How can I transition my cat to be completely indoors?

[Waitbytheriver]

Does anyone have any advice or tips on how to keep my cat happily indoors? Has anyone done this successfully?

My cat is coming up to 3 years old and she currently goes outside. Last year she fell outside and tore her cruciate ligament in her back leg which resulted in an operation, lots of vet visits and 6 weeks cage rest, followed by room rest and then she could be in the house but not go out for a while. I said I wouldn’t let her outside again but she wore me down, relentlessly crying and scratching and yowling and sitting by the door and trying to find any possible escape through windows etc. We made amendments to the place where she fell from to make it safer and let her back out but still try to keep her in as much as possible.

A few weeks ago she came in limping on her front leg. Vets xray show nothing wrong but she still limping just as bad so looks like we are going to have to do strict cage rest once again to see if it heals. I can’t keep doing this. She is so accident prone. Always getting int mischief, always getting stuck somewhere or falling off something, and now we have another period of strict confinement on our hands which was so unbelievably stressful the first time.

I really cannot let her out again after this. We can’t keep going in circles. We do not have a back garden so there is nothing for me to cat proof. She has lots of toys, springs, mice, balls, wands etc but also lots of energy and I do have to work. I can’t sit with her 24 hours a day to play. I play with her in the morning and in the evening before dinner and just before bed. But she’s young and has lots of energy and gets bored easily. A lot of the time she isn’t even interested in her toys and just sits watching me trying to engage with her.

Please can anyone tell me if this is possible? I am trying to do right by her and be responsible but I’m so stressed out at how difficult this is going to be and whether it’s just going to break her spirit. Can anyone help?

A proper catio requires different levels, scratching posts, hidey holes and other items to entertain and enrich. It can’t just be a cage around a flat patio.

To match your rude energy, it would be obvious to anyone reading my post that I missed that.

You could get her a cat tree or even better, a cat superhighway (lots of shelves and things to climb on up around the room),my friend has one for her indoor cats and they love it.

I have a friend with an indoor cat, but she takes it outside on a harness and lead.

I went to the most beautiful cat cafe and all their cats were rescues who had adapted to only living indoors. They had a big wheel in the window and the cats literally queued up to use it. They had cat trees everywhere but the most amazing thing were ramps all around the ceiling and top of the walls so there was a whole cat world in the air. Some of the cats just stayed up there above our heads. I think it's possible for her to adapt but you need to create a special environment for her that is appealing from a cat's point of view and provide her with the things she'll miss: things to climb, vantage points, interesting smells, somewhere to run, places to hide in, choices of beds, variety. Can you protect a window in a way that would let her sit with it open, a sort of window seat catio? I think a kitten would also be a great distraction for her too, as long as it's also an indoor cat.

That’s heartbreaking.

Go and visit a few cat cafes, I got so much inspiration from them.

Is it possible to have a 'Catio' built in your garden? So a cat flap from your house to outside would lead to a big outside cat run.

Google "catification" and take a look at Jackson Galaxy's Youtube for inspiration about adapting your home.

Do you already have a second cat? I suspect that you may get issues around one going out and one not if so.

If not, a second cat as a playmate/companion could be explored, but needs approaching cautiously.

A feliway plug in will help to ease the transition if you do go for it.

It may be that rehoming to a family in a less busy area would be kindest, but that's a last resort.

Silly question, but have you had your cat neutered?

Would strongly recommend reposting this thread or asking for it to be moved to the cat section as you'll get more help and less judgement than AIBU.

Why?

I think YABU! She’s prime age for accidents and mishaps. And mischief!

It’s all part of cat ownership and you have to take the rough with the smooth and just get on with it with good insurance.

As she gets older she’ll venture less and sleep more.

Would getting her a mate help ?

I have 2 x nearly 2 year olds and they go into the (warm/insulated) garage of an evening. Mostly because there’s a stray we are all humanely trying to trap that keeps attacking them (and will come into our house).

in the garage they have two cat towers, a cat chair bed, a smaller cat tower and a soft hut. 2 litter boxes. Plenty of toys but generally they curl up asleep in one of the round cat beds on the towers or the top of a car 🤷‍♀️

plus plenty of biscuits which are topped up before bedtime and water.

they are used to it now.

🙄

Not sure entirely possible, depends on the cat.

