Indoor Cat Statistics

[sixfurballs]

Catbird I'm one of those in the semi rural area and as I said earlier am certain that my own cats are happiest when they are allowed out (you should see them standing in a not so orderly queue in the morning in front of the cat flap yamming to be let out). However, I'm only speaking from my own personal experience and I would never presume to say that anyone's indoor cats aren't just as happy. If anything I'd say its just a different lifestyle and you just have different things to consider. I think as long as any cat is cared for, well stimulated and well fed then that's as much as any of us can do to return all the joy they bring to us. I'm sure it depends on the individual cat as well and their instincts. I suspect my Heidi would be the only one of my cats content to be indoor only however she is a very hyper cat and would probably have the house wrecked!

I like the idea of cat proofed gardens in more built up areas and did do that myself when I lived in a busier area in England.

I can also understand how territory could become an issue for indoor cats if there was a multi-cat household but have no personal long term experience of that so am only voicing a thought and not saying that must be the case.

[Liz]

We have 20ish each of indoor/outdoor and indoor only and they are all happy and healthy and the vets can't tell who is from which section of our family so we must be doing something right all are played with and have the best of food and loads of toys and the younger ones have each other to play with currently I have 7 doing the stair/bedroom/upstairs study circut and its funny to see they range from 8 years to 6 months and all are happy and have no traction of the wooden fllors!

I have cats who have been outside all their lives and came to us when someone poisoned the rest of their colny - they have been house cats for 6 months and have adapted beautifully they love food, warmth, central heating and the odd head rub from us - these are all ferals I hasten to add and sitting here typing this with Miss Cissy at 14 on her new radiator bed, Smudger in his nice fleecy Royal Canin bed and ragamuffin leading the juniors in a circut do they seem to be missing anything no they know that their nextr meal will appear it will be good food and the heating will be on later this afternoon

Cats can and will adapt and ours are one big family who have adapted to new dogs, moving house and in some of the newer ferals HUMANS!

[Bonkers Mad!!!]

although my cats have access to the big outdoors i would never presume to say that an indoor cat has a lesser quality of life and to be quite frank those that do say that are quite wrong IMHO.  i wish that when i'd first had cats i'd have known that it was ok to confine them, i definitely would've done.  of the cats i have now only 3, maybe 4 of them would seriously object to being kept in and only those ones would try to escape.  i don't live in the countryside but on a large housing estate but i am fortunate to have a 130ft garden.  the houses behind me have the same size gardens so theres quite a large area before they hit a big road (bus route).  the ones that have been victim to the road have all died out the front where the road is narrow and pretty quiet.  most of my cats stick to the back of the house and the adjoining gardens.  only one (Sam) goes out the front and he is a worry as he crosses the road to chase the birds on the  green opposite.

i'm sure that with the exception of the 3 (or 4) that ive mentioned, my cats would be just as happy staying in.

[Catbird]

I wonder if there is an element to this that hasn't been considered yet.  Some of those who have replied and expressed the view that all cats should be able to access the great outdoors obviously live in (semi)rural areas, where there are woods, fields, streams and... er... geese.  Many of us will never be able to live in such areas and have no choice but to live near roads and other humans + their pets.  If this is the case and owners in these circumstances feel that their cats would be in danger outside, should people in these situations not have cats?  If so, there is a danger that this view could fairly rapidly progress to the view that only people in a higher monetary bracket should own cats - I would love to live in a rural area but I can't afford to and I know many people in the same situation.  Aside from the obvious increased strain on rescues, it would be a cause of great sadness to many, should they be persuaded that their home is not fit for feline habitation.

