Cat won't go outside....help?

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Umbongo

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Some of you may know from my last thread on here that my cat went missing in a new area for 6 days after we moved house.
He was found hungry, lost nearly 1kg, and had a dental infection (he had a dental operation a couple of days before he went missing).

He has now been living in the new house about 4-5 weeks. Since he went missing he will not go outside now, understandably.
He has a litter tray inside and the catflap is open. My thinking is that he needs a bit of time, and maybe he will start to go out again. I don't live at home, but I went home last weekend and spent some time with him outside and some treats to show him it wasn't scary.

However he will not go out, he is really irritating my dad and my dad is threatening to remove the litter tray to force him out. I can see one of three things happening:
1. Everything will be fine and cat will go out.
2. Cat will still be too scared to go out and will start to toilet in the house instead.
3. Cat will be forced to go out to toilet, then get scared by something and run away, getting lost again.

I don't know what to do :( If I could I would have him with me but I live in a very small rented studio flat in London.

Thanks for any advice, I may try to find a person that specialises in cat behaviour to ask too. It is just very hard as my dad doesn't really likes cats so I know he won't be that co-operative when I am 150 miles away!
 
He'll go outside when he's ready, and actually a cat should be kept inside for a good four to five weeks upon a house move. You don't need a behaviourist to understand that the cat has had an awful fright, feels secure in the house and will venture out when it's ready.
 
amymay said:
He'll go outside when he's ready, and actually a cat should be kept inside for a good four to five weeks upon a house move. You don't need a behaviourist to understand that the cat has had an awful fright, feels secure in the house and will venture out when it's ready.
Click to expand...

Thanks I do understand that, the problem I have is getting my dad to understand it! He is threatening to take away the litter tray and force the cat outside. I told my dad to keep him in for 4-6 weeks after moving house but he started to let him out after 2 weeks without telling me....the first I heard about it was when my cat went missing!
 
amymay said:
He'll go outside when he's ready, and actually a cat should be kept inside for a good four to five weeks upon a house move. You don't need a behaviourist to understand that the cat has had an awful fright, feels secure in the house and will venture out when it's ready.
Click to expand...

This^^ I think you need to have a word with your dad he is being a bit of an idiot!! The other problem is cat might not go out, might not toilet in the house due to lack of tray and develop a bladder infection.

If the cat is happy indoors is your flat an option?
 
Agree with the other posters, cat will go out when he's good and ready, and I would expect this to be a good few weeks (like maybe 6-8) if he's had a fright, and he's in a new place. Taking away the litter tray in this situation is a recipe for disaster IMO - cat will either:
a) go outside and possibly get another fright
b) toilet inside
c) not toilet at all, leading to big issues.

I think going outside with treats/toys to reassure him is a good idea too. He needs time. And I say this as a cat-owner who HAS forced a cat to go outside at times, so I am not that 'fluffy-bunny' - BUT my situation was COMPLETELY different (cat is an indoor/outdoor cat with a chronic weight problem from before I got her, and is prone to not going outside at all when she's too comfortable on a bed. She is not frightened, just incredible lazy. Result is that she gets fatter and fatter even on the minimum diet ration, and also gets quite crabbit - she is much happier in herself when she has some outside time every day. So she gets timed periods of enforced turnout when she falls into this pattern).
 
Oh poor kitty, sounds as if he's still far too nervous to venture outside.

I think you'll have to explain again to your Dad that much more patience is needed at the moment. It doesn't mean your cat will never choose to go out again - he just needs a bit more time. It must have been a very frightening experience for him when he got lost before. Would it not be possible for your Dad to say sit in the garden (near the open back door) a few times a week, reading a book, and giving treats to your cat if he joins your Dad?

Your Dad could by all means put an extra litter tray outside, to start off with, but it won't be a good idea to remove those in the house and place them outside. I'm pretty sure, like others have said, your cat will just be forced to wee on carpets etc if there's suddenly no litter tray available inside. If he is still petrified of going outside, then an outside litter tray in itself won't be enough to encourage him to go out.
 
