Cats in flats!

[Crazy_cat_lady]

If you can afford it I'd try and get 2. That way they can keep each other company. Apart from my child hood cat, since my parents got our much missed little cat when I was 11 we have always had indoor cats and now I've moved out and live with OH i will only entertain indoor cats.
There are too many nasty people out there, some of the stories I've read are heartbreaking, and of course, cars. I figure they'd rather have a longer life indoors. OH mother said I was cruel wanting indoor cats i did turn round and say they'd rather than then getting squashed!!

We make sure they have lots of interactive toys, you can get things like treat balls like horses have and an activity board they have to work to get biscuits out of and lots of interactive toys. Basically things to keep their brains occupied. Also they can see out the window. In the summer they will go in the garden when we do, on harnesses. My parents ones go "loose" when out in the garden (heavily supervised) but they have higher fences. Dear little much missed girl used to be able to potter about unsupervised in the garden provided you were sat at the table but the 2 ragdolls they have are rather more naughty!

I can fully vouch for getting a ragdoll but make sure you use a proper breeder so you don't get one of these thats sold as part ragdoll when it clearly isn't! Depending on your location im happy to recommend a breeder my mum used and I have just used.

Ragdolls must be indoor cats as they don't sense danger and due to their looks and pedigree nature they are highly sought after.

They have the most gorgeous nature and are almost dog like in the way they follow you around. OH has a moggy and I, after much saving, finally have my ragdoll i always said I wanted when I moved out, having loved my parents 2 so much. While the moggy is sweet there's just "something" about a raggie! Plus guess which one came full of fleas that I had him straight up the vets for!! Hint- not the one from the proper breeder!

They aren't completely "placid" though they can be naughty little tykes- see the worst thing the cat's done thread!!

I think there is a place called ragdoll rescue if you look on Facebook, also occasionally I think breeders sometimes advertise their retired breeding cats so possibly another option to consider?

You will need to prepare to boil in summer as you cant open windows as they are like heat seeking missiles to an open window!

First 2 pictures are of mine, 2nd 2 are my parents ones

 

[Crazy_cat_lady]

Here you go, the last one was 2 nights ago and his face was still sore having had 3 teeth out on Friday, note his sister from other parents with feet in the air....
He was dumped at the local RSPCA in Sept 18 aged about 7 and entire. I've always had hairy cats (and moan about the hair!) And he had been there for a good 6 weeks when I saw him.
Apart from punching P dog once, he's been a v good chap to have about, apart from thieving cake or any meat left out...
Breed was just guessed at, and he was (till the last 2 weeks) a very healthy fit 7.5kgView attachment 56417View attachment 56418View attachment 56419

He's a beautiful chap, im a big fan of big, fluffy cats.
Could have have some sort of forest cat in him? They tend to have dual layered waterproof coats. My much missed little girl i suspect was part forest cat when she was on one of her supervised visits out she would sit in the rain but it never went through the top layer of coat. And the prooking noise she would make was quite simply delightful

 

[The Xmas Furry]

I don't think any forest cat in there, my last was part Maine and part Forest.
I'm not bothered, he's just a cheerful fluffy chap

 

[Shady]

Here you go, the last one was 2 nights ago and his face was still sore having had 3 teeth out on Friday, note his sister from other parents with feet in the air....
He was dumped at the local RSPCA in Sept 18 aged about 7 and entire. I've always had hairy cats (and moan about the hair!) And he had been there for a good 6 weeks when I saw him.
Apart from punching P dog once, he's been a v good chap to have about, apart from thieving cake or any meat left out...
Breed was just guessed at, and he was (till the last 2 weeks) a very healthy fit 7.5kgView attachment 56417View attachment 56418View attachment 56419

Oh that is my sort of cat! ( I love hairy beasts almost as much as skinnies)
Ok , not British.
Definitely looks more Norwegian/ Maine Coon/ Siberian. but I can absolutely see the possibility of a long haired Russian as well now
The last one shows a real MC pinch to the face but it's not heavy enough there to be pure, ears are too small as well.
Kilo's are right for any of the above but much depends on the body under all that floof
Very interesting that he was entire though
Oooh I love a mystery and now of course I really want to know his bloodlines!
My brain starts going' if he is pure what could he be( excluding top breed quality and RB) then I think if he's a first generation cross, and I dismiss various breeds like Persian, Mandarin etc, and I am left with...... hmmmm , any of the above but I think he is awesome and I would like to steal him away from you x

 

[HufflyPuffly]

Just another thing to add, moggies can be indoor cats too . Tigercat is a complete homebody, she will go out but much prefers her home comforts and would have zero issue being fenced in, so it doesn't 'have' to be a pedigree cat to be an indoor cat. Though once you realise how many cat breeds there are I found myself sucked into a blackhole of pure cat delight and ended up with a ragdoll x maine coon (wanted a pure Ragdoll but couldn't say no to Huffs).

