How to Turn Friendly Community Cats Into Indoor Pets
So you’ve befriended an outdoor kitty and you’d like to adopt him. That’s wonderful! By following the easy steps in this guide, it will help the kitty make the transition to being a loved and well-adjusted indoor pet.
No matter how friendly a community cat is in his outdoor home, when you bring him indoors, it can take a bit of time, patience and work to get him used to life in a home. Some adapt very quickly, but others take a couple of months (or more). By following these steps, you can help the cat adjust as quickly as possible by minimizing the cat’s stress and fear and creating a slow, steady platform for progress. This will also benefit you since keeping the cat stress-free will minimize your risk of injury and maximize your chances for helping the cat adjust well in your home.
Here's the formula:
1. Create a safety zone where the cat can retreat and feel safe
2. Get the cat to trust you and bond with you
3. Establish a “comfort bar” and raise it gradually and steadily
4. Limit the number of instances in which he feels overwhelmed to a manageable
number each day
5. Allow him to retreat to his safety zone, and then give him time to familiarize
himself with the new things in a way that makes him feel safe and not threatened
6. Introduce one thing at a time. Once he’s overcome one fear of a new thing or
experience, he’s ready for you to introduce him to the next new household
sight/sound/experience with which he is to become familiarized
* Note: Before you bring the kitty indoors, be sure to take the cat to your veterinarian to get a complete check-up, tests and vaccinations.
1. Create a safety zone
Cats are fearful of change, so when you bring him indoors for the first time, he’s going to be scared. When cats are scared, they need to have a safe place to hide and feel more comfortable in small spaces.
Ideally, the cat should start out in a small bathroom that doesn’t get used by humans, or if that’s not possible, a tall, covered kitty condo that’s set up in a quiet corner of the home. Inside the bathroom or kitty condo, place a comfortable kitty cubby in a corner and make sure that the view from the opening is a wall (and that nothing will come between the cubby and the wall). This is essential for the cat to feel like he has a safe place to retreat where he will not be molested.
2. Get the cat to trust you and bond with you
Do not try to force love on the cat at first. Since he is scared, he may have the “fight or flight” reaction and might try to scratch or bite your hand. You have to earn his trust first. When he realizes that there's nothing to be fearful of and he gains some confidence, he will come out on his own, but it's important not to force this and to let him do it on his own time – this can take a couple of weeks.
For the vast majority of cats, they trust the person who feeds them - especially if that person offers really tasty food. When you feed the cat, talk with him in a soothing voice and he will associate your voice and presence with food. Also, be sure to spend time in the room with the cat every day. As his fear diminishes (which may take a few days at first), offer him wet food on a long-handled spoon. Work your way up to getting him to come out to you when it’s food time. Spend as much time as you can with the kitty in his room, maybe by reading or talking on the phone. Eventually, when he’s no longer scared of you, it will be safe to venture a pat.
3. Establish a comfort bar
Establish a “comfort bar” and raise it gradually and steadily by slowly introducing the cat to new sights, sounds, smells one at a time until the cat becomes comfortable with those new things. The cat will be overwhelmed by new things, and rightfully so. But as the cat becomes familiar with each new thing that’s introduced to him, his comfort bar will rise.
Start small, such as coaxing the kitty to come out to you from the safety of his cubby. Move on to other small introductions, like the sound of a radio, or a new object, like a comfortable new cat bed, for him to explore. Try to reward him for his explorations, such as with extra love or cat treats. He will likely be scared by the new introduction at first, so allow him to retreat to his safety zone. But next time you come into his room, introduce that same thing to him again, and repeat until he is no longer fazed by the item.
Use this same process to make bigger leaps when he’s ready, such as by allowing him to explore other rooms of the house.
4. Limit the number of instances in which he feels overwhelmed to a manageable number each day
The idea is to allow the cat to make slow, steady progress, and the key to that is to make sure that the cat doesn’t get so overwhelmed that he shuts down. He’s going to be overwhelmed, but you have to limit how overwhelmed he gets - make sure it’s a manageable amount for him. Each cat is very different, for learn his body language and watch for signs.
