Transitioning Outdoors Cat to Being an Indoors Cat

dmb0312 on 19/05/2020 - 11:32

Hi,

We took in a stray cat a few months and have since adopted her and taken her to vets for desex, vaccines etc. She also had kittens and we decided to keep one and have taken them to the vet as well. Others went to a great re homing shelter nearby.

We try keep her inside and she does enjoy coming in to play or eat but when she notices the back door is closed, she gets quite anxious or feels trapped even though she was enjoying being inside 2 seconds before.

Any tips on how to get her to feel more comfortable and transition to an indoors cat? We would prefer she is indoors full time but particularly at night given its getting so cold.

thanks!

Pets

Comments

  • holdenmg on 19/05/2020 - 11:35

    get a cat door?

    • dmb0312 on 19/05/2020 - 11:40

      I wish! We rent and our back door is sliding glass and a sliding security/mesh door. We wouldnt get that approved unfortunately.

  • kahn on 19/05/2020 - 11:44
    -1

    Hypnosis.

  • ShortyX on 19/05/2020 - 11:58
    +2

    she gets quite anxious or feels trapped

    How so?

    We had an outdoor cat and needed to change him to indoors. I'd say make sure there is at least an accessible window with sunlight, toys, scratch post/pad, and tower. You may also need to bring in some grass every now and then for the cat to nibble on.

    • dmb0312 on 19/05/2020 - 12:10
      +2

      She stands at the backdoor, trys to scratch on the door and meows at us.

      Looking to grab a decent tower for indoors - been trawling FB, gumtree and the sales today/tonight

      • ShortyX on 19/05/2020 - 12:22
        +1

        A decent litter tray may help as well - we bought this one and use crystals.

        We might try the toilet training one day… lol.

        • dmb0312 on 19/05/2020 - 12:35

          haha Ive got something similar, our even use it outside with no training they just took to it. Weird but no complaints.

          • dmb0312 on 19/05/2020 - 12:35

            @dmb0312: We just use the cheap clay litter from woolies, works well!

      • p3j on 19/05/2020 - 20:12

        OP, I recently discovered that my cat loves to shred yoga mats, and I ended up wrapping one around the bannister at the top of our stairs so she can scratch vertically. She uses it constantly, and it's a cheap shitty one that cost about $5. Might be worth a try!

  • kolorijo on 19/05/2020 - 12:31
    -1

    Netflix

  • Tunblor on 19/05/2020 - 13:05
    +6

    There should be no such thing as outdoors cats in Australia, they are a terrible introduced species that has done terrible damage to native species including birds, rodents and marsupials. Every outdoors cat (even adorable little "Mittens") contributes to this damage, even when wearing a bell collar.

    I had indoors cats growing up, and they were always desperate to get outside when the door was open, but were also happy to just sit next to the window, lounge in the sun, etc. They really live in the lap of luxury when inside, it's not cruel to stop them going out. They just need a scratching post and some toys.

    • dmb0312 on 19/05/2020 - 14:05

      thanks for sharing. Its just strange they love being inside when they are nd zoom around the house having fun but as soon as they see the back door is locked, they have a bit of a freak out which makes us feel bad! Really want to help them feel ok about being inside when locking up. We dont know how long she was a stray so appreciate it will take time for her to come round.

    • hotpants on 26/05/2020 - 15:41
      -1

      Very much disagree.
      Our cats have access to our backyard and have killed one minor in 2 years. We have mum, dad and their son and mum and dad were strays. They get fed everyday and they still watch birds but one death in years is hardly what I'd call terrible damage.

      We are responsible. We make sure they use up their energy and are played with. They are happy and don't kill things and they sleep inside at night (not allowed out in the evening).

      It's not cruel to keep them inside but it's also very silly to say there should be no such thing as outdoor cats either.

  • onetwothreefour on 19/05/2020 - 13:07

    We tried keeping our cat inside, we got her as a kitten so she never knew about going outside, but she kept wanting to go out and kept escaping every time someone visited and left the door open or when the kids left the door open etc. We gave up in the end and just let her go out now.

    We also have another cat who we got from the RSPCA and she isn't really interested in going out so she stays inside all day.

  • Traveller107 on 19/05/2020 - 23:57
    +7

    We adopted 2 absolutely wild cats in 2012 in WA and they would only come in to eat. Luckily it was coming into winters so we set up a single mattress with some soft fleece throws on it next to the heater. Would sit on that mattress and chat after dinner when the temperature would start to drop. Both the cats started snuggling on the mattress next to the heater and got accustomed to cuddles. Lots and lots of cuddles. They started enjoying the safe comforts of indoor life and cuddly companionship so much that a few months later even when we would leave the patio door open they wouldn't be interested in going out.

    Make them like the indoors enough to forget the outdoors. You'll need good food(treats, cat friendly chicken roasts made them linger around the kitchen the whole time, salmon and tuna) comfortable clean bedding and companionship.
    Also include some catnip and cat grass along with scratch posts and playtime. Ours love dedicated 10 minute evening playtime with their Go Cat Da Bird

  • tulip99 on 20/05/2020 - 09:38

    There's a cat pram thing you can buy (have to put together yourself) where you can pop them in and then wheel them outside for a walk or even leave them in the pram for a few mins and they're not supposed to be able to escape from it. I can't remember the proper name for it - sorry.

