Are Tabby Cats Indoor Cats? Here’s The Actual Answer

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are tabby cats indoor cats

Tabby cats are one of the most commonly available cats to adopt as a pet into your homes. These beautifully patterned cats are known for their friendly and affectionate nature.

It can become an ideal pet as they are quite easy to get along and they can adjust even in small indoor spaces. The experience of owning a tabby cat is quite a unique and interesting experience.

Are Tabby Cats Indoor Cats?

Yes, tabby cats can be kept indoors without any trouble. Tabbies are an excellent choice for indoor spaces as they can adjust properly even in small housing spaces.

Such a measure also ensures that your pet is safe from certain foreign substances and diseases.

These cats can be trained to stay inside the homes at all times. It helps to extend their life expectancy and improves their overall health.

How long can a Tabby Cat Live Indoors?

Tabby cats that are adopted into homes at a very early age can be trained properly to stay inside the house for their entire life span.

However, if the cat was initially a stray and later got adopted, there are chances that it might go out of the house occasionally without the owner’s supervision.

These cats might also find it a little difficult to adjust totally to the indoor lifestyle as they were exposed to nature at an early age.

However, with proper care and love, any cat would eventually become quite habituated to stay close to its owners at all times.

The transition stage for a cat from being a stray cat to a completely indoor cat could take some time, effort and involves systematic training.

With the provision of adequate care, cats can spend their whole lives indoors.

The indoor cats have an average life expectancy of about 15 years and they can spend all these years inside one home without any difficulty.

Why should you keep your tabby cat indoors mostly?

  • Increases life expectancy
  • Improves their health
  • Prevents pest and flea infestation
  • Reduces chances of intermingling with strays
  • Prevents injury
  • Easy monitoring of food habits and health

1. Increases life expectancy

Indoor tabby cats tend to live longer than outdoor ones. Studies show that an outdoor cat usually survives only two to five years, while indoor cats can survive thrice the lifespan of their counterparts.

Indoor cats often stay immune to a number of factors that usually lead to the early death of stray cats.

Since the owner can take care of the indoor cats at all times, their lifestyle also improves. This eventually contributes to their extended life span.

With proper care, indoor tabbies can even survive longer than the average lifespan.

2. Improves their health

Owning a cat comes with a lot of responsibilities. This includes taking care of the health of the pet.

A tabby cat that stays indoors at all times has lesser chances of contracting a disease as they can stay away from innumerable germs inside the comfort of their homes.

These cats often stay clean and well-groomed, which also contributes to their overall health and hygiene.

If by any chance the cat contracts a disease, the owner can stay alert at all times and take the necessary measures and provide them with adequate medicines.

3. Prevents pest and flea infestation

Outdoor cats often roam around dirty places and roll on the ground which often leads to a pest infestation on their bodies.

But, indoor tabby cats stay in a clean and hygienic environment and they have little chance of getting fleas and pests on their bodies.

These fleas can be an added trouble to the owner and can cause harm to the cat as well.

The fleas can irritate the cat and in extreme situations, even transmit diseases to the other members of the house.

Therefore, to keep a check on these little insects and microorganisms, it is better to keep your tabby cat indoors.

4. Reduces chances of intermingling with strays

A tabby cat needs to be properly trained to adjust to your lifestyle and to ensure their well-being.

However, if the cat is allowed to roam outside, there are chances that it might intermingle with other strays and adapt their behaviors and personalities.

Your pet might also contract diseases from the strays and bring them inside your homes.

It might also lead to cat fights as the strays might feel that their territory is being invaded and could seriously injure both parties.

Such circumstances can be very stressful for the cat. It is advised to keep the tabby cats indoors so that such a scenario can be prevented.

5. Prevents injury

Tabby cats are playful creatures and love to roam around carelessly, which increases the chances of accidents.

Cats that stay indoors have a comparatively lower probability of getting injured. The owner can ensure that the spaces inside the house are safe and there are no hazardous substances around.

But, the environment outside is quite different and can be dangerous at times. There are chances that the cat might get seriously injured or even lose their lives because of a careless mistake.

However, if the tabby cat stays indoors, such accidents can be prevented and small injuries in rare cases can be properly taken care of.

6. Easy monitoring of food habits and health

A tabby cat needs a proper diet to stay healthy and fit. If the cat remains inside the home, the owner can ensure that it gets its necessary nutrients from the food.

They can also keep a check on the amount of food consumed by the tabby as it has a higher tendency to gain an unhealthy amount of weight.

Their health and personality can also be efficiently monitored when the cat stays indoors. Proper help can be sought easily in case of an emergency.

The cat can also be provided with the required vaccines on time, which ultimately helps them to stay immune from a number of deadly diseases.

Do tabby cats get depressed if you keep them inside for a long time?

Since the tabby cats are playful and lively cats, it is believed by some people that they might get depressed if they are kept indoors for a very long time.

However, such a notion is not entirely true.

Tabby cats can adjust to the indoor lifestyle with the help of proper and systematic training. The owner also needs to ensure that the cat does not have to sit idle all day and gets a minimal amount of exercise.

The cat should not feel very lonely and the owner should ensure that the pet gets the necessary attention and love.

They should be provided with toys and preferably a cat tower if possible. The house should also have some space for the cat to move around and play.

The cat should also be encouraged to get a view of the outside world from the safety of the home, through windows and balconies. Such measures will surely ensure a happy and healthy cat.

Conclusion:

Tabbies are an excellent choice for a house cat. Their personalities surely attract a lot of pet lovers and they are very interactive with humans.

These adorable cats make an excellent companion which is quite evident as they are the most domesticated cats around the world.

Although these cats can be kept indoors, they surely cannot be ignored. Proper living conditions and affection should be provided to these cats to ensure that they stay happy and safe inside the house.

Related Reading:

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  2. Cost of an orange tabby cat with a detail analysis
  3. Can Tabby Cats Have Blue Eyes? Here’s what you need to know

 

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