Help me not have a nervous breakdown about kittens
February 6, 2020 9:52 AM   Subscribe

Our cat died in December 2019. Spouse, who raised cat from a kitten since before they met me, wants to get kittens. I am completely panicky about this prospect. If you have raised kittens - particularly in a 1BR - help me be realistic and calm down?

Our cat died December 2019 of a spinal stroke. It was a bolt from the blue and I still feel in shock about finding him on the floor unable to move. He was my spouse's cat - I only started looking after him three years ago (and one and a half years of being his sole caregiver while spouse had to travel) but I miss him a ton. Spouse had him from a kitten and is heartbroken, and would really like to get kittens.
In the UK, this is a tricky prospect because we have a 1BR with no garden and shelters will point blank not adopt to indoors-only, and breeders may not either. My UK friends and family, while otherwise wonderful people, don't think indoor only cats in a 1BR is humane either. I would really appreciate some American perspectives on this because right now sad cat-death brain is convinced I could never take adequate care of a cat and I am a monster.
I am also feeling super overwhelmed at the prospect of looking after kittens, possibly in part because Beloved Late Cat while completely sweet had to be trained out of: biting, scratching hard enough to draw blood, peeing everywhere and pooping everywhere by me. Which I did successfully (with help from wonderful Mefites) and had many lovely times cuddled up with him, but it was an ordeal. Spouse has now had full professional training and experience as a kitten fosterer while away and we are both definitely on the same team behaviour-wise now. I just keep imagining various horrible fates befalling the kittens because I did something wrong, or that we will have to acquire them in the UK via some shady method because no one thinks we should own kittens in a 1BR?!?!?
I am aware I have anxiety and I am doing what I can to manage that emotionally, but success stories from indoor kitten people (and possibly also bereaved cat people who went through a period of being convinced everything on fire) would be really appreciated.
posted by MarianHalcombe to Pets & Animals (35 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
I have never had cats in larger than a (450-650 sq ft) one bedroom. And I’ve never let my cats outside. So I think that’s all fine.

As to kittens... I’m assuming you’d get weaned, litter box trained kittens? If so, they’re not terribly different from cats, except they get into EVERYTHING. You’ll have to kitten-proof, which, at least you’ll have a small living space to do it! And they’ll wake you up a million times at night. But not really different than extremely obnoxious cats.

If your talking about fostering unweaned tiny kittens who need to be bottlefed, that’s a whole ‘nother ball of wax. I’ve done it, and they’re so cute! But it sucks in so many ways. But they’re so cute! (That’s how they get you...)
posted by Weeping_angel at 9:59 AM on February 6, 2020 [8 favorites]


In the US, most shelters will not adopt UNLESS the cat will be indoors-only. Indoor only cats live longer, healthier lives without the risk of sudden death from vehicles or wildlife; don't post a risk to the local ecosystem (by hunting/pooping in people's veggies); and only sometimes get a little neurotic but in a cute way.

I feel for you -- our cat passed in September just after we moved and I still miss her so much. She's the first cat I adopted who was my sole responsibility, we were completely bonded, and she was my darling. She also died suddenly and tragically and I'm not over it.

We haven't adopted yet for various reasons, but I'm not a fan of kitten adoptions because (while cute) they can be little monsters and their personality changes through their "teen" years until they settle into their "adult" selves, which is what you'll have around for most of their life. I'd strongly recommend you look up the benefits of adopting older cats and push for adopting a juvenile/adult. You will hopefully be able to find one without any behavioral issues who has previously been an indoor cat, but that might be a tall order if most cats in the UK are outdoor cats.
posted by DoubleLune at 10:03 AM on February 6, 2020 [27 favorites]


Well from a North American (Canadian) perspective, our cat rescues here have the exact opposite opinion on indoor only cats - they will often only adopt to indoor-only or indoor-with-some-outdoor-with-direct-supervision. I had 2 kittens and mommy cat in a tiny 1 bedroom for years and it was fine, if not just a tad crowded. Success can be obtained by providing vertical climbing space, giving the cats a place to run and climb and hide.

As long as the kittens are old enough to be weaned from their mom cat, kittens are fine - they're basically just small cats with more energy and sharper claws :D
posted by cgg at 10:04 AM on February 6, 2020 [8 favorites]


Best answer: Wow, I did not know that UK basically required cats be indoor/outdoor. Are you sure you're not misreading what they're saying??? I would expect indoor only to be MUCH more likely. They're incredibly damaging to the local ecosystem that way, and it's far better (IMO, but also if you want birds to live!) for cats to be indoors if they're pets. I have a 700 1BR and my cats love it. I have many windows for them to watch things, places for them to play, I play with them daily. A 1BR doesn't mean tiny... my apartment is quite spacious and they chase each other all over it sometimes.