It’s also really helpful to help diffuse the stress. For many cats, exercise and play will help accomplish this goal. Try tying a string to a fake furry mouse (with real fur, if possible) and slowly drag it by the kitty until the cat is interested in trying to catch and kill the mouse. That will get his mind off of everything for a while and reduce his stress.
5. Allow him to retreat to his safety zone
Once you introduce him to a new item/experience, give him time to familiarize himself with the new thing in a way that makes him feel safe and not threatened. Example: when introducing him to a new room in the house, let it be a room/hallway that’s attached to wherever he’s staying. Open up just a small new space for him to explore (and be sure to close off other doors), and allow him to retreat back to his safety zone. If he totally freaks out and tries to climb the walls, corral him back into his safe place and then try again the next day. Repeat this until he’s comfortable with the new space. Once he does that, then that new thing or new place that overwhelmed him at first will no longer scare him, and then his comfort bar is raised.
6. Introduce one thing at a time
Once he’s overcome one fear of a new thing or experience, he’s ready for you to introduce him to the next new household sight/sound/experience with which he is to become familiarized. It’s important to limit his introductions so that he can focus on one thing at a time, which will minimize his feelings of being overwhelmed. It’s like giving him bite-sized chunks of new experiences to try, which makes it easier for him to overcome his fear and become familiar with new experiences. It also allows him to make progress and then build on that progress in a minimally stressful way, which is key.
Although this process may seem slow, consider the alternative: when people put an outdoor cat in their home and just let it out in the house expecting it to adjust, it sometimes takes the cat more than a year to adjust and often results in bad behavior (such as shredding mini blinds, peeing outside the litter box, etc). Cats introduced too quickly often spend weeks or months under the bed. So taking it slow in the beginning will make the adjustment time quicker in the end and ensure less under-the-bed-hiding and also sets the foundation for good behavior.
Appendix: List of things to introduce
There are a number of things for the cat to be introduced to and get used to:
No matter how friendly a community cat is in his outdoor home, when you bring him indoors, it can take a bit of time, patience and work to get him used to life in a home. Some adapt very quickly, but others take a couple of months (or more). By following these steps, you can help the cat adjust as quickly as possible by minimizing the cat’s stress and fear and creating a slow, steady platform for progress. This will also benefit you since keeping the cat stress-free will minimize your risk of injury and maximize your chances for helping the cat adjust well in your home.
Here's the formula:
1. Create a safety zone where the cat can retreat and feel safe
2. Get the cat to trust you and bond with you
3. Establish a “comfort bar” and raise it gradually and steadily
4. Limit the number of instances in which he feels overwhelmed to a manageable
number each day
5. Allow him to retreat to his safety zone, and then give him time to familiarize
himself with the new things in a way that makes him feel safe and not threatened
6. Introduce one thing at a time. Once he’s overcome one fear of a new thing or
experience, he’s ready for you to introduce him to the next new household
sight/sound/experience with which he is to become familiarized
* Note: Before you bring the kitty indoors, be sure to take the cat to your veterinarian to get a complete check-up, tests and vaccinations.
1. Create a safety zone
Cats are fearful of change, so when you bring him indoors for the first time, he’s going to be scared. When cats are scared, they need to have a safe place to hide and feel more comfortable in small spaces.
Ideally, the cat should start out in a small bathroom that doesn’t get used by humans, or if that’s not possible, a tall, covered kitty condo that’s set up in a quiet corner of the home. Inside the bathroom or kitty condo, place a comfortable kitty cubby in a corner and make sure that the view from the opening is a wall (and that nothing will come between the cubby and the wall). This is essential for the cat to feel like he has a safe place to retreat where he will not be molested.
2. Get the cat to trust you and bond with you
Do not try to force love on the cat at first. Since he is scared, he may have the “fight or flight” reaction and might try to scratch or bite your hand. You have to earn his trust first. When he realizes that there's nothing to be fearful of and he gains some confidence, he will come out on his own, but it's important not to force this and to let him do it on his own time – this can take a couple of weeks.
