What do we say to people that don't understand why our cats are indoor?

Question

We have 2 very happy, spoilt British Shorthair cats we rescued from 2 different breeders. One was kept in a cage and had to endure big dogs and teasing kids (hence very nervous when first arrived). They've never been outside as that's the way they were bred and we've been advised it's safer for them. We've had the expected comments from people that don't know about pedigree cats being raised as indoor - what do we say to people who think it's cruel (one neighbour has turned against us) - and should we consider letting them out if we move to a place with a garden? Would they cope and not catch everything under the sun?

Thanks for all your replies. We do love our cats, and they are given lots of fuss and attention! They have both been neutered, as we heard their hormones can make them go crazy, and they have regular checkups with the vet. They have a floor to ceiling scratching post and plenty of toys (they love their panic mouse and laser toy). I guess it comes down to personal opinion and maybe ignorance. As most of you say it's ok and the Vets say it's fine, I feel a bit better. If we get a garden in the future I think we might walk them though! Good health to you all! x

Answer 1

Hi there...unfortunately everyone has their own personal viewpoints on the argument of indoor vs. outdoor for cats. However, the proven statistics collected worldwide has indicated that indoor cats live longer and healthier lives compared to their outdoor counterparts as there are many hidden as well as obvious dangers. Also outdoor cats are more destructive to native wildlife so any wildlife which is infected with disease can be passed along to cats who capture them as well.

Here's a very well written single page web article that is very matter of fact on the argument of Indoor vs Outdoor Living For Cats :: Know the Dangers: http://www.cathelp-online.com/health/indooronly.php

Answer 2

Indoor cats may not have the same instincts outdoor ones do. They won't have enough skill to catch anything and if you have declawed them, they can't kill anyway. They also may not have the instinct to get out of the way if a car is coming at them.
If they are fixed, they should lose the desire to roam, or even leave the house. If they are not fixed, you don't want them knocked up by the neighborhood Tom.
You are right that most people do not know about pedigreed cats and have only had experience with outdoor ones but what will the neighbor do? Call animal control? They only pick up outdoor cats. They should be happy they aren't going on her flowers like my neighbor's cat.

Answer 3

You could tell them that life expectancy of indoor cats is greater than outdoor cats - especially as there is no chance of being run over, catching cat AIDS from cat bites, or indeed Feline Leukaemia and other nasty bugs. Also, they won't disappear or get lost.
If the cats don't continually try to escape, then there is no reason to say you are being cruel.
If you do move to a house with a garden and decide to let them out, you must spend a decent amount of time just getting used to the garden before allowing them to roam.

Answer 4

Why the hell worry about your neighbours. As long as you have healthy content cats who are well looked after and want for nothing, it has nothing to do with your neighbours.

In relation to the extra information about moving to a place with a garden this is great for you, but is no guarantee your cats will want to go outside anyway.

Any cat pedigree or otherwise if it is well loved and looked after would choose to stay indoors, it is a fallacy of understanding that the domestic cat is in some way ferrel needing to catch wildlife to survive or add to its conventional and ready made supply of cat food.

I have had cats all my life of the 57 varieties type and whilst they have never been forced to stay in the last three are almost indoor cats. One of them due to having been bottle fed as a kitten, was very much a one person cat who could not socialise with people to a great extent, sure he went outside through the cat flap but never for to long. Once he'd got out and went missing after an hour having been panicked or been chased and ended up in an empty house. I searched and searched for three days locally, knowing he wouldn't be far...eventually my sonar senses were so well tuned I picked up where he was from the sound of his meow.

I had to ring the local authority to let him out and when we turned up together this woman was terrified of him and even though I said the cat was frightened of her, she didn't believe me. Once out he followed me home.

With reference to catching things whenever smokey caught anything he would bring the item to me and nine times out of ten I'd free the mouse bird or frog. His mother however is a very different cat, there would be no chance of anything being alive when she caught things and what little was left was enough to make your stomach turn. Today she is 16 going on 17 and has spent the last 4 years almost as an indoor cat, I am thankful that during this time she has not caught anything and probably couldn't.

Smokey was put to sleep in 2004 after having been hit by a car or kicked by some drunken thug. The cause of the trauma remains unknown. I still miss him to this day for his very vocal conversational personality and silly antics.Especially the day he hearded a hedgehog into the house, very funny indeed.

On Wednesday gone, my neighbour and I agreed that we had no option but to put to sleep the little tabby cat that had adopted me and my home three years ago, as she had cancer and she was in the final stages she was 17-17 and a half. We are both devastated. This little cat was an indoors cat even in the summer, venturing only to the yard and the water feature for maybe ten or twenty minutes a couple of times a week to catch the dancing water. We will both miss her dearly.