I lost my cat in March 2019 to what sounds like the same thing. Recovering from surgery, he seemed to have a spinal thrombosis and died after I rushed him to the vet. I then just had one cat for 8 months while wanting a second cat but being so scared/worried. Well, I got one. He's the best cat ever. He gets along fine with my diva cat and I think she likes being able to watch him for entertainment.

Indoor only cats are humane. My new boy cat was abandoned and lived on the street for awhile before being taken in by a kind stranger and I adopted him eventually. He seems to love being indoors! It's warm! Comfy! Seriously, I can feel the contentment roiling off of him that he gets food, pets, toys, windows to watch out of, warms etc.

I think you will really enjoy having two kittens, and your heart will open. Mine did. It's wonderful. But also a bonded pair of two older cats would be good (they're adopted far less, and bonded pairs staying together would be yay).
posted by OnTheLastCastle at 10:06 AM on February 6, 2020 [16 favorites]


We raised a fully indoor kitten in a 2 BR apartment and it was fine. The first year may be annoying because they're hyper and have no dignity or boundaries, but this is also obviously adorable and hilarious when it's not waking you earlier than you want to wake up. After that, they start to calm down. If I were doing it again I sometimes think I'd adopt an adult cat because you know what their personality is already, but then I look at pictures of my cat as a teeny little idiot and, even reminding myself that sometimes I'd say mean things to him in a nice voice because he was being impossible, am pretty sure my life would suck more without the memories of that year.
posted by less of course at 10:24 AM on February 6, 2020 [4 favorites]


I raised two cats in a studio apartment for about ten years of their lives and both lived to be over 15 years old. My extended family has had probably more than 10 indoor cats in my lifetime and most lived to 15 or older as well. Cats need stimulation (catnip, strings, balls, windows), but they do not actually need that much room.

I was shocked how sad I was without cats for about 18 months. We got two kittens that were 2 and 3 months old at the same time in late 2018. They are not much more work than an adult cat. They jump up on the counters and attacked the Christmas tree, but they have slowed down to normal cat energy now that they are over a year old. I think you will be happy with a kitten or two.
posted by soelo at 10:32 AM on February 6, 2020 [1 favorite]


Best answer: since 2005, i have had 1-2 cats in a 1BR with 1-2 people at the same time. it is not a problem. if they had previously been outdoor or indoor/outdoor it might have been a problem, but that was not the case. i don't think a 1BR is a problem for just 2 cats (you should adopt 2!).

as to kittens. well. they are so adorable and fun and bring so much joy. but they are also a LOT of work. you have to be ever vigilant about string and necklaces and earrings and things you don't want chewed. and you will be pounced on at 3am. and their feet might be too big for their tiny kitten body and they can't tell where they've pooped so they get poop on their paw and you have to run them down to clean up poop paw.

but they are also a joy. and i LOVE looking back at tiny kitten pics of franklin. it makes my heart swell.

but if you don't want to put in the work of kittens, that is fine. be sure to talk it through with your human. there are lovely adult cats to adopt as well!
posted by misanthropicsarah at 10:36 AM on February 6, 2020 [2 favorites]


OnTheLastCastle - OP isn’t misreading, this is the norm for UK shelters and much more common for cat ownership in general here - the UK doesn’t have the natural predators that the US does (though traffic danger & bird predation are still issues) and most (or at least very many?) people see cooping cats up indoors as the crueler option.

OP, you don’t say where you are, but Edinburgh Cat Protection League has a lot of indoor-only cats come up for adoption. I assume most of them have health issues that make going outside a bad idea, so you’d have that to contend with, though. If you’re not near Embra, they might be able to let you kind of any other rescue organisations they know of that have indoor cats.
posted by penguin pie at 10:38 AM on February 6, 2020 [8 favorites]


I had a kitten (albeit an older kitten, est about 6 mo) move in with me last summer. I hadn't had any experience with kittens in 20+ years, so I was kind of nervous. It's totally fine, it's just like having a small v obnoxious cat. He came from the outdoors and really wants to go back out to the point of door-dashing, but he gets plenty of exercise and stimulation playing around with his canine brothers, and does not seem to suffer one bit. Having him around certainly livens the house up and provides lots of entertainment ,which is well worth the trouble he causes.
posted by Sparky Buttons at 10:48 AM on February 6, 2020 [1 favorite]


You do keep saying kittens so I'm assuming you'd get a pair, I just wanted to recommend that specifically. I have raised kittens as singlets and as a small pack and it was actually less work to have more than one because they entertain each other, even in a small space. I'm pretty sure we didn't let ours out of the bedroom they were fostered in until 9-10 weeks and they were perfectly content in there if curious to see what was outside.

