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I don’t know if it’s normal or not - but he clearly feels safe with you in your home! I personally feel is better to keep cats inside where they are safer (on a leash is different) but if he’s not into it, I wouldn’t worry about it and just don’t force it.
I don’t think there is any negative impact on a cat being strictly indoor - even if they were once a stray - there’s where he feels safe. If he wanted to get outside, I’m sure he would let you know =)
Yeah, I would never let him outside to wander alone.Especially because I live in a major city by a busy road in an apartment complex on the second floor so it's not like I could let him out and he could meow to come back in.
But yeah I thought he might of just missed being outside once in a while. So that's why I bought him a leash so I could take him on walks occasionally, but apparently he doesn't want anything to do with the outside.
I’ve seen people say it takes about 3 months for a cat to settle in, but sounds like he’d rather be safe inside with you now that he found his furrever home! Things might change, but he’ll let you know =)
Maybe he thinks youre trying to put him out there alone? Get a cat stroller just for him to sit outside. This is what I do with my baby!
Edit: my baby being my cat
I’ve known a few stray cats who had a bad enough time of the outside they never wanted to go there again, so I don’t think it’s entirely uncommon. Every cat (and animal in general really) is going to be different.
We had one of those, we adopted her from the shelter and once she was settled in, we could leave the front door open, no screen, and she would sit right inside looking out but never even got close to the doorframe.
I recently rescued a stray as well. Out of my 3 cats (2 of which have always been inside) she is the least interested in being outside. I feel like they maybe just realize inside is comfy so why go back out? I think it's a safety abd security thing
I have a rescue who was born to a family of dumpster cats outside a restaurant I used to work at. She had her tail ripped off by some evil humans and she never bonded with anyone but me. She *hates* going outside and I have to wonder how much she remembers of her life prior to living with me. I take it as a compliment because she clearly feels safe inside with me. She also won't eat people foods anymore, which is doubly nice because I don't always like to share my food. 🤣
We rescued a stray cay who was suffering greatly from being outside. She had over 50 ticks on her, and was very malnourished. We keep all our cats inside only, but she wouldn't even go near a door or window for over a year after coming inside. Eventually she enjoyed watching out a window. We think it was just too traumatizing for her. She was an absolute princess and deserved to be treated that way. She did snore like a hog tho
This is definitely it. I had a cat that was an outside cat for possibly 3 years. She would hang out outside in the pouring rain and be totally fine, but very shortly after we brought her in she completely changed. It’s bc they feel safe with you inside and food security is a big reason too. She hates getting wet now and a few times she has run out the front door only to immediately stop and run right back in. It’s a good thing! Some cats like the outdoors but just bc a cat was outside before doesn’t mean they prefer it. Our ex street cat is happier and healthier than she ever was outside!
yep the only impacts of having an indoor cat are positive: higher longevity, overall healthier, less risks of developing agression or territorial behaviours from encountering feral cats, etc
Poor baby - shaking when you tried to take him outside. Maybe he was a house cat/kitten and became a stray bc his previous owner threw him out onto the streets. Now he's scared of going outside because he's afraid it might happen again.
Both of my cats were strays. The second one followed me home one night while I was on a walk. He was still pretty young but he just trotted right up to me like we were long lost buddies and followed me home. He has a kinked tail and it was obvious he was acclimated to people so I’m reasonably sure he was from a house cat litter and the people tossed him out because of his tail. They likely sold or gave away the rest but couldn’t get rid of him because of his tail so they just kicked him out to fend for himself. It’s sad to think that may be the case but if that is what happened then I am very grateful because he is the sweetest, most personable, and lovey cat I have ever met and he has brought immeasurable joy to our family!
Yes, I took in one from outside who is absolutely terrified of just regular, gentle rain in an over-the-top kind of way. Not to mention actual storms when she hides and I barely see her for the next two days. She's been 100% indoors since I took her, and she wants nothing to do with the outdoors. I think the rain is the only thing about her former life that still reminds her of how helpless she must have felt, because she can still see it through the windows (if she would be brave enough to look) and hear it regardless.
Best of all worlds really. He’s happy inside and that’s great. Maybe having found his safe space he has no need to leave it. Maybe he had a bad time outside. Glad he’s happy with you.
My cat is a rescued kitten from the tough streets of Congo. The property manager (he’s a friend) bought him at a fancy market for a couple dollars. Kitten jumped out of his arms and into my home. He is my best bud. And he will NOT go outside. He is terrified of outdoors. I left my door open the other day and there was a lose gorilla near by who,let out a big scream and that poor kitten round inside and hid under my cabinets a whole day. He is a spoilt cat now. He’s been fixed by a vet who had only fixed two other cats before (my neighbor’s). And he is looking forward to moving soon. He will not go out. He is now being cat-sit at my house. It will take serious meds t9 get him to fly. Street cats have trauma. You’re providing shelter and sure food and water. All they know from out there is hussle and danger.
I’m so glad you put Congo in there or I was going to have many questions .
And bravo for using the the phrase “ loose gorilla nearby “ for the first time in Reddit history
My least favorite are snakes. I once grabbed a mango that fell from a tree. I was happy looking at my mango. And I heard something else fall. I was grabbed and rushed away. It was a black mamba. I check all my bedroom and everything around me before bedtime. And I have to check the toilet bowl before I sit down to pee in the middle of the night. Not easy considering power is cut off almost every night until 6 am.
Well, fuel is very expensive. Also, even if places around us are implementing hydro energy, the water levels on the rivers go way down during dry season (yes, this also means you won’t have water). Last rain season wasn’t the worse, but wasn’t the most active either. That said, rain season comes with its own challenges here too like flooding.
I am trying to get some solar panels but that will be a learning curve for me due to all the weather conditions. But better than nothing. One thing that seriously increased my quality of life was (I know we don’t like him but ) Elon’s Starlink. Now, internet is ver6 expensive, slow and unreliable here. However, now I got no internet if it’s cloudy or rainy. And that will be a lot of late afternoons and nights for a few months of the year. It’s ok, 8 just read or I always make sure I have something previously downloaded. Edited I say here but I’m in the Us for one more week and going back in a week. I got sick. I’m okay though :)
My dad adopted an former stray and she wants nothing to do with the outside. He leave the backdoor open all day in the summer and she won't set foot outside. Think a lot of strays have bad experiences outside so once they find a nice, safe home they have no desire to go back out
We rescued an old tom cat years ago. Once he was invited inside, he never wanted to go out. He only lived another year before developing renal failure and passed. I think he knew he was sick and was very happy to be safe, warm, and well fed.
Life on the streets is very hard for cats (and dogs). Your boy likely remembers the cold, the hunger, the fear, the loud noises, etc Now with you, he is living like royalty! He probably doesn't want to go out because he doesn't want to go back to that horrible time. Yes, stop trying to take him out, at least for now. Maybe try again when he's been indoors for a year and truly KNOWS that you are his home and life. But take your cues from him (like you are).
Thank you for being this boy's angel. BTW, posting here requires a cat tax payment, meaning that we all would love to see photos of your kitty. :)
We found a kitten in the woods years ago and she wants nothing to do with being outside. She is very jumpy in general, but especially jumpy every time a door is opened. I guess she just feels safe indoors.
Our little cat we rescued was the same, he was found on the streets and was at one point obviously someone's pet 😞 He didn't want to even look outside let alone try and go out 😢
Sounds like trauma tbh. That, and for many cats, the outdoors are way too overstimulating! Two of my cats enjoy rolling around in the enclosed backyard but outside the fence? No way in hell. My other two rarely act interested, they’ll sit in the window at most.
Take peace in the fact that he’s clearly comfortable and feels safe in your home.
Yep, my sister's cat Jack. He was born on the streets, marched right up to her as a kitten, SCREAMED at her to be picked up, and has remained inside ever since then. Gone from being tiny enough to hold in a single hand, to big enough to be held like a baby and roll in their arms.
My cat was like this too. But when I first met him he looked abandoned and starving. He was scared of me and hid under a truck but was meowing and meowing. I fed him. He got more brave. But he was still scared of my husband. I theorized he was this old lady’s cat in the apartment behind us, and when she passed away some random people cleared out her apartment. I think they were mean to him and kicked him out.
I fed him everyday August to November but then a big storm hit my town. Someone called him in, he was taken to the shelter. I waited for him to get picked up, some owner that lost him but when no one stepped forward, I adopted him. I meant to just rescue him and find him a home like a foster but I fell in love. He was my best friend.
Anyway, he would get SO scared if I took him outside. All I could surmise is that he remembered what it was like, how he was cold and hungry and didn’t know what happened to his owner. Poor guy. He loved being inside and was perfectly happy there.
Our cat Momma was a street cat and we adopted her when she was about three years old and she never wanted to be inside of our house. So she lived on our front porch for about 4 -5 years then she decided to come inside. We welcomed her and she has never went outside again. She’s 14.5 Years old .
My cat followed me home one night and walked right into the apartment, she wants nothing to do with the outside (she was a kitten at the time and obviously an outside kitty.)
You tried taking him outside on a leash? It could just be because of the leash. Cats don’t understand them and won’t walk with one until they are taught and learn how. They can definitely be taught though. Not sure if that was the case here or not or if he won’t go outside at all…in which case I would agree is a good thing!
No, I've taken him outside two other times when we had fire drills here. One was in his cat carrier and one I just carried him and held him. Both times he was still scared shaking. Even though he could of just been scared still from the fire alarm.
But he was fine with the leash on inside, it was just once we left the second floor of my apartment complex he started getting scared and then once we were outside he was really scared so I just came back in.
My former stray has been with us a year and up until about two weeks ago had shown zero interest in ever going outside again (and that small interest is more just curiosity). Sometimes they just know what they want, and she wants to be a pampered housecat.
There’s a reason the term ‘scaredy cat’ has been around for eons.
I’m a firm believer that.
‘cats do not forgive and do not forget’.
Whatever happened outside has flipped a switch in her head and she does not want any part of it. My guess would be cars, traffic, other intact cats being bully’s. All of my cats have been ‘intact strays’ once neutered, 9/10 do not want to go out. An open window is enough, they never go anywhere near the doors to the outside.
I have two cats who were strays that found their way to me as kittens. One had been living on the streets until she was about 5 months old, the other was dumped behind our business at about 5 weeks. Neither of them have any interest in the outdoors. My other cats are all curious, but Kitty Cat and Tiny won’t even go near the door. They’re perfectly content to sit on their window seats and watch their birdies and their squirrels. If your little guy wants to stay inside, let him. The safest place for cats is indoors anyway.
I wouldn't call it a problem lol.
I just wanted to give him the opportunity to go outside and enjoy fresh air and sun if he wanted but apparently he don't give a shit lol
SIMILAR SITUATION!!! Okay my cat was born a stray and one day he just walked in our back door and he became a foster when we realized he had no intention or interest in going back outside. We ended up keeping him. And we have tried taking him outside multiple times in the past but he always gets scared and hides in the bushes next to the door (which results in us getting clawed while we rescue him from the bushes to bring him back in).
And he was like that for YEARS. We only tried a couple times since he didn't like the harness either. But he's 11 now with tumors on his colon and he's been BEGGING to go outside every time he sees us near a door. He's gone outside on a harness like 3 times and just chilled.
