There are cats that love to be outside. And they may like it so much that they just come to eat and that's it. Can you do something to make them spend more time at home, or are they animals that have become "half-wild" and there is nothing to do?
If my cat only comes to eat, there are things that can be done to try to get him to stay longer, but you have to be very constant since otherwise we will not achieve it.
Why do cats leave the house?
Cats can leave your home for several reasons:
Instinct
We forget quite often, but the cats that live with us are from the same family as lions, tigers, etc.; that is to say, they are felines. By this I mean that we are living with furry people who love freedom.
They are prepared for life in nature (with nature I mean the countryside, traditional farms where there are chickens and other livestock animals in contact with the grass and not put in cages, ... in short, to non-urbanized places ). There they can perceive different smells, hear different sounds, touch different things.
Outside there is a lot of life: birds, insects, plants. Inside the house everything is 'dead': the furniture, the walls,… everything is full of inanimate objects.
However, cats do not know that now most of the human population lives in cities and towns, far from the countryside. In those streets there are many dangers (cars, poisons, ...), but the furry only want to follow their instincts. Hence, it is highly recommended to do everything possible so that they never leave the house.
Boredom
Cats need stimulation. That is why if they spend their days doing nothing, cornered, and / or sleeping on the sofa, it is likely that they will leave home as soon as they have the opportunity.
To avoid it, you have to play with them for a while every day, and keep them as company as possible. It is not enough just to love them: you also have to make them really happy.
Stress, fear
They do not necessarily have to have the same origin, but cats that live under stress, whether for example due to a move or the arrival of a baby or furry animal, may spend more time away from home. And let's not even talk about whether they live in fear: in these cases the risk of them leaving is much higher than in a normal, healthy situation.
Improving family life will be essential for these felines. You have to make the introductions correctly, and make all family members understand that cats deserve to be respected and cared for.
What to do so that the cat stays at home longer?
Outside, a cat can have a great time: there is so much to smell, investigate, explore,…! If we want him to spend more time indoors with us, what we should do is try to make him have the same good time, or better, than outdoors. How? Adapting the house to the feline that lives with us.
He loves to have his territory controlled, and what better way to do it than being able to go up to a shelf wrapped with raffia rope or stuffed fabric so you can take a nap if you suddenly get sleepy.
Another important issue is the time we spend with him. This has to be of quality, that is, we have to interact with him, play with him, and give him a lot of love. When we are with our beloved cat it is very necessary that we make him see that he can be well with us and that he can also have a great time.
So, from time to time we can give him a can of wet cat food, hide treats around the house so he has to look for them, or refill a food dispenser so you have to turn it if you want to get your prize.
Can cats live in a house without going out?
There are many people who think that cats have to have permission to go outside 'yes or yes', otherwise it would be going against their feline nature. And I am not going to deny it: reason is not lacking, but There are so many, so many dangers on our streets that letting them go and come back when they feel like it is a risk that we don't have to take, neither the cats nor their human families.
If we adapt the house to them, that is, if we buy scratchers, if we play with them every day, if we make them feel like they really are part of the family, then they will not miss that freedom we talked about beforeWell, inside their home they will already feel free.
So nothing, I can only tell you that I hope you have found it interesting and, above all, what you have read useful 🙂.