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How To Train An Outdoor Cat To Stay Home

Final Thoughts On Outdoor Cat To Stay Home

How to Make an Outdoor Cat an Indoor Cat! Turning Your Cat from and Outdoor Cat to an Indoor Cat!

If you want to train an outdoor cat to stay home or make it an indoor cat, then should follow those points we discussed. But always keep in mind, your cats health and safety first.

Moreover, if you and your family stop moving an indoor cat outside, the cat becomes try this habit. Unfortunately, if it goes outside, it will always try own to return home.

After all, you may be concerned about training a new kitten to be a mouser. That means it can hunt rodents and other prey.

If you think your cat let be an effective mouser, follow the steps we described on keeping an outdoor cat inside.

Talk With Your Veterinarian Before Letting Indoor Cats Have Outdoor Time

If a cat spends any amount of time outdoors, no matter how limited or infrequent, the cat owner should mention it to their veterinarian so they can adequately discuss health risks to ensure the cat is properly protected from diseases, parasites and more, says Nora Grant, DVM, veterinary services manager, Ceva Animal Health, Red Oaks, Texas. I encourage cat owners to be as frank as possible about how the pet spends its time. By asking these questions, a veterinarian simply wants to understand what a cat may encounter to ensure the cats health and well-being.

Thats true whether you allow your cat to roam free, walk on a leash or even use a catio.

Dr. Mosoriak and Dr. Levy have a host of favorite products that take care of fleas on cats and other parasites. Favorites for flea and tick prevention include Advantage Multi flea treatment, Revolution and Seresto flea and tick collars for cats. For helping your indoor cat feel at home, or for help transitioning your outdoor cat into an indoor cat, they recommend trying cat calming products, such as the Comfort Zone with Feliway cat diffuser and Solliquin supplements for cats.

And, of course, cats should be spayed, neutered and microchipped.

Annual exams, vaccinations, deworming, spaying and neutering are always important, says Dr. Mosoriak. Administering monthly internal and external parasite control is especially important for outdoor cats.

Image via Claudia Paulussen/Shutterstock

The American Humane Society Traps Feral Cats

If you think she is lost or ownerless, test how social she is. Put food out on your porch. Stay back but in sight. If the wild cat approaches easily and comes to you when called, she may already have an owner or may not have been on her own for long. Put up signs and an ad in the newspaper if you need to; this cat’s owners may be looking for her!

If she is underfed, she will always appreciate any food you leave her.

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Keep The Cat In One Room For 3 Days

Its important for cats to acclimatise slowly. The best moving house with cats advice agrees that the cat needs to get used to a new home a little bit at a time. Moving an outdoor cat to a new home offers the complication of convincing a free spirit to stay in an enclosed space for several days, but your cat will be safer and happier in the long run if you keep it in the one designated cat room for 3 days. For how to settle a cat into a new home, continue to provide food and water, and keep an eye on your cat to make sure it is getting more comfortable. But dont leave it alone in the room visit every few hours at minimum.

Is Your Cat Ready To Relocate

How to train an outdoor cat to stay home

First, determine if your cat might be too;feral;to move. Some people let their cats roam outside because they’re just a little too rambunctious to stay indoors, but they’re still tame and bonded to their owners. These cats are prime candidates to relocate.

If you’re feeding a feral cat that never gets close enough to pet or if she seems more bonded to a colony of cats than to you, then you might want to reconsider moving her.1;This is also true if she’s too wild to be indoors, but you’re moving to an area that’s more dangerous outside, such as near a busy road.

For these situations, consider talking to your neighbors to see if they might be interested in providing food and water after you’re gone and becoming the new caregivers.

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How To Train A Cat To Be Outdoor Safe And A Good Rodent Catcher

This article was co-authored by Pippa Elliott, MRCVS. Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years.There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 195,959 times.

If cats are raised to spend most or all of their time outdoors, they will usually practice natural hunting behavior. This means that they can be great for controlling pesky rodents around your house, yard, or barn. Outdoor hunting cats, sometimes called barn cats or mousers, will still need to be fed and cared for. With just a little encouragement, however, theyll quickly become rodent-fighting ninjas.

Move Closer And Talk To The Cat

While you may feel silly doing it, talking to the cat is important. Talk to the animal quietly and calmly, without approaching. You may want to do this while sitting at a distance from the cat or while he or she is eating.

As the cat realizes that you are not a threat, it will get more comfortable with you being closerso try to take fewer steps back with each feeding.

Also Check: What Temperature Do Cats Get Cold

Provide Sunshine And Fresh Air

Indoor cats need fresh Air, sunshine and exercise. Open the window and let the cat sit in the window. So the cat can breathe in the fresh air. You can put reinforced screens or bars on the window, so your cat wont fall or jump out.