Thanks everyone. I have sent a huge long email to my dad this morning detailing my worries and what needs to be done re: cat needs more time, do not take away litter tray because of this this and this etc. With a link to stress in cats and moving house from the icatcare website.

His reply was short saying he understands that my cat is still a bit traumatised and he will do his best.

Hopefully everything will be ok. I can't go back home more frequently than every 6 weeks ish due to work.

Unfortunately can't have him in London due to renting and not allowed pets. Can't find a rented property around here that will allow them unfortunately.
 
Umbongo said:
Some of you may know from my last thread on here that my cat went missing in a new area for 6 days after we moved house.
He was found hungry, lost nearly 1kg, and had a dental infection (he had a dental operation a couple of days before he went missing).

He has now been living in the new house about 4-5 weeks. Since he went missing he will not go outside now, understandably.
He has a litter tray inside and the catflap is open. My thinking is that he needs a bit of time, and maybe he will start to go out again. I don't live at home, but I went home last weekend and spent some time with him outside and some treats to show him it wasn't scary.

However he will not go out, he is really irritating my dad and my dad is threatening to remove the litter tray to force him out. I can see one of three things happening:
1. Everything will be fine and cat will go out.
2. Cat will still be too scared to go out and will start to toilet in the house instead.
3. Cat will be forced to go out to toilet, then get scared by something and run away, getting lost again.

I don't know what to do :( If I could I would have him with me but I live in a very small rented studio flat in London.

Thanks for any advice, I may try to find a person that specialises in cat behaviour to ask too. It is just very hard as my dad doesn't really likes cats so I know he won't be that co-operative when I am 150 miles away!
Click to expand...
don't force him, if he wants to he will let him choose when and if he goes out.


Here at Cat's Protection we tell new owners they must be kept in at least 3 weeks, to settle into the house - living arrangement - atmosphere- and new people. Once he is relaxed then he will go out, to let them out under two weeks is fool hardy and at risk of disappearing - injury or worst.

Is there anyway you can keep in in your bedroom with a littler tray??? till he recovers from his fright

Or get one of these if you can afford it http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ME-MY-PET...PLAYPEN-RUN-/330866537085?hash=item4d092eb27d
 
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Glad to hear that Umbongo, it sounds as if your Dad is more understanding after your email.

My parents adopted my brother's cat a while ago. They always used to say that they are 'dog people' and don't really like cats. Now, they are delighted and feels privileged if the cat chooses theirs instead of the other's lap to snooze on! Your Dad may come round at some point and hopefully will become fond of your cat :)
 
Hope everything works out for you and your cat. I hope your Dad realises how much catty means to you and will inconvenience himself a little for you (that's a big part of being a Dad after all!)

Can you not have the cat with you (and just not tell the landlord?) I should think that with just one cat, it would be easy. Why not try it? (once we were only supposed to have one cat, we had four) when our yearly inspection came around we had a friend look after the three for a day in a large puppy cage. Good luck anyway.
 
Thanks HGA-12 although not really sure what the pen would achieve??? Also I don't live there so don't have a bedroom to keep him in. He is fine in the house and doesn't need to be locked in somewhere?

Thanks Hackneylass2. I have actually already tried. I brought him to London in January. He hated it, our flat is too small for him to be a house cat in it. He did my partners head in and my neighbours complained as they could hear him meowing all day when I was at work (he is VERY loud and vocal). So he ended up going back to Somerset which I think is the best thing for him at the moment. Maybe when he is older and happy to mooch about inside.

Bonkers - He does get some attention from my dad and lots from me. I don't think re-homing is required at the moment. He is my baby and very much a one person cat. He has a good home at the moment just has had a bit of a fright.

Hopefully with time he will feel a bit more secure :)
 
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He sounds very much loved Umbongo, I hope that you can find a solution, and as you say, he will settle more when he gets over his fright and matures more. Is he Siamese/Oriental or a cross of these? Best wishes.
 
If he were mine, I would now leave the back door open (weather permitting), all the time I was at home, and either have another litter tray in the garden, or take the one from inside out there, and just bring it back in when the door is shut.
 
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