Cats can live healthy, happy lives when allowed outdoor access. However, raising an outdoor cat requires special considerations to keep your feline friend safe, healthy, and enriched. This comprehensive guide will teach you everything you need to know about responsibly raising an outdoor cat.
Is It Safe to Let My Cat Go Outside?
This is one of the most common questions for new cat owners. While there are some risks associated with letting your cat roam outdoors, taking the proper precautions can help mitigate those risks. Here are some factors to consider:
Predators
Coyotes, hawks, dogs, and other predators pose a risk, especially to kittens and smaller cats. Supervise outdoor time, provide escape routes, and bring cats in at night. Outdoor cats should always wear a breakaway collar with ID tags. Spaying/neutering reduces roaming and fights.
Cars
Cats can get hit by cars when crossing roads or driveways. Use catios, supervision, or leashed walks to prevent loose outdoor roaming near traffic. Proper ID on your cat’s collar also helps if an accident does occur.
Diseases
Outdoor cats are at higher risk for diseases spread by wildlife or stray cats. Vaccinations, parasite prevention, and vet checkups help keep your cat healthy. Cats should be spayed/neutered and up to date on rabies shots.
Other Dangers
Poisons like antifreeze, fertilizers, or rodent bait can harm curious cats. Keep garage and shed doors closed and chemicals locked away. Regular grooming and vet care keeps your cat free of foxtails, thorns, and ticks. Outdoor housing should be kept clean and free of sharp edges.
Legal/Neighbor Issues
Some neighborhoods prohibit free-roaming cats. Outdoor cats may use gardens or sandboxes as litterboxes, harass wildlife, or cause noise issues, upsetting neighbors. Be courteous and keep your outdoor cat on your property.
With proper precautions, the benefits of outdoor access usually outweigh the risks for many cats. Supervision, containment options like catio enclosures, and preparation are key to safely raising an outdoor cat.
Preparing Your Home and Yard for an Outdoor Cat
Allowing your cat outdoor access requires preparing your home and yard to be welcoming, safe spaces. Here are some tips:
Install a Catio
Catios or cat patios are enclosed outdoor structures that allow cats to experience the outdoors safely. Build or buy a catio with perches, scratching posts, toys, and shaded rest areas. Place it with a view of activity and nature.
Cat-Proof Fencing
Fencing should be at least 6 feet tall with no footholds cats can use to climb or squeeze through. Bury fencing 6-12 inches underground to prevent digging under. Avoid chain link fencing, as cats can climb it.
Provide Shelter
Insulated shelters or cat houses give outdoor cats shade, protection from weather, and a place to rest safely. Place shelters in quiet areas of the yard and include soft, washable bedding.
Grow Cat-Friendly Plants
Choose non-toxic plants native to your area. Grow catnip, valerian, and wheat grass for them to nibble. Avoid thorny plants and delicate vegetation cats may trample. Use scent repellants or fencing to protect any fragile ornamentals.
Landscaping and Enrichment
Include climbing platforms, scratching posts, puzzle feeders, and toys to enrich the outdoor environment. Consider installing a small water feature for drinking. Avoid sharp gravel or landscaping with very hard edges.
Eliminate Hazards
Check for potential toxins like antifreeze spills, poisonous plants, fertilizers, insecticides, or hidden sharp edges. Keep sheds and garages securely closed. Cover window wells or other holes. Keep electric cords out of reach.
Preparing your home and yard before allowing outdoor access helps keep your cat active, enriched, and safe. Provide ample toys, scratching posts, perches, shelters, and containment for an optimal outdoor experience.
Choosing the Right Cat for an Outdoor Lifestyle
While most cats can learn to enjoy outdoor access safely, some breeds and temperaments are better suited for an outdoor lifestyle than others. Consider these factors when selecting an outdoor cat:
Breed
Breeds like Bengals, Savannahs, Maine Coons, and Turkish Vans often relish outdoor adventures. Avoid brachycephalic breeds with breathing issues. Lean, athletic cats are best for climbing and roaming. Longhaired cats may need more grooming.
