Internationally 41 percent of cat owners keep their cats indoors full-time

This study is interesting because it looks at the attitudes of cat owners in respect of keeping them indoors full-time on an international basis. We know that geographically there will be variations in attitudes because some countries have more space in them than others. 

For example, the UK is heavily urbanised with a resultant increase in possibility of road traffic accidents killing cats. This should drive cat owners to keeping their cats inside all the time. Set against this, in countries like the United States, which is much less urbanised there are more predators of domestic cats (e.g. coyotes) which is another factor for keeping cats indoors.

Full-time indoor cat. Picture in the public domain.

In round terms, the 5,000 cat owner survey found that getting on for 50% of domestic cats are kept inside for their safety. The main safety factors are road traffic accidents, being attacked by a predator or stolen by thieves. The survey, which is published on the MDPI website is entitled: Indoors or Outdoors? An International Exploration of Owner Demographics and Decision-Making Associated with Lifestyle of Pet Cats. It was conducted in the UK at the School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences, Nottingham Trent University, Nottinghamshire and the Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education.

One interesting finding was that in the US and Canada 80.6% of domestic cat are kept indoors at all times which is much higher than previous figures discovered in previous studies. Those studies reported that 63% and 60% of cats are kept indoors in the USA. In other words the figure is around 60% whereas this new study indicates 80.6%. Previous studies regarding Australia New Zealand indicated 44% of 46.5% of cats are kept indoors respectively. This study found in Australia and New Zealand 42.2% of cats are indoor-only.

A major factor with respect to Australia and New Zealand is not so much road traffic accidents driving cat owners to keep the cats indoors but an enhanced attitude of protecting wildlife from predation by domestic cats due perhaps, in part, by government campaigns to protect native species.

There is a generational shift in attitude between the more elderly cat owner and the younger cat owner. Younger cat owners in the age bracket 26-35 years old tend to keep their cats indoors whereas cat owners in the age range 46-55+ tend to be predisposed to allowing their cats to be indoor-outdoor cats. 

This would point to a greater sensitivity amongst younger cat owners towards domestic cat safety as set against allowing domestic cats to express the natural desires and going outside. The issue, here, is whether this admirable desire to keep cat safe is supported by allowing them to be healthier both mentally and physically which tends to be a product of being free to roam. It is that perpetual balance between safety and welfare which tests cat owners.

There is clearly a general trend towards keeping cats indoors full-time because there is a general trend towards higher human population numbers which leads to greater urbanisation which in turn, as you can imagine, leads to an increased danger from road traffic accidents. There is no doubt that the trend over the past hundred years has been towards indoor cats. I'm sure that you can imagine that in the 19th century there are probably almost no full-time indoor cats at all in countries like the UK. The overriding influence is road traffic accidents killing cats.

What I take away from this study, which you can read in more detail by clicking here, is that there is a strong trend towards indoor-only cats globally but this trend varies from country to country due mainly to the human population densities of these countries which increases the risk of harm through road traffic.

There is also a need, I believe, to a shift in attitude as to how to entertain for-time indoor cats and ensure their mental and physical well-being through substitutes to being allowed to roam naturally during which they are able to express the natural desires and motivations.

Please read on by clicking this link.......

Modern prefabricated homes should have a catio option

Modern prefabrication techniques for the building of homes is far superior than the way it was after the Second World War. Even some of those small prefabs, that were put up quickly, still stand today so I think we can expect good things about modern factory built homes. It goes without saying, when you think about it, that if a house is built in segments and those segments are manufactured within an enclosed space where conditions are warm and stable and where machinery is used to cut the parts accurately, that the homes are going to be of a higher quality than if they are built piecemeal by possibly unskilled or semi-skilled people in all weathers using old-fashioned techniques.

Timber prefab home which should have the catio option. Photo in public domain.

Perhaps a problem with prefab homes is their image because in the UK people perceive the prefab home as the Second World War version. Times have changed dramatically. I would expect factory built, prefabricated homes to be of substantially superior quality than conventionally built homes. And they will be cheaper and they can be erected far more quickly, perhaps in days.

The government of the UK has to build homes rapidly to accommodate a rapidly increasing population in part due to mass immigration over the preceding 20 years.

