This is going to be a long explanation followed by the question. I just want to give a back story.
My wife and I have taken in our neighbor''s cat (she still doesn''t know if she wants to keep her because we have two cats, a dog and a 4 month old in the apartment already) to try and help her get healthy again. Our neighbors moved in after us and their cat, a 10 year old front-declawed Siamese has been going outside. This was going on for about 3 months or so. They have had her for 5 years and adopted her from the SPCA.
She has gotten in a couple "shouting" matches with a feral stray that hangs out in back of our building and my wife heard them actually get into once with a blood curdling scream from the Siamese. After that we didn''t see her for 3 days and were a bit concerned thinking maybe she had been killed. SO I knocked on the neighbors door and they let me know that she has been in the house for three days, that she hadn''t eaten and is barely drinking. However, they are looking for a home for her.
So I let my wife know what was going on and we said we would take her to see if we can get her eating again. We had for her two days, the first night she ate some wet food and drank some, but after that she would only drink and it was enough for her as she was getting visibly dehydrated with sunken in eyes and losing weight. So we put a call into our vet and he said to bring her right in.
She ended up having pancreatitis and had to be put on IV fluids and antibiotics for a couple days. Five days and over $600 later, we brought her home last Wednesday. She has been eating better and drinking better and just looks like her normal beautiful self. She is more active.
She seems to be at home here, but will mouth off at our 11 year old DSH cat and will sometimes pop him, but he does the same to her. Our other cat avoids her and the dog avoids her, but she seem to tolerate the dog a bit more than the other two cats. My wife still isn''t sure if she wants to hold onto her. I would like to, and think that she will have a better life here. At least one where she isn''t fed strictly dry food and is let out because she''s at the door wanting to go out.
Last night, she did sneak out on me as I brought the dog in from her last outing to go potty. I was able to get her within a minute though as I got her cornered under the steps that lead up to the second floor apartments/breezeway.
How do we get the cat to just stay inside and not even want to go outside?
Our two cats are strictly indoor cats and we would want her to be a indoor cat only as well.
Actually Maddie, it for her own safety. We don''t have just the one feral cat, that roams the apartment complex, we have several and since she doesn''t run from them and doesn''t have front claws, it''s a disaster waiting to happen.
We also live in Central Florida, where there are venomous snakes to deal with, and Alligators. There are several Alligators that live in the ponds scattered around the apartment complex.
So it has nothing to do with our style and everything to do with looking out for the pets who''s lives are entrusted to us!
Thank you Sebastian, we can deal with the "aftershocks" of keeping her in the home.
Just looking for practical suggestions to help with keeping her as an indoor cat only.
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I''m kind of assuming the cat has been fixed if you got her from the SPCA (if not , that''s your first job. ) Since the cat is declawed she cannot defend herself & should never be let out. She also can''t climb a tree to get to safety with no claws. She is just a snack for the alligators & the Burmese Pythons if she gets too close. To make her an inside cat, make sure she doesn''t get out of the door. She will try to sneak out so you have to watch her or put her in a room with the door closed if you have to let the dog out. Cats can be very sneaky & will lay in wait near the door for a chance to get out. Make sure she has a collar on with a bell so you can hear her walking around. Ignore her when she sits by the door waiting to get out. You are bigger than her ( & smarter so be aware of her tricks). Keep remembering that she cannot get out unless someone opens the door for her.Mistakes can happen & she may sneak out when you are busy & forget or carrying groceries in but with the bell on you will find her easier. I''ve had the same problem but it was because I was staying with my mother in law who didn''t believe cats should stay inside . She kept letting the cat out & he''d sit in the middle of the road with traffic going by. Dumb cat, forgetful mother in law. The final concern you have is that there are many diseases that your cat can catch either from fighting with other cats or just contact with others. With a liver or pancreas problem, your cat cannot afford to catch germs outside. I use to let my cats out but then had one poisoned, one hit by a car, & had one that just never came home again so I know the pain of losing a pet. If your cat keeps sitting by the door, let her sit. Just don''t open the door for her.
- You cant. If you try to she will get depressed and become destructive. Just let her go outside, what, is she cramping your "i keep my cats inside all day so that they cant so anything with their lives and become a living decoration" style?
- How good are your nerves? Because forcing a cat to stay inside once it has seen the world is going to require nerves of steel. Basically, you are going to have to deal with a withdrawal period, during which that cat is going to be a nightmare -- howling, prowling, being grumpy and aggressive. And every time that cat gets out again -- whether because it just slipped out, or you broke down and gave up -- you will have to start that withdrawal process all over again.
I am currently dealing with an indoor-cat-turned-stray who is now back in my household. I thought I could turn her back into an indoor cat. It was looking good. However, it was just the cold weather that was making her happy to spend her nights inside. Now that spring is approaching, she is making a fuss at sunrise, and not letting up -- she must get out. And, I am resigned to her spending most of her day -- and night -- outside. - A cat that has been outside for an extended period of time, or a house cat that had the freedom to go in and out will probably never lose all desire to go outside, as there are too many interesting things going on "out there". Your home smells and looks the same everyday, and there are probably no mice or birds moving about, so who wouldnt want to go outside, especially when she is a born predator. If you can make your home more interactive for her, and keep her entertained per se,
after a few years (as she gets older and less active), she could be more content with staying inside,
and actually wary of the outside. Good luck! - Indoor cats that are sometimes outdoor cats can be very difficult to break of their outdoor habits. We took in a cat that we found outside and was declawed already. After a month of trying to find the owner, we kept him since no one came forward. He was maybe 2 years old when we got him and we never really were able to rid him of wanting to go out. Luckily, if he ran out he would just roll around on the porch and not go far. As he got older he wanted out less, but it''s still a problem because he will dart out every once in a while. The only thing you can do really is get in the habit of "shooing" the cat away from the door with a spray bottle or something like that to let the cat know it cannot go out anymore. I don''t think the cat could ever really be broken of the habit of wanting to go out however, but a deterrent might help keep the cat at bay.
- EASY 101 ..... Bring cat indoors - close door.