You could even build a catio using Bamboo and wood. Or can buy a beautiful readymade catio from amazon.

Don’t Limit Her To One Area

How to Train a Cat to Go to the Bathroom Outside

Once your cat has learned a command, practice it in different areas of your home. If you’re introducing a kitten to other preexisting pets, and only bring them together in the living room, she may believe the other animal only exists in that space. This isn’t a problem if your other animal is a fish, but if your kitten is meeting a dog, she needs to understand she’ll encounter him in other areas as well.

Much like litter training, some types of training may require using different areas of your home. If you are house training a cat, it’s sometimes necessary to have more than one litter box available. Keeping her from scratching carpet and furniture will also warrant a more comprehensive lesson, as she’ll find these items in more than one room.

Read Also: How To Potty Train A Cat

Simple Tricks On How To Keep Cats Off Furniture

If you are wondering how to keep cats off furniture naturally, you are not alone. That has been a problem for countless cat owners and is one of the more challenging aspects of owning cats.

How to keep cats off furniture

Cats do not just use the furniture to rest, but may also scratch and tear them. After having spent a large;amount of money on home furniture, it is heart-breaking to see;your furniture being damaged by ;your adorable cat.

It can also be bothersome;finding the fur of your cat on your couch, sofa, door mats, carpets and bed ;and could be;even unhealthy.How to keep cats away from furniture? Well, this needs considerable effort on your part.

Training the cat or your kitten at an early stage can help them keep away from your furniture. Once the cat is familiar with using the furniture of the house, it becomes difficult to train it to keep away from it.

Exercise Your Cats Inner Predator

In addition to creating a rich cat-centric environment, do activities that address predatory behaviors. Its not the natural modus operandi for cats to saunter over to food bowls for a nosh. Instead, they should be encouraged to hunt for a portion of their meals. Place dry food and treats in cat toys, puzzle boxes, handle-less paper bags and tunnels as well as on vertical territory. Treat rolls are usually welcomed as well. Roll treats on the floor or gently toss them low for chasing.

Play in a way that mimics the hunt.;Cats first will watch, stalk, sprint and then finally pounce. Use a pole toy, dragging it away from the cat, over scratchers, cat furniture;and sofas. Finally end the play session with a final catch, immediately followed with a sumptuous meal.

Cats should never be forced. Instead they need to be encouraged to live indoors by making the inside more exciting and appealing than outdoors. Many cats immediately adjust to the new arrangement, while;others take time to transition to living inside. There are always exceptions some cats insist on copious amounts of outdoor time. These little ones may do well with access to yards that are fenced in with non-electric cat fences or enclosures.

Please like Marilyns Page.

She is a frequent guest on television and radio, answering cat behavior questions and helping people understand their cats.

Read Also: How To Tell If A Male Cat Is Fixed

Teaching Your Cat To Stay In The Yard

  • 1Let your neighbors know about your cat. If they dont already know you have a cat, let them know that you do, that you are training him to go outside, and to stay within the boundaries of your yard.XResearch source
  • Explain that he is not supposed to leave the yard, and that if he comes into their yard, they can either shoo him back to your yard, or they can call you.XResearch source
  • Ask them to shoo your cat firmly, but without trying to frighten the cat. If they frighten him too much, he may run into the road, or somewhere other than your yard.
  • 2 If you have a fence already, you can skip this step. If you do not, you should use something, such as small flags or large stones, to mark the boundaries of your yard.XResearch source
  • 3Have a spray bottle handy. It is best if you get a childrens squirt gun that can shoot very far. This way, you can hide if you need to spray your cat. It is important that your cat does not see that the water is coming from you. If the does, he will wait until you are not around to do whatever they want to do.XResearch source
  • An exception to this is if you see that your cat needs to immediately be redirected because of danger . In dangerous situations, it is more important that you redirect him quickly, regardless of whether he knows you are doing it.XResearch source
  • You should also try to avoid spraying him in the face, unless it is to protect him from an immediate threat.XResearch source.
  • Start with session of 5-10 minutes.
  • Access To The Outdoors

    How to House

    A catio, an outdoor enclosure for your cat, will give your cat access to outdoors in a safe environment. Catios range from window boxes to larger room-like structures. One resource we recommend is Catio Spaces, . You can either hire an expert to come build a catio for you, or you can purchase and download the specs for a DIY project. Alternately, you can set up a pop-up tent with window screens in your yard, or place a cat tunnel outside. Lastly, you can halter train your cat and let them lead you around your yard. Even a few minutes spent outdoors each day can be very enriching for a cat, and can be a bonding experience for both of you. Just be prepared to treat for fleas if your cat has any outdoor access.;

