Cats instinctively prefer to be in nature, but the outside just isn’t at all times the safest place for a cat to live. Many cats which are born inside a house or get adopted from a rescue center find yourself living joyful and healthy lives indoors with their human companions. It’s a unique story when coping with stray cats or those which are used to living outside more often than not.
It’s possible to show an outside cat into an indoor cat, but the method might not be easy. Once a cat gets used to living outside, they might resist being kept indoors—at the very least at first. It might probably seem to be you’re being cruel to your kitty, as they are going to paw on the doors and windows, whine throughout the day and night, and check out making a run for it anytime someone enters and exits the house. Rest assured, though, keeping your cat indoors just isn’t cruel. It’s a preventive measure that ensures their health and happiness when all is claimed and done.
Why It’s a Good Idea to Turn an Outdoor Cat Into an Indoor Cat
Keeping a cat indoors increases their safety and minimizes the prospect that they are going to develop an illness or deadly disease. Diseases like parvo, feline AIDS, herpes, leukemia, and peritonitis are common in stray cats. The more time that a cat spends outdoors, the more prone they’re to acquiring a number of of those diseases. This alone is a very good enough reason to contemplate ensuring your cat stays indoors in any respect times.
Outdoor cats are also more prone to get into fights with other animals and are susceptible to dangers like cars, dogs, and uncaring individuals who need to hurt them. Staying indoors, a cat doesn’t should face these sorts of dangers.
Easy methods to Transition a Cat From Living Outdoors to Living Indoors
It takes time and patience to transition a cat from living strictly (and even partly) outdoors to living indoors full time. The hot button is to make the indoors as interesting and exciting as the outside could be. It’s essential to consider all of the things that cats like in regards to the outdoors, reminiscent of trees and other structures to climb on, natural obstacles to work their way through, and prey to pounce on.
Keeping these items in mind, you’ll be able to create a magical wonderland to your cat to explore. Listed here are just a few suggestions on find out how to try this.
Incorporate Multiple Climbing Structures
Cats love climbing and adventuring, so make certain you incorporate multiple climbing structures into your house to your feline member of the family to enjoy. Place a climbing tree in front of a big window in your front room in order that they can see what’s occurring outside. Put a smaller one in your bedroom or near your dresser where they’ll perch and survey their surroundings.
You can too put one near their food station in order that they can control what’s happening with their sacred area from above. Climbing trees are available in various shapes, sizes, colours, and styles, so it is feasible to seamlessly incorporate them into your house’s décor.
Try Multi-level Living
Be certain that your latest indoor cat has multiple vertical levels to research and hang around on. As natural predators, they at all times want the perfect vantage point in relation to seeing what’s happening in the world that they’re spending time in. Consider installing floating shelves on the partitions for them to climb on. Clear off a shelf in your bookcase for them to snuggle into. Install window perches, put tables in front of your windows, and/or create “tunnels” out of pliable metal to hold on the partitions.
Know That Interaction Is the Name of the Game
Cats prefer to play, hunt, and explore as much as they like napping. They need things to maintain their interest, teach them latest skills, and stimulate their brains once you aren’t there to interact with them. An amazing approach to make certain your cat has loads of interaction is to have things like puzzle toys be available in the home.
This doesn’t should be a dear investment. You may cut holes in cardboard boxes to create puzzles and mazes, tie knots in old socks to create play toys, and buy wind-up toy mice for them to play with once you leave the home. The more interactive toys and items that you simply leave for them to explore throughout the day, the more enriched, joyful, and healthy they might be.
Prepare for Nighttime Living
Most cats which are used to living outdoors are inclined to keep nocturnal schedules. It’s easier for them to hunt for food and avoid predators and dangers at night when it’s dark, reasonably than through the day when people and animals are out and about. So, you ought to be prepared to take care of a cat that’s awake while all of the humans in the home are attempting to sleep. There are just a few things that you may do to curb nighttime activity:
- Offer dinner right before bed, as cats are inclined to take long naps after having a tasty and filling meal.
- Play a game along with your cat to assist them burn off pent-up energy. This could help them get comfortable and snuggly when you sleep.
- Hide your cat’s “prey” toys within the furniture and other places to present them something to do through the night. This could decrease the variety of times that they wake you up.
There are various things that you may do to be certain that your cat has a satisfying life once they can now not go outdoors. For one thing, make certain toys can be found in every room of the home that they’re allowed to spend time in. Whether it’s cotton mice, plastic balls, or little crinkly toys, all that matters is that your cat can enjoy different textures, interactions, and results for a dynamic living experience.
Resist the Resistance
Your cat will likely howl, meow, hiss, and scratch on the doors once they are being transitioned into indoor living. Make sure to expect such behavior and resist giving in when it persists. It’s natural for a cat to need to return to the environment that they’re used to, but don’t give in; maintain patience throughout the transition period. Before long, your cat will start feeling comfortable and content indoors, especially if you could have taken steps to be certain that their environment is interesting and interactive.
In Conclusion
Cats are naturally curious creatures that require places to research and explore. Fortunately, you’ll be able to turn your own home right into a cat’s dreamland with a little bit of imagination and commitment. Hopefully, the steps outlined here will help ease transitioning a cat from outdoors to indoors.
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