I don't mean the above to be as provocative as it probably sounds but strangely, I couldn't seem to scroll on through this thread yesterday and it upset me quite a bit.  I was thinking about it in bed last night, after Dot had come to join me and was stretched out with her paws on my tummy.  I thought that she always seems happy but what if she really does feel that something is missing from her life?  If there was, what could I do?  Break the contract with my breeder and boot Dot out to take her chances?  Moving is out of the question at the moment and anyway, as I said, I can't afford to live in the countryside, nor will I ever be able to, I suspect.  I would be devastated if Dot left me and equally devastated if I could never have another cat.

So, what do those who feel that an outside life is essential think I should do?  And what are their views about those of us who are city/town flat dwellers?  The issue of wealth, lifestyle and cat ownership doesn't really seem to have been broached - is this a deliberate attempt to skim over something that might prove to be provocative, or has it just never come up?

C.

[sixfurballs]

My 6 cats are all allowed to come and go as they please during the day, and they choose to spend a lot of their time outside. I lock the cat flap before dark so that as they come in they have to stay in and I keep them all indoors over night. My cats all love to hunt and I do live in a semi-rural area. For my own cats I know they would hate to be restricted to an indoor only life. On occasions I have had to restrict them to indoors for health issues or introductions and I can see how badly they want to get out. They are more than happy to be in at night as they get so much exercise and stimulation outside during the day. In the evenings they have short play sessions and then just curl up and sleep.

[Liz]

We have both and currently all are inside and noone seems the slightest bit put out as its been really wet all day and they are just doing there own thing

I have no issues with the split we have of both indor/outdoor and indoor only they are all happy and healthy - our raggie has access to the outside world due to her past life - I spent 9 months doing all the right things with her re training litter tray wise and she still wouldn't use it - vet said open door and let her go out now I have a happy ragdoll - she doesn't do winter much but loves snow and is always dried if she is wet and god help anyone including us who trys to pick her pedigree behind up outside she will shred as well as any feral!

We chose our current home with only one neighbour, woods on 2 sides a stream on the other a paddock full of feild mice a stream with frogs and a 2 acre garden - we also sold our souls to do this - our first consideration on moving was the cats, then the dogs then the house and luckily I found them all in one ideal location then had to sell our souls and we both work hard to keep theis cat idyll over their furry paws!

[Gillian Harvey]

Well, the age old debate again LOL! Anyway, my two penneth - all of my cats go outside and all the cats I've ever owned have had freedom to go outside, and I wouldnt have it any other way. I don't believe in keeping cats solely indoors. Cats are domesticated yes, to live amongst us, not to be kept shut up inside a house, being domesticated doesnt stop their natural instincts which just can't be met by a totally indoor environment. However, when I lost cats on the road years ago I researched the idea of cat enclosures and believed I had a good compromise - it was large enough to enable natural behaviours, incorporated trees/shrubs etc, climbing posts, shelves for sunbathing etc etc. Even so, I never felt completely comfortable with the idea of restricting them.

Finally, moving her 8 years ago, I knew I had found a safe environment for them, and whilst, they still arent free to roam at night (I have a cat proofed area - so they can still go outside at night, but not roam) - they have access to the garden all the rest of the time.

I have pedigree Persians (some resuces, some I've had as kittens) and there is no reason to keep them indoors just because they are pedigrees - they are still cats, still the same instincts and they would be totally miserable as indoor cats. One of the breeders I've had some of my persians from provides a large outdoor enclosure for her cats and the other breeder's cats have full access to the land around their farmhouse, its wonderful to see this mass of fluffy persians accompanying the owners on trips out to feed the geese etc!

[clarenmax]

Max is totally indoors too, mainly due to him having FIV, but to be honest, seeing how well he adapted to indoor life after being picked up as a stray, I would almost certainly keep any future cats as indoor animals too until such time I own my own house and can cat-proof a garden.

I think as long as they are mentally stimulated, and have plenty of toys etc to interact with, then indoor cats are absolutely fine 

[Catbird]

Another totally indoors here.  Dot's happy with life and has never shown any inclination to go out.  She has the common sense of a sponge and runs straight up to anyone she meets.  Thus, if I let her out it would just be a question of whether she got run over or nicked.  Not going to happen.

