Count me among those who always figured that transitioning a cat from being an outdoor kitty to an indoor kitty would be a nightmare. Having to deal with all the desperate meowing at the door sounded like way too much of a hassle. But according to new research published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science, most cats apparently make the transition pretty quickly.
Researchers surveyed 87 cat owners in Australia and New Zealand who had converted free-roaming cats into full-time indoor pets. More than 40 percent said their cats adjusted within just a few days. Another quarter said it took only a few weeks. Only a small minority reported their cats never fully adapted.
Shockingly, when faced with the prospect of air conditioning and lounging on couches all day versus potentially getting hit by a car and getting into fights with other cats, the cats chose luxurious indoor living because they aren’t stupid.
Turning an Outdoor Cat Into an Indoor Cat May Be Easier Than Expected
None of this means that the transition was particularly smooth. During the first few weeks, the cats would become more vocal and demand extra attention. They would scratch at doors and windows, occasionally using their physicality to suggest that there is a life beyond these walls that they remember and may want to rejoin at the moment.
This left a lot of the owners feeling guilty. They found it difficult to keep the door closed without their cats escaping. The expense of litter and food to mimic the supplies a cat would naturally find itself out in the world was also a bit of a shocker for owners. The expense of creating an enriching indoor environment filled with cat trees and scratching posts to ease the cat’s anxiety didn’t help an owner’s budget either.
But there was a big trade-off. Yes, they had to pay for food and kitty litter and toys, but vet bills were cut down dramatically.
That’s likely one of the big reasons that it all worked out for owners in the end. Keeping cats indoors meant that the cats were safe from the harsh realities of the outdoors, where a cat’s lifespan can be dramatically cut down by a variety of factors, some instant, some gradual. It also helps protect wildlife, as every cat kept indoors will prevent the deaths of countless birds, as it’s estimated that outdoor cats kill billions of birds and mammals every year in the US alone.
The transition isn’t as difficult as it seems at first. If you just stick with it, your kitty will quickly realize sleeping on a couch all day really is the sweet life
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