When it comes to indoor cat behavior it’s generally agreed upon that if the cat is to be confined indoors it should not be allowed to experience the freedom of an outside environment.
Some would go as far to say that in this case ignorance is bliss. The belief being you can’t miss something you never had. If the feline has known nothing else but the inside it will most likely accept this lifestyle with open arms and just might live longer as the indoors can be much safer.
This may not prevent your cat from trying to escape, but the animal may be more wary of the outside world if they have never experienced it. This can usually provide the all important moment of hesitation for you to prevent the escape attempt.
Confining a mature cat that has previously been allowed to wander is somewhat unreasonable. Once the cat is allowed to roam they will feel an inherent need to investigate the outside surroundings.
An exception to this rule would be an elderly cat that may have declining strength or health.
This cat may not show much of an interest of going outside anymore. It should be noted that wandering and hunting are firmly entrenched in the cat’s nature.
The indoor life is unnatural but obtainable. Great care must be taken to provide your cat with alternative stimulation. Failure to do this may be expressed in aggressive cat behavior. Examples of this are over eating, attacking hands and feet or even failure to use a litter box.
What Happens When Their Home Alone
Most cats that reach two years or older will spend anywhere from 50 to 75% of the day sleeping. This is also an inherited character trait from their large lion cousins.
Your indoor cat will probably do a large amount of sleeping while you are at work or away from home. The indoor cat enjoys the company of humans, much more than its outside cat brother.
When you come home from work, make sure that you take the time to greet your cat and spend a few minutes of quality time with him or her.
This will improve cat behavior for the long haul. Even when life gets busy, you must take time out to spend with your cat. We may keep pets to enhance our own lives but we owe it to them so that they will enjoy theirs.
How to Improve Indoor Cat Behavior
The indoor cat, must be provided with opportunities for exercise, and given extra encouragement to play games. This can be done for little or no cost.
Cats love playing with and scratching at cardboard boxes, but please make sure that the box is clean and safe and was not used to pack dangerous chemicals or pesticides. You can also use small toys like catnip mice or even rubber bouncy balls.
This will tap into your cat’s natural instincts and sharpen their amazing hunting skills. My personal cats love to take the little mousy and hide it in my slipper.
Then he’ll have a challenging battle between the elusive Mr mousy and the mighty hunter. Even small amounts of playtime will allow your cat to expend pent up energy.
This is why indoor pets dart around the house occasionally. In the end some exercise will provide a better quality of life for them and improved indoor cat behavior for you as well.
The behavior of your indoor cat will be much more to your liking when you provide a happy home with plenty of toys and activity and lots of love and affection for your chosen feline friend. If your cat isn’t playing give this article a read.
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