i agree with the above and suggest you get two. Depending on price range there are some that say that some breeds (rag dolls i think) are better as indoor cats than others, however if they've been brought up from kittens as indoor cats I think any breed can adjust (I personally don't like indoor cats, but thats just my opinion and irrelevant for this conversation, but thats why I dont know much about specific breeds etc)
I think its normandie that has some indoor cats? or am I imaginging it?! - might be worth a pm?
I'd personally get some from a shelter as there are so many about, and as previously mentioned get the spayed asap (or neutered) as thats where the fighting comes from.
You will need to kitten proof, but with two they tend to play with each other which helps. The only damage I had was my dangly net curtains, which got pulled down :mad:
I am genuinely curious about why you don't like them. Care to share/
thanks to you all for taking so much time to give really thoughtful and kind replies!
I will spend a good few months considering this as I don't want to rush into anything that could be detrimental to the cat(s).
PLEASE keep your tips/advice/stories coming as they are all brilliant.
One query that comes to mind right now is about space for indoor cats. How many rooms should they be able to roman in? The whole apartment? Maybe two or three rooms? What do they feel more comfortable with?
They need fed a few times a day and they look for company.
You would be more suited to an older, quiet cat. It's not so much about the breed but assessing the different personalities then picking the one for you.
over here people tend to think it cruel to keep a cat indoors however my last cat wasn't well enough to go out and when he had to be pts we decided on our current two a male ragdoll cross and a ragamuffin both are really indoor breeds so they took to it really well as they didnt know any different also we are both disabled so wanted a breed suited to our lifestyle
OP. I don't think it's cruel to keep cats indoors as long as they get enough stimulation. Mine have access to the whole house and plenty of toys and scratching posts. They get out for an hour or two a day but only when it's daylight and when they are supervised. Penthouse however probably makes this irrelevant.
Yes, they do scratch the furniture - but hey, it's only furniture. Most pet owners couldn't give a ****.
Whatever you do, don't even consider getting them declawd - so cruel. I've heard it's somewhat common in US but it's unheard of in Ireland/UK (correct me if I'm wrong).
p.s. Going to Manhattan in April - Can I stay with you?????? I can teach you all you need to know about our furry friends.
(relax, just kidding - don't get the restraining order ready yet)
I am genuinely curious about why you don't like them. Care to share/
Yeah, I don't want to cause an argument as its a sensitive subject for lots of people. But personally I don't like cats being kept indoors as it restricts natural behaviour - indoor cats tht are not stimulated enough (which is very common, as its hard to provide them with everything they would get in the outside world) tend to have more behaviour problems. There slots of research Into it at the moment. Cats roam and have large territories and hunt a lot, the restriction of these behaviours in particular is where issues can arise - something as simple as playing with the cts for twenty mins before feeding them can reduce the motivation to hunt.
There are always good reasons to keep a cat in and I'm not saying everyone HAS to keep thier cats out, but generally imho it better for the cats well being, health and behaviour to be allowed outside.
But if you can't allow them out (ie living in a penthouse) but feel you can still provide the required activity for them then two is definatley better than one, less chance of boredom. There are some very happy indoor cats, and some very sad outdoor ones - it's the owner that makes the real difference,
OP. I don't think it's cruel to keep cats indoors as long as they get enough stimulation. Mine have access to the whole house and plenty of toys and scratching posts. They get out for an hour or two a day but only when it's daylight and when they are supervised. Penthouse however probably makes this irrelevant.
Yes, they do scratch the furniture - but hey, it's only furniture. Most pet owners couldn't give a ****.
Whatever you do, don't even consider getting them declawd - so cruel. I've heard it's somewhat common in US but it's unheard of in Ireland/UK (correct me if I'm wrong).
p.s. Going to Manhattan in April - Can I stay with you?????? I can teach you all you need to know about our furry friends.
(relax, just kidding - don't get the restraining order ready yet)
BIB - yes totally agree, it's not allowed here (neither is descending of ferrets) as its a breach of the animal welfare act, please don't do it, it removes so many natural behaviours!
Just one thing to OP; Whilst people refer to some breeds as "indoor" cats, what is meant is that the breed tends to demonstrate the principles of Darwinism, with roaming instincts and a silly trusting nature that the world will move around them to keep them out of harm. Ragdolls (and to an extent my own favourite - Maine Coons) have a tendency to roam far and wide, main roads and cars are no challenge for them until they use their 9 lives.
What I'm saying is, it's not so much that these breeds are particularly good indoors, its rather than they're particularly bad out of doors.
