Apartment cats

Priscilla Marie

Hi Everyone,

A few weeks ago I took care of a lovely young cat that nearly was run down. I said I would hold on to him and took care of him until I found the owner. after 4/5 days we found his owner and were reunited. After he was gone I really missed the little guy.

I grew up with cats and I really love them as pets but grew up with them as outdoor/farmyard pets really.

I now live in a one bedroom apartment I would really love to give a home a little cat. I'm just worried my place would be too small for the cats wellbeing. Iv been researching a lot on how to enrich an indoor cats environment, with cat toys, toys with food, cat trees, cat shelves and cat harnesses you name it.


I just am not used to cats not being outside I would be worried this would be bad for there health. I would have to take him out sometimes. I don't have a garden or balcony but I have a private yard at the back.

I just wondered if anyone else has a cat here and live in an apartment and how do you get on. Is your cat happy?

Kings Inns or bust

We had our guy in our less than 40m2 apartment for years. Yes he's a huge fat bastard but that hasn't changed since he moved out to the burbs with a huge garden to run around in, it's down primarily to the fact that he has the wife wrapped around his paw and he's a neutered male.

If you're going to give a cat a loving home, especially if you're getting a suitable rescue, what's the harm if the situation is sub-optimal? It's that or it being put down so I say go for it. Our lad is and always has been happy.

Priscilla Marie

Aw that puts it in to perspective!

LOL sounds like your cat is well loved

Thanks so much. Ideally I wanted to home a rescue however I heard they will call to your home so I was a bit anxious of loosing that option.

However I think ensuring the cat gets the best possible care and a loving home is most important

muddypaws

A good friend of mine in London has always had indoor only cats, they have all had fantastic lives. Some cat rescues actually prefer indoor only homes. Apply to your local rescue, and see what they say.

Best of luck.

intheclouds

Totally grand, I have a cat in an apartment, its ground floor and she CAN go out if she wants but since she moved in, she has become more and more a house cat and she only goes out for about 20 minutes then back to claw stretching luxury on the couch

If the weather is bad she wont go out at all.

Stigura

Priscilla Marie wrote: »

A few weeks ago I took care of a lovely young cat that nearly was run down.

See? I'm genuinely Yet to hear of a cat, living indoors, or in a purpose built, outside cat enclosure, coming to a gory end.

" Oh! They're my fur babies! " Yeah? And would ye let ye two year old child baby out, to wander at will? Imagine applying to adopt a child; And they say ye can't have one, if ye Not going to leave the front door open 24/7.

Just doesn't equate, does it

I'd give any " Rescue ", that refuses to re home to an indoor life, a wide birth, frankly.

Irish Stones

Unlike Ireland, here in Italy the majority of people live in apartments so cat and dogs are indoor pets and almost nobody thinks this is cruel or unnatural.
I live in an apartment on ground floor, I have a yard and a garden, but I'd rather keep my two cats inside, or outside under strict control. In the first years I led them out with a harness and lead, in the last two years I started leaving them out without too much control, they have learned the borders of the property and never trespass or leave the garden. Furthermore, they are a bit aged, so their spirit of adventure has vanished a lot.
Before keeping them under control, when they were very young, I used to let them in and out at their wish, but one of the two had three incidents (two cars and one dog) in less than one year, so I thought it was time to stop wasting (or putting at risk) some of their nine lives.
Other fellow citizens of mine don't have even the chance to have a garden in their apartments, their cats are as happy as others, and live longer too.

Anne_cordelia

Stigura wrote: »

See? I'm genuinely Yet to hear of a cat, living indoors, or in a purpose built, outside cat enclosure, coming to a gory end.

" Oh! They're my fur babies! " Yeah? And would ye let ye two year old child baby out, to wander at will? Imagine applying to adopt a child; And they say ye can't have one, if ye Not going to leave the front door open 24/7.

Ridiculous analogy. They probably wouldn't let you adopt a child if you would never let it outside either!

Walter H Price

we have two 5 moth old cats in our 3 bed apt , there very happy healthy little cats , if you get them enough toys and climbing frames and stuff they can be fine indoor pets.

kylith

Anne_cordelia wrote: »

Ridiculous analogy. They probably wouldn't let you adopt a child if you would never let it outside either!

Get a kitten and train it to harness then. Or OP said they had a private yard so it may be possible to rig up a run.

I agree that I would give a wide berth to anywhere that wouldn't rehome to somewhere that they didn't allow the cat to risk a gory end on a regular basis.