indoor to outdoor cat: possible?

hi,

my friend wants to take a couple of our kittens, but he is concerned about the indoor/outdoor thing. his current apartment isn't outdoor-cat friendly, so they would grow up indoor cats. but later on he will likely live in a house with a backyard (or at least an apartment with better outdoor access), and he wants to know if it is possible for the cats to learn to go outdoors later in life.

any advice/words of wisdom?

thanks.

It is a lot easier for cats who live indoors to be introduced to the outdoors than vice versa. The only time this isn't possible is when the owner has had the cat stripped of their protection by declawing them. If the manager of the apartment complex is willing, if your friend is on an upper level, he could hang some screening up around the balcony so the cats could go outside, but not get hurt. I did this once when I was living on the third floor and the cats loved it. I got the really thick window mesh so their claws wouldn't rip it and it worked out well. Sundance and Cassidy loved sitting out on the balcony during the day.

Anything is possible with cats I am one of those people who don't think they should be let outdoors. However, I can give you this suggestion, He can always build an outdoor enclosure and make it any size he wants. This way, they can go outside but can't go too far and are protected from the things they have been sheltered from growing up.