...as witnessed by the local United Utilities that phoned me at work to complain that our MC was harrassing them trying to dig a storm drain, across a major road and onto docklands. That's when we seriously curbed the little tike's freedom.
One query that comes to mind right now is about space for indoor cats. How many rooms should they be able to roman in? The whole apartment? Maybe two or three rooms? What do they feel more comfortable with?
THaNK YOU! :)
Mine go where they want, but then im only in a one bedroomed ground floor flat.
Some say you're supposed to bring them home and keep them in one room to get used to their new environment, I didn't do that, and mine have been fine.
Again others say no visitors for the first week or so, but I wanted them used to my friends and family, so they've been around from early on as well. It all depends on the cat/kitten.
My cat is an indoor cat. He likes the idea of going outside but is scared of so many things that he actually panics if he is outside and flies back into the house. We live in a 3 storey house and he has the run of the whole place, result one very calm happy little man.
But I was fairly fortunate that I could flex my working hours, so that I could start early or late and nip home during the day.
When he woke me early I would play with him for a while and I could check during the day he hadn't got stuck somewhere. But he was perfectly happy, he had his toys and I would leave Sky News on in the background (random:o)
I tried at first keeping him downstairs even if I was home, blocking the staircase so he couldn't get up, I was worried about him falling down. had two nights of him crying when I was in bed, which I ignored (Be strong I thought, the downstairs is your kingdom, cat of mine:p)
Third night no noise, I awoke, scared silly in the morning, with a lump on my legs; the little sod had clambered over my Berlin Wall on the stairs and crawled under the duvet
The only issue I had when I was out, that I would come home and find he had pooed anywhere except his tray.
I thought, at first, this was because I wasn't watching/training him all the time. But mum said put his bowl next to his tray. Worked like a dream.
I don't know whether he would ever have been an indoor cat. Before he had all his jabs and was street legal he would sniff the air when I went outside or cracked a window and would be dying to get out.
But we are lucky to live in a quiet area so he can batter in and out through his flap when he wants and we don't have to fret about traffic, etc.
Although to start with he was only allowed out if I was at home because the first weekend I let him out he;
a) Couldn't get back over the fence so I had to collect him from the bridleway a couple of times
b) Went to the wrong house and had to be brought back by a very amused neighbour.
c) Couldn't work the cat flap
When he sussed all that out he was good to leave solo with the flap unlocked.
I think the Beast is happier being a wanderer, and I am too; I think if he had be raised as an indoor cat I would be fretting about if he sneaked out.
But I guess if you love them and do all the things you should for them, indoor cat or outdoor cat they will happy:)
i wouldn't advise ragdolls as they do like human interaction my breeder wont sell her kittens to people who are out all day as they are very social these are the ony 2 pedigrees i have had my last one was just a little black and white boy who stole my heart from the minute i saw him but again he wasnt left much our cat previous to him was a very solitary creature who liked her own company
I'd rather my sofas were clawed to bits that treat an animal in that way.
What's the minimum and maximum number of rooms for two indoor cats? Do they feel lost if there's too much indoor space?
Could you suggest some breeds that would thrive as a pair indoors (Persian, Ragdoll and Maince **** I've heard)
As someone else has said, rather than look at breeds, it's better to look at individual cats because all cats are different. Pedigree cats have certain traits in common. eg. siamese can be vocal, ragdoll very trusting etc. but no 2 cats are completely the same, every cat I have ever known has a distinct, individual personality. There are so many rescue 'moggies' looking for homes and the cats' fosterers are normally very good at assessing cats' characters and what sort of home would suit them, whether they would get on with other cats or dogs or young children, whether they would definitely need outdoor access or would be better suited to indoor homes, whether they are solitary and unsocial or crave human attention etc.
Pedigrees are also very expensive, rescue moggies just require an adoption fee (not sure how it works in the US).
My cats have the run of my house, every room, plus access to outdoors via a catflap. When a cat is new to the home, it will feel daunted so it's advised to restrict them to maybe one room at first. My 2 rescue cats settled in so quickly and were exploring the whole house within minutes of arriving but I think it helped that they had each other for security and confidence. Every cat is different.
I have two cats (brothers), had them 9 years ago, from kittens, I'm clueless as to the cost as I was only 11 when I had them. We've bought them so many toys and treats but they've never been interested, they like to chase things, like I move my dressing gown cord on the floor and they pounce on it or I throw pegs for them, they're strange animals they love eachother, it's a pleasure to see, they're always washing eachother and sometimes cuddle up to eachother to sleep which I find so cute. They occasionally 'box' (they put they're paws up and turn their heads away' when they argue, but it's hardly fighting. Room wise, my cats like my kitchen and dining room, we have a sofa in there and they like to sleep on, they can't relax in another room.
