A Cat Room Is Not A Prison

[2crazykittens]

I have to say that I would feel that it would be cruel to keep a cat confined all the time in a cat room.

I agree that the cats need time to come out and stretch their legs, socialize with the household and receive much needed attention and cuddle time.

I suppose it boils down to ones circumstances. My boys have been raised to have their own room, they seem purrfectly happy about it too and don't see it as a punishment. The room needs to be a sanctuary for them, a place they can go to get away from everything if they choose, and a safe place to call their own.

In my situation I need a cat room because the resident dog is not friendly towards the kittens, so it is more a safety thing for me and the animals. Everyone gets shifts to come out and get time with the family and they are all very used to the routine. I make sure that all the animals have lots of time to be "free" and they all get around 6-8 hours or more of roaming time outside of their rooms.

I have to agree with @Katocats that they do need extra space for playing, exercising and new window viewings. They do need healthy stimulation to keep a happy healthy mental well being.

 

[42cattier]

My cats didn't agree to be closed in the room, no matter how good it is. They need more space to explore, have choice and options, and you know that cats have this thing for closed doors. Even during introduction stage, somebody had to be in the same room, or yelling starts...

 

[stephanie42]

i think it depends on the situation and the person.  the responses on here from pro-cat room people seem to be from people who spend a ton of time with their cats, and their cats have free roam of the house when sort-of supervised.  we've never had a completely separate room for the cats, but i also have an odd boy out cat who doesn't always get along with my girls.  if i had them all in a room together, it wouldn't work because my piglet needs to be able to run away and hide.  i'd love to be able to dedicate the room more to them - more cat trees, a space that we could put them in when we have company that is less-than-in-love with cats, toys, cat beds, just all cats (and my bookcase.  i don't have room for it anywhere else lol).

on the flip side, i had a friend who had multiple dogs, did dog sitting/grooming/boarding in the home, and had two cats who were locked in a bedroom most of the time.  it was a decent sized room, lots of cat trees and beds and boxes and toys and whatnot.  but they'd only come out once in a while, maybe an hour or two a day.  she always said one of them didn't want to come out - and he didn't seem to want to.  but i used to coax him out and he'd spend time with me if the dogs weren't in the house.  it made me feel like he *was* imprisoned in the room, and i felt terrible for him.  to me, that was a prison.  if they were shut in there during the day for a few hours when there were dogs there, or they spent the night in there for security, that would be one thing.  but it was like 22+ hours every day.  

 

[rubythecat]

We have a cat room. Ruby is allowed to be out when we are home, but she goes in their at night and while we are gone

 

[basscat]

One has a screened in porch.   He gets to run around outside in the evenings and on weekends, and goes back to his outside room just before dark.  Or when lawn equipment is going. Or when anything is going on outside that might hurt him.  He has a bed, litter box, food, water, toys, etc.  
He gets to come inside after we eat, and sleeps with us.

In the morning, he pats our face until we wake up. We then follow him to the back door where he WANTS back in his room.
Almost dark...we no longer have to go find him, and carry him back to his room.   We DO have to find him, but, he knows it's time, and once we find him....he heads back to the house, and goes right into his room if the door is open.  If not, he goes to the door and waits for us to let him in.

One has the garage, and it's HERS.   The back door is open during the day, every day, when we are there, or not.  She comes and goes as she pleases.  At night, we just call her and she comes running into the garage.  We close to the doors and that's HER room.  She doesn't venture far, and would rather be IN the garage than anywhere else.

One has the sunroom.  Food, water, litterboxes, toys.  He gets to run the whole house for several hours when we are inside for the evening.  And if the sunroom door is left open, when he's tired and worn out....that's where he goes.

We can't have nice things.  But, if we left the either of two boys have the house while we were gone?  It would be torn to shreds.
If we let them both have the house while we were gone?  REALLY destroyed, and one of them would probably be hurt (accidentally.  The love each other but play some kind of rough).
If we let the little girl in?  We would come home to find two boys needing stitches.

All three have their own rooms, and they prefer those areas.  The two boys get supervised visits.  The girl, gets just whatever she wants and inside the house isn't one of them.  And, we do our best to keep her oblivious to the two boys.

 

[catmom marcia]

I foster and yes the cats have their own room and no it's not a prison.  It is a dedicated cat room with all the luxuries of a 5 star hotel.  We keep the foster babies segregated from the rest of the house cats until they are too big to keep contained.  Around 10 weeks or so I let them co-mingle with the house cats to get exposure and to learn that a home is not just one room.  By then they are  plenty big enough to learn their way around the rest of the house.  They don't have a TV in there but we do have a comfy chair for me to relax in and I play instrumental easy listening music from dawn till bedtime.  They love it, I love it and it works great.  Since this pic was taken, I have installed a screen door on the room for cross ventilation and bought a full reclining chaise lounger (for cat naps!  

