Your cat might want to go out for many reasons like playing, hunting, mating, etc.
Your cat might get into catfights or accidents hurting itself.
It is not okay to let your cat outside. Your cat will live a happy and healthier life indoors.
Let us read the article further to know how you can make indoors more interesting for your cat and safer.
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Why Does My Cat Want To Go Outside At Night? Is It Safe?
Your cat wants to go outside at night because they feel the most active at night and in the evening.
It is in their genetics to go out at night as they enjoy it. They are hunters since birth and genetically as we mentioned.
They usually find their prey during those hours of the night. Your cat might have been done with their hunting age but they still would go out at night and hunt.
Though your cat loves to go out at night and hunt, it is not safe for your cat.
It is in danger when left out alone. The lifespan of your cat if it is an outdoor cat is only 3 to 5 years.
While an indoor cat has a lifespan of 10 to 16 years. This vast difference is since outdoor life is very dangerous.
Your cat can face threats like:
- Getting into a car accident while walking, sleeping, or crossing the road.
- Having catfights.
- Getting encountered with wildlife and hence a threat of death.
- If your cat is exposed to antifreeze and other toxic chemicals then it is a threat.
- Your cat could get lost or might also get stolen.
- Getting trapped in drains or spaces could also kill your cat.
Is It Cruel To Not Let My Cat Outside?
No, it is not cruel to keep your cat inside.
Though it is tough for your cat to live indoors, it can still live a happy, healthy, and simple life.
As it also helps your cat to be stress relieved. This is the stress that comes from chronic threats. These threats can cause physical and psychological threats to your cat.
Other forms of stress would be people ill-treating your cat, the threat from other coyotes, poisonous plants, and other forms of illnesses and allergies caused by outside water, food, etc.
Letting your cat outdoors can cause severe behavior issues in it. Indoor cats are emotionally and physically healthier.
What Should You Do If Cat Keeps Meowing To Go Out?
1. Regular Fencing
Your cat might want to explore the outdoors, though safety should be the first priority.
You should try providing your cat with a screened porch so that it can experience an outdoor feeling safely.
Though this regular fencing might also not prevent the other animals from entering the yard, so you should be around your cat while it is playing.
The yard where your cat goes should be cat-proof as your cat should not be able to escape from there.
2. Buy A Harness
A harness is necessary when you do not have loose dogs around your household.
If our neighborhood is peaceful then you will have to train your cat to walk on a leash. You should buy a harness.
This training may take a lot of patience from your cat and you. It is easy to train your cat when they are young.
You could harness your cat and tie it to some object and let it feel and enjoy the outdoors. Though you need to be there by your cat at all times when you leave it outdoor.
3. Install Perches
It is a good idea to install a perch for your cat inside your house.
You could install the perches near the window so that your cat can view the outdoors from there.
There are padded perches that you could buy or larger perches that can be installed on the side of the house.
Though you can even install an enclosure which is on the window frame where your cat can sit and at the same time enjoy the outdoors.
4. Cat Trees
A cat tree can be of different sizes, it brings your cat joy as it can climb over the tree and play around.
It provides your cat with more areas for rest as it is vertical.
These cat trees can either be ready-made or you can make one for your cat. Though try to place the cat tree near the window as your cat can enjoy watching the outdoors.
5. Play With Your Cat
You should try to remove some time to play with your cat on a daily basis. You should keep trying new ways to play with it.
You could do this by giving your cat new toys, which allow your cat to pounce, run, chase, jump, etc.
All of these activities and toys will make your cat tired after a while and so you should take the toys away from it.
The toys could hurt your cat after they are tired or if you are not around. You should let your cat play with these toys only when you are around or else hide it.
You should buy your cat new toys after some time or else they could feel bored with the old ones.
6. Six To Seven Foot Towers
Your cat likes to feel that it has had an increase in its territory and environmental control. To make your cat feel this while it is indoors is absolutely possible.
This can happen through these 6 to 7-foot towers. These towers are designed so that your kitten can jump from one tower to another.
These towers should be firm and heavy. The platforms of these should be accessible easily.
Try to place them on the front of the windows so that they can enjoy the outdoors. These climbing towers will reduce the stress of your cat
7. Cat Walks
As you cannot let your cat go outside alone maybe you could take your cat for walks or a walk daily.
This way not only will your cat explore the outdoors, but also it will stay safe as you are around.
You may take your cat for walks but you have to make sure you schedule these walks like a routine for your cat.
Though walks once a week are also okay but maintain the same schedule. This is because your cat will know when it has to go and not keep guessing and wait to go out.
Hence there will be less meowing to go out. You could also start adding a cue by which your cat can tell it is going for a walk now.
8. Positive Reinforcement
Your cat will understand when their behavior and actions are rewarded and will likely repeat those actions.
When you reward your cat for positive behaviors so that it repeats it, this is called positive reinforcement.
Your cat will associate that behavior with s reward. You can reward your cat with food or take it for a walk.
Then you could take it for a walk when it is quiet and away from the door so that it will tend to stay quiet for long and not meow to go outside.
Why Does My Cat Want To Go Outside At Night? How To Stop It?
Your cat wants to go outside at night because they are usually active at this time and they would like to hunt.
Your cat is a natural hunter and will use up its energy this way at night, which can harm your cat.
The best way you can help your cat use this energy is by making him play.
As we know that your cat might want to go outside as it feels active and so you should try to keep it inside and training them into the new routine.
Your cat might feel restless at first as it wants to go outside but soon it will get trained.
The indoor environment of your cat should provide it with many toys and different things, as we talked about earlier in this article.
Give your cat water and a litter box before you sleep so that it does not make your household dirty or try to move outside.
Soon your cat will develop a new routine of not going out at night or it might even sleep if it is tired after playing with the toys you gave it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where Should I Let My Cat Sleep At Night?
You could buy your cat a small, soft, and comfortable cat bed. If you cannot then you could give your cat a comfortable spot. Though any place should always have a water bowl and a litter pan for it at night.
Does My Cat Need Light While Sleeping At Night?
Yes, your cat might need some light while it sleeps so that it feels safe. It also depends on one cat to another. But it is completely natural for your cat to need light.
Why Does My Cat Cry At Night In The Midnight?
Your cat might be crying at midnight as it might need attention or an assurity that you are around. It might be scared.
Final Words
Your cat would soon stop going outside as you put it in its schedule then becoming a routine.
It will stay indoors and not meow much if you keep enough things to entertain it in the house.
Your cats should have enough toys to play with. But if your cat still meows a lot then you should consult your vet.
For more queries, ask us in the comment section.