I worried all the time when they were babies that I would step on them because they are rambunctious and have no fear, but it never came to pass. Expect them to get into everything and try to play with them a lot. If you're not ready, that's okay too. But try not to blame yourself for losing your cat, it's not your fault.

A really nice thing about having a pair is that they teach each other not to bite or claw too hard. My singlet kittens didn't get that memo. The ones that were raised together have never clawed me except by accident and never bitten me hard after they got out of the baby stage (those little needle teeth!)

Personality is hard to tell with kittens as some people have said. The kitten that was the most wild has now bloomed into the sweetest one. She's still the queen of the pack with her brothers but she wants to snuggle humans a lot. You just never know with kittens.

I don't think there is any issue with getting them "off the street," either. People's cats get out (especially in the UK it sounds like), the cats have kittens, people give the kittens away. I have lived with 10+ cats over my life so far and only one of them was acquired "legitimately" from a shelter. They were all (mostly) good cats.
posted by possibilityleft at 10:59 AM on February 6, 2020 [3 favorites]


I raised my cat from a baby kitten that I adopted in my 1 bedroom apartment. We lived there until she was about 2 years. My cat is now 10 and is the best kitty :) It was not a problem at all that I can remember. I don't even remember doing much kitten-proofing although I do live minimally to start.

Honestly raising my dog as a puppy in my house with big back yard was more difficult and stressful.
posted by WinterSolstice at 11:00 AM on February 6, 2020 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Whenever things like this cause me stress, I remind myself: Millions of other people have done this exact same thing in the exact same way, and things worked out fine. In fact, millions of people have done the exact same thing in worse conditions without issue. This line of thought always calms me down.
posted by jdroth at 11:15 AM on February 6, 2020 [14 favorites]


I just helped my parents adopt some kittens. We're in the US, and the rescues/shelters we dealt with all either require or VERY STRONGLY recommend indoor only life for domestic cats. This is because it's safer for them and also because allowing cats to be outdoors, roaming free, has a devastating effect on the wild songbird population.

Additionally, several rescues we spoke to would not adopt out kittens, younger than 6 months old, alone. They required kittens to be adopted in pairs as they benefit greatly from being socialized by one another, play more together, and are far less anxious over their lifetime. This results in much less damage and a mentally happier cat. My parents' kittens play all day together, teach one another (how to use the cat door or the scratch post, for example), and they keep one another company very sweetly. My parents have never had more than one cat at a time and getting two seemed like an enormous leap, but it turns out that the two are much easier to deal with than a single one that needs all of its attention from a human.
posted by quince at 11:46 AM on February 6, 2020 [1 favorite]


One thing that might be less than ideal in a 1BR is that when you have multiple cats, generally it's recommended to have one more litter box than there are cats. I don't know if you have places to put three litter boxes!

Kittens grow up very, very quick. They won't be kittens for long! Which is both sad (I miss that craziness sometimes) and happy (mouth full of needle teeth and absolute bonkers time is limited).
posted by fiercecupcake at 11:54 AM on February 6, 2020 [1 favorite]


I raised 2 completely indoor kittens in a studio apartment, where I put their covered litterbox in the bathroom, which was spacious. They never had 2 boxes and there were never accidents. I cleaned the boxes and changed the litter about every 4 days to compensate. They were completely happy and lived to be nearly 20.

I now live in a city house and have two 100% indoor cats we raised from kittenhood, also with one box and no issues. They have learned how to jump on top of the kitchen cabinets and onto a very high armoire, from which they cheerfully jump onto the sofas. Full of energy and they follow me from room to room when they are not sleeping curled together on one of the couches.

