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In reply to the discussion: I need some advice from people who are cat savvy (UPDATED WITH PICTURES) [View all]nadine_mn
(3,702 posts)Our cat just showed up one night in a storm, meowing at our door. We had 2 large dogs at the time and lived on a rented house in the middle of farmland. We took the cat in immediately and then called our cat owner friend for advice.
The first several months our cat (Scout) stayed outside but came back for dinner or to sleep, eventually spending more and more time indoors. When we moved back to MN, he had to be an inside cat because now we lived in town with roads and traffic. At our current rental house, the transition was tough - he ripped Scout-butt sized holes in all our screen windows and kept escaping - only to end up back at the front door crying to get back in.
Our cat now has no desire to go outside (other than a sniff or too) and has lived with 4 large dogs - he is 14 yrs old now.
An outside cat can definitely become an indoor cat. Good luck to you!