Age
Kittens under one year and senior cats over 10 years are better kept indoors. Adopt young adult cats aged 1-5 years for ideal curiosity and activity levels for supervised outdoor access.
Temperament
Bold, confident, friendly cats adapt well to outdoor experiences. Shy, anxious, or skittish cats do better indoors. Observe your cat’s personality before forcing outdoor time. Some cats never take to the outdoors.
Physical Condition
Healthy, fit cats can better avoid predators, cliffs, and other hazards. Weak or disabled cats may find the outdoors frustrating or dangerous. Vet exams ensure your cat’s physical ability to head outside.
Lifestyle Needs
High-energy cats, prolific hunters, grass nibblers, and curious climbers enjoy outdoor freedom. Less active cats may prefer indoor comforts over outdoor adventures. Know your cat’s personality and preferences.
While most cats can learn to enjoy the outdoors safely, carefully choose your feline friend based on breed, age, health, temperament, and lifestyle to pick the ideal outdoor cat.
Preparing Your Cat to Go Outside
Once you decide an outdoor lifestyle suits your cat, take these steps to get your cat outdoor-ready:
Pick a Good Time
Start outdoor exploration when your cat is calm and curious, not fearful or skittish. Warm sunny days or cool evenings often work best. Avoid loud times like Fourth of July or construction work.
Escape-Proof Your Home
Check windows, screens, chimneys, doors, and garages for any small openings. Install child-proof locks and alarms on doors. Make sure your cat has ID tags and a microchip in case of escape.
Get Vaccinations
Outdoor cats need regular FVRCP, rabies, and feline leukemia vaccines. Vaccination protects cats against contagious diseases they may encounter outdoors. Keep records of vaccinations handy.
Prevent Parasites
Use monthly flea, tick, and heartworm prevention medications prescribed by your vet. Check your cat’s coat for parasites during and after outdoor play. Groom frequently.
Introduce Gradually
Start with indoor play sessions using bird videos, open windows with screens, or harness training. Next, supervised outdoor sessions in a catio or backyard on a leash or long line.
Use Positive Reinforcement
Reward calm, confident behavior outdoors with treats and praise. Never force an unwilling or fearful cat outside. Go slowly and make every experience positive.
Watch the Weather
Hot sun, freezing temperatures, storms, snow, or ice can jeopardize your cat’s safety. Only allow supervised outdoor access during mild weather at first. Provide climate-controlled rest areas.
With thoughtful preparation, most cats can learn to love their outdoor adventures safely. Make sure vaccinations, ID, supplies, containment, and supervision tools are ready before your cat first ventures out.
Providing Outdoor Enrichment
An enriched outdoor environment keeps your cat engaged, active, and less prone to boredom or unwanted behaviors. Here are some tips:
Rotate Toys
Rotate outdoor toys daily to make them more intriguing. Include interactive toys that move or can be chased, as well as chewing toys like catnip mice. Hide toys around the yard for hunting.
Use Puzzles
Food puzzle feeders, treat balls, and food-dispensing toys stimulate your cat’s natural foraging instincts. Scatter dry food in bushes, under rocks, or at the bottom of puzzle toys.
Grow Cat Grass
Provide pots of cat-safe grasses like oat, rye, and wheat for nibbling. These provide fiber and aid digestion. Avoid harmful grasses like corn, ryegrass, and Bermuda grass.
Offer Scratching Posts
Include sturdy outdoor scratching posts and cat trees for climbing and scratching needs. Place them in quiet corners. Use catnip spray to attract attention.
Built Cat Shelves
Install shelving on fences, walls, and trees for outdoor perching. These give cats new vantage points to survey their domain from. Ensure they are safely secured.
Use Treats
Hide treats in cardboard tubes, boxes, or food puzzles to spur curiosity. Freeze tuna flakes or meat baby food inside ice cubes for refreshing summer treats.
Rotate new toys, puzzle feeders, edible grasses, scratching posts, shelving, and treats to keep your cat engaged, active, and enriched during outdoor playtime.
