Hervey Foundation

CatBee

Although it takes patience, an outdoor cat can be turned into a perfectly content indoor pet. The key is to make the conversion gradually and provide lots of attention and stimulation while the cat is indoors.

Cats which are kept indoors are protected from many dangers that are present outdoors: e.g. being hit by a car, being abused by some human or attacked by some animal, being stolen (“just for kicks” or possibly to be used for research). Outdoor cats are also more likely to contract fleas, ticks, rabies, feline leukemia, and other diseases. As a rule, only about 3% of cats that wander outside are ever returned to their owners. Identifying your cat with a microchip implant or a tattoo will help promote the safe return of your pet, if it does go astray.

Cats are creatures of habit, so you must slowly and carefully replace your cat’s old routine of going outside with the new exciting routine of staying in. If your cat has been outdoors most of the time, begin by bringing it inside for increasingly longer periods. Gradually shorten the length of time the cat is outside until you no longer let him or her out at all. Also, substitute outside excursions with periods of special play times indoors. Supervised trips onto a patio can also help make the transition from outside to inside easier. Cats need human companionship to be happy, and when they spend all their time out of doors, they get very little attention. An outdoor cat may welcome the indoors if he or she gets more love, attention, and play.

Provide plenty to keep your cat occupied indoors. Secure cat condos offer acceptable and interesting places for your cat to lounge, play, and scratch. Provide scratching posts, corrugated cardboard, or sisal rope for your cat to scratch and be sure to praise it for using them. To encourage your ex-outdoor cat to exercise, offer interesting toys, especially those which are interactive. These usually consist of a long pole and attached line with fabric, feathers, or the like at the end. Some cats enjoy searching for toys, as looking for “prey.” If your cat’s one of these, hide toys in various places so he can find them throughout the day. Be sure toys are not so small that they can be swallowed or get stuck in the cat’s throat. Cats also enjoy ping-pong balls, paper bags, and cardboard boxes.

Provide your cat with fresh greens. You can buy kits that include containers and seeds to grow, or plant pesticide-free alfalfa, grass, birdseed, or catnip in your own container. This way, your cat can graze safely and not destroy your houseplants.

Your geographic location may affect your schedule of change; in many parts of the country, the easiest time of year to make this conversion is just prior to the cold winter months, when your cat is more likely to want to be inside anyway. By the end of winter, your cat may be completely content to remain inside.

If your cat seems stubbornly committed to life outdoors, help it adjust by providing an outdoor covered enclosure or run that it can get to through a window or pet door. Such a facility gives the cat some of the advantages of being outside while minimizing the dangers. You can make the outdoor enclosure interesting and appealing by adding objects for the cat to explore, such as tree limbs, multilevel cat condos, tires, toys hanging from branches, and boxes in which the cat can curl up or hide.

If you cannot (or prefer not to) offer your cat a run or enclosure, consider leash-training it so you can supervise its time outside. Attach the leash to a harness. Your cat may resist leash-training at first, but it will eventually accept the leash. However, never leave your cat outside unsupervised while on a leash or lead.

A few cats may develop behavior problems when they are no longer allowed outside. Most of these problems can be attributed to a change in routine that is too abrupt, or to lack of attention and stimulation inside. Review your steps and keep working at it. Be patient and continue to praise your cat when it plays with toys, uses the scratching post, and does other desirable things. If your cat becomes destructive or “un-housetrained,” consult a veterinarian or animal behaviorist to find ways to solve the problem. Remember that these symptoms can also be attributed to boredom and loneliness.

If you have just adopted a cat that had been staying outdoors all the time, keep it inside from the beginning of its life at your house; otherwise, you risk losing it. Using a water pistol/squirt bottle, or shaking a noisy can, when it asks to be let out is often a successful and harmless way to curb desire to go out. And don’t forget to give your cat extra attention during the transition!

Adapted from “All Cats Should Be Indoor Cats” by Rhoda Lucas Donald, Shelter Sense, August 1990, and “From Outdoors to Indoors” by Karen Commings, Cat Fancy, September 1993. From CATS INDOORS! THE CAMPAIGN FOR SAFER BIRDS AND CATS used here with the permission of the American Bird Conservancy.

Contributed by Edmonton Cat Fanciers Club
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Back To Cat Fanciers Info