The government is considering using some of its £3 billion housebuilding fund to support this new generation of prefabs to ease the housing crisis. It is reported that the government wants to see 100,000 new homes constructed off-site in a factory in a rush to build new homes. In November, the UK government is going to publish a White Paper on this project.

With that background in mind, and knowing how beneficial some outside space is to a domestic cat if they are confined to the home, modern prefab homes should come with a catio option. What I mean is this: the manufacturers should build into their designs the option to tack on to the side of the building a catio. I would not expect this to be hugely complicated because these are, after all, kit houses built in sections.

There are very many cat owners in the UK. And the British people need to be encouraged to keep their cats inside. There is a default culture in the UK that the domestic cat is allowed to go outside no matter how dangerous it might be because of road traffic, for instance. Providing an option of a catio would encourage them to consider keeping their cats full-time indoors. In America this is an option which is often taken up partly because in that grand country they have predators such as the coyote which preys upon domestic cats.

In the UK we don't have the same animal predators of the domestic cat but we do have human activity in a much more compressed urban environment than in the USA. There's more traffic on more roads presenting an ongoing danger. I want to see Britons encouraged to consider keeping their cats inside and in this regard a catio option on prefab houses for the future would be beneficial.

Looking very long-term into the future there will come a time that even in the UK there will be calls to keep cats indoors in the interest of wildlife predation. There is talk today about domestic cats preying upon wildlife. Wildlife is under huge pressure from human activity. The domestic cat contributes to this and there is a general decline in biodiversity in the UK. I foresee a change in attitude perhaps in 20 to 30 years time. In preparation for that moment, let's consider the catio option for prefab homes.

Conditions and Diseases Linked to Indoor and Outdoor Cats

The reason why cats are kept indoors is because people believe that they will be healthier and live longer as they are protected from hazards outside. There are however hazards inside the home as well. Below is a list of conditions and diseases which may be linked to both cats who live indoors and those that are allowed access to the outdoors.

Cats confined indoors

• Feline urologic syndrome - disease associated with the lower urinary tract of the cat
• Odontoclastic resorptive lesions - the loss of part of the tooth
• Hyperthyroidism
• Obesity
• Household hazards
• Behavioral problems such as inappropriate elimination
• Boredom
• Inactivity

Cats allowed access to the outside

• Infectious diseases such as parasitic and viral diseases
• Road traffic accidents
• Other accidents such as falling from a tree
• Fights with other cats
• Attacks by humans, dogs and other animals
• Poisoning
• Theft
• Going astray

Americans falling out of love with the car. Good for some cats.

We are told today that Americans don't find car driving sexy anymore. Young Americans prefer an iPad app to a Mustang. For 2014 70% of 19 year-old Americans have driving licenses down from 87% 20 years ago.

The sprawling American suburbs will no longer continue to sprawl.  Suburbs were built around the car.

In San Francisco, Google is planning to move its suburban HQ to the city where it can integrate more with others, meet face to face, bounce of ideas. The coffee shop mentality.

This is a reshaping of the urban environment. If more people live in cities in the future it might be good for the wild cats and bad for the domestic cats.

There should be a reduction in the increased erosion of wild cat species' habitat so a slow down in the interference from people. As for the domestic cat, it means more apartment cats or full-time indoor cats. For me this is not good because I believe that domestic cats should smell the grass sometimes. It makes them happier and connects with their wild cat roots.

Source: Justin Webb -- The Times.

Indoor Cats Have More Behavior Problems?

A 1997 study in Germany of cat owners by Heidenberger found that "owners who let their cats out only rarely or irregularly were more likely to say their cats had behaviour problems than owners whose cats where allowed out regularly"¹.

It is interesting to try and speculate as to why this should be the case.  It may simply be that people who keep their cats indoors make tougher behavioural demands on their cats. In other words these people might for example decide that a cat who jumps onto the kitchen counter has a behaviour problem while people who let their cat out are more laissez-faire about cat behaviour and accept almost anything.

This is a possible conclusion because in letting your cat out you are in one way demonstrating that you want your cat to be free to behave as naturally as possible and therefore you are more likely to accept a cat jumping onto a counter for instance. I have chosen the example of jumping on a counter because it is a classic piece of behavior that can be objectionable or acceptable.

