One of our cats was a complete lazy bones, it slept constantly. Along with this your cat won’t go outside. In actual fact we put it out side during the slightly warmer summer months just so that it gets some fresh air. However within ten minutes it was at the back door screaming to get back in.
I’m sure many others also have a complete house cat. But what is it that is stopping our cats from wanting to go outside. Is it fear, laziness of is it something else completely?
In this blog post I will tell you everything I have learnt about why some cats will not go outside.
My cat won’t go outside, why?
As I mentioned our cat (Nipper) just would not go outside. It literally hated it which can be annoying because of the cat litter issue. It would be so much easier if it would at least go outside to do its business. However no matter what we tried it just would not play ball. Make sure you have a good cat door.
We do not live in a particularly busy area. Also there are no major roads or traffic zooming around for it to worry about. So what is the reason it does not go out side like all the other cats? And learn how we managed to change our complete house cat into a semi house cat.
Fear of other cats.
Your cat won’t go outside. Your cat could feel intimidated if it is not part of the gang
This can be one of the biggest problems cats face. We have a hell of a lot of other cats around outside. In fact I think most of our neighbors own a cat as a pet and they are quite tough cats. They actually follow and harass our Pomeranian dog when we go for a walk!
Nipper our cat is not very out going and I feel it may feel intimidated by the other cats out in the street. I believe this to be a major contributing factor as to why many other cats do not like going outside.
Cats are often heard fighting outside and one bad experience like this may be enough to put your cat off from going outdoors. Just like humans cats can get feelings of fear and anxiety from bad experience. The only difference being that cats cannot get therapy to help cure it!
Your cat already has everything it needs.
Why cat won’t go outside? There is no denying that we spoil our feline friends rotten. We provide them with regular meals. Somewhere nice and warm to sleep. Then to top it off all the cuddles and strokes they could ever want.
Cats can be very lazy animals that do not like to spend any energy unless it is completely necessary. Why go outdoors and roam around if you can sleep, get attention and hunt stuffed toys instead?
This can be the mentality of some cats and it is not something that we can change. However not all cats are like this. There are plenty that would rather be outside, just like humans there are all sorts of different personalities and traits.
Busy areas and traffic.
Why your cat won’t go outside? Cats do not like traffic or busy places
Fortunately most cats do not like busy areas or places with heavy traffic. However this could be a huge reason why your cat will not go outdoors.
If you live close to a main road that is often busy this will spook your cat as they do not like the noise. Although it is probably for the best as cats and traffic do not mix.
The best ways to get your cat to go outside.
Now this is not going to be easy especially if your cat is so stuck in its ways!
What I recommend to do is to try gradually putting it outside more often. Start off once a week but let it back inside as soon as it is at your door shouting to get in. Then start putting it outside twice a week and continue this for a few weeks.
You should hopefully see some change by this point where your cat is more confident to go outdoors. It should start staying out a little longer over time until it learns to enjoy being outside. I find it is always best to try your cat in the back garden if you have one. This way there will be less things to intimidate it or stress it.
Whatever you do, do not leave it outside any longer than it is happy about as this will have a negative effect. By slowly and gradually building up the cats confidence you should find that your stubborn house cat may enjoy going outside.
We have done this with our Nipper and seem to be at a compromise. It now stays in doors during winter but enjoys sitting on the shed roof on the summers days. As long as it’s tea is ready for when it wants to come back in. It is just nice to see it enjoying the warm summer sun every now and again.
In conclusion…
Why yoyr cat won’t go outside? Not all cats enjoy being outdoors. We have made their lives far to easy and complete indoors. Many do not feel the need to go outside and will resent being forced too.
We can train them to go outside up to a certain point but it does take time as set out above. Some cats genuinely are full house cats and will not change though.
Hopefully some of you may have picked up some ideas from this guide. I would love to hear any of your own experience and you can share them in the comments section below.
