Cats and an Apartment.

Fantasy_Suicide

Hi all.

I wanted to get everyone's opinion on keeping cats in an apartment? Personally I am against it. I think cats ahould be allowed to roam outside and stuff. I live in a large apartment, and I'm craving a bit of company. I adore cats and I'd love to take one in.

Any opinions/ideas?

Thanks.

Weidii

If you're against it then surely you won't be getting one anyway?

Personally I wouldn't own a cat unless I knew I was in an area where it could be safely allowed outside to roam and hunt (and godknows what else they get up to)

Edit: If you want some company in a flat I'd stronly reccommend a pair of rats. They're good companions and are more intelligent than they're given credit for. They're not as easy to maintain as a cat, as you'd have to clean a cage twice a week and let them out for a run once or twice a day. Totally worth it if you're willing to put in the effort though

mymo

Cat's are fine indoors, doesn't seem to bother them at all so long as they're stimulated. have a cat that has been free to go in or out for 6 years but due to illness we had to keep him in for last 8 months.At first he did want to go out, but now he is allowed out again he doesn't want to know. Few toys, play with them a bit everyday. i found hiding saucers with small bit of food in odd places keeps him busy, also they love boxes and stuff to explore. I've known a few people keep indoor only cats that were very happy and no fleas to worry about. I do remember a school friend who had a very expensive pedigree cat they kept inside but trained to walk on a lead and used to bring in car for days out and long walks.(yeah puzzled me a bit too)there's other posts along these lines take a look. But so long as you have time to care for it go for it and have fun.
I agree with Weidii, rats are great pets and very entertaining but do need lot of care. Rabbits also good inside and can be trained to do amazing things!

The Artist

quote=Fantasy_Suicide;55840808
Personally I am against it. I think cats ahould be allowed to roam outside and stuff.

If your against keeping a cat in a apartment,why not move into a house with a garden for the cats to roam free?

I live in a large apartment, and I'm craving a bit of company. I adore cats and I'd love to take one in.

if you need company what about a hamster?

helpme2fixit

Hi Fantasy
I agree with other person, cats dont mind being inside, as long as they have toys and things to keep them happy!! my daughter has a kitten in an apartment.. got it 3wks ago!! and she told me, the kitten was clean after a few days training!! so no mess only in the tray!! she is left all day, and doesnt seem to mind one bit!! so its fine.. upto you really... but much prefer a kitten to a Rat!!!

mymo

Cat's are fine indoors, doesn't seem to bother them at all so long as they're stimulated. have a cat that has been free to go in or out for 6 years but due to illness we had to keep him in for last 8 months.At first he did want to go out, but now he is allowed out again he doesn't want to know. Few toys, play with them a bit everyday. i found hiding saucers with small bit of food in odd places keeps him busy, also they love boxes and stuff to explore. I've known a few people keep indoor only cats that were very happy and no fleas to worry about. I do remember a school friend who had a very expensive pedigree cat they kept inside but trained to walk on a lead and used to bring in car for days out and long walks.(yeah puzzled me a bit too)there's other posts along these lines take a look. But so long as you have time to care for it go for it and have fun.

mymo

Cat's are fine indoors, doesn't seem to bother them at all so long as they're stimulated. have a cat that has been free to go in or out for 6 years but due to illness we had to keep him in for last 8 months.At first he did want to go out, but now he is allowed out again he doesn't want to know. Few toys, play with them a bit everyday. i found hiding saucers with small bit of food in odd places keeps him busy, also they love boxes and stuff to explore. I've known a few people keep indoor only cats that were very happy and no fleas to worry about. I do remember a school friend who had a very expensive pedigree cat they kept inside but trained to walk on a lead and used to bring in car for days out and long walks.(yeah puzzled me a bit too)there's other posts along these lines take a look. But so long as you have time to care for it go for it and have fun.

hadook

Cats adapt quite easily to life indoors. Their natural routine involves spending hours asleep anyway - cats exercise in short bursts, so even if your cat is outside for 14 hours a day he/she is most likely asleep somewhere.

Kitten Adoption explain here why they only rehome cats/kittens to indoor homes.

The stats show that 1 in 4 outdoor cats just don't come home one day. A recent survey of lost cats advertised on the Irishanimals websites found this:

70% of cats never seen again
26% reunited with owners
4% found dead

all info from here

It's fairly sobering reading

Personally, I've got the Horde and they have access to the outside in that they have a run built onto the back of the house. They do not have free access to outside. When we lived in Maynooth (nice quiet estate, well back from any roads, no real traffic) we let our cats outside for an hour or so a day. One day one of them didn't come home. That was 4 years ago & I still don't know what happened to her I'm not willing to take the risk with their lives now, nor am I willing to annoy my neighbours by letting my cats roam free.

