How long before your cats stopped giving you guilt trips? (re: going outside)

crazy4strays · Oct 7, 2015

I have an indoor/outdoor cat that I'm weaning off of going outside. So far I've made it a full 24 hours without him sneaking out! Yay!

What I wanted to know, is how long should I expect him to act miserable and guilt trip me about not letting him outside? He meows pitifully and scratches on the windows.

I figure that he will probably eventually forgive me for confining him, but I'll have a hard time forgiving myself if he got hit by a car or eaten by a coyote. That's what's helping me get through this annoying time.

My foster kitten and my other permanent resident cat are indoor only unless supervised. (harness and leash)

However, my other permanent resident never had a strong desire to go outside and was happy to quit going outside. So this time around is a little bit different.

So anyway, if anybody has any words of experience or encouragement and has successfully made a similar transition, please share.

Margret · Oct 7, 2015

Cats know when they've succeeded at making you feel guilty, even if it doesn't have the desired result (you giving in). As long as the guilt trip is actually making you feel guilty, it will continue.

You might try responding with a walk on a leash when your cat does this – see if you can convince him that you actually believe this is what he's asking for. If it happens often enough, he may decide that this is the best he can get from you and he may as well settle for it.

Margret

crazy4strays · Oct 7, 2015

Thanks for your advice and support, I really appreciate it! I might try taking him on the leash some. We've made it almost another additional day with no escape. He seems to be less agitated today.

Margret · Oct 7, 2015

Any time. Having lost a cat to coyotes, I'm sympathetic to anyone who is trying to avoid the same thing. As for guilt trips, well, this seems to be a skill that cats have hardwired. Too bad it doesn't seem to work in reverse....

Margret

kittens mom · Oct 7, 2015

Driving home yesterday there was a dead cat along the side of the state highway. Actually I seen it going and the road was very busy so I couldn't get out and move it's body out of the road. It was quiet coming back so I figured I'd have a few moments to move it's body off the pavement. Instead it looked like every car in the county had run over it. Really beyond anything I could manage.

I often feel guilty for not allowing my cats outside until the reality is thrown in my face. The simple fact is cats are at risk in many of the prefab enclosures. While we have coyotes , loose roaming dogs killed not only my chickens, geese, ducks, rabbits and mauled my horses they have also killed the little feral cats we took care of.

crazy4strays · Oct 7, 2015

I finally made the decision to really move forward on keeping him indoors when it occurred to me that if he got killed by a coyote, I would be devastated.

Coyotes are hands down the worst risk in our rural area. My neighbor saw one in broad daylight.

So as much as I feel sad for him not being out climbing trees and having fun, no amount of fun offsets getting eaten by a coyote.

kittens mom · Oct 7, 2015

Crazy4Strays said:
I finally made the decision to really move forward on keeping him indoors when it occurred to me that if he got killed by a coyote, I would be devastated.

Coyotes are hands down the worst risk in our rural area. My neighbor saw one in broad daylight.

So as much as I feel sad for him not being out climbing trees and having fun, no amount of fun offsets getting eaten by a coyote.

Our coyotes have become absolutely scary. They look like wolf crosses. They used to be scrawny skinny things. We're very careful to have nothing that looks like a food source around the house.

crazy4strays · Oct 7, 2015

I took Tiger (gray kitty pictured in my avatar) for a walk on the leash tonight. He did really well with it and seemed to appreciate the opportunity to get out of the house.

I do have another question: Is it normal for cats to lay around more during the transition period? I have a beautiful cat tree and lots of cat toys but Tiger doesn't seem very interested in them. Should I try more environmental enrichment (I.e, window perch, cat grass, bird feeder for him to watch, etc.) or just wait longer?

I don't want him to be overly sedentary or bored. Hopefully he won't gain weight from being indoors. I do feed him an all wet food diet though.

kittens mom · Oct 7, 2015

I have a freaking bird sanctuary in the back due to cat perches for the inside flufflies. I've even become a bird watcher and reported several rare species in my area that were nesting. The cost of birdseed is horrendous but I consider it part of the dues for keeping them in 24/7. It goes without saying every screen in the house is reinforced to withstand the full force of a catapult. ( pun intended). The birds are quite immune to them at this point I've even seen some face to face confrontations. One particularly saucy red headed finch yelled something about I fart in your general direction.

We do an occasional flat of cat grass and fresh nip.

I would love to invest in a cat exercise wheel. With all the vet bills lately the kitty fund is rather bankrupt.

ruaryx · Oct 7, 2015

My cat that is a former stray is actually afraid of the outdoors now. He used to be scared when we opened the windows and he could hear outside noise. The other week it thunder stormed and he hid for 2 days. How weird.

kittens mom · Oct 7, 2015

Most strays started out as beloved pets.

ruaryx · Oct 7, 2015

Kittens Mom said:
Most strays started out as beloved pets.

