Anyone else's cat not like going outside?

[Coldandfedup456]

My cat has outdoor access but she will usually be back in after 15-20 minutes, sometimes even 5 minutes. I know it's cold atm so maybe that's it?
I mean I don't mind, sometimes I worry she's not getting enough exercise but she plays indoors too. She's 6 years old.
Anyone else's cat?

It amazes me how different they all are. I’ve only ever known outside cats that are ok to be out all day/night if needs be. But my colleague has a cat who was an inside cat for 4/5 years as they lived in a flat. They then moved to a house with garden but he still hated outside! He is a very nervy boy.

Mine doesn’t go out for very long, but she is 20 and I rescued her last year so it’s understandable 🥲 she just loves to sit at the window and watch the world go by.

Sorry, mine is the opposite, he spends hours outside doing heaven knows what. Mind you he did spend six months in the cat sanctuary while they sorted out and saved his leg so I think he has that in the back of his mind. At the moment he is on some vastly expensive cream twice a day so isn’t allowed out and I have been cast in the role of villain and mean mummy, the swearing is shocking!

Are there any other cats who use your garden and have scent marked it as their territory? Maybe if you go outside with her ( when the weather is better) so she has a chance to claim it as her garden she will get more confident, but I wouldn’t worry, one of mine hated going out , and she had lived as a feral for years. In my experience they all have their little quirks and going out or not going out is one of them.

In the winter and back weather mine are in constantly and only go out now and then. During the summer and nicer weather they are never home 😂

Yes mine too. She's 13 and always been like that. In our old house the catflap was open all the time but we don't have one in this new house but we leave the windows open so she can come and goes as she pleases but rarely will she go outside unless one of us is out there with her.

Thanks for your replies, they're all so different! The very first time she went out she was out for 1.5 days which was very stressful, but now she's in and out. Don't have a cat flap so she jumps in and out of the window, will see how she gets on with warmer weather.

I should add she's not particularly nervy and she will hold her own against other cats if they come into the garden. She just prefers to sit inside looking and chattering at the birds from inside.

Mine used to go out as soon as any door opened. Got divorced and stayed with my DM in the interim and she still went gallivanting off. Finally moved, she went out initially but now steadfastly refuses to go out unless someone is out w her. The moment she thinks she’s going to be inadvertently left outside, she bolts faster than any 100 track runner.

Mine goes out for about 30 seconds then acts affronted if I don't open the door quick enough to let her back in. She used to like going out and wandering, I think its just because she's older now (11).
She'll come out into the garden in summer if we're out there. I swear she thinks she's a dog who must be with her humans at all times.

Yes, my cat is like that. She goes out but never far or for long. She is a very happy cat 😊, if quite timid and a bit clingy.

She does go out to toilet (has a litter tray but hasn't used it for 3 years) and I think she sees the garden more as her territory to watch. I believe this is more common in females.

She spends a great part of her day watching the garden like a hawk from her tower. We play with her indoors and outside in the warmer weather.

She was rescued at 1 year old after being dumped with a kitten. She dislikes other cats and rescue said we shouldn't have other pets or small children. They did say she was likely to become a house cat. She is almost.

I they start to slow down at 6, and also dislike cold weather. My cat is 6 and loves being outside when it's warm but barely goes outside in winter.

Mine a real mix.

Ours is 14 and spends most of the day outside in the summer, but hardly steps foot outside during the winter. She loves the sunny weather but dislikes the cold and wet!

You are a wonderful person taking on an elderly cat .
Much respect to you .

I have 3 cats, 2 male and 1 female. The female hates the cold and wet weather, if it’s raining heavily she meows loudly until either me, DH or our 5 year old stand at the door whilst she runs outside to do her business. Often like an emotional support pee. It’s brutal.

My cat is very much an indoor/outdoor cat in the warmer months. She will be out for ages in the summer, snoozing under a cool bush in the garden, lying in the sun on the patio, pottering about under the plants, etc. But in the winter she barely leaves the house. Recently, while it's been so cold, she's gone whole days without going out. She has a litter box indoors, for emergencies, and I've had to clear it out every day recently. I don't really blame her though - I don't want to go out either!

My cat goes out for a bit but not long. In warmer weather when I'm outside we'll hang out together. He checks out the neighbourhood, but doesn't go far, and prefers to be home with me. He's timid and clingy, and hates if I go out for long periods.

Yep
Mine is "why? Sofa, mum and warm inside"
In summer he will come outside with me and sit right next to me

Mine is able to go out but has to request it. She tends not to be arsed. She did go out one day last week not realising she'd be out all day, when I returned 7 hours later she screamed at me in disgust for a long time. She's currently asleep and purring sharing my blanket. She's 2.5 so not an oldie.

We have one of those too. He just roams around the garden for a few mins then comes back inside. Hes a purebred cat usually kept indoors, we put it down to that.
Our other cat we picked up from a farm nearby and she comes home every evening at 5 and disappears again right after eating. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I’ve got two cats. My girl is an absolute homebody, she’ll come out in the garden with us in the summer but often heads back in after 15mins. She lives a comfy bed! Our boy wants the best of both worlds, at the moment during the day he’ll be in and out constantly, when the weather is better rather than come inside he’ll hang out in the garden in between his walkabouts. I don’t let him out at night, he knows the deal and is happy with it.

Mine definitely spends more time outside in the summer. She’s out and about for short periods during the winter but really prefers to be following us about the house yelling for food when it’s cold/wet/dark.

In the summer we barely saw her, she was out the moment we let her out in the morning until we called her back in at our bedtime!

She hates the cold weather though, she pops out to do some morning surveillance but is usually back within 20 mins and is currently asleep on our bed, under the duvet!

I have 2 boys and a girl cat. She is definitely much more of a homebody than the boys are. In winter I rarely see her outside but the boys do their regular patrols every day and each bring in a little gift most days too.
Girl cat is getting on a bit (11ish) and used to be a voracious hunter but not so much any more. One of the boys is a similar age but he's sprightly as a kitten and is still racing up trees and hunting as much as ever.
Just from comments on here it does seem to be more female cats than male cats who like to stay home.

Our cats have all been different. DBoycat1 would stay out for hours doing very little but he used to patrol very close to home. Even though he did little outside his mental health was affected if he had to stay in. DGirlcat1 wasn't out that much (until she went missing) but she would sleep outside.

The two we have now only go in the backyard and like to run in and out. But DGirlcat2 has PTSD and DBoycat2 was never allowed out previously. They spent a lot of time bird watching and chasing each other.

I think it's healthy that cats can go out of they choose to do so.

I don't see what the cats are up to during the day but the rest of the house will tell me that they spend all day on my bed or under the sofa .

Yesterday though , MaleCat went out for some Domain Surveillance , which was really lovely watching him potter about Yes , everything seems in order
They like to be out all day in summer , always nearby but hiding out