We were pussy virgins up to 1 yr and 2 months ago. The children were begging for a cat.
We bought one, he's a mix of exotic shorthair and ?, mummy got loose one night!:D
He's an indoor cat, simply because we live on a quite busy road. The sellers offered us two kittens but we opted for 1 as 1. We could only afford to look after 1 2. I was still getting used to the idea of actually having a cat as I wasn't use to having animals around me.
When we first had him he used to have Whiskas pouch but then we introduced him to dry food Hills Scienceplan, which he loves and will not touch wet food anymore. It's really good for his teeth.
When we first got him, we keep him downstairs and always made sure the windows were closed. Any exposed wires were hidden or covered up. Any gaps where he could squeeze into, and trust me he tried, we blocked with something so he wouldn't get stuck.
We bought loads of toys, a few scratch posts. He had his litter tray in the kitchen along with 2 ceramic bowls (less chance of tipping over). One bowl for his dry food and one with water, which we change a few times a day, twice if we're not in, morning and evening.
He has never scratched our leather sofa or had toilet accidents in the house. He did once accidently as a kitten poo in a plastic washing basket, but he got himself confused when he was in it. Just the once.
He got neutered at the vets, they tell you when you need it. He also has his flea and worming treatment done there and he also gets his nails clipped by them. Oh I also got him microchipped as a precaution. We pay insurance of £22 from John Lewis.
He has managed fine by himself, now he's a year and 4 months old, he has run of the house, you'll know when they're ready for the rest of the house.
It seems when we go out for long hours he tends to sleep, he creates more mayhem when we're at home!:D
We were pussy virgins up to 1 yr and 2 months ago. The children were begging for a cat.
We bought one, he's a mix of exotic shorthair and ?, mummy got loose one night!:D
He's an indoor cat, simply because we live on a quite busy road. The sellers offered us two kittens but we opted for 1 as 1. We could only afford to look after 1 2. I was still getting used to the idea of actually having a cat as I wasn't use to having animals around me.
When we first had him he used to have Whiskas pouch but then we introduced him to dry food Hills Scienceplan, which he loves and will not touch wet food anymore. It's really good for his teeth.
When we first got him, we keep him downstairs and always made sure the windows were closed. Any exposed wires were hidden or covered up. Any gaps where he could squeeze into, and trust me he tried, we blocked with something so he wouldn't get stuck.
We bought loads of toys, a few scratch posts. He had his litter tray in the kitchen along with 2 ceramic bowls (less chance of tipping over). One bowl for his dry food and one with water, which we change a few times a day, twice if we're not in, morning and evening.
He has never scratched our leather sofa or had toilet accidents in the house. He did once accidently as a kitten poo in a plastic washing basket, but he got himself confused when he was in it. Just the once.
He got neutered at the vets, they tell you when you need it. He also has his flea and worming treatment done there and he also gets his nails clipped by them. Oh I also got him microchipped as a precaution. We pay insurance of £22 from John Lewis.
He has managed fine by himself, now he's a year and 4 months old, he has run of the house, you'll know when they're ready for the rest of the house.
It seems when we go out for long hours he tends to sleep, he creates more mayhem when we're at home!:D
BIB: mine too - they're silver something or others,,,, but dad is an unknown I suspect he was ginger though as they both have ginger through thier coats in summer!
BIB: mine too - they're silver something or others,,,, but dad is an unknown I suspect he was ginger though as they both have ginger through thier coats in summer!
I think dad was tortoiseshell cos the siblings had the colouring. Mum is ginger and so is Simba, in fact he looks very similar to her.
I posted this a while back....Simba's mum and siblings
We were pussy virgins up to 1 yr and 2 months ago. The children were begging for a cat.
We bought one, he's a mix of exotic shorthair and ?, mummy got loose one night!:D
He's an indoor cat, simply because we live on a quite busy road. The sellers offered us two kittens but we opted for 1 as 1. We could only afford to look after 1 2. I was still getting used to the idea of actually having a cat as I wasn't use to having animals around me.
When we first had him he used to have Whiskas pouch but then we introduced him to dry food Hills Scienceplan, which he loves and will not touch wet food anymore. It's really good for his teeth.
When we first got him, we keep him downstairs and always made sure the windows were closed. Any exposed wires were hidden or covered up. Any gaps where he could squeeze into, and trust me he tried, we blocked with something so he wouldn't get stuck.