C.

[Maddiesmum]

I think indoor is fine so long as they have an enriched and stimulating environment and lots of play chances to hunt etc. 

[caledonia]

It's encouragnig to read this from everyone else!!

I am not enjoying the new Vicky hall book as I do think there is a few things she is talking about that perhaps she does not have as much knowledge as she does about her excellent cat behavour. She drives home the point of cats geting out very strongly which I find conflicts with a lot of other stuff I have read and believe.

She also comments that the magical litters that claim to last up to three months are nonsense and your cat will be put off by the smell! Whilst I have never left litter for three months there are whole threads on here about litters such as OKo and classy cat that can be left for weeks on end....so ya boo sucks to that theory too!! And I'm only three chapters in!!

[Den]

Indoor in a 3 bed house here. He's my first cat  and I can honestly say I love having an indoor cat .. wouldn't have it any other way. He also has no common sense and probably wouldn't last 5 seconds. I thought long and hard before getting him about what to do and haven't regretted it for a single second.

As for poorer quality life .. I think my spoilt boy would have something to say about that.

[ems]

We have 2 indoor cats in a 3 bedroom house (A 2 bedroom flat when we first got them)

I know for a fact that neither can go outside because they just don't have the common sense. Nina had a pampered life with an elderly lady before we got her from the resuce so she has absolutely no will to go outside at all. My Grandad left the fornt door open once and she just sat there on the doorstep waiting for us to close the door!

And my poor Kiki was found living outside with kittens when she was only a kitten herself. She is terrified of outside noise and has slight vision problems so unless we secured the back yard she won't be going outside.

If I felt they were desperate to be outside it would break my heart, but I really don't think it doesn't bother them. 

[Sabrina (Auferstehen)]

4 indoor cats in a 3 bedroom terrace, (two other rooms they aren't allowed in due to the great TV insident of last year).

I know two of these guys could handle outside living, however they've never shown interest. Our burmese Lirael doesn't like wet ground and can't figure out grass for the life of her - my inlaws took her outside a few times without my knowledge and my husband left the door wide open once - she was sitting on the porch.

When it's time to move house we'll do an enclosure but I wouldn't trust something like that with the neighbours I have.

[hOrZa]

First floor flat with no garden so have 3 indoors cats, dogs used to be put out of the house once upon a time too.

hth

[Tiggys Mum Tracey]

  That really made me smile and it is so good to know that other people have house cats too! 

[caledonia]

When I say indoor - mine are completely indoors I have no garden but hope to have within a year. Even then they will not be free roaming.

Tracey I would say what your doing is fine. My friend has two cats indoors however in good weather she lets them out in the garden on harnesses. She actually adapted a harness and made the lead about ten meters by clipping sometogether and used to put them in the garden attatched to a stake in the ground. Obviously she was supervising at all times but it meant they could roam a bit freely.

best bit is now she has removed the stake but the two dim wits dont realise and still only walk as far as they did before ...they are ragdiolls though so sometimes dim goes hand in hand! 

[Tiggys Mum Tracey]

Thanks! She loves to be insdie with us but like you I agree that it is a good idea to have a lead and harness. I have started to introduce her to it as I have two rabbits that live outside and she enjoys watching them when they are running freely round the garden. 

[Wibblechick]

I think she will let you know!

 If she obviously wants to go outside, it might be hard not to let her.  I think the harness and lead is a brilliant idea - Ive used them myself in the past.  I started off just making a big game of the harness and playing with the lead, then eventually fitting the harness and so on.  We had the odd problem if we encountered a tree ....  I nearly had my arm pulled off once when Perseus decided to go straight up a cherry tree in the garden.   

Chloe & Mr T were both outide cats in the past, but as theyve grown older show no inclination to go out unless we take them. 

