Cat indoors: a miserable life or not??

[miyas_mom]

Yes, my cat is also an indoor-only cat. She is actually terrified of going outside, unless I am with her and have her on a lead. She is very happy and healthy. I will be buying a cat tree/play area for our new apartment.

 

[catkiki]

My crew are inside kitties and are very happy. They have plenty of toys and a really nice cat tree. They have never been outside and when the front door is open, they like to lay in the sunlight coming thru the screendoor.

 

[missymotus]

You could always try taking her out with a leash and harness. Only 3 of my 7 enjoy going outside on leash, the rest prefer to stay inside.
Get her plenty of toys to occupy her time.

 

[zak&rocky]

Originally Posted by stampit3d

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I don`t know if the herpes thing is an issue with getting another cat or not....but if you need it to be another cat with herpes already, so as not to spread it to an uneffected cat...i`m sure you could get your name around to different vets and they may be able to help you.....and perhaps it is`nt an issue...I don`t know anything about cat herpes.
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Linda

My first cat, Zakk was healthy. Rocky, the second, has herpes. Zakk never got sick from him (he was almost 1 year when we got him.) I had asked my vet about getting another cat. I was told by one that it wasn't advised. I was told by another that it would be fine, but to mix lysine with their food so their immunity would be boosted before meeting the cat with herpes. I ended up getting two kittens I rescued from outside. They have been getting lysine from almost day one, and Rocky has been around them from at least the second week. Rocky in fact loves to bathe the kittens and snuggle. They have been FINE. The only weird thing that happened was that Zakk, the "healthy" cat caught a cold during this time. He basically just had sneezy sniffles, but to be on the safe side I brought him to the vet, got antibiotics for him, and started adding lysine to his food too. He has recovered nicely- no sneezing since a few days after finishing his meds. I think Fel-v is really where you need to be careful.

 

[coaster]

Is it a miserable life to not be hungry and sick, not itching from fleas, not cold and wet in bad weather, not in fear of being beat up by the big tomcat, not in fear of being caught and eaten at night by the owl in the tree?

Sure, it's an interesting and exciting life to be outside. But a pretty short and miserable one, too.