Though I guess there is more chance of them being a murderous killer like Lillycat, she will not be happy once I've finished my catio spaces...

I vote the right cat will find you all of mine did lol!

Sorry posted a cat post without a picture of Hufflepuff!!

 

[windand rain]

Used to breed cats so they had to live indoors they were very happy in fact when we moved to a place they could be outside and neutered they were still happy to be indoors but they did enjoy the garden too

 

[NinjaPony]

So many beautiful cats! You’ve done your work, I’m now desperate for a Ragdoll... made the mistake of looking at some breeders and they are lovely! Still interested in Russian Blue’s, they are just much rarer so I may have less luck.

I should add that my much missed cat was a moggy, and he went from outdoors to indoors when he had his diabetes. He had a great quality of life but I do think he missed hunting...it just seems to be much harder to find a moggy that someone would be willing to let go to an indoor home.

I really do see why having 2 would be better than one. I’m just nervous of taking on two, as it’s twice the responsibility and cost.

Possibly could start with one, see how I go and add in another if it seems that the cat would really benefit from it. I don’t intend on going back to work in the office full time anyway, I’d prefer to go back 2 or 3 days a week if I had to, though who knows when that will be!!

Might be time for some sleuthing to see if there are any older Ragdolls looking for a home... I’m in the South West if anyone has any suggestions!

ETA I’m having to physically restrain myself from enquiring about a pedigree Ragdoll kitten... sometimes I hate being sensible!

 

[HufflyPuffly]

Oooo excellent choice lol, I think for me if you want a kitten then two are best as they keep each other company and will play together. Older cats are probably a little harder to introduce to new cats. With my little herd (or clowder apparently), Tiger and Lilly were litter mates and get on brilliantly, Tiger is fine with Huffle and Squirrel (plays, licks them but can get a little grumpy at being jumped on by overenthusiastic kittens lol), but Lilly is super offended at the new additions... To be fair all she needed was her own space so she can get away from the rabble and is fine until they bounce on her (she gives the 'best' reactions ).

 

[crazyandme]

Oooo excellent choice lol, I think for me if you want a kitten then two are best as they keep each other company and will play together. Older cats are probably a little harder to introduce to new cats. With my little herd (or clowder apparently), Tiger and Lilly were litter mates and get on brilliantly, Tiger is fine with Huffle and Squirrel (plays, licks them but can get a little grumpy at being jumped on by overenthusiastic kittens lol), but Lilly is super offended at the new additions... To be fair all she needed was her own space so she can get away from the rabble and is fine until they bounce on her (she gives the 'best' reactions ).

Oh my word that is a happy/smug cat!

 

[NinjaPony]

Oooo excellent choice lol, I think for me if you want a kitten then two are best as they keep each other company and will play together. Older cats are probably a little harder to introduce to new cats. With my little herd (or clowder apparently), Tiger and Lilly were litter mates and get on brilliantly, Tiger is fine with Huffle and Squirrel (plays, licks them but can get a little grumpy at being jumped on by overenthusiastic kittens lol), but Lilly is super offended at the new additions... To be fair all she needed was her own space so she can get away from the rabble and is fine until they bounce on her (she gives the 'best' reactions ).

She is so lovely. Not helping me be sensible!!

I'm filling in some 'perfect match' forms for local rescues detailing my situation in case they have anything suitable. Given the prices of proper registered and properly cared for ragdolls, I really don't think I can stretch to two right now and I agree that a single ragdoll kitten in a smallish flat could be unfair given how sociable the breed is. Even though I really really want one!! So it's either going to be 1 adult pedigree alone, that is happy to live alone, or 2 moggy kittens if I can find a rescue that will let me have any. Or an older rescue should the right one come up.