[Tiggys Mum Tracey]

What are peoples views on house cats? I am very concerned about letting Tiggy outside but some of my friends and family believe it is cruel to keep her inside. She has a harness and lead so she can come outside with us when she is older. I am so worried that if I let her out then something will happen to her and she could be taken as she is such a stunning little girl.

[Leanne]

We have 2 indoors cats, they have access to the garden but only when we are with them as it isn't cat proofed.

I have always wanted indoor cats, we aren't able to have a cat flap and we have a busy road at the end of our road. When we initially decided to take on cats we were going to buy pedigrees but then my Hubby decided he didn't want to part with the money  , so I started looking at rescues. The first couple of rescues I spoke to had very strong views and refused to rehome to us despite us being willing to wait for an indoor cat to come in.

Then another rescue welcomed us with open arms, Jess was a nervous cat needing a home and had never seen the outside world, when we rehomed Milo as a kitten a year later he had been a stray but quickly adapted to being indoor only.

Last year we introduced them to the garden, Jess just lays around in the sun and at first Milo was very scared of going out, in time and with a harness he has got better and now will happily roam around the garden. What is funny though, at weekends when the sun shines they often sit at the back door wanting to go for walkies, we take them out then they realise its  cold so they run out and then turn around and come in  they really are fair weather garden walkers 

Our boys have lots of toys and things to do during the day (I think they sleep a lot though) and when we're home we play with them and they get lots of cuddles I don't think they are any worse off for not going out every day. I suspect Jess wouldn't leave the garden anyway, but Milo however has no common sense and would worry me if he went out.

[moiramassey]

I believe that many responsible breeders will only home their kittens to people who agree to keep them safe, which usually means indoors. This may be why people equate pedigree cats with indoor cats.

Until just over a year ago I had no idea about the options available. I let my cats have outside access 24/7. Despite not having lost a cat to an RTA for a decade, I jumped at every knock on the front door, immediately remembering my neighbour's voice, "Your cats are black aren't they? Well, I hate to tell you...." I thought that only people with no gardens, or with expensive pedigree cats, kept them indoors. Also my husband, so reasonable about so many things, did not like the idea of indoor cats. All those litter trays.

Then I started to go on forums like this one.

Firstly I discovered cat litter that actually controlled the smell (World's Best in my case). That helped when my new kittens were too young to be let out.

Then I started to contemplate keeping the younger two, and perhaps one of the older ones, as indoor cats, hoping that OH would come around.

Then Flynn, one of the two younger ones, made it crystal clear that keeping him in would be a constant day-to-day struggle. A door or window open even a crack was a potential escape route.

Then I discovered catproofing gardens! Solution. Happy me, happy OH, happy cats. Cats still are all indoor/outdoor 24/7 - they just don't go further than the 30 x10m back garden.

[CC & The Pussycat Guys & Dolls]

Me neither!

All my cats used to be outdoors until I moved here 2 years ago. The reason I keep mine to a secure garden is because I have been through RTA deaths of family members cats, and they have ripped the heart out of me, so I could only imagine it would be a million times worse with my own.

I dont believe by keeping my cats to the garden  they have a lesser quality of life. To me they will live longer as they are not at threat of being ran over, predators or some nasty  getting hold of them.

So the only thing I believe they would be missing out on would be hunting, but what if they dont hunt at all. Which only one of my cats does and really I dint feel sorry for wanting to keep them safe. It's a requirement of being a responsible pet owner to keep your pets safe.

Something that has to be remembered is our cats are not wild, they have been domesticated to how we want them to be, domesticated to live in our homes.

