Pet Haven

There are those that believe that cats belong outdoors, and then there are those who think that a cat is safer indoors.  Cats, on the whole, prefer the outdoors, but there are a number of reasons why you may agree with the indoors only debate and choose not to allow your cat outdoors.  This may be because you live in an area with busy roads.  It could be that you’ve had a cat in the past, maybe more than once, that’s been killed or seriously injured by cars or even dogs.  Possibly you live in an area where cats are mysteriously disappearing and no-one knows why.  Or it could be that you have small children and believe that the cat has less chance of bringing infection into the house if it doesn’t get out amongst dirt and germs.

Whatever the reason is that makes you decide not to let your cat out, know that it’s not cruel for your cat, not matter what some people may tell you!  It may be frustrating, especially for a cat that has at one time been an outdoors cat – perhaps you’ve taken in a stray, or re-homed a cat – to have to spend its time sitting at the window watching birds from a distance.  These cats will show their displeasure vocally at first, but they will eventually settle.  Kittens who have ever known the outdoors may try to get out but this will be more from curiosity than anything else – just as they try to get into cupboards and under beds.

Keeping a cat indoors means having to be extra vigilant about keeping outer doors shut tight and windows open on security locks so that they can only open an inch, not enough to allow even a skinny determined cat to squirm his way out!  You need also to drill everyone in the house to check where the cat is before they open the front or back doors.

The main problem with having an indoors cat is that they have no road sense.  Even a cat that used to be outdoors loses its sharpness and so the outdoors world is full of danger.  This is why, having made the decision to keep your cat in, you must be committed to ensuring that it doesn’t then get out and be at even more risk than it would have been if it had always been allowed out and had learned street smarts!

Cats love to breathe fresh air, so lock your windows open a tiny bit so that they can inhale the outdoors whilst not actually being able to go outside, and every now and then bring them some fresh grass to eat, especially in the summer.

All cats are particular about their hygiene and they won’t go on a dirty litter tray – some of them won’t even use their tray twice, preferring to wait until it’s cleaned before they use it again.  This means that if you are considering buying a cat as an indoor only cat you will need to budget financially for the cat litter, and also be prepared to keep the tray clean two or more times each day.

Indoor cats live long happy lives with few health problems but they do have poorer immune systems so if you know someone who has a sick cat with a contagious illness, keep them away from your cat – and wash your hands after you’ve been near their cat – to minimize the risk of transferring the disease to your cat.

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