It is natural for us to be protective of our pets. After all, they are not just animals – They are part of our family. If you have a cat, however, it seems unfair to confine them to your house. They are naturally curious animals and will have a lot of fun exploring places outside your home. It’s important to let your kitty play in the yard but how do you train a cat to come back home?
Since there are a lot of terrible things that can happen to your pet outside your home, it is best to train him to stay near your place. Houses with yards, in particular, are wonderful. Training a cat to stay in your yard is great in the beginning. As he gets more comfortable with the idea of being outside, you can let him leave the yard. If you’re planning on training a cat to be outdoors some of the time, do not be too eager to let him out. Kittens should NOT be allowed outside your house until they have had all their vaccinations or are at least three and a half months old. Additionally, they should only be allowed outside with supervision. You should accompany your kitten on his first ventures to the outside world. It’s also a good idea to keep his first experiences in your own yard. Follow your cat as he explores this new environment and learns to find the back door of your place. After he is neutered at about six months, you can begin to let him out by himself.
If you have an older cat, keep him inside your house for about a month before letting him out. This will make him familiar with your house. Once he is let out it will be easier for him to come back home. It is also wise to let him out on an empty stomach so that he will return to your house when he wants to eat. We all know that a cat won’t miss out on a tasty meal!
No matter how old your cat is, it’s always best to have a cat flap so that he can enter your house anytime. This way, your cat will have easy access to both of his worlds – inside and out! Try not to worry too much about your little buddy as he makes the transition from indoors to outdoors. I find there’s no real need to teach a cat how to stay close to home. Cat’s are naturally curious animals, but they’re not stupid! Chances are your kitten won’t go too far away from his home.
Good Luck!
Ty for this post. I’ve been reading some other ones, and this one was the most helpful to me. We kept our precious cat Buddha where he could run inside and outside through the cat flap/doggy door, (we also have a westie and a great pyrenees) and he was a wonderful cat that stayed nearby for 6 yrs. One night there was a hurricane (Ida) 5 hours from here, and the storm that night, well.. .never saw him again. So challenging to endure.
So, when we got a new kitten- Boddhee, we kept him in the house for 7 monthes. He was very jealous of Rubee (the westie) that could go in and out and he couldn’t. He was not good about going potty in his box sometimes, and was not leaving the carpet and padding alone AT ALL where the doggy door was. So we relented and took him outside and I walked the perimeter with him and have done my best to keep him trained to stay in the yard and leave other critters alone. He tests me to check his boundaries and just now he went into the bushes where he knew he wasn’t supposed to, off of the property. He usually minds, but this time he wouldn’t. This is one reason why my hub and I don’t have human children after 32 years together. I care way too much, way too much. You’re site is very comforting, and it is nice to tell someone who seems to be understanding about it all. Fortunately, we live on a dead end street at the end, surrounded mostly by woods. Just past them, there are houses and a busy street, so it provides kind of a good barrier or ‘moat’ to our yard.
I’m kind of at a loss of what to do now. He has officially not minded and is/was out of the yard. I’m not sure how to disapline him about this? The other times he did it, he came running back in and running up to me,like- you still love me mommy right? He has been doing it more and more lately and finally didn’t come back this time. I don’t know if I should give him the cold shoulder for awhile or what. If one gives them the cold shoulder for longer than they should, he might not be the same lovey cat he was. I guess I’ll just see if I can wing it.
Thank you for your post and comment area so I could share and get it out of my system anyway. God, what parents must go through!
Luvuso, c
Thanks for stopping by Cynthia! Your story is one that many cat owners can most definitely relate to.
It’s incredible how attached we can get to our pets. I hear what you’re saying about kids as well… I can’t even begin to imagine!
Here’s hoping that everything works out with your kitties… Good luck!