[Bonkers Mad!!!]

i don't see why indoor cats have a poorer quality of life 

mine all have access to the garden just because they always have done.  if i didnt have so many i'd probably seriously consider keeping them indoors.  Lupus, Teddy and Andy are indoor cats by choice, only going out to relieve themselves.  the 2 kittens are on enforced confinment until they get their bits off.  of those 2 i predict that Mouse will be an indoor cat but Merlin is chomping at the bit (i think he was allowed out at his old home, way too young imho).  ive been having to keep the kitchen door shut during the day so he doesnt leg it out of the window.  in-time is always a nervous time but all of mine know when that is and are usually milling around in the back garden around that time.  i do worry about Sam because he ranges further than the rest of them so if he's last in i get panicky, which wouldnt happen if my cats were indoor cats.  i can see advantages to both options but more drawbacks (dangers) to having outdoor cats.  of my bridge babies only 2 died of old age, 2 (possibly 3) were killed on the road (which is pretty quiet) and 2 (but more likely 4) were killed by my evil neighbours dog, it was the neighbour that was evil not the dog.  the dog was just a poor greyhound who's natural tendency was encouraged by the evil neighbour.

[caledonia]

I have three cats and they are all indoors - the two 12 years olds had outdoor access in their previous home and were meant to be rehomed to a home with a secure garden. However no one else wanted them and in the 3 months they were in foster care they made no moves or gestures to want to get out and that has remained the same at mine.

Nina is only 6 months and indoors only too - hopefully next year we will have a home with a garden and they can have a run but at the moment my three bed duplex will hopefully kleep them happy.

Maybe my part of the country is an exception with all the tenanments but of the ten cats there is amongst my cat loving friend only one is allowed outdoors. The rest are indoors. For various reasons but after a friend at work's cat was pts just before christmas after being shot twice with a pellet gun I cant really blame folk for keeping their cats in - I would be too worried!!

I am currently reading Vicky Hall the complete cat and she is making it very clear in this book more than her other book I read that indoor cats have less qualift of life - I disagree but I realise this is a hot topic of debate!

[2d]

Until last week we had three cats (one of them lost his cancer fight last week).

Of those, one goes out, and two stayed in.

The one that goes out arrived here as a stray, and it would be just too cruel to keep him in (and he'd destroy the house)!

The other two were from a shelter on the other side of Yorkshire.  Ideally we wanted cats who could stay in, because we do live on a relatively busy road (especially school run time), but most shelters said no.  Fortunately we found these two, who were complete wusses from the start (we got them aged three).  They just never wanted to go out.

George had a big adventure on Saturday (day after his brother died, which probably played a part - they were close) - he sneaked out the door when Nige went out.  Apparently he just sat in the middle of the garden looking around in a panic till he heard his name called and darted back into the house...

I'm currently trying to work out if it's possible to catproof the garden, so we can let Mags out in safety, and possibly let George run around the garden without the panic.  Of course it's not straightforward, as garden is huge, and overlooks unhelpful neighbours' houses.


So anyway, 2 indoor, two outdoor for us till recently - now one in and one out.

[Kucinta]

All I could find is this - taken from THE INDOOR OUTDOOR DEBATE
Copyright 1995, 2008 Sarah Hartwell

In Britain an estimated 88%-92% of cats have access to outdoors. The percentage of indoor-only cats corresponds to the percentage of pedigree cats in the pet population.

Reading this it sounds like the author of the article is correlating the number of indoor cats with the number of pedigrees, if so, do you think this is valid?

I have two indoor cats who happen to be pedigrees (Singapuras).  However I keep them indoors not because they are pedigrees, but because they are much loved companions who would be at risk from the busy main road outside my flat.

One of the reasons I ended up getting pedigrees was because I had a negative response from local rescues at the time I was looking for a cat. I work full time so they weren't happy to give me kittens, and said that rescue adults had previously had outside access and it wasn't fair to force them to be indoor cats.  I ended up researching breeds that supposedly would be happy indoors, and chose Singapuras.

However I would have been perfectly happy to have had rescue moggies, as long as they would be happy indoors. The percieved monetary value of the cats was not a factor in my decision, it was their welfare. Now that I've been more informed by forums like this , should I find myself catless in the future I would look for either breed rescues where cats are more likely to have been indoor cats, or hope that by that time more local rescues share the views of Ela and others on indoor homing.

