Cat meowing to go outside constantly?

[tatiana10106]

Hello, for about a month my neighbors outdoor cat has been coming into my house to eat, play and have a place to stay. About a week ago I asked them if I could keep them and they said yes. I've been trying to transition him from an outdoor to indoor cat. He is skinny and dirty. When I have him in the house he does get distracted from when I play with him, feed him, clicker train him and when he falls asleep but afterwords he goes to each door and window and starts crying. Yesterday I cleaned out a room and made it into his basecamp his litter, food, toys, and bed. My dad is making him cat shelves and we are going to buy him a scratch post and cat tree. I continue playing with him and distracting him but a couple of minutes after he keeps crying. How do I stop this behavior?

 

[hexiesfriend]

Oh I wish there was an easy answer, so I'll try is he neutered?

 

[catpack]

First, how wonderful that you want to take on the care of this cat! It sounds like he is going to live a happier and healthier life with you (and kudos to your dad for constructing the car shelves!)

As hexiesfriend has asked, is he neutered? If yes, it's likely just going to take him a few weeks or so to get acclimated to being indoors only. If not, this is the first place I would start (once he is at a healthy enough weight).

 

[tatiana10106]

Yes he is already neutered. I'm just confused on why he is still wandering around. He only comes home during the night to eat and then goes out again. Sometimes he's missing for days, which is fustrating.

 

[hexiesfriend]

This transition is going to be very very very frustrating. It's ok to gradually wean him off of going outside but you have to let him out BEFORE he starts begging, otherwise he will quickly learn to get let out all he has to do is start crying to you. Gradually you will find him spending less and less time outside and more in. The alternative way is to ignore him when he starts begging and just keep him inside. That's the tougher route. If you take that route have enough things to keep him busy in the room and try to have a window for him to look out of. He will get loud and beg and beg and you just have to get over the hump. After a few weeks he will give up and be content with looking out the window This is a frustrating process for everyone who has to do it you are not alone. The only cat who I didn't have this problem was an old beat up tomcat I fed outside who just came in one day almost like he wanted to retire and never really wanted to go out again!!

 

[tatiana10106]

Thanks for the advice. If he comes tomorrow I'll leave him in the house and see how it goes.

 

[hexiesfriend]

It's going to be frustrating and will require a lot of patience. Just remember that keeping him inside as much as possible will extend his life and he will be with you for many more years than if he's kept outside.

 

[tatiana10106]

Yes. I'll be sure that he will be an indoor cat. I'm always worried for him even before he was considered my cat being outside. He's still young about a year old and there are lots of outdoor and ferals that could easily hurt him. We are making a vet appointment for him too.

 

[hexiesfriend]

He is lucky to have you!!!!

 

[lovefive]

Well done you on your commitment,determination and perseverance in trying to make your new feline friend as happy as possible . It took awhile my cat girl Martha to settle into my home which is now her home too. She didnt have a great start to life and I got her home she was really nervous of me and would run away from me when I went anywhere near her. That was then but now she has changed so much . Shes no longer shy and is happy to have fuss,playtime and cuddles in abundance. Taking your cat to the vet is a great idea , he/she will be able to give you lots of advice concerning your new friend. It may take time but soon your new friend will settle into his new home and your efforts will be rewarded.
Best of luck and again well done , your doing great.

 

[tatiana10106]

Thanks for the advice. this is his second day home and he only cried 2 times. After he cried the first time, I invited him on my bed to sleep and the second time I just ignored him. He hasn't even tried to escape once and I even got to sleep in! I'm so happy with his progress already. [emoji]128522[/emoji]

 

[tikitten]

Hey! That's so cool they let you keep him! And that's awesome you're putting in effort to transition him. I have the exact same problem (same age even) but we found him when he was about 5 months old and as he reached closer to sexual maturity and realized other cats exist, he's been meowing constantly and even escaped a week ago (he came back)! I'm hoping neutering him will calm him down a bit. I hope everything works out for you and your kitten! It's not only frustrating to hear them cry like that but also sad, you know? I haven't seen my kitten in a few months and have only heard him crying through Skype. I'm hoping when I return to him, I will be babying him so much he will say, "Outside? What outside?" [emoji]10084[/emoji]️[emoji]10084[/emoji]️[emoji]10084[/emoji]️ I also wonder if he realized I was missing and tried to send out a cat search team. hahaha Whenever I go to change his litter, I close the door behind me so he can't interfere and he always meows for me like I left him. Then he stops when I let him in to be with me.

 

[tatiana10106]

Yeah, I know what you mean. When he cries to go out and looks out the window I do feel guilty but at the same time this is only his third day inside the house. His old owners said he would only stay in their house for a couple of hours before he demanded to go out again. Although I feel guilty, I have to remember that this is the best choice I could decide for him. Within a couple weeks I hope he adjusts and becomes a happy indoor cat. I bought him a harness so he will still be able to go outside with supervision. tikitten

 

[tikitten]

Yeah, I know what you mean. When he cries to go out and looks out the window I do feel guilty but at the same time this is only his third day inside the house. His old owners said he would only stay in their house for a couple of hours before he demanded to go out again. Although I feel guilty, I have to remember that this is the best choice I could decide for him. Within a couple weeks I hope he adjusts and becomes a happy indoor cat. I bought him a harness so he will still be able to go outside with supervision. @tikitten

Yeah it's definitely a good choice. Their life expectency decreases as an outdoor cat because you never know what's going to happen. I had a cat for 19 years and he was an outdoor cat for a long time and then we brought him in, he meowed for a while but he seemed to be okay. Then as he got older, I think he forgot he was an indoor cat and would meow constantly. But he was older so I don't think he could help it. But a younger kitten, they're kind of stubborn but hopefully it's easy for us! hahah Yes, the harness is a good idea for you so you can "wean" him. I wanted to try that with our kitten but he doesn't need to be weaned. So I feel it might make the situation worse because he will keep getting a taste of the outside and wont stop meowing even more. So as much as I'd like to take him to explore the outside, I don't think it's a good idea for me. But tell us how it works for you! ^_^ 

 

[tatiana10106]

He escaped once 2 days ago for like 2 minutes but I called his name and he just walked in the house:l. I think the harness will be good for him. Although he ran away, he didn't complain any more then he already did. I brought him to the vet and he's healthy. They did find a battle scar on his nose from a fight and he was actually two years old. My summer project is transitioning him into a happy indoor cat

image.jpeg

• MoochNNoodles
• Jul 12, 2016

 

[tikitten]