Introducing a cat to the outdoors

[giddyupgo]

Our kitty (Frankie) has been with us a couple of weeks, but she's known my husband for several months--she showed up as a stray at the warehouse where we have our business. She was clearly underfed and had been injured at some point--she walks with a limp and her foot is misshapen as if it's been broken and healed improperly. She also has a broken tail which healed wrong and is all cockeyed and funny looking. 

Anyway she's clearly been through some things. The area where the warehouse is is forested and bears have been seen there ... I'm sure coyotes too as they are much more common here than bears are. After it became clear no one was looking for her we thought it would be in her best interests to take her home.

My initial thought was that she should be an indoor cat only. We have coyotes here, too, and the occasional mountain lion. Last fall my trailcam got a photo of a bear, so they wander through here sometimes, too.

However, and here's the problem, Frankie really, really wants to go outside. I know it is still way too soon so I would not consider it yet and my kids have so far been pretty good about making sure the doors stay closed and that they don't open up the windows, but she does hang around the doors sometimes and my fear is that eventually she'll make a break for it.

I should add that she's not unhappy indoors. She spends lots of time sleeping in laps and asking to be petted so it's not like she's constantly pacing the house wanting to get out. But she does gaze longingly out the windows and occasionally has these moments where she's hanging around the doors yowling. 

I really hate the idea of her being outside because of all the danger but she is a pretty wiley cat, having survived on her own for so long up by the warehouse. How can I introduce her to the outside and convince her that she ought to come back inside at night? Or is that even possible, knowing how cats are ...? I hate the thought of this sweet cat getting caught by a coyote but she's clearly lived most of her life outdoors, so I'm not sure she'll ever be completely acclimated to the life of an indoor cat.

Any advice? And yes, this is the same cat who went into our ducting for a day and a half right after we got her. 

 

[Ms. Freya]

If you have the space, one good solution several of our members have tried is building a cat enclosure, so the cat can go out and enjoy the outside without having to worry about predators or other outdoor dangers. If you're looking for ideas, this thread has a few pictures as well as links to other threads where people have posted about their enclosures.

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/303961/cat-enclosure

You could also try only letting her out on a long lead or supervised, if you think there's no risk of her darting, but I think personally I'd feel safer with an enclosure. I'm sure some of our other members will be along soon with more ideas, though. I know many of them have indoor-outdoor cats

 

[Anne]

Keeping a cat indoors-only can lead to issues of confinement stress, especially with cats who are used to being outside. As @Ms. Freya  said, an outdoor enclosure and walking the cat on a harness and leash can be good solutions. Both require some work though, building an enclosure and/or training the cat to walk on a leash (it certainly does not come naturally to most cats!).

Can you just let her out and in at will? Some people do, but it does sound like your area is unsafe for her that way (You're so lucky to have so much wildlife around you!) 

More things you can do to keep her happy indoors -

1. I assume she's spayed? If not, she should be spayed asap. If she goes into heat, she could get even more restless.

2. Create more vertical space for her inside, cat trees, shelves etc. Some cats need the climbing and either way, vertical space means a larger territory which may help.

3. Keep her entertained. Here are a few suggestions on how - 

 [article="22426"]Beating Boredom What Indoor Cat Owners Need To Know​[/article]  

 [article="22537"]Keeping Indoor Only Kitties Happy​[/article]  

 [article="0"]Playing With Your Cat Ten Things Every Cat Owner Needs To Know​[/article]  

And a couple of articles about enclosures and leash walking -

 [article="29643"]Building A Cat Enclosure​[/article]  

 [article="29670"]Cat Enclosures​[/article]  

 [article="22430"]Harness And Leash Training For Cats​[/article]