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- Sep 17, 2016
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Hi there! My cat Wally is about 11 months old and is terrified of being outside. It does vary. Last summer he enjoyed being outside on his harness so long as it was warm, not too windy, no noise (lawn mowers), and a limit of a couple meters away from the house. It's been warmer out lately, so I've tried taking him out. It's sometimes difficult to get him to be outside now for more than a few seconds or minutes. I think that if he learned to be comfortable at least on the perimeter of the house, he'd find lots of things to enjoy.
He generally comes to the door if I show him his harness and open the door. But once he gets outside, he's easily spooked! I'd like him to feel that his territory isn't limited to inside the house. And sometimes he is okay with exploring, but this is very rare. Sometimes treats work. Other times they don't. I've even tried just feeding him closer and closer to the open door. Results vary.
My ma even bought him a stroller! He's comfortable inside it until I take him outside. Then he starts licking his lips nervously and meowing. He's clearly scared. A sudden wind or the feeling of grass beneath his toes seems foreign to him. I adopted him at 4 months and harness trained him at that age. There was some moving that took place when he was 5-6 months old--that maybe why he feels he needs to stay in his territory.
I always let him back inside when he starts panicking.
Any ideas?
He generally comes to the door if I show him his harness and open the door. But once he gets outside, he's easily spooked! I'd like him to feel that his territory isn't limited to inside the house. And sometimes he is okay with exploring, but this is very rare. Sometimes treats work. Other times they don't. I've even tried just feeding him closer and closer to the open door. Results vary.
My ma even bought him a stroller! He's comfortable inside it until I take him outside. Then he starts licking his lips nervously and meowing. He's clearly scared. A sudden wind or the feeling of grass beneath his toes seems foreign to him. I adopted him at 4 months and harness trained him at that age. There was some moving that took place when he was 5-6 months old--that maybe why he feels he needs to stay in his territory.
I always let him back inside when he starts panicking.
Any ideas?
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