If you’re like most cat owners, you probably enjoy spending time outdoors with your furry little friend.
But what do you do when the weather starts to get cold and wet? You can’t just leave your cat outside in the rain!
In this blog post, we will discuss some tips on how to turn an outdoor cat into an indoor cat.
By following these simple steps, you can keep your cat safe and healthy indoors all winter long!
This may also open up some other questions such as as it cruel to keep a cat indoors?, and are cats happy indoors?
We will cover everything in this comprehensive guide.
What If Your Cat Has Never Been Indoors?
If a cat has never been indoors such as a stray cat for example, it is still possible to turn them into an indoor cat. It’s not as simple as just taking them in and not allowing them outdoors again, there are certain things you have to consider. Here are some tips and guidelines you will need to follow:
- Take the cat to the veterinarian to get everything checked out and to make sure they are healthy.
- Get the cat vaccinated.
- Consider getting the cat microchipped.
- Train the cat to use a litter box.
- Setup multiple scratching posts around the house.
- Setup multiple locations that your cat can use as hiding places.
The Benefits of Having Your Cat Indoors Full Time
Before we go into the details on how to turn an outdoor cat into an indoor cat, let’s first take a look at the benefits of why you would want to do this in the first place.
- Your security: As well as the many benefits for your cat, keeping your cat indoors will also provide security for yourself knowing that your cat is in the safety of your own home.
- Longer lifespan: Indoor cats have a longer lifespan than outdoor cats. Indoor cats have a lifespan of around 12-18 years with many even reaching their early 20’s. Outdoor cats have an average lifespan of just 2-5 years due to all of the dangers which will be covered in the next few points.
The Dangers Of Your Cat Being Outdoors
The longer a cat spends in the outdoors, the more exposure they will get to all of the potential dangers. Let’s take a look:
- Could get hit by a car.
- Attacked by other animals.
- Mistreated by humans.
- Parasites such as fleas, works, and ticks.
- Could contract dangerous diseases.
How Long Will It Take To Turn An Outdoor Cat Into An Indoor Cat?
Cats just like humans are all very individual creatures with their own unique personalities. Some cats will adapt after just a few days where as others will need a lot longer.
The first day is always going to be hard but you should generally see a big improvement after a few days or a week.
How To Turn An Outdoor Cat Into An Indoor Cat
1. Start In The Winter
If you want to turn an outdoor cat into an indoor cat then always start in the winter.
The reason for this is because cats love being indoors in the warmth during the cold weather.
So during the cold winter months, your cat will already be used to being indoors which will make the whole process easier.
2. Preparation
Even though you should be starting the process during winter months, you’ll still find that your cat may want to get outdoors by making a dash towards open doors.
Here are some tips you should be following:
- Scratching Posts: Set up multiple scratching posts in different locations around the house. This should be a combination of both tall (vertical) and horizontal scratching posts. We wrote a post on this blog called How To Stop a Cat Scratching The Carpet. where you will find some great tips as well as the best scratching posts.
- Litter Box Training: One of the main things you will want to do is to train your cat to use a litter box. We wrote a full guide called here called How To Train a Cat To Use a Litter Box.
- Feed Your Cat Indoors: Keeping your cat inside for increased periods of time after they have eaten will condition them to eventually just stay indoors instead of wondering outside after they have had their meals. This is why training in the winter will make this process a lot easier.
- Never Punish Your Cat: Never hit or yell at your cat if they do try to escape through the door. This will just make them anxious and afraid of you.
3. Ignore Begging From Your Cat
You’ll find that your will constantly sit by the door meowing at you and begging to go out.
It’s not an easy thing for most people to do but the best thing you can do is to just ignore them.
Don’t punish them in anyway or give them food to bribe them, just completely ignore them and they will eventually learn that begging and meowing will not give them what they want.
If you give in just once then this part of the training will not work.
4. Make Life Inside Fun For Your Cat
Although cats are very much domesticated, they still posses those predatory instincts and behaviors from their wild ancestors such as hunting and climbing.
It’s very important that you create an environment inside of your home that emulates the outdoors as much as possible to allow your cat to explore these instincts.
Cat Toys:
If you are going to keep your cat indoors, it’s crucial that you have a large selection of cat toys to help stimulation and prevent boredom.
Let’s take a look at the different categories of cat toys.
- Catnip Toys: Catnip creates a hyperactive “high” in cats. Click here to view Catnip toys.
- Feather Toys: Cats love these toys because the feathers emulate a bird. Click here to view feather toys.
- Wand Toys: These are great toys to build a bond between you and your cat because of the interaction involved between the the two of you. Click here to view wand toys.
- Puzzle Toys: These toys involve placing treats inside of the toy and your cat has to try and retrieve it. Click here to view puzzle toys.
- Electronic Toys: Electronic toys can involve any of the above toys we have mentioned but in electronic format which usually allows your cat to be able to play with the toy on their own. Click here to view electronic toys.
Observation:
Cats love to climb and observe everything around them so a number of large cat trees around the house is essential.
The Go Pet Club 72″ Cat Tree below is a perfect example.You should also place these by windows if possible and your cat will absolutely love it! Click here to check out more cat trees.
Indoor Cat Grass:
If you ever walked out into your garden, you of caught your cat eating the grass. This is perfectly normal behavior, and they do this to help with digestion issues.
You can can provide this for your cat in the indoors in the form of cat grass.
5. Prevent Furniture Scratching
It’s important to provide a number of both horizontal and vertical scratching pads in different locations around the house.
This is to prevent your cat from scratching expensive materials such as your couch or carpet.
Click here to see vertical scratching posts
Click here to see horizontal scratching posts
We also wrote a great post called How To Stop a Cat Scratching The Carpet, so make sure to check that out after you have read this post.
6. Prevent Any Escape Routes
Always make sure to close any doors and inform all members of family living in your house to do the same thing.
7. Creating A Safe “Outdoor” Experience For Your Cat
Although this article is about how to turn an outdoor cat into an indoor cat, it’s still a good idea for your cat to experience the outdoors.
There are three different ways you can safely go about this.
Leash Train Your Cat:
The first option is to train your cat on a leash so you can safely take them outdoors. We wrote an article on how to leash train your cat.
Although it was specifically aimed at Bengal cats, the exact same principles apply. You can check out the post by clicking here.
Build An Enclosure (Catio)
You could also build a large enclosure in your garden. This will allow your cat to experience being outside whilst at the same time keeping them secure.
Cat Proof Your Garden
The final option is to cat proof your garden. This allows your cat to have a bit more freedom than the enclosure option.
Your kitty will also be extremely safe because of the safety measures in place around the garden.
Is It Cruel To Turn An Outdoor Cat Into An Indoor Cat
It’s only cruel if they are not given enough stimulation to keep them happy. Cats can even live a full happy life in an apartment, providing you provide plenty of activities, toys, scratching posts, and plenty of places for them to climb.
To learn more about this subject, check out this article by Rent which answers the question of Are Cats Happy in Apartments?
How To Turn An Outdoor Cat Into An Indoor Cat Conclusion
If you are considering whether or not to keep your cat indoors full-time, there are a number of factors to consider.
The benefits of having an indoor cat include a longer lifespan, reduced risk of getting sick, and avoidance of dangers like cars and other animals.
It is important to remember that it will take time for an outdoor cat to become comfortable living indoors full-time; be patient and gradually introduce them to their new home before making the switch permanent.
By following these tips, you can help ensure that your cat has a happy, healthy life inside your home where they belong.
Have you tried keeping your cat indoors? How did you get on and what methods worked best? Let us know in the comments below.
