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 If you’ve wanted to start keeping Fluffy
indoors, but don’t know how to begin, here
are some tips:
·
Create an appealing indoor
environment.
The main reason cats love being outdoors is
for the opportunity to hunt and explore.
Make sure she has activities and fun places
to explore indoors. Take a look around and
ensure your indoor environment isn’t boring
– from a cat’s point of view.
·
Dust off those toys.
If she’s going to be indoors and unable to
hunt for a bird, chase a butterfly, or stalk
a snake, then it’s up to YOU to simulate
those fun activities by using interactive
fishing pole toys and other interactive
games.
·
Don’t reward unwanted behavior.
Your kitty may sit by the door and meow to
remind you it’s time to let her out. When
she notices you aren’t paying attention,
she’ll probably meow even louder. Don’t
give in and let her out or you’ll be
rewarding the very behavior you don’t want.
·
Create well-timed distractions.
When you notice your cat heading toward the
door or looking likes she’s about to begin
meowing, yowling, or pacing, distract her by
tossing a toy away from the door, or do an
impromptu interactive play session. The key
is to distract her from the behavior BEFORE
she engages in it, so you aren’t rewarding
something negative. If you time this well,
she’ll probably begin to break her routine
of going to the door.
·
Get a cat-friendly litter box.
If your outdoor cat has never used a litter
box before, confine her in a smaller area
until you’re sure she’s using the box. Use
an uncovered box with unscented, scoopable
litter. The soft, sand-like litter will more
closely resemble the substrate she would use
outdoors.
·
Get cat-friendly furniture.
No, this doesn’t mean you have to go out and
buy all new living room furniture – I’m
referring to a cat tree and scratching
posts. Outdoors, the cat would have
opportunities to climb and perch up high.
Provide a multi-perched cat tree so she has
a place of her own. A sturdy sisal-covered
cat tree will take the place of the outdoor
tree or fence post when it comes time for
the cat to scratch.
For
more information refer to the book
Starting from Scratch.
© 2009 Cat Behavior Associates, LLC |