Of course it may be that cats that are let out freely do behave more naturally and in doing so are less stressed resulting in behavior that is perceived as being better. There are obvious downsides to letting a cat out particularly in the USA (predation by wild animals) but there are also downsides to keeping a cat in.

People don't declaw cats in Germany so the increased level of behavior problems by indoor cats was not due to declawing. Although indoor cats are more likely to be declawed and there is evidence that declawed cats can have behavior problems.

If more people say their indoor cat has behavior problems it indicates a poorer relationship between human and cat. This may lead to poorer cat caretaking and and less happy cat or even an abandoned cat. There may be a downward cycle as follows: person finds behavior unacceptable - person punishes cat - cat becomes more stressed and behaves worse - person becomes more annoyed and punishes cat more...until relationship breaks down.

One downside to the full-time indoor cat that is rarely if ever discussed is the subtle  difference in the way the relationship between cat and person is affected. The cat is even more under the dominion of the human when in the human home full-time than would be the case if the cat was outside sometimes in his or her natural habitat. The fact that the cat is kept in all the time is a demonstration of the complete domination of human over cat.

There is a theory that cat abuse is fostered by the dominant position of the human in the human/cat relationship. However, cat owners keep cats in for the health of the cat. That is what is supposed to be the reason. It may be that the primary reason is for the health and convenience of the person.

My personal conclusion is that full-time indoor cats will have a tendency to have more behavior problems because they depend more on the owner to provide outlets for natural drives and the owner is unlikely to provide this necessary stimulation due to work pressures etc. Without an outlet to express natural behavior a cat might develop behavior problems such and the classic inappropriate elimination. A colleague of mine says that her Maine Coon rescue cat became more confident and relaxed after being allowed outdoors on a supervised basis.

Associated: Indoor or Out? -- The reason to inoculate an indoor cat.

Note: 1. The Welfare of Cats page 80 - ISBN 978-1-4020-6143-1

Choosing a Pet Cat

Matching a pet with the owner's personality can be quite important in minimizing the risk of abandonment.  Incidentally, I don't like the terms, "pet" and "owner". I prefer "animal companion" and "cat caretaker" or "cat guardian" (if the animal is a cat).

There are too many cats and dogs being abandoned.  Doris Day once said that there were 12 million cats and dogs put to sleep each year in the USA. Whatever the number is, it is high, very high and a shock. I am sure there are similar percentages of domestic animals euthanized in Europe. It is just not spoken about so much.

People need to reflect more on their reasons for adopting a companion animal before proceeding. The reasons should be legitimate meaning not frivolous. You don't get a pet to match the decor of the house or as a Christmas present for the children.

People should also swot up on companion animal care and the costs. There should almost be an obligatory cooling off period between saying, "let's get a pet!" and actually getting it. That simple act would save millions of cats and dogs I suspect.

Choosing a pet cat begs the question whether you would like a purebred cat or a moggie. Purebreds are relatively rare. Moggies are relatively abundant. If you want to help get a moggie. And get a black one as they live longer.

Some individual cats are more passive and more able to cope with being alone. Some are more able to deal with full-time indoor living and living in small spaces. You will find that some breeders say that the Persian must be a full-time indoor cat. The fur is too long to go out in the mud! The Russian Blue is a delicate, reserved cat that likes the security of a home. The Sphynx is without clothes so needs to be in the warm and out of the sun to avoid the risk of skin problems. This is also a smart cat so will interact well if you like that.

The Ragdoll is laid back. More active cats are the wild cat hybrids, Bengal and Savannah. You'll need to be around for these cats and provide input. Actually all cats require input. It is a fallacy to think that cats are independent. They are self-contained but dependent on us for just about everything.

If you don't like noisy cats don't acquire a Siamese or associated cat breed e.g. Oriental SH. They are known for their vocal skills. The British Shorthair has an almost silent voice.

I think, though that you will find some individual cats of any breed or no-breed more cautious and reserved than others. If you want a cat that is fairly static and happy to curl up,  a more cautious cat will oblige. The more confident male cat is more likely to be unhappy with a lack of space and input from us. He is more likely to want to go out and get into trouble.

Associated page: Choosing a cat breed.

