Perhaps you’re adopting a stray or maybe you’re moving from a house to an apartment — in these circumstances sometimes it’s necessary to transition an outdoor cat to an indoor cat. The trick is to match expectations: yours and the cats, so that you can both share the same space without the fur flying.
Think of things from the cat’s point of view and you won’t go far wrong. For example, a stray cat that scratches a fence post to mark her territory isn’t going to understand that she shouldn’t scratch your dining chairs in the same way. Thinking like a cat provides her with an alternative place to scratch.
For a happy and harmonious household attend to all the cats’ basic needs and provide outlets for all her natural behaviours such as climbing, scratching, and hunting, playing, and hiding away. But first things first; to make sure an outdoor or stray cat doesn’t bring lots of unwelcome hitch-hikers into your home, a vet check is in order.
Health and Safety
Have the cat checked out by a vet. Parasite control is essential, so make sure she is treated with an effective sustained release anti-flea product and that she is wormed. If the cat is a stray, especially if you already have cats, get her tested for FeLV and FIV to ensure she’s not a risk to others.
Vaccinations are also essential. Even indoor cats need protection because this virus is extremely tough and can be walked in on your shoes. Don’t assume she has immunity against feline panleucopaenia (feline distemper or feline parvovirus) just because she was living rough.
Cat proof the house so that she can’t escape. Look with fresh eyes at fly screens and window openings, to make sure they are in good order and won’t allow her to slip out unnoticed. Now is also the time to create a cat friendly environment. If you have a balcony take a look at enclosing it so there’s no risk of falls. Ideally, if you are handy at DIY, create a ‘catio’ so she can gain access to fresh air safely.
Settling In Period
If this is the first time the cat has lived indoors, she may find the smells, sights, and sounds overwhelming. To help her adjust, restrict her to one room, which will become her sanctuary and a place she can return to whenever she feels uncertain about anything.
The room should have full ensuite facilities with everything she needs including plenty of hiding places (cardboard boxes will do), a comfy bed, food, water, litter box, and toys. Keep her in there for a few days, until she finds her paws and is emerging from hiding regularly. If you have other cats, this is the time to use ‘scent handshakes’ to introduce them.
Once she seems more confident, start leaving the door ajar so that she can venture out to explore when the house is quiet. It’s a good idea to let her discover things at her own pace, a little at a time, and always with an escape route back to the sanctuary.
A Cat-Happy House
Making a house into a home for your cat means providing outlets for their natural behaviours. Imagine you are a cat and think of the activities you get up to in the great outdoors. For a start there’s climbing trees, scratching to scent mark, toileting, hunting supper, chewing plants, sleeping in hideaways, and then play. Now it’s up to you to provide the ways and means for the cat to do these things but without causing a nuisance. The alternative is to invite bad behaviours such as toileting where she shouldn’t and climbing the curtains, so let’s look at each these activities in more detail.
Climbing
Instinctively cats like to get up high and look down on the world. Provide for this need by making a tall cat-tower or tree. Better still; position it beside a window so the cat can watch birds in the garden or people passing by.
Try and make her world as 3D as possible by improvising shelving or steps which allow the cat to move around the room without using the floor, by jumping from object to object.
Scratching
As the cat settles in she’ll want to prove this lovely new home is hers by marking it as her territory. Encourage her to do this, but on your terms, by providing cat scratch posts – and plenty of them.
Watch to see if she’s a horizontal (carpets) or vertical (furniture) scratcher and provide appropriately orientated, fixed scratch posts. Make sure the post doesn’t move when used, as a wobbly surface will put her off. Locate the posts by entrances and exits, and also beside her bed. (Have you ever noticed how on waking a cat stretches and scratches?)
Toileting
First off, give your cat the largest tray you can find (maybe even a garage oil drip trap). Sit the tray in a quiet place, where the cat will be undisturbed when doing her business.
A truly outdoor cat may not understand what kitty litter is for, so put soil in the tray. As the cat becomes used to the idea of what to toilet in, you can slowly add litter and remove soil.
Hiding
Cats need to hide, especially if they feel uncertain or threatened. In each room provide several hidey-holes, such as cardboard boxes or paper bags with the handles cut off. The safer the cat feels, the more quickly she will settle in, so don’t worry about hiding being a permanent thing.