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• catmom marcia
• Sep 20, 2016

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• catmom marcia
• Sep 20, 2016

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• catmom marcia
• Sep 20, 2016

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• catmom marcia
• Sep 20, 2016

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• catmom marcia
• Sep 20, 2016

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• catmom marcia
• Sep 20, 2016

 

[banana queen]

Our dining room is the cat room. They are indoor/outdoor during the day, but they sleep in the dining room because their chaos wakes me up in the night. They also stay in there when I am going to be gone for a few hours, or when I am doing something that will be hindered by cats trying to help.

 

[Spookyandsammy]

Because my cat is trying to push the tank on the floor i was told to lock my cat in my room i told her i cant do that its cruel what should i do

 

[LTS3]

Because my cat is trying to push the tank on the floor i was told to lock my cat in my room i told her i cant do that its cruel what should i do

Confining a cat to a room is not cruel as long as the cat has everything it needs: food and water, litter box, toys, places to hide and jump on, etc. A window view is great. A bedroom is usually a good size.

Please see your other thread in Behavior for additional help on the cat bothering the fish tank: Fish Tank Issues

 

[Spookyandsammy]

She has my closet i cleaned it out at 12 at night so she can have a place to play she has a cat box qnd all that thank you for the info on the fish tank i wanna get double sided tape and place it aroud the places she jumps on

 

[Diana Faye]

If we're talking about a space for cats to have an established territory while still having some access to the rest of the house, a cat room can be very useful, especially if they need to be confined due to illness, construction, etc. If kept in a small room for most or all of the day, that doesn't really sit well with me. Even if provided with entertainment, it would feel like more of a cell to me. That said, sometimes circumstances may make that necessary, but it's not ideal.

Adequate enrichment and most importantly, human interaction, would really make the difference here. Just because a cat has full run of the house, does not mean they won't get bored.

 

[Spookyandsammy]

She goes after the fish tank and im trying she has my bedroom and tons of toys that i made and i alway make more so she doesnt get bored i work she gets fed in the morning and before i leave for work and at night im trying my best i broke down at work becuse i had to leave her in my room i feel like a bad mom and she doesnt deserve me i was told to handle her she doesnt want to be handled so i dont she wants to be petted she comes to me any suggestions that could help im planing to get sticky tape see if she can leave the tank alone shes not in here and when im home shes always with me out side my room im always playing with her

 

[Diana Faye]

She goes after the fish tank and im trying she has my bedroom and tons of toys that i made and i alway make more so she doesnt get bored i work she gets fed in the morning and before i leave for work and at night im trying my best i broke down at work becuse i had to leave her in my room i feel like a bad mom and she doesnt deserve me i was told to handle her she doesnt want to be handled so i dont she wants to be petted she comes to me any suggestions that could help im planing to get sticky tape see if she can leave the tank alone shes not in here and when im home shes always with me out side my room im always playing with her

Not every cat is going to be a lap cat, and that's ok. I have one kitten who is cuddly on his own terms and is totally fine with being picked up. The other wants more attention, but is particular about how he's pet, and doesn't like to be picked up. I can respect that, but I do try to handle him a little just in case there's ever a situation where I'll need to grab him. I started by picking him up and putting him right back down, and slowly increasing that time. I hold him long enough so he remains calm, or wait for him to not struggle, and put him down. He'll probably never want to be carried but his tolerance is better. It's more about establishing trust than making them do something they don't want to. Young cats are also going to be more interested in play, so I wouldn't worry about it.

It sounds like you're doing everything you can with your situation, and keeping her interest with different toys and time with you in other areas of the house. She has room to move around, everything she needs, and quality time when you are home. I think you are putting more pressure on yourself and feeling guilty because you want to do more, but as long as your cat is healthy and happy you're doing just fine.

Can you maybe share a picture of where your fish tank is? It might be helpful to see how your cat is trying to access it.

 

[maggiedemi]

It is just my opinion but I do not feel that a "cat room" is a prison.

We call our cat room "The Prison" because they hate it when we close the door. But we have to shut the door sometimes, like when bringing in groceries or if strangers come over.

 

[Spookyandsammy]

We call our cat room "The Prison" because they hate it when we close the door. But we have to shut the door sometimes, like when bringing in groceries or if strangers come over.

Same i have to con the cons with cat food i say treat treat hey come running they get in their spot and they get some cat food

 

[Spookyandsammy]

Heres a pic of the tank i still think she got help from the other cat

 

[Spookyandsammy]

Heres the tank sorry

 

[Diana Faye]

Heres the tank sorry

The lid looks pretty good. Is there an opening in the back where she can stick her paws into? It looks like it's a pretty easy walk from the furniture on the right to that table and to the TV stand, and plenty of space to jump up to it. I'm not sure if you're able to rearrange furniture, but it may be helpful to remove the "catwalk" right to the tank. A taller (but sturdy) pedestal stand that fits only the the tank may also help reduce access.

Assuming none of that is possible, you can try the SSScat spray, or put sticky tape around the tank. There's also plastic nubby mats that can be uncomfortable to walk on. If she can't get in the tank, but you're worried about her knocking it over, I might actually try to put some kind on non- slip material under it or even go as far as velcro if need be.

 

[Spookyandsammy]

I will try the mat hopfully she will learn