In the States most shelters insist on neutering and will not allow de-clawing, as of the time we adopted the most recent kittens. If you don't neuter, a male cat will cause problems with spraying and female cats go into heat periodically. And if you have one of each you will eventually have more kittens. Not sure what the custom is in the UK.
posted by citygirl at 12:09 PM on February 6, 2020 [3 favorites]


A lot of assertions made around this question (including in this thread) are pretty extreme but I've never seen any non-anecdotal evidence. And there's always a pretty much perfect correlation between how people feel and where they come from. Which suggests to me that there's not a ton of actual thinking going on.

For example, the people of the US would be interested to learn that keeping a cat indoors has a catastrophic affect on its mental health. The people of the UK would be interested to learn that cats are devastating their (large! vocal!) songbird population. If strong effects like this were true, I'd expect to see some evidence. Is there any?

And as an abstract ethical question, I can see why helping the cat to live the longest life possible serves the interests of its owner. It's less obvious to me that it's in the interests of the cat.

But the point is: Indoor cats are fine. Outdoor cats are fine. You're not cruel if you keep your cat indoors. You're not a monster if you let a cat spend time outdoors.
posted by caek at 12:09 PM on February 6, 2020 [8 favorites]


US American, I live in the city, and basically every cat owner I know has multiple cats, some adopted as kittens, in a 1BR or studio. They'll be great. Kittens, and some adult cats, are high-energy and will need lots and lots of playtime (I'm talking an hour+ per day) if they are indoor-only, but having more than one cat means some of that playtime will be provided by their animal friend instead of you and Spouse. If possible, make it easy for them to climb high up like on bookshelves or tall scratching posts; the space won't feel as small for the kitties if they can expand their territory vertically.
posted by capricorn at 12:30 PM on February 6, 2020 [1 favorite]


Just chiming in to suggest considering vertical space as well. You can vastly increase a cat's world with tall cat trees or shelving. They like to get high up. Also consider adopting a mature cat. Kittens are adorable but they have a lot of energy for a small space.
posted by quarterframer at 12:46 PM on February 6, 2020 [4 favorites]


You say one bedroom, but how much space do you have? A 1br can be tiny or pretty big.

Keep in mind you may need to keep them out of the bedroom at night. In my experience, young cats get really active at nights (not always, but usually) and might keep you awake. Actually, forget that. They WILL keep you awake. I love cats, and had 2 of them for 17 years. But I'm gonna add some caution to this: they will drive you nuts often and will likely keep you awake in one way or another. Especially kittens. And cats live a long, long time. Also, I agree that one litter box is fine, especially if they grow up together. But more is always better. Stressing again that I love cats, but there WILL be issues.

Having one bedroom is not a deal-breaker, but more room is better for humans as well as felines. Just realize what you are getting into.
posted by SoberHighland at 12:56 PM on February 6, 2020 [2 favorites]


Best answer: I have managed to adopt from UK shelters with stating indoor-only. Smaller shelters and organisations are often more OK about this than larger ones. We had a home visit where one question was talk about the environment of your house and I was all about the big fast main road at the front and the foxes in the gardens and the woman doing the home check lives on my road, so she was fine about them being indoors (we do have a large house and I do work from home).

I would recommend trying to get older rather than teeny. We got 8 month olds 2 months after our boy died quite suddenly (I think this was too soon, husband was spiralling into depression without a cat) and they are still a handful. They do get into everything. I might think twice again about getting even this young. I am incredibly anxious about them and I would even suggest seeing a pet bereavement counsellor about your feelings before going down the new kitties route (I really wish we'd done this).

Our little ones do keep very quiet at night so they're not ALL nightmarish, by the way!
posted by LyzzyBee at 1:06 PM on February 6, 2020 [3 favorites]


My wife and I foster kittens --- we've fostered more than 50 in the past few years, in ages ranging from 2 weeks to 1 year. We also have 2 cats of our own.

All of the foster kittens live in a single bedroom when we're fostering (so less space than 1 BR apartment). They're happy. The key is to get 2, ideally from the same litter. They will usually do a good job entertaining each other. They don't need tons of space.

We work with one of the large rescue groups in the US (Best Friends) and like almost all rescue groups in the US, require an indoor-only policy for cats. I know UK culture is different, but the idea of _requiring_ outdoor access is just bizarre to me. If you include shelter cats, I've worked with over 100 cats (and my wife far more than that) and the vast majority of cats can live perfectly happy and stress-free life indoors.

Kittens raised indoor-only and with stimulation (other kittens, toys, cat furniture/shelves/etc) are perfectly happy indoors. My cats like to look out the window, but have no interest in actually going outside (too scary!). Cats are territorial, and if they have a secure territory in the house are usually content with this.

