Should I get an indoor cat?

[ombre]

Still thinking about that one.  I'm spending time away at the moment but hope to reconsider being owned again, soon.

 
Ombre

[Littlebobo]

Hi there and welcome to purrs sorry to hear about your loss.

I dont live in a particularly dangerous area although i have lost 2 cats 1 i know for sure that was to the road.

Since then i have made the decision to keep my 4 cats all indoors, if you can secure your garden and build a run that in my opinion is the best thing to do as they get the outdoor space as well as the safety and security of not wandering anywhere dangerous.

Let us know what you decide it is hard i know  - good luck xx

[ombre]

Additional thanks to Schmew,Ela, Jess's Mum, Susanne (Urban tigers), Gillian for their views 

I'll show husband the info on indoor cats and have a long think particularly since we both work away occasionally, but not at the same time!

[Gillian Harvey]

I lost several cats on the road years ago and although I wanted to keep the remaining cats safe I didnt want to keep them indoors, it would have been unfair to them - so I had a large cat run built. I've since moved and now they have a safely fenced area of the garden, but also have access to the rest of the garden when I'm around.

Persoanlly, I think its good for cats to have some outdoor space, but with your busy road it doesnt sound safe to allow any new cats to roam freely -  so, as others have mentioned, perhaps you could consider a cat run, attached to the house so the cat/s can come and go as they please, or, you might be able to use any existing fencing, together with safety fencing to provide a safe enclosed garden.

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

I have indoor cats too - always been indoors.  As mentioned earlier, you do need to make an effort to provide an interesting environment for them indoors and also be prepared to spend time playing interactively with them, but otherwise they do fine indoors.  If you have a garden you can catproof or space for a cat run that provides a good compromise between indoor and outdoor.

[Leanne]

Sorry to hear about your losses

Our kitten is an indoor kitty, he had never been out before we rehomed him and we rehomed him as being an indoor kitty.

We have plenty of toys, scratch posts etc to keep him amused (we're out the house 10/11 hours a day as well) but when we are home we play with him and give him LOTS of cuddles and he seems really happy.

Personally I'd worry far too much if we had any outdoor kitty.

[Ela]

Perhaps you would show your husband my indoor/outdoor debate on my site www.chesterfieldcats.co.uk
Also as stated there are many cats in rescue that need indoor homes so that they can reach their full life potential, FIV cats for instance can live a full life but should be kept indoors so that they do not come into contact with many of the viruses out there. It is still necessary to have  indoor cats injected against enteritis and cat flu as they are airborn and give them regular flea and worm treatments.

[Schmew]

Hi,

Sorry to hear about your cats Ombre. Sounds like your best bet if you do decide on another would be an indoor cat (or two!). My lot are FIV+ so they can't go out, but they have a catflap out into a cat run on the back of the house so they can go out and play happily in the fresh air without any worry - safe from roads, dogs, other cats, etc. The other bonus is they don't bring home any dead things (other than the odd suicidal mouse that gets into the run!). There are loads of FIV+ cats who would be grateful for a good home, and indeed other cats who can't go out freely for other reasons.

I hope you find a new friend soon

Su and crew

x

[Tiggy's Mum]

Will move it over for you then....  There a quite a few people on here who have indoor cats or catproofed garden cats so if you do decide to give another little one a home they can give you lots of tips 

[ombre]

 

Thanks for all the replies.  I probably need more time to get used to being without a cat before I get an indoor cat but it makes it a lot easier talking to like minded folk!

PS To Tiggy's Mum (Helen)
Please feel free to move to General Chat, thanks.

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

Hi Ombre and  to Purrs,

Not sure what your garden is like but an alternative to indoor only cats is to cat proof your garden or to provide an outdoor run .... this lets you kitties have the best of both worlds.

There are several people on here who have "cat proofed" gardens who I'm sure would be willing to offer advice and suggestions if this is a route you want to go down.

[Tiggy's Mum]

Hi Ombre  to Purrs

There are arguments for and against indoor cats but as you live so close to a main road I really don't think it would be a good idea to have another outdoor cat.  There are lots and lots of cats that live perfectly happy, healthy, stimulated lives indoors.  Like others have said you need to invest a little more time and effort to ensure that they don't get bored.

Would you like this thread moved to the 'General Cat chat' section, you should get a lot more replies over there... Let me know 

[Marie]

We live near a busy dual carriageway and our 2 are indoor only.  As Cheesecat said we also have lots of toys, tunnels, activity centre and our 2 seem perfectly happy being indoor.  Although to be fair ours get a fair bit of exercise chasing each other around usually up and down the stairs and usually starting about 9-10 pm!!!

[Cheesecat]

Hello!

Sorry to hear about your losses 
It sounds as if it would be much safer to rehome an indoor cat. I live near a road busy at rush hour and so would not even consider letting mine out. (Cats Protection who did my home check would not even consider homing me an outdoor cat, even if i'd wanted one!) I have three indoor cats (new addition arrived yesterday) and they are happy, active and healthy

The main thing to consider getting an indoor cat is that they will need alot of stimulation (Cat toys, trees etc)
Zooplus have some brilliant and affordable treats, toys, scratchposts and the like. Even if you do not have much room there is something on there you can squeeze in! (www.zooplus.co.uk) 

Hope I dont sound like an advert! haha
If you want to ask any questions about my three, feel free to send me a PM 

[ombre]

Hi,

I'm very new to the site.  We had our first cat for 15 years.

Since moving to our new home in 2004 I have loved and lost 3 cats; all run over.  The last was killed early on 02/01/07, I think. I did find her but won't go into the details.  The main road is close and although I'd really like another cat, I can't go through the above again.  SSPCA suggest an indoor cat but my other half thinks this is not a good idea but might think about it.
Does anyone have experience of taking on an indoor cat, please?

Thanks