How to stop my cat from wandering

[kev]

Hello, I'm new here, and I hope you can help me out with my cats problem...
Well, my cat has always wanted to go outside of the house and explore the sorroundings, he usually never got close to a road near by my house but recently he is starting to explore that part of the territory and I'm afraid he might get hit by a car. What should I do? I have a couple of ideas but I'm afraid that they will upset him very much and maybe even get him depressed.
1- Try to always keep him inside the house
Problem: he always wants to go outside at least a couple of times a day and there is no way to persuade him to stay inside the house.He keeps miaowing untill it is impossible to stand him!
2-Put a fence to keep him inside the garden
Problem: I think he might not be happy to stay only in my garden, it's not very big, and I think that his instinct to explore would make him want to go outside and not being able to fulfill that instinct might depress him as well!

Note: He is already nuterd
It would be great if you could give me some suggestions and maybe tell me if one of the solutions I proposed would do...
Thanks in advance [/u]

[Jen]

Just keep him indoors or be prepared to face the inevitable. The great outdoors has many more dangers than just vehicular traffic. He WILL adjust, you just need to have more will power than the cat has.

[Tina B and crew]

I agree with Jen...cats should stay indoors. There are exceptions to the rule (Susan can tell you about her Sweet Pea)...but I'd give it a try first. Make sure he has a window seat so he can look outside. There are kitty enclosures you can use to let your kitty outdoors, if you wanted to explore those..with these he can be outdoors (only under supervision though) and also be safe. The link will take you to a site that sells them.

http://www.thecatconnection.com/miva/me ... y_Code=TYS

Fences don't always guarantee that they won't get out. My cats have a screened porch to enjoy the outdoors...that's the ultimate solution if you have the money and space. I feel safe with them out their and they get to watch birds, butterflies and squirrels. I'm happy, they are happy but most important, they are safe.

To keep him happy indoors...make sure he has plenty of toys, a cat tree, a window to look out. It may not be easy at first...but with time and patience it can be done. Good luck...let us know how things go

[Kev]

Thanks you very much, I'll try and keep him inside I'll play with him and entratain him so he doesn't get bored and see what happens!
Thank you VERY much, I apricitate your help!

[dolphin11star]

If you have time for this, I found that it worked with my previous cats... we lived on a street corner and there was no safe way for us to let them out by themselves.
Sometimes just being able to go outside for 15 minutes on a harness and leash to sniff things and eat grass will calm the need to find out what's out there. Make sure to get a safe, well-fitting harness specifically for a cat and to make sure he's always wearing a collar with ID if you go outside. Also, he needs to be completely up to date on his vaccinations all the time, because he's going outside. We didn't have to worry about other animals bothering us, but if you know that there are dogs or stray cats nearby, keep a lookout so that you can get him away from any dangerous situations.
This is especially good in combination with windowsills to look out from. Good luck!