Your spouse having kitten experience will help a lot!

It's impossible to guarantee behavior-problem-free cat even with good training, of course, just like it is with human children. But knowing how to redirect aggression, deal with biting/etc (punishment NEVER works, it's all about redirection and then reward), and so on will greatly decrease the chances of serious problems.
posted by thefoxgod at 1:27 PM on February 6, 2020 [2 favorites]


Best answer: The 1 BR thing is a red herring. We were in a 1 BR, had two cats, and a third (two local strays, sequentially) kept trying to get adopted. Admittedly, we let the cats go outdoors. But as noted above, indoor only is actually better for the cats. So if the carrying capacity of a 425 sf one-bedroom is three outdoor cats, I think it can definitely handle your kittens, who will be able to get adjusted to the setting from a young age.

You have my deep sympathy for your trauma and sadness. We lost our cat in December, too, but it was a long time coming. We saw it coming since the summer if not earlier. Still, for me it would feel too soon to get a new cat. If you need more time, I think that's fair to ask from your spouse.
posted by slidell at 1:58 PM on February 6, 2020 [2 favorites]


For example, the people of the US would be interested to learn that keeping a cat indoors has a catastrophic affect on its mental health. The people of the UK would be interested to learn that cats are devastating their (large! vocal!) songbird population. If strong effects like this were true, I'd expect to see some evidence. Is there any?

They don't provide a linked study, but the vet sites I've looked at generally agree that an outdoor cat has a lifespan 10 to 12 years shorter on average than an indoor cat.

And, here, you can read in detail what the head of the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center has to say about the ecological impact of outdoor cats, including deaths caused both by hunting and by transmitting diseases to other species.
posted by praemunire at 2:05 PM on February 6, 2020 [6 favorites]


Just as a data point, I'm UK-based and know someone with two indoor-only cats they raised from kittens in a small flat, so it's definitely possible. I also found an example of a slightly older cat on a rehoming site whose breeder apparently asked the family to keep the cat indoor-only when they got it as a kitten as they lived near a busy road, which suggests that there are at least some UK breeders who are open to indoor-only.
posted by terretu at 2:29 PM on February 6, 2020 [2 favorites]


Outdoor cats in urban or suburban areas are in serious danger from vehicles, and may come to bad ends at the hands of neighborhood dogs (as cats tend not to view fences as obstacles).

Outdoor cats anywhere are perfect little predators for all sorts of smaller animals, including and especially birds.

I get why a rural property might want a few barn cats around to keep the pest population in check, but in every other context keeping your cat inside is a WAY better idea. I'm shocked the UK has such a contrary view of this.

But the tl;dr for OP here is this: a kitten or pair of kittens in a smallish apartment is entirely fair and normal.

I say "pair" because adopting a set means the kittens will play with each other when you're not around (or even when you are), and this cuts down on the "getting into everything" aspect of a solo kitten. We've just added a kitten (Ivy) to our pair of 10-year-olds (Wiggins and Saracen) that we adopted together from the same shelter.

When we got them, they mostly kept each other busy. At 10, though, neither is especially interested in the ENDLESS KITTEN ENERGY GAMES that Ivy is seemingly always playing, and so there's a lot of Wait! No! Stop that! What do you have? with her that we didn't have with Wiggs and Sari.
posted by uberchet at 2:35 PM on February 6, 2020 [2 favorites]


One: adopting a pair of kittens means that they are more likely to play with each other. Adopting a second cat later can lead to fights over who is the alpha (although that usually slows down and can sort itself out).
Two: get the cats used to a carrier and traveling in the car. I didn't last time and every vet visit was a chore.
Three: some cats adapt well to a leash (body harness).

Indoor cats: just fine as long as you have enough litter boxes and keep them clean. I would keep them out of the kitchen and bedroom, but that's my preference.
Outdoor cats: just fine as long as you are not on a busy street or have other obvious hazards (coyotes, vicious neighborhood dogs, etc.)
posted by TrishaU at 2:47 PM on February 6, 2020 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: Thank you so much everyone for the words of advice!

I would love to adopt from a shelter and adopt a bonded older pair but I have contacted about 17 shelters within a very wide radius of my home and none will adopt indoor only where I am, unfortunately, except for very elderly cats (11 years+). I think it was running into such a brick wall there that made me second guess myself - one shelter even told me that maybe if they rescued a cat from a hoarder I might be able to keep it indoor-only, as only hoarders kept cats indoors....