 

[chaps89]

We live in a flat, quite open plan and reasonably sized but not big by any stretch of the imagination.
My old cat came from cats protection - at the time of adopting him I lived in a first floor flat, no garden access and by a main road, so it had to be a house cat. My only requirement was that they had to be a lap cat. They found me a super cat - he'd been found straying and poorly, they fixed him up and then he came to me after being in a foster home. He was the best cat ever.
I moved about alot and at times he had garden access, others he didn't, but honestly it was rare he went outside.

We had a stray adopt us this year (2 months after losing the old boy), he's clearly been used to being an outdoor cat so we were going to rehome him to somewhere more appropriate, but he settled right in and made it quite clear he's happy so he stayed.
We have now cat proofed our garden though and that has made the biggest difference, if I'm honest, I don't think he'd be happy if he didn't have the garden to go into every day. He's very playful so has to have play sessions daily - whereas I think I can count on one hand the number of times the old boy wanted to play!

We are also getting a kitten - this was already planned so instead of having 2 kittens, we will have 1 kitten and our adopted one. I think this will (hopefully) work quite well as they'll have company when we go back to work and someone else to play and cuddle with too. Most breeders of our breed only rehome to indoor homes anyway - some asked what our home was like, some did not (and that concerned me as I felt they should be asking what the potential home was like, especially if the cat can't go out!)

I think what I'm trying to say, is don't rule out a rescue. Mine was healthy, not overly old and the best house cat ever, and very suited to indoor life.
We've had to make alot of adaptions for stray and future kitten as we know they will be a bit more demanding!

 

[NinjaPony]

Certainly haven’t ruled out a rescue but it does seem to be difficult to get a rescue to agree to indoors.

I found a lovely cat, 10 years old so a bit older than I’d want ideally, but came from an indoor only home and extremely well socialised and placid. So I thought that might be a good match for a cat wanting a quiet indoor life, but they want to get him going outdoors so weren’t happy to rehome to me.

I totally get it, it’s their call completely and they know the cat best, which is why I’ve been very clear about my situation. But I can’t help feeling that for a cat that has spent 10 years of its life indoors, it’s quite a big ask to get him going outside unsupervised, particularly as he’s had to leave the family home where he was born to go somewhere else which must be very unsettling. He won’t have any sense of danger, or road sense...

Oh well! I’ve put myself down for a couple of breed rescues that do home indoors only and will keep hunting in the mean time!

 

[NinjaPony]

A quick update!

Having taken all the advice on board, I decided to go with my original plan of trying to find an older pedigree cat that is proven to be happy indoors.

So I have reserved a year old British Shorthair lilac and white girl from a breeder. She is due to be spayed next week, then as long as all goes well, she will be coming to live with me at the end of November once recovered. She has grown up with dogs so shouldn't have any issues with my family dog, and has been indoor only all her life.

Very excited!! Currently trying to 'cat' up the flat with lots of hiding spots, a radiator bed, cat tree, cat grass etc and plenty of toys. Can't wait to have a cat again, 2 years catless is too long. Plus she looks absolutely nothing like my old boy (huge, black, slinky) so hopefully no comparisons possible.

 

[bubblensqueak]

Looking to pick some HHO brains about adding a cat to my life. I love cats, always have done, and was devoted to my childhood cat-still have his picture on my bedside table. I now live alone in a ground-floor one bed flat and given that I think I may lose my beloved horse sooner rather than later, am thinking I could really use some furry companionship. Currently working from home and this is unlikely to change for the next 6 months, but could end up back in the office some days a week after that.

So, I'm having a debate about what kind of cat/where to find said cat/what set up for a cat. I want to keep it indoors, I don't have a garden currently but next flat I would look for a small garden I could turn into a catio or similar. Ideally, it would need to tolerate the presence of a small cat-friendly dog when she comes to visit occasionally, and be able to be left alone if/when I have to go back to work.

So I'm currently researching options. In many ways an older cat would suit, but I worry about health issues and being able to cope with a small dog every now and again. A kitten would get the benefit of me being at home all day at the moment. Not sure I have room for two cats so it would have to live alone at least for now.

Then we have the pedigree vs rescue debate. Would love to rescue in theory, but I'm not sure any of the rescues would rehome to me as I need an indoor cat and I rent. Should point out that I have a pet policy written into the tenancy, and would obviously double check with the landlord before going ahead. If something happened, then my mum would happily take on the cat for a few months if needed.