The Cat Wheel

My cat has never had the privilege of using the cat wheel. These are becoming more and more popular particularly in North America. I guess they are an excellent way for an active cat that might be a permanent indoor cat to get some exercise. And the domestic cat needs exercise because Mr Domestic Cat is becoming obese. There is an increase in feline diabetes that appears to be linked to obesity and there is an increase in overweight domestic cats with all the encumbant health issues that excess weight brings with it.

We don't tend to play with our cat enough. Cats are very independent minded and we think that they are OK. They might not be. They might need some input from us as we can distort the natural life of a cat. The cat wheel is an innovative way to make life more natural for the domestic cat.

I don't have personal experience of using one (err..I mean my cat..) but I would guess that if you put a cat on it he or she will run instinctively if she is naturally active and inquisitive. Not all cats are like that so some cats will need encouragement or training. That is probably an obstacle to purchasing one.

Savannah cats are ideal candidates for the cat wheel because they are smart, athletic and active. Any wildcat hybrid cat will probably like the cat wheel (Bengal for example). Apparently the Sphynx also likes it. Sphynx cats are athletic and very smart so no surprise. Here is a video of Zuri (human companion: Paige) on a cat wheel bought from the Cat Wheel Company:



Zuri was born and raised at A1 Savannahs, the best in the business. I know as I have been there and lived there and played with the kittens - gorgeous.

Some tips on getting a cat to use the cat wheel by the Cat Wheel Company:

• use a laser light toy for your cat to chase. Make sure the wheel is static before using the laser light.
• put catnip on the wheel!
• place your cat's favorite toy on the wheel and gently rotate the wheel to stimulate activity (this a modified version of the advice given by the Cat Wheel Company).

Can you buy these in the UK?  Yes, there are several businesses selling cat wheels. This is one: http://www.thecatwheelcompany.co.uk/

Cat Inappropriate Elimination - Whose Problem?

We cause cat inappropriate elimination. Therefore, it is our problem. It is not a "cat behavior problem" but a human-to-cat relationship problem. In the wild,  the small wildcat will defecate and urinate in certain areas on the ground, on the earth. Sometimes these areas are used as markers to tell other cats of their presence - the feces remain uncovered. Cat spraying is not inappropriate elimination as the purpose of cat spraying is to give signals to other animals of the presence of the cat. The purpose is not to eliminate the urine.

The domestic cat is required by us to defecate and urinate on cat litter in a tray inside a house or some other human structure. From the cat's perspective the litter will usually be a nice place to go to the toilet because litter replicates earth. In the old days, before litter was invented, sand was used. This is why cats don't usually need training to use cat litter.

However, from the cat's perspective litter might not be a nice place to go to the toilet. The cat might prefer somewhere else. If the cat is a full-time indoor cat the only other place is somewhere that is inappropriate for us not the cat. We have the problem. From our perspective this is our problem. From the cat's perspective this is not a problem except that he or she can't find a decent alternative to litter inside a house.

If the cat is an indoor/outdoor cat he or she would almost certainly go outside and use the earth outside as an alternative to cat litter. Earth is actually better than litter as it is softer and exactly the kind of substance a cat would use in the wild.

So when a cat does not wish to use the litter box the problem is ours as we created it in the first place. The cat is simply acting naturally and reacting to the circumstances that exist before him or her.

This argument applies even if the cat is not using the litter due to anxiety, for example. The reason is unimportant. One well known reason for a cat's avoidance of litter is because it is uncomfortable to a declawed cat. This is a double human problem, one compounding the other.

The reason why I am writing this is because I sense that throughout all the many thousands of articles on inappropriate elimination on the internet and in books, the problem is perceived as belonging with the cat. The cat is seen to be at fault. He or she needs to be punished etc. for this "bad behavior".

Wrong, obviously.  Sometimes, there is a terribly arrogant approach to cat caretaking and so called "experts" are often the most guilty. The cat behaviorists - a trendy new occupation - are in fact "human behaviorists" as all their work concerns changing the behavior and habits of people!

Think on...

Related articles:

Avoiding cat behavior problems

Stopping inappropriate elimination



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Roaming Cats Aren't Natural - Discuss

Cindy Kemper, wildlife biologist and (indoor) cat lover says that "roaming cats aren't natural". That sounds like rubbish and it is rubbish. The most natural thing in the world for a cat is to roam and patrol territory.

