Unsuitable to adopt - build outdoor enclosure before approaching rescue centres again?

[chloe83]

Since we lost our last cat a couple of weeks ago (kidney failure), we have been researching for new cats. Sadly we are unable to adopt because we live on a road and it is apparently cruel and impossible to have house cats. The few breeders I spoke to said no as we work full time. My girls were house cats and very happy too! (The charity we got our cats from 10 years ago seems to have closed down - pity as they allowed house cats!). Our first cat was an outdoor cat and she was killed far to young outside our house so I would never want an outdoor cat again. There are also a few unneutered toms on our street - you hear them fighting all night and see them spraying in my garden and I really don't want to add my cats into these fights! Anyway it hurts to much to see possible cats and yet be turned away so we are giving up this year on getting a new cat/s.

We are planning on doing some garden/garage work this year and I thought if we make some outdoor cat provisions, the rescue centres may be more lenient. We are going to knock down the existing wooden garage and replace it with a half garage/half utility. I was planning on using the utility as the indoor part of the outdoor area. Unfortunately my neighbours are nasty and have refused anything connected to their fencing so I cannot get the cat proof rollers or netting fixed unless I double fence the whole garden! The garage however is on my boundary fence so I can secure half the garden and create a decent size safe area with cat flap access to the utility.

If I built this enclosure any ideas/experiences if the rescues would be more negotiable? I cannot change where the house is located! Would the enclosure be enough of a compromise or is this still 'cruel' as the cats are technically indoors?

[Kay]

I have the patio area of my garden enclosed, and the local CP ladies think it is an ideal set up, so your plan sounds good to me

I suspect if you spread your search you would find rescues willing to rehome as house cats, but as your idea of an indoor/outdoor enclosure outside would give you peace of mind and any cats you have a good quality of life I would certainly go down that route

[Ruth B]

I admit I was shocked to read this. If you already know the road to be dangerous and are willing to put in the extra work an indoor only cat needs then there shouldn't be a problem, the only thing I would be at all concerned about would be if you just wanted a single cat which would be left inside by itself all day, however you have mentioned having multiple before so I am assuming you are looking for a pair.

My opinion on indoor only cats has changed since I started watching live streams from the States and Canada where it is far more common, and having heard of some of the dangers to cats outside over there I can understand why.

I would continue looking, you might even consider an cat that isn't safe for some reason outside. A blind or deaf cat can still manage fine around a house but could never be let out alone. ( I have heard of one household with 3 cats, with one good eye between them, they all manage fine)

If you are able to build an outdoor run for them (or a catio as I have heard it called) then brilliant, they will certainly benefit from it, but keep looking and you should be able to find a pair of cats suitable for the home you can offer. You might have to look a bit further a field or at different breeds, but there should be ones out there fore you.

Keeping a cat fully indoors isn't cruel, as long as the owner realises that they are responsible for keeping the cat healthy in mind as well as body.

[Lilith]

Ridiculous! I agree with Kay and Ruth. Better a happy and caring indoor home than a life roaming out in the wet and cold. Mine used to roam though the cellar window was always left ajar but now what with loose dogs, more traffic and a big population of roaming/fighting cats, we have a 'catio' - small back yard enclosed, which is quite luxurious - astroturf lol.

Yes, neighbours can be a pain - if you let the cats roam (even though the cats are using their trays at home) they whinge, if you put up a few feet of netting they whinge. Luckily on one side of mine the yard borders on to two rented properties so no-one cared very much; the other side is...well...different. It was discreet mesh anyway and In the end I just went ahead and the bully didn't say a thing, but if you get a professional feuder who can't leave well alone, yes, you need to devise some way of enclosing without having Mr/Ms Angry glaring over the fence all the time and passing comments. I think your plan sounds great, and would add that my cats settled down happily after years of roaming (they were middle-aged.) When the youngest came she escaped a couple of times from 'Altracatz' and I longed (still do) to give her and the others a vast safe garden, but life's not that ideal. She's settled now though, even though I only let them into the yard when the weather's fine and I can leave the door open for them. Winter and bad weather, they're indoor cats, but they have the run of the house and my company and I don't think we do too badly.