MsFifers

I'll just repeat what I said in a recent thread on this subject:

I have 2 apartment cats who seem v. content. I have tons of toys and hiding/climbing spots for them. They spend their days stalking birds they see out the window, kicking little balls around, chasing each other and cuddling. They seem v. happy.

I left my front door open lately to see if they wanted to go out - the male cat was NOT into the idea - hid until I closed it. The female went for a bit of stroll (under my supervision as its not a safe area for a cat) but she came running in in fright if someone came along.

I reckon they prefer it inside here. PM me if you would like some more info.

I know most people are used to having cats wander about all day - but you'll have a much better relationship with your indoor cat and it will be healthier for the most part.

Hells_Belle

Indoors is better for cats who are not working cats, ie mousers on a farm, etc.

If you spay or neuter your kitty (which you should anyway, of course) they will have less of a roaming instinct and be a far happier inside pet!

Having said that, I think there's some amount of personality involved here, too. We have a dog and people are shocked we don't have a garden for her. Since she hates being more than 18 inches from either of us, a garden wouldn't be much use unless I wanted to live in it. Whenever we've put her outside, she's just stood at the door saying "HELLO? You've FORGOTTEN me!" until someone fetches her in.

Fantasy_Suicide

Sorry I haven't replied to this thread in a long time. I have got a hamster, but there's not a hope in hell of ever handling him. He's a russian dwarf, and he seems much happier to run about his cage, legging it about in his wheel! I love him to bits, but he's way to scared to come anywhere near me. I would love love LOVE to have a cat in the apartment, but... my landlord said NO PETS, so that's that idea out the window. My aunt's cats just had two litters and I would have loved to have taken one of her kittens. I guess I'll have to stick with Spetsnaz, the hamster. But if anyone has any advice on handling him, I'd be very greatful. I have tried EVERYTHING, but he just legs it into the tubing and won't come out till I'm out of the room. I feel so hated!!

MurrayMint

I have 2 indoor cats. There's is no problem keeping them indoors and getting 2 is better than 1 as they can play and keep each other company. They sleep a lot so it's not that they are awake and bored 24 hours a day. To be honest looking after 2 isn't much more than looking after 1. Just make sure they are integrated properly before you get them to ensure they get on.

I keep them stimulated with lots of toys (rotate them regularly to stop boredom), climbing things, tunnels, ensuring that I play with them every day aswell. I've lots of green space around in the development so I take one, Murray out for walks nearly every day on his lead (Ollie, the other guy never really took to it so he doesn't go any more). In fact as soon as the harness goes on Murray, he heads straight for the door purring his head off! I also take them over to friends houses for a change of scenery once every 2 weeks at least and take them home with me to Belfast for the weekend every 6 weeks. With 2 it's easier to do this as they are less nervous about new spaces when there are 2 of them. The trick is to keep them confident (reward not scold!) and get them to new places when they are young and do it regularly. At this stage my guys have no problem going to other places.

In the apartment I've (child) window locks so the windows can be kept open during the day and they can get the breeze without chance of falling out. I also have the fire screen attached to the mantle piece so no one climbs up it!

The last thing I'd say is too many kitties are lost to accidents and harm from humans. Keeping them indoors eliminates the chances of this happening and gives you piece of mind. I know too many and have had many that I have lost due to them being out doors. You can keep a closed eye on them health wise too which means if something happens you can spot it way quicker than if they were outdoors and get it sorted.

Best of luck with your decision!

kerrysgold

i think cats are fine indoors, they are definitely safer anyway. they are easily killed on the road or some evil people even leave out poison for cats and other "people" would even pick on a cat or even kill it just for fun. as long as they have plenty of stuff to play with they should be happy enough and not bored. they always seem to spend hours sleeping or just looking out the window anyway.

and please get your aunt to spay her cats! there are already thousands of unwanted cats in this country without adding more to the population!

Ismishacats

mymo wrote: »

I do remember a school friend who had a very expensive pedigree cat they kept inside but trained to walk on a lead and used to bring in car for days out and long walks.(yeah puzzled me a bit too)there's other posts along these lines take a look. But so long as you have time to care for it go for it and have fun.