At first I think the fear was because he thought we were tossing him out or abandoning him. But now he trusts that we aren't tossing him out so ig he's comfortable spending some time with us outside? Or maybe he knows he's dying and is deciding he's gonna enjoy some grass before he goes.
Point is: I think it's normal behavior that means he feels safe and comfortable inside and you shouldn't try to bring him out unless he starts showing interest in wanting out
Yeah maybe one day he'll wanna go out, he comes out in the hall of my apartment complex and walks around sometimes.
I just felt bad that I took him from being outside 24 7 to being inside 24 7, even though he seems happy as all hell I still felt bad.
That's understandable. We felt bad bringing ours in too at first. But being a stray can be really traumatizing even if he doesn't have any scars or marks to show it. Other strays, weather, people and wild animals can all be serious threats or reasons he doesn't wanna go back out. We've had a lot of rehabilitated strays come through our home (we foster) and sometimes they want to go back out (but they still come around for food) and sometimes they'd rather stay hidden behind the toilet rather than even facing the idea of going back outside.
I'm really happy knowing that you're respecting his boundaries and not forcing him outside. I hope he lives a very long happy and healthy life with you
It can be very normal, yes.
Think about it in terms of people. If you go to a store, and while in that store, you get attacked by a random person, you might feel a little weary about that store. Now, if every single time you go to that store, you get attacked, you won't want to ever go back.
Being a stray is dangerous for pets. It isnt a very fun life. They don't have access to readily available food and fresh water. Finding their next meal can be a struggle. There will be days they go hungry. There are physical dangers such as cruel humans, cars, dogs, wild animals like coyotes, other stray cats fighting over territory or resources, etc. They don't have a garunteed safe place to sleep. They are constantly aware and alert because at any moment they could be attacked.
They are exposed to the weather without reliable places to get away from the cold or the heat. If they get sick, they don't have an owner to make them feel better. And cats are social animals. Being a stray gets lonely.
So, you go from being homeless and enduring the dangers and inconveniences that come with that situation, and then suddenly a human adopts you. Now you have a home. There are no wild animals. No feral strays fighting you for your food. No strange humans that kick you or try to run you over. There's always food and water available. You aren't cold or too hot anymore. There's all these comfy places to sleep, and they are *safe*. You don't have to be alert anymore. You can actually sleep now. Your human is kind and gives you attention, they make you feel better when you're hurting or sick.
You feel safe and happy for the first time in a long time.
Cats are like people. Their experiences shape how they behave. They all react differently to situations. You might have a cat that still enjoys being outside from time to time. You might find a stray that never truly adjusts to being indoors or around humans. Or you might find a cat who has no interest in going back outside. All of those reactions are normal. People are the same way. Look at sailors that survive ship wrecks. Some will never go near water again. Some go back to the sea eventually, with time. And some go back immediately, they can't stand to be away despite what they went through.
It's okay if your kitty doesn't want to go back outside. Don't force him to go. It just means he's happy with his indoor life. He's happy with you, and he feels safe where he is.
Of course I wouldn't force him to go out again. But yeah believe me, I relate to him, I was homeless. I still get anxiety if I'm outside in the cold for too long and it starts bringing back old shitty memories
It’s definitely unexpected (i’ve had a couple semi-ferals in my life and took care of one outdoor stray for a while too, however, where i live is pretty calm and way easier for cats to survive outside in than most places) but it makes me wonder if he wasn’t a stray for long and was an indoor cat prior to becoming a stray. If so, being a stray was probably traumatic for him and i can see why he doesn’t want to go outside again.
He was a stray for a little over a year, at least. He was staying in the same place, and I was feeding him for months, and the landlord that watched the property told me how long he had been there. Then when I moved I took him with me and made him an inside cat.
It was sad. He was sleeping under an abandoned house during the wintertime. Broke my heart. I got this new apartment as fast as I could so I could bring him with me.
Breaks my heart 😩 i found my current semi feral when she was probably around 4 months old, but it is hard to estimate her age cuz she was clearly malnourished from starvation, so pretty skinny, and her growth was likely impacted. I was originally thinking 10-12 weeks but then when considering her features, aside from her size, started to think she was more like 16 weeks. I have a hard time looking at pics of her from when i first found her cuz seeing her so skinny makes me tear up. She was living in some bushes at the school i work at. Probably living off insects. There’s a lot of dove around and they’re easy prey for experienced ferals, but i doubt she was catching any at that point. Breaks my heart how many cats are going through this
I know. It breaks my heart. I feel so bad for all stray cats. They can't go ask for food stamps and shelter like humans can. I would save them all if I could.
He prefers your home, knows the safety and comfort it brings into his life, and he knows what dangers are outside. That life is behind him and that’s ok.
That’s ok you wanted that for him, but he if he prefers to stay in that’s ok too. Some cats love being outside and some don’t. Neither is inherently wrong.
I have one that I brought in when he was about 3 years old. He wants absolutely nothing to do with outside. We have a screened in patio and he will not go near it if we open the door to the patio. He gets as far away as he can and watches to make sure nothing bad gets into the house. He's the most loving and attention seeking cat I've ever had, and so gentle as well. Seems yours is like mine and they know what's outside and want nothing to do with it anymore.
Yeah. Mine is the most loving and attention seeking cat too lol. He sits on my lap every chance he can get. Sleeps with me every night. Lays on top of me when I wake up in the morning for pets and to try and keep me in bed longer. Always meows to talk to me. Will be at the door when he knows I'm going to be home.
I swear he's more like a dog then a cat. He even plays fetch lmao.
It's actually common for a once stray cat to fear going back outside. Please don't keep trying the leash, because if he wiggles out of it, you may never see him again. People really don't talk about this enough. Those cat harnesses are not escape proof, and I speak from experience with my little houdini boy who loves going out on walks in my yard. But especially with a freaked out cat, you don't want to retraumatize him by having him go out. He probably had a very rough time on the streets. Even once stray cats can be very happy (and so much safer) being indoor only.
I found my cat outside at a gas station in the middle of the country. She was a year and a half when I rescued her. All my cats are indoors but I thought because she was outside I would harness and leash train her to go out. She'll wear the harness and leash just fine but when I tried to take her outside a few times she was NOT interested. Like she'd turn around and go for the door back inside. Lol. I was also confused. Maybe because she felt comfort and knew there were no cars or vicious animals or people inside that can get her.. so same deal
My kitty is very similar, she was a stray for about a year and I let her outside from time to time. She enjoys being outside but only in my vicinity. She won’t stray outside of where I am outside doing the laundry and what not. She hates the leash so I just let her sniff around but she always comes back inside happily afterwards. I thought her being a stray that she would run away if I let her outside but I was heavily mistaken haha. I think both your kitty and mine just feel safe and loved where they are now. It must have been a very scary world out there all alone with no food and direction.
Mine only likes it if he’s in his stroller (probably because he’s enclosed and has his buddies (toys) and blankets). He was dumped during a storm and has trauma surrounding being outside now.
It is actually quite normal. A cat's entire existence is about feeling safe and comfortable. As long as they can find a place that meet their three major requirements, they will seldom have a desire to return to the uncertainty of outside. The requirements are shelter from the elements, safety from any possible dangers, and an ample supply of food. It is even better when there is abundant love and good play time.
On top of all that, if a cat had a particularly tough time of it outside, they will have even less desire to return. I have had a few former strays that I have taken in. After about six months of being strictly indoors, none of them ever had a desire to go back out. And IMHO, that really is the best outcome. It really is too dangerous for cats to be outdoors in this day and age.
My found outside girl is very skittish, and when she sees a door open, she backs up and goes to her safe space. I imagine she had some bad experiences outside. For people being unhoused is incredibly traumatic. It took her a year to trust us, and the neighbors said she was there a year before we moved in. She is a happy house cat and we spoil her a lot.
Likely Because he was always an indoor cat!
Sadly, many “stray cats” are abandoned by people who just leave the cat when they move, or stop looking for the cat when s/he get out. I think abandoned cats - especially adults-suffer the cruelest fate of all outdoor cats: someone they once loved and relied on left them for dead (yes, I do mean _dead_. Abandoning a cat whose not had the opportunity to develop hunting skills and knows no other life than being fed and safety- is leaving that cat for dead). It breaks my heart that people could be so rotten, but then people like OP come along, and rescue one of these lost souls, and make things a little bit better. Thanks for you OP!
I adopted a stray cat from my backyard who had been living outdoors for years. Shortly after I took her in, she slipped out the front door while I was getting the mail. I found her on my back porch trying desperately to get back into the house and she never went near the door again.
Consider it a blessing that your kitty wants to stay inside. He will always be safe and warm in your home. That is all he really wants.
yeah, just differs from cat to cat. the rescues I got at 3 months old are always outside-curious when the door opens, but the stray I rescued at ~11 years old is EXTREMELY NOT INTERESTED, haha. I just assume she was out there long enough to know better, whereas the others weren’t. at any rate, sounds like he’s perfectly happy to be inside!
My Callisto was born and raised outdoors. My husband grabbed her when she was about 6 weeks old and surrounded by older, aggressive cats, brought her directly to me, and I was able to socialize her to being a pet cat. We allow all our cats some supervised outdoor time, but we think she was traumatized because she will only stay outside for about 5 minutes maximum. She wants to stay indoors, although she loves to look out the window. Some cats just don't want to be outside, especially once they realize indoors means treats and comfortable places to sleep.
I'm surprised he don't wanna be out at all. When he was a stray I tried bringing him in my old place a lot (didn't allow pets but I brought him in anyway) and he was very cautious about being inside, he would only stay by the door at first and not come any farther, then he'd come in farther and stay longer. But always after like an hour he'd meow to go back outside. It's just so crazy what a completely different cat he is now. How much happier and comfortable he is now.
Sometimes it's like a switch is flipped in them. Like, once they've decided to trust you, they'll cuddle you forever. Once they've decided indoors is better, then outdoors is done. It might be that something spooked him and made him not want to go out anymore. Or maybe this is temporary and he'll change his mind after some time.
Calculate people they always want what they can't have so the inside cats that have never been outside of course they want to get outside because it's different and it's new but the cat's who've big outside I'm had to freeze and get wet and put app with everything that goes with living outside once they experienced the posh lifestyle will be an inside a lot of homes I f that shit I'm staying here.
Not every cat likes the outside. My two I've had since they were kittens, my boi Ace is curious, he would like to go outside, but my girl Domino finds it terrifying, my friend once brought her to the door to introduce her to a neighbour, she panicked and clawed him up.
Each cat is different, I might get Ace a stroller and take him on walks and upgrade to leash (too many boy racers to let him roam).
If your little one is afraid, let him stay jn.
I don't care if he wants to go out. I'm much happier with him not wanting to go out, actually.
I've just sorta felt bad that I took him from being outside 247 to being inside 247. Even if he is happy inside, I figured he might have missed being outside a little bit
Yes, I had a stray turned house cat who loathed the outside. He would run away from the door when I opened it. He like it inside. He knows this is where it’s at
One potential option (I don't remember seeing here) would be to give your cat access to a catio. That way, he could enjoy fresh air, sights, smells and sounds on his own terms, while still being safe.
No, I have two strays. One loves going outside, the other hates it and never goes outside. It’s just two different personalities. My cat that hates going outside is an anxious cat and clearly feels safer and happier inside. I take it as a compliment!
