Hi everyone

I'm new to the forums so first of all hello and thanks in advance for any help!

I have a couple of fantastic cats who I love to pieces. However, I've recently been offered a job in New York which I'm keen to take. However it would likely mean moving into a much smaller apartment with no / limited outside space.

At the moment the cats have the run of the garden so I wanted some advice on whether it's cruel for them to become indoor cats having previously experienced the great outdoors (I would make sure there's lots of stuff to keep them occupied).

I'm also looking into options such as finding somewhere with some sort of outside space and installing a cat fence or living further out where the roads are quieter and I'd hopefully be able to find a garden but I don't know how feasible that would be.

I really don't want to have to give them away to friend or family member but their welfare is the most important thing so any advice would be really appreciated.

Many thanks

Welcome to the forum.
I dont have any experience of this type of problem but have you tried keeping your cats in for long periods to see how they will be. It would give you a clearer picture and help you decide what to do. They have each other and they have you as their slave which they are obviously happy with and if you give they away how long will it take them if at all to readjust to a new home and with a new owner/owners?
Try it and see. Good luck

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Black with white around his private area



Black Tortoiseshell




R.I.P Patch my well behaved boy dog
R.I.P. Abby and Rebel my beautifull litter sister cats

How old are they - have they had years of outside access?

Thanks a lot for the initial advice - seeing how they cope is a good start point and they're definitely the masters of me!

In answer to the question they've only been outdoors for about a year as they're both pretty young (1 and 2). Do you think that the less time the less time it would take them to adjust? As I was saying I'm willing to do pretty much anything to make sure they're happy (apart from turning an amazing job down!)

Thanks again

I can only talk from my own experience which is that when our outdoor cats have been kept in they have all reacted differently, but they all wanted to get back outside and some of them were actually distressed at being kept in.

I think that once a cat has been outdoors no amount of toys and games can really replicate that - providing they enjoyed being outside of course.

I moved a cat and kitten into the same situation.

The cat is just over 1 and had been outside for the previous 5-6 months or so. She seemed to like it and knew where her home was. However, now she has moved in with me in a small flat with no outside access.
Although she looks out of the window, she isn't really ever trying to get out. She does greet me standing on the shelf next to the door but I don't think this is her trying to escape.

The kitten hasn't really been outside anyway so he is okay.

Every cat is different though.

Try keeping them in, they maybe okay with it. There is no hard and fast rule when keeping cats as we all know they all have varied personalities.

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Black with white around his private area



Black Tortoiseshell




R.I.P Patch my well behaved boy dog
R.I.P. Abby and Rebel my beautifull litter sister cats

Apprently lots of New Yorkers live "outside" of the city and commute to work. Public transport is good.