Cats love being outdoors. They are natural predators and enjoy their nocturnal strolls looking for prey. But whether you live in the city or suburbs, letting your cat outdoors poses many risks. Your cat might get exposed to dangerous diseases, get hit by traffic, get poisoned, get stolen, or suffer inhuman treatment. Therefore, keeping your cat inside has several benefits. 

Benefits of Keeping Your Cat Indoors 

Restraining your cat can lengthen its life expectancy in many ways. Ideally, a cat can live up to 15 years, and keeping your cat indoors can help you keep it alive for all those years. Cats that do not go outdoors are safe from many parasites and pathogens. They stay healthier too, which will save you from those extra veterinary doctor’s bills and medicines. They are also safe from scratches and injuries from other cats or wild animals. 

 

A cat will indeed miss the outdoors, as outside strolls give them mental satisfaction. Cats that are not let outdoors might sit and cry in front of the door for hours. That is why if you want to save your cat and yourself from all that grief, you need to find some creative ways to keep it happy indoors. The best situation is if you’ve kept it indoors since it was a kitten. Cats that got raised indoors do not crave to go outdoors as much. But if it has not been restricted indoors from early life, they can make your life miserable. Transitioning them indoors may take some time and effort, but even the most outdoorsy cats can get transformed into getting used to the luxuries inside your house. Here are a few tips for adjusting your cat to a life indoors. 

Food 

Food is the first and foremost reason for cats to go outdoors. As we mentioned before, it is the hunt that lures cats outside at night. Giving it high-quality food such as Friskies Indoor Delights dry food for indoor cats can give it a taste of the outside world inside the house. It has an excellent nutritional balance that helps your feline friends develop lean muscles. It is also full of vitamins and minerals that help in developing a good immune system, shiny coat, and overall health. You can hide food pieces all over the house that your cat can find at night. It will keep it engaged and suppress the desire to go outside. The process will also satisfy your cat’s midnight munchies. 

Gradual Transition 

If your cat spends most of its time outdoors, make the shift gradually by increasing its time indoors every day. Since cats love warm and dry places, you can start the transition right before the onset of winters. That way, your cat will spend the winters indoors and won’t object too much if you don’t let it go outdoors afterward. 

Safe Garden Run 

If you have a backyard, you can allow it to have supervised and limited access outdoors. You can build a structure or enclosure in your garden that will let it stretch its legs for a bit. You can also make options to climb branches, get inside boxes, and play with some toys. 

Use a Leash 

Cats can also get trained to walk on a leash. You would need a sturdy body harness and let your cat get accustomed to it inside the house first. Do not hook the leash to its collar and ensure that its ID tag is attached to it. But do not take the cat out too often, or it might turn into a pestering behavior. Enforce on it that it can go outside only when you want. You must ensure that your family members, housemates, and visitors are aware of the same. Be careful when opening doors, because they might dash outside. Again using a leash might come in handy while opening doors. 

Enrich the Inside 

Transforming the area inside your house to please your feline friend can help the transition a lot. You need to increase the space for your cat and also include more objects of interest for it. If you have limited floor space inside your house, you can expand the area vertically. Consider placing kitty condos or indoor climbing trees with multiple poles inside the house to keep your cat busy and happy. Since cats love looking outside, place perches or shelves on the windows for its viewing pleasures. Cats that stay indoors can get fat, which can affect their health adversely. You can use simple toys that will encourage them to leap and run around the house. Cats also love to make up their sources of amusement with bags, boxes, and baskets, so you may want to leave a few of them lying around for them to play. 

Despite your best efforts, if you feel that your cat is getting stressed by not being able to go outdoors, visit a vet to get advice or stress-relieving medicines. You can also choose herbal remedies from holistic veterinarians.