She argues that domestic cat predation kills hundreds of millions of birds and more than a billion small animals in the USA annually. She produces not a shred of evidence to support that wild assertion, which is surprising coming from a "wildlife biologist" (see for example: Domestic Cats Don't Decimate Bird Populations)

She says that "this is unnatural predation". Her argument is that Canadian songbirds did not evolve with domestic cats as predators. Well that is a very poor argument. The domestic cat has been in North America for at least 400 years and perhaps longer. It has evolved alongside birds over that time. And the domestic cat lived side by side with songbirds in the Golden Crescent some 9,000 years ago. Before that the domestic cat was a wildcat. Surely that qualifies as evolving with songbirds and it doesn't make a jot of difference if they are Canadian or Middle Eastern songbirds.

Then she says that there are no songbirds in New Zealand because of predation by outdoor domestic cats "and other non-native mammals", whatever they are. These are wild unsupported statements that harm the domestic cat and she claims to be a cat lover!

Yes, cats are in danger if left to roam but there must be a better way than simply banging up cats all their lives. I am convinced that the domestic cat needs to be in the open air. It is entirely natural and healthy. Full-time indoor cats can be healthy too, of course, but I would bet that there are a considerable number who suffer illnesses through being full-time indoor domestic cats, one being stress related illnesses.

Cindy Kemper's thinking is narrow minded, biased and unsubstantiated. Her article damages the image of the domestic cat and encourages more to simply take the easy route and imprison their cats. A middle way must be the best, namely a decent sized cat enclosure. And at the same time we should start thinking wider and more profoundly. Is it right that we can only keep cats indoors full-time? If that is the case I don't think we should keep cats. Lets change the entire philosophy of keeping domestic cats. Lets stop finding a poor compromise as a solution which is keeping them indoors all the time and look to improve our standard of care of our companion animals at a much more profound level.

A nice cat enclosure must be the minimum requirement:

Photo: AJ Russell - Flickr


See her article here.



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Indoor Outdoor Cat Debate

I feel that I have to revisit the indoor outdoor cat debate. People have strong views about the subject. And they are often very polarised views. In the USA people tend to keep cats in full-time. This is a culture thing, the norm it seems. One reason for this, I sense, is because there is a much greater possibility in the US for cats that are outside to be attacked by large wild animals. There are few large wild animals in the UK that would attack a cat. It is extremely rare for a domestic cat in the UK to be attacked by a wild animal whereas in the USA coyotes are commonplace it seems to me and they attack cats. Coyotes are dog like animals to people who are unfamiliar with them.

I see many indoor outdoor cat debates on the internet and many words written but I have never seen anyone mention or discuss the philosophical or more profound issues behind the whole thing.

We must admit that the outdoors is the cat's natural home. It is full of fantastic stimulation, the smells, sounds and activity is exactly what a cat needs to satisfy its natural innate drives. Deny these to a cat and you are asking for trouble, I say. But the full-time indoor advocates will rightly say that to let a cat outside is to place a cat into a potentially very dangerous environment. I suspect that more domestic cats die from road traffic accidents than any other cause. The car is the enemy of the domestic cat.

We have responsibilities towards our cat, of course. The first responsibility is to keep him or her safe. That points to a full-time indoor cat existence as the correct choice. We also have a responsibility to make our cat's life as natural and therefore as interesting as possible. I would wager a bet that the lives of a great percentage of full-time indoor cats is not very interesting. We like our cats there for us, nice and safe but do we do the extra work required to make their lives interesting in what is a very unnatural and potentially unstimulating environment.

So, is a long boring life better than a interesting short one?  I think on average and in general it comes down to this choice.

I think that to keep a cat indoors full-time is a complete admission of failure on our part. I believe that people generally should not keep cats at all if it means providing them with such an unnatural life. That is a provocative thing to say and if followed would lead to there being far fewer domestic cats in the world but that I say is not a bad outcome.