    Has your cat got fresh air with a window open (one she can't get out of?) and some cat grass like someone else suggested. It's great for their digestion. It's actually called cat grass - I think the botanical name is Cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata but just double check that. I used to grow it in little pots for my cat. You need to put in a lot of seeds so you get enough blades coming up.

  • MontyMacaw on 20/05/2020 - 10:19
    +1

    I’ve been there and done this several times as I have moved around NZ and Australia.

    My cat is 10 and recently became an inside cat again. She has also been a travelling cat and circumnavigated Australia by road. This was after having her first few years as a regular outside cat in NZ.

    On her first time as an inside cat it was in Outback WA. She cried and was miserable. I felt so guilty. So I went online and did some research. It it turns out cats need stimulus. They need interaction.

    Here’s what I did:

    Spent more one on one time with her I bought her toys and I bought her a laser to chase!

    Some of the toys were just imitation mice. I hid them all over the place. I also made sure she had a ledge to sit and look outside.

    One of her favourite toys was a mouse on an elastic string. It lasted for years as her main toy. Then a long fluffy strip on a stick.

    We grew closer and closer as a result and it was good for me too. Remember cats sleep a lot of the time so it’s not like a dog that will harass you with a ball or a stick to play fetch every 5 minutes. You just need to stimulate them.

    My cat at 10 is just as playful and interactive as she was when she was a kitten. How many people can say that? The vets she has seen over the years have been amazed at her good health and teeth and usually say, “ whatever you are doing keep it up” - she only gets supermarket wet food in the morning and supermarket dry food at night. Plus some of those cat treats that are good for her teeth once in awhile. The wet food is a variety of flavours so she doesn’t get bored with that.

    Go online and do a little research and try different things until you find the right combination. If you do a good job both you and your cat will benefit.

    • Traveller107 on 20/05/2020 - 22:06
      +2

      ^ This. Good on you mate. I agree with you. The happiest and healthiest cats are the ones who get plenty of love and interactions. Sadly most people think cats are loners.

  • qwerty13 on 20/05/2020 - 10:51

    Talk to your vet. They have met outdoor kitty and will have techniques for you to manage the anxiety and stress of transitioning to an indoor cat. It's likely that vet will include the following: at least one litter tray per cat (or an auto-scooper, no cat will poop where there's already poop), cat grass, fresh air, sturdy scratching post, some kind of hunting feeder (I have a wobbly device that dispenses kibble when it's pushed a certain way), and at least one water bowl where kitty can put back to wall and drink (no anxiety regarding attack from behind)

    Otherwise, you might just have to be persistent. You are doing a good thing for kitty (she will live longer not getting into fights with other animals, or dodging traffic) and good things for the environment. This article describes it well https://theconversation.com/one-cat-one-year-110-native-anim…

  • Sensiekatie on 20/05/2020 - 11:25

    5 years ago we got a ragdoll kittens intending him to be an indoor cat. He had never known the outdoors freedom except for being outside in a cage sometimes but mostly inside.

    He tore all our curtains climbing up everything. He had toys, tower, scratching posts, etc. He drove us mad. He was desexed when we got him. At about 8 months we gave up and let him out, intending to make sure he was in at night as ragdolls do not fight so easily hurt.

    When he was inside and the door wAs shut, he panicked and drive us crazy. So with cat doors, he comes and goes when he chooses. He is much calmer nowadays and is fine if the door is closed. when outside he just hangs around the yard. Many days he just lies around inside too. We didn't go anything except give him the freedom to choose.

    If your cat has a lot of stress and anxiety there are natural calming pills and treats. Tranquil treats are the treats and they last for 40 mins or so. The tablets are for longer term. Rescues often use them initially. For a stray, it might help in the same way.

    • MontyMacaw on 20/05/2020 - 15:13

      Sorry but if you have to drug your pet for your convenience I would say something is sadly amiss.

  • WT on 20/05/2020 - 22:49

    we had mums cat here which is usually in/out, she taps at the sliding door or calls to be let out. Whilst we had her she had no desire to go outside.

    good on you guys for adopting a stray

    You may find that they just plain and simple want to stay inside because its warmer

  • hotpants on 26/05/2020 - 15:52
    +1

    As long as they can't escape your yard, let them out but keep them in at night.

    Make sure you cover any gaps including below the fence if there are any. Kittens (and small cats) can easily get through. Setup a ring or similar to point in an area you think they might escape from. I assume you have a few kitty litters. You should have 3 in different places as they prefer having options of where to go (especially if there's more than one cat) and sometimes want to go outside to use the toilet.

    Get them inside at night by buying one of those little bells and dinging it for dinner. It works a treat and is super cute. If we want them in, we ding the bell and they come sprinting (they're strays so they LOVE food). Our kitten is deaf but he sees mum or dad run in and he knows what time it is. Because it's so cold they'll want to be inside most of the time anyway. Our cats pretty much just sit right out the back door or under the house and sleep in our room/bed at night.

    They might cry a little at first if they're used to having freedom at night from when they were strays but this will go away very quickly - especially with how cold it is and when they get used to knowing they can be outside during the day.

    Good on you for taking in a stray! :)

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