My last cat was rehomed with me aged 5, troubled soul, vicious, grumpy, bored and very vocal. Previous owner had cat proof garden, wasn't enough, spent 5 years trying to get out. I gave him his freedom - instant turn around of his personality. Such a happy, loving cat, I miss him, a real character.

My cat I have now I took to London, spent £10k replacing FIL's fences and putting up cat proofing. Initially ok, week or two, then over the next 4 months she became more and more withdrawn. I even took her for walks around the streets (she likes to walk with me as nervous). That wasn't enough.

FIL died sadly, but watching my cat getting worse and worse, fur rougher, not eating much meant that I was going to take her back to our old house where she had freedom and leave my partner behind to sort out the house. So glad I did, the couple of days before coming back, she sat in the corners of the room with her back to us, not engaging. She was telling us she was unhappy. Came back to the old house after 4 months, she instantly ran out of the house into the garden, then off to the churchyard behind our house. Refused to come in until 2am because of fear of being taken back to London.

Anyway, long winded way of saying - it's not always possible and that's harder if they've had a taste of freedom. You really do have to 'listen' to your cat.

Those saying 'get another cat' - really, think very long and hard before you do imo.
You'll be taking your cats freedom away and then introducing another cat that your cat can not get away from.
Cats are not like humans/dogs, they do not always thrive on company of another cat and can make things so much worse.

It's a firm rehome from me. What they have never had they dont miss......however they have had the pleasure of the great outdoors, risk or not.

No advise really OP! Sorry but just wanted to say I feel your pain! Our dog had both hind operated on last year with 12 weeks of rest per leg..the entirety family were trapped in Witt her and we were all so miserable but we pushed through not without arguments and tears. - it was worth it in the end as she is still with us (and wouldn’t have been if the surgeries were unsuccessful) but it was hard!!!
ps we had a newborn at the time too and a Labrador on crate rest for 6 months….

Could you harness train? We take one of ours out for walk. I am probably the laugh of our village, but I don’t care.

We don’t even have to take her lots, she doesn’t like wind, rain, snow the cold at all .

Old school, but the more she goes out then the more street wise she will become.

Personally, I’m a bit on the fence about having cats only indoors. That said, we’ve mainly had farm cats that have had to earn their keep!

I can’t see how it will work if you have another cat who goes out?

Do you think there are particular danger spots for her that you could make safer? Sounds like your back yard is a car parking area so presumably she jumps over the fence and goes into gardens. Is the fence itself an issue, if so, maybe you could attach a couple of steps to it for her?

I’ve got two indoor cats - I would recommend buying a couple of very high cat trees. I had one that was approx 180cm high and my cats loved it. Also, I have a different type of cats scratching post in each room.
Also, but lots of toys and cat nip and the cat nip spray - spray the toys before putting them out. Your cat will be thoroughly entertained.

Slightly different as my cat was 17 & had dementia. We made decision to keep him in as a neighbour was purposely keeping him for days I thought the worst every time. He definitely didn’t get over going out after 2 weeks. He still stared longingly out the window & gave me death stares as I wouldn’t let him out. He lived another 2 months before he passed away

I used to think not letting cats out was contrary to their natural instincts, and it would be very hard to do with my cat. Fortunately he is not accident prone and just goes to sit on a nearby wall, mainly.

Through cat sitting I’ve met a cat that was rescued from the streets of Miami and now lives in a small London flat and she seems perfectly content so it can be done.

On the flip side I’ve also met a cat that was shipped in from Dubai and was very unhappy cooped up in her small flat. The owners eventually found a way to give her outside access and she is a much calmer cat.

Cats are all just so different. I do think yours will start to calm/slow down in the next year or so anyway.

Might have already been mentioned but a lead can work for giving cat outside stimulation under supervision.

My two are indoor cats. We got them as adults and their previous owner had them indoors ( they were breeding queens ).
They have three cat trees and the run of the house. they seem very happy and are content to look out of the window. I bought a huge, very expensive wheel, which they wouldn’t go near!

We do have a back garden but it wouldn’t be possible to cat proof it.

We have these screens on many of our windows, they’re really good. https://www.streme.co.uk/shop/pet-screens/for-windows They’re not the thin net-curtain like screens you use with Velcro. Added bonus is they keep insects out.

The OP said she hasn't got a garden.