Exercising Your Outdoor Cat
Outdoor access provides cats more room to roam and opportunities to exercise. Here are some tips for keeping your outdoor cat fit:
Encourage Exploration
Allow supervised roaming to satisfy curiosity and get plenty of mental stimulation. Interact using toys that mimic prey and allow cats to exhibit natural hunting behaviors.
Use Catios
Let cats climb, pounce, scratch, run, and play freely in spacious catios. Set up obstacles, tunnels, scratching posts, and elevated areas for exercise. Place food and water in opposite corners.
Take Leashed Walks
Walk leash-trained cats around your yard or neighborhood for new sights and smells. Start in low-distraction areas first before venturing farther. Bring waste bags and use a secure harness and leash.
Provide Scratching Posts
Scratching posts with varied heights, angles, textures, and resistance levels allow cats to stretch and scratch in different ways for exercise.
Plant Cat Grass
Nibbling on healthy cat grasses aids digestion while providing chewing exercise. Oat and wheatgrass provide additional workout as cats graze.
Use Interactive Toys
Wands, balls, and other interactive toys stimulate your cat to run and pounce. Supervise outdoor playtime for safety and bring toys inside once done.
With ample room to run, climb, scratch, play, explore, and hunt, the outdoor environment can be an enriching source of exercise for cats. Ensure playtime safety with fences, supervision, and containment.
Keeping an Outdoor Cat Clean and Groomed
More time outdoors may mean more mess and dirtiness from roaming, so maintain a grooming routine:
Brush Regularly
Brush smooth-coated cats weekly and longhaired cats daily to remove dirt, tangles, and shedding fur. Check for parasites or skin issues during brushing.
Trim Nails
Trim nails every 2-3 weeks to prevent snags and keep them blunt. Check paws for thorns, foxtails, cuts, cracks, or sticky seeds after outdoor play.
Wash Bedding
Wash outdoor cat beds, Blankets, window perches, and other fabric items weekly to kill fleas, ticks or mites and remove allergens. Use unscented gentle soap and avoid harsh chemicals. Air dry well.
Check Coat
Look for foxtails, thorns, cuts, parasites, or skin issues hidden in the coat during and after outdoor play. Untangle mats gently. Seek vet care for any concerns found.
Clean Litterbox
Scoop urine and feces from outdoor litter boxes daily. Empty litter, wash boxes with soap and water, and refill with fresh litter weekly to keep tidy.
Use Pet Wipes
Keep hypoallergenic pet grooming wipes handy to spot clean paws, faces, ears, and coats after outdoor adventures when needed between full bathing.
With more outdoor exposure, keep up with regular brushing, nail trims, washing bedding, coat checks, litterbox cleaning and tidying to keep your outdoor cat in good condition.
Feeding Your Outdoor Cat
More frequent exercise from outdoor play means outdoor cats burn more calories and need adjusted feeding routines. Here are some tips:
Feed More
Active outdoor cats need 10-20% more calories than indoor cats. Feed growing, pregnant/nursing, or working cats more. Divide meals into 3-4 smaller portions through the day.
Provide Fresh Water
Refill outdoor water bowls 2-3 times a day. Place in shaded areas. Consider cat water fountains to encourage drinking. Change water daily. In winter, use heated bowls to prevent freezing.
Choose Durable Dishes
Select heavy ceramic, stainless steel or plastic dishes that attach to fencing or sturdy platforms for outdoor feeding areas. Disposable paper plates blow away too easily outside.
Consider an Automatic Feeder
These can dispense pre-portioned meals at scheduled times throughout the day while you are away. Supervise use until you ensure proper function.
Remove Food at Night
To prevent attracting wildlife, remove any unfinished wet food or kibble from outdoor feeding stations by dusk each day. Store securely overnight.
Monitor Appetite
Weigh cats weekly. Note any decrease in appetite, weight loss, or change in eating habits. Consult your vet if appetite declines.
The combination of higher caloric needs from extra exercise plus environmental factors like heat, cold or water access means feeding routines need adjustment for outdoor cats.
