Can indoor only cats be happy long term? (kittens, male, food)
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I have a two bedroom condo with a large great room and two bath. Recently I have adopted a real cutie named Whiskers, a tux shorthair, and he seemed to have trouble adjusting so his foster mommy brought over one of his playmates, Tater a gray tabby who is about the same age and also a neutered male. They like to play fight, as two males will do...Now I have got to pay the fee for Tater's adoption. I;m wondering if I should keep or give back Tater. The fee is $60 but he has had all his shots and everything. I wish I could tell you the square footage of my place but don't know for sure. Are indoor only cats happy for a lifetime? I am a big fan of pet doors, and it would be great if I could let Whiskers and Tater roam in the fenced in enclosure....but see nowhere to install a pet door. The door to the enclosure is glass....how do I do that? Do you think one house cat is enough for a 2 bedroom condo? Truth be told I don't really want to separate them....What do cat owners ont he board think? Are indoor/outdoor cats happier? Can house cats be happy and content long term?
Wish I could show you some pics of the little guys...they are cute.
We have two cats who are primarily indoor, and our previous two were indoor only. They were happy. I think having two cats is better than one, if the two cats in question are sociable with each other. My current two are littermates, male & female.
Our current townhouse has an enclosed patio, and a previously installed doggy door (now renamed "the cat flap"), and they can go in & out at will. Usually, Pumpkin goes out to see if he can catch the bats that roost in our open-backed garage morning and evening, and they both will go out to soak up some sun midday. They are rarely outside more than 30 minutes.
Is the glass door to your enclosure a sliding door? If it is, you can get a doggie door insert for it. Otherwise, you will be playing doorman if you don't want to replace the door.
I am a FIRM believer in indoor ONLY for cats unless you can somehow manage to get them on a leash. This is for their safety (cars, other animals, diseases, fleas). Not only will the be happy they will tend to live longer. I had 3 indoor cats, not two as we put a 16 year old down last year. We still have a 9 year old and a 16 1/2 year old and they are happy as can be. I have always had at least 2 cats, indoors only. My homes have been as small as a studio and as big as a 2 level, 2 bedroom 2 bath house (although in that house they were not allowed upstairs due to my ex's allergies).
We have two female cats that my wife has had indoor all of their life(Miss Kitty and Jezzy--Miss Kitty did spend the first six months outdoors, but that was it--both were adopted). Miss Kitty is approx 15 years old and Jezzy is approx 9 years old. Both are as happy and content as can be. I did have a male cat that I brought with me(Darwin) into the marriage, but he could not take living with two women I guess?? He actually had been primarily an outside cat and I think the adjustment was just too much for him. So yes, I do think they can be happy inside. We have a large sunroom and that is where they love to be most of the day, until nightime when they crawl their way to our bed for the night....
We have two indoor cats, and they're far from unhappy in a 1,150 square foot house. They were so traumatized by their experiences outside (they were dumped in our alley as kittens) -- fighting with other cats, getting squirted by skunks, and dodging cars and evil cat-haters -- that they have little interest in going outdoors. When the front door opens, they run and hide.
They enjoyed pouncing on crickets outdoors, but indoors they can chase flies and stink bugs. They sit in the windows and watch the birds and squirrels. They chase each other around the house, they fight and snuggle together. They're quite content.
Whiskers and Tater will be much happier if they're together, indoors or out.
I would think two cats who get along well don't really need significantly more space than one cat. The theory goes that you want two (or three, by some theories) litter boxes, and you probably need two sets of food and water. But apart from that what extra space does the second cat take up? I think you're fine.
As far as indoor only, they absolutely can be happy, and they will live longer. I've had Amber since about 10 weeks old or thereabouts, which was over 14 years ago. I got her from a friend whose cat had kittens inside the house. This cat has never been outside, except in a carrier. She does like to look outside; I've had a succession of homes with sliding glass doors, with the most recent at the house (for the last 7 years) providing by far the most interesting view. Birds and small mammals provide some interest out there, which was rare in the earlier locations. (For the three years before that, it was a third-floor apartment with balcony.)
