How can i make my cat and indoor only cat?

I brought in a female ferral kitty. She is about 2-3 years old. The Humane Society fixed her on there program! With that said I am trying to make her a indoor cat. I am being patient and she gets a lot of love. My husband and I bought her bowls(water&food),toys,scratching post,blanket,catnip,kitty litter(house for privacy for the litter) and treats!

Lynx is out all day while we work. I feed her once in the morning and play with her for about 40-60 mins. She will come home after we arrive from work and I feed her at 7 p.m. We play with her for about a hour, then she wants to go out! Lynx shows up when I want to go to bed to sleep. During the course of the evenining she is in and out grazing on her dry food. It is like she has OCD!

My question is, why does she want me to sleep with her all night on the couch? She won't sleep in a kitty bed I bought. Lynx will show up around 12-1:30 and want to stay until 6:30 -7 a.m. I feed her again, play with her and the cycle starts all over again!

I have a video camera to watch her outside. I can't go to bed if I see her when I am getting ready to go to bed. I feel GUILTY!!! I am sooo tired though! What do I do to make the transition? I do notice her spending more time inside and that makes me happy. Lynx lets us pet and brush her everyday. I worry about her safty. She is like a child to me...I don't have any children.

What can I do?

Reply
Hi
I have cats all my life and i have seen how crazy cats get if they can't get outside. So mine have always been allowed to go out even though like you i worry like mad if i have not seen them in a while.

I know some cats are indoor cats only but i truly believe that these cats have either some disability whereby they are happy in a small environment or have lived like this their whole life. Any cat that has had the freedom to go outside will miss it terribly, as we all would.

So for me i don't think your cat will ever be happy to stay inside all the time, i think you will have a very unhappy and possibly depressed cat if you try.

However i do understand your situation regarding her behavior and time keeping and this you can do something about as i do.

I'll tell you what i do.

My cats would also like to go in and out all day and all night if i was prepared to be at their call 24/7, so i had to set up routines which now they are used too.

They are allowed out during the day and your option is to either have a cat flap put in so your cat can come and go during the day, or if you are at home let them in or out. If you are at work, then decide if you don't want a cat flap to let her out until you come home.

i don't like my cats out at night so they come in at around 10pm and they stay in until i get up in the morning to feed them. they are now used to the routine and most of the time are happy with it. they may ask to go out late at night sometimes before i go to bed but they soon realize that this is isn't going to happen and they go off to bed.

It may take some time to set up a routine but you do have to be strong and patient and keep your bedroom door closed at night.

I can't tell you how to make your cat a indoor cat as i don't believe this is possible.

best wishes kate