Am I right to keep kitty indoors?

Once a outside it's a dead cat.

You are doing the right thing by keeping him indoor. My kitten once escaped outdoor without me noticing and when I brought her back in she was devastated. She tired so hard to get out again but I never let her. In the end she just stopped. Outdoors are very dangerous for cats! They can jump high , go over the fence into other people's yards. Cars are everywhere so are kids. there are plants that are poisonous to them. It's just not safe out there.

Cats are curious they like to get into things. He will go somewhere he is not suppose to and come back wounded.

you can try buying him a harness and a leash and take him out on walks with you.

Keeping him indoor is much better and safer for him.

I know how you feel here. My 9 year old cat was a farm cat from birth. Moved her into the city with my at the beginning of this year and I knew if I didn't do something she will find a way out and I will be up all night worried. I decided to go ahead and leash train her. Worked like a dream. She can go outside on her lead and I can sit inside and listen to her and not worry about her being ran over. If you choose to leash train your cat I would suggest to buy the 'Come with me Kitty' set (They have it for sale online and it comes with a harness, leash, and training tips). Not all cats will take right away to the idea of being confined to a leash and may try to get away by jumping, rolling, and even backing away. It is normal for any cat to do as such. Just remember to have patience with it. Start with showing the cat the leash and harness for a few hours for a week. Move onto placing the harness on the cat so they can get a feel. Once you think it is time for the next step put the leash on and see how it will walk around the house. If it all goes well try it outside in your yard where it is the most quite. Over time the cat will explore more and hopefully enjoy the compromise made between you and it. I wish you luck!

My cat (which we rescued as a kitten from the pound) we have kept indoors since the day we got him because we have a busy road and alot of snakes, foxes ect. He doesn't love being inside all the time but we recently bought some big outdoor cages so when we go outside we can put him in there. He loves being outside (even though he just sits and watches), so maybe get him one of these?

As for the busy road and him not being an outdoor cat for 5 years, I would suggest getting some toys to keep him happy inside and not letting him back out. He would of become accustomed to being inside all that time.

Hope this helps :)

We have indoor/outdoor cats because we can't stand the litter smell so fortunately they potty outside. However, we live down a private driveway so we don't have to worry about traffic.

Now that he has been outside of the house he is going to want to go back outside. Cats love the outdoors but from the sounds of it I think you are making the right decision by leaving him indoors because of where you live. It's safer and better for him.

What you should do is bring the outside world inside. They sell many cat toys like mice and things that can make him feel like he is hunting. Just keep him busy and preoccupied with things inside to distract him. Overtime he should get over the desire of wanting to go outside.

Not sure if he is altered or not but if he isnt then I would recommend doing it because him wanting outside is also a sign of him smelling a female and wanting to mate.

I think its best to keep your cat inside. There are so many dangers when you are letting your cat outside. As you said that people don't have a lot of respect for cats, some could hurt your cat. Plus the fact that the area is busy and he could get by a car and lastly get into a fight with a feral cat or territory and lose and runs away.

In my opinion it would be wise to keep your cat indoors for safety precautions.

Cats can be perfectly happy indoors. You need to make sure they have plenty of stimulation (lots of new toys and things to do). You also need to make sure they have a scratching post so that they are up high, which cats love. This also protects furniture from the claws and scratching. I have 2 cats and they are both inside. One used ot be outside when she was younger but now is used to the idea of being inside.

I have been to some asian countries and no way would i ever let my cat outside anywhere in those countries. They are not cat friendly.

I think you are doing the right thing by keeping your kitty indoors. I do the same for mine as I live on a busy street and have seen more dead cats around here than I care to. She used to be an indoor/outdoor cat. Sometimes she still tries to scoot out the back door, but I catch her, bring her back in and she will complain for the rest of the day.

I think if you lived in the countryside it would be a different story, but as you don't live in a place to kind to cats, you are doing what is best to keep your cat safe and happy.

Just remember to play with him/her a lot and keep it on an active lifestyle :]

I have two cats and i live in a flat on a very busy street. I was worried initially when my second cat wanted to go out of the door everytime we opened it. While my other wasn't much concern, he wanted to sit on the windowsill and watched the world go by.

I got lots of toys and activities to keep him curious at home and would spend time with me after work everyday. Now he does come and call me if he wants to play. I also would let him loose (use a lead, if you are too worried) just outside the flat. He would sniff about in the corridor and may climb down the stairs (for about 20mins on weekends at their noturnal hour). He's more relaxed and less curious now for wanting to go out.

It's a tricky one.

By nature, cats want to roam and hunt. By keeping him inside you are stopping him doing that.

Of course by letting him outside you are opening him up to more diseases, the threat of traffic, etc, BUT I think that overall it's the better option, as long as you have him properly vaccinated, neutered, tagged, etc as suppressing a cat's nature just seems wrong.

Here in the UK almost everyone lets their cats outside.

Please keep him indoors where he will be loved and protected from the elements and danger. You really don't want to find him dead on the side of the road, or worse, not able to find him and wonder what his fate was...