Hello all! Me and my girlfriend moved into this house 5months ago. Our nextdoor neighbours had a cat called rambo. over the months we both got attached to it. Seemed to be outdoors most of the time, but whenever we opened our door we would let it in and give it treats. (spoil it rotten)

When we went out, it would follow us until we came back and gave it a treat, i work nights so everynight i would see it as i left, and see it as i came home. It was a very friendly and loving cat!

We was "rabbit-sitting* for a friend while they went away for a week. We still let rambo come in, but not in the same room as the rabbit. Then we stopped seeing Rambo. We got quite concerned after 2days as we didnt see it. finally spoke to the owner and asked how rambo was. He told us the news that it had been hit by a van. It was a smart cat, never ever saw it wonder acrosss the road. I know that doesnt mean it never did.

We was both upset, even tho it wasnt our cat, we really got attached and i cant help thinking if we wasnt looking after another pet, it would not of been in the road!!

Im thinking of getting a cat now, but would it be unfair to keep it indoors at all times? We have a garden... But i know how cruel the world can be when it comes to animals, and tbh.. if anything happened to it, again i would be heart-broken!

thanks!

hi, ive had indoors and outdoor cats, and tbh i do find it quite cruel to keep a cat confined indoors. My indoor cat cries at the window, and attempts to get out when the dog goes out..I also worry when my cat is out though, and my 13 year old cat went missing and it still chews me up now.

I know plenty of people who argue both sides, even the fact that cats kill birds/mice etc, (i certainly dont like receiving presents lol) and even some who have had their claws removed at the end of the day it is personal choice and you need to write a list of pros and cons..

maybe choose another type of animal? Why in particular do you want a cat? Like i say, plenty of people can give their own opinion but it comes down to what you are happy with x

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I've always had pet cats in the past and i guess losing rambo(i know he wasnt ours!) just makes me want to get one.

thanks for the reply

Rubbish Cruel is a very strong word and I certainly would not use it to describe people thinking of their pets safety! It's also illegal to declaw cats in this country, but you can safely trim them for their own safety as well as to cut down on damage to furnature and what not.

It's not cruel to keep a cat as indoor only. If you decided to adopt from a rescue centre it would be a huge improvement on their living quarters there too! Instead of the poor things spending their lives couped up in a small pen.

IMO it's much safer to keep our cats indoors, and provided you keep them entertained they should not be bored.

Cats sitting at windows meowing is often them watching birds or some other flying thing. It doesn't mean they want to be out at all! Same with the darting through doors, it's not because they want to be out, they simply want to see what's on the other side!

Mark, if you want to home a kitty please do. If you decide it would be safer to keep the kitty (though two preferably if keeping indoors) in then please do. There are plenty of folk around these parts that do just that. I have 3 girls, all indoor only

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I've had cats most of my life and up until I got the ones I have now - about a year ago - they have always been able to go out whenever they wanted. I have found that having an indoor cat to be a very different proposition and I think you have to be able to invest a lot more time into an indoor cat than you would otherwise.

I'm fortunate to live in a very big house so the cats have a lot of room to scamper about (aka fight ) and I have secure, albeit small, garden I can let them out in - however that's really only for six months of the year - the rest of the time its far too hot for humans, never mind them!

The cats also have toys beyond belief (not that they're interested in most of them!), a climbing/scratching/perching/hiding indoor tree thingy that my husband made them. But most importantly, I feel, I play with them a lot. I would hate for them to become unhealthy and/or depressed, so I invest a lot of time in them, which I wouldn't necessarily have to do if they could go out and explore and chase stuff on their own. For me, its worth it.

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I had been told that the training procedure with cats was difficult. It's not. Mine had me trained in two days. ~Bill Dana

Howdy! So sad of hearing about Rambo! I experienced losing a cat like Rambo, only he died of sickness. Such a cute cat Arpetio was. I have 5 cats, all of them live outside, and they are not spayed because I don't like their gender taken away from them. We have huge field at the back and and equally huge tree with plenty of long branches reaching on all sides, plus some bushes and a pond! Our cats love it outside, they always have a place to play and while their time away. When it's raining, I take them in the garage, its also pretty big and they love the rugs I leave for them there.

All I can say is that it depends on your environment whether it would be cruel for your cat/s. Our house is situated near a dead end so the cars are up to a minimal here, and my cats seem to not bother the outside world mainly because all they could ever wish for is right here! Environment is everything, providing a complete one is the best. Even if you leave your cat outside all your life it won't leave the property because of its environment. And I find that a cat kept indoors for a long time will get too excited of the outside world and jump into places. Providing it being neutered and cared for all its life it has no skills when it comes to survival. But it is always up to the owner to decide what could be best for their cats. This is just my opinion.

From reading other threads on this forum that a lot of cat keep their cats indoors. Myself included. No it is not unfair. It shows that you care.

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Not everything that goes up comes back down. Your age for example.
My pets (sorry I can't upload any pics yet)
Cats
Candy (12) Neo and Simba (10) Del Boy (7))
Cockatiels
Undertaker (My OH's choice)(10) Souxsie(10) Sid(9) Rimmer and LIster(1) Ruhbarb and Custard(hatched july 2010)
Rats
Frosty and Jack(1)
Gerbil
Pepper(almost6) Pepper sadly no longer with us RIP pepper.
Its almost a zoo at home,but we love them all.

I strongly urge you to get your cats spayed. Not only will they almost certainly have litters and add to growing supply/demand problems but they are prone to so much more illness without being spayed such as infection.

It does not take away their gender. They are still girls, just healthier and less at risk.

In regards to keeping cats indoors, this significantly lengthens their life expectancy and shields them from all the nasties they could come into contact with outside.

Having said that, providing you are a vigilant owner and concern yourself with the vaccinations/worming/fleaing of your kitty then I am sure he/she will be a healthy outdoor cat also.

It really is personal choice on this one. I would love to keep my furbaby indoors at all times but I have trouble with the "adjustment period", while the cat becomes accustomed to staying indoors he/she will likely be very active and vocal in their wanting to get outside but after a short time they get used to it and all is well

I'm moving this summer and as I will have to keep Ziggy in for a while to get her used to her new home I am planning on keeping her in permanently. Ziggy has a harness that I have been working on getting her used to so she can have supervised outdoor time once we have moved. Not all cats will get used to a harness but that is something else you could consider if leaning towards an indoor only cat.

Hope this helped a little we want pics when you get your bundle of furryness!

I think Fluffed explains the indoor situation very well indeed. Would it be possible for you to 'cat proof' all or part of your garden so that the potential cat/cats could have the best of both worlds? If you are handy yourself then this is a realistic and cost effective solution, there are several purpose made kits available and many others on here can show you how they have achieved it in their garden.

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Nellie Paddy Mitzy Milo Peggy Murphy

Millie and Monty, the White Devils!