Give them a sunny window so they can watch the birds or bask in a sunbeam.Cats like to observe their world from above (which is why they climb trees and roofs), so give or make yours a cat tree or kitty jungle gym to climb.They don't have to be fancy a ball of aluminum foil and a paper bag delight many a cat. A cat's play is all based on the hunting instinct, so give them plenty of toys to stalk, chase, pounce on, and kill.Give your kitty plenty of indoors options to express their natural behaviors. Though people domesticated cats several thousand years ago, they still retain many behaviors of their wild ancestors. Work with your doctor to manage these conditions instead. You can train them to run away from an open door by throwing a treat to the other side of the room.ĭon't let allergies or pregnancy make you consider putting your cat outside or even giving them up.Never hit, kick or yell at them they'll become afraid of you.If they try to make a break for the door, rattle a jar of pennies or give them a squirt with a water gun.If you're starting your cat's retraining during the winter, a warm, dry bed to snuggle in may be just the ticket to convince them to stay inside.

Instead of letting your cat back outside as soon as they're finished eating, keep them inside for increasing periods of time. If your cat has never used a scratching post or a litter box, introduce both items well before transitioning your cat to life inside.They might scratch at doors, claw at windows, yowl, and try to dash through open doors. Many cats will adjust with little effort, while others will be miserable-and let you know it. Make the change from outdoors to indoors gradually, until the new way of life becomes old hat. The trick is to make the great indoors as fun and intriguing as the outdoors. Plenty of stray cats have been adopted and turned into happy indoor kitties who don't want to go out. 'But my cat has always gone outside,' you protest. In fact, many become frightened if they accidentally wander out the door. They've never been outside and have no desire to venture out. Millions of cats spend their entire lives indoors without complaint. So how do you keep kitty both safe and happy inside? Follow our suggestions: Believe you (and your cat) can do it And cats themselves can be deadly to local wildlife.

Potentially deadly dangers-parasites, catching diseases from other cats, being hit by cars, stolen by strangers, attacked by predators, or just plain getting lost-are constant threats to an outdoor cat. Cats can live a happy and healthy life indoors with their families.Īllowing your cats to roam outdoors can significantly shorten their lives. But cats would disagree with you (and so would local birds!)Īctually, close to two-thirds of owned cats live indoors either exclusively or for a majority of the time. You may think that cats have to go outside to be happy.

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