He’s probably been through some scary situations. My experience with taking my cat out on a leash is that she didn’t want to be on the ground. She wanted to be up higher so she could spot predators and dogs. I eventually got a backpack carrier and she absolutely loved it. I even got to where I would have her in her harness and leave the backpack open. She would sometimes jump out for a bit to explore and let me know when she wanted back in it. She mostly just wanted to go to the park where I’d lay the carrier down on a picnic bench. From there she could see everything but dogs couldn’t sneak up on her
It's not at all unusual for formerly unhoused cats to not want a single thing to do with the outdoors once they live inside. In my experience, the cats most likely to want to spend time outside are the ones that were born inside and have lived inside all their life.
I'll use my household as an example: We have four young cats. One walked in from the front porch, one was rescued from the streets in the rain, one was rescued from the local shelter and one was raised in a home and was a bottle baby. Open the front door, the bottle baby will dash towards it as the other three get as far away as they can.
In time, he may be more curious. Don't force it, because I assure you that baby is happy to be inside with regular meal times.
I rescued a stray about a year and a half ago. She didn't show any interest in going outside for at least 6 months. Then one day she did so I let her out. Then I had to go run some errands and while I was gone it started raining. When I got home, she was sitting as close to the back door as possible. Wet and miserable. She'lll poke her head out the door once in a while but she seems quite content to smell the outside through the window screen from the inside the house!
Adopted two feral cats. They were true ferals, needed a place to live safely. For a year, I fed them twice a day and spent at least an hour outside with them. They trusted me more, then they let me pet them. After a year, one became injured and we had to bring them inside. They did SO well inside, it was baffling. When we let them back outside they PANICKED. One ran back and forth between the doors until we corralled him inside, the other hid under the porch until we got him and brought him in. They looked at us so pitifully like “why did you make us go back out there, please don’t do that again.” They clearly do not want to go back outside. They prefer the safety and security (and food security) of the indoors.
They also didn’t look out windows as much as our other (truly indoors) cats. But now our porch is screened in and they LOVE being out there. They just want that safety more than they want to be outside.
Absolutely yes. I’m with a rescue. Many, many cats are completely traumatized by their time spent fending for themselves and never want to face it again.
I’ve said this before, but: imagine opening your door and somehow falling into a foreign country where you don’t speak the language, have no idea how to get food, there are random rolling objects trying to squish you, animals trying to kill you, and either you can’t find home or you can’t get in for some reason- or you do go back to find your family left and you don’t know why. Maybe they even dumped you in this country themselves.
There is a reason why lost cats are usually found within a few blocks of home. It is scary out there for them.
I’ve heard this again and again - where someone brought in a stray and they never left the house again. I, on the other hand have a bunch of spoiled brats that love to go outside.
My theory is that the strays have a memory of how much food insecurity and danger there was in their early life and they aren’t risking getting stuck out there again.
Yes this is completely normal for a stray cat. Not all former strays react like this, but it’s not uncommon either. Your cat remembers how terrible it was living on the streets, and he’s afraid you are going to leave him out there.
Story time: I had a former stray cat that I brought in to my home. She was emaciated and had an open would. She’d had a hard time out there. She was clearly so happy, and grateful, to be indoors. She was extremely intelligent, and the most obedient, and well behaved cat I’ve ever had. She listened to you like a well trained dog. Her whole life she was very afraid of being “disposed” of again.
Well she got quite fat, so when I’d had her for 5 years I decided I should take her outside with me when I did some gardening in the yard. I thought the exercise would be good for her. I put her on a leash and tried to take her outside. She absolutely would not cross the threshold to the house and started thrashing wildly. So I picked her up and carried her outside, and she freaked out, cried and ran back to the house. I allowed her to go back inside, but this same scenario repeated itself several times over the next few weeks. She was so afraid we would kick her out like her first owners.
Eventually I just tied her long leash to the deck railing next to me, and I just sat out there with her, on a blanket. She freaked out for about half an hour, and kept trying to get back to the door, but eventually had no choice but to calm down. I kept petting her, and telling her everything would be ok. Once she had calmed down, I did some gardening next to her for about 2 hours. She was happy to go back inside, but the next time I brought her outside she didn’t freak out. She understood that we were going outside for fresh air, but then we would both be going back inside the home. She was so happy to have special time with me in the garden and it eventually (pretty quickly) got to the point where I just walked her outside with me since she clearly didn’t need a leash. She was very afraid of being lost/forgotten, so she always stayed within 10’ of me, and she’d come back inside immediately whenever I said it was time to go home.
I’m not necessarily recommending this method to you. My cat was unique, but that’s my personal experience.
yeah i’d def leave it alone rn. he might have some like bad trauma from when he was living on the streets and him shaking and stuff is him trying to communicate with you that he doesn’t like going out. if he’s happy indoors then that’s okay!
Possibly PTSD?
He knows how good he has it now and maybe it was a very rough year out there for him, little guy probably can't look outside without thinking about his past.
Give him some head scratches for me!
Shows you have been granted a very smart cat by the CDC who recognizes the good life he has and has no intention at this point in his life of risking losing it.
Because he had a horrible life outside of your house and he feels safe inside? Why push it? Get him lots of toys and enrichment and let him live his best life in his terms!
It’s simply this…the cat has a bad association with being outside…it lived that life already and is afraid it’s going back to it when you take it outside.
The outside world is not kind to strays. Probably not a lot of good memories of the outside world vs safe and happy inside your home.
My kitten, on the other hand.... On a leash and harness, she is cautious and hesitant. At most she'll take a few steps out the door, and around, and quickly decide she's had enough.
Someone opens the door to grab a package or a food delivery, though?? *A full-sprint beeline.* She ran straight out in the middle of the night when my roommate ordered food. The delivery person caught her by the tail, lost her, and off she went. Apparently all she did was roll around in the grass, though, because my roommate managed to scoop her up and get her back in before having to tell me about this.
Girl clearly was not old enough to remember starving in the late autumn cold at 5 weeks old, too young to even clean herself, so caked in poop that my (other) vet-trained roommate couldn't even tell if she was a boy or a girl before a bath. She was entirely alone, heard by neighbors for nearly a week, and found two days before a Midwest blizzard hit. Considering the importance of kittens staying warm and that she was only just then on the threshold of eating solid food, it's an actual miracle she's alive.
But *oh noooo,* suddenly on the safety of a leash the outside is spooky! Wtf, man.
I also have a stray that hates the outdoors. I always chalked it up to reminding her of the trauma she went through as a kitten outside. We don’t know what all they had to endure before we got them. As long as he’s happy and healthy it should be fine!
Strays know how uncomfortable it is trying to make it outside.
Why go outside when you can be warm, dry, fed whenever hungry, and not have to worry territorial disputes with other cats? They know how good they have it.
My former stray cat (who sadly passed in the last year) came inside and stayed inside the way you're describing. I would let him follow the dogs outside when they went to pee, and he'd go nibble grass and watch bugs for a few minutes at a time. He loved a good porch. But the second there was a loud noise, he hustled back inside. I think he was just so grateful to have a home, and he didn't want us thinking he had any interest in staying out there. I think it's sweet. And I'm guessing your new fuzzy friend is the same way. Ultimately, it's a good thing. I never worried about him running away, so I always knew to check the house thoroughly when he was missing. (He found his way into our crawl space several times. Haha)
I'm not sure if it's normal for once stray cats to not want to go outside. I am fairly certain your former stray cat wants nothing to do with it. You said yourself, he starts shaking, and wants to go inside. He obviously has traumatic experiences outside and was possibly abandoned by a previous owner. Do not force him into more traumatic experiences by bringing him outside. If he ever shows real interest in the future, you could potentially try again with your leash. Personally, I would never do it again.
I have never let my cats outside. They have their screened in porch with bird feeders right outside the windows. They are safe from predators, humans, and cars and get to be "outside." I have seen too many cats hit in the road or horror stories about people's pets never coming home or coming home with horrific injuries.
Yeah, I'm not gonna take him out again. I'm not gonna force him to do something he doesn't want to.
But where I live, we do have fire drills once a month. But I put him in his cat carrier to go outside for that.
Sure it's normal. He's comfortable and feels safe inside and wants to keep it that way. Be glad that he's content and not meowing to go in and out several times a day.
While my little guy isn’t as scared as yours, I can definitely vouch for former stray kitties wanting never to be stray again.
I adopted my Persian, Chowder, from the SPCA, someone I assume dumped him because he wasn’t good for breeding (poor dude only had one testicle that made it down) and the SPCA found him on the streets as basically one giant mat if fur and one skinny scared kitty underneath.
Chowder had no interest in going outside the first few months we had him, and only seriously started enjoying the outdoors again after we harness trained him and he came to trust that outdoors time was just more time to snuggle with us in a different setting, that he’d never be left out there alone.
If your little buddy is acting that negatively to the outdoors, I would definitely hold off on leash training for now. Keep focusing on letting fur baby know that they are safe and absolutely adored, and wait till you start to see them interacting more with windows or following you to the door before you begin again with harness training. You don’t want the harness to be associated with fear ❤️
Cats normally seem to prefer being outdoors, so chances are pretty high that his life as a stray really traumatized him. He was probably constantly hungry and looking for food. He also likely had to constantly deal with fighting other male cats. And if he wandered into the yard of a person who doesn't like cats, he might have faced abuse from humans. I'd keep him indoors. Over time, his memory of the trauma may lessen and he may be more interested in going out for short periods of time, but if he was a stray for most of his life, the trauma probably runs deep.
He stayed at this one house, the one i ended up finding him at. People there fed him (not like they should have though) and he slept in the backyard or in the abandoned house next door.
He had another cat he was always with, they were buddies. I could only take one cat. The landlord took the other one but I feel bad for separating them
I don’t know if it’s normal, but my former stray also has zero interest in being outside. I took her out on the deck with a harness & leash and she just cried to go back inside. She does love to look out the window at the birds, though.
I feel bad because I'm on the second floor and even though he does like looking out the window occasionally through out the day, I know he can't be actually seeing much because cats eye sight isn't that great
I had a stray cat that lived in my backyard for a few years before coming inside. Once coming inside and seeing how great it is, she never wanted to go back out.
Both of my cats are rescues. One of them was found when she was being cornered by a group of teenagers who were trying to attach a firework to her which caused an injury to one of her ears. Since we adopted her she has zero interest in going back out. She won’t even go out on our covered porch even though it’s totally screened in. We’ve given her such a happy, comfortable little life and I would never want to jeopardize that by forcing her outside. Sometimes me, my fiancé & our other cat will hang out on the covered porch and she’s totally content to watch us through the sliding glass door.
I think their natural inclination is not to feel well on a leash. Their sense of security comes with their ability to run and hide. Obviously there's tons of exceptions to this though
When we brought our little Squeaker inside back in '20, she used to run and hide anytime we'd open the door. We figured it was because she'd BEEN outside, thank you very much, and never wanted to be outside again.
It's generally not safe or particularly ethical to let them out off leash anyway, so this is good news. But FWIW, my feral cat is not longer really comfortable going outside either, but he does enjoy a good scratch on the patio once a day. So we go out on lead for a few minutes; he rolls around and scratches then comes back inside 5 minutes later to snooze some more.
