Can I keep my cat inside?

I've had a lil cat for 6 months now, but for the past 2 months she has been crying a bit and standing by the door like she wants to go out. I woke nights and during the day over the last 2-3 weeks she has been crying a lot so I have started opening the window and she sits on the ledge watching the world go by.

But she can jump down and run around but I really dont want her to go out, I want her to stay in. Should I just not even open the windows and not give in to her crying? She came in tonight and hasn't stopped crying and is jumping round like a nutter lol

I like her being hyper but she has a look about her like she is frustrated. dohhh

Kev

 

UM

is your cat spayed?

 

not point in giving in to her now....she'll get the idea. Keep plenty of toys around for her to play with and maybe invest in a nice cat condo and/or cat tree.

Is she spayed? (I know you were already asked this)

My cats are inside only and they sit in the open window (with screens). I have only one that wants out and she's been with my for 7 years and every now and then she thinks we are going to let her out.

I do take mine out on a leash/harness....you could try that. But that tends to turn some cats into "door dashers". Missy does that to us but my other 2 don't.

 

there is no trick in training your cat to be an indoor-only cat. you simply cannot give in to their demands and they will soon figure it out. like other posters have said, if she isn't already fixed, getting her spayed will help the problem immensely. also be sure she has lots of toys to keep her occupied. you may even consider getting her a feline buddy if she doesn't already have one.

i do applaud you for wanting to keep her an indoor-only kitty. this is by far the safest thing for a cat, as i'm sure you know.

good luck to you.

 

Sure it may be the *safest* but not necessarily the right thing to do. Some cats are outside cats. Keeping them in is cruel. If you live in a location where there are no outside deterrents (coyotes, etc.), then let the cat out. I guess it is your decision as to what is more important to you, your cat's mental well-being or physical safety (as far as this last bit - there are dangers inside as well as outside so whether or not it may appear safer - this is just an illusion).

 

Re: UM

Yeah, shes been spayed and had all the injections and stuff

It's funny cos, first time she was out sitting on the window ledge (it's a kinda high drop) I went back to bed and couldn't sleep worrying if she was alright. So, I went back out and there was another cat sitting next to her on the window ledge lmao

Also, yesterday there was 3 cats all out around the front and she was just sitting watching em lol

This street has loads of cats around, but I dont really want her to go out. I play with her a lot and she seems happy enough, so I wonder if she cries while I'm trying to sleep cos she has slept all night and wants to play cos as soon as I get out of bed she darts around like she wants to play

So the last few weeks I've just been jumping round the bed with her and then in the end she gets so tired that I can get back to sleep cos she wants to sleep as well lol but she always wakes up about 6-8 in the morning and has about 30mins or so where she will rip the carpet by the cupboard door.

Anyways, thanks for the advice!

Kev