Indoor Behavior Changes

Kieka

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As some of you may remember my cat, Link, went missing for a few days and came home with a broken leg almost a month ago. He stayed at the vet a few days, had bloodwork, surgery and has been home for 3 weeks now on house arrest. He will be going back outside sometime in mid-November once he gets clearance from the vet but he will have a curfew. I thought I would share my experience of indoor versus indoor/outdoor behavior for anyone thinking of making the switch to indoor only.

It's been interesting. When he could come and go as he liked he seemed more relaxed and mellow. He'd either find a spot to nap where he could watch my Mom garden or, in bad weather, sleep on the bed in the master bedroom with a view of the backyard. He'd relax in the house and demand attention from time to time but he seemed more confident.

Now that he is housebound he freaks out anytime he finds himself alone. He has to hear or see a human at all times. My Mom has commented that he yells at her if she's home alone and dares to go to the bathroom without him. He's also taken to sleeping cuddled up next to me at night (much to Rocket's annoyance). He is also more alert to anything happening outside and hates it if we close the blinds all the way. He doesn't try to bolt outside though, he is a smart cat and has figured out that while the other two can he is stuck inside. But he wants to be outside, he's made it out a few times but he turns back inside as soon as we call. 

I will say that I will miss some aspects of the clingy cat he has become but I do miss the confidence he used to have. He will be indoors at night so we will see how that works out long term with him and Rocket both liking to sleep with me but not with each other.  If I had to make the switch permanent I don't think it would be a hard change for him to accept. He doesn't seem to fight being indoors; you just can tell he wants to be able to go back outside. But it's not the direction our family wants to go so once his leg is better he will be back to his old indoor/outdoor ways.



Edited to clarify: This is meant for someone who is thinking of switching from outdoor only or indoor/outdoor to indoor only. I do not condone nor encourage giving a cat outside access unsupervised if they have not previously been outside on their own. My cats are from a feral colony and/or have been going outside since they were 3-6 months old (depending on size/weight). They have free access through a microchip cat door to go outside during the day and curfew at night. All my cats get regular exams and vaccines. But an indoor only cat who has not been outside wouldn't understand cars, dogs, limitations climbing, etc to navigate safely outside without supervision. 
 
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govtlawyer

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Your observations of indoor vs outdoor are not valid.  The reason being is that your cat has been outdoors previously and has a taste of both ways of life.  It doesn't add to the debate at all.  It simply tells about your cat's particular experience.  I wouldn't suggest anyone with an indoor cat to make a switch to an outdoor one.  The indoor cat has no idea what awaits him out there and may be ill prepared.  An outdoor coming indoors will presumably miss the freedom.  However, there wouldn't be anything indoors which could harm it.
 
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Kieka

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Your observations of indoor vs outdoor are not valid.  The reason being is that your cat has been outdoors previously and has a taste of both ways of life.  It doesn't add to the debate at all.  It simply tells about your cat's particular experience.  I wouldn't suggest anyone with an indoor cat to make a switch to an outdoor one.  The indoor cat has no idea what awaits him out there and may be ill prepared.  An outdoor coming indoors will presumably miss the freedom.  However, there wouldn't be anything indoors which could harm it.
I'm sorry for the confusion, I meant it for someone considering switching from indoor/outdoor to indoor only. Ergo, using my cat who is indoor/outdoor but now housebound due to injury to base this on. I don't think anywhere in my statement I said I was switching my indoor cat to outdoor and my photos are clearly indoor. I would never suggest switching an indoor only cat to indoor/outdoor or outdoor only. Once an indoor cat always an indoor cat; as you've said they don't have the behaviors to switch successfully. Even a cat that has been indoor only for a significant amount of time shouldn't go back outside because they might have lost some of those behaviors/cautions they previously had. 

I've seen a few people post asking about experiences switching TO indoor only. So this is aimed at that and having something someone looking around might see that shows it isn't a super hard change to make but there are some changes they may see in the previously outdoor or indoor/outdoor cat. It is a personal experience I am sharing in hopes of helping someone else down the line or so that someone going through it can contact me with questions. Probably due to switching from more self reliant to dependent and yes he misses the freedom and it shows in his behaviors. But this is only meant as a personal observation of the changes I've seen in my cat with our situation. My boy is smart, if I do say so myself, and unlike other people whose cats are bolting for the door every chance he doesn't but he will go outside if he notices no one watching him.

This also isn't meant as a debate or a standpoint on the validity of the indoor, indoor/outdoor, outdoor stances people have. I am, personally, a strong believer that no one can judge or decide for another what is right for them and their family. Meaning, I don't believe I can judge you for your decision on the "debate" and if you will, please, do not judge me for what I have decided. 

I would like to say that they are valid for my own cat within my own situation. I don't think I said anywhere that this was a universal truth or imply that what happened to me would be exactly what someone else would experience. It doesn't invalidate what I am saying though by not being an universal truth. Anything people say about cat behavior is generally from their own experiences but that doesn't make them invalid. Anyone taking advice should be taking their own situation into consideration and adapting. 
 
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govtlawyer

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Having said it was just indoor/outdoor to indoor only, makes sense to me.  I was mistaken.  Sorry.
 
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