I do hope you find a solution which pleases both rescues and neighbours and that you find your perfect cats -edit, no cat is ever 'perfect' as we know, but you know what I mean - cats perfect for you. Most rescues are crying out for such caring homes and especially for adult cats!

Good luck and all the best

[booktigger]

Whereabouts do you live Chloe?

[Mayday21]

Hi Chloe Little Paws Kitten a Rescue over here won't adopt cats out if they're not going to be indoors or secure outside area. Snow & TC are Little Paws kitties & Harper a stray handed into the vets I volunteer for & all are inside kitties. Mayday & Elsa were also indoors. It gives me peace of mind as I know they're safe. You'll get great help/advice from Lilith, Crewella, Ruth, Kay, Bobby's Girl, Booktigger, Mrs Skater & others who are experts in housing kitties. Keep us posted. Vivian

[chloe83]

Thanks for the comments. I will proceed with the catio and see how we get on. It is true how America and England have such different views on indoor/outdoor cats (I am in Birmingham, England therefore it is 'cruel'). I have had mixed experiences. My childhood cats lived as outdoor cats for 14 and 16 years with no problems. My first girl only lived for one year as an outdoor cat. However all the neighbours cats seem to get on fine! My next two girls were indoor but only made it to 7 and 8 as they were so inbred and had HCM. Don't regret them though! However I would like a degree of choice about what cats I get next so maybe the catio may help getting me my next pets however I will keep calling around to check on rehoming policies - I am not looking for much two young adult cats (any colour, any gender) who are friendly, confident and like cuddles! It feels so wrong not having a cat fighting me for the use of this laptop!

[Ruth B]

I'm only in Wolverhampton, so I can suggest someone to try. Sally Edwards runs the ARC the Ashmore Rescue for Cats and my recent 2 came from there and she was the one that rehomed the blind and the one eyed kitten to a home that already had a blind cat. She would certainly be able to find one or more that were suitable for an indoor only home, not necessarily ones with problems just ones that had never got used to being outside. As you are building the catio any way it would be even less of a problem. Normally she arranges a home check first and then you can visit and leave with suitable cats or reserve kittens that aren't old enough to be adopted. She does have an adoption fee of £75 per cat or kitten, but they leaver her chipped, neutered, vaccinated and deflead and dewormed so quite a reasonable fee in my mind. As long as you aren't after a specific breed I think you would be spoilt for choice.

Have a look under the Cat Chat home page and the find a shelter section. The ARC is listed under the West Midlands location. She has probably got far more than listed, she spends so much time rescuing the cats and kittens she doesn't have the time to photo all the cats and update the albums.

[Oddcat]

RuthB, what a great suggestion, I couldn't resist a look and Opal & Ruby look like ideal candidates, what gorgeous kitties.

I could also suggest Team Cat Rescue (based in Birmingham), where we had our little boy from a few years back. We don't allow our cats to roam, but we do have a catio for our cats and Team Cat Rescue were perfectly happy with our arrangement.

Chloe, do let us know how you get on, it would be lovely to hear a happy ending. I think any kitties would be very lucky to find you and I wish you all the best x

[Crewella]

I would definitely try several rescues, as they do sometimes differ in their attitudes to the indoor/outdoor question.

[Summercat]

Any update Chloe?
I am in Europe and live in a large city and my cat from a shelter is an indoor kitty and he seems quite happy
All the other volunteers with cats in the shelter have indoor kitty's.
The trick is to keep them happy and give them lots to do. Oh and a window to look out of.
If you look up Jackson Galaxy, he gives great tips for indoor cats such as cat trees and special shelving.

[MarySkater]

When I lived in a flat, I kept two cats entirely indoors, and they seemed happy enough. I did manage to arrange netting round a window ledge, so they could sit in the fresh air when they felt like it. And I always grew grass in pots for them, because they liked to nibble that. You can buy various "cat grass" seeds, usually oats, I think, as they grow quickly.