Owners always want the best for their pets. All pets and animals are different in how they behave and require different solutions depending on what pet you have. However, there will always be some of the same concerns and debates, especially when it has to do with our pet’s ability to access the outdoors.
More specifically, for some cat owners, leaving their cats indoors all the time might feel like they’re restricting the way that the cats can live. However, we have to remember that cats have adapted over millions of years to live in all types of environments – small, large, indoors, and outdoors.
So when you feel bad or guilty for your indoor cat, it might be misplaced as they might be very happy and secure in their environment. Cats that are used to the indoors will typically always prefer to be indoors. So instead of worrying about things we can’t control, cat owners should focus on making the indoors as engaging as possible.
As long as cats are able to do what is most natural to them indoors as they would outdoors, they’ll get the benefits of both the safety of the indoors and the engagement of the outdoors. In this article, we’ll discuss exactly how to do that below.
Will Keeping Cats Indoors Make Them Depressed?
Keeping a cat indoors is always a compromise about safety over a cat’s stimulation and engagement.
Depressed cats will typically be lethargic, not eating or playing, or display some extreme behaviors that might be out of character for the cat.
Depression and suffering mental health is a genuine thing that happens in our cats. However, does it have any increased risks when our cats are indoors? The answer is fairly complicated. For the full article, research, and solutions for cat depression, please read my article here.
The quick answer is that it depends. Usually, cats do not get as much stimulation indoors as they do outdoors, leading to stress or depression. However, that can easily be prevented as cat owners can improve the cat’s indoor lifestyle to allow their cats to behave the same way as they do in the outdoors.
Here are some easy ways to increase engagement and stimulation indoors:
- Increasing meaningful interactions between cat owners and their cats. For cats outdoors – they typically hunt for about 30 minutes a day. Therefore, having playtime for 20-30 minutes a day is a good goal to have to allow the indoor cats to participate in hunting behavior.
- Companionship matters, especially for kittens. Young cats just do better with a friend or in groups.
- Choose the toys and tools that cats will respond to the most. On my website there’s a curated list of the best toys for indoor cats with recommendations based upon the cat’s age.
Last but not least, create an environment that supports how a cat naturally behaves. Catification is a great way to do this. Not only does it create cat-centric areas for play and rest, but it also keeps them out of highly congested areas to prevent injury or frights. Catification doesn’t have to be expensive either, and I show you exactly how in my article: Catification on a Budget!
Are You Feeling Guilty About Leaving Cats Alone?
If cat owners are able to fulfill most or all of the above recommendations for having a cat indoors, cats, for the most part, can easily keep themselves busy throughout the day. A lot of butlers will have 9-5 jobs, and that’s no problem for many cats. They’ll likely be sleeping it off in the mornings anyway and will be lounging around.
When evening comes, that’s when they’ll start to get more active – which is when cat owners should spend meaningful time with their cats. For people who are away for longer periods of time, it can depend on many factors such as the cat breed, how well the cat was socialized, and the relative energy levels of the cat. For a recommendation on the best breeds for indoor cats, click here.
For owners who are going on a vacation and wonder about the length of time that the cats can stay in the house without any humans, take a look at the full in-depth article: How Long Can You Leave Your Cat Alone In An Apartment? What to Prepare Checklist!
How long is too long to leave a cat alone indoors?
- Cat owners being away from the cats for 11-12 hours a day.
- Cat owners being away for more than 3 days a week.
- Cat owners keeping a cat in a room with less than 1 hour of contact with the cats per day.
All living things crave attention, either from their own kind or other animals. Cats are no different. In a 2017 study of cat’s social behavior in different environments, cats were given the choice of four different types of stimuli: toys, scent, food, or human interactions. The majority of cats chose human interaction and then food.
Therefore, it’s also important to think about how much time we can devote to a cat when we’re thinking about their wellbeing in an indoor environment.
Is It Cruel to Keep a Cat Indoors?
It’s not cruel to keep a cat indoors unless owners are ignorant of what a cat requires to live a fulfilling and engaging life. Any good cat or pet owner will continue to learn and improve their ways of making things better for their companions – much they like they do for themselves.
Again, keeping a cat indoors is a compromise between safety and stimulation. Therefore, it’s best to keep in mind that it’s actually more cruel to let your cats outside freely (keyword is ‘freely,’ as indoor cat owners can provide controlled outdoor access through balcony proofing and leash training) because of the dangers associated with having free access to the outdoors. These risks include:
- Predation
- Territorial Fights
- Poisoning
- Theft
- Abuse
- Getting Lost
Cats that have free access to the outdoors will live an average lifespan of 2-5 years. Compare that to the indoor cat lifespan of 10-15 years.
Is It Cruel to Keep a Cat in An Apartment?
Along the lines of the above, it’s not cruel if cat owners can be proactive and create a living space that’s both designed for cats and humans as long as we’re able to accommodate all of a cat’s behaviors, living in an apartment is no different from any other home.
Here are some tips to make living in an apartment easier with cats and minimize negative or destructive behavioral traits.
- Spread out scent signposts (scratching areas, cat furniture, and litter boxes). The placement of these things matter. For more information about how a cat’s sense of smell affects their daily life, read here!
- Be aware and track changes within your cats (such as not playing or eating) and their environment. If a problem arises, it’s a good skill to have as it will make diagnosing and solving these issues a lot easier and faster.
- Know when not to give in to your cat’s calls and meows. In a small apartment, cat owners will hear everything that goes on. If a cat is constantly attention seeking and loud – it’s going to put a lot of strain on the cat owners and maybe the neighbors!
Man, you are so inspiring. I read all your things for couple of months, and now it’s so easy to take my cats from my grandmothers house, where they lived for the last 6 months, to my apartment.
Please keep up the good work! Your videos and writing posts are so helpful.
With love, from Romania 🤗
Thanks so much! It’s very encouraging to hear that my blog has been helping! Again, thanks for being a follower of my content!