We need to raise the bar in terms of standards of cat caretaking. I think we need to turn the clock back in respect of keeping cats. The outdoors of 2010 is very different to the outdoors of thousands of years ago when the cat was first domesticated. With human population growth we have massively increased the dangers for outdoor domestic cats. As mentioned the car is the biggest killer. Lower human population would result in less cars. We can't turn the clock back in terms of human population but we have created a hostile world for the domestic cat and we then fix the problem by making the cat's life dull by keeping the cat indoors. I just feel that we have it all wrong at a fundamental level or that we can do a lot better.

As a compromise the cat enclosure must be the best solution but few people take up this option. The next best "solution" is to let a cat outdoors but take precautions. This is a compromise again but one that I think strikes a better balance between safety and letting our cat live a normal interesting life.

How do we achieve cat safety outdoors? We also need to ensure that our cats do not cause a nuisance to neighbors who don't like cats.

Careful preparation and/or thought is required. One suggestion from Dr Bruce Fogle the well known veterinarian and writer is to train your cat to speak back to you when you call his or her name. If a cat can do this, you will be in a better position to find your cat if it has gone missing, is trapped, injured or too frightened to return home.

He suggests that the best way to train your cat to "meow on command" is to hold a food treat in front of your cat while it is hungry and repeat its name. During training most cats will meow to demand the food. When this happens the cat should be rewarded with food and plenty of verbal praise. The sound to which your cat meows need not be your voice, Dr Fogle says. It might, for example, be the sound of a dry food container being shaken. This may be more appropriate if more than one person will do the calling. A cat is more likely to respond the voice of one person.

I would be remiss if, in the indoor outdoor cat debate, I did not mention cat identification. For an outdoor cat this seems sensible. The modern method is to microchip. Dr Fogle says this is a safe option. I am not entirely sure that that s true (Microchipping pets including cats). There is some risk in microchipping. He also suggests that an outdoor cat should always were a collar with an identity tag containing the cat caretaker's telephone number. Collars can be dangerous too so it should be one of the fail-safe kind that prevents the possibility of strangulation. A person should be able to slip two fingers under a collar that fits correctly. If travelling with a cat the ID tag should contain a local telephone number of course.

Outdoor cats should also use cat friendly gardens. There are such things. But God knows how many people even think of this never mind create one. The cat friendly garden should cater for a cat's natural behavior. One such piece of behavior is scratching. Wooden posts can be used to edge flower beds. These are ideal as scratching posts. If the wooden posts can be placed at different angles and heights so much the better as some cats like to scratch horizontally and some like vertical objects.

Posts at the edges or boundary of the garden could also serve as places where a cat can mark his territory by spraying. This would mainly apply to unneutered male cats. Most cats should be neutered for obvious reasons. Garden decorations such as brick for paths are cat friendly as brick retains heat. Cats as we know like a bit of warmth to lounge on.

If you want to avoid your cat using your garden as it would cat litter, soil can be covered using ground covering plants that are effective all the year. I am sure the local garden center can advise. Personally, I would prepare a special area where my cat could go to the toilet!

Such a toilet could be a small sand pit, for example. It should be sifted regularly like cat litter. It should be sited away from children play areas as there is a slight risk of passing toxoplasma (feral cats spread disease).

Other outdoor cat hazards to be aware of are:

• plants poisonous to cats
• cat poison

However, one good element of outdoor life is that we have the chance to grow herbs in the garden and cats love herbs and that goes far beyond catnip. See these posts:

• Herbs for a cat
• Catnip and Matatabi

The last and obvious note to make about outdoor cat life is the fitting of a cat flap. In my experience cats use cat flaps naturally in much the same way that they use cat litter naturally. They will be drawn to using it because it leads outside to the smells and sounds that are so attractive to cat. A bit of commonsense and gentle encouragement can help if the cat is reluctant.

