cruel?

ibizafan_2

My son and his girlfriend live in Australia and have recently acquired two Burmese kittens who are half brothers. They have been advised not to let them out, and that is partly why they decided to have two, so they would be company for each other. They have lots of toys and climbing equipment and seem perfectly happy. My moggy has always been used to coming and going as he wants, although I know that some people lock their cats in at night. There is no right answer as it depends on the individual animal and your own circumstances. If I lived on a busy road, I would be very worried about letting a cat out.

ladymagpie

CharlieRabbit01 wrote: »

they many dangers out side for any living creature even humans but that doesn't mean we don't let them out.

My kitten is an indoor cat (his own choice) but we still take him out supervised, yes outside is a dangerous place for roaming animals the same could be said for children but that doesnt mean they are kept indoors 24/7 instead they have supervision.

Dude why would you let a kitten out in the first place! They need to be adults before you let them out!

CharlieRabbit01

ladymagpie wrote: »

Dude why would you let a kitten out in the first place! They need to be adults before you let them out!

They don't need to be adults, they can go out as early as a week after they've had their full course of vaccines, but usually recommended after neutering.

He's always supervised and usually wants to come back in after less than 5 minutes.

koolkatsaffi

Larger breeds are happy indoors providing the home is a reasonable size and is one adapted to their needs. Smaller breeds or cats with additional health needs make good housecats for the smaller home as long as they are given plenty of time and stimuli.

My sister likes her large breeds and has four Maine Coons, a Bengal and a Norwegian Forest Ragdoll cross. She has a very large lounge area and a huge conservatory kitted out with gyms and climbing platforms - some as high as the ceiling. They also have access to the hallway, stairs and landing areas. They play and dash about the house - it is quite a sight to see! She plays with them all loads and they even retrieve like dogs. Obviously these cats have cost her a lot of money and are very desirable to others so letting them out is not an option - which her vet agrees. She does have a harness and lead to take them outside but only one of them is happy to go out & then all he does is roll around in the catnip plants for 10 minutes then come back in! My sister would not have these larger breeds if she did not have the space or time.

I live in a much smaller place on the edge of a village. I have been looking at a rescue Munchkin breed cat. This breed - as the name suggests - is a smaller cat. They are one of the more recent breeds and have short legs so it is sensible and vets advise owners to keep them as a house cat. They cannot jump very high so are at the mercy of predators. They do come up from time to time for rescue & I have always had rescue cats due to my own belief that so many unwanted or abandoned pets need a forever home it goes against the grain to buy one.

I have rapidly decreasing mobility issues so that is why I have had to move to a very small bungalow from a large four bedroom place and am 'in the market' for a housecat again - My last three cats had disabilities & problems and were housecats but had all the run of my previous house until I lost my last one in June a few months before I moved My cat is my companion nowadays so will get all the time and input they want.

So I guess it is an individual choice - if you are keeping them as a housecat make sure you meet as many of their needs as possible - look to zoos that try to replicate the big cat's environments and habitis then do that in a scaled down manner suited to the domestic cat.

After all what you have in your home is just the little cousin of the tiger, lion, jaguar, puma, panther & co!

ladymagpie

CharlieRabbit01 wrote: »

They don't need to be adults, they can go out as early as a week after they've had their full course of vaccines, but usually recommended after neutering.

He's always supervised and usually wants to come back in after less than 5 minutes.

Usually recommended after neutering? Never never let your cat out until it's been neutered and until its old enough to be fully developed physically and socially so that it can cope with meeting potentially aggressive, territorial adult cats and dogs. If your cat is coming back in after 5 minutes that's a clue they're either not interested or not ready.

Also if you let an unneutered cat out deliberately please don't complain when they wander seeking a mate when they go on heat - and you lose them. You would be very unlikely to see them again and its irresponsible as a pet owner to do this. This is why there are so many unwanted cats.