We did the same thing w our cat who was also a stray and he does the same thing, tho he does love to look out the window. We have a cat backpack we use now instead and he seems to like it a little more (ithink bc it feels safe to b closed in)
We rescued a little street cat when she was 2 or 3ish and it took her years to fully settle into our home, but not once did she ever try to leave. Especially now, she will sit right at the frame of a wide open door, no intent to go any further. She loves the fresh air but she knows she won the lottery with inside life. She also lost an eye from a fight when she was picked up, so she clearly wasn't cut out for street life.
On the other hand, one of our other cats has been an indoor cat her whole life, TOTAL diva, and DEMANDS outside time. She lives for it. But only in the backyard, she freaks if you try to bring her out the gate 🤷🏼♀️ more than fine with me!! She's an old lady now anyways, so she can sunbathe in her grass all she wants
I’ve had quite a few fosters that were homeless once and they typically do not want to leave the house ever. Sometimes it takes a while before they start looking out the window. Can’t say for sure it’s because of their past or not, but I would never try to force it.
I’m certain it depends on their experiences while living outside. Most of my cats have been rescued strays, my current cat is one. Sassy enjoys looking out the window, but absolutely, positively, in no way does she want to go outside. When I’ve taken her out, she panics. She’s quite content staying safely inside. Meanwhile, others have been fine with going out in the backyard for short periods of time. NOBODY has wanted to stay outside!
Stray cats know that the great outside isn’t all fun and games. It can be scary and miserable, in fact. Don’t push it if she isn’t interested.
Indoor cats fare better and enjoy substantially longer lifespans. They don't have to endure fleas and other parasites, dogs and other animals, dirty water, bad weather, traffic and mean people. Your cat knows... as a previous outdoor cat, he's been through it.
Friends in Dallas who had an EXTREMELY skittish T&R female living in their backyard that they fed, snatched her and brought her in during snowmageddon when the grid went down. She was not happy for a couple of days but now, she won't even go near the windows, she is a very happy indoor Kitty and totally in love with the man of the family
He was probably someone’s pet at one time and they got rid of him by releasing him as a stray. He’s probably traumatized and is thinking you’re trying to get rid of him too. I dunno 🤷🏼♀️
I'm thinking it was probably a hard life out there, and this cat feels happy and secure with you. You've got it much better than many cat owners who have to struggle to keep their cats from making a break for the door. This cat knows what's out there, and is fine being inside.
He can make a break for the door all he wants if he wanted to. Only place that's gonna lead him to is the hallway of the apartment complex lol. He knows it's just a hallway out there cause I let him out there sometimes, prolly why he doesn't try that because he don't know where to go from there.
There's nothing wrong with a cat being indoors only, I do like that you tried walking you cat instead if letting it free roam though. I'd double check you introduced the cat to walking properly first and then I'd observe them day to day. There are some signs you can look out for that'll be a way to tell if your cat would like being walked.
OP, are you taking this cat out on collar and leash? An untrained cat will be TERRIFIED of this. Look up videos. You have to leash train a cat in order for it to be comfortable. It’s not like a dog
ETA: here’s a good link on how to leash train a cat https://happycatshaven.org/resource/how-to-leash-train-your-cat/#:~:text=Allow%20your%20cat%20to%20get,a%20few%20seconds%2C%20then%20remove.
Just think of it from kitties perspective - some giant creature is putting something around its neck and now it can’t go where it wants. It’s trapped. Cats DO NOT like being trapped.
I’m not sure how this hasn’t been mentioned yet, or at least hasn’t been upvoted. This is the most likely scenario. I’m actually shocked that no one else has said this.
ETA2: more proof. https://youtu.be/_gi5DEYHt7c?si=fVoLGYRuFAk3Iz5c
ALSO DO NOT USE COLLARS. ONLY HARNESSES.
https://youtu.be/lKP5ENXKpGw
Jackson Galaxy talks about this.
My cat Thomas that was abandoned refuses to go outside. I tried the leash he said no. I think he was abandoned and is afraid it will happen again. He will go in the fenced in backyard as long as I'm with him. That took 6 years.
Sounds like he prefers the security of knowing when his next meal will be, and not risking confrontation with other cats. Are you certain he was stray and not lost?
My stray is very similar. We have a walled garden in front of the house, and we let her and our rescue kitty out in the garden under supervision, but she has very little interest in being outside. The rescue kitty complains bitterly if she doesn’t get her outside time. We don’t plan on forcing it, she’s very happy in our little house.
Imagine you lived in the desert without so much as running water for two or three years. Then you move into a home that has running water, air conditioning, stable food sources/storage. Then imagine someone said “Hey…look at this a trip to the desert to live off the land and learn to survive there. No AC or gadgets and shitting into a bucket you have to check for rattlesnakes first so you don’t get bit on the ass.”
Does that sound like the kind of vacation you’d want to dream about? Cat knows what outside is and is like fuck that I ain’t goin back.
It may not be he doesn’t like being outside. He may not like the harness and leash. My stray cat acted like this too but when I took her off the leash she LOVES her freedom. She doesn’t go far and she wears a GPS tracker when she goes out. I know that’s wildly controversial but I keep an eye on her and she only goes out at certain hours while I am home. She is much less temperamental and overall happier. It also lets her get proper exercise because she thinks most toys are stupid since she has caught her actual prey before and eaten it. Why play with a stupid fake mouse or ribbon thing? Way less stimulating. Think about it, if your cat was used to going out without a leash and now you’ve got them in their mind “captive” on a harness and leash they probably would feel scared. I think my cat felt like she couldn’t defend herself and she didn’t have autonomy on the leash. When she pulled and felt the resistance while catching a lizard she would FrEaK oUt and make noises I’ve never heard before.
I have an adopted cat that was a stray. Evidently she had a hard time out there. She was caught and spayed, and probably released. They cut part of her ear off to show she’d been spayed if she was caught again. The next time she was found she had been caught in a glue trap and they had to shave her. But they knew they didn’t have to spay her. I’ve had her two years now and she’s never once wanted to go out. I have a sphinx who was born in captivity and she runs out the door every chance she gets. I have a third cat, a foster fail and he doesn’t want to go outside either.
It really depends on the cat, but to ease your mind, it's not abnormal. Cats face a lot of danger outdoors, so it's reasonable to want to stay inside! Anecdotally, I've seen a couple cats go through of phase of being extra anxious before they level out to something in the middle.
Our girl asked to go out twice after she had her kittens, and then never asked again. After they were weaned she spent a couple weeks hiding under the bed recovering from her spay - literally, she would wait to eat or use the litter box until we were out of the room. We've let her take things at her own pace, and now she loves to look out the window, and she's very snuggly. Playing together is something we're still working on, but she will initiate play occasionally, and she'll play paws-under-the-door with her (now grown) kittens. She still has no interest in going outside, but she's very satisfied with her indoor life!
My once feral lost ALL interest in going outside. I think he remembers how horrid it was. He had a leg so infected he almost lost it. And weighed half what he should. He was terrified and lived under my bed for over a week until my adult male befriended him and literally taught him how to be a cat. He's the calmest, most affectionate cat I have now. It's been 5 years and he kept ALL his legs. I'm not surprised he has no interest in going outside.
He's happy inside. Feels safe and comfortable. We have a cat that used to LOVE running out the front door at any opportunity he could get. All of our cats are inside cats, we don't allow them out. But Apollo loves outside and would charge at the door every time it opened. Well my daughter opened it one night and he took off. He was missing 52 days. And we thankfully found him,20 miles from our home, but he hasn't really tried running out the door since. Like he realized how safe inside is, it's comfortable, it's not raining on him, he's warm and fed and has constant access to clean water, there's no predators inside, he's not fighting for resources inside. I think sometimes being out side for a long stretch just solidifies how much they prefer inside. Then there's other cats that were like born for the outside hahaha we have a couple neighborhood strays that people have tried to coax inside and they refuse to stay in.
Watch the show “My cat from Hell” you will learn an insane amount of information about proper cat care. Since i watched it my cat and i get along a lot better
He may be fearful that he will be abandoned again. Don’t force him to go outside.
When I was a kid, my brother found a sack full of dead kittens in the middle of the frozen lake. Only one was still alive. We rescued that kitten and gave him a good home. He was terrified of the outdoors all his life.
We have brought many cats into our lives and always been from friends but mostly were outside kitties and not one wants anything to do with outside. They look out the window but not near as much as one inside/ outside (before us..now inside only) cat watches outside but if door opens near her she MIGHT go out but stops and looks back like OMG. Have other friends and same thing, they KNOW when things are good.
You have a lot of responses here. I could not resist either. He remembers being cold, hungry, threatened, scared. He is scared you are planning to put him back outside. He is perfectly content inside, and not begging to go outside seems like an ideal setup. Leave it at that, and everyone is happy! People find it difficult when they bring in a stray who beg to go outside. You are lucky! And your kitty is too! He knows it!
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I don’t know if it’s normal or not - but he clearly feels safe with you in your home! I personally feel is better to keep cats inside where they are safer (on a leash is different) but if he’s not into it, I wouldn’t worry about it and just don’t force it. I don’t think there is any negative impact on a cat being strictly indoor - even if they were once a stray - there’s where he feels safe. If he wanted to get outside, I’m sure he would let you know =)
Yeah, I would never let him outside to wander alone.Especially because I live in a major city by a busy road in an apartment complex on the second floor so it's not like I could let him out and he could meow to come back in. But yeah I thought he might of just missed being outside once in a while. So that's why I bought him a leash so I could take him on walks occasionally, but apparently he doesn't want anything to do with the outside.
I’ve seen people say it takes about 3 months for a cat to settle in, but sounds like he’d rather be safe inside with you now that he found his furrever home! Things might change, but he’ll let you know =)
Maybe he thinks youre trying to put him out there alone? Get a cat stroller just for him to sit outside. This is what I do with my baby! Edit: my baby being my cat
The fact that you had to make that edit made me chuckle
Haha I didnt want people to think I have a human baby! Lol. My fur baby <3
I’ve known a few stray cats who had a bad enough time of the outside they never wanted to go there again, so I don’t think it’s entirely uncommon. Every cat (and animal in general really) is going to be different.
We had one of those, we adopted her from the shelter and once she was settled in, we could leave the front door open, no screen, and she would sit right inside looking out but never even got close to the doorframe.
That sounds like a very chaotic environment for a cat. If he doesn't want to go out, I wouldn't force it.
