To keep the cat inside?

[GirlofInkandStars]

Dcat is currently being kept indoors. This is due to the bird nesting season and her being extremely prey driven and an enthusiastic tree climber. She is going to be in for a few months. It’s our first year with her as we only adopted her last summer.

Our garden has trees all around the perimeter and it’s just not possible to cat proof it all. She has the run of most of a largish 5 bed house and a catio which is about 3.5 x2.5m but she is very fed up with us. Please can can I heave some tips to help her adjust and some moral support that we are doing a necessary thing?

It can be quite tricky to get a cat to adjust to indoors if they are used to roaming.

what is it that you are concerned about? Many cats do have strong prey drive and like to climb trees.

You’ll know if you’re doing the right thing. If she is happy and stimulated inside you’ll be fine, but if she isn’t you’ll know. Our rescue was wild before we had her, we kept her in for almost a year but it was obvious how desperately she wanted to go out, she definitely didn’t seem happy. We eventually relented and let her out and she was a different cat, she comes in every evening (and doesn’t go out as much in the winter) but very much needs her time outside.

We have indoor cats (with garden privileges) but they have been indoor cats since birth. You don’t say how old your adopted cat is or the circumstances if you adopting her, but truly, no I don’t think you are doing the right thing to have changed her life so considerably. She will be very very miserable.

She's a cat, let her be a cat.

Well, since she is an "enthusiastic climber," her frustration likely stems from a lack of vertical stimulation. A catio is nice, but it doesn't offer the height of a tree.

If you don't have them already, get floor-to-ceiling cat trees. Place them near windows so she can still "watch" the garden without being in it. Alternatively, install floating cat shelves to create a "highway" around a room. This allows her to survey her domain from above.

She's also probably bored. How do you feed her, from a bowl? Can you get her puzzle feeders, kibble balls or even a box with some holes to make her work for the food?

You can also use cardboard boxes or tunnels inside the catio to make it feel like a hunting ground and bring her some branches, leaves or even just some fresh grass in a pot. The change of smell will keep her brain busy.

Did she catch a lot of birds once you could let her out after after you adopted her?

I have nothing against indoor cats, we have one who was indoors as a kitten because we were in a flat and now he has access to a garden he’s apparently too old to change his ways, but I think it’s massively unfair to try to keep an adopted cat who has previously enjoyed the outdoors indoors if she’s miserable. Can’t you just stick a bell on her collar to protect the birds?

Yes

Two things that can help reduce their hunting (1) keep them indoors specifically at dawn & dusk, these are the main times birds are around.

and (2) put collars on with bells - they massively reduce their ability to hunt unheard, makes birds aware early enough to fly off (you can get packs of releasable ones on Amazon so if they get caught on something it just releases

She has not been out before we adopted her but she has had some access to the outside over the last few months. She is always in during the night.

I think this sounds sensible.

She’s a cat, if she loves going outside it would be unfair to confine her.

We have a sparrowhawk hanging about taking our small birds. It’s not just cats that hunt.

Have you tried putting a bell on her collar? And/or going outside with her and warning the birds that she's there? It can be very stressful for a cat who loves the outdoors to be inside all the time.

Absolutely all of this. If you want her to be happy indoors, you’re going to need to provide more of the kind of stimulation that she gets outdoors.

I think it’s a bit evil to keep the cat inside when it’s used to going outside. The cat doesn’t understand why it’s not allowed outside and it’s just doing what is natural for it to do. The strongest and fittest of the birds will survive and that’s how nature goes.

The cat will go after the baby birds in nests. No amount of bells or being the strongest and fittest will help them.
Our native bird population is being decimated due to cats. Thanks

OP for being a considerate cat owner.

As per the suggestions above - indoor trees for height, tunnels, puzzles etc will help provide an outlet for her instincts.

I assume you’ve stopped eating meat in solidarity with your cat OP?

otherwise YABVU.

I don’t think bell collars work, but Bird Be Safe collars are fantastic. It’s basically a tube of brightly coloured fabric that goes over their normal (quick release) collar. And means all the birds can see them. My rescue cat was a ridiculously efficient hunter, but she couldn’t catch any birds when wearing this. She’s old now and doesn’t need it, but I do think all hunting cats should have to wear them.

Picture from Etsy …

Do you have a link to the kind you use please? (Have googled and got an array of options!)

Just let her be natural

@WateringCans I can see the image now!

This is the best thing I have ever seen 😂.

OP I wouldn’t do this to the cat it’s not natural if she’s exposed already not nice either

Most rescue centres wouldn’t let you adopt if you prevented access to the outside (unless due to a disease )

our previous cat was a smooth hunter , brought in mice (which nicely run around my house ), half birds etc we just had to deal with it and he stopped !

put on that collar with the clownish colour and let poor baby out

Wait till you see this

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/981904922/stop-cat-bird-saver-collar-replacement?ref=elp_anchor_listing&bes=1&sts=1

We have adopted cats and had to keep them in for a while. They didn't get used to it.

I think it's worth trying letting the cat out for an hour or so a day, at a predictable time when she's not hungry, with one of those ridiculous collars and a bell. Only put these on at her scheduled outdoor time. See what happens. There is much else to stimulate and distract her just in being outside for a bit, especially when (1) she is not hungry and (2) she's about to become a less successful hunter.

Edited for calling her a him!