Outdoor to indoor cat

Rich K

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I adopted a 3 year old reverse tuxedo(moo cat) cat from a shelter. She has 3 cat castles and more toys (electronic and other) than FAO Schwartz.and several water fountains. While she will play very enthusiastically with these items, she spends a large amount of time at my window trying to get out to chase the squirrels and bunnies that inhabit the large tree in the front of my property and the neighborhood in general. She was a stray before being taken to the shelter. When the weather is a bit warmer I will try a cat harness and take her for walks. I am wondering if anyone has any experience with these once outdoor cars. She has been with me about 6 months and is healthy and happy when I play with her but she always returns to the window. Do once outdoor cats ever adapt to being indoor cats? I am considering adopting a male kitten to keep her company once this COVID nightmare is over. Any thoughts?? My only other cat experience was with a cat raised indoors since a young kitten and was very happy inside.
 

Drewster

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My orion was a stray that i adopted that showed up at my house one day and never really left so i took him in. I dont know how long he was outdoors but the vet seemed to think quite a bit due to damage on his paws. It took a good couple of months until he got used to being an indoor cat he used to sit at the window crying and destroying my blinds for weeks, then he settled down, he still loves looking out the windows, its a cat thing, they love looking out the window. I usually leave a window propped open so he can get some fresh air and if im home ill let him out on the balcony, under my supervision of course. I totally get it though, i used to feel so bad for my cat feeling i was keeping him trapped in a house after being free, but i also live on a busy street and wouldnt want him running around and getting hit by a car or swooped up by a stranger, i figured its better for him to be indoors. What your cat is doing is normal, cats love observing the surroundings of their kingdom
 
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Rich K

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Thanks for your info, much appreciated. You are so right about my feeling bad. She's been with me about 6 months so I guess I have to be patient. I have to laugh about the your blinds. I finally just pulled my blinds up to keep Jasmine from destroying them. You are also right about it being safer inside. When I first brought her home, she managed to sneak out and immediately tried to chase a squirrel up a tree and when that didn't work she hid under a parked car and then managed to climb up a smaller tree where she kind of got stuck. I thought firemen rescuing cats from trees was a myth. Fortunately the shelter had clipped her claws so she only managed to get up about 8 feet and I was able to reach up and get her down. She has learned that hanging around the door is a no no and everyone who visits knows to watch out for the escape artist.
 

SpecterOhPossum

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They will adapt.
I'm a huge advocate for outdoor walls, expect protest and drama for a couple of the first walks, considering it's different from walking on their own, but it will become normal.
Cats are extremely routine oriented so whenever possible, it's best to make any single change into a routine. For example, a 8am walk. Or a 5am breakfast, whenever a routine is possible, take it!

When going into a place you don't want her to go on harness, bouncing and jiggling the leash helps deter it, but this depends on the cat. I've met cats who get very scared of that vs my girl who doesn't care whatsoever, and requires me to stay still holding her leash in place in order to redirect her or even carry her and put her somewhere else to redirect. It's a process, but very very worth it!
 

Drewster

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Do you know if your cat was ferel or just a stray? Ferel cats will take quite some time to get used to being an indoor cat since they are basically wild cats. If she was just a stray that used to live indoors with a family she will adaopt quicker. I read cats that have abandonded or stray that once were indoors live a very stressful life outside constantly looking over their shoulder, running from scary things, never knowing when they next meal is,etc. once she realizes shes safe has a never ending supply of food, water and love from her hooman she will understand how good her situation is
 

rubysmama

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I don't know my Ruby's history, other than that she was a stray for a bit before she arrived at the shelter. She's been with me over 6 years now and is fine living inside only. She has, once or twice, stepped out the front door onto the landing, but I easily guided her back inside, and she was fine.

One comment about harness training, I've read posts here that once a cat gets a taste of outside, even on a harness, they want out ALL THE TIME. So just something to keep in the back of your mind.

True feral cats can adjust to living inside only, so don't give up on your girl learning to be happy inside. How long have you had her, btw?

TCS has a few articles with info you might find helpful. Here are the links:

The Five Golden Rules To Bringing An Outdoor Cat Inside
How To Make Your Home Bigger (at Least For Your Cats) | TheCatSite
How To Prevent Your Cat From Darting Out The Door | TheCatSite
Harness And Leash Training For Cats | TheCatSite
 

fionasmom

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I just brought in two ferals who were born next door about 2 years ago. Both slowly accustomed to me and became friendly, so about 4 weeks ago we came inside. They were not thrilled that they could not go back out and for the first week we could not use the back door to the house. They have slowly adapted but still ask to go out by sitting at the door. Aside from that, they have decided that the like the availability of food, nice beds, toys, a male cat their own age to play with, and brushings.

Both were ferals,absolutely not strays, as I knew the parents. My experience has been that it always works in the end with patience.

I have done leash training with three other cats who are now deceased; it was successful, but I am not a big fan.
 

magicboy

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I have done leash training with three other cats who are now deceased; it was successful, but I am not a big fan.
Can you expand on that? I'd love to know your experience with the pros/cons of cat walking
 

ArtNJ

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I converted an indoor/outdoor cat to indoor only. He was ok with it after a bit. Then he randomly escaped, and now he is the most hyper vigilant opportunist that there is, looking for opportunities to escape for a bit. I used to think I was good at door guarding, but this cat is something else. He has trained himself to recognize the sound of the trash being taken out for example. He was also a PITA about whining to go out during conversion and again for a while after the first escape, before switching over to escape artist mentality. A LOT of people have posted here about excessive whining after allowing leash walks or supervised access to a garden. You give a cat an inch, he wants a mile. Every time. I wouldn't mess with it myself, but if you do, pay particular attention to SpecterOhPossum SpecterOhPossum 's post. If anything is going to help keep the whining to a minimum, it is a rigid routine.
 
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NY cat man

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We have 6 cats, all of which we adopted as ferals, and all of them are now indoor only. With some, it took longer than others, but all adapted. It probably helped that we didn't trap them, but instead won their confidence to the point where they just followed us into the house. As the ads say, your results may vary, but our most recent adoptee, Miss Eleanor, has been with us for a little over a year now and has adapted quite nicely, considering she was about 4 years old when she joined us.
 

SpecterOhPossum

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Can you expand on that? I'd love to know your experience with the pros/cons of cat walking
I've personally trained 6 or more cats into harness walking and none of them ever displayed this odd outdoor-crazy behavior. I personally believe something else must be going on in these situations. lol

Here's a vid by Jackson, an expert.
 

fionasmom

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None of my cats every displayed any difficult behavior as a result of using a harness, so I don't mean to discourage anyone who wants to use that method with their cats. The cats I own now would not take to it, would not let me put a harness on them more than likely, and the two new indoor-now ferals would see it as a chance to make the big escape back to nature's kingdom.
 

nanknits

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I've done this several times and it takes a few weeks to get them used to their new indoor space. It sounds like she has an ideal home but another cat I'm sure would also re-focus her attention.

One thing I'd consider if I had a cat that really wanted to be outdoors was some sort of catio. If you just google catio images you'll see all sorts of them from small and basic to elaborate and huge and all you need is a window. Even Amazon sells them or you can make your own.
 
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