I live close to a main road, well my front door opens onto it and am reluctant to let my 10 week kitten out when he is old enough. He is getting microchipped in 2 weeks. Then he'll be 'done'at 6 months and I think he's allowed out around that time.
I think we are looking at moving around February time and will be moving onto an estate so not so close to a main road. I'm not sure whether to let him out here or wait until we have moved.
I would hate for him to get bored but will keep introducing new toys. I would get another cat if necessary for Whispa however, I had not planned on this, I could afford to do so.
no problem about the essay. Should I consider getting another kitten to keep Whispa company? I'm not sure I want to and of course would ensure I could afford to before as a Cat is not just for Christmas and such but if it was best for Whispa I would definitely consider it as I love him dearly.
In my opionion, I recommend keeping your cat indoor. It's much safer and healthier in the long run. Outdoor cats, if not vaccinated, have a much higher risk of contracting Feline Lukemia, Feline AIDS ect.
Keep him indoors :) I've had indoor cats my whole life! DOn't worry about getting a companion for him either. Cats aren't pack animals like dogs. They're quite happy chilling on their own. Just provide some scratching posts and stuff. They sleep most of the time! We have a cat run now which is an enclosure they can go out in but can't get out out. :)
I think all cats should be kept indoors. I don't know about over there but over here, where the wild life is so prevalent, keeping cats indoors is best. And you can get in rouble if your cat is out after dark.
Keep him indoors. :) He'll be fine!
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Kitties don't neeeeeeed to be outdoors. LIke she said *points up* they're not pack animals.
With the diseases they can pick up and they can be hit by cars, and most outdoor cats ive met are less affectionate, it's not worth it.
both of my cats are indoors. the one is 13 and the other is 2 so uh yeah. lol.
Kitteh won't get bored. they have goldfish memories, so yeah. haha. give 'em attention and they're good
May i ask why you're waiting until he's six months to get him fixed?
my cat loves going outside. she is spayed/vaccinated, which all cats should be. cats like roaming around. i live near a really busy dual carriagaway and she knows only to go in the back garden and out that way. i've had her for years and shes never had problems with the busy road. i don't understand how people keep their cats in. like, do you never open your windows?
saying that i just got a deaf kitten and he'll be a house cat because, well he can't hear?
We have fly screens on our windows and stuff :)
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
I have an indoor cat. I have tried to get him to like being outside and have a harness and lead but he just cries when I take him out.
If you wanna give ya cat the pleasure of going out but without any risks as said above then get a harness and get em used to it asap. Longer left they don't like it much.
I think indoor cats can be just as fulfilled as outdoor cats. My boy is always on the go and plays alot.
I would like to get him a mate but just needa find the right one.
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My Pebbles was an indoor cat. This was especially because in the last 5 years of her life she had diabetes, which meant for her own safety she had to be kept indoors. She didn't mind one bit, always being a kind of nervy and dependent cat [rather like her owner!]. In the last 3 years of her life she and I shared a studio flat, and she wasn't fussed. Before that, it was just she and I in a 3 bedroomed terraced house on 3 storeys, and she loved running up and down all the stairs for her exercise! And she would come out with me in the garden when I was there.
I'd say, if you're planning on moveing, wait untill you've moved to let your cat outside (if you decide to at all). When you move, cat's have to get used to where home is again, and can sometimes get lost. If your cat hasn't bene outside before, they will have nothing to get confused about!
Both my cats spend a lot of time outdoors in the summer,a nd indoors in the winter. I don't think they'd like beign shut inside all the time, but we live in the middle of no-where and it's what they're used to.
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I think it's cruel to keep animals inside when they have the option to go out. My cats would hate to be stuck inside all the time. Each day, they disappear for a few hours after breakfast, return at lunchtime, then spend a while exploring the garden before settling inside the house in the evening. They are the most affectionate cats I've ever met (so I call bullsh*t on the "outdoor cats are less affectionate" presumption). Additionally, cats that are allowed to roam encounter a wider spectrum of experiences than those kept indoors with a limited number of people all the time, and tend to be a lot less nervous when their environment changes (new furniture etc.).
Let all your cats out. You wouldn't like to be stuck indoors all day.
I would say let your cats out when you move to a safer place too. I personally think it's in a cat's general nature to want to be out hunting. That said, cats all have different personalities, and some people's replies on this thread suggest that some cats just prefer to be indoors. It's kind of like saying "all humans are social and are happier in crowds". Some are, but some are quiet and like to spend more time at home. I suppose at the end of the day you can't ask your cat if it's happy, so just observe him, let him out when it's safe and see how he likes it, you know?
Take your cat around the garden on a lead?
thats what ive done with mine, so shes slowly gotten used to it, and soon she can come off the lead! she just goes out for about 10/15 mins a day :)
Also introduce a bell before meals, so she'll be conditioned to create the link (Pavlov's dogs) and that way, she'll hear the bell and come in, and also if its the same time everyday she has dinner, she should come in around then anyway. My cat nags and nags my mum from just before 6 until 6.15 when she gets her dindins!
always had outdoor cats. The two we adopted last year (mom and baby) are outdoor cats, esp. in the summer as we leave our upstairs deck slider open all night.
But, yes, i'd wait till you move.
Vets recommend getting cats 'fixed' at six months of age so this is why I am waiting until then.
Still unsure as to what to do about letting Whispa out. Some people say that if I wait until we move around Feb then Whispa won't be familiar with his surroundings.
He'll only be 9 months old when we move. *Sigh* Decisions Decisions
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I have had outdoor and indoor cats, but i think keeping them indoors is best. That's what the ASPCA recommends as well. They are much safer and won't get fleas and diseases and whatnot. I moved from an urban area to a rural one with my indoor/outdoor cat and not long after, she suffered fatal wounds from a coyote attack. I had ANOTHER outdoor cat who got attacked by some wild animal and ended up with serious leg injuries. (Even in an urban setting, they could be injured or killed by raccoons or dogs or something.) At another time i had a cat i kept indoors (not wanting to lose ANOTHER cat to the dangers of the wild outdoors) but in the process of a move, she got outside, and i never found her again. Same thing happened to the most adorable kitten i had; she escaped outside once and i never saw her again! Not to mention all the poor squished kitties i've seen on the road. You might think yours knows better than to run out there but you never know. Animals are unpredictable.
My mom has two indoor-only cats and they are clearly very happy and content. They love playing with each other and chasing toys around the house and are very friendly.
I would say if i had any more cats, i would ALWAYS keep them indoors and never let them out, ever. But i'm just sticking with dogs now. They're more loyal and actually WANT to stay home, instead of running off and getting hurt.
It depends where Syrup lives. A lot of people from the US are saying "keep your cats inside", but people in the UK are much less likely to do that kind of thing because we don't have coyotes and it's just not the same environment.
I think you're English, Syrup, are you? In which case I'd only take the UKers' advice.
My friend has two indoors cats because she lives on a busy road.
They don't seem to mind at all. And I doubt your cat would mind being on it's own. My friends two cats basically ignore each other. xD
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I had ANOTHER outdoor cat who got attacked by some wild animal and ended up with serious leg injuries. (Even in an urban setting, they could be injured or killed by raccoons or dogs or something.) At another time i had a cat i kept indoors (not wanting to lose ANOTHER cat to the dangers of the wild outdoors) but in the process of a move, she got outside, and i never found her again. Same thing happened to the most adorable kitten i had; she escaped outside once and i never saw her again! 
Not to mention all the poor squished kitties i've seen on the road. You might think yours knows better than to run out there but you never know. Animals are unpredictable.
