Is it fair to keep cats in an apartment?

eth0_

I had a cat all my life who I loved to bits, but she died at the age of 21 two years ago.

I now am living on my own for the first time, and would really love to get another cat, preferably an adult cat and a kitten from a rescue centre.

I just find myself wondering if it is fair to keep cats indoors, especially in a one bedroom apartment.

Does anyone here have a cat in their apartment? Where do you keep the litter tray? Do the cats have a major issue with boredom (this is why I want to get two cats, to keep each other company)?

Ruu_Old

I have our cat in a one bedroom apartment. We got her a huge cage (can handle 3 cats in it, it says) where her bed and litter pan are, as she sleeps there at night. There are shelves where she loves to jump around on. I also made her a cat toy (platforms) that she can play in and climb. You should have no problems, especially if getting another cat as well.

daiixi

Not a problem. Lots of cats are flat/house cats in Australia (as they all should be) because they make a habit out of killing our endangered wildlife. Shouldn't make much of a difference here.

bounty_hunter

I keep my cat confined to my house (3 bedroom house, but he only has access to one bedroom so essentially it's pretty much apartment-sized to him. This is for the simple reason that it's just not safe to allow him out wandering, and the advantages to an indoor life are too many to count. I do take him for occasional walks outside on a lead, or to visit friends, but I try to limit this as I don't want him to get a feel for it and then pine for the outdoors when he's shut inside.

As it stands he has no real desire to go out alone, and any initial excitement when I open a door quickly subsides when he runs outside and suddenly realises that the house is much safer and warmer and changes his mind.

His litter tray is kept in my bathroom beside the toilet. Seemed apt I suppose, and it's works well so there's no problem there. He has a huge selection of toys/climbing aparatus to play with and has the company of my chinchillas while I'm out during the day (hard to imagine, but they do sit and chat to each other). I will eventually be getting a feline friend for him, but at the moment it's just not a feasible option. Good on you for considering two cats rather than one.

Just make sure you give them as many things as possible to keep them amused and plenty of attention whenever you're there and you shouldn't run into too many problems. You need to be on the lookout for signs of boredom though and counteract them as soon as you pick up on anything in order to prevent the onset of behavioural problems.

FranknFurter

www.kittenadoption.ie
You will find all the info you need there, and I can personally recommend getting a cat from them, they are a wonderful organization and even provide backup support if you need it.
The also have their own forum now.
They re-home ONLY to indoor homes and can answer any and all queries you have about keeping indoor cats.
We got our girl from them. (shes sitting here as I type!) and I know they have many older and younger cats looking for homes right now!

We keep our girl in our apartment, its a small 2 bedroom, but she mainly stays in the kitchen and living room side, and she is more than happy lol, she also is an extremely well-adjusted kitty as they keep their rescues in a home environment and personality check (and fully health check) their cats before re-homing them.

B

josephine20

I have two kittens that I keep indoors. It's totally fine. In some places... Canada I think... you are required to keep your cats indoors or you have to pay a fine if they are caught outdoors. There are also some benefits to having cats indoors. You don't have to worry about them getting lost, injured or killed. You also don't have to worry about them getting fleas,etc. We were able to treat our kittens at the start and don't have to do since as there is no risk to them. Once you have plenty of things to keep them occupied and fit they will be fine. It's recommended that you have lots of scratching posts and things that cats can climb as well as lots of toys. My two kittens do really well inside and I have that security of knowing they are safe. Some disadvantages may include having to maintain a litter tray and the fact that they molt all the time when they are indoor cats. But that is not a disadvantage to the cat itself! Overall, it's not cruel... of you read cat books/magazines there is often tips to follow when keeping a cat indoors. I doubt if the vets thought it was cruel to keep a cat indoors, they would not be advising on it!

galah

Hm...I always thought keeping cats indoors was fine - until the moment I let my cats out, and they could run around. The difference is unbelievable! They're way happier, more relaxed, don't go crazy at night anymore, don't chase each other that bad, and they stopped whining!

Maybe it's just my cats...but I'm glad I decided to let them out. Granted, before I got them, Elvis was already an outdoor cat, so keeping him confined was not nice - but Bhubh used to be an indoor cat, and she's now enjoying the great outdoors much more than being indoors!