We bought loads of toys, a few scratch posts. He had his litter tray in the kitchen along with 2 ceramic bowls (less chance of tipping over). One bowl for his dry food and one with water, which we change a few times a day, twice if we're not in, morning and evening.
He has never scratched our leather sofa or had toilet accidents in the house. He did once accidently as a kitten poo in a plastic washing basket, but he got himself confused when he was in it. Just the once.
He got neutered at the vets, they tell you when you need it. He also has his flea and worming treatment done there and he also gets his nails clipped by them. Oh I also got him microchipped as a precaution. We pay insurance of £22 from John Lewis.
He has managed fine by himself, now he's a year and 4 months old, he has run of the house, you'll know when they're ready for the rest of the house.
It seems when we go out for long hours he tends to sleep, he creates more mayhem when we're at home!:D
We took on a cat @ 1yr old, and after giving it lots of love and attention it got used to either being out between 8am and 5pm if the weather was nice (at 4.55pm the neighbours noted jet used to always move to the driveway to welcome us home (with his tea) ) or in winter or bad days, he also got used to being left inside with his food, water, bed, box and tray. He knew we would eventually come home (with his tea) and he was nice and warm inside, probably spending 90% of his waking hours asleep.
On returning home, he'd pop outside for his toilet, and be back in 5 mins to spend the rest of the day inside.
Comments
I am genuinely curious about why you don't like them. Care to share/
a lot of people over here dont care for indoor cats i prefer it due to personal issues
I will spend a good few months considering this as I don't want to rush into anything that could be detrimental to the cat(s).
PLEASE keep your tips/advice/stories coming as they are all brilliant.
One query that comes to mind right now is about space for indoor cats. How many rooms should they be able to roman in? The whole apartment? Maybe two or three rooms? What do they feel more comfortable with?
THaNK YOU!
Could you elaborate? That's rather vague
They need fed a few times a day and they look for company.
You would be more suited to an older, quiet cat. It's not so much about the breed but assessing the different personalities then picking the one for you.
Yes, they do scratch the furniture - but hey, it's only furniture. Most pet owners couldn't give a ****.
Whatever you do, don't even consider getting them declawd - so cruel. I've heard it's somewhat common in US but it's unheard of in Ireland/UK (correct me if I'm wrong).
p.s. Going to Manhattan in April - Can I stay with you?????? I can teach you all you need to know about our furry friends.
(relax, just kidding - don't get the restraining order ready yet)
Yeah, I don't want to cause an argument as its a sensitive subject for lots of people. But personally I don't like cats being kept indoors as it restricts natural behaviour - indoor cats tht are not stimulated enough (which is very common, as its hard to provide them with everything they would get in the outside world) tend to have more behaviour problems. There slots of research Into it at the moment. Cats roam and have large territories and hunt a lot, the restriction of these behaviours in particular is where issues can arise - something as simple as playing with the cts for twenty mins before feeding them can reduce the motivation to hunt.
There are always good reasons to keep a cat in and I'm not saying everyone HAS to keep thier cats out, but generally imho it better for the cats well being, health and behaviour to be allowed outside.
But if you can't allow them out (ie living in a penthouse) but feel you can still provide the required activity for them then two is definatley better than one, less chance of boredom. There are some very happy indoor cats, and some very sad outdoor ones - it's the owner that makes the real difference,
BIB - yes totally agree, it's not allowed here (neither is descending of ferrets) as its a breach of the animal welfare act, please don't do it, it removes so many natural behaviours!
What I'm saying is, it's not so much that these breeds are particularly good indoors, its rather than they're particularly bad out of doors.
...as witnessed by the local United Utilities that phoned me at work to complain that our MC was harrassing them trying to dig a storm drain, across a major road and onto docklands. That's when we seriously curbed the little tike's freedom.
Mine go where they want, but then im only in a one bedroomed ground floor flat.
Some say you're supposed to bring them home and keep them in one room to get used to their new environment, I didn't do that, and mine have been fine.
Again others say no visitors for the first week or so, but I wanted them used to my friends and family, so they've been around from early on as well. It all depends on the cat/kitten.
But I was fairly fortunate that I could flex my working hours, so that I could start early or late and nip home during the day.
When he woke me early I would play with him for a while and I could check during the day he hadn't got stuck somewhere. But he was perfectly happy, he had his toys and I would leave Sky News on in the background (random:o)
I tried at first keeping him downstairs even if I was home, blocking the staircase so he couldn't get up, I was worried about him falling down. had two nights of him crying when I was in bed, which I ignored (Be strong I thought, the downstairs is your kingdom, cat of mine:p)
Third night no noise, I awoke, scared silly in the morning, with a lump on my legs; the little sod had clambered over my Berlin Wall on the stairs and crawled under the duvet
The only issue I had when I was out, that I would come home and find he had pooed anywhere except his tray.