My cat was born outside to a stray, so I don't think that he was ever owned. He was only a few months old when my family started feeding him. The funny thing is that my indoor only cat is super curious of the outdoors. She used to be terrified when she was younger, though.

kittens mom · Oct 7, 2015

Ruaryx said:
My cat was born outside to a stray, so I don't think that he was ever owned. He was only a few months old when my family started feeding him. The funny thing is that my indoor only cat is super curious of the outdoors. She used to be terrified when she was younger, though.

I looked out my back window today and seen a beautiful orange and white cat. He looks very well cared for I hope he went home and wasn't dumped here.

juleska · Oct 7, 2015

Crazy4Strays said:
Set up a play area for him with toys he can use to entertain himself. My husband made a whole playroom for our cats when we lived in Kuwait the first time, 6 years ago. It included toys hung from long string and ceiling hooks, tons of scratch pads and things to climb on and hide in.

You can do all of that, and he may love it. But you may find he still wants to go outside. The fact that he is an exceptionally determined escape artist tells me there's a possibility he is one of the ones I'm talking about....the kind that just can't be contained.

crazy4strays · Oct 8, 2015

I understand that for some cats it's harder than others. But I'm just not comfortable with him free roaming. Our rural area is full of predators. My neighbor, who only keeps her cats outside and never lets them in the house, has lost cat after cat to who knows what.

As a child I remember seeing my beloved cat torn to pieces by a neighbor's dog. I've vowed to myself not to put my children through that, if I can avoid it. I still have images of it in my head, over 20 years later.

We also lost 3-4 cats to antifreeze poisoning when I was young.

juleska · Oct 8, 2015

Crazy4Strays said:
I understand that for some cats it's harder than others. But I'm just not comfortable with him free roaming. Our rural area is full of predators. My neighbor, who only keeps her cats outside and never lets them in the house, has lost cat after cat to who knows what.

As a child I remember seeing my beloved cat torn to pieces by a neighbor's dog. I've vowed to myself not to put my children through that, if I can avoid it. I still have images of it in my head, over 20 years later.

We also lost 3-4 cats to antifreeze poisoning when I was young.

In that situation I would be the same. I don't live in an area with predators like that, the only real danger posed to my cats is traffic from our street. I can't imagine forcing my cats to stay outside...that is terrible.

Where I live in the Philippines, one of the reasons we have so many cats is that many people do keep their cats (and dogs) as outdoor only. They get tired of being neglected and make their way over to my house. I've had several move in that way.

All I'm saying is that he may never grow out of it. He may be one of those hardwired to get outdoors. Try the plants and playtime ideas and see if that helps him transition.

crazy4strays · Oct 8, 2015

We went on a walk this morning on the leash. He is doing great walking on the leash--even better than before.

crazy4strays · Oct 8, 2015

Yes, I totally disagree with having cats stay outside 24/7. (Unless they are ferals)

The highest risk time for cats is dusk and dawn. I mean, at least let them spend the night in the house!

My cat has a funny quirk and that is, he comes and gently nips on my nose in the morning when he wants breakfast. I mentioned that and someone said to just put him out during the night. Um, no way! I'd rather lose sleep than have him eaten by a coyote. Plus, there are other ways to prevent that, like closing my bedroom door.

crazy4strays · Oct 8, 2015

Kittens Mom said:
Most strays started out as beloved pets.

Very true. Strays are normally either lost or abandoned pets.

My Tiger came to us as a stray and was already neutered. I scanned him for a microchip and placed a FOUND ad, but didn't find his owner.

kittens mom · Oct 8, 2015

Crazy4Strays said:
Very true. Strays are normally either lost or abandoned pets.

My Tiger came to us as a stray and was already neutered. I scanned him for a microchip and placed a FOUND ad, but didn't find his owner.

There was a temp animal shelter at the end of our road for a few years. There were endless obvious housecats dumped. Of course not one of them was fixed. Between that and my neighbors who belong to the pet of the week club we about went nuts. I wish all of those that dumped their housecat understood how short their lives were and that they were as terrified as any feral with strangers trying to capture them. Between the dogs, yotes , cars and just people who in general see cats as targets their pets didn't have much of a chance. AC still seems to see cats as something they don't need to respond to. I was glad when they moved the shelter to a different location. At least half our problem was gone.

How long before your cats stopped giving you guilt trips? (re: going outside)

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Kittens life was lost to a negligent veterinarian.

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Kittens life was lost to a negligent veterinarian.

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Kittens life was lost to a negligent veterinarian.

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Kittens life was lost to a negligent veterinarian.

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Kittens life was lost to a negligent veterinarian.

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Kittens life was lost to a negligent veterinarian.