For the vast majority of cats, they trust the person who feeds them - especially if that person offers really tasty food. When you feed the cat, talk with him in a soothing voice and he will associate your voice and presence with food. Also, be sure to spend time in the room with the cat every day. As his fear diminishes (which may take a few days at first), offer him wet food on a long-handled spoon. Work your way up to getting him to come out to you when it’s food time. Spend as much time as you can with the kitty in his room, maybe by reading or talking on the phone. Eventually, when he’s no longer scared of you, it will be safe to venture a pat.
3. Establish a comfort bar
Establish a “comfort bar” and raise it gradually and steadily by slowly introducing the cat to new sights, sounds, smells one at a time until the cat becomes comfortable with those new things. The cat will be overwhelmed by new things, and rightfully so. But as the cat becomes familiar with each new thing that’s introduced to him, his comfort bar will rise.
Start small, such as coaxing the kitty to come out to you from the safety of his cubby. Move on to other small introductions, like the sound of a radio, or a new object, like a comfortable new cat bed, for him to explore. Try to reward him for his explorations, such as with extra love or cat treats. He will likely be scared by the new introduction at first, so allow him to retreat to his safety zone. But next time you come into his room, introduce that same thing to him again, and repeat until he is no longer fazed by the item.
Use this same process to make bigger leaps when he’s ready, such as by allowing him to explore other rooms of the house.
4. Limit the number of instances in which he feels overwhelmed to a manageable number each day
The idea is to allow the cat to make slow, steady progress, and the key to that is to make sure that the cat doesn’t get so overwhelmed that he shuts down. He’s going to be overwhelmed, but you have to limit how overwhelmed he gets - make sure it’s a manageable amount for him. Each cat is very different, for learn his body language and watch for signs.
It’s also really helpful to help diffuse the stress. For many cats, exercise and play will help accomplish this goal. Try tying a string to a fake furry mouse (with real fur, if possible) and slowly drag it by the kitty until the cat is interested in trying to catch and kill the mouse. That will get his mind off of everything for a while and reduce his stress.
5. Allow him to retreat to his safety zone
Once you introduce him to a new item/experience, give him time to familiarize himself with the new thing in a way that makes him feel safe and not threatened. Example: when introducing him to a new room in the house, let it be a room/hallway that’s attached to wherever he’s staying. Open up just a small new space for him to explore (and be sure to close off other doors), and allow him to retreat back to his safety zone. If he totally freaks out and tries to climb the walls, corral him back into his safe place and then try again the next day. Repeat this until he’s comfortable with the new space. Once he does that, then that new thing or new place that overwhelmed him at first will no longer scare him, and then his comfort bar is raised.
6. Introduce one thing at a time
Once he’s overcome one fear of a new thing or experience, he’s ready for you to introduce him to the next new household sight/sound/experience with which he is to become familiarized. It’s important to limit his introductions so that he can focus on one thing at a time, which will minimize his feelings of being overwhelmed. It’s like giving him bite-sized chunks of new experiences to try, which makes it easier for him to overcome his fear and become familiar with new experiences. It also allows him to make progress and then build on that progress in a minimally stressful way, which is key.
Although this process may seem slow, consider the alternative: when people put an outdoor cat in their home and just let it out in the house expecting it to adjust, it sometimes takes the cat more than a year to adjust and often results in bad behavior (such as shredding mini blinds, peeing outside the litter box, etc). Cats introduced too quickly often spend weeks or months under the bed. So taking it slow in the beginning will make the adjustment time quicker in the end and ensure less under-the-bed-hiding and also sets the foundation for good behavior.
Appendix: List of things to introduce
There are a number of things for the cat to be introduced to and get used to:
- Being petted outside of his safety zone
- Toys
- Being brushed
- Having his paws touched (and possibly even having claws trimmed)
- Being picked up
- Coming to his name
- The TV
- The stereo
- The sounds/smells of cooking
- Windows (many outdoor cats are quite freaked out by windows once brought inside)
- Screens on open windows
- Coming and going from his safety zone
- Jumping onto beds and couches (if you are okay with that)
- Cabinets
- New people coming into the house
- Being petted by others