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You are doing your cat a favor. Although outdoor cats
can live long, healthy lives, they are exposed to many
more dangers than their indoor cousins. Cars, predatory
animals, and a wide assortment of other dangers all pose
a threat to outdoor cats, making their lives more
difficult -- and sadly -- in most cases, shorter.
According to the Humane Society of the United States,
the average outdoor cat is lucky to make it to his fifth
birthday. Indoor cats, on the other hand, live well into
their teens, and sometimes beyond.
There are many steps you can take to acclimate a former
outdoor cat to indoor life. The key is to provide the
cat with plenty of physical and mental stimulation,
while at the same time imposing deterrents that
discourage unwanted behavior.
You should make a commitment to spending more time
playing with your cat during the transition period from
outdoor to indoor cat. This will help the cat burn up
energy, and tire her out, which will make her less
restless indoors. Although you will want to be attentive
to the cat’s needs, you should not reward bad behavior
by playing with the cat. If a cat meows to go out, the
best course of action is to ignore her, not reinforce
her demands with playing.
Outdoor cats live an active life of stalking and
exploring, and you should try to replicate this as much
as possible indoors. Placing interesting toys around the
house will satisfy the cat’s hunting instinct.
A tall piece of cat furniture will provide a safe outlet
for a cat’s climbing drive. (Please see the information
on cat scratching posts for more details.) Placing grass
and catnip around the house will also help the outdoor
cat adjust to life indoors.
Just because your cat is no longer roaming beyond the
house, doesn’t mean that she still can’t enjoy the
outdoors. A cat platform that attaches to a window ledge
provides a safe comfortable perch where an indoor pet
can sit and enjoy outdoor scenery. As an added treat,
you can install a backyard birdfeeder to give your cat
more activity to observe.
During the early phases of the transition from outdoor
to indoor cat, you can help ease the pet’s anxiety by
using a diffuser that releases feline relaxing scents.
You will also want to keep your cat out of trouble
during the transition period by using deterrents to
prevent unwanted behavior, such as repellent spray to
keep him from chewing wires or other objects; and
deterrent sprays to keep him away from things like
indoor plants, curtains, leather chairs, and other
off-limit areas. Deterrent sprays have built in motion
detectors, so when a cat crosses these products they
emit a sharp sudden spray. Although odorless and
harmless, this spray frightens the cat and teaches him
to avoid the protected area.
To keep the cat off counters and tabletops, you can use
a deterrent mat. This product emits a mild static shock
when a cat lands on it, frightening the pet away and
convincing him to regard the surface as off limits for
jumping.
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