Cats, like other living creatures, adore their routines. They also sometimes have trouble adjusting to new ones, just as we humans do. For those who have an outdoor cat that they wish would stay inside the house, there are various ways to accomplish this. Some work. Some don’t.

Herding Cats

If you want a cat to dig in its paws, all you really have to do is employ brute force. Keeping the poor thing locked up inside no matter how obviously it longs for the great outdoors is asking for a long, drawn-out struggle. The cat will become a door-crasher, biding its time until someone opens a door or window, then racing to freedom, fur flying in its wake. There are better methods that will keep you both happier longer.

Give a Little

Cat behaviorists—yes, there is such a thing—advocate giving your indoor cat plenty of window sill space to gaze outside and enjoy the fresh air and natural ambience. For particularly stubborn outdoor cats, they talk about building a roomy cat run or similar enclosure that connects to the house, but extends outside into the yard. In this manner, they say, the outdoor cat begins to adapt to indoor-outdoor living, becoming accustomed to having walls around him.

Here are the objects the experts want you to place inside the cat’s indoor-outdoor enclosure, to help them make the transition:

• Toys, both the rolling kind and the hanging kind
• Condominiums for cats with several levels for exploring, hiding out, and cat-napping
• Scratching posts or tree limbs
• A litter box
• See-through walls

The Cat-Friendly Sunroom

Now consider these learned suggestions and combine them with the possibility of creating one big indoor-outdoor enclosure for both the cat and the family. Did the light go on? The sunroom is the perfect solution for everyone involved. All the above items recommended by cat experts can be incorporated in a sunroom even more easily than into a cat run. With its see-through walls and the outdoors surrounding it, the sunroom is the safest and pleasantest of both worlds for your pet, who will have wall-to-wall windows, tons of space, and the security to sleep with both eyes closed.

Add a sunroom to your home! Your outdoor cat will enjoy the biggest, best indoor-outdoor enclosure on the planet. And your house will sport an extra room, one with abundant light, air, and cat toys.

Patio Enclosures by Great Day Improvements can help you plan your cat’s indoor-outdoor sunroom. Schedule a free in-home estimate with absolutely no obligation.

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