Indoor cat desperate to go out

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As a kitten she had lots of problems with her eyes, they’re a little better but permanently dry. The vets have advised us she shouldn’t be let out out because a) she might not come back on time for her drops and b) if she has any damage to her eye (eg by fighting) it might not heal and she could lose an eye.

We aren’t able to cat proof,atleast for now, as the fence panels are old and not likely to be strong enough.We can’t afford to replace yet as garden is big so it would cost a lot (looking at around 30 panels)

She doesn’t meow, but she CRIES. She’s cries so loudly and depressingly you can hear her from outside. Its so heartbreaking. She’s nearly 3 and been indoor almost from the start.

I must admit I have caved a few times and carried her around the garden recently. Shes happy to sit in my lap and pick at the grass for a while, but obviously that’s not enough and she wants to go and explore.

Is there anything I can do? She has plenty of toys, and company. But when she wants to go out, theres no distracting her.

I’m hanging the washing outside now and all I can hear is ‘wowoooow’ and then a little whimper every so often in between

bertrand it’s just the past few months really she has been fine up until then. She became poorly quite early on.

I thiink its because we’ve moved and there’s a lot more birds etc around here that she can hear. So I’ve been looking at the best options, until we can replace the fence atleast.

I have 2 others that go out as normal during the day (she’s never been bothered about this before) but the vets have told us her eyes are much more sensitive to damage. She’s already had an operation and other treatments. As there are other cats in the area we have to be careful with her, so that’s why I’m here asking for for suitable ideas.

What sort of harness are you using? My boy has a soft wide strap jacket Velcro harness that fastens round his neck and tummy. I can make it a lot looser for mooching around the garden when he's less likely to pull. He also has an extendable lead (x-small dog) so he can mooch about while I sit on my arse 😁.

Pic.

Definitely cat - proof part or all of the garden. Hope you manage to find a way to let her out.

We have a one-eyed cat, she lost an eye before we got her. She's at higher risk of eye problems and we are vigilant so that if her remaining eye ever gets infected it's treated right away. Despite this, it's never been suggested to us by vets or rescue (where she came from) that she should be kept indoors because of it. I really would follow this up with your vet because it seems an unusual restriction - did they mean it to be for life or for a temporary period? One-eyed cats are not that rare and generally manage completely fine with one eye. Ours is an active hunter and climber and it doesn't slow her down one bit.

I’m not entirely sure why Strax, beyond the reasons of medication and damage.

She had infections, ulcers and she doesn’t produce tears naturally. It’s been advised by both the regular vet and an ophthalmologist.
She now has permanent gunk which builds up, which I clean daily. The build up is rarely an infection now though, it’s more that there’s no moisture to self clean.

She’s still active, and generally well.

Get a loan and cat proof the garden she would absolutely love it and you wouldn't have to worry- win win! Because sorry but currently it is cruel in MY Opinion cats shouldn't be kept inside

Bertrand you could say that about ANY pet or animal kept in captivity. Dogs, horses, birds, reptiles etc etc. People only seem to get worked up about cats, though. Interesting.

I don't agree with keeping indoors (unless due to a medical reason). I don't agree with letting cats free roam. I absolutely support catproofing gardens. (Or large enclosures but I prefer cat proofing).

My cat hates his harness unless I slip it on and immediately take him out. I thought it would be wise to get him used to it indoors but the distraction / happiness of being outside means he totally tolerated the harness. Good luck!

My cat had been indoor only for over 18 months before I adopted him but it soon became clear he wanted to go outside. To start with he stayed in the garden but soon learned how to scale the fence so now comes and goes as he pleases. Luckily I’m near a quiet road ( and there’s a dog living between us and the road so he tends not to go that way anyway) and there are lots of fields for him to explore but I still worry about him- I don’t think that will ever change. One bit of advice I picked up from here was to get him used to the sound of food/ treats being rattled. Now even if he has gone on one of his escapades I can rattle the treats and he magically appears again. He definitely became more relaxed ( and affectionate) once he was allowed to go out but he doesn’t have any health problems or need regular medication so my situation is a bit different to yours.

There are also quite a few other cats living by me but after a few encounters with each other they seem to have sorted out their territory/ timekeeping and are now never in the same place at the same time. You could set your watch depending on which cat you see strolling about!

We now have a cat cage due to our 3 legged cat. They are pretty miserable indoors but they all love being out in the cage, different levels for them, bit of sun and fresh air. Ours cost £800 and is 3x2m with a custom walkway from porch to cage.

I don’t know if this is unusual, but our girl will just sit or lie in our garden without roaming - previously she had been an indoor cat. I’m on holiday just now and this morning she was out when I got up because DP let her out before he went to work, came in and sat with me for a bit, then has been out from about lunchtime til now. She wanders next door because the two gardens are split by a low fence and she thinks she owns both, but most of the time she’s just pottered about, chasing moths as it got darker, otherwise just chilling.

Bert talking rubbish about cats going outside as per usual. Pretty sure you challenged me about this a while ago but were absent in your reply when I said dogs would run free given the chance. The fact we don’t let them makes us responsible, not bad owners.

OP you’ve been advised by both the Vet and the specialist so you are right to not let her free roam. If cat proofing the garden isn’t an option at the moment a catio is a brilliant idea for her. They can be done extremely cheaply by purchasing aviary panels and joining them together. If you attach it to a window or door coming off your house you can also leave them wide open for fresh air despite having a house cat.

Harnesses are ok as a temporary thing but she’s always reliant on you that way.

Personally, I don't like harnesses. Maybe because I saw this awful video clip where a cat on a lead got spooked and ended up biting (quite badly) the person holding the lead in their panic.

We had a cat that was rehomed only on the basis he would remain an indoor cat. He'd been let out by previous owners but he had no sense of fear so was regularly found sunbathing on a dual carriageway. He was desperate to go out. We got him a harness and a ground spike with a long leash. It meant was able to roam around the garden but not get out.

He hated the harness to start with but got used to it when he realised it meant he could go out.