How can i train my outside cat to be an inside cat withought him howling all night long?

i have a two year old male neutered cat who is an outside inside cat. He loves outside so if i try to keep him he yowls untill i let him out. I tried tonight to entertain and soothe him but nothing helps. I have to start keeping him inside cause neighbors are complaing about him walking on their cars saying he is scratching their cars up and digging in their flower gardens, and also i live next to a nature preserve with a bird lover takeing care of it so i feel guilty about him running over next door and killing the birds???? I do not want to part with my kitty because my son is very attached! any ideas?

How can i train my outside cat to be an inside cat withought him howling all night long?
Cats usually get comfortable staying in after a few days and don't complain. If you put him in a part of the house where you are not, he'll be quiet when he realizes you can't hear him.



Of course if you get up when he yells, he knows it's working!
Reply:I have a cat with a similar situation (One of three cats). He was born in a barn, lived outdoors for several years, and then became my house cat when I moved out of my parents' house to another state.

The things that have worked for me: I have a Cat Tree, from floor to ceiling, that I bought at Wal-Mart for $40. It's a carpeted multi-leveled play "tree." All my cats love it!! It gives them a chance to climb, jump, be silly, and sit higher than everybody else overlooking their domain. :) And you can attach fun toys for them to play with on different levels.

Also, I play a CD while I'm gone during the day of birds and water sounds. Speaking of water, I've found that my babies like running water better than standing water from a bowl. I have a decorative fountain that they always choose to drink from instead of their water bowl. You can buy a pet water bowl at most stores that filters itself all day. That way their water stays fresh. And I have several house plants, one especially for them (Cat Grass) that they can eat-- I bought it at petsmart. The ones not for them have in the past become dirty problems when they decided to dig, but I put garden rocks on top of the soil in the pots to keep them from messing around. Now they just sit under the plants.Outdoor cats will always prefer the outdoors, but if you can give them some of the things from outside, (plants, something to scratch on, an outdoor view, something to climb, toys to chase, things to smell, etc.) it helps. (I also have a catnip spray I put on their beds and toys.)

Hope I helped!
Reply:first of all, you need patience because training a cat is difficult. you need to have all their basic needs in your house like litter box and food and be sure to talk to them once in a while. hope that this helps.
Reply:This is a tough one, but short of just grinning and bearing the noise, here are a few more suggestions:



Try the whole thing on a weekend, or when someone is on holiday, this gives you at least two days to try stop the yowling. On Saturday, get your son to spend as much of the day as possible playing with him. Try not to let him sleep much during the day. Don't feed him a big breakfast, and take his pellets away. This means he'll be hungry for dinner. Before bed-time, give him a big dinner, hopefully, this, combined with the lack of sleep and extra exercise, should mean that he will not put up too much of a fuss! Try the same thing on Sunday, by now he should have resigned himself. Both my kitties are indoor kitties, but I have gotten them harnesses and leashes. This will be quite a fun project for your son, who can get kitty used to the harness, and once he associates the fact that he only goes outside for a walk with the harness, he'll love it! My cats come running when they hear me open the cupboard where I keep theirs.



Another alternative is to spend a bit of cash, and actually put up an enclosure in the back yard. It doesn't have to be too big, and just needs to jut out off of one of your windows. This allows him to chew the grass, enjoy the sunshine, and watch the birds, without being a pest to the neighbours.



The main thing is perseverence, just remember that it's about changing habits, and outdoor kitties have a lot more to do. Try and get a birdfeeder and hang it from where he can watch from a window, and mostly, keep him stimulated! You will soon find out how much more affectionate they are if they are kept indoors!



Good Luck!
Reply:It's great you want to turn an outside cat into an inside cat! It can add years to their life. If you are having a problem with him howling when kept inside, you should call your vet. I honestly don't have suggestions to keep a kitties voice down, other than ignore it. It's the only thing that worked for mine.



I don't know how loud he is, but a vet will be the best bet for figuring out how to make him comfortable with staying inside.
Reply:lots of time and patience. ive been threw it twice. i dont think there is anything you can specifically do. maybe play with them more and stimulate thier "prey drive" but for the most part you have to sit it out for awhile. it is torture, but they will stop.....atleast ours did. you could just stick him in your sons room......LOL kidding. maybe since its a bird thing, let him out at nights. he will just go kill mice then. see how that goes for awhile, might save you a little bit of a headache. birds arent out at night. atleast not the kind he would bother. good luck and be patient.

natural instinct