Can indoor cats take to being outdoor cats?

[zukitia]

I have a 2 year old cat who I rescued at 6 months old from a local shelter. At the time they told me that as she had lived all her life so far in a high rise flat she had never experienced the outdoors so to keep her as an indoor cat.

This sounded good to me as we lived on a busy main road. However we are now moving to a quiet cul de sac which backs out onto miles of open fields. Would she take to the ourdoors (obviously supervised at first) as I would hate to think she was missing out on the experience, although I would also be devastated if she ran away never to be seen again.

[kaktus]

Keep her inside for the first week or the first couple of days so she gets to know the new place as home. Then let her outside. One of my old cats went from inside cat to outside cat without any problems. I guess there is a chance she'll run away or encounter some dangerous stuff, but I would go for it as she will have much more fun outside!

Good luck with the cat and the new house :)

[zukitia]

Thanks! I have another cat who is an indoor cat but she is much more confident and affectionate so I don't worry about her adjusting as I'm sure she will come back when shes hungry! I'm just glad they can both enjoy the outdoors - it gets them off the windowsills!!

[littleoldme]

Some cats are just indoor cats by nature. By all means give her the opportunity to go outside once she's used to the new surroundings but don't force it on her. Our cat is a real indoors lover, so much so that we don't bother with a catflap. One day last year, she accidentally got shut outside. She was only out for about 45 minutes, but when I opened the back door she was sitting on the doorstep and couldn't get back in fast enough. She hasn't ventured anywhere near the back door since.

[WendyS]

Keep her in for a week, making sure she has a nice little comfortable corner for herself as a refuge. Then once she's familiar with the new "indoors", perhaps leave the kitchen door open and venture outside yourself. See if she's curious enough to follow you. Talk to her gently and quietly and if she ventures outside, stay close to her and keep talking. She'll probably be very wary at first but stay with her and gradually increase each outing by a few minutes, stroking her and reassuring her. Am sure she will adapt eventually but you might like to think about building her a secure little outside kennel where she can hide and feel safe.

[drgnrdr]

By all means take the advice if you want your cat to go outdoors, I am sure she will learn very quickly that: Stray dogs and other cats don't mean her harm, adults and sweet children always have the best intentions and will not take her home or feed her something. ALL animals are vaccinated so no worries that she might catch any terrible diseases. She won't get into a fight with another territorial cat. All the neighbors will just love to see another cat eliminating in their gardens and scratching and clawing their personal property. She may never get lost or stolen. She knows the difference between an animal that is okay to eat and kill and an endangered animal, also she will learn that antifreeze and pesticides are not something you walk in then lick off your paw.

If she doesn't know this then reconsider. Cats can be puurfectly happy in home. Check out http://www.catsinternational.org/ If you love your cat and want to keep her out of harms way and want her to live longer, then check the website out and keep her in.If your looking to replace her sooner than later do what these other people say. Most research has proven that indoor cats live longer than outdoor cats, there are exceptions to every rule but not alot of exceptions. All my cats were indoor, Some were trained with a figure 8 harness and leash to go outside if they wanted to, if not they stayed in, I didn't force them. So please reconsider if you want your cat to go out...They are not wild animals, we domesticated them, now it's up to us to take care of them, since they go by instinct not logic and reason, any cat or DOG can revert back to wild if we let them, they have survival instincts and some are stronger than others, those are the ones who remain unscathed from the outdoors that's what I mean by "exceptions".

[loopey]

i agree i had an indoor cat for two years from a kitten then when we moved to a house kept him in for the first week then let him out just before feed time so i could get him back now he wanders out when he pleases but does like to just curl up on the sofa, as far as toilet training weny we moved the litter tray slowly towards the back door then put it outside and within a short amount of time he just went outside. good luck, i think he will enjoy his outdoor adventure.

[chilly_cat]

well i'v never had an indoor cat before, all our cats r both, they like being inside but go out if they want cuz i think its actually cruel to keep an indoor cat never to feel the grass on there paws never to smell fresh air and frolick around in the garden chasing butterflys and enjoing life,

and cats aren't completely demsticated after all the hundreds of yrs cats still have kept there wildness unlike dogs who r comptely domesticated and would probably surly die if pute in the wild unlike a cat if they were realy pute in that situation the pecent would be pretty high they'd servive...

well anywayz its up to the cat if there happy being indoors good 4 them but if she want to go outside i would go out with her at first till she feels safe to go out by herself or just leave a window or door open 4 her while she's out there so she can come in when ever she wants..

[drgnrdr]

Cats can revert back to their wild nature easier than dogs because they don't rely on a "pack" to survive. Have you ever seen dogs at the dog park? If you put 5 dogs in at the same time and let them go, they start seeing who is more alpha than others they start to already get in line on who's up and who's low, they don't look at you (humans) to decide, they figure it out, that is reverting back to their wild nature that tells them to get along, someone has to lead and they have to get in line to get along, if there are 2 that want to be top they have to work it out..etc...don't think a dog can not revert back to wild, loose dogs on the street can be dangerous, that's why there is a leash law in allot of states. I had a friend loose 4 chickens and a turkey in his backyard from a pack of 3 dogs running loose.

Cats don't need this structure, they look for mates and food, if not any food or mates in area they expand their territory. You can change them it just takes time and some people don't want to take the time and extra effort to do so, it's easier to let the outdoor environment amuse your cat. My stance on this subject is the same as the Experts, Humane society, rescue org and ASPCA here in the US. It has taken time to get people to understand their message but I for one are standing with them. I would say expert due to the fact that they see MILLIONS of cats, and see what happens to them, and have to deal with homeless/feral cats all the time.