Friday, March 29, 2024

Can An Indoor Cat Become An Outdoor Cat

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Part 4 Of 4: Dealing With Problematic Behaviors

Bring an Outdoor Cat In
  • 1Designate one room for the cat. If your cat is scratching or refusing to use the litter box, put it in a small room with all its toys, scratching posts, and litter boxes. There will be less furniture for your cat to damage here and your cat is more likely to learn to use the litter box if it is confined to a small space with it.XResearch source
  • 2Buy SoftPaws. SoftPaws are pieces of plastic that can be glued onto a cat’s claws to prevent it from scratching. To place the soft paws on the cat, one person will need to hold the cat. Another person will clip the cat’s nails and then glue the SoftPaws on.
  • Squeeze the cat’s paws gently to encourage it to show its claws. Then use a clipper to trim the claws. If you do not have experience trimming a cat’s claws, cut only the end, to avoid cutting too deep and hurting it.
  • Squeeze the glue that comes with the SoftPaws into the SoftPaws. Then place the SoftPaws on your cat’s claws and push until the plastic covers the entire claw.
  • Cats can have their claws permanently removed, but declawing is generally considered inhumane and should be avoided if possible.
  • 3Discourage your cat from running outside. Even if your cat still periodically leaves your home, you should be in control of it when it leaves. Watch the door closely to ensure that it does not sneak out. If it does, do not hit it, because that will make it less likely to want to stay inside. Use moderate reinforcement to encourage it to behave better.
  • Make Your House Fun For Her

    Do you know what the best thing for cats living outdoors is? They can experience the outdoor smell, movements, sounds. But these things are absent in the house. And its a difficult process for them to give up all these things at once. Thats why you need to ensure they can experience those things within your house. Indoor cats usually sit on the window most of the time. You can make sure that your windows are ideal for cat sitting. On the other hand, you can put a cat tree beside the window. Moreover, you can also put a bird feeder inside your house. It will be more fun for the cat.;

    Can An Indoor Cat Be A Part

    Reviewed and updated for accuracy on June 27, 2018 by Katie Grzyb, DVM

    An indoor cat generally has a simpler life than its free-range feline counterpart.

    Its no secret that the mean streetsor even fieldshold many dangers for an outdoor cat on its own. An indoor cat doesnt face the increasing number of cars, toxins, parasites and instances of animal cruelty that a roaming outdoor cat does. Thats why feline experts usually urge owners to keep their cats indoors. But thats not always easy.

    There are some cats that have lived outside. When theyre forced to stay indoors, they may start to eliminate outside the box due to anxiety, become irritable or overgroom themselves, says Dr. Laura Emge Mosoriak, DVM, owner of Kingstowne Cat Clinic, Alexandria, Virginia. I dont advocate cats going outside, but sometimes you have to make a choiceallow outside supervised for a while to get the mental stimulation they crave, knowing and owning the dangersor keep them inside and try your best to keep them stimulated enough to be content indoors.

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    Example 1 Willows Story From Indoor Cat To Outdoor Cat

    This is Willow. She was an indoor cat for 9 years. 8 in an institution where she had a job of testing cat food. And one year with my mum. This year Willows become an outdoor cat. She has total freedom to go where she wants.

    This was not intentional. Initially, she was supposed to be just going out on a lead and harness. The idea was that we were transitional so that she could go outside to enjoy the garden with mum keeping a close eye on her. Because the traffic is intermittent but quite fast around when mum lives.

    Willow, however, had other ideas. This is her story and how we got her to go out.

    Mum was going to keep willow in, but then she saw that Boo was out enjoying life and she wanted to do the same. Unfortunately for, mum her garden has a low fence that isnt really practical to enclose. So she decided that she would take Willow out on a lead. She went through the transition phases until Willow was happy outside. This took a while Willow wasnt sure for ages. But mum wanted Willow to be outside while she was gardening.

    Willow wanted to go out more than mum was able to take her. So one day she just went out.

    We were all very worried about Willow as she had no outside experience but thankfully after the initial adventuring, out she decided to stay in the garden area.

    Willow now loves the outside and asks to go out all the time. She loves to play and catches insects and sunbathes. She always pops back into the house to check on mum though which is adorable.

    How Is A Stray Cat Different From A Feral Cat

    Indoor Vs Outdoor Cats (pros and cons)

    A stray cat is a pet who has been lost or abandoned, is used to contact with people and is tame enough to be adopted. A feral cat is the offspring of stray or other feral cats and is not accustomed to human contact. Feral cats are usually too fearful to be handled or adopted.

    Stray cats may be reunited with their families or adopted into new homes, but feral cats will find it difficult or impossible to adapt to living as pets in close contact with people. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t things you can do to improve feral cats’ health and quality of life.

