We bought a two year old male cat from a cat charity. The charity told us, he had lived with a family, as an indoor cat, and had probably been taken from his litter at a very young age (less than eight weeks). This history made us a little anxious that he may not be the 'right' cat for us, because, essentially, we wanted an indoor/outdoor cat for the farm.
However, he is gorgeous and the charity told us he had some behaviours that would make it difficult for him to be rehomed (I think this involved biting), so we decided to take him, because, even if he remained an indoor cat, he would have plenty of space to wonder around in the house, and, as older adults, we could give him the peace and quiet he seemed to need.
We got him home, and he settled in really well, but he would constantly gaze out of the windows and sniff under the doors. He seemed to long to go outside.
We let him out into the yard after three weeks and he was totally confident. In another two weeks, he seemed to be absolutely at home, roaming around the fields, hunting and remaining totally friendly towards humans.
The only problematic behaviour is his territorial nature. We had one spayed female cat on the farm, and she now lives semi-feral. She avoids the new cat like the plague and he chases her when he sees her.
So far, we feed the female in the fields and bushes when the new cat is not around. However, I worry about how she will fare when the weather gets colder, and I wonder if there is any way the two cats can 'work things out' with a bit of help from us.
I am also a bit suspicious of our new cat's background. He is a fantastic hunter and has even scared away a visiting tom (the new cat is neutered). I know cats have innate skills, but his hunting and fighting skills seem incredibly well developed for a cat who has spent almost all his life indoors.
Sorry about the length of this post