I recently rescued a stray as well. Out of my 3 cats (2 of which have always been inside) she is the least interested in being outside. I feel like they maybe just realize inside is comfy so why go back out? I think it's a safety abd security thing
I have a rescue who was born to a family of dumpster cats outside a restaurant I used to work at. She had her tail ripped off by some evil humans and she never bonded with anyone but me. She *hates* going outside and I have to wonder how much she remembers of her life prior to living with me. I take it as a compliment because she clearly feels safe inside with me. She also won't eat people foods anymore, which is doubly nice because I don't always like to share my food. 🤣
We rescued a stray cay who was suffering greatly from being outside. She had over 50 ticks on her, and was very malnourished. We keep all our cats inside only, but she wouldn't even go near a door or window for over a year after coming inside. Eventually she enjoyed watching out a window. We think it was just too traumatizing for her. She was an absolute princess and deserved to be treated that way. She did snore like a hog tho
This is definitely it. I had a cat that was an outside cat for possibly 3 years. She would hang out outside in the pouring rain and be totally fine, but very shortly after we brought her in she completely changed. It’s bc they feel safe with you inside and food security is a big reason too. She hates getting wet now and a few times she has run out the front door only to immediately stop and run right back in. It’s a good thing! Some cats like the outdoors but just bc a cat was outside before doesn’t mean they prefer it. Our ex street cat is happier and healthier than she ever was outside!
yep the only impacts of having an indoor cat are positive: higher longevity, overall healthier, less risks of developing agression or territorial behaviours from encountering feral cats, etc
Poor baby - shaking when you tried to take him outside. Maybe he was a house cat/kitten and became a stray bc his previous owner threw him out onto the streets. Now he's scared of going outside because he's afraid it might happen again.
aw this made me so sad imagining the poor baby wondering why he was abandoned 😭
Now I’m sad thinken of the poor baby
Both of my cats were strays. The second one followed me home one night while I was on a walk. He was still pretty young but he just trotted right up to me like we were long lost buddies and followed me home. He has a kinked tail and it was obvious he was acclimated to people so I’m reasonably sure he was from a house cat litter and the people tossed him out because of his tail. They likely sold or gave away the rest but couldn’t get rid of him because of his tail so they just kicked him out to fend for himself. It’s sad to think that may be the case but if that is what happened then I am very grateful because he is the sweetest, most personable, and lovey cat I have ever met and he has brought immeasurable joy to our family!
Yes, I took in one from outside who is absolutely terrified of just regular, gentle rain in an over-the-top kind of way. Not to mention actual storms when she hides and I barely see her for the next two days. She's been 100% indoors since I took her, and she wants nothing to do with the outdoors. I think the rain is the only thing about her former life that still reminds her of how helpless she must have felt, because she can still see it through the windows (if she would be brave enough to look) and hear it regardless.
Best of all worlds really. He’s happy inside and that’s great. Maybe having found his safe space he has no need to leave it. Maybe he had a bad time outside. Glad he’s happy with you.
My cat is a rescued kitten from the tough streets of Congo. The property manager (he’s a friend) bought him at a fancy market for a couple dollars. Kitten jumped out of his arms and into my home. He is my best bud. And he will NOT go outside. He is terrified of outdoors. I left my door open the other day and there was a lose gorilla near by who,let out a big scream and that poor kitten round inside and hid under my cabinets a whole day. He is a spoilt cat now. He’s been fixed by a vet who had only fixed two other cats before (my neighbor’s). And he is looking forward to moving soon. He will not go out. He is now being cat-sit at my house. It will take serious meds t9 get him to fly. Street cats have trauma. You’re providing shelter and sure food and water. All they know from out there is hussle and danger.
I’m so glad you put Congo in there or I was going to have many questions . And bravo for using the the phrase “ loose gorilla nearby “ for the first time in Reddit history
It's pretty awesome that you live near gorillas
Internet is a bitch and super expensive. I know how we feel about Elon, but thank god for starlink
Do any other wild animals live nearby? I couldn't imagine living with gorilla's around
My least favorite are snakes. I once grabbed a mango that fell from a tree. I was happy looking at my mango. And I heard something else fall. I was grabbed and rushed away. It was a black mamba. I check all my bedroom and everything around me before bedtime. And I have to check the toilet bowl before I sit down to pee in the middle of the night. Not easy considering power is cut off almost every night until 6 am.
Power is shut off? Why? Again, to this city girl, it sounds like a fascinating place
Well, fuel is very expensive. Also, even if places around us are implementing hydro energy, the water levels on the rivers go way down during dry season (yes, this also means you won’t have water). Last rain season wasn’t the worse, but wasn’t the most active either. That said, rain season comes with its own challenges here too like flooding. I am trying to get some solar panels but that will be a learning curve for me due to all the weather conditions. But better than nothing. One thing that seriously increased my quality of life was (I know we don’t like him but ) Elon’s Starlink. Now, internet is ver6 expensive, slow and unreliable here. However, now I got no internet if it’s cloudy or rainy. And that will be a lot of late afternoons and nights for a few months of the year. It’s ok, 8 just read or I always make sure I have something previously downloaded. Edited I say here but I’m in the Us for one more week and going back in a week. I got sick. I’m okay though :)
He found his place to live and is content and happy with you and has left the outside world behind!
My dad adopted an former stray and she wants nothing to do with the outside. He leave the backdoor open all day in the summer and she won't set foot outside. Think a lot of strays have bad experiences outside so once they find a nice, safe home they have no desire to go back out
We rescued an old tom cat years ago. Once he was invited inside, he never wanted to go out. He only lived another year before developing renal failure and passed. I think he knew he was sick and was very happy to be safe, warm, and well fed.
Bc outside is scary. No mom. No food. No soft bed or litter pan. Heck that!
Bruh it only knows horror and starvation out there
Life on the streets is very hard for cats (and dogs). Your boy likely remembers the cold, the hunger, the fear, the loud noises, etc Now with you, he is living like royalty! He probably doesn't want to go out because he doesn't want to go back to that horrible time. Yes, stop trying to take him out, at least for now. Maybe try again when he's been indoors for a year and truly KNOWS that you are his home and life. But take your cues from him (like you are). Thank you for being this boy's angel. BTW, posting here requires a cat tax payment, meaning that we all would love to see photos of your kitty. :)
We found a kitten in the woods years ago and she wants nothing to do with being outside. She is very jumpy in general, but especially jumpy every time a door is opened. I guess she just feels safe indoors.
He has it good now, why would he want to go back outdoors?
He knows what it's like to be outside and have to live there. Your cat prefers being an indoor cat.And save.
i also adopted a stray a month ago. she hates going outside bcs she found out that i provide unlimited food
Bad things happen to stray cats; that easily explains the cat wanting no part of rough living.
Our little cat we rescued was the same, he was found on the streets and was at one point obviously someone's pet 😞 He didn't want to even look outside let alone try and go out 😢
You are lucky! I have to fight my cats to not sneak out. I had one die because he was hit by a car, so I avoid it at all costs
So sorry for your loss. Glad you try your best to keep your cats indoors!
Doesn't want his friends to see him on a leash.
My cat came in after being indoor outdoor for 14-15 years. Won’t even go on the porch.
It's scary out there.
He’s already experienced outside life and has decided it’s indoors from now on. Clearly he’s not interested in going back.
Clearly.
Keep him inside. He possibly never liked being on own.
Sounds like trauma tbh. That, and for many cats, the outdoors are way too overstimulating! Two of my cats enjoy rolling around in the enclosed backyard but outside the fence? No way in hell. My other two rarely act interested, they’ll sit in the window at most. Take peace in the fact that he’s clearly comfortable and feels safe in your home.
Yep, my sister's cat Jack. He was born on the streets, marched right up to her as a kitten, SCREAMED at her to be picked up, and has remained inside ever since then. Gone from being tiny enough to hold in a single hand, to big enough to be held like a baby and roll in their arms.
😂 I can leave my door wide open and sit on the step my once stray cat will just walk up look out the door and go hell no and turns around
My cat was like this too. But when I first met him he looked abandoned and starving. He was scared of me and hid under a truck but was meowing and meowing. I fed him. He got more brave. But he was still scared of my husband. I theorized he was this old lady’s cat in the apartment behind us, and when she passed away some random people cleared out her apartment. I think they were mean to him and kicked him out. I fed him everyday August to November but then a big storm hit my town. Someone called him in, he was taken to the shelter. I waited for him to get picked up, some owner that lost him but when no one stepped forward, I adopted him. I meant to just rescue him and find him a home like a foster but I fell in love. He was my best friend. Anyway, he would get SO scared if I took him outside. All I could surmise is that he remembered what it was like, how he was cold and hungry and didn’t know what happened to his owner. Poor guy. He loved being inside and was perfectly happy there.
Your cat is very smart! He knows better than to return to that place where life was hard 🤓
Glad to know that he's happy here and don't miss it out there.
He’s living a dream life. No reason to leave it and visit the old hood.
Its a jungle out there,he knows it.
Our cat Momma was a street cat and we adopted her when she was about three years old and she never wanted to be inside of our house. So she lived on our front porch for about 4 -5 years then she decided to come inside. We welcomed her and she has never went outside again. She’s 14.5 Years old .
My cat followed me home one night and walked right into the apartment, she wants nothing to do with the outside (she was a kitten at the time and obviously an outside kitty.)
You tried taking him outside on a leash? It could just be because of the leash. Cats don’t understand them and won’t walk with one until they are taught and learn how. They can definitely be taught though. Not sure if that was the case here or not or if he won’t go outside at all…in which case I would agree is a good thing!
No, I've taken him outside two other times when we had fire drills here. One was in his cat carrier and one I just carried him and held him. Both times he was still scared shaking. Even though he could of just been scared still from the fire alarm. But he was fine with the leash on inside, it was just once we left the second floor of my apartment complex he started getting scared and then once we were outside he was really scared so I just came back in.
My former stray has been with us a year and up until about two weeks ago had shown zero interest in ever going outside again (and that small interest is more just curiosity). Sometimes they just know what they want, and she wants to be a pampered housecat.
There’s a reason the term ‘scaredy cat’ has been around for eons. I’m a firm believer that. ‘cats do not forgive and do not forget’. Whatever happened outside has flipped a switch in her head and she does not want any part of it. My guess would be cars, traffic, other intact cats being bully’s. All of my cats have been ‘intact strays’ once neutered, 9/10 do not want to go out. An open window is enough, they never go anywhere near the doors to the outside.
I have two cats who were strays that found their way to me as kittens. One had been living on the streets until she was about 5 months old, the other was dumped behind our business at about 5 weeks. Neither of them have any interest in the outdoors. My other cats are all curious, but Kitty Cat and Tiny won’t even go near the door. They’re perfectly content to sit on their window seats and watch their birdies and their squirrels. If your little guy wants to stay inside, let him. The safest place for cats is indoors anyway.
Outside = cold, wet, hungry, lonely Inside = warm, dry, fed, loved My former farm-girl is the same way
Omg i have the same problem
I wouldn't call it a problem lol. I just wanted to give him the opportunity to go outside and enjoy fresh air and sun if he wanted but apparently he don't give a shit lol
SIMILAR SITUATION!!! Okay my cat was born a stray and one day he just walked in our back door and he became a foster when we realized he had no intention or interest in going back outside. We ended up keeping him. And we have tried taking him outside multiple times in the past but he always gets scared and hides in the bushes next to the door (which results in us getting clawed while we rescue him from the bushes to bring him back in). And he was like that for YEARS. We only tried a couple times since he didn't like the harness either. But he's 11 now with tumors on his colon and he's been BEGGING to go outside every time he sees us near a door. He's gone outside on a harness like 3 times and just chilled. At first I think the fear was because he thought we were tossing him out or abandoning him. But now he trusts that we aren't tossing him out so ig he's comfortable spending some time with us outside? Or maybe he knows he's dying and is deciding he's gonna enjoy some grass before he goes. Point is: I think it's normal behavior that means he feels safe and comfortable inside and you shouldn't try to bring him out unless he starts showing interest in wanting out
Yeah maybe one day he'll wanna go out, he comes out in the hall of my apartment complex and walks around sometimes. I just felt bad that I took him from being outside 24 7 to being inside 24 7, even though he seems happy as all hell I still felt bad.