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    Reason 5: Your Feline Runs Away From Home Because Of Her Double Identity

    Is your cat mysteriously disappearing from home every day for a few hours, mostly keeping a similar schedule? If yes, you can be suspicious that your neighbour is feeding your feline with more attractive cat delicatesse. Cats can easily choose another house in the area as a âback-up homeâ or just a location where they can be extra spoiled. Make sure your neighbours are not too generously feeding your kitty.

    Reason 1: Your Furball Goes Missing From Home Because Of Reproduction

    Letâs face it: Cats are reproductive species. This means, whenever they are in heat or feel that other cats in the area are in heat, they will search for them. Their very sharp senses will detect cats in heat in the neighborhood and there is no fence high enough to stand in the way of your feline then.

    Should they not find cats in heat in the area, some felines might go even further away in their search.

    This could lead to your cat being gone from home for multiple days at a time.

    Good to know: Some cats also go missing when they are due to give birth. They find another place, somewhere hidden, where they build something similar to a nest, to prepare for giving birth in a safe, undisturbed environment.

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    Use A Harness & Leash For Added Security

    For added security for you and your cat, you might want to see if you can teach it to use a cat harness & leash before you take it outside. Not all cats will take to a cat harness and this can be quite a lengthy process and itself. The length of time will depend on the cat. Some cats will never get used to a harness.

    Using a harness will help you to keep better control of the situation when your cat goes outside if its suddenly panics and bolts, for example, you will be less likely to lose your cat. Also, youll have better control over it if you encounter any other cats. Also if your cat is used to harness it might feel more secure.

    Why Can’t Animal Shelters Rescue Feral Cats

    See Why Jackson Thinks These Outdoor Cats Are Better Off Indoors

    Animal shelters already care for and try to find homes for untold thousands of lost, injured and abandoned cats, in addition to pet cats whose owners are unable or unwilling to keep them.

    Many animal shelters don’t have the staff or money to do TNR. However, shelters that receive calls of complaint or concern from the public may attempt to humanely trap and remove feral cats. Or they may provide information and loan traps to citizens interested in humanely trapping feral cats. If there is a local group helping feral cats, the shelter may refer callers to that group.

    Because feral cats are so scared of people and usually cannot be adopted, those who are brought to a shelter, especially cats who cannot be identified as members of a known TNR-ed colony, are likely to be euthanized either right away or after a holding period. It’s a complicated situation: While it’s difficult to accurately identify a feral cat without observing them during a holding period, safely caring for a feral cat in a typical shelter cage is terribly stressful for the cat. In addition, if cage space is limited at the shelter, an adoptable cat may have to be euthanized to make room to hold a feral cat.

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    Do Outdoor Cats Have More Health Concerns

    Your cats lifestyle increases their risk of certain health conditions, so whether she’s an indoor or outdoor kitty will change the kind of risks she’s exposed to. Indoor cats are typically less active, which increases their rate of diabetes, obesity, arthritis, and heart disease, Douglas Payne, DVM, medical director of VCA East Penn Animal Hospital in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, says. But cats that spend a significant amount of time outdoors are at a much higher risk of a completely different set of problems.;

    Being out in the elements, the environment, and having contact with other animals and people creates a long list of concerns, including:

    • Heatstroke and hypothermia

    How To Make An Indoor Cat An Outdoor Cat In 4 Easy Steps

    For us, indoor cat owners there often comes a time when we have to decide if we allow our cats to have outdoor access and how much. Once you decide that your cat should go outside, whether that be in an enclosed yard or as a completely free cat, there are some;things you can do to make this transition easier and safer for your cat.

    When you have decided to make your cat an outdoor cat there are a few things that you need to do before you let them out for the first time.;Then its a good idea to transition your cat to the outdoors very gradually in a step-by-step process. This may vary depending on your own personal circumstances and your cat. However, there are some things that you can do that will help make this process easy for your cat this article covers that.

    When you are making your indoor cat an outdoor cat there are several steps that you can follow. You may decide that you want to make sure that you have some control over your indoor cat when its first outside. If this is the case then some form of containment or harness might be a good idea. Each step should progress gently to the next step. This may take a long time or maybe a very short time. Your cat will decide. Start with baby steps to introduce your cat to the outside and gradually progress until they feel comfortable being out on their own. I have also included 2 examples from my own familys cats.

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    Why Cats Should Always Be Kept Indoors

    Indoor cats live longer, happier, healthier lives than their outdoor counterparts. Indoor cats live significantly longer than outdoor cats, whose lives are often cut tragically short by disease, injuries, and many other dangers that they may face outside. In addition to being less safe when left to roam outside, cats also cause problems for humans and other animal species when allowed outside. Be a responsible cat owner and keep your feline friends in the safety of your home.

