Our new adopted cat hates being in the house, is this normal for some cats?
Thursday, February 11th, 2010 at
11:48 pm
He is about 3 years old and neutered. We have had him for over 2 weeks, and he uses litter box, but watches the door constantly for a chance to run outside, he likes to lay in the sunshine. I think i have given up on him being a house cat and just let him be happy. 
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He will eventually get used to it.
As someone who has had indoor and indoor/outdoor cats, for your own peace of mind, keep him indoors.
He will wander and possibly get in fights of he is out plus he will come in contact with cats that have scabies and all kinds of contagious things.
Indoor cats generally live longer as well.
this is totally normal. my frist cat was exactly the same way and we had him from a kitten. every second of the day he spent sitting by the door waiting for a chance to get out so we eventually gave up on the whole house cat thing. especially because he became extremely destructive if he couldn’t get outside after some attempts.
He may be experiencing spring fever lol. It’s normal for a cat to want to be outside, especially if he was an outdoor cat the first 3 years of his life. Good Luck
My mom has a cat that likes going outside but not all the time.
She lets mom know when she wants out or in.
Maybe your cat will do the same.
He’s still adjusting to his new digs. Give him time. Get him a window perch. You can buy them at Target or Petsmart. You don’t want to let him outside until he has gotten used to where he is living. You may loose him. I just moved to a new house, and am waiting a few months before I let the cats out.
some cats like to be outside.
Chances are, if he was an outdoor cat previously, that’s why he wants to be outside now. I would give it a little more time before you let him out, otherwise, he might run away.
Before you give up on him being an indoor cat you need to assess his chances of survival going outside. What about traffic, other animals, predators, fleas, diseases and injuries from fights. An indoor cat lives a lot longer than an outdoor cat and they cost less because there are fewer vet bills. The average life span for an outdoor cat is 2 – 3 years. Do something to make the door not seem as inviting. The best thing I found was to have someone on the other side of the door and when my cat ran through it, they sprayed it with the hose. The cat never went near the door again. There are other ways as well. Bang pots and pans when it approaches the door, keep a squirt bottle handy and squirt it but make sure it doesn’t see that its you who has the quirter or he will just try to get out when you aren’t there. A friend of mine set up a pile of empty cans and tins connected to a string or something so when her cat went through the door the tins fell all over the place and made an unbelievable crashing sound (they didn’t fall on the cat) but it scared it enough that it lost interest in going out. Make the effort, in the long run both you and your cat will be much happier if it stays inside.
Well, if you’ve decided to let him have his way and have, in fact, made peace with that, go for it. But otherwise, he’ll adjust. All animals need an adjustment period. Try putting his bed near a window or something (where the sunshine is). He will adjust though. My cat had a similar thing and it can take a month or so, but my cat’s gotten accustomed to the new rules–esp. bc we were strict with her and didn’t give in. Don’t forget that cats live longer when indoors.
My cat spends most of the day outside. He pretty much uses our house to eat and sleep. If he isn’t let out he howls and crys.
It is normal for an animal to be outside. Especially males. They hunt. My cat does at least.
I totally agree with the person who advised you to not give up on him being an indoor cat. He may have simply not adjusted to his new home yet. Or he may have previously been an outdoor cat. But not to worry. Even many of the most "outdoorish" cats can adapt to the indoors. You may want to try this if you have the space. Confine him to one room so that he can’t dart outside. Provide him with lots of toys and furniture to climb on. It’s very important that cats have lots of things to play with, "investigate", and climb on. Give it some time and it very probable that he will become accustomed to remaining in the house. If push comes to shove, you could build him an outdoor enclosure if you are able to do so. That way he could enjoy the outdoors but not be able to roam and be exposed to the many dangers faced by free roaming cats.
Yes this is normal especially if he/she was an indoor /outdoor cat before!
I have had cats for 40years and admittedly, I think that cats: are creatures who love the outdoors, and that it is natural for them to be able to go out and enjoy the fresh air, sunshine, and socialization with other outdoor creatures. Furthermore, that is is grossly unfair to confine such a free-spirited animal to the indoors.
I Can say this from years of experiance with cats… you will hear alot of "horror stories" of how in danger the animal will be …BS- they are preditors by nature and are well equiped to be outdoors.
I truly think it is "unnatural" for cats to be indoor "only" cats.
There are alot of pros and cons…but I think for a well adjusted cat they need to go outside. I does depend on where you live but,Most cats will stay in the yard and just hang -out. They associate you with food.,so they will not wander far
I have a "Pet door" on my back door…so they can come and go as they want or need to. I think the door provides them with an "escape hatch" BACK into the house.
If you want to close the little cat door you can keep them in the house as you need to.
Although they can come and go as they please,Ironically they spend most of the time indoors and venture out a few times a day to lay lazily on the deck or porch.Sometimes they are "hiding" in the bushes and sleeping in the flower garden.
They also come when I call them..with a kissing noise, they now associate with food:)
If you live in an area that is cat friendly .. I say go for it ..you’ll have a happy cat and NO mice:)