Here Are the Facts:

Since humans domesticated cats (about 6,000 years ago), it is no longer “natural” for cats to be outside. However, many people still allow their cats to run loose. They may not have considered the long list of hazards which await their pets:

• In urban settings, outdoor cats face many hazards, including traffic, pet theft, unfriendly neighbors, poisons, and mutilations. Cats also face danger from free-roaming animals such as dogs and rats. In addition, unaltered feral cats, inclined to fight for mates or to defend territories, are commonplace in cities.

• Suburbs and rural areas are not safe either. Venomous snakes, poisonous insects, cage and leg-hold traps, wildlife, and free-roaming domestic animals are dangers and outdoor cat faces in rural settings. Cats allowed outdoors in these areas also may cause problems for neighbors by destroying property, digging in plant beds, and harming wildlife or other pets.

• Outdoor cats in all environments are at greater risk for contracting contagious diseases, including feline leukemia, feline immunodeficiency virus (feline AIDS), feline infectious peritonitis, and rabies. Such cats are often hosts for parasites too, such as fleas, ticks, worms, and ear mites.

An indoor lifestyle is not without potential hazards, but as a responsible pet owner, you can control and eliminate those dangers. When a cat is allowed outdoors, its contact with danger is left to chance. Once you decide that an indoor lifestyle is best for your pet, you and your cat will be happier.

 Making the Transition

While many cats seem grateful to be brought indoors, some remain obstinate in their desire to go out. Stubborn cats can make life miserable for their owners by howling, scratching on doors and windows, and even finding ways to open the doors themselves. The cat may become destructive in its efforts to get out. If you own a cat that shows this kind of calculated resistance, you must help it make the transition through determination, patience, and planning. You may also need to somewhat modify your environment and lifestyle. Here are some helpful tips:

1.     Begin by only letting the cat outside during the middle of the day. Cats do most of their hunting at night, and this change will help shift away from the hunting urge. Gradually shorten the length of time the cat is outside until you no longer let it out at all.

2.  If you live in areas of seasonal weather changes, begin the transition as winter approaches. A cat may be more appreciative of remaining indoors when the weather is cold than during the summer months. By the end of the winter, your stubborn cat may be totally converted.

3.    Substitute outside excursions with special attention and play. Your cat may enjoy games of chase, peek-a-boo, chasing light spots created with a flashlight, etc.

4.     Consider leash-training your cat so you can supervise its time outside. Do not attach the leash to the cat’s collar; instead attach it to a harness from which the cat cannot escape. Your cat may resist leash-training at first, so accustom the cat to the harness and leash indoors first.  Do not leave a cat outdoors unsupervised while it is on a leash. The cat could get tangled up, or fall prey to free-roaming animals and be unable to defend itself.

5.    Provide an outdoor enclosure (such as a screened porch) or run that the cat can access through a window or pet door. Such a facility gives the cat some of the advantages of being outside while minimizing the dangers. In an outdoor enclosure, a cat may come in contact with fleas, mites, and perhaps small wildlife, but it will avoid most of the other hazards associated with the outdoors.
Make an outdoor enclosure appealing by adding objects for the cat to explore, like tree limbs with multilevel platforms on which the cat can perch, tires, toys hanging from branches, and boxes in which they can hide or curl up.

Bringing the Outdoors In

Whether a cat spends its time indoors or out, it must have good nutrition, fresh air, sunshine, and regular exercise. To help your outdoor cat adjust to life indoors, you must bring some of the great outdoors into your home before, during, and after the transition.

1.       To prevent your cat from feeling confined, increase the space the cat can explore by providing it with a kitty condo or climbing tree with places for the cat to perch. Some large models extend from floor to ceiling, making use of vertical space in your home and adding to a cat’s sense of adventure.

2.       Offer your cat opportunities to look outside by installing perches or shelves near windows. If possible, place bird feeders near the windows to attract wildlife your cat will relish watching. Place the perches near sunny windows. Place the perches near sunny windows, and if the weather allows, leave securely screened windows open so your cat can enjoy the fresh air.

3.       Plant pots of indoor greens (e.g. oats, barley, rye. Alfalfa, etc.) for the cat to chew on.

Potential Toys

One of the most frustrating things and owner can experience is a cat that scratches furniture. Avoid this problem with your indoor convert by offering the cat something it is allowed to scratch.

Scratching posts come in all sizes and designs. Corrugated cardboard pads and posts wrapped in sisal rope have both proven successful; tuck in some catnip to attract the cat. Experiment with other types too to determine which your cat prefers. Keep the cat interested by replacing the scratching surface periodically, or offering new posts from time to time.

Not only does a post offer the cat a place to scratch, but it gives the cat an opportunity to exercise.  Exercise for indoor cats is a must.

To encourage your ex-outdoor cat to exercise, offer interesting toys and spend time playing with the cat each day. Use an interactive wand-like toy (e.g. long pole similar to a fishing rod that has a line with a fabric swatch or feather toy attached to the end).

Some cats enjoy searching for their toys. If your cat likes to hunt for “prey,” hide its toys (or a treat) at various places in the house so it can find them throughout the day.

Keep a supply of interesting toys on hand and rotate the toys periodically so your cat has “new” things to smell and investigate.

Toys need not be expensive. Cats like playing with many items you already have around the house, such as empty bags, cardboard boxes, and laundry baskets. There are also plastic milk jug rings or lids, crumpled paper galls, and pipe cleaners. You may want to give your cat an occasional feather or offer it a treat of catnip, either fresh, dried, or as fill in a fabric toy.

A Final Word

Converting an outdoor cat to life indoors may be difficult for you and your cat, but the efforts will be well worth it for both of you. If cats have their owner’s love and attention and lots to do on the inside, they can become perfectly content without going outside. They’ll be a whole lot safer too!