Dear Miss Behavin’:
Over the past few years I have been feeding a neighborhood feral cat that likes to visit my patio. The cat is really sweet and affectionate and I would like to bring her indoors. How can I help her adjust to no longer being an outdoor cat?
It can definitely be an adjustment process for a cat that has been living outdoors all or most of its life, to then find itself in an indoor living situation. To help ease the transition, here are some helpful tips to accommodate your new feline friend in bringing its outdoor environment indoors.
If possible, try providing the new kitty with as many vertical structures as possible. Cats have a natural inclination to climb upward, whether it be jumping their way from shelf to shelf on a cat tree, or leaping up to the top of a book shelf. By providing a variety of vertical structures, you can help replicate the natural trees, shrubs, and other plant life that your cat may have been climbing and exploring outdoors. An added benefit includes providing your cat with plenty of places to scratch and groom its claws, which it may have been doing more easily outdoors.
Once you have a few climbing structures in place, the next step would be to add a few shelves nearby on your walls. This can help create a fun walkway for your cat to explore and enjoy the view from as she watches the comings and goings of the home. If possible, place the shelving close to windows and other spaces that give your cat a view of the outdoors. Alternatively, an indoor window hammock can be a great addition where your cat can lounge and take in the outside view, from the safety and comfort of being indoors.
To keep an outdoor cat’s attention indoors, provide plenty of mental stimulation for her by engaging her with food puzzles or toy treasure hunts around the home. You can hide treats in toilet rolls and catnip scented toys around the home, in hiding places for her to find as she explores her new territory.
If your cat has a high energy personality, then it may be time to enlist the help of an indoor tunnel or jungle gym to harness her natural instinct to sprint and jump. Catios and outdoor cat tunnels are also neat enclosures that allow the indoor cat some room to explore the outdoors in a safe manner, keeping them protected from wild animals, automobiles, harsh weather conditions, and other possible injuries.
On a side note about general upkeep, be sure that your new cat has had a regular vet checkup and is initially secluded to one room as it adjusts to where its food, water, and litterbox are located in its new home.