How do i get my cat to go and stay outside?

Question

I have a 5yr old female spayed cat who until we moved (almost 3 months ago), only ever came inside the house to eat, now she will not step foot outside and if we try to encourage her she will cry a deep gutteral cry immediately the door is shut on her,until she is let back in.
We have had to get her a litter tray again which she did not need before and I am getting sick of being woke up with the smell after she has used the tray as we are limited to where we can put it because of the layout of the new house.
Any suggestions would be gratefully recieved.

i think i may of given you all the wrong impression of my question, I dont want to force my cat to stay outside, I jut cannot understand why she has gone from a cat who was never in to one who will not even go out. My children try to play outside with her to get her used to her new environment, coaxing her with food ect, but it's no use. She very rarely comes down from the safety of my childrens bedroom. The previouos owners of the property had 2 dogs, as do i and they also owned a parrot, we have also moved from a virtual dead village to the city, where my actual property although near a main road is not directly on top of heavy traffic, and we do have far more barking dogs around the area, perhaps this is why she is afraid to venture out? I only want her to be explore her new environment as my dogs cautiously did.

Answer 1

omg maybe it doesnt want to be outside... how would u like it if someone forced u to stay outside.. omg let it in!

Answer 2

There must be something that is frightening her at the new house. She may be telling you there is something dangerous outside.

If she insists on going inside I suggest you get a self-flushing litterbox. Not one of the electric ones that puts the waste in in a bucket for you to take out, but one that actually flushes the waste either to your toilet or the sewage system itself. They run around 300.00 and while that seems like a lot, it's really not if you add up the cost of buying litter and having to put up with the smell. You will end up having to buy the pellets about once every 3 months ($20) and the cleaning solution 1 every month or two ($10). You will not have to clean your litter box but once every couple of months and then you just have to pour out the granules and add new ones. When you want to get rid of what the kitty did you just push a button...or you can set it to go at a certain time every day...like when you are at work. It has worked wonders for my house, and the best thing is there is no smelly kitty litter stench in the house!

Answer 3

You said you just moved... your cat still does not feel absolutely safe outside. Please just give her a little more time to get used to the new place - its smells and sounds etc. This can take a couple of months. If she loved going outside before, she will again go outside and stay outside - once she is certain that there is nothing dangerous out there.

Let her out in the daytime for short periods to explore the smells nd all. Daytime is best becuase there is less likelihood of other animals being around. Keep her inside at night.

Answer 4

Well, she's obviously not comfortable enough yet to be left outside. Its is cruelty to leave them out in this weather, and it is now actually against the law. In my apartment we have a cat and in our effort to find a not noticible place for the litter box, we ended up putting it in an extra closet. That door just stays open at all times. It shouldn't smell to bad as long as you clean it morning and night and anytime in between. It is a responsibility to own a cat or any other animal for that matter. I do not beleive that any pet should be forced to live outside. How would you feel if you were in her place???

Answer 5

When I first got my kitten, Leo, he was a full time house cat, purely because it was a harsh winter when I got him and decided to wait until it got warmer to let him out. When I tried to put him outside, the poor thing was terrified, he hated it and would run inside as soon as possible and if i tried just leaving him there he'd stay on the boot box and cry through the window, broke my heart, it was the most depressing thing i tell you, I had an agoraphobic cat, shocking! lol. Anyway, we just had to get tough, I'd put him outside and leave him for longer and longer each time, then eventually for the whole night. It did take a while before he'd stop racing in the house, but with will power, he stayed out, and now, a year later or so, he barely comes in at all, he even eats outside now. Will power is really all you can do, that and the ability to keep a cold heart.
Good luck

Answer 6

She is probably scared because its a new environment. Try going outside with her at first. I had a similar problem with my cat and ended up taking her outside on a lead.
The other tip is no matter how much noise she makes outside the door, ignore her, hard thing to do I know but she will get tired of it eventually.
The other thing I tried with my cat was to feed her outside to make her feel more comfortable. Open to can and dish is out inside the house then get her to follow you just outside the door to eat it.
Hope this helps. Good luck

Answer 7

What I did with my cat when we moved, was to keep her inside for 2 weeks so that she could get used to the new property, we did have to use a litter try, I'm like you, I hate them. Once the 2 weeks was up I put a cat lead on her and took her round the area round the property. I did this about 4 times. On the 5th time I let her off the lead, was worrying thinking maybe she'd run off, but she didn't, mainly because she likes her food! You just have to be patient with them. it's a new area, get a cat lead and go out with her.

Answer 8

When I lived in the city my cats would never go outside. (I never wanted them out there in the first place). I live on 4 acres of land now and they love going outside. I can't keep them in. You can't force cats to do anything they don't want to. Keep her inside, and if you have a problem with the litter box try moving it or find another good home for her.

Answer 9

kitty feels there is something unsafe outside. there are predators for kittiwes and evil humans who poison kitties and dogs and coyotes---place the litter pan on the bathroom let kitty have free roam of the house--after all kitty is protecting her family from intruders--let her do her job indoors where she is safe.
do not make her go outside if she feels unsafe.
if you do not want your kitty, there are several ways to find her a new home-----do not endanger her with forcing her outdoors if it not safe.
most bathrooms have vent fans. these fans take the bad air and circulate it outdoors, so humidity of the shower does not dryrot the structure. these same fans are able to remove the stink of kitty stinkies and make your life pleasant.
leave kitty an feeder of dry food so she can snack. place a bowl of wet food out for her just before you go to bed.
let her free roam in the house and you will grow to really appreciate her. i had 7 cats in a 2 bedroom apt----there was no smell whatsoever in the inside of my place. i kept the litter clean, i left the fans on in the 2 bathrooms and the food in the kitchen.
htere was enough room for all the kitties to get along and get along with me and my growing son.
kitty is only trying to tell you something is nt rightr in your neighborhood for kitties. check it out--coukld be interesting new discovweries about your neighbors and their habits and pets and the predators in your area......

Answer 10

Your poor kitty is scared of it's new environment,I believe you aren't up to the responsibility of owning a cat. Something has happened to your cat while being out side. You described your cat as an awesome cat until you moved. Find a loving home for your pet. Please don't feel any quilt, for your life matters TOO! Good luck!

Answer 11

Perhaps your cat has a reason to not want to be out there. Have you considered there may be stray cats / wild animals / dogs / kids, etc. that are a threat to the cat and perhaps she is smarter than you by insisting she stay in? Deal with it. You adopted her and then moved her to a new location. You can't just toss kids out when they are an inconvenience and you can't do it with a cat either.