How to bring an outdoor cat inside when family objects or you have pets
Deciding to bring an outside cat indoors creates conflict when dealing with unsupportive household members or existing pets that don't get along with newcomers. Compounding this, temporary living situations and upcoming moves make it difficult to commit to a permanent home, leaving people torn between protecting the cat from outdoor dangers and keeping the household peace.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1continuing to feed the cat outdoorsDid this help you?
- 2keeping the cat confined to a single room indoorsDid this help you?
- 3making the backyard comfortable with shelter, food, water and somewhere to sleepDid this help you?
- 4promising to take full responsibility for feeding, cleaning the litter, brushing, and paying for needsDid this help you?
- 5reminding oneself that the cat is safe, fed, and lovedDid this help you?
- 6providing enrichment like a catproofed balconyDid this help you?
- 7considering getting a second cat for companionshipDid this help you?
- 8Using a leash and harness for supervised outdoor walksDid this help you?
- 9Providing indoor enrichment toys, play sessions, and cat treesDid this help you?
- 10Building a catioDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Sometimes i want to just bring him inside but I have 3 cats already, 1 of them is a bitch to stranger cats. I also am temporarily living with my dad for only a few more months before I move out of state. Should I resist?! Or should I convince the household to let me do it?”source ↗
“I really want to give her a proper home, but my biggest problem is my mum.”source ↗
“I’m worried about her getting hit by a car, getting hurt, fighting with another animal or just disappearing one day.”source ↗
“And my mum would probably completely overreact if I just brought her inside, but I honestly hate seeing her outside roaming around all the time.”source ↗
“every time I look at her, I can't help wondering whether we have somehow deprived her of her freedom.”source ↗
“Would Kiri actually prefer to be out there, living on her own and with other cats? Is she genuinely better off with us, or have we simply taken away the life she might otherwise have had?”source ↗
“Am I feeling guilty over something I shouldn't?”source ↗
“Or did we actually do something selfish by bringing her into our home?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 2Should I move my senior outdoor cat to an indoor apartment?
- 7How to stop indoor cat from constantly crying at the door after escaping
- 3Will my cat get depressed leaving a multi-cat home?
- 6How to trap and transport an unfamiliar stray cat to the vet
- 11How to tell if stray kittens need to be rescued
- 7How do I know if I should rehome my puppy?