I thought, at first, this was because I wasn't watching/training him all the time. But mum said put his bowl next to his tray. Worked like a dream.
I don't know whether he would ever have been an indoor cat. Before he had all his jabs and was street legal he would sniff the air when I went outside or cracked a window and would be dying to get out.
But we are lucky to live in a quiet area so he can batter in and out through his flap when he wants and we don't have to fret about traffic, etc.
Although to start with he was only allowed out if I was at home because the first weekend I let him out he;
a) Couldn't get back over the fence so I had to collect him from the bridleway a couple of times
b) Went to the wrong house and had to be brought back by a very amused neighbour.
c) Couldn't work the cat flap
When he sussed all that out he was good to leave solo with the flap unlocked.
I think the Beast is happier being a wanderer, and I am too; I think if he had be raised as an indoor cat I would be fretting about if he sneaked out.
But I guess if you love them and do all the things you should for them, indoor cat or outdoor cat they will happy:)
I'd rather my sofas were clawed to bits that treat an animal in that way.
What's the minimum and maximum number of rooms for two indoor cats? Do they feel lost if there's too much indoor space?
Could you suggest some breeds that would thrive as a pair indoors (Persian, Ragdoll and Maince **** I've heard)
As someone else has said, rather than look at breeds, it's better to look at individual cats because all cats are different. Pedigree cats have certain traits in common. eg. siamese can be vocal, ragdoll very trusting etc. but no 2 cats are completely the same, every cat I have ever known has a distinct, individual personality. There are so many rescue 'moggies' looking for homes and the cats' fosterers are normally very good at assessing cats' characters and what sort of home would suit them, whether they would get on with other cats or dogs or young children, whether they would definitely need outdoor access or would be better suited to indoor homes, whether they are solitary and unsocial or crave human attention etc.
Pedigrees are also very expensive, rescue moggies just require an adoption fee (not sure how it works in the US).
My cats have the run of my house, every room, plus access to outdoors via a catflap. When a cat is new to the home, it will feel daunted so it's advised to restrict them to maybe one room at first. My 2 rescue cats settled in so quickly and were exploring the whole house within minutes of arriving but I think it helped that they had each other for security and confidence. Every cat is different.
Good luck, anyway, with whatever you decide.
We bought one, he's a mix of exotic shorthair and ?, mummy got loose one night!:D
He's an indoor cat, simply because we live on a quite busy road. The sellers offered us two kittens but we opted for 1 as 1. We could only afford to look after 1 2. I was still getting used to the idea of actually having a cat as I wasn't use to having animals around me.
When we first had him he used to have Whiskas pouch but then we introduced him to dry food Hills Scienceplan, which he loves and will not touch wet food anymore. It's really good for his teeth.
When we first got him, we keep him downstairs and always made sure the windows were closed. Any exposed wires were hidden or covered up. Any gaps where he could squeeze into, and trust me he tried, we blocked with something so he wouldn't get stuck.
We bought loads of toys, a few scratch posts. He had his litter tray in the kitchen along with 2 ceramic bowls (less chance of tipping over). One bowl for his dry food and one with water, which we change a few times a day, twice if we're not in, morning and evening.
He has never scratched our leather sofa or had toilet accidents in the house. He did once accidently as a kitten poo in a plastic washing basket, but he got himself confused when he was in it. Just the once.
He got neutered at the vets, they tell you when you need it. He also has his flea and worming treatment done there and he also gets his nails clipped by them. Oh I also got him microchipped as a precaution. We pay insurance of £22 from John Lewis.
He has managed fine by himself, now he's a year and 4 months old, he has run of the house, you'll know when they're ready for the rest of the house.
It seems when we go out for long hours he tends to sleep, he creates more mayhem when we're at home!:D
BIB: mine too - they're silver something or others,,,, but dad is an unknown
I think dad was tortoiseshell cos the siblings had the colouring. Mum is ginger and so is Simba, in fact he looks very similar to her.
I posted this a while back....Simba's mum and siblings
http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showpost.php?p=55199744&postcount=447
Simba
brilliant post, thank you
Most welcome, I hope if you get one, you will love it as much I love mine. We could not imagine life without him.:)
I've posted a pic above in a typical pose - sleeping
On returning home, he'd pop outside for his toilet, and be back in 5 mins to spend the rest of the day inside.