[blackcat]

I have had both indoor and outdoor cats. The first time I had them 'indoors' was because I had lost a few to the roads (including one terrible occasion when I killed my own cat). I enclosed a loosebox and yard designed for a horse that I had in the back yard. The cats would follow me up to the enclosure in the mornings and would then follow me home in the evenings without restraints of any kind. The second time I lived in Brisbane in a small cottage which was on a quiet road but close to a busier one. This was an enclosure accessible directly from the house. The third one was an extraordinarly elaborate series of pens and runs which was also accessible from the house directly.

In addition, I have had cats indoors only in a small one-bed flat and a three bed house and a two bed house. They have all been perfectly happy with their life and have shown no behavioural problems other than Pavarotti who had a bad start in life so his problems are more likely to have stemmed from that rather than his confinement in the house. At present the cats I currently have are allowed unrestricted access to the outdoors during the day and confined at night. I have been confining my cats at night for about 30 years with no problems other than a foster cat who used to get agitated by visiting cats and pee on the doors and windows ...

For a healthy animal who enjoys a reduced risk to external threats, I think it is actually my preferred appproach to animal ownership. I think cats are a lot more adaptable than we give them credit for ...

[Liz]

We have 25 indoor/outdoor and the rest are house cats by our choice - mainly ferals, old ferals and some who just won't go out period at their choice

All ours are loved and wanted and all are kept fit by hours of playing with us and each other - vet can't usually tell who is who as they are all in their words in great condition, we provide them with their own pets the 3 dogs and they are one big happy family most of the time although they have there moments sort of like siblings really!

I had a feral adopted her at 15 when I trapped her and she was in the family way, we had her speyed and she lived with us for another 4 years before a tumour in her jaw finally got to much to control she was an old slobber chops and adapted to being a house cat - central heating, food always available and the odd human brushing session she was a poppet Miss gracie.

[CC & The Pussycat Guys & Dolls]

I have 6 cats, of which 4 of them are restricted to a secure garden, the other 2 manage to get out on their own. I think the reason people are keeping their cats more indoors these days is for the cats safety, well thats my reason. I dont find any necessary cause to put their lives in danger, so this is why I like to keep them indoors. I love all my cats and once the garden is sorted the other 2 wont be getting out either.

[Wibblechick]

All I could find is this - taken from THE INDOOR OUTDOOR DEBATE
Copyright 1995, 2008 Sarah Hartwell

In Britain an estimated 88%-92% of cats have access to outdoors. The percentage of indoor-only cats corresponds to the percentage of pedigree cats in the pet population. Some are restricted to securely fenced gardens or are supervised by the owner, but most have free access to the outside world, often via their own cat flap. Cat shelters quiz owners about their lifestyle and many require that the cat has access to a garden. Shelters do not, however, refuse to home cats as indoor-only pets if this is right for the individual cat concerned and for the owner. In America the situation is almost the reverse of that in Britain with most shelters refusing to home cats unless the cat is to be kept strictly indoors (except for specialist rescues dealing with feral cats; these seek locations where the risks are acceptable for the non-tame cats concerned).

British indoor/outdoor cats frequently reach their teens and a good number reach their twenties despite their indoor/outdoor nature. Feral cats (living outdoors only) also manage to make it into their teens; the Cat Action Trust reported that one cat living on allotments (communal vegetable gardens) was 19 years old and still breeding (the Cat Action Trust neutered her). The oldest feral on record at the time of writing is 28 years old and living as a maintained feral cat at a cat shelter (free-ranging, but with access to a barn).

[Maddiesmum]

Have no idea of statistics but did read that more people are keeping cats indoors than ever before.

[beanie260904]

Does anyone know the percentage of cats that are indoor cats compared to outdoors in the UK, I thought it would be interesting to know...