Occasional Outdoor Time?

[Svenja_hel]

Hi guys,
we have started a thing and I would like to hear some opinions on it. Our two young male cats are, normally, indoors only as we live on the third floor and cannot let them out (which would be a normal thing to do here in Germany, especially in rural areas like where we live). But we sometimes visit my family who lives about 3 car minutes away, and the kitty’s love car rides, so we take them with us for play time with my family and their very friendly cats.
They have a big yard surrounded by, no busy roads around and their cats are outdoor and indoor. As ours are very curious and brave, we allow them to have supervised playtime outside. They enjoy it so much. But I am worried that if they sometimes get so see the big world outside, they might start missing something as soon as we’re back home. We haven’t noticed anything yet, no trying to get out of the door or windows or other unusual restless behaviour... but I feel like that in our era of adventure kitties, I can’t let them miss out on grass under their paws.

Of course all involved cats, including ours, are spayed/neutered and have all available vaccines.

Do you guys have any experience with or opinions on the topic you’d like to share? I’d really appreciate it!
Have a lovely Sunday.
- Svenja

 

[BlueJay]

I think that since they were raised inside, they'll always enjoy the comfort of coming back to their own space. I've read quite a bit about taking cats outside in harness/leashes, and haven't seen anything about the cats wishing they were outside all the time. My kitten is only 6 months old and I take her outside with harness&leash and have never noticed any issues so far with coming back inside. I always feed her right when we get back, so she looks forward to it.

 

[rawlins02]

I wouldn't be surprised if your cats start realizing that they are missing something, and begin demanding to go out more often.

 

[FeebysOwner]

It is possible your cats will always 'connect' going outside with their trips to your family, and never expect to be outside when at home. It's almost like a trained behavior so to speak: At home = inside, trip to family's house = outside.

 

[Wile]

I think there are a lot of benefits to letting your kitties have supervised outdoor time when visiting your family. Cats that can go outside generally have better mental health and are shown to adapt better to new situations. That is why I walk one of my cats on a leash. It is possible that your cats might start demanding to go outside more. A lot of behaviours are site specific though, and you live some distance from where they would go outside, so it is hard to know if/how that demanding behaviour might show itself in your home.

 

[Purr-fect]

What your cats want is not immediately on the other side of your apartment door. And when they do venture to the other side of the door, they can see the great exciting yard is not there. That may stop or delay them from making the association between opening the door and playing in the yard.

Where as my cats do know that their play ground is immediately on the otherside of the door and they can even sit and watch thru it. This has lead to cries and demands to be let out.

 

[Svenja_hel]

Thank you for all your thoughtful replies!

I think I can agree with FeebysOwner and Purr-Fect the most... because I have kinda experienced it already. They never try to rush out of my apartment door, but as soon as we step into my parents house they zoom to the fly door that leads to the back porch and beg to have it opened.
I would like to walk my cats on leashes and we’ve tried it before, Nero doesn’t mind at all, Zingi is unsure. But to be honest... the bewildered looks we get from others kinda keep me from making it a regular thing.
Don’t you (especially Wile ) feel weird to have your kitty on a leash?

 

[Purr-fect]

No I dont feel weird with the cats on a leash. Frankly its amazing for the cat to interact with nature. I think it improves their mental health and the physical activity helps keep them fit. I think it also helps the bond between the cat and its owner. But it is a luxury not all owners can provide and not being able to take their cats outside safely doesn't mean they love their cats any less.

Mostly we had our cats on long leads (30 or 40 feet). The leads were secured to a pole and the cats could roam within that radius. Periodically I would move the pole and the cats could explore a different area.

Walking a cat on a leash is not the same as a dog. It is not going to heel or walk beside you all the time. It will meander, stop, sniff, back track ect.

Our past cat would actually walk with us, leash free. We would walk around the neighbourhood, about 1km, and she would stay more or less with us. If any dogs came by we would pick her up until it was safe to put her back down. She weighed 8 lbs but walked with her tail straight up in the air like she owned the neighbourhood.

But walking your cat, or spending time supervising it outdoors is labor intensive. Once it stops raining i will be going out with my boys today.

 

[Wile]

I would like to walk my cats on leashes and we’ve tried it before, Nero doesn’t mind at all, Zingi is unsure. But to be honest... the bewildered looks we get from others kinda keep me from making it a regular thing.
Don’t you (especially Wile ) feel weird to have your kitty on a leash?

My experience is a bit different from Purr-fect . I am very much a spectacle in my busy city neighborhood. I've had people driving down the street rudely stop just to watch me walk my cat. Some people think it's absurd what I am doing. Other people with cats who have thought about walking their cat ask questions about training, or share stories about their own cats. I probably know more about all the cats living in my neighborhood than any other person. I also meet on average 3 new people I've never seen before on every walk. At this point I've developed thick skin. I enjoy the walks, my cat enjoys the walks, so I don't let it stop me. I think most people see it as harmlessly eccentric.

A large part of it is the novelty of seeing a cat on a leash. People just don't know how to react, and there are no cultural conventions about greeting strange cats like there are dogs on the street. Another part of it is that my cat Wile E (pronounced Wiley) is a bengal, and a lot of people are curious about his breed. I've had to learn how to stand in a polite but stand-offish way in order to discourage every stranger from coming up to me. It also helps to have a quick throw away comment on hand about why you walk your cat. Mine is "He doesn't understand traffic, but loves to go outside and I don't have a backyard anymore."

Wile E is amazing at this point with strangers and dogs. He can also handle just about every vehicle type except garbage trucks, loud motorcycles, and city busses. He would never have been such a confident cat if I didn't walk him on a leash.

 

[BlueJay]

Many people are surprised to see my kitten on a leash, but I don't mind. I like to meet new people and so does she. Most people think it's cute.

 

[CrazyZiggyCat]

I have been working with my kitten (who is 7 months old now) to get him use to a harness and leash. I took him out the front door once, just on the walkway. Now he tries to dart out the door anytime it is open. I am wondering if I have done a bad thing by showing him the great outdoors. I am now torn between continuing the training or stopping altogether. If I do continue and take him out will he want to go out all the time and run out an open door and possibly run away. Then I wonder, should I continue to take him out so that he is familiar with his surroundings outside in the event that he does "escape" he will know where home is.
Confused......

 

[Erin80]

I was thinking about taking my two out on a leash in the spring....but then I remember doing that with the cats from my childhood, and once they got a taste of the outdoors, they were bolting for the door every chance they could get. Our Siamese got out once and disappeared for two days.....he was declawed on all four feet (done by his previous owners, just awful), so he had literally no protection. He also wasn't savvy outside since he was an indoor cat.

I know my girls would LOVE to walk Kaia and Binx outside....but I also know that they won't be any different than my other kitties previously....and they will definitely start running for the door. Kaia already does that when she can get a chance.....and she's never even been out.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi Erin80
I don't know if you need this first article, but the second one hopefully addresses your specific concern:
Harness And Leash Training For Cats

How To Prevent Your Cat From Darting Out The Door