CAT-Please respond to

Question
The cat is a male about 10 years old.  My cat has been outside all of his life.  We just now moved and believe we need to keep him inside now because we will get lost.  Do you think he will?  He scratches at the door and meows all the time now.  What should I do?

Answer
Hi Heath,

I would recommend keeping your cat in for about 2 to 3 weeks. Cats are very territorial and your cat might very well try to return to your previous home. Cats generally have a very good sense of direction so the danger, in my opinion, is not so much that  he might get lost, but that he might get injured (or worse) when trying to return to his territory. What i suggest you do is train him to wear a cat harness and then take him around the new property and allow him to mark his new territory (by rubbing against surfaces, urine-marking, and making scratch marks on vertical surfaces such as trees) as often as possible whilst he acclimatises to the new home.

Whilst he is still confined, try to provide him with various cat toys (rotate them so they stay interesting - Activity Treat Balls are great as you can put food/treats in them and the cat has to roll it around and chase it to get the food/treats out), play with him and even train him to do some tricks. This will provide him with the mental stimulation and physical exercise he needs and therefore reduce his frustration with being kept indoors. A cat gym is also wonderful for keeping an indoor cat entertained and happy. You could even 'hide' small portions of his food in various places so that he is kept busy (and happy) 'hunting' for his food.

Please let me know how this goes as feedback enables us to refine/fine-tune and improve our suggested interventions - to everyone's benefit. Thank you.

Regards,
tania