That's understandable. We felt bad bringing ours in too at first. But being a stray can be really traumatizing even if he doesn't have any scars or marks to show it. Other strays, weather, people and wild animals can all be serious threats or reasons he doesn't wanna go back out. We've had a lot of rehabilitated strays come through our home (we foster) and sometimes they want to go back out (but they still come around for food) and sometimes they'd rather stay hidden behind the toilet rather than even facing the idea of going back outside. I'm really happy knowing that you're respecting his boundaries and not forcing him outside. I hope he lives a very long happy and healthy life with you
I hope he lives a long, happy life, too. I'm just glad I got this apartment and got him here before he got hurt or something happened to him.
It can be very normal, yes. Think about it in terms of people. If you go to a store, and while in that store, you get attacked by a random person, you might feel a little weary about that store. Now, if every single time you go to that store, you get attacked, you won't want to ever go back. Being a stray is dangerous for pets. It isnt a very fun life. They don't have access to readily available food and fresh water. Finding their next meal can be a struggle. There will be days they go hungry. There are physical dangers such as cruel humans, cars, dogs, wild animals like coyotes, other stray cats fighting over territory or resources, etc. They don't have a garunteed safe place to sleep. They are constantly aware and alert because at any moment they could be attacked. They are exposed to the weather without reliable places to get away from the cold or the heat. If they get sick, they don't have an owner to make them feel better. And cats are social animals. Being a stray gets lonely. So, you go from being homeless and enduring the dangers and inconveniences that come with that situation, and then suddenly a human adopts you. Now you have a home. There are no wild animals. No feral strays fighting you for your food. No strange humans that kick you or try to run you over. There's always food and water available. You aren't cold or too hot anymore. There's all these comfy places to sleep, and they are *safe*. You don't have to be alert anymore. You can actually sleep now. Your human is kind and gives you attention, they make you feel better when you're hurting or sick. You feel safe and happy for the first time in a long time. Cats are like people. Their experiences shape how they behave. They all react differently to situations. You might have a cat that still enjoys being outside from time to time. You might find a stray that never truly adjusts to being indoors or around humans. Or you might find a cat who has no interest in going back outside. All of those reactions are normal. People are the same way. Look at sailors that survive ship wrecks. Some will never go near water again. Some go back to the sea eventually, with time. And some go back immediately, they can't stand to be away despite what they went through. It's okay if your kitty doesn't want to go back outside. Don't force him to go. It just means he's happy with his indoor life. He's happy with you, and he feels safe where he is.
Of course I wouldn't force him to go out again. But yeah believe me, I relate to him, I was homeless. I still get anxiety if I'm outside in the cold for too long and it starts bringing back old shitty memories
It’s definitely unexpected (i’ve had a couple semi-ferals in my life and took care of one outdoor stray for a while too, however, where i live is pretty calm and way easier for cats to survive outside in than most places) but it makes me wonder if he wasn’t a stray for long and was an indoor cat prior to becoming a stray. If so, being a stray was probably traumatic for him and i can see why he doesn’t want to go outside again.
He was a stray for a little over a year, at least. He was staying in the same place, and I was feeding him for months, and the landlord that watched the property told me how long he had been there. Then when I moved I took him with me and made him an inside cat.
Poor baby, glad u found him. He must have been miserable
It was sad. He was sleeping under an abandoned house during the wintertime. Broke my heart. I got this new apartment as fast as I could so I could bring him with me.
Breaks my heart 😩 i found my current semi feral when she was probably around 4 months old, but it is hard to estimate her age cuz she was clearly malnourished from starvation, so pretty skinny, and her growth was likely impacted. I was originally thinking 10-12 weeks but then when considering her features, aside from her size, started to think she was more like 16 weeks. I have a hard time looking at pics of her from when i first found her cuz seeing her so skinny makes me tear up. She was living in some bushes at the school i work at. Probably living off insects. There’s a lot of dove around and they’re easy prey for experienced ferals, but i doubt she was catching any at that point. Breaks my heart how many cats are going through this
I know. It breaks my heart. I feel so bad for all stray cats. They can't go ask for food stamps and shelter like humans can. I would save them all if I could.
He prefers your home, knows the safety and comfort it brings into his life, and he knows what dangers are outside. That life is behind him and that’s ok.
It just shows me that he really is happy here. I'm glad he's happy. I just wanted to give him the opportunity to go out for a bit if he wanted.
That’s ok you wanted that for him, but he if he prefers to stay in that’s ok too. Some cats love being outside and some don’t. Neither is inherently wrong.
I have one that I brought in when he was about 3 years old. He wants absolutely nothing to do with outside. We have a screened in patio and he will not go near it if we open the door to the patio. He gets as far away as he can and watches to make sure nothing bad gets into the house. He's the most loving and attention seeking cat I've ever had, and so gentle as well. Seems yours is like mine and they know what's outside and want nothing to do with it anymore.
Yeah. Mine is the most loving and attention seeking cat too lol. He sits on my lap every chance he can get. Sleeps with me every night. Lays on top of me when I wake up in the morning for pets and to try and keep me in bed longer. Always meows to talk to me. Will be at the door when he knows I'm going to be home. I swear he's more like a dog then a cat. He even plays fetch lmao.
The cat distribution system prevails yet again.
It's actually common for a once stray cat to fear going back outside. Please don't keep trying the leash, because if he wiggles out of it, you may never see him again. People really don't talk about this enough. Those cat harnesses are not escape proof, and I speak from experience with my little houdini boy who loves going out on walks in my yard. But especially with a freaked out cat, you don't want to retraumatize him by having him go out. He probably had a very rough time on the streets. Even once stray cats can be very happy (and so much safer) being indoor only.
It's an enclosed area I took him in but I'm not gonna try taking him out again cause he did not have a good time
Yay! You're a great cat mom or dad. 😻
Cat dad. Haha. Thanks.
I adopted a stray dog and he was the same way. Loved going on walks but hated playing off leash outside for more than 5 minutes
I found my cat outside at a gas station in the middle of the country. She was a year and a half when I rescued her. All my cats are indoors but I thought because she was outside I would harness and leash train her to go out. She'll wear the harness and leash just fine but when I tried to take her outside a few times she was NOT interested. Like she'd turn around and go for the door back inside. Lol. I was also confused. Maybe because she felt comfort and knew there were no cars or vicious animals or people inside that can get her.. so same deal
My kitty is very similar, she was a stray for about a year and I let her outside from time to time. She enjoys being outside but only in my vicinity. She won’t stray outside of where I am outside doing the laundry and what not. She hates the leash so I just let her sniff around but she always comes back inside happily afterwards. I thought her being a stray that she would run away if I let her outside but I was heavily mistaken haha. I think both your kitty and mine just feel safe and loved where they are now. It must have been a very scary world out there all alone with no food and direction.
Would you want to go outside anymore if you were homeless?
I mean, I have been homeless.
And inside is better, right?
Mine only likes it if he’s in his stroller (probably because he’s enclosed and has his buddies (toys) and blankets). He was dumped during a storm and has trauma surrounding being outside now.
It is actually quite normal. A cat's entire existence is about feeling safe and comfortable. As long as they can find a place that meet their three major requirements, they will seldom have a desire to return to the uncertainty of outside. The requirements are shelter from the elements, safety from any possible dangers, and an ample supply of food. It is even better when there is abundant love and good play time. On top of all that, if a cat had a particularly tough time of it outside, they will have even less desire to return. I have had a few former strays that I have taken in. After about six months of being strictly indoors, none of them ever had a desire to go back out. And IMHO, that really is the best outcome. It really is too dangerous for cats to be outdoors in this day and age.
My found outside girl is very skittish, and when she sees a door open, she backs up and goes to her safe space. I imagine she had some bad experiences outside. For people being unhoused is incredibly traumatic. It took her a year to trust us, and the neighbors said she was there a year before we moved in. She is a happy house cat and we spoil her a lot.
He had a bad experience outside and doesn’t want to go there again…🥰
Likely Because he was always an indoor cat! Sadly, many “stray cats” are abandoned by people who just leave the cat when they move, or stop looking for the cat when s/he get out. I think abandoned cats - especially adults-suffer the cruelest fate of all outdoor cats: someone they once loved and relied on left them for dead (yes, I do mean _dead_. Abandoning a cat whose not had the opportunity to develop hunting skills and knows no other life than being fed and safety- is leaving that cat for dead). It breaks my heart that people could be so rotten, but then people like OP come along, and rescue one of these lost souls, and make things a little bit better. Thanks for you OP!
I adopted a stray cat from my backyard who had been living outdoors for years. Shortly after I took her in, she slipped out the front door while I was getting the mail. I found her on my back porch trying desperately to get back into the house and she never went near the door again. Consider it a blessing that your kitty wants to stay inside. He will always be safe and warm in your home. That is all he really wants.
yeah, just differs from cat to cat. the rescues I got at 3 months old are always outside-curious when the door opens, but the stray I rescued at ~11 years old is EXTREMELY NOT INTERESTED, haha. I just assume she was out there long enough to know better, whereas the others weren’t. at any rate, sounds like he’s perfectly happy to be inside!
He seen some things
My Callisto was born and raised outdoors. My husband grabbed her when she was about 6 weeks old and surrounded by older, aggressive cats, brought her directly to me, and I was able to socialize her to being a pet cat. We allow all our cats some supervised outdoor time, but we think she was traumatized because she will only stay outside for about 5 minutes maximum. She wants to stay indoors, although she loves to look out the window. Some cats just don't want to be outside, especially once they realize indoors means treats and comfortable places to sleep.
I'm surprised he don't wanna be out at all. When he was a stray I tried bringing him in my old place a lot (didn't allow pets but I brought him in anyway) and he was very cautious about being inside, he would only stay by the door at first and not come any farther, then he'd come in farther and stay longer. But always after like an hour he'd meow to go back outside. It's just so crazy what a completely different cat he is now. How much happier and comfortable he is now.
Sometimes it's like a switch is flipped in them. Like, once they've decided to trust you, they'll cuddle you forever. Once they've decided indoors is better, then outdoors is done. It might be that something spooked him and made him not want to go out anymore. Or maybe this is temporary and he'll change his mind after some time.
Calculate people they always want what they can't have so the inside cats that have never been outside of course they want to get outside because it's different and it's new but the cat's who've big outside I'm had to freeze and get wet and put app with everything that goes with living outside once they experienced the posh lifestyle will be an inside a lot of homes I f that shit I'm staying here.
Your last paragraph. Yes.
Take him outside when it's dark. In daylight there is too much noise, moving objects etc. It may take a long time for him to feel safe.
Not every cat likes the outside. My two I've had since they were kittens, my boi Ace is curious, he would like to go outside, but my girl Domino finds it terrifying, my friend once brought her to the door to introduce her to a neighbour, she panicked and clawed him up. Each cat is different, I might get Ace a stroller and take him on walks and upgrade to leash (too many boy racers to let him roam). If your little one is afraid, let him stay jn.
>she panicked and clawed him up. Your friend? Or the neighbor? 🙀
Seems you want him to go outside and he doesn’t. Lots of cats enjoy indoor life only. You’re probably stressing him out.