At least try to get two cats, so that one doesn't get bored!

Best of luck ;-)

Sigma Force

If you can get two that will get on well together, an apartment may not seem ideal to some but your cat will not be at risk from getting hit by a car 9very painful death for anyone) getting stoled/lost, thrown on a bonfire at Halloween, attacked by dogs, get into serious cat fights, get kicked or worse by a bunch of kids etc etc list is endless.
Your cat will be happy in the apartment, just make sure there are plenty of toys, grow some cat grass, etc.

Of course a cat loves the freedom haven't you noticed how dogs love the freedome when they are let off the lead, that doesn't mean you are going to let them wander the streets to get hit by a car.

First rules of pet owner ship, food, shelter, water and all these make no sense if you can't offer your pet safety.

Manny7

We have 3 indoor cats plus various foster cats, never had any problem keeping them in at all. I had an outdoor cat growing up and have to say the indoor cats are much more playful and interact more with us. Definitely look at getting more than one though if possible, especially if no-one's in during the day.

cotton

Of course a cat loves the freedom haven't you noticed how dogs love the freedome when they are let off the lead, that doesn't mean you are going to let them wander the streets to get hit by a car.

First rules of pet owner ship, food, shelter, water and all these make no sense if you can't offer your pet safety.

That's exactly how I feel too. I've 7 indoor cats of my own plus fosters. They don't look to go out, they're very content.
Once you've got lots of toys, trays, scratching posts etc, they'll be fine.
The plus side is when you get home, you'll know they'll be there, safe & waiting for you, not dead from the many dangers outside.

Judge2112

My wife and I came from Germany, where a lot of people own cats that only stay indoors. As long as they (just one cat indoors is not a good idea -- get a playmate - of the same age) have toys they will have no problems being indoors - and I highly recommend a tall cat post, which they can climb on and sleep. Cats love to sleep high up.


We came here 6 years ago with 3 cats --- and now have 17. :eek: (don't ask me how....we are at a loss as what to do with them all, as it is difficult to re-home cats)

Make that 18, as just yesterday a pure white kitten was at our door (12-16weeks I estimate). I am getting the feeling that we are a "cat magnet."


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Sigma Force

That's true keeping pets as indoor in apartments is very commen in countries like Germany and the cats have no problem with it. I know many people over there with indoor cats and even dogs, obviously the dogs get plenty of walks but they can live happily in an apartment, in fact many of the apartments are the same size as a decent sized bungalow here.

stovelid

Our two cats do not like being kept in the house too long even if their litter and food is there. However our friends in NYC have a cat in their apartment (brought up there from a kitten) and there are no problems. I guess you should go for a very young kitten and not an older cat that may have been used to the outdoors.

Irish-Lass

stovelid wrote:

I guess you should go for a very young kitten and not an older cat that may have been used to the outdoors.

We have 3 house cats. 2 are siblings and we got as 4/5 weeks old and one of them always wants to go out. Our 3 cat we got when she was about 10 months old and was an outside cat and she has been with is 2 1/2 years now and she has no interest in going out, she will sit at the door if she hears us coming in etc but other then that she isn't all that keen on going out. Like everything it depends on the animal

Kebab

Hi Etho

we have a 10 week old kitten which we adopted a few weeks ago. She's gorgeous and very affectionate but can be a bit mad as well. As she's so small I certainly wouldn't let her go outside (she hasn't even had all her vaccinations yet). I would repeat a previous poster's recommendation of kittenadoption.ie they have so many lovely cats that need rehoming. I'm actually thinking of getting my kitten a playmate as she is on her own all day and I would imagine she must get bored.

We always had a cat at home as well so I'm used to them - our cat used to go outside all the time but Kittenadoption advocate keeping indoor cats which makes sense if you think about it. I say go for it - there are loads of cats that need homes....

K

Faith

There's several apartments across the road from me that have cats. They're just adorable, and occasionally I see them sitting on the window sills, watching the people passing by underneath.

I'd love to get one myself, but I travel too much and I'm not sure it would get on with my cat in Ireland, were I to bring it with me.