Hi there! I'm Miko and brand new to the site Hoping to get some advice!
I adopted the most adorable cat about 8 months ago from an animal rescue in LA and have loved every minute. My cat, Miles Davis, is super sweet, extremely friendly, curious, VERY social, and a big purr machine. He's an indoor cat but i have a small one bedroom apartment and wish my apartment had more space for him to explore and run around in. To combat this, i'll usually leave my front door open when i'm home so he can run around the hallway and socialize (sort of) with the other cats on the floor (he'll usually sits in front of my neighbors door and meows with the other cat, it's quite adorable).
About a 3 months ago i thought he would like to explore the back yard but he totally freaked out, started yowling, and ran back home. I haven't tried to take him outside since then. However, I purchased a cat leash and would walk him through the hallway so he could get used to the harness in hopes that he'd eventually want to explore a little further (possibly down the stairs, and eventually outside). He seemed to like it for the first 2 weeks but eventually lost interest and wouldn't move lol.
I don't intend on having him be an outdoor cat but i'd love to take him with me during the weekends when i'm running errands, the park, beach, etc. I want to buy one of those backpacks with the little windows cats can see out of but I am nervous he will lose it again as soon as he realizes we are leaving the apartment.
I don't have much knowledge of his past and feel that his fear of the outside is possibly associated with being abandoned, potential abuse by previous owners, or he could simply be overwhelmed by everything going on outside.
Needless to say, i'm hoping i can get some advice on how to help calm his nerves when he's outside or if it's even a good idea at all. I'm a first time cat owner so I'm learning as i go lol.
Thank you in advance for any feedback you can provide
I adopted the most adorable cat about 8 months ago from an animal rescue in LA and have loved every minute. My cat, Miles Davis, is super sweet, extremely friendly, curious, VERY social, and a big purr machine. He's an indoor cat but i have a small one bedroom apartment and wish my apartment had more space for him to explore and run around in. To combat this, i'll usually leave my front door open when i'm home so he can run around the hallway and socialize (sort of) with the other cats on the floor (he'll usually sits in front of my neighbors door and meows with the other cat, it's quite adorable).
About a 3 months ago i thought he would like to explore the back yard but he totally freaked out, started yowling, and ran back home. I haven't tried to take him outside since then. However, I purchased a cat leash and would walk him through the hallway so he could get used to the harness in hopes that he'd eventually want to explore a little further (possibly down the stairs, and eventually outside). He seemed to like it for the first 2 weeks but eventually lost interest and wouldn't move lol.
I don't intend on having him be an outdoor cat but i'd love to take him with me during the weekends when i'm running errands, the park, beach, etc. I want to buy one of those backpacks with the little windows cats can see out of but I am nervous he will lose it again as soon as he realizes we are leaving the apartment.
I don't have much knowledge of his past and feel that his fear of the outside is possibly associated with being abandoned, potential abuse by previous owners, or he could simply be overwhelmed by everything going on outside.
Needless to say, i'm hoping i can get some advice on how to help calm his nerves when he's outside or if it's even a good idea at all. I'm a first time cat owner so I'm learning as i go lol.
Thank you in advance for any feedback you can provide
Last edited: