# Rescued cat wont go outside



## Steve8217 (Mar 2, 2012)

I brought a kitten home from work she had been hanging around my workplace for quite a number of weeks and after she nearly got run over by one of the arctics I thought it would be safer for her. She was taken to the vets for a checkup and I advised the vet of where I had found her they said she was not chipped so she came back home with me and ever since then with me she has stayed.

Me and the vets did make a few phonecalls and knock on a few doors to see if anyone owned her but after two months no one came forward so I told the vet I would adopt her and have her chipped and spayed.

That all happened over a year ago now and I really want her to go outside like my other two cats but she will only venture out if the dog whom she has become very attached to goes out and I am close by and only then will she venture a couple of meters away and sit under the garden table watching what is going on around her. 

Now I don't want her to go out and stay out all day or night like my other two cats but it would be nice if she went out every once in a while but without knowing how long she was on the streets and if it is a worry that I might abondon her I dont know and from the way she eats and what she eats I would believe people have fed here while she on the streets.

The reason I want to get her happy with going outside is that at the moment she lives with me in my bedroom as she cant stay downstairs as she seems to love tormenting the degus and when she is upstairs with me she likes to play with whatever she can get her paws on and run around the room while I am trying to sleep any help with getting here confidence back up to a level where she feels ok going outside would be appreciated.


Apologies for the long explanation


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## loubyfrog (Feb 29, 2012)

I think she is just trying to get used to her new surroundings at the moment,just keep letting her go outside and im sure soon enough she will spend longer outside....maybe take some treats & toys out to her while she is in the garden so she realises that its a good place to be

I rescued a stray cat a few weeks ago and he lived outside for god knows how long so i brought him into my home & he only now goes out for half a hour a couple of times a day so hes the same as your rescue (apart from the fact that mine hates my dog with a passion!!!),I can always see him when hes out so i just think they are happy to have a good home and not have to live outside all the time.

When she gets more confident & it gets a lot warmer i'm sure she'll spend more time outside.

As for bedtime maybe tire her out with some toys (Thats what i do with stray george...like a toddler...lol) & hopefully you'll get a full nights sleep.:blink:

Good luck & hope she finds her feet soon enough xx


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## welshjet (Mar 31, 2011)

hiya and welcome to pf.

Perhaps after her experiences of being on the streets has put her off going out and she'd rather be an indoor cat, have you tried going out into your garden with her on a harness just to start building her confidence a bit.

If you havent used a harness on her before, it will take a while for her to get used to one and perhaps a good place to start is just getting her used to the feel of it on her without a lead around the house


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## Steve8217 (Mar 2, 2012)

Thanks for the welcome :001_smile:

Just had a look on the web and found quite a few of them. I was thinking about getting one of these when I first adopted her and got her collar. Are they usually universal she is a long haired cat and want her to be comfortable in it.


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## newfiesmum (Apr 21, 2010)

You may find she is never confidence enough to go far. If she is going in the garden with the dog, it is not outside she is afraid of, but of being shut outside. Poor thing was only a baby and had to fend for herself in the the cold and now she has a nice comfy home, she is afraid to leave it. I wouldn't push it if I were you. Do you have another room you could put her in at nightime?

We used to have a cat that had been found wandering the streets and she was quite old but she settled herself in my daughter's bedroom and spent the rest of her life in there. She refused to go outside.

You kitty may come round eventually, or she may not.


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## jill3 (Feb 18, 2009)

If she is quite happy being an indoor then i wouldn't force her.
Maybe just take her out in the garden when you are at home.
As for the Degus ( are they like Gerbil, mice??) can't you put them in another room where she is not allowed.


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## Steve8217 (Mar 2, 2012)

I think I may keep her as an indoor cat she seems happy and contented living with me now and never seems to want to leave my side. I think it is worth giving the harness a go but I will give her the time to decide when she is ready to venture outside. 

I have decided to keep her in the routine she is used to at the moment if I was to put her in a room on her own she would meow for me so I will keep her by my side and give her all the attention any owner should give their cat or cats 

The only other thing which worries me at the moment is when you go to stroke her she sometimes ducks and dives as if she thinks you are going to hit her which does leave me to wonder what happened in the first three months of her life before I rescued her 

Moving my Degus to another part of the house is really out of the question as they are highly social animals and always love to see and chat to us in the morning. Degu's or sometimes the bush tailed rat so I believe they are sometimes called are closely related to chinchillas but I am a new owner of Degus so I am still learning myself the only thing I know is they are good escape artists and can give a hell of a bite when they want to


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## colliemerles (Nov 2, 2007)

_we would love to see a picture of your rescue cat.,,_


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## newfiesmum (Apr 21, 2010)

Steve8217 said:


> I think I may keep her as an indoor cat she seems happy and contented living with me now and never seems to want to leave my side. I think it is worth giving the harness a go but I will give her the time to decide when she is ready to venture outside.
> 
> I have decided to keep her in the routine she is used to at the moment if I was to put her in a room on her own she would meow for me so I will keep her by my side and give her all the attention any owner should give their cat or cats
> 
> ...


And I thought it was some kind of lizard

If you cat flinches when you go over her head to stroke her, you should give her the back of your hand to her nose, let her have a good sniff so that she knows it is you, and so that she can see you coming and feel safe before moving up to her head. It sounds like the poor little love has been hit and she may never get over that fear, so take your time.

It is well known that you don't go over a dog's head unless you know them well, but people rarely think that a cat can be the same. I think you are doing the right thing in not forcing her outside. As to keeping you awake, what about some ear muffs?


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## Steve8217 (Mar 2, 2012)

newfiesmum said:


> And I thought it was some kind of lizard
> 
> If you cat flinches when you go over her head to stroke her, you should give her the back of your hand to her nose, let her have a good sniff so that she knows it is you, and so that she can see you coming and feel safe before moving up to her head. It sounds like the poor little love has been hit and she may never get over that fear, so take your time.
> 
> It is well known that you don't go over a dog's head unless you know them well, but people rarely think that a cat can be the same. I think you are doing the right thing in not forcing her outside. As to keeping you awake, what about some ear muffs?


Thanks for the advice it is amazing what you can learn from others. I know what you mean by thinking they were lizards I had never heard of them til I saw them at pets at home and adopted them at first I thought they were gerbils. As to the ear muffs idea its a good idea but it may cause me not to hear my alarm clock either. Extra time in bed on the plus side but would it be a good enough excuse for being late for work


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## welshjet (Mar 31, 2011)

Our two are innies so I havent put collars on them but in respect of harnesses, we have got the ones from pets at home which are the snap version types, we are hopking not to use them too much longer as we will be building a run in the garden for them

Some people use more of a jacket type like - as an example only

Home - Mynwood Cat Jackets-Original, escape-proof Jacket

If you go into cat chat and do a seach on harnesses there will probably be loads of threads that will pop up as its a common question and there may be more ideas. As regards long hair, I can't really offer any advice on this one as our two are both short haired.

Clare x


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## Steve8217 (Mar 2, 2012)

colliemerles said:


> _we would love to see a picture of your rescue cat.,,_


I am going to upload some pictures in a few day of the cats, the dog and the degus thats if they sit still long enough for me to get one


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