Indoor cat + windows

Dunno why you'd get a cat if it can't go outside but whatever.

I'd be tempted to stick a ladder somewhere to allow the cat to come and go freely.
My cat jumps out of the top floor windows in our house occasionally and he's an old boy, he's fine with it.
 
Malt_Vinegar said:
I recently moved into a house that has a shared front landing, and the living space is all on the first floor. As a result of this, my GF and I decided to wait till we moved on again before rehoming a healthy cat. Keeping one indoors 24/7 is just wrong.

There are exceptions, such as ill, specialist or old animals, and I would re-home such a creature in my current house. I am always on the hunt for a decrepid old mangy thing to take in as a "house cat" :)


Fox double posted by accident, so removed the duplicate text.
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What he said ^. Both me and my gf love cats, and as a result now have a lovely little kitty who has liver problems living in our 1st floor flat. The shelter we've fostered her from would only re-home her as an indoor cat. She has a nose around the balcony occasionally but never tries to escape really.
 
Indoor cats can be perfectly happy as long as they have enough space and toys/items to keep them active, there is no problem in it.

I do think that if you can let cats out, then you should but it certainly doesn't harm them if they don't. They will still have a good quality of life with a decent owner if they are indoor or outdoor cats.

There are numerous people who might want to keep their cat indoor, if it is a pedigree or if it is old/unable to watch out for itself, etc.

Cats aren't like dogs in that leaving them alone/inside is not such a big deal. Doing it to a dog is cruel as they rely on their owner a lot more and need exercise/taking for walks.
 
[TW]Fox;16822537 said:
I wish I knew why people insisted on keeping animals they don't really have the circumstances for simply because they find them cute. It's very selfish. Cats need to be let out.
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Agree totally. cats living inside = joke.

Stop being so selfish.
 
From the RSPCA website:

Currently there is no definitive knowledge regarding whether being an indoor-only cat is any better or worse than being one who has access to the outdoors. It is important to make sure that you are meeting all of your cat's needs whether they are an indoor cat or not. However, compared to cats who have the freedom to go outside, indoor-only cats will have additional needs that must be met to keep them healthy and happy.

Cats can adapt well to an indoor life if they are kept in this environment from an early age, but cats that have been used to going outside may find it more difficult to adapt. We would not recommend keeping a cat that is used to going outside, as an ‘indoor-only cat’, unless it is for health reasons. If you rehome a kitten and intend to keep it indoors, you could consider adopting a sibling-pair so that they can keep each other company.

For an active animal like the cat, an indoor environment can become predictable and boring, and can lead to stress, inactivity and obesity. So it’s important that you provide your cat with everything it needs.
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Don't see the problem with keeping cats indoors. If the environment they are in is one they are used to and stimulating enough so they don't get bored, whats the issue?

I can see its different with a cat that has been used to being outside, may not adapt so well, but if its content and happy indoors, I have no problem!

To OP, that looks like a great cat!
 
Firestar_3x said:
From the RSPCA website:

If you rehome a kitten and intend to keep it indoors, you could consider adopting a sibling-pair so that they can keep each other company.
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This really I wouldnt keep a house cat by itself, unless you have a really busy house (student digs, lots of children) and the cat is a people kitty.

But it really depends on the cat, I (my ex) had one that would not go outside even at a young age and now the only way to get him out if you have to is to pick him up and ignore his terror as he digs into you. He is a total scardy cat though and hides whenever the door/phones goes and when other people are in the flat. On the other hand though if a cat wants to go outside I wouldn't stop it/try to figure out a way to let it out and back in.

PiKe said:
I'm not going to let my Persian cat out unless its under supervision, it would get matted, full of debris, and someone may even half-inch it.
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That I dont get, sure it may be expensive or rare and I'd hate it if someone nicked my cat, but to not let it out in case it does cat things and gets a bit dirty seems a bit silly to me.
 
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People who keep indoor cats have deep underlying issues imo, they enjoy keeping a cat locked up its one step up from kidnapping and holding someone hostage.

Also what kind of person who lives in a flat thats above ground floor even gets a cat in the 1st place? Utter madness
 
[TW]Fox;16822537 said:
Cats need to be let out.
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BS, cats that have never been let out are perfectly happy aslong as their needs are met (for example, plenty of space and entertainment) inside the house.

If one was to obtain a cat that was used to being let outside and then confined it to indoors, then I agree that this would be cruel.
 
coltpython3 said:
as a matter of fact i own 6 cats. as for the RSPCA i dont care of what they think. its not fair to the animal.
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Don't talk crap. What's fair to the cat is ensuring it has a happy, healthy lifestyle. This can and will vary cat to cat. I've owned 4 different cats (two sets of brothers) in the two different houses I lived in, both times from when the siblings were kittens. In the first instance, both cats wanted to go outside, so when they hit 6 months old (which the is the recommended age for cats going outside for the first time), they were let out. One of them stayed in the garden, the other would roam happily.

The two I have no however, who are both now over 2 years old, show absolutely no signs of ever wanting to go out. If I even so much as pick them up and carry them towards an open window, they struggle to get away and then go and hide under a chair. They obviously don't want to go outside, so I leave them plenty of toys and let them roam as much as the house as possible (which is all of it when I'm in the house, and a smaller area when I'm out due to the house alarm). They are happier cats then the first two I owned, and are two of the most loving cats (when in the mood) I have ever seen. They are not suffering at all from staying inside.

Sending a cat outside when it doesn't want to go out is just as cruel as keeping a cat indoors when it wants to go roaming. Anyone who thinks different is just plain wrong IMO.
 
the cat should decide wether it wants to go out or not.. by not giving it the option it is abit cruel. most love to chase flies and roll around the grass and lay under trees in hot weather and they seem happier when doing so.
 
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