Conference misery::feline_v1

    Changes are you don't have anything to worry about.  Transitioning an
    outdoor cat to indoors usually involves anywhere from 0 time to a
    couple of weeks for the cat to adjust (maybe with heart-rending
    howls at the door).  You have to hang tough -- if you give in once, the 
    cat learns that howling works.  Many cats will adjust without this
    problem.  You will probably want to play with your cat more as
    she is used to more exercise outdoors;  chase the catnip mouse
    is a good game (alas, most cats don't fetch the mouse back, so this is
    healthy exercse for you as well).  The kitty tease toys mentioned in a 
    note here are probably a good idea also.
    
    A run would probably be a treat;  I'd do that if I had a way to do
    it.
    
    I have a lot of "looking places" near windows (bookcases whose tops
    are at the bottom of a window, cat platforms, etc.) so my cats
    can bask (basque?) in the sun and watch the squirrels, etc.  I also have
    these little pots of grass that you can get in pet stores.
    

    You might also want to trim her nails and get her a good scratching
    post to discourage her from using your furniture.  I agree about
    spending more time playing with her - you might even consider a
    housemate for her.
    
    And when and if she pesters you to go out, just firmly fix a picture
    in your head of her laying in the street, not knowing enough to get 
    out of the way of cars.  That should stiffen your resolve.  
    
    If her howls get unbearable you could consider exiling her for a 
    short time to the bathroom or basement to teach her that howling
    is not ok.
    
    Good luck.  I'm sure she'll adjust just fine.
      Nancy DC

    Maybe it would be easier w/ a new playmate too?  At least she'd be able
    to have some fun while your not around (and excersise ;*).
    
    Michele and Nippa

    I agree with the new playmate...years ago I had an indoor kitty
    that we had for three years before we brought in a playmate.  It
    took some time for them to get along, but after that it was great.
    It brought a lot more life out of the older one.
    
    They played with each other oppose to ruining the house.  
    
    Good luck..
    
    Sandy (Tamba, Poco, and Barkley)
    

    Thanks for all your replys.   
    
    RE: getting a new playmate for Agatha.  I'd love to, but first off my
    husband is not a big cat fan.  He's accepting Agatha, but he definately
    won't go for a second.  Also, I'm alergic to animals, Agatha included,
    but I'm an animal lover - so I suffer for it.  My lungs couldn't take
    another cat.  We will eventually (in 4 years) get a dog that has hair
    vs fur.  I hope that Agatha will enjoy any playmate, dog or cat.  When 
    I was younger I had a dog and cat that were constant companions, and I
    hope to acheive the same.  I am concerned that Agatha will be lonely,
    because the 3 cats we have now are like 3 peas in a pod.  They even
    sleep together in a heap.  But before Agatha had the other cats around
    she was perfectly content to be alone.  She's also a real people cat.
    So, I'm hoping with extra attention, toys and time, she'll settle in
    nicely. 
    
    I'm also concerned about her reaking havoc in my house.  My first
    apartment needed plastic on the windows in the wintertime and I used to
    come home to find her hanging from the plastic.  I'm considering having
    her front paws declawed.  Is this painful?  And how about recuperating
    time?  I've never heard of having nails filed down.  How effective is 
    this process?
    
    I like the idea of using the bathroom or cellar to enforce no howling,
    but will this really work?  She's a smart cat, but she's four years old
    now and I'm wondering how quickly she'll take to training.  The only
    thing I've ever trained her for is the litter box, and biting and
    clawing.  She was at the point, before moving into mom's, where she
    would never bite or claw, but I've noticed lately that she's back to
    her old tactics.  She has even started biting when the person holding
    and patting her stops.
    
    Well, again, thanks for all your help.
    
    Shirley

    Hi Shirley,
    
         My husband's cat, Bigfoot, was an indoor/outdoor cat before we
    married.  In fact, Bigfoot would howl to go out and stay out until
    morning, even in the cold.   My husband's other cat, Fluffy, was the
    same way.
    
         When we married, I worried because my cat, Loki, was an indoor
    only cat.  He had never been outside, and I had never had the desire to
    let him out.  He was (and is!) perfectly happy inside.
    
         We decided to keep all of the cats inside for a month, and then
    re-evaluate from there (we are on a low-traffic street, but there are
    people who drive much faster than necessary on it.
    
