keeping outdoor cat inside

Question
I have a tiger cat named tigerlillie. He was born feral but now is a good house cat. But he keeps trying to get outside. I live on a very busy road so I can't let him outside. How can I make him happy inside so that he won't keep running for the door every time it opens?

Answer
Hi Ashley,
What an adorable name! This is hard, as cats will get frustrated and be insistent about getting out. Their world needs to be filled with stimulation and fresh air and life is fun outside for them.
Here are my suggestions:
1)provide (if your space is large enough) two large cat trees that he can jump and climb on, make it so he can scale from one to the other and jump from one to the other.
2) put a bird feeder and water outside window (or nectar for hummingbirds)
keep birds safe and have screens on so he can watch them from indoors.
3) give him plenty of toys, and play with him often. Mental stimulation is important, make the games fun!
4) does he like other cats? this is tricky and there is an introduction process that will not exacerbate issues that i can coach you along with, but will he do well with a buddy? some cats do awful with another cat and we can ascertain that if you entertain the idea.
This could keep him company. But again, this is kitty specific.
5) train him gingerly and slowly to get used to a kitty harness. i walked my cat in the streets of greenwich village and then san francisco with a harness. (quieter tree-lined streets though). It taught her to walk next to me as well when we lived in woody places like Mill Valley, CA where i didnt use a harness. You dont need to walk far, but he must be securely strapped in, you must be on constant lookout of environment and if there is a patch of grass you can walk him on the grass.
Do you have any outdoor area? If so,
6) you can enclose a deck area for him with secure kitty fences. Build a fenced in enclosure on window if you can.
if not,
7) i would get nice big plants so he can roll up in the soil of the pot. My cats love to do this when they cant get their feet on the earth.

ood luck!
Shanti