Inside Outside Cat

**yumyum6970** · 03-21-2002, 06:56 AM

My Yum Yum LOVES to go outside. I think if we left a bowl of food outside she would stay outside. During the day, we don't let her and her sister out since we are at work. When we get home she will dart out the door, but she will only stay out for about an hour or less and then come in for food and attention..mostly food though. Then she will want outside again. She will meow at the door till we let her out. I want her to stay inside most of the time and just let her out a little bit. Do yall have any suggestions for me? Thanks!

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Former User · 03-21-2002, 07:15 AM

Well, I'd let her out only when you want, not when she wants. Even when she's meowing on the door, don't let her out. She will hopefully soon learn that she can go out when it suits you, and not her. Good luck!

**purrley** · 03-21-2002, 07:17 AM

YumYum - I've got the same problem with my Panda. She bolts on me to get to the outside and I can't catch her. She comes home when she's ready. It hasn't been too bad this winter since it's been so cold here - she prefers the inside, but now that the weather's warming up I think I'm going to have this problem again. I just try and be cautious when opening the door to come in and go out. I say a firm NO and it will usually back her up, but nonetheless sometimes she's too quick for me

**Randi** · 03-21-2002, 07:19 AM

yumyum6970! That's a difficult one!

When Fister first came up (he was a wild cat), he wanted to go out all the time and it was SO hard not to let him, but after these couple of years, he wants to go out less and less - and not in the daytime, only around the time when it gets dark. He's actually only out 2-3 times a week for 1-2 hours each time. But, if you give him a lot of attention and are patient, I'm sure he'll get used to be indoors and will like it.

Good luck!!

**K & L** · 03-21-2002, 11:03 AM

After a few bad experiences, our cats are not allowed outdoors (with the exception of their cat run). We had one cat someone shot with a pellet gun. Lucky for us, and her, she lived. The pellet went through her ear and lodged between the skull and skin on top of her head. Then we lost one for about 2 weeks. He went in one of the storm drains, hurt his hip, and couldn't get out. We fortunately heard him meowing one evening as we were posting lost pet posters. My husband unscrewed the storm drain, I held on to his legs as he lowered inside and pulled him out (would've been a good chance to get rid of him) hahahaha...JUST KIDDING. Anyway, we never let them out to roam.

**purrley** · 03-21-2002, 11:32 AM

Yeah - K & L have a beautiful cat area - some day I hope I can construct something like that - my babies would be in seventh heaven. I am looking for a new house and I'm going to keep that in mind.

**Tubby & Peanut's Mom** · 03-21-2002, 11:48 AM

We too decided to keep them in after a few bad experiences. My mom lives with a nice woodsy area right out the back door, and she always feels so bad about keeping the cat in when it so obviously wants to go out so bad. She used to just let them out, but after about the 4th one ended up with a very sad demise, she changed her mind. By that time I was living in the city and had Tubby, and I let him out only on a rope. She started doing the same, and now 8 years later, the cat is still around.

They do get used to being inside cats, and IMHO, they are not being deprived of anything if they are not let out. So I would suggest what C & K suggested and only let them out when *you* want them out, and keep up with the firm NO. Tubby has gotten so good with the NO that he immediately stops in his tracks when I say it and I can stand with the door wide open for a minute or two without him darting out as long as I keep saying it every now and then. His ears perk up and boy does he get excited, but he doesn't dart out.

They will learn, it just takes patience, and the ability to block out their pitiful meows when they are begging so hard to go out.

Oh, and don't forget, even though their meows seem to be saying different, you're NOT being a mean momma by keeping them in.

**Ila** · 03-24-2002, 03:25 PM

Misty is totally an inside cat. She is a scarty cat outside. Which is fine with me. She has such long hair I can only imagine what it would look like out in the outdoors all tangled. This way I can keep her brushed and pretty!!

**purrley** · 03-25-2002, 06:52 AM

Ila - your Misty is an incredibly beautiful kitty - I'm enjoying all the pictures you have of her. You keep her so beautifully groomed - she must be the apple of your eye

**wayne0214** · 03-25-2002, 07:37 AM

Practically all of my furkids are indoor/outdoor cats. They are allowed outside during the day time. Yet, they seldom wander off more than about 100ft. from the house. I purposely do not feed them after 2 PM because they will all come inside around 3:30 to 4 PM when it comes to their evening meal time. It is then that I can shut the front door and close their access window. If they are kept inside during fair weather they get RESTLESS during the following night and get me up very early. (Snow Cat will get destructive and push large items off of shelves to make a much noise as possible in order to get me up and let him out -even at night. He also pees on the bed if I allow their litter box to become too dirty.) The only time that they volutarily stay inside is if it raining outside. bluzette, is the only one that I have now who prefers to stay in during the day and sleep, that is until about 3:00 PM when she too comes out to play in the early evening sun-down time, unless I can catch her for feeding.

......wayne

**tuxluvr** · 03-25-2002, 07:38 AM

I've lost too many kitties to the perils of neighborhood living. When we got Ritz, we decided up front "indoor only".

Even though she's been indoor only since about 7 weeks of agec, she still longs for the great outdoors, and does such a pathetic meow at the back door sometimes, I admit it's hard to resist, but if we don't come in and cater to her whim, she eventually joins us in another part of the house.

She darted out once...scared me to death because she cowered under our deck for hours (actually she was having the adventure of her life and I was the panicked one - finally she came to me all covered with dirt and leaves with this look "what's the problem mom, all the other cats do it!")

However, when i was growing up, we had indoor/outdoor kitties all the time - it was a 100+ acre farm with lots of room to roam. I really think it depends on many individual circumstances and a loving pet home can be either one that allows a little outdoor freedom as well as one that permits outdoor living as a "voyeur only" sport.

**Ila** · 03-25-2002, 08:40 AM

Originally posted by purrley
Ila - your Misty is an incredibly beautiful kitty - I'm enjoying all the pictures you have of her. You keep her so beautifully groomed - she must be the apple of your eye

Thank you so much. She is my baby and the apple of my eye. She likes to be brushed.

**Blackfly** · 03-25-2002, 11:30 AM

Weve had a lot of cats growing up, and from my experience, the only way to keep a cat inside is to never let it out.
Little Bisk is totally an indoor cat, since we live in the city (though occasionally escapes into the hallway of our apartment building)
A siamese i had about 6 years ago was let outside for one day, and we couldnt keep her in after that, she always found a way out.
On the other hand, my mothers two cats were never allowed out, and now they run away every time the door opens, they are afraid to go outside.

**ilovehounds** · 03-25-2002, 06:22 PM

When I was looking for a cat I told my parents that it would be an indoor only cat BUT I fell in love with Simba as soon as I laid eyes on him and he was born and raised outdoors (born in this lady's garage) so he wouldn't go to the bathroom in a littter box he just meowed at the door for hours and if we didn't let him out he ended up pooping in our plants

So he is an indoor/outdoors cat through the day and goes out at about 8:00 at night for his duties and spends the night in the house till about 5:30-6:00 in the morning.

We are having a problem with a stray cat beating him up these past few days but other then that we have no problems.