Checklist for a safer outdoor life:

1. Prevent access to roads - this is a difficult call but vital. We must be aware of the potential for being killed by a car. If there is a road nearby the only way a cat should be let out is under close supervision (with a leash for example) or in an enclosed garden or enclosure. Or if the cat is very old and will not travel far. 
2. Train the meow response to calling the cat's name.
3. Provide ID tag and microchip.
4. Make garden interesting and useful.
5. Don't force a cat outdoors. These suggestions only really applies to cats who crave outdoor life and who have problems adjusting to FT indoor living. Some cats demonstrate clear signs of distress when confined to indoor life.
6. Vaccinate cat - outdoor cats are obviously more open to receiving infectious and contagious diseases

Indoor Outdoor Cat Debate - Note: 

Photo of cat on wall: by lambertwm
Photo of feral cat in tree: by * starrynight1
Photo of cat on patio looking at another cat: by :: Wendy :: 


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The Modern Cat

The Modern cat has to integrate into a changing world and that means dealing with more people due to population growth and less time for people to care for their cat companions. This translates into two changes that affect cats; one well established and the other a new idea from the land of new ideas, Japan.


Cat Cafe, Japan - photo by Helen K

The first is the growing trend for full-time indoor cats. With greater urbanization and accompanying increase in hazards for domestic cats it makes sense to keep our cats indoors permanently. This makes the environment much safer and life therefore longer for our cats. But, the big but, is whether this is better for the cat if the cat is not stimulated sufficiently in what could be a dull and unnatural environment. What is better a dull long life or a short exciting one? There is no clean answer. However, there is a way of creating a long and reasonably exciting life and that is to put effort, finance and time into creating an enclosed space (the home) that is as good, or nearly as good, as an outdoor space. There lies the challenge but for the truly dedicated cat keeper it is surely possible.

Things that can be considered to provide stimulation and an environment as good as a natural one might be:

-- Cat refuge -- a place to go where our cat feels safe. This could be to get away from another cat or dog for a while, for example. A cat will naturally find such a place but we can improve on it. Even simple free things such as a box in the right place can turn into a perfect refuge. The classic safe place is a high place. I feed a stray girl cat. She has found a home on top of the microwave in the kitchen (on a towel). I call it the mezzanine floor. My cat can't jump up there so this little visitor feels safe.

-- A cat tree or perch is another way for the cat to get up high and feel safe and comfortable. They will find their favorite place. It might be positioned near a window to allow visual stimulation by looking out.

-- Cat need to scratch to scuff of the outer layer of claw and to reveal a fresh layer underneath. And it also is a way to stretch. Cats will generally scratch near objects that smell of us. There are many products. It should be fixed firmly. As for me my girl has never used a scratching post but I just put up with that. It may be necessary to try a few out as cats seem to be quite choosy. It is certainly important that the material is such that the claws can slide through but with the correct level of friction and tension.

-- Visual stimulation is a useful way to combat boredom. I have mentioned this above.

-- I have always advocated an outdoor enclosure of say 15 by 20 feet that leads off direct from the house through cat flap. This is an ideal but the investment would be worthwhile. Few people it seems take up this option, strangely.

-- Play is important and I am the first to admit that I don't do enough. It requires our input but there are products out there that run automatically. My view is that cats become bored with toys just like children do so we need to provide an endless stream of new ones. I think it is hard to truly mimic a true wild cat state in which the cat is fully stimulated.

We can do lots more than we do but my honest view is that whatever we do for a full-time indoor cat her/his life will not be quite as good as one that can go out but I am not advising that cats should be let out. It depends on a lot of factors.

____________________________________________

Another symptom of today is the lack of time people often have. The modern cat in Japan has found a role in a chain of cat cafes. This concept was noticed by an associate of mine in her blog (see VG's Blog -teh kitteh antidote/ anecdote - Cat Cafes in Japan). Workers in Japan often do not have the time nor the residential space to keep a cat in a responsible manner. But some of these people would like to experience the calming pleasure of keeping a domestic cat. They can now at cat cafes where cats integrate with customers. Nice idea and it seems to be successful.

This begs the question as to who do the cafe cats normally live with - perhaps the cafe owner. But if several cats are needed perhaps this is one small way to reduce the stray cat population and put the cats in shelters to good use. The modern cat likes to earn his keep. Is this the beginning of the idea of sharing cats? Cats often share humans by going from one house to another. The people don't know this is happening.



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The Modern Cat -- Photo:

Cats indoors or out

Cat at Window copyright by Psycho .Love. Stone!

Whether to keep cats indoors or out depends mostly on whether you're American or a Brit. I don't know enough about the other countries in Europe but I would expect them to be same or similar as the UK in their attitude to cat keeping.

