indoor kitten- hard to keep indoors?

First time cat owner.  Anything I should know about successfully keeping my kitten indoors?  Will she be trying to get outdoors?  Will she stop trying to get outdoors as she gets older?

Thanks,

Bonnie

My cats are indoors.  They are more likely to try to sneak into the garage then out the main doors.  I've never let them outside.  You do have to be diligent that they aren't going to try to sneak past you or around your legs.  I learned to watch and use my legs to block them growing up; when we had both indoor and indoor/outdoor cats.  Basically before I'd come in my foot would be near the opening.  And I'd do about the same when leaving.  You learn to watch and enter/exit more quickly.  Some cats are more curious than others so it will depend on your cat a bit.  It's especially important to be diligent is your kitten isn't spayed or neutered yet.  Unfixed animals (cats/dogs/etc) will have a stronger desire to roam as they mature and begin to look to mate.  it's instinct.  But a cat who has always been indoors and is fixed before they reach maturity is more likely to be satisfied indoors. (That is just one benefit of early spaying and neutering.) 

It also helps to be sure their indoor environment is enriching and you give them ways to expend their energy instincts.  Things like cat trees or shelves, wand toys or "da bird" are great for that as well as independent play time toys like mice.  Just be careful with strings and feathers.  My 2 cannot have those things unsupervised.  Noodles will eat string (and feathers) and Mooch has even eaten the tails off her mice!  I snip them very short on the ones I leave around so it's not so interesting to chew on.  A few interactive play sessions a day for young cats can help a lot too.  Our cat tree is right in front of a window with a bird feeder; so they get to look outdoors easily.  They were 5 before we moved here and a bit older before we put up the feeder; so I don't think that ever made them want to try to get outdoors.


I'm less diligent with my current 2 than I used to be; because they don't seem to want to try.  It's also become a bit like second nature so I may not notice in some ways.  I do like to just check visually where my 2 are when I'm leaving so I know where they are in relation to the door.  At this age (9); they are usually snoozing or just watching us from the cat tree.

She might be curious about outdoors, but it really depends. If she's very adventurous, you might need to watch her whenever a door is open. I think cats that have a history of living outdoors tend towards wanting to go outside again (ex ferals, strays, kittens born from barn cats, previous indoor/outdoor cats), whereas a lot of the cats I've met who were born and raised indoors prefer the comfort and familiarity of being indoors. They might want to sniff around, but when they've had their fill, they just want to go home. Some even get super stressed out being outdoors.

You'll probably get used to propping your leg in the way of some curious whiskers on your way in and out of rooms or exterior doors, but that kind of comes with the territory for cats and dogs. To prevent her from wanting out, play with her lots (wand toys, balls of paper/foil, laser pointer, interactive toys like a ball on a track), give her fun hiding places and vantage points that vary in seclusion and height. The best thing you can do is satiate her want for anything outside by making her happy inside.

beesto said:

 
First time cat owner.  Anything I should know about successfully keeping my kitten indoors?  Will she be trying to get outdoors?  Will she stop trying to get outdoors as she gets older?

Thanks,

Bonnie

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It totally depends on the cat. My kitty Pia is a couch potato and a bit of shy girl. She loves being inside, really. It's safe and warm and that's where my lap is.  She doesn't even try to go for the door. As long as she can bird watch, she's happy.

My elder kitty Pearl wasn't necessarily trying to get outside, but she was so brave and energetic that I had to be careful! I used to take her for walks on a leash (yes, really -- although walking a cat is more like them walking you) to help get some of her energy out, but still have her safe and under my control.

Neutering gets rid of a lot of "roaming" tendencies in cats, and it's better for their general health as well. So that's step one: get her spayed!

If she does seem to want to get some fresh air, there's lots of ways you can give her that safely. If you have a patio or a balcony, you can "cat-proof" the railing and give her some stuff to perch and play with out there. If you have a garden, you can put up a fence (make sure there's no gaps and no ferals!). Or, if your cat is the tolerant type like Pearl was, you can try the leash route.

Thank you for all the great advice.  I'm planning on trying to make the indoor environment stimulating and to play with her a lot as well as having toys for her when we're out of the house.  Thanks for the advice about strings and feathers... I had read that somewhere but it's good to hear it again.  She has been bred indoors so hopefully that will help.  Very helpful!