[amanda_3159]

My 10 year old female cat (spade) has been an indoor cat since day one. Even if given the chance she would not leave the apartment. We recently moved to a house with garden and now I can't get her to stay inside. She refuses to come in the house, isn't eating normally and is only drinking water because I put a bowl outside. She stays close to the house but when I bring her in at night she refuses to settle and is climbing the walls to get out, yowling and clawing. What can I do to settle her into this new routine before we all lose our minds?

 

[Mosi]

If your cat is no longer eating the food you provide then she is getting fed elsewhere. Is she wandering out of your garden?
This is actually the reason I never let an indoor cat go outside. Most of them never want to go back to being indoors once they have got a taste of being free outside.
At this point, you really have two choices. You can leave her as an indoor/outdoor cat, and provide her with a cat door or another way for her to come and go as she wishes, or you can bring her back indoors to stay in all the time and just go through the period of time that it will take for her to settle down into that again, which could be weeks or even months.

If you have a secure and safe place for her to go outside, and she cannot get out of the garden to go places where she could be in danger, then I would suggest option one. This would be the most simple thing. But it also may mean that you no longer have the cat that you used to have.

 

[catloverami]

This is a problem that can develop if cats are let outside.....they love the great freedom and being able to stalk and eat mice, rats, birds, grasshoppers, whatever they can find, or possibly a neighbour who leaves food outside for their cat(s). It's reminds me of that old song "How you gonna keep 'em down on the farm once they have seen Paree" (Paris). Almost impossible. Of course, it can be dangerous for cats to be indoor/outside, if you live where you have wild animals such as, foxes, coyotes, dogs, aggressive tomcats, large birds of prey, or nasty cat-haters that could poison your cat or steal it. Some solutions are to take the cat outside in a secure harness and leash, a cat stroller (where they are enclosed with mesh), or a secure enclosure or window cage. I've used a cat stroller for many years and the cats enjoy it very much, and it gives them a sense of "patrolling a territory" as that is what they would do if they're a feral cat. I hope some of these suggestions can help solve your problem. All the best!

Enclosure/pens:

Amazon.com

 

[miscellaneous]

It may very well be a behavior problem, but the first thing to do when a cat acts in such an extreme manner is to rule out any medical problems. Has she been seen by a Vet since you moved for a thorough physical and dental checkup?

 

[MistWolf]

Yes, a visit to the vet is in order and you should keep your cat indoors. I've seen too many people lose their beloved pets because they let them roam outside unsupervised.

Get cameras to investigate what critters are trespassing in your yard. All it takes is one cat leaving scent markers in your yard to drive your cat crazy.