         Well miracle of miracles, neither Bigfoot nor Fluffy wanted out! 
    Perhaps it was the change to a new house; if I had moved into my
    husband's place and we had wanted to keep Bigfoot and Fluffy in down
    there, that would have never worked.  But here they were in a new
    environment with a new cat and new surroundings, and they were so
    infatuated with the new place (lotsa windows!) that they never even
    asked to go out.  Fluffy got out twice, but in both cases he just stood
    on the front steps.
    
         So ... maybe Agatha will be so thrilled with a new place that she
    won't want out.  I know we were extremely lucky with Bigfoot and
    Fluffy.  Lotsa windows, lotsa toys, fresh catnip and they were happy
    indoor only.
    
         Good luck!
    
    					- Andrea

I really do think the idea of the run is great....i have a "portable" outside
habitat (best description I can think of) that I sometimes set up for my 4..
but they are only there when I am able to sit out with them...and lately it's
just been too hot...of course, they haven't shown much interest either...

She will kick up a fuss, but she will adjust - i live with 3 ex-feral cats
and they stopped even thinking about escape years ago.  Lots of daily play
attention is the key, I think.  And ear-plugs.  And fast entrances and exits.
Be alert - the little monsters can be very determined until they accept the
new rules.  If you don't have a safe environment outside (and few of us do),
it is best to keep the cat indoors....in fact, it is environmentally 
responsible to control your cat when outside - there are many endangered 
species of birds that live in and around urban areas all over the world.  
Domestic cats are the primary predators endangering them.

    I have two makeshift runs for Kelsey and Murdock.  Two long pieces of
    rope tied to the bottom deck posts.  Both cats are leash trained, and
    don't mind the collars.  They just never took to harnesses.  I NEVER
    leave them alone outside, I supervise them constantly... don't even go
    in to answer the phone.  The risks are too great.  They always manage
    to play "cats cradle" by getting their runs stuck on a tree branch or
    something so it really is very important for me be there to watch.
    
    Another thing:  beware of tall trees!  We had one in the backyard and a
    few times Kelsey tried to climb it while on his run.  Panic isn't the
    word for what I felt when he did this!  Since the tree was half-dead, I
    was able to coerce our management company to cut it down and made sure
    that his run couldn't reach any other tall trees in the area.
    
    Kelsey and Murdock love to be outdoors and have accepted their runs and
    the accompanying territorial limits as normal.  All three of us have a
    mutual understanding when it comes to their time spent outside.
    
    
    --Roberta
    

    Let them think you are crazy, and get the cat run.  I
    have one for my 4 indoor cats, and they love it!!!!
    
    L-

    re: cat run - Roberta's point bears repeating.  Don't leave
    leashed cats unattended.

    Before you do anything about declawing, wait and see if scratching
    furniture is a problem.  There are a bunch of notes in here (some
    where) about how to get a cat to use a scratching post.
    

    Well, I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one who has thought of
    using a run for a cat.  And don't worry, I know Agatha too well to
    leave her on a leash while I'm not there.  She'd hang herself in
    minutes!
    
    Thanks, everyone, for all your help.
    Shirley 

    re: .11
    
    I'll have to read those notes about using a scratch post, because 
    Ag is big only clawing throw rugs etc., and I'm in the process of
    buying new furniture and rugs.
    
    _shirley

I have a cat/dog run that is a chain link enclosure(fully enclosed) right
up next to my house.
I let the cat into it by a window and she can't get out.  
She enjoys her controlled romps in the grass a lot.
You could even go so far as to put in a cat door to the enclosure so 
that the cat could go out when it wanted to (I'm thinking of doing this).
Becky

    regarding scratching:
    
    There is a new kind of scratching thing out that is basically
    a cardboard strip with catnip.  Aubrey is absolutely bananas
    about hers and hasn't touched anything else since we got it.
    I have heard the same reports from everybody I know that got
    one for their cat.  Much higher success rate than the ordinary
    (and much more expensive) carpet-covered post type.
    

    
    	re: -1
    
    	Can you buy this at pet stores or is it something that
    	needs to be ordered through a catalog?
    
    	Cary and I are moving in a couple of weeks and I don't want
    	the cats clawing up the rugs.  (they did some damage in the
    	apartment we're in now)  Especially since when we get to
    	the new place, Brandi will be becoming an indoor only cat.
    	Partly our choice but mostly because the landlord doesn't
    	want fleas (understandable with what I'm going through now).
    	So she'll be the one who needs something the most.
    
    	Thanks
    
    	JJ
    

    I'm sure Hadleigh House carries them.  Check out the show this 
    weekend in manchester.  
    
    BTW - our cats have no use for those.  Guess its a matter of taste.