Turning an outdoor cat into an indoor cat

A cat in my neighbourhood has been abandoned by his elderly owner, so he has taken up residence on my deck. This has gone on for about 6 months and during this time, I've been trying to get him used to remaining indoors. I bring him in at night and try to only let him out for a couple of hours a day - when he drives me crazy by sitting in front of the door!

A new complex manager came by 2 weeks ago and told me to get rid of the cat or he will evict - he has also threatened a woman down the road who has 3 cats, and 2 other tenants that have very well behaved, quiet dogs. My response to his threat is to find another place to live and take the cat with me. I refuse to abandon this cat and if he stays here, I have no doubt that he will meet a tragic end.

The cat appears to be about 10 years old and part Himalayan. I hope to take him to the vet in the next week or so but I have been feeding him daily, brushing him and he uses his scratch pads and toys very well. He is litter trained but will only use it if he must - he prefers to go outside.

I am going to move and very soon and I want to train him to stay inside now so the move will be easier. I realize that he might be less stir crazy if I somehow make him a window seat or a small cat enclosure on the patio. Has anyone used a ready made enclosure and how did it work? Does anyone have any tips on how to keep him inside and happy?

Thanks.

For enclosures do a search on these forums for "enclosure", there are some very creative ones.

Bless you for rescuing this poor guy! Wish the world had more people like you.

Seb used to be an outdoor cat (his first, abusive home) then indoor/outdoor and is now strictly indoor for the past couple of years. He still sometimes meows to go out but no way that is happening. Give him cat tv: window perches with perhaps a bird feeder on the outside, an aquarium if you already have one. Lots of love and play time so he doesn't become bored.

Definitely a vet check and neutering if it hasn't been done. I'm sure more people with more experience will be along soon

Please post photos of him when you get the chance. Welcome!!

Here are some threads with enclosures, I am sure there are more.

http://thecatsite.com/forums/showthr...ight=enclosure

Here is hissy's awesome, large enclosure (pics on second page)
http://www.thecatsite.com/Care/8/Bui...closure/1.html

http://thecatsite.com/forums/showthr...ight=enclosure

http://thecatsite.com/forums/showthr...ight=enclosure

http://thecatsite.com/forums/showthr...ight=enclosure

Dragoriana has one, too but cannot find the photos now.

I've never had any outdoor cats before (have had indoor only cats) so I am new at working these challenges out. Thanks for the information.

Another question if I may? The cat is litter trained but he will refrain from using the litter box for as long as he can....he generally goes to the door and sits in front of it to go out. Up to this point I've given in because I'm worried about his discomfort......but so far today, we've refused to let him out. He hasn't used the litter yet and I've checked every spot in the house and he hasn't eliminated yet. Is he just stubborn and is it alright to just leave him be and force him to use the box?

He seems to be attracted to the bathroom area, so I moved his litter in there for him - further away from his food dish in the kitchen. I brought him into the bathroom a few times with me so he could sniff around and he knows his litter is there. He just hasn't gone yet.

My indoor cats were always neutered and vaccinated around 6 months of age and we never had fleas or worms or anything to deal with. This guy brought mice to my door 3x this week and he eats part of them...is it alright to use OTC stuff or should I just wait until I go to the vet and get him to give him to deworm?

Sorry for all the questions - now that we've made the decision to keep the cat, we feel that we are responsible for giving him the best final years of his life that we can.

I will post a pic as soon as I have one!

I personally wouldn't use anything you buy in a store as a de-wormer or a flea treatment. Get him into a vet and get the stuff from them. Is the cat neutered? Going to be very hard to keep the cat inside if he isn't neutered. He brings you the mice to show what a good hunter he is. He thinks he is giving you a present, LOL. My cat used to do that. She'd eat the head, and bring the body to us.