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I've never had much luck with a spray bottle (for various reasons), but at least it won't hurt or frighten him all that much. Best advice I have is, get yourself some military-grade artillery ear plugs for when he's seriously belting out the 'song of his people'.
But whatever you end up doing, I wish you success.
^^^ This (love the 'song of his people' line).
I had a cat who was indoor/outdoor when I acquired him, and I tried relentlessly to convert him to indoor only. [*side note: The reason he became my cat was because his previous owners let him out one day and he was hit by a car, a very serious injury, he (Fritz) came crawling up my back balcony pleading for help. When I notified the owners, they were going to have him dropped off as a stray at the shelter, which back then would have been an immediate death sentence, so I told them if they relinquished ownership to me, I would take him to my vet...they agreed, and two surgeries (and $$$$) later, he became mine - and my son's - cat.]
Anyway, after buying a house, I tried leash and harness in my backyard; pheromones sprayed around the house; lots of extra play/cuddle time; ignoring his pleas to go out; etc. etc. He wound up being more stubborn than me, as he began urinating in every corner and on any reachable object if I didn't give in. He won the battle between silly hooman vs. hardheaded cat. So I finally gave in. I didn't let him out every time he wanted; it was more of a terms of agreement that we wound up signing....he didn't cry every blessed waking moment, and I let him out every other day or so, with 'off' days on leash in the yard.
Best of luck with your kitty, OP...I hope you manage to be stronger-willed than I was!
I had a cat who was indoor/outdoor when I acquired him, and I tried relentlessly to convert him to indoor only. [*side note: The reason he became my cat was because his previous owners let him out one day and he was hit by a car, a very serious injury, he (Fritz) came crawling up my back balcony pleading for help. When I notified the owners, they were going to have him dropped off as a stray at the shelter, which back then would have been an immediate death sentence, so I told them if they relinquished ownership to me, I would take him to my vet...they agreed, and two surgeries (and $$$$) later, he became mine - and my son's - cat.]
Anyway, after buying a house, I tried leash and harness in my backyard; pheromones sprayed around the house; lots of extra play/cuddle time; ignoring his pleas to go out; etc. etc. He wound up being more stubborn than me, as he began urinating in every corner and on any reachable object if I didn't give in. He won the battle between silly hooman vs. hardheaded cat. So I finally gave in. I didn't let him out every time he wanted; it was more of a terms of agreement that we wound up signing....he didn't cry every blessed waking moment, and I let him out every other day or so, with 'off' days on leash in the yard.
Best of luck with your kitty, OP...I hope you manage to be stronger-willed than I was!
There is no smell worse than male cat pee. Don't ask me how I know, and how often I've known it!
I had a cat who was indoor/outdoor when I acquired him, and I tried relentlessly to convert him to indoor only. [*side note: The reason he became my cat was because his previous owners let him out one day and he was hit by a car, a very serious injury, he (Fritz) came crawling up my back balcony pleading for help. When I notified the owners, they were going to have him dropped off as a stray at the shelter, which back then would have been an immediate death sentence, so I told them if they relinquished ownership to me, I would take him to my vet...they agreed, and two surgeries (and $$$$) later, he became mine - and my son's - cat.]
Anyway, after buying a house, I tried leash and harness in my backyard; pheromones sprayed around the house; lots of extra play/cuddle time; ignoring his pleas to go out; etc. etc. He wound up being more stubborn than me, as he began urinating in every corner and on any reachable object if I didn't give in. He won the battle between silly hooman vs. hardheaded cat. So I finally gave in. I didn't let him out every time he wanted; it was more of a terms of agreement that we wound up signing....he didn't cry every blessed waking moment, and I let him out every other day or so, with 'off' days on leash in the yard.
Best of luck with your kitty, OP...I hope you manage to be stronger-willed than I was!
Bless you for being there when Fritz needed you the most.
And don't feel bad, I've lost battles of will with my cats too. But once I realized my true status in our human-cat relationship, I took comfort in the fact that I'd been defeated by actual ruler of the house.
I wonder about this. One of our kitties was feral, but we got him when he was young. We have others that come to the door. They are sweet cats. But I wonder if anybody could make them indoor cats after years outdoors. Is there a consensus on this?
I wonder about this. One of our kitties was feral, but we got him when he was young. We have others that come to the door. They are sweet cats. But I wonder if anybody could make them indoor cats after years outdoors. Is there a consensus on this?
I doubt if there is much of a consensus on that. Probably most here could relate anecdotal evidence that would widely vary to both ends of the spectrum. Probably the best rule of thumb is.... it depends on the cat, it's development & environment, and it's personality.
From my experience & what I've heard from others, I think most outdoor/stray/feral cats can possibly be tamed/socialized/brought indoors. The question is how long it takes and if the human has the time & patience to see all the way through. There will always be those cats that simply cannot adapt to living with or around humans, but I really think those hard cases are relatively few.
I doubt if there is much of a consensus on that. Probably most here could relate anecdotal evidence that would widely vary to both ends of the spectrum. Probably the best rule of thumb is.... it depends on the cat, it's development & environment, and it's personality.
From my experience & what I've heard from others, I think most outdoor/stray/feral cats can possibly be tamed/socialized/brought indoors. The question is how long it takes and if the human has the time & patience to see all the way through. There will always be those cats that simply cannot adapt to living with or around humans, but I really think those hard cases are relatively few.
I think you're right. I'm always surprised by how much difficult cats change with a little attention. It takes time with some of them, but usually they come around.
I think you're right. I'm always surprised by how much difficult cats change with a little attention. It takes time with some of them, but usually they come around.
Yes, and it's so very rewarding if you can manage to win one over. My personal experience doing it is limited, but I did have a few successes with neighborhood strays at my old workplace. I managed to rescue some young kittens, but couldn't do much for the adults. Being there only during work hours limited what I could accomplish. But there some bright spots. One of those bright spots sleeps with me every night, and another rules the house of my niece & her husband. That helps make up for those I couldn't help.
I wonder about this. One of our kitties was feral, but we got him when he was young. We have others that come to the door. They are sweet cats. But I wonder if anybody could make them indoor cats after years outdoors. Is there a consensus on this?
We had a feral when we lived in Tennessee that we brought indoors.
She was a real terror at first about wanting to go out, howling and yelling at the door and trying to run out.
We provided plenty of play time and of course windows to watch what was going on outdoors
She settled down after a few months and now (4 years later) has no interest in going out. She spends most of her time hanging around with our other cat and doesn't even seem that interested in looking out the doorwall.
I've been keeping him in now for probably over a month. The howling has lessened.
That said, I really do miss letting him out to do his business!
If I could, would save me a fortune on kitty litter.
It's a pity, but until we buy this house I'm living in, I can't risk letting him out to get fleas from the rabbits.
As I alluded to he has an affinity for hunting/killing/playing with/eating rabbits, and they are apparently notorious carriers of fleas.
I'm glad he's adjusting. What have you done to enrich his environment, to make things nicer and more interesting for him, since he's indoors all the time now? It might help someone else reading this, to hear your ideas.
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