The space is not a big issue. My current house has a downstairs she can and does visit, but typically we spend most of our time upstairs, and she will go days most likely without going downstairs, assuming we are not down there ourselves. In other words, despite the additional available space, it is not at all necessary. She is artificially limiting her space. And in fact we have the bedrooms closed off most of the time, etc. She has free roam of the finished downstairs family room, the living room, dining room, kitchen and hallway. And it's not a particularly huge area; it's a small house with only about 1000 sq ft per floor (and half of the lower floor is a garage where the cat does not go). Of course, I wouldn't say go crazy and have half a dozen cats. More than two is probably a stretch, but two should be fine. (I would have two myself, but this one is definitely an only cat. We had a second one older one for a few years, never got along.)
Once the cat is used to always being inside, and is spayed/neutered, they won't have a strong urge to go out most likely. Amber has a little dose of curiosity. If I'm working out back I might get her attention at the sliding door, open it up a little, pet her through the gap. She's a little curious, but it's a hesitant curiosity. I have no fear that she'll dash through the door and out of my reach outside. We typically enter the house through the garage, which gives a little extra cushion, but we're not needing to be careful to close the garage door first, etc. She's far more curious about things we bring into the house, or rooms inside the house that are often closed to her.
My vote would be to not bother working on ways to allow them outside access. Let them enjoy the view, and they will be fine. If you get a bird feeder, they'll have an interesting view, and keeping them inside will ensure there is no danger to the birds.
Indoor cats live much longer and are safer from injuries from other animals, cat haters and vehicles. On top of that they do not get fleas and parasites. Having 2 cats will keep them from getting bored, because they can play with each other. Provide them with lots of toys and my kitties also like their cat trees.
Interestingly enough, I adopted two cats from death row and they were supposedly "strays". Well these strays have never once attempted to leave the house, seem perfectly happy tearing through the house
By the way, a $60 adoption fee is a bargain. One visit to the vet would cost more than that here, let alone the neutering!
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The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it. ~Henry David Thoreau
I think the thing I like most about cats is that they are really in the moment. They have no goals, no disappointments, no regrets. A cat can be utterly happy in a sunny spot on the floor of a one room flat as in the library of a mansion. And, the stress of outdoor living disappears as soon as they come through the door. Jack is my first totally indoor cat and I don't think I have ever met a friendlier, less stressed cat than Jack. He goes outside on his leash occasionally and is content to just sit on my lap and watch the world go by occasionally jumping down to chase a lizard a few feet. And he runs to the door to greet a visitor not to pull off an escape. He looks out but then waits to be picked up and carried outside if that is the plan. Did I mention that I like Jack . . a lot?
Indoor cats live much longer and are safer from injuries from other animals, cat haters and vehicles. On top of that they do not get fleas and parasites. Having 2 cats will keep them from getting bored, because they can play with each other. Provide them with lots of toys and my kitties also like their cat trees.
Interestingly enough, I adopted two cats from death row and they were supposedly "strays". Well these strays have never once attempted to leave the house, seem perfectly happy tearing through the house
By the way, a $60 adoption fee is a bargain. One visit to the vet would cost more than that here, let alone the neutering!
K has stated it all. An Indoor cat will live a much longer and happier life and will thank you in the end. Supply them with maybe a window perch, toys and cat tree and they will be in heaven. I have 6 who can attest to that. No complaints from them and never even a look towards the door to go outside. Heat/Air Con, no cars or predators/or fleas and disease, endless supply of love and attention, endless supply of toys and food source. What more can one want?
Also, if your concerned about room....one can always go "up"! There are many mags who have diagrams and plans to build "up" for cats....most cats love to be high...so instead of spreading out...spread up^
I've had my cat Cooper for 5+ years, I got him as a feral kitten and he has never tried to get back outside. And when we first adopted him we lived in a tiny one bedroom apartment! We have a townhouse now, but we've always lived in the city, cities especially are much too dangerous for cats. If you let the cat out and don't supervise him, you never know who he'll meet, not everyone is friendly to cats, I would never take that chance with my kitty. Not to mention outside they can get fleas, other parasites, they can get in a fight with another cat, run over by a car etc. I would keep your kitty inside with his brother. By the way $60 is a bargain!
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More than two is probably a stretch, but two should be fine. (I would have two myself, but this one is definitely an only cat. We had a second one older one for a few years, never got along.)
