Is it cruel to keep a cat inside?

People thinking about adopting a cat might ask themselves if it’s cruel to keep a cat inside? I feel an obligation to try and answer it. However, you can’t answer the question in simple, clear terms because it depends on many variables and if you asked the question 100 years ago they’d think you were mad because almost all domestic cats lived inside and outside the home at that time. There is therefore a very slow trend towards domestic cat confinement led by the Antipodean countries.

Cat looks outside
Cat looks outside. Photo in public domain – words added.

Two actors

It’s important to remember, too, that there are two players, the cat and the caretaker. Many cat caretakers keep their cat inside for their (the owner’s) benefit primarily. It is an emotional issue. Allowing their cat to enter a potentially dangerous environment is too hard to bear for some owners. The cat does not mind.

Cruelty

‘Cruel’ is a strong word. Before I go into what it might depend upon it’s a good idea to define the word. It means to wilfully cause pain or suffering to others or feeling no concern about it. So it includes suffering, which is an elastic term covering a whole range of degrees of discomfort to extreme pain.

Not cruel in the USA

If you asked a hundred people whether keeping a cat inside was cruel, my guess is that about 30% might say it’s cruel but the answer entirely depends upon where you ask it. In America, I would suggest that around 80 to 90% of people would say that it is positively not cruel to keep a cat inside the home full-time for the obvious reason that it is much safer to do so. There are many potential dangers outside. You could successfully argue that it is the opposite of being cruel in America where there are predators such as coyotes who not infrequently attack, kill and eat domestic cats .

Home environment

There are numerous potential dangers outside the home in any place and in some countries the dangers are more severe than in others which affects how you answer the question. Another major factor in how you answer the question is what it is like inside the home from the domestic cat’s perspective. If the home is designed around the domestic cat and his needs and quite large there is almost no downside to keeping your cat inside the home and the upsides are substantial. Under these circumstances it is probably the opposite of being cruel; it is being kind.

Sterile home

However, taking the typical family home in an average place, it’s probably fair to say that it is probably not particularly well designed with a cat’s needs in mind i.e. it is not environmentally enriched. If the owner is away a lot and the home is quite sterile (particularly open plan and modern) a person probably could successfully argue that it is bordering on cruelty to keep a cat inside. This is because the cat is unable to express his natural desires. Some would say that this is little different to zoo conditions.

Lack of feline harmony

There are other factors to bring into the equation. Let’s take multi-cat households. If a person keeps 10 cat inside all the time and it’s a group of cats which lacks harmony in that one cat bullies others and a couple of cats are timid and submissive, you could say that for some of the cats it’s cruel to keep them inside all the time under the tyranny of a bullying cat.

Saving street cats

Let’s look at another factor. Let us say that there are two cats on the street where they are abused, starving and in a very bad way. Let’s say they had six months to live if they were not rescued. A kind person rescues them, looks after them, takes them into her home where she cares for them tenderly and restores them to full health. She is frightened for their safety so she keeps them inside. She is retired and is able to interact with them every day. She lives in a small apartment. Is she being cruel to these cats? No, she is being extremely kind.

It is not cruel to keep cats inside (usually)

Putting all the variables aside for a minute and taking an average situation, my overall conclusion is that it is not cruel to keep a cat inside because of the great benefits in terms of safety. Safety should be the paramount objective of a cat owner. It’s above everything else and keeping a cat inside achieves that objective. If you could add an outside enclosure in the backyard then you’ve probably got the best compromise in terms of cat caretaking.

Compromise – not ideal

Keeping domestic cats inside is not ideal. It is a compromise forced upon cat owners because humans and nature have created a world which can be dangerous to domestic cats. Some owners accept the dangers on behalf of their cat. Others can’t.

Inside cat advocates

Inside cat advocates strongly argue that letting a cat go outside onto the street, in a busy, built up urban environment is cruel. Many people do this. They still allow their cats outside in the full knowledge that there are predators and cat haters out there. I would not say it is cruel but you could make you claim that it is. There are many cat experts who strongly advocate keeping cats inside. A lot of people think the default cat ownership attitude should be inside cats only. These are often wildlife conservationists but you have to respect their point of view.

The cat

In my experience cats want to go outside and explore. That’s their normal attitude. They need the space and nature to live life fully because the raw cat lies just beneath the surface. Inside cats are denied what they desire and need. They get used to it and adapt. They may even become frightened of the outside.

11 thoughts on “Is it cruel to keep a cat inside?”

  1. This is sort of related to this topic. There are pet GPS trackers now where you can see exactly where your cat is in real time on a map on your phone in an app and also you will get an immediate alert on your phone through an app if your pet steps outside of a “perimeter” area that you set up. Does any one have any experience with one they can recommend? My cat is indoor only so it would be in the case of her doing a door dash or escaping from a pet sitter (you can share the app with your cat’s caretakers).

  2. Thanks Kass. I might make your comment an article today as it is long enough and interesting enough.

  3. My neighbors had a very street savvy kitty who always wanted to be outside. Callie would make her rounds to all her neighborhood friends and be back by 9:30 to ne let in. Unfortunately my neighbors would leave to visit family an hour away leaving her outside(I would feed her), not call her in(she started coming to me every night so I could go knock on their door to let her in) and when their daughter went out of town they just seemed to leave Calliegirl to her own devices. She was bitten by a snake on the nose, attacked by something and I paid those vet Bill’s. Everything together made me contact AC. They were coming Wednesday.
    Monday evening I received a call from my neighbor that Callie was taken to the emergency vet and passed.
    She used to follow us as we walked our dogs and my pup loved her so I think she thought all dogs were ok. She got into a fenced in area with 3 dogs and another neighbor heard her screaming. She went to see what was happening and literally had to take my sweet Callie out of the dog’s mouth.
    They rushed her to the ER vet but the damage to her little body was too much. These dogs were not new to the neighborhood. I don’t know why or how she ended up in their yard but but obviously the threat was always there.
    You just never know.
    It is my opinion that cats can be perfectly happy inside provided with toys, stimulation, cat towers, perches, window lookouts, etc.
    Callie had none of this at her house which is probably part of the reason she wanted to be outside. I was truly surprised because I was more worried about the speeding cars.
    I volunteer now to trap and reunite escapees and have not had a single one try to go back out after they’ve been found.
    My Bella was a stray. We can leave the door open and she will just sit there not trying to leave. They also have a whole box of toys, other toys hanging throughout the house, window perches, cat towers and they’re played with often.
    If they’re given the stimulation they need inside, they don’t look for it elsewhere.
    I know my opinion differs from others but I will not adopt out one of my rescues to anyone if they do not plan to keep them indoor only and make sure they’re happy while doing so.

  4. You’re are not even close to being a moron. I’ve learned there are 3 touchy topics in the cat world. 1)Keep inside or allow outside 2)Spay a pregnant female 3)Which cat food is best.

    I’m at the point I just read and don’t comment on those. I watched a fight in a group for 3 days over the best kind of food. Unreal.

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