I definitely don't want to give money to backyard breeders, and also not convinced giving money to various 'breeders' of moggy kittens is ethical when there are so many in rescue. So should I try a rescue, or stump up the money for a pedigree? Would the average cat cope being indoors? My moggy boy ended up becoming indoors after he had diabetes, but there is a school of thought that the pedigrees tend to cope better in general.

If pedigree, then any breed suggestions? Ideally would like something fairly laid-back and low energy, given that it will be indoors in a flat for the time being (lots of play, stimulation etc of course). I've always been fond of russian blues but they are hard to get hold of!

All cat related thoughts and pictures welcome!

my mum breeds pedigree snowshoe cats, and we often sell kittens, or older retiring cats to flats! snowshoes do brilliantly inside, and we have 3 sighthounds so they have all been raised with dogs! i would highly recommend a snowshoe, either a kitten, or an older, (by older i mean from about a year upwards) retiring cat.

 

[Crazy_cat_lady]

That's great news look forward to hearing your updates about her, we need pictures when you get her!

 

[windand rain]

Brilliant news I love cats and a pedigree used to living inside is perfect

 

[Shady]

Oh how lovely and an excellent choice!!!
Iv'e had 2 and the last was a lilac. He was just the best cat with a gentle loving character. He would always quietly be there next to me or on me if he could squeeze in with the skinnies.
I adore the bi colours so I can't wait to see her
No real health issues in the breed if she's from a good line but watch her weight as they can be a bit piggy!
Also they shed fur more than you might think so a good grooming a few times a week is advisable.

Ooh how exciting
Photo's will be needed asap!

 

[chaps89]

How exciting OP, I'm glad you've found something suitable, she sounds lovely.

 

[Billyandme]

How lovely. I'm a real cat lover and just love to hear kitty stories. Please keep us updated xx

 

[NinjaPony]

Thanks guys! Counting down the days! Will put pictures up once she is here, she’s a lovely looking cat and very chunky. It’s amazing how much short haired cats shed so she will be getting regular brushes so I don’t end up with a white flat!

 

[MagicMelon]

Personally I do think an older cat would be a better fit as they're far happier to sit about on laps all day rather than want to be outside. My mum used to work for the CPL rehoming so we had many cats come to us for temporary fostering. We have Bengals (well one now, as I very sadly lost the other recently), I would always usually rescue but my OH is allergic and Bengals are one of the best for this. I wouldnt recommend them for a flat personally. I dont think many people let them out, we were warned by the breeder not to as they are so inquisitive that they'd end up in the back of the post mans van or being squashed on the road etc. I do let mine out sometimes, we have a big garden (live rurally) but I put up a big 6ft high mesh fence round our patio area so as to contain them in there. It's still a decent size (probably same size as most town peoples gardens). I wouldnt let mine out 24/7 though or she'd be miles away. I think you have to be careful with some pedigrees, Bengals really need a lot of attention especially as kittens. I know of lots that end up being rehomed as they start attacking their owners! Both mine went through an attacking stage as kittens (would properly hunt me down and jump on me, bite my neck etc.) but thankfully we dealt with it well enough they stopped that. I wouldnt want to leave them home if you were out for long lengths of time at work, they'd probably get bored and start destroying something!

 

[HashRouge]

Since this zombie thread has been resurrected - OP did you get your cat and how has she settled in?

 

[NinjaPony]

I did get my cat! She is a BSH and now two years old, I got her at a year old and was clear that I was looking for a laidback cat. I’ve now moved flats with her and the new flat is two bedrooms and much roomier with lots of windows which she loves. She has settled like a dream, she’s very laid back to the point of being quite lazy and has no interest in escaping or going out really. I’m looking to build her a temporary catio for some sunbathing. I’m really glad I went for a BSH as she has no issues at all living a quiet indoor life as long as she has plenty of attention and playtime.

 

[Snow Falcon]

So did we get pics?

 

[NinjaPony]

She’s popped up a few times on other threads but always happy to share another! She spends a lot of the time in silly positions asking for cheek rubs..

 

[Meowy Catkin]

She's adorable!

 

[HashRouge]

She'[s a lovely girl!

 

[Widgeon]

Oh isn't she gorgeous! I'm not really a cat person but that's a pretty irresistible bundle of squishy fur. Lovely that she's so happy with her life too.

 

[NinjaPony]

Thanks all! I am besotted, her nickname is ‘squishy’ as she’s so soft and cuddly (and round bless her). She is a gentle soul and a great companion, I’m a convert to BSHs now!