# Should I get a kitty? (Advice needed) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 17, 2003, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-a-kitty-advice-needed/169273 "2003-04-17T10:14:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Einmon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Einmon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Einmon)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-a-kitty-advice-needed/169273/1 "2003-04-17T10:14:52Z")
So here’s the deal: I _really_ would like to get a cat. But I live in an apartment in the city. And while it’s not like I live next to the Autobahn there’s still a fair amount of traffic in our quarter. So I would be quite loath to let the cat roam outside lest it gets run over. Now I have been talking to people and they say it’s just cruel to keep an “inside cat” if you don’t have a big house. (For the record, our apartment consists of three rooms and a big kitchen that the cat could share.) At the moment I am at home quite a bit (finishing my final paper) to keep the cat company and later on I am planning to do freelance work (some of it also at home) so kitty won’t be alone all day. Do you have any experience? I could need your input as I don’t want to be responsible for a poor little cat going crazy… ---
**Author:** ![Fin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@Fin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fin_man)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-a-kitty-advice-needed/169273/2 "2003-04-17T11:26:20Z")
I don’t think it is cruel to keep an indoor cat in an apartment. I would make sure that the cat has a variety of toys and a window where he/she could look outside. OR, just get two cats. That way they will play with each other. ---
**Author:** ![Davebear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Davebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Davebear)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-a-kitty-advice-needed/169273/3 "2003-04-17T11:41:48Z")
Not at all. I’m a huge fan of treating animals well (I hate PETA. I can’t even use the phrase animal rights, any more, thanks to those loons.), but there’s no mistreatment inherent in keeping a cat in an apartment. They don’t need “vast tracts of land” to wander. They’re purrfectly happy in an apartment, if that’s what they’re used to. I would NOT recommend adopting a cat that used to be an outdoor cat. But, a kitten will be fine. And, yes, that’s based on experience. ---
**Author:** ![grettle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/aeb1de/32.png) [@grettle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grettle)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-a-kitty-advice-needed/169273/4 "2003-04-17T12:12:01Z")
I have a small apartment (600 square feet) with a cat. She’s happy, I’m sure of it. It’s much better than the streets of Newark anyway. She has lots of toys and I keep my blinds pulled up when I’m away so she can watch the oh-so-far-away real world. She hates leaving the aparment, I’ve tried to bring her to the little gated yard at my apartment and she doesn’t play, just freezes up. Just make sure you don’t get a formerly domesticated outside cat and do buy her/him toys that s/he will play with. Luckily my kittly loves those annoying cheap grocery store balls, so she has a collection of those, with all my chapsticks and pens. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-a-kitty-advice-needed/169273/5 "2003-04-17T12:37:34Z")
We live on a farm and don’t let our kitties go outside (we used to have an outside cat, and we worried constantly). They run around like little maniacs when we first get up in the morning – just a blur of fur when they zip by. They are much more attracted to human contact and household bugs than going “out there.” Our place is 900 sq. ft, and we don’t utilize it all. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-a-kitty-advice-needed/169273/6 "2003-04-17T12:43:22Z")
Another vote with everyone else who’s posted. Cats are very happy in an apartment, especially if you’re there most of the time. Keeping the cat indoors is a kindness since you are avoiding the risks of several deadly diseases, not to mention injuries. Whoever told you a cat needs a lot of space is misinformed. And your cat will “help” you to keep your papers from blowing away by sitting on them, especially when you are trying to read or write. ---
**Author:** ![SwimmingwithChickens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@SwimmingwithChickens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwimmingwithChickens)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-a-kitty-advice-needed/169273/7 "2003-04-17T12:58:42Z")
In general indoor cats live longer than outdoor cats. I have two indoor cats and they are as happy as can be. I would recommend getting two cats as opposed to one- especially if you work long hours. That way they can play with one another and not get lonely. ---
**Author:** ![MercyStreet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a9adbd/32.png) [@MercyStreet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MercyStreet)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-a-kitty-advice-needed/169273/8 "2003-04-17T13:24:00Z")
Go get the kitty already! March! ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-a-kitty-advice-needed/169273/9 "2003-04-17T13:26:06Z")
Three rooms and a kitchen is a huge amount of space for a cat. It will be perfectly content. It’s never cruel to protect your cat by not letting it go outside. However, when adopting, you would do best to adopt a cat who either has always been an indoor cat, or to get a kitten who doesn’t know anything else. Lots of cats (definitely not all), once they have been outdoor cats, can’t adapt to remaining indoors. ---