Hunting
Hunting isn’t just about catching food, it’s about mental stimulation. You can mimic hunting behaviour with regular play sessions chasing a wing-on-a-string or a laser pointer. In addition, consider using puzzle feeders so that she has to work for her food or hiding small amounts of food around the house so that she has to go looking for it – all of which provide valuable mental stimulation.
Chewing
Cats are carnivores but they do like to chew and eat vegetation from time to time. Avoid kitty dining on your house plants (which you will already have carefully screened to make sure they aren’t toxic to cats) by providing trays of cat grass as a ready salad.
Remember, the golden rule when transitioning an outdoor cat to the indoors, is to look at things through a cat’s eyes, and then you won’t go far wrong.
Have you successfully transitioned an outdoor cat indoors? What are your tips for success?
Robin says
Outdoor kitties can make great indoor pets! It is so much safer for cats to live indoors. My Manna was an abandoned kitten found outdoors, but that is about as much experience as I have with bringing in an outdoor cat. She was very young, so the transition was easy. I imagine that patience and persistence are the biggest keys here.
Lindsay says
Interesting, an outdoor cat probably really appreciates having lots of warm nooks to cozy up in!
Carol Bryant says
These are fantastic tips. I love that you gave actionable tips for folks who feel their cat would not like indoors. I am sharing this for BlogPaws now. Very well done.
Where Pets Are Found (@petsarefound) says
With the increasing discussion around Community Cats vs Ferals or WildCats here in Australia, this is very helpful.
Beth says
Our cat was a stray cat who had to be quarantined for 6 months after an unknown illness sent him to the vet for a week. We kept him in a small sun room and he was so weak and out of it that it didn’t stress him out too much. As he got stronger, I let him explore the rest of the house, but it was so gradual that it worked out well. He’s been an inside kitty for 13 years.
Sweet Purrfections says
Great recommendations. One could use the same tips for any new cat coming to your house.
sadieandco says
I’m quite sure our ‘foster fail’ was an outdoor cat. At least, he spent months outdoors before he was rescued. He is enjoying the finer things in life now and enjoys going out with his canine companions and coming in for treats when called. Great information – it definitely is safer for indoor cats.
Talent Hounds says
Great post – will share the link with a friend who adopted a nomad cat. My rescue Nala never liked being stuck inside all the time, but now I see why. We were ill-prepared.
Sarcastic Dog says
These are great tips. When I first moved from Massachusetts to Colorado twenty years ago, I had my two cats making the cross-country trip with me and as soon as we got to Breckenridge, everyone warned me that my cats would have to become indoor cats because the risks, primarily from other wildlife were too great for outdoor kitties in that area. I wish I’d had your post to guide me back then because it was a rough transition. Ultimately, it was a good decision to have them become indoor kitties as Grace lived to 14 and Gretta to 18 🙂
christycaplan (@christycaplan) says
I watched a Jackson Galaxy episode about this as well – and I love your idea and suggestion about the Catio. I’ve seen this work well with a friend’s cat transition. Great tips, shared!
Bryn Nowell says
Great thoughts and thorough post! I hope this will help ease the transition for lots of cats and their owners! Thanks so much for sharing!
TossedCookie says
It is so much safer for kitties indoors! It may be a little bit of work, but make the transition!
Aimable Cats says
Parker was a farm feral who knew my lap and a litter box. I picked her up one day, took her to the vet for a sleeping pill for the 5-hour car ride and a Frontline to get the ticks off, and took her home to my apartment. I kept her in the second bathroom for about a week. I fed her in there, and put her litter box at the base of the linen shelves . When I went in to feed her canned food, I would sit with her and pet her, like I often did when I fed her in the shed. About a week later, I let her explore the apartment (but not the laundry room — I didn’t want her clawing the dryer hose).
A couple months later, I took her to a behavioral vet specialist for tips on how to teach her 2:30 am was not playtime — Dr Foote said I should be sure to play with her before bedtime to tire her out.
pilch92 says
Great post. I wish all cats could be indoors- so much safer.
Tenacious Little Terrier says
Great tips! I know it’s an adjustment but things are so dangerous for cats around here with trucks, coyotes, birds of prey and cat nappers.
The Swiss Cats says
Great tips ! Mum applied them when I had to stay one whole month indoor until they built the cat proof fence around the garden. Purrs
Chloe Kardoggian says
Great info!
Three Chatty Cats says
Great tips. I’ve never had to do this, but I imagine it can be hard on the former outdoor kitty.