    Read Also: How To Use Pine Pellets For Cat Litter

    How To Train A Cat To: Come On Command

    Cats can learn to respond to a vocal cue and run your way. This step of how to train a cat starts by making a distinct noise before feedingbefore you open a bag or canlike vocally call your cat, or click your tongue. Your pet will learn to associate that noise with something positive and will eventually head to you when it hears it. Then, encourage this behavior outside of normal feeding times. Start from short distances. Make the noise, use your clicker when your cat comes, and then reward your pet with the treat. Over time, call the cat from longer distances. The ASPCA recommends up to two cat training sessions a day, for five minutes or less, during which you should repeat the behavior up to 20 times. Heres how to tell how smart your cat is, by the way.

    The Perks Of Being An Indoor Cat

    The more comfortable life of an indoor cat significantly increases his lifespan. An indoor cat may live 15-17 years, while the life expectancy for outdoor cats is only 2-5 years, according to researchers at University of California-Davis.

    Dr. Jeff Levy, DVM, CVA, owner of House Call Vet NYC, also discourages owners from keeping cats outdoors. He adds that the extreme climates of the outdoors can be very hard on a cat.

    If you do plan on taking your cat outside, it is best to do so in a controlled environment or with precautions put in place to ensure they cannot escape or run away. Cats may have nine lives, but they arent indestructible, says Dr. Levy. Certain pet owners in New York walk their cats on leashes . They train them to do that and can make sure they stay safe. That takes training, but its important. And the cats seem to enjoy it.

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    Training Your Cat To Be Aware Of Traffic

  • 1Make sure that your cat is trained to stay in the yard. By now, your cat should understand that he is supposed the stay in the yard. Hopefully, this will be training enough; however, it is also important that your cat understand what he should be afraid of.
  • 2Encourage your cat to go out when traffic is light. This will depend on where you live, but you need to figure out when the traffic is lightest on your street, perhaps mid-day or late at night after most people have come home.XResearch source
  • Try to keep the times consistent so that your cat learns what time of day he can expect to go outside. It will help establish patterns that your cat can understand.
  • 3Leave the front door open while he is out. Once your cat is used to going outside at a certain time each day, you should follow him. Be sure to leave the door open so he can easily get back inside.XResearch source
  • 4Hide and wait for a car to come along. Since your cat knows that he should stay in the yard regardless of whether you are there, you should find a way to hide with a water gun. You will need to wait until a car comes along, preferably a bigger car so that your cat will be sure to notice it.XResearch source
  • 5Spray the cat. Understand that spraying your cat with water can be very traumatic, so it should not be done often, and if at all possible, your cat should not see that you are the one spraying them.XResearch source
  • Before You Let Your Cat Or Kitten Outside:

    How To Let A Cat Out For The First Time! Advice For Letting Your Cat Outside For The First Time!
    • Make sure your cat can be identified. A Battersea cat will already be microchipped, so if your cat is scanned, the chip will be linked to your contact details.
    • Even if your cat has been microchipped, it can also be a good idea for your cat to wear a quick release safety collar with an ID tag containing your details. This will mean you can be readily contacted by anyone if your cat becomes injured or goes missing, without your cat needing to be taken to a vet to be scanned. Remember to keep your cats microchip details up to date.
    • Make sure your outside space or garden is safe, cat-friendly and inviting for your cat. Doing this can also encourage them not to wander too far.
    • In preparation for letting your cat outside, you can try to teach them to come to you when called, using treats. To do this, simply call your cats name and shake a tub or packet containing their favourite treats. When your cat comes to you, give them a treat. Repeat this process several times in different locations around the house until your cat always comes and finds you when you call their name. If your cat is initially reluctant to come when called, try doing this around feeding time when they are expecting to get fed and may be more eager to approach you for food. If your cat isnt very food motivated, you could try rewarding them with something else such as their favourite cat toy, a chin tickle or verbal praise . For more information, have a look at our advice on basic cat training.

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    How Do You Get A Reluctant Cat Into A Carrier

    Sometimes you may need to capture a stray cat sooner than it is ready. Here are two ways to capture them:

    • If it is very hungry, you may be able to get a large cat carrier and place food in the back of the carrier. This method works very well for younger cats, especially. Once the cat goes in the carrier, you can quickly shut and lock the door.
    • If the cat is still wary, your best bet is to rent or purchase a humane trap. Many animal shelters and rescue groups will rent the traps to you. Sometimes vets have them, as well. The trap is easy to use. Place food at the far end of the trap. When the cat steps in far enough, a trigger plate will cause the door to close.

    Note: Once the cat has been caught, he or she needs to be transported to the vet as soon as possible.

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