Enjoy your cats whilst you have them and don't be deterred by what the neighbours think at least they aren't strays.

Answer 5

I have had my cat for 8 years now. I lived in a flat for 7 years of his life hence he was always inside. Last summer we moved to a house with a small garden in a quiet area. After a couple of weeks of living there, I used to leave the door open and let him roam about in the garden, he never went far He still only goes out occasionally when I am in the house and always comes back when I shout on him. He is a most content, happy cat and even when he was living in the flat he was happy, People used to comment to me about it, but its really none of their business. I have never had pedigree cats and i have heard they are very susceptible to diseases and also there are a lot of jealous, nasty people out there who dont like cats. So you enjoy your cats and dont let anyone tell you what you can and cant do!!

Answer 6

it truly is no one else's business but yours. I would not concern myself with their opinion if I were you. I have 13 cats. Former Manx breeder and all mine are indoors. They have not lost their instincts in the least. I reside on a farm and occasionally a wild bird will fly into the house. The cats have no problems securing it within a matter of seconds. I have always been fortunate to take the bird before injured, back outside. De-clawed or not, a cat can kill a bird. It does not require claws. Manx's especially are known as the dog cat for many reasons with one being that they bite their prey or when attacking or in defense. With the number of diseases not to mention in my case natural predators Coyotes, Hawks etc, it would make no sense to let mine outdoors. I do have an outdoor enclosure that they use in the summer months but to free roam, never. For those who enter my home I tell them upfront about the animals and that if they do not want hair on their clothing, don't sit down. In all honesty, your neighbors sound like busy bodies with nothing better to do with their time and if this is the case, they are not worth your time or energy to even concern yourself with them or their ignorant opinion.

Answer 7

You are doing the right thing keeping them indoors. They avoid sooo many problems. They are not exposed to FIV or Feline Leukemia inside, they can't get into fights (except with eachoter, maybe) so they won't hide for day and come back with a big abcess from a bite wound. They won't get hit by a car, they won;t crawl under the hood of a car, they won't get into antifreeze or other poisons (provided you don't have any inside), they won't get lot as easy, they won't breed uncontrollably and make more unwanted non-pedigreed kittens (if they're not already spayed/neutered), you're more likely to notice illnesses quicker as you can monitor the litterbox, food, water, and overall behavior much better. Please keep them inside, they do not need to go out. They probably wouldn't adjust well to being outside anyway. They wouldn't know how to defend themselves against predators or other cats, and they probably don't know the dangers of cars. They are safest inside. My cat is even afraid to go outside, and I'm fine with that because the cat I ad before him was a mostly indoor cat but went out on occasion. He got into some antifreeze one day when he went out, and we lost him. He wasn't even 2 years old. I've had outdoor cats too, and they never seemed to be quite as healty as my cat is now. Indoor cats are also cleaner and tend to have a softer coat. The indoor cats also seem to be more affectionate. We also have 2 cats that live at the clinic and they are both indoor only cats. If your cat is declawed at all, keep them inside as they cannot defend themselves well and they cannot even climb to get away. It is certainly NOT cruel to keep your cats inside. You can take this list to your neightbors and tell them all the benefits of indoor cats so they can see for themselves.

Answer 8

All my cats are inside cats and actually its better for them to be indoors. Outside they can get sick easily fighting with other animals,hit by a car,Some people like to torture cats,Plus there are dieasies that a vet does not offer and is not included in all the shots they get (Feline Aids) that they could get from another cat. So tell them the reason you keep your cats indoors because you love them and want them to live long health lives and really its none of their business anyhow.

Answer 9

Hi, Just take no notice what other people say and your neighbour musn't know a lot about cats to turn against you for keeping them in. You know whats best for your cats, i currently have 2 cats one who goes out on a regular basis, and 1 who very rarely goes out. The only time he ventures out MAYBE is if we are in the garden in the summer. If you do move to a new home with a garden your cats will choose if they want to go out, (and you will be a bag of nerves when they do) but thats cats for you... Its good that they have such a loving home.

Answer 10

What do you think the cats want to do? We have 2 sibling cats, and they can go outside if they want...they go through stages, but now at the age of 2, they generally prefer to be indoors...our neighbourhood is rather boring to be honest...we have both of them since they were kittens and the male loves ot be in the car with me, but her sister can't stand car rides....so I take the male often with me...You know your cats better than anyone...but I would not hesitate to let the cats out....at least during the daytime....the only time it may be cruel to keep indoors if the indoor space is so small and it's obvious the cat is pining to be outside.

Brock
Vancouver, Canada