Does your indoor cat try and escape?

[Fordian]

We are about to get a 6 year old apparently exclusively indoor cat; I've never had such a cat before.

Is it a pain in the summer having to constantly check escape routes, keep doors shut etc to contain it?

Or does your cat go outside for short, supervised periods of time?

TIA

Both of my cats are indoor cats, as we live in an apartment. Female cat has never been bothered about going outside and will sit by an open door / not venture far. Male cat is an escape artist and if given half a chance, will be off under a car or on someone else’s terrace eating their plants.

Typically if you need to keep a cat indoors, you’d need to make sure they can’t get out. Buy door + window screens etc. Or you can try to set up your garden in such a way that they can’t get out (difficult without cat-proof fencing). Another option is to have a “catio” outside that the cat can access through a cat flap. But even then you still have to make sure they can’t escape from doors and windows.

Mine went through a period of trying to escape. I had to be really careful as she waited behind the front door. After a few forays out, they've both lost interest. I didn't realise for a while that they could get out through next doors garden if their hare was open. But the fence is now fixed.

Thanks!

I’m not sure but if you have an indoor cat that wants to go out, you probably have an imprisoned outdoor cat. Or maybe just a curious cat.

If they’re trying to escape I think it says a lot about how happy they are being an indoor cat. Regardless of whether or not that’s all they’ve ever known, it is still exceptionally cruel. It’s no better than keeping birds in cages or rabbits in hutches.

I've always had indoor cats and they have been happy and content with it and not interested in trying to escape. However, I wouldn't leave a door or window standing open as there's no telling if they will pursue a bird or small creature they see outside.

One of mine tries to come with me but he comes everywhere with me so it's not a suprise

I did put a harness on him and opened the door to take him into the back garden with me he ran under the table terrified because the wind blew

Both my cats have no interest in the outside even with doors open in summer (although they do like to sit in the conservatory and watch the outside) so they've chosen to be indoor cats themselves.

Making sure doors are immediately shut is just second nature. One of my cats isn’t interested. The other one when he was younger would bolt for the open door and has got out into the garden a couple of times but now seems not interested in going out. If I’m opening the door to let the dog in then that cat likes to stand there supervising and sticking his head out but has stopped actually trying to escape, but still keep a very close eye on him. He’s gone out in the garden on a harness a few times.

@Theunamedcat awww, poor thing. He must have been so traumatized from the light breeze 😂

Cats that aren’t fussed to go out are fine as indoor cats otherwise, like pp says, they are imprisoned.

The cat I adopted definitely wasn’t happy as an indoor cat and is now an outdoor cat.

I have French doors in my kitchen and got a great mesh screen from amazon for only £10 that allows me to have a door open for breeze but keeps them in. My cats like to sit there and look out and I think the screen actually allows them to feel protected! Without it they'd run a mile from any noise or movement but this way they just sit and enjoy the view. I also have sash windows so I just open the top a bit.

One of mine is full on fearful of the outside so would never go out willingly, the other might if she had the opportunity but doesn't actually try to.

I have an indoor cat. She came to me at 8 from a rescue and the vet said she had a bad heart that wouldn't take any territory battles, so shouldn't go out, and we are also near a main road. She's now 13. It is a pain in the summer. I have a screen for the windows and we shut doors inside if we want back door open for a while. If we have work done it get deliveries it needs thinking about. I take her into the garden for a sniff about when it's good weather. I love her very much and try to give her a nice life. But if I get a cat again and it's healthy it will go outside.

Ours is blind in one eye and walks sideways due to brain damage from being run over when he was young. We adopted him when he was 7. It's not safe for him to go out but he does still try. We have a cat run outside which he loves. And some screens to we can keep windows open in the summer.

My two go out on a harness in the summer months, they don't like the cold rain or wind so aren't interested in this weather.

Closing doors and windows becomes second nature soon enough.

One of mine doesn't give a damn, the other one tries to escape every chance he can get. We're in Australia so for us an indoor cat is not negotiable no matter how much he tries.

I'd hate to think what he would get up to if he were allowed outside. He's brought in a snake from his catio. Overall he is a very happy cat.

Correct

It's a rag doll. He just sits at the open front door thinking Nah...not for me.

I have a indoor cat , he has to be as he is a out and out thug. When I first got him I let him out he made a bee lone for a cat I hadn't seen under a car and fur was flying in about half a second it took me what felt like a eternity to grab him .
I kept him in for a few days and tried again , that time he attacked a neighbours cat that was minding its own business sat on its own door step.

Fortunately I managed to grab him both times before any serious injuries were infected.

Now when he wants fresh air ( 3 or 4 times a day ) he sits on top of his carrier and yells at me until I pick it up and he leaps in .
Or He goes to the back door and stands on his back legs and yells so I open the door and he jumps into his large cage .

It really depends on the individual cat and your living situation. Some indoor cats may be perfectly content staying inside and not show much interest in escaping, while others may constantly try to find a way out.
If you're concerned about the cat trying to escape, it's important to make sure all windows and doors are securely closed and that there are no small gaps or openings that the cat could slip through. You could also consider installing screens on windows or using baby gates to block off certain areas of the house.
As for letting the cat outside, it's generally not recommended to let an indoor cat out unsupervised, as there are many potential dangers such as traffic, predators, and exposure to disease. However, if you have a secure outdoor area such as a screened-in porch or fenced yard, you could consider allowing the cat to spend time outside while supervised. Just be sure to provide plenty of shade, water, and a safe place to retreat if the cat gets scared or stressed.

Thanks, everyone.

We have now had him for 3 months (if feels longer!).

He has never been anything other than an indoor cat. He loves the conservatory, but is not interested in outdoors, yet.

In his only previous house he was allowed out onto the patio but apparently sought to go back indoors.

Summer will be interesting, I don't want to have to constantly be shutting windows and doors!

IMO, keeping a cat indoors is exactly the same as keeping a dog or rabbit or Guinea pigs. They'll all try to escape given the chance and it's not cruel to take care of them and supervise them outside.

Keeping rabbits and Guinea pigs is also cruel. Keeping any animal in a cage/hutch is cruel.

And keeping a dog is cruel if it spends hours every day stuck inside and on it’s own.

Never. She got out once and sat cowering by the front door lo.