But there is a huge difference between the UK and USA. For me, a Brit, it is a little surprising to read about the very high (by British standards) percentage of cats pedigree or otherwise that are permanently kept indoors in the States. There are though many more pedigree cats in the States and there are many more cat breeders there too. This is a factor I am sure.

However, the starting point is the mentality or culture of the people of each country. Americans it seems more or less expect to keep their cats in; the opposite starting point exists in the UK. Many British people let their cats come and go as they please unless there a good reasons why this shouldn't happen (e.g. a road nearby). This is because we believe cats naturally like to roam and have some territory. For us to "bang 'em up" as in prison feels unnatural and almost cruel. Sure it would also be cruel to negligently let a cat out near a busy road but is it better to let a cat have a happy natural but shorter life rather then a long and stagnant one? (this is a question please note not a statement). And if we do let 'em out a Reflecting Cat Set with Lead Collar may help.

The truth is we shouldn't keep cats unless we can guarantee an environment that is right for them. Which means letting them go out safely. One obvious answer is a large cat enclosure. These are expensive but very safe and reassuring for cat and human.

I just think that at a fundamental level we have it all wrong. We keep cats to serve our interests. We do it for ourselves. As a result the cat's interests are ultimately secondary. This is also manifest in the new trend to buying dry cat food - extremely convenient and the manufacturers know this but not necessarily good food for cats - there is arguably too much starch and carbohydrate.

It seems that some Americans keep cats in because they think a cat's life span will be 2 years or so if they let her out. If some think that it is a slight misconception. A true feral cat (living out all the time) has a 2-3 year life span. But a cat in a nice home that is let out into a garden and where there are no abnormally high risks will live as long as an indoor cat. They also keep them in because of "sicko" (an American term) people who want to hurt cats, dogs that attack cats and in some States there are leash laws apparently.

HSUS recommend cats are kept in as far as I remember. Is America more hostile for a cat than Europe? I would doubt that. Yet the vast majority in the UK let their cats out. This is more a culture thing and the culture in the US is "keep in" for perhaps the majority.

Is this right for the cat? Yes, for safety. But looking at the wider issue, humans have created a world where they want to live with cats but have to keep them as if in a Zoo. Humans have created a hostile world for cats. We shouldn't therefore keep them until we have improved on that. Humans have got it wrong again.

We should also reduce the breeding of cats until we have resolved the problems surrounding stray and feral cats. There is too much self interest, arrogance and ignorance in the world.

Update 5th November 2008: This is what a cat owner in London, England said after his cat had been brutally injured in the Croydon area of London. "............you can't be cruel and keep your cat indoors".

This is rather strange and interesting and shows a complete culture difference to Americans. I don't really know who is right. The Croydon area recently suffered a spate of horrendously sadistic attacks on cats that were let out. It is the norm in the UK to let cats wander about the environs of the home. One cat was decapitated. Another had his belly slashed open. The person who I quote above had a cat that had a chemical poured over his head. The skin fell off and the cat put down. The cat with the slashed stomach was also euthanized.

Yet this person still thinks cats should be free to wander. A very small and cute black cat I see outside the kitchen window crosses quite a busy road, frequently. He waits and watches. I can't watch and it is agony for me. One day he'll get it wrong. And I might have to deal with it. He lives with the neighbors. But in England these days if you ask someone to do something no matter how gently (i.e ask my neighbor to keep their cat in or better still build an enclosure - they are well off with a large garden) you get insulted normally. So I keep quiet.

Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 if the police catch the perpetrators of the above crimes they could on conviction be imprisoned for up to 51 weeks and/or fined a max of £20,000.

The root problem is as above. We must try and make the world less hostile to cats or not bring them into the world. Or if we keep cats in we have the added burden of entertaining, exercising and stimulating our cat.

Update 21-11-08: This is a submission by someone who having read this post made his own having totally misunderstood what I am trying to say: Idiotic and out of touch indoors or out.

I am not saying that cat owners should let their cats out. I am saying we should not introduce cats into a world (i.e. through irresponsible or unplanned breeding) when we have to keep them indoors all the time. This can only mean that we have created a world that is unnatural and hostile for a cat so we have to create another world for him or her, the indoor world. I find that odd.

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