    The First Time You Let Your Cat Or Kitten Outside:

    Can an Indoor Cat be a Part
    • The first few times you let your cat outside, its a good idea to go with them. Go outside and leave the door to the house open so that your cat is able to join you but can also quickly get back inside if they want.
    • Take a food/toy reward out with you and sit down quietly. This way you can keep an eye on your cat while letting them explore freely and call them back if you feel like theyve wandered too far. You should build up the length of time your cat is outside over a few sessions.
    • While youre outside you can also continue to train your cat to come when called. Make sure that you dont always take them back inside straight away when theyre called. Sometimes, simply reward them and let them wander off again so that they dont associate coming back to you with having to go inside, especially if theyre keen to stay out and explore!
    • When your cat seems comfortable and relaxed being outside, you can start to let them come and go unaccompanied.
    • The best way to give your cat consistent and predictable access to the outdoors when they need it is to install a cat flap in a door or window. Take a look at our advice on cat flaps for further information.

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    Part 1 Of 4: Preparing Your Cat For The House

  • 1Train your cat to use the scratching post outside. Your cat will always want to scratch on things, and if it doesn’t know how to use a scratching post, it will use your furniture instead. Before bringing your cat inside, place a scratching post in a dry spot, near your cat’s food. Give your cat at least a week to become accustomed to using a scratching post before bringing it inside.XResearch sourcewww.humanesociety.org/animals/cats/tips/bringing_outside_cat_indoors.html
  • 2Train your cat to use a litter box outside. Before bringing your cat indoors, place a little box outside in a dry location. Fill the litter box with fine-grain, clumping litter. Give your cat approximately a week to get accustomed to the litter box before bringing it inside.XResearch sourcewww.humanesociety.org/animals/cats/tips/bringing_outside_cat_indoors.html
  • Make sure to clean the litter box every day. Outdoor cats tend to like to use clean areas to eliminate waste. If the litter box is not clean, they are likely not to use it.
  • Put the litter box in a safe and quiet area. Otherwise, the cat might be too scared or hesitant to use it.
  • 3Take your cat to a veterinarian. Before bringing your cat indoors, you should be sure that it won’t be bringing disease with it. If your cat hasn’t already been microchipped, a process that allows it to be identified, your veterinarian should perform this procedure as well. A wild cat will also need to be vaccinated and neutered.XResearch source
  • How To Change An Outdoor Cat Into An Indoor Cat

    This article was co-authored by Melissa Nelson, DVM, PhD. Dr. Nelson is a Veterinarian who specializes in Companion and Large Animal Medicine in Minnesota, where she has over 18 years of experience as a veterinarian in a rural clinic. She received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Minnesota in 1998. This article has been viewed 30,789 times.

    Outdoor cats endanger surrounding wildlife, particularly birds. They are also at increased risk of infection, disease, road accidents, and animal attack. Thus, bringing your cat indoors is good for the environment and good for the cat. Most cats will learn to love being inside; you only need to give them some time to acclimate and a home full of toys, trees and other cat conveniences to keep it happy and engaged.

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    Reason 2: Your Cat Runs Away From Home Because Of Her Sense Of Territory

    Cats have a sense of their territory and it may comprise of an area larger than your home. Sometimes felines include surrounding areas in their own âhome perimeterâ as well, such as your street, the neighbourâs garden or the entire neighborhood.

    Interesting: Wherever your kitty feels comfortable enough, she will easily extend the feeling of âhomeâ.

    Thatâs why, seeing your kitty sitting calmly on your neighborâs window, should not alarm you most of the time.

    Good to know: Is your neighborhood filled with cats? Felines are known for getting into fights often. Some of your neighbourâs cats may even try to claim their territory in your backyard, which could easily cause your own kitty to try and find another quiet yard. If your kitty feels threatened in her own territory by another cat, she may not be around that much anymore.

    The Perks Of Being An Indoor Cat

    See Why Jackson Thinks These Outdoor Cats Are Better Off Indoors

    The more comfortable life of an indoor cat significantly increases his lifespan. An indoor cat may live 15-17 years, while the life expectancy for outdoor cats is only 2-5 years, according to researchers at University of California-Davis.

    Dr. Jeff Levy, DVM, CVA, owner of House Call Vet NYC, also discourages owners from keeping cats outdoors. He adds that the extreme climates of the outdoors can be very hard on a cat.

    If you do plan on taking your cat outside, it is best to do so in a controlled environment or with precautions put in place to ensure they cannot escape or run away. Cats may have nine lives, but they arent indestructible, says Dr. Levy. Certain pet owners in New York walk their cats on leashes . They train them to do that and can make sure they stay safe. That takes training, but its important. And the cats seem to enjoy it.

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