Keeping an Outdoor Cat Safe
While outdoor access provides cats enrichment, it can also put them in harm’s way unless you take precautions:
Supervise Outings
Remain outside with your cat during all outdoor sessions. Even in enclosed spaces, directly supervise to intervene at the first sign of trouble.
Use a Live Trap
Bait these with tuna or cat food to safely trap your cat in case of escape or refusal to come inside on command. Check traps frequently.
Install GPS Trackers
Hide lightweight tracker collars on outdoor cats. Track their location in real time using the app on your phone and find them quickly if lost.
Know Toxins
Research common toxins deadly to cats like antifreeze, lilies, fertilizers, rat poisons, citrus oils, tobacco, alcohol, chocolate and xylitol. Eliminate or lock up such toxins securely.
Ensure Proper ID
Microchip cats and ensure they always wear a breakaway safety collar with ID and vaccine tags. Update your contact info if you move or change numbers.
Prep for Emergencies
Keep a pet first aid kit ready with bandages, tape, antiseptic, scissors, towels, gloves, saline wash, and contact info for your vet. Know emergency vet hospitals nearby.
While allowing some risk is part of responsible outdoor access, manage and minimize those risks through vigilance, containment, preparedness, training, and safety tools like trackers, ID, and first aid supplies.
Outdoor Housing and Shelter
Outdoor cats need proper housing for comfort and safety. Here are some tips:
Choose Materials
Use weatherproof materials like plastic, resin, wood composites, or properly treated wood. Ensure good insulation. Include dark hides or tent compartments for napping.
Add Enrichment
Include attached scratching posts, built-in shelving or hammocks, and hidey-holes for play and exercise inside shelters. Attach or build shelters up off cold, damp ground.
Location
Place shelters in quiet, protected areas of the yard near natural windbreaks and shade. Face openings away from prevailing winds or rain. Allow cats to come and go freely.
Bed Inside
Provide washable plush mats or pads for comfort and warmth. Use straw or shredded paper as eco-friendly loose fill to hold heat in winter. Avoid fabric that may catch claws.
Clean Regularly
Weekly deep clean shelters fully. Dump litter, wash all surfaces, bedding, mats, and food dishes with gentle soap and water, then rinse and air dry before replacing.
Proper outdoor cat shelters protect your pet from weather extremes while still allowing freedom. Choose insulated, waterproof materials with ample enrichment extras built-in to create a cozy, customizable outdoor oasis.
Transitioning an Indoor Cat to Being Outdoors
For cats used to indoor life, making the transition outside takes patience and a slow introduction to prevent fearfulness or escape attempts:
Start Young
Kittens and younger cats adapt more easily to outdoors than seniors. But wait until kittens are fully vaccinated around 16 weeks old before exposing them to the outdoors.
Use Their Senses
Let cats look outside windows or screen doors, then use harnesses to take short potty walks, working up to longer strolls. Offer safe outdoor plant nibbles.
Make a Catio
Let your cat use an enclosed catio before roaming freely. Feed, play, and reward their calm behavior outdoors as positive reinforcement.
Supervise Closely
Once your cat explores your yard, supervise directly to intervene at the first sign of fear. Provide access to “safe zones” like sheltered hiding spots.
Take Breaks
After an hour or two outside, bring cats in for food, water, and rest. Increase outdoor durations gradually over weeks as cats gain experience.
Prevent Escape
Ensure your yard has cat-proof fencing, including at ground level. Trim trees or shrubs that allow fence-top getaways. Keep doors and windows securely closed.
Use Repellents
Use scents your cat dislikes, like citrus peels, vinegar, or perfumes to deter digging under or jumping the fence.
Go slowly with plenty of positive reinforcement and supervision when transitioning an indoor cat to the outdoors. Use their senses, provide safe spaces, never force interactions, and prevent escapes.
Common Outdoor Cat Illnesses and Injuries
While energetic outdoor play keeps cats fit, it also exposes them to more risks. Here are some common outdoor cat injuries and illnesses:
Wounds
Cat fights, dog attacks, cars, lawn mowers, thorns, broken glass etc. can cause cuts, punctures, bruises, or lacerations that