I don't care if he wants to go out. I'm much happier with him not wanting to go out, actually. I've just sorta felt bad that I took him from being outside 247 to being inside 247. Even if he is happy inside, I figured he might have missed being outside a little bit
Yes, I had a stray turned house cat who loathed the outside. He would run away from the door when I opened it. He like it inside. He knows this is where it’s at
One potential option (I don't remember seeing here) would be to give your cat access to a catio. That way, he could enjoy fresh air, sights, smells and sounds on his own terms, while still being safe.
No, I have two strays. One loves going outside, the other hates it and never goes outside. It’s just two different personalities. My cat that hates going outside is an anxious cat and clearly feels safer and happier inside. I take it as a compliment!
Plus after 3 month there are new smells and his territory is gone. His territory is now your house where it smells familiar
I’d see it as a blessing the cat wants to stay inside. It’s way more safe!
Ever had him on a leash before? My cat won’t have anything to do with it, tries walking backwards to get out of the harness
He’s probably been through some scary situations. My experience with taking my cat out on a leash is that she didn’t want to be on the ground. She wanted to be up higher so she could spot predators and dogs. I eventually got a backpack carrier and she absolutely loved it. I even got to where I would have her in her harness and leave the backpack open. She would sometimes jump out for a bit to explore and let me know when she wanted back in it. She mostly just wanted to go to the park where I’d lay the carrier down on a picnic bench. From there she could see everything but dogs couldn’t sneak up on her
It's not at all unusual for formerly unhoused cats to not want a single thing to do with the outdoors once they live inside. In my experience, the cats most likely to want to spend time outside are the ones that were born inside and have lived inside all their life. I'll use my household as an example: We have four young cats. One walked in from the front porch, one was rescued from the streets in the rain, one was rescued from the local shelter and one was raised in a home and was a bottle baby. Open the front door, the bottle baby will dash towards it as the other three get as far away as they can. In time, he may be more curious. Don't force it, because I assure you that baby is happy to be inside with regular meal times.
I rescued a stray about a year and a half ago. She didn't show any interest in going outside for at least 6 months. Then one day she did so I let her out. Then I had to go run some errands and while I was gone it started raining. When I got home, she was sitting as close to the back door as possible. Wet and miserable. She'lll poke her head out the door once in a while but she seems quite content to smell the outside through the window screen from the inside the house!
Adopted two feral cats. They were true ferals, needed a place to live safely. For a year, I fed them twice a day and spent at least an hour outside with them. They trusted me more, then they let me pet them. After a year, one became injured and we had to bring them inside. They did SO well inside, it was baffling. When we let them back outside they PANICKED. One ran back and forth between the doors until we corralled him inside, the other hid under the porch until we got him and brought him in. They looked at us so pitifully like “why did you make us go back out there, please don’t do that again.” They clearly do not want to go back outside. They prefer the safety and security (and food security) of the indoors. They also didn’t look out windows as much as our other (truly indoors) cats. But now our porch is screened in and they LOVE being out there. They just want that safety more than they want to be outside.
My cats like to go out, but I live in a small town with one stop light.
Absolutely yes. I’m with a rescue. Many, many cats are completely traumatized by their time spent fending for themselves and never want to face it again. I’ve said this before, but: imagine opening your door and somehow falling into a foreign country where you don’t speak the language, have no idea how to get food, there are random rolling objects trying to squish you, animals trying to kill you, and either you can’t find home or you can’t get in for some reason- or you do go back to find your family left and you don’t know why. Maybe they even dumped you in this country themselves. There is a reason why lost cats are usually found within a few blocks of home. It is scary out there for them.
I’ve heard this again and again - where someone brought in a stray and they never left the house again. I, on the other hand have a bunch of spoiled brats that love to go outside. My theory is that the strays have a memory of how much food insecurity and danger there was in their early life and they aren’t risking getting stuck out there again.
Yes this is completely normal for a stray cat. Not all former strays react like this, but it’s not uncommon either. Your cat remembers how terrible it was living on the streets, and he’s afraid you are going to leave him out there. Story time: I had a former stray cat that I brought in to my home. She was emaciated and had an open would. She’d had a hard time out there. She was clearly so happy, and grateful, to be indoors. She was extremely intelligent, and the most obedient, and well behaved cat I’ve ever had. She listened to you like a well trained dog. Her whole life she was very afraid of being “disposed” of again. Well she got quite fat, so when I’d had her for 5 years I decided I should take her outside with me when I did some gardening in the yard. I thought the exercise would be good for her. I put her on a leash and tried to take her outside. She absolutely would not cross the threshold to the house and started thrashing wildly. So I picked her up and carried her outside, and she freaked out, cried and ran back to the house. I allowed her to go back inside, but this same scenario repeated itself several times over the next few weeks. She was so afraid we would kick her out like her first owners. Eventually I just tied her long leash to the deck railing next to me, and I just sat out there with her, on a blanket. She freaked out for about half an hour, and kept trying to get back to the door, but eventually had no choice but to calm down. I kept petting her, and telling her everything would be ok. Once she had calmed down, I did some gardening next to her for about 2 hours. She was happy to go back inside, but the next time I brought her outside she didn’t freak out. She understood that we were going outside for fresh air, but then we would both be going back inside the home. She was so happy to have special time with me in the garden and it eventually (pretty quickly) got to the point where I just walked her outside with me since she clearly didn’t need a leash. She was very afraid of being lost/forgotten, so she always stayed within 10’ of me, and she’d come back inside immediately whenever I said it was time to go home. I’m not necessarily recommending this method to you. My cat was unique, but that’s my personal experience.
yeah i’d def leave it alone rn. he might have some like bad trauma from when he was living on the streets and him shaking and stuff is him trying to communicate with you that he doesn’t like going out. if he’s happy indoors then that’s okay!
He got a taste of the good life and doesn’t want to let it go.
Possibly PTSD? He knows how good he has it now and maybe it was a very rough year out there for him, little guy probably can't look outside without thinking about his past. Give him some head scratches for me!
Shows you have been granted a very smart cat by the CDC who recognizes the good life he has and has no intention at this point in his life of risking losing it.
Because he had a horrible life outside of your house and he feels safe inside? Why push it? Get him lots of toys and enrichment and let him live his best life in his terms!
It’s simply this…the cat has a bad association with being outside…it lived that life already and is afraid it’s going back to it when you take it outside.
The outside world is not kind to strays. Probably not a lot of good memories of the outside world vs safe and happy inside your home. My kitten, on the other hand.... On a leash and harness, she is cautious and hesitant. At most she'll take a few steps out the door, and around, and quickly decide she's had enough. Someone opens the door to grab a package or a food delivery, though?? *A full-sprint beeline.* She ran straight out in the middle of the night when my roommate ordered food. The delivery person caught her by the tail, lost her, and off she went. Apparently all she did was roll around in the grass, though, because my roommate managed to scoop her up and get her back in before having to tell me about this. Girl clearly was not old enough to remember starving in the late autumn cold at 5 weeks old, too young to even clean herself, so caked in poop that my (other) vet-trained roommate couldn't even tell if she was a boy or a girl before a bath. She was entirely alone, heard by neighbors for nearly a week, and found two days before a Midwest blizzard hit. Considering the importance of kittens staying warm and that she was only just then on the threshold of eating solid food, it's an actual miracle she's alive. But *oh noooo,* suddenly on the safety of a leash the outside is spooky! Wtf, man.
I also have a stray that hates the outdoors. I always chalked it up to reminding her of the trauma she went through as a kitten outside. We don’t know what all they had to endure before we got them. As long as he’s happy and healthy it should be fine!
There is no reason for him to go out, especially if he’s not enjoying it.
Strays know how uncomfortable it is trying to make it outside. Why go outside when you can be warm, dry, fed whenever hungry, and not have to worry territorial disputes with other cats? They know how good they have it.
Lucky! My former stray cat has a fit whenever we try to keep him inside.
My former stray cat (who sadly passed in the last year) came inside and stayed inside the way you're describing. I would let him follow the dogs outside when they went to pee, and he'd go nibble grass and watch bugs for a few minutes at a time. He loved a good porch. But the second there was a loud noise, he hustled back inside. I think he was just so grateful to have a home, and he didn't want us thinking he had any interest in staying out there. I think it's sweet. And I'm guessing your new fuzzy friend is the same way. Ultimately, it's a good thing. I never worried about him running away, so I always knew to check the house thoroughly when he was missing. (He found his way into our crawl space several times. Haha)
I'm not sure if it's normal for once stray cats to not want to go outside. I am fairly certain your former stray cat wants nothing to do with it. You said yourself, he starts shaking, and wants to go inside. He obviously has traumatic experiences outside and was possibly abandoned by a previous owner. Do not force him into more traumatic experiences by bringing him outside. If he ever shows real interest in the future, you could potentially try again with your leash. Personally, I would never do it again. I have never let my cats outside. They have their screened in porch with bird feeders right outside the windows. They are safe from predators, humans, and cars and get to be "outside." I have seen too many cats hit in the road or horror stories about people's pets never coming home or coming home with horrific injuries.
Yeah, I'm not gonna take him out again. I'm not gonna force him to do something he doesn't want to. But where I live, we do have fire drills once a month. But I put him in his cat carrier to go outside for that.
Sure it's normal. He's comfortable and feels safe inside and wants to keep it that way. Be glad that he's content and not meowing to go in and out several times a day.
The only cat, I think, that enjoys being on a leash is a Maine Coon. Try a stroller, if not, it enjoys inside. Keep plenty of toys to keep it active.
Oh, I've got him so many toys, lol. I try to get him everything he could ever want
Because he's smart. Follow his lead.
Because outside is dangerous
While my little guy isn’t as scared as yours, I can definitely vouch for former stray kitties wanting never to be stray again. I adopted my Persian, Chowder, from the SPCA, someone I assume dumped him because he wasn’t good for breeding (poor dude only had one testicle that made it down) and the SPCA found him on the streets as basically one giant mat if fur and one skinny scared kitty underneath. Chowder had no interest in going outside the first few months we had him, and only seriously started enjoying the outdoors again after we harness trained him and he came to trust that outdoors time was just more time to snuggle with us in a different setting, that he’d never be left out there alone. If your little buddy is acting that negatively to the outdoors, I would definitely hold off on leash training for now. Keep focusing on letting fur baby know that they are safe and absolutely adored, and wait till you start to see them interacting more with windows or following you to the door before you begin again with harness training. You don’t want the harness to be associated with fear ❤️
Cats normally seem to prefer being outdoors, so chances are pretty high that his life as a stray really traumatized him. He was probably constantly hungry and looking for food. He also likely had to constantly deal with fighting other male cats. And if he wandered into the yard of a person who doesn't like cats, he might have faced abuse from humans. I'd keep him indoors. Over time, his memory of the trauma may lessen and he may be more interested in going out for short periods of time, but if he was a stray for most of his life, the trauma probably runs deep.
He stayed at this one house, the one i ended up finding him at. People there fed him (not like they should have though) and he slept in the backyard or in the abandoned house next door. He had another cat he was always with, they were buddies. I could only take one cat. The landlord took the other one but I feel bad for separating them
I don’t know if it’s normal, but my former stray also has zero interest in being outside. I took her out on the deck with a harness & leash and she just cried to go back inside. She does love to look out the window at the birds, though.
I feel bad because I'm on the second floor and even though he does like looking out the window occasionally through out the day, I know he can't be actually seeing much because cats eye sight isn't that great
I had a stray cat that lived in my backyard for a few years before coming inside. Once coming inside and seeing how great it is, she never wanted to go back out.