Most reputable pedigree cat breeders will only let their kittens go to indoor only homes... among other criteria that insure the kitten/cat has a long and healthy life

The notion of "cats need to roam free" is anthropomorphism ... and not far removed from cats should be given milk or can't live with dogs

boomerang

Fantasy_Suicide wrote: »

if anyone has any advice on handling him, I'd be very greatful. I have tried EVERYTHING, but he just legs it into the tubing and won't come out till I'm out of the room. I feel so hated!!

Sorry I can't write more at length right now as I'm in a rush, but do join the hamster heaven forum and ask the question there - it's a lovely board and you'll get lots of great advice on taming your hamster and keeping him healthy and happily entertained:

http://www.hamster-heaven.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl

sorella

Wondering how they got these statistics as that has not been my experience in the last two decades of allowing cats to go out.

Only two of around a total of 25 have ever failed to return. One was old and probably went off to die alone. The other was taken by a badger.

Of course, these are rural cats so obviously a city or town has a different story to tell. when I approached cat adoption agencies at one time and explained where we lived, even those with this policy were happy if we took a kitten from them. It was only distance that prevented that and they referred us to somewhere nearer to us.


The stats show that 1 in 4 outdoor cats just don't come home one day. A recent survey of lost cats advertised on the Irishanimals websites found this:

70% of cats never seen again
26% reunited with owners
4% found dead

all info from here

It's fairly sobering reading

Personally, I've got the Horde and they have access to the outside in that they have a run built onto the back of the house. They do not have free access to outside. When we lived in Maynooth (nice quiet estate, well back from any roads, no real traffic) we let our cats outside for an hour or so a day. One day one of them didn't come home. That was 4 years ago & I still don't know what happened to her I'm not willing to take the risk with their lives now, nor am I willing to annoy my neighbours by letting my cats roam free.[/quote]

nearly

I felt as the first posted said, that I'd feel "bad" having the cat in all the time. But I went to visit my friend when she got her first cat, and she kept her cats inside. She explained as the posters above, that cats were safer from disease and accidents. And with company and attention, they are really quite happy- cats chose to live with humans. It's nice to have companions I think so, if you have one cat- it would be nicer to have two.

My sister lives in Donegal on a sheep farm. At one point she counted 17 cats around the farm. Feral, wild cats- with one or two tame enough to come near and let you pet them. They got into territorial fights, died, got hit by cars, who knows what else. She finally was able to wrangle some and get them spayed and neutered. She started with one stray cat she fed... and ended up with 17... it's crazy.

It's a really rough life for cats out there, and I think there's a throw away attitude about cats. They come, they go. *shrug*.

It's really horrible! I think the height of showing love and care for a *pet* is putting it in the best place possible, the same place you choose to live yourself- your home. This is a pet, not a wild animal. They're bred for generations to be so...

Anyway! My friend I mentioned at the start built the COOLEST cat apartment out of cardboard boxes. She's always rearranging and adding to it when she gets new deliveries. I'll post a picture of the apartment!

I thought the Happy Cat Apartment deserved to start a thread of its own. I hope it makes you feel confident that you can bring a cat into your life.
See here: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=57454521

sorella

I know; in country areas they are treated as vermin on farms, because they are 'worth" nothing. In years past when I bred Siamese and was in the far North of Scotland, they could not believe that people would pay for a kitten.

And when they move house, they leave the cats behind. We have fed many over the years.

when I was in Mayo I started feeding three, and before very long there was a cat behind every bush; word gets round. Many were inbred and stunted,.

They have two white cats up the road; not spayed and they made sure our big male was - and thin. One had a bad eye and they take no care of it; only a cat....

But my two now are happy in and out. They leap in at any hours to nuzzle and eat and sleep as close to me as they can get.
Then off out again. Their choice now always. (Donegal also here)

My sister lives in Donegal on a sheep farm. At one point she counted 17 cats around the farm. Feral, wild cats- with one or two tame enough to come near and let you pet them. .

It's a really rough life for cats out there, and I think there's a throw away attitude about cats. They come, they go. *shrug*.

It's really horrible! I think the height of showing love and care for a *pet* is putting it in the best place possible, the same place you choose to live yourself- your home. This is a pet, not a wild animal. They're bred for generations to be so...

Anyway! My friend I mentioned at the start built the COOLEST cat apartment out of cardboard boxes. She's always rearranging and adding to it when she gets new deliveries. I'll post a picture of the apartment!

I thought the Happy Cat Apartment deserved to start a thread of its own. I hope it makes you feel confident that you can bring a cat into your life.
See here: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=57454521[/quote]