Outdoor Cat Boundaries

[SkittlesTheCat]

A couple years ago, we took in a stray cat. The cat has settled down a bit since we have taken care of him, but he's definitely an outdoor cat. If it's daylight outside, he wants to go outdoors and if we leave him inside for too long, he will start crying, clawing furniture, and will even go after out legs with his claws. If we let him outdoors during the day, he doesn't show any of those acts of aggression when he comes back. He behaves like a normal happy kitty and only twice since we have had him has he not come back at night (one night he got trapped in the neighbor's garage). Of course we are concerned about the risks of having him outdoors and he showed up on Nextdoor today when he was meowing to get inside of someone else's house that is in a different neighborhood and across a road. We don't want him crossing the road, but at the same time are concerned that if we keep him indoors more, he will venture further once he gets out (perhaps that's how he became a stray). If we make him a full-time indoor cat, I don't think he'll be happy. So we would like to keep him as an indoor (at night) and outdoor (during daylight) cat. This is the first time we have seen him cross the road, but now that he knows what is on the other side, we're concerned that he will go back and explore some more. Any advice on what to do?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Yeah, to be sure, he will do it again now that he knows he can!

I don't suppose by any chance you have a screened in patio? That would be one option as opposed to letting him outside loose all day. A few cat perches out there would be even better. I have even heard of people building outdoor enclosures for their cats, so they can be confined to the yard.

The other thing would be to train him to recognize some sort of bell or some appealing noise maker at your front door that you could ring when you want him to come home. No guarantee, of course.

I don't think having him indoors more would make him venture off further when he is allowed outside. He will likely venture farther and farther regardless, just out of curiosity.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
I agree, he will venture further and further.
Along with the screened porch thought, if not that, then as also was mentioned could you build a catio?

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Are you in a house with its own yard? If so, there are motion-activated, directional sprinkers that you can put along the boundaries of where you want him to stay. After a very few wettings, 99% of cats learn exactly how far their boundaries are. This has the added advantage of keeping strays out of your yard, which can trigger indoor spraying issues.

 

[bellamor]

If it is possible to try to invest in buying a kittywalk system space might be limited but you know for a fact that he is safe and won't roam around the neighborhood.

 

[ArtNJ]

Not quite sure why you think this is his first jaunt across the road. It might not even be his first time begging at a neighbor. Are there times he doesn't seem to eat much?

If its a busy, fast road, it is a real risk, but you can only do what you can do. Not saying not to look into these solutions folks have mentioned, just saying if those won't work for you, you have to find the least bad option. Which may be allowing him to do his thing.