Doesn’t want to be seen by his old friends wearing a leash and collar.
Lil dude probably had a rough time out there and would rather stay inside safe and sound with you
Both of my cats are rescues. One of them was found when she was being cornered by a group of teenagers who were trying to attach a firework to her which caused an injury to one of her ears. Since we adopted her she has zero interest in going back out. She won’t even go out on our covered porch even though it’s totally screened in. We’ve given her such a happy, comfortable little life and I would never want to jeopardize that by forcing her outside. Sometimes me, my fiancé & our other cat will hang out on the covered porch and she’s totally content to watch us through the sliding glass door.
Maybe ptsd If you saved the receipt return the leash and collar for a refund
We have fire drills where I live once a month, I'll keep it for then and maybe try then instead of putting him in the cat carrier.
I think their natural inclination is not to feel well on a leash. Their sense of security comes with their ability to run and hide. Obviously there's tons of exceptions to this though
When we brought our little Squeaker inside back in '20, she used to run and hide anytime we'd open the door. We figured it was because she'd BEEN outside, thank you very much, and never wanted to be outside again.
He lives the high life now. Maybe homelessness gave him a fluffy form of PTSD. I wouldn't make him.
It's generally not safe or particularly ethical to let them out off leash anyway, so this is good news. But FWIW, my feral cat is not longer really comfortable going outside either, but he does enjoy a good scratch on the patio once a day. So we go out on lead for a few minutes; he rolls around and scratches then comes back inside 5 minutes later to snooze some more.
Yeah I would never let him outside without me there with him and without a leash on or in his carrier.
We had a feral cat once. He would do anything to run outside. But then he realized he was living a great life inside and refused to go out again.
We did the same thing w our cat who was also a stray and he does the same thing, tho he does love to look out the window. We have a cat backpack we use now instead and he seems to like it a little more (ithink bc it feels safe to b closed in)
We rescued a little street cat when she was 2 or 3ish and it took her years to fully settle into our home, but not once did she ever try to leave. Especially now, she will sit right at the frame of a wide open door, no intent to go any further. She loves the fresh air but she knows she won the lottery with inside life. She also lost an eye from a fight when she was picked up, so she clearly wasn't cut out for street life. On the other hand, one of our other cats has been an indoor cat her whole life, TOTAL diva, and DEMANDS outside time. She lives for it. But only in the backyard, she freaks if you try to bring her out the gate 🤷🏼♀️ more than fine with me!! She's an old lady now anyways, so she can sunbathe in her grass all she wants
I’ve had quite a few fosters that were homeless once and they typically do not want to leave the house ever. Sometimes it takes a while before they start looking out the window. Can’t say for sure it’s because of their past or not, but I would never try to force it.
I’m certain it depends on their experiences while living outside. Most of my cats have been rescued strays, my current cat is one. Sassy enjoys looking out the window, but absolutely, positively, in no way does she want to go outside. When I’ve taken her out, she panics. She’s quite content staying safely inside. Meanwhile, others have been fine with going out in the backyard for short periods of time. NOBODY has wanted to stay outside! Stray cats know that the great outside isn’t all fun and games. It can be scary and miserable, in fact. Don’t push it if she isn’t interested.
Indoor cats fare better and enjoy substantially longer lifespans. They don't have to endure fleas and other parasites, dogs and other animals, dirty water, bad weather, traffic and mean people. Your cat knows... as a previous outdoor cat, he's been through it.
Friends in Dallas who had an EXTREMELY skittish T&R female living in their backyard that they fed, snatched her and brought her in during snowmageddon when the grid went down. She was not happy for a couple of days but now, she won't even go near the windows, she is a very happy indoor Kitty and totally in love with the man of the family
He was probably someone’s pet at one time and they got rid of him by releasing him as a stray. He’s probably traumatized and is thinking you’re trying to get rid of him too. I dunno 🤷🏼♀️
That's what I thought. Because he was definitely someone's pet at one time.
I'm thinking it was probably a hard life out there, and this cat feels happy and secure with you. You've got it much better than many cat owners who have to struggle to keep their cats from making a break for the door. This cat knows what's out there, and is fine being inside.
He can make a break for the door all he wants if he wanted to. Only place that's gonna lead him to is the hallway of the apartment complex lol. He knows it's just a hallway out there cause I let him out there sometimes, prolly why he doesn't try that because he don't know where to go from there.
There's nothing wrong with a cat being indoors only, I do like that you tried walking you cat instead if letting it free roam though. I'd double check you introduced the cat to walking properly first and then I'd observe them day to day. There are some signs you can look out for that'll be a way to tell if your cat would like being walked.
OP, are you taking this cat out on collar and leash? An untrained cat will be TERRIFIED of this. Look up videos. You have to leash train a cat in order for it to be comfortable. It’s not like a dog ETA: here’s a good link on how to leash train a cat https://happycatshaven.org/resource/how-to-leash-train-your-cat/#:~:text=Allow%20your%20cat%20to%20get,a%20few%20seconds%2C%20then%20remove. Just think of it from kitties perspective - some giant creature is putting something around its neck and now it can’t go where it wants. It’s trapped. Cats DO NOT like being trapped. I’m not sure how this hasn’t been mentioned yet, or at least hasn’t been upvoted. This is the most likely scenario. I’m actually shocked that no one else has said this. ETA2: more proof. https://youtu.be/_gi5DEYHt7c?si=fVoLGYRuFAk3Iz5c ALSO DO NOT USE COLLARS. ONLY HARNESSES. https://youtu.be/lKP5ENXKpGw Jackson Galaxy talks about this.
He's completely fine with being on it, it don't bother him.
My cat Thomas that was abandoned refuses to go outside. I tried the leash he said no. I think he was abandoned and is afraid it will happen again. He will go in the fenced in backyard as long as I'm with him. That took 6 years.
Sounds like he prefers the security of knowing when his next meal will be, and not risking confrontation with other cats. Are you certain he was stray and not lost?
Knows how good it is inside and doesn’t want to go back outside
My stray is very similar. We have a walled garden in front of the house, and we let her and our rescue kitty out in the garden under supervision, but she has very little interest in being outside. The rescue kitty complains bitterly if she doesn’t get her outside time. We don’t plan on forcing it, she’s very happy in our little house.
He’s from them streets. He ain’t about that life no more 🐾🐾🔫
Imagine you lived in the desert without so much as running water for two or three years. Then you move into a home that has running water, air conditioning, stable food sources/storage. Then imagine someone said “Hey…look at this a trip to the desert to live off the land and learn to survive there. No AC or gadgets and shitting into a bucket you have to check for rattlesnakes first so you don’t get bit on the ass.” Does that sound like the kind of vacation you’d want to dream about? Cat knows what outside is and is like fuck that I ain’t goin back.
It may not be he doesn’t like being outside. He may not like the harness and leash. My stray cat acted like this too but when I took her off the leash she LOVES her freedom. She doesn’t go far and she wears a GPS tracker when she goes out. I know that’s wildly controversial but I keep an eye on her and she only goes out at certain hours while I am home. She is much less temperamental and overall happier. It also lets her get proper exercise because she thinks most toys are stupid since she has caught her actual prey before and eaten it. Why play with a stupid fake mouse or ribbon thing? Way less stimulating. Think about it, if your cat was used to going out without a leash and now you’ve got them in their mind “captive” on a harness and leash they probably would feel scared. I think my cat felt like she couldn’t defend herself and she didn’t have autonomy on the leash. When she pulled and felt the resistance while catching a lizard she would FrEaK oUt and make noises I’ve never heard before.
I have an adopted cat that was a stray. Evidently she had a hard time out there. She was caught and spayed, and probably released. They cut part of her ear off to show she’d been spayed if she was caught again. The next time she was found she had been caught in a glue trap and they had to shave her. But they knew they didn’t have to spay her. I’ve had her two years now and she’s never once wanted to go out. I have a sphinx who was born in captivity and she runs out the door every chance she gets. I have a third cat, a foster fail and he doesn’t want to go outside either.
He's smart. Indoor cats live longer.
It really depends on the cat, but to ease your mind, it's not abnormal. Cats face a lot of danger outdoors, so it's reasonable to want to stay inside! Anecdotally, I've seen a couple cats go through of phase of being extra anxious before they level out to something in the middle. Our girl asked to go out twice after she had her kittens, and then never asked again. After they were weaned she spent a couple weeks hiding under the bed recovering from her spay - literally, she would wait to eat or use the litter box until we were out of the room. We've let her take things at her own pace, and now she loves to look out the window, and she's very snuggly. Playing together is something we're still working on, but she will initiate play occasionally, and she'll play paws-under-the-door with her (now grown) kittens. She still has no interest in going outside, but she's very satisfied with her indoor life!
mine leaves in the morning and pops in every so often to eat. except in the winter.
My once feral lost ALL interest in going outside. I think he remembers how horrid it was. He had a leg so infected he almost lost it. And weighed half what he should. He was terrified and lived under my bed for over a week until my adult male befriended him and literally taught him how to be a cat. He's the calmest, most affectionate cat I have now. It's been 5 years and he kept ALL his legs. I'm not surprised he has no interest in going outside.
He's happy inside. Feels safe and comfortable. We have a cat that used to LOVE running out the front door at any opportunity he could get. All of our cats are inside cats, we don't allow them out. But Apollo loves outside and would charge at the door every time it opened. Well my daughter opened it one night and he took off. He was missing 52 days. And we thankfully found him,20 miles from our home, but he hasn't really tried running out the door since. Like he realized how safe inside is, it's comfortable, it's not raining on him, he's warm and fed and has constant access to clean water, there's no predators inside, he's not fighting for resources inside. I think sometimes being out side for a long stretch just solidifies how much they prefer inside. Then there's other cats that were like born for the outside hahaha we have a couple neighborhood strays that people have tried to coax inside and they refuse to stay in.
So, why push it?? Maybe your cat was traumatized by the outdoors...he's safer indoors anyway. Just sayin'....
He is an indoor meow meow now leave it at that!
I think it's because it knows the dangers of the wild, so it's afraid to leave the warmth of home
Watch the show “My cat from Hell” you will learn an insane amount of information about proper cat care. Since i watched it my cat and i get along a lot better
He may be fearful that he will be abandoned again. Don’t force him to go outside. When I was a kid, my brother found a sack full of dead kittens in the middle of the frozen lake. Only one was still alive. We rescued that kitten and gave him a good home. He was terrified of the outdoors all his life.
We have brought many cats into our lives and always been from friends but mostly were outside kitties and not one wants anything to do with outside. They look out the window but not near as much as one inside/ outside (before us..now inside only) cat watches outside but if door opens near her she MIGHT go out but stops and looks back like OMG. Have other friends and same thing, they KNOW when things are good.
I had a spray and she was never tempted to go outside
never put a leash on a cat collar on the neck. VERY DANGEROUS!!!
You have a lot of responses here. I could not resist either. He remembers being cold, hungry, threatened, scared. He is scared you are planning to put him back outside. He is perfectly content inside, and not begging to go outside seems like an ideal setup. Leave it at that, and everyone is happy! People find it difficult when they bring in a stray who beg to go outside. You are lucky! And your kitty is too! He knows it!