Spouse and I are definitely planning on a bonded pair to keep each other entertained, putting up 2 cat trees (1 in the bedroom where there is 1 bookshelf, 1 in the living room with 3 bookshelves), a window perch to allow full access to the sills, and bird feeders on both windows for cat TV. I actually miss 10 year-old Beloved Late Cat running over my legs at 3am and biting my feet, so we may be (totally will be) letting them into the bedroom. Thank you again for both the sterling advice and helping me not feel alone in trying to give these cats the best life we can.
posted by MarianHalcombe at 3:48 PM on February 6, 2020 [2 favorites]


Beloved Late Cat while completely sweet had to be trained out of: biting, scratching hard enough to draw blood, peeing everywhere and pooping everywhere by me.

This is definitely not always the case with kittens. I adopted my current cat when she was just under three months old. She pooped on the floor once on the first day. We moved the litterbox right on top of where she had pooped, and put her in it, and from that moment she never in her life went outside the litterbox again. She has never bitten me, not even as a kitten. She has only scratched a couple of times by mistake. She generally plays with her claws all the way in.

I think because we got her from a shelter where many cats were housed together in a large enclosure, the other cats and kittens had taught her manners from a very young age.
posted by lollusc at 5:22 PM on February 6, 2020


You can often see cats up for adoption from the Cats Protection League who are indoor-only because they have FIV or similar. My understanding is that such cats can live a pretty long life in a healthy condition, and some are quite young when rescued. The ad will specify indoor-only. Otherwise, the ads do tend to refer to access to the outside being a requirement. This will be more a requirement where the cat has already been used to going outside.

I appreciate it will be more difficult without access to a safe outside space like a garden but the size of the house shouldn't be an issue - we have generally roomed all our cats in the kitchen overnight (obviously with beds, food, water and access to a couple of litter trays) with no problems.

We've had up to five cats at a time, including kittens, and things have fallen into place with few problems to be honest.

We lost one of our cats to what the vet referred to as a saddle clot, which I imagine would be similar to your own sad loss. It was horrible, and I'm sorry for your loss and heartache. It feels even more sad right now because we had to have his frenemy (we got them at the same time from the CPL) put to sleep yesterday morning because he became very poorly with an unknown ailment - the vet thought maybe a tumour somewhere. Blooming cats - little horrors will break you into a thousand pieces every time.
posted by Martha My Dear Prudence at 5:25 PM on February 6, 2020 [1 favorite]


it's not the lack of space that stresses cats, it's the lack of company and entertainment. I've seen two happy cats living together in 200 square feet, and single cats who were neurotic because they were left alone for most of the day, even in a large 3 bedroom home.

So, yes, you can have two cats in a small one bedroom - and it's better for the cats to be together. With company to entertain them, they are fine indoors (and it's better for the local ecosystem to keep them inside).
posted by jb at 6:53 PM on February 6, 2020 [1 favorite]


If you have a local Craigslist type equivalent (Facebook group for local area, whatever) you might be able to find someone who was careless about letting their cat out pre neutering and now has kittens to get rid of. They may not ask as much about your circumstances as a shelter would.
posted by quacks like a duck at 12:31 AM on February 7, 2020 [2 favorites]


This above. We got our cat from Gumtree from a private owner. She was "about 2" at the time. She's been with us for over 5 years now and I luuuurrrve her and she seems quite content (indoor only, 2 bedrooms on a busy road)
posted by like_neon at 5:07 AM on February 7, 2020 [2 favorites]


I’m in the US and have had several cats in small apartments, and all have done well.

I’m here to suggest that you lie about whether the cats will go outside, adopt kitties, and give them wonderful happy indoor lives. No one gets hurt, everyone wins.
posted by bile and syntax at 7:40 AM on February 7, 2020 [3 favorites]


We adopted a pair of kittens (rescued off the street at ~9 weeks, adopted by us at ~ 10 weeks).
They are indoor only as we are a) in the U.S. where this is highly recommended and b) live in a 1-bedroom off a busy road within a small apartment complex that has a ton of dogs (lovely dogs, but a lot of them).
They are doing great 9 months later. They romp around the apartment with each other, snuggle with each other, groom each other, and still play wrestle.
posted by spamandkimchi at 8:36 AM on February 7, 2020


Also note that hosting kittens is a reasonable substitute for television. I could easily spend all evening watching them run around and chase each other, perfectly entertained.
posted by ovvl at 11:31 AM on February 7, 2020 [1 favorite]


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