**Author:** ![Ceejaytee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ceejaytee/32/2956_2.png) [@Ceejaytee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ceejaytee)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-a-kitty-advice-needed/169273/10 "2003-04-17T13:28:54Z")
Indoors is a much better place for a cat than outdoors. It’s too dangerous for them outside, with dogs, diseases, cars, and creepy people (one of the stray cats in my old neighborhood was poisoned; she loved my dad so she came to our porch to die, poor little thing). I agree with **Swimming** : two cats are better than one. My 2 indoor kitties are perfectly happy together inside. If they’ve never been outside, they don’t know any differently anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Oreo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c57346/32.png) [@Oreo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oreo)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-a-kitty-advice-needed/169273/11 "2003-04-17T13:56:54Z")
A vote here against getting a cat. Get TWO!! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![FisherQueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58f4c7/32.png) [@FisherQueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FisherQueen)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-a-kitty-advice-needed/169273/12 "2003-04-17T13:58:07Z")
I’ve always thought it was cruel to make a cat roam outdoors. having to fight for territory and prey to all the dogs, crazy people, and cars. My cats are content indoors. You just have to keep them stimulated with scratching posts and cheap toys. Definitely, two cats- they are good company for each other while you’re away, and (other than vet bills) really aren’t much more expensive than one. ---
**Author:** ![Contrary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/db5fbb/32.png) [@Contrary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrary)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-a-kitty-advice-needed/169273/13 "2003-04-17T14:04:29Z")
I had an outdoor kitty who got quite sick from fleas etc. My vet told me then that I did my cat no favors by letting him be an outdoor cat. He died at a pretty young age from a heart defect so I don’t _think_ his outdoor ways harmed him. However, I no longer have outdoor cats. The risk from disease, fleas, parasites, other animals and of course traffic are just too large. I play with my kitty a lot, we have one of those feather toys and she just goes to town with that thing. I don’t have to worry about fleas or anything else and I know I will never have a smashed cat on the road to identify. Get the kitty already! ---
**Author:** ![stolichnaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@stolichnaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolichnaya)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-a-kitty-advice-needed/169273/14 "2003-04-17T14:07:59Z")
Two cats are living quite happily in my SO’s 600 sq foot condo. They have each other for company during the day, and sometimes they do ridiculously cute things like sleeping together in a basket on the dining room table. If you get two cats, try to bring them in together, if you introduce a cat it can be dicey for a while. But they get over it. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-a-kitty-advice-needed/169273/15 "2003-04-17T14:18:42Z")
Not always. My two cats, Lillian and Dorothy, are from the same litter, and they _haaaate_ each other. Always have, always will. Dorothy trips Lillian and smacks her on the head as she walks by, and poor Lillian cowers whenever Dorothy saunters into the room. Had I known, I’d have named them after Olivia De Havilland and Joan Fontaine . . . ---
**Author:** ![stolichnaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@stolichnaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolichnaya)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-a-kitty-advice-needed/169273/16 "2003-04-17T14:28:34Z")
Funny. This is anecdotal, but I have a friend who has two cats from the same litter that don’t get along. I wonder if this is common. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-a-kitty-advice-needed/169273/17 "2003-04-17T14:34:12Z")
Don’t give your cat a screen name on AOL. One day the UPS man showed up with a 200lb crate of catnip someone had ordered online to be delivered COD. But yeah, you have plenty of room for a cat or two. They’ll get you trained in no time. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-a-kitty-advice-needed/169273/18 "2003-04-17T15:50:21Z")
I agree, the more kitties, the merrier. We are shopping for a third (since we put two down a month ago). They’re twice as cute when they have a partner to scheme with. ---
**Author:** ![Einmon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Einmon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Einmon)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-a-kitty-advice-needed/169273/19 "2003-04-17T19:19:14Z")
Thank you so much for your advice…especially as it’s totally in line with what I want 😃 I guess I’ll go out to our local shelter and treat myself to an Easter present. I’ll have to see if they have a kitten available or maybe a cat that’s used to being indoors…yay! I’ll keep you posted on my progress (I’ll need help naming the cat - I tend to name my pets after their species and “cat” is a little bit boring) ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-a-kitty-advice-needed/169273/20 "2003-04-17T21:24:43Z")
Yay shelter cats! It’s getting to be kitten season (at least here it is – with Spring, the kittens start pouring in), and your local shelter will love you for adopting from them. That cat your adopt is fewer animal they have to euthanize. And indoor cats are the way to go. Are you in the United States or Canada? If so, you may want to look into adopting from a shelter listed on [www.petfinder.com](http://www.petfinder.com) – although I didn’t used to be excited about their site, they’ve added in the last half-year the ability to get two months free insurance on animals adopted from affiliate shelters. This is an awesome deal, for you and the shelter both. Daniel [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-a-kitty-advice-needed/169273.md?page=2)