My Skittish Cat Wants to Go Outside

Hi everyone. I have a very skittish cat who does not like people at all. He hides under the bed all day and only comes out at night. Now he wants to go out at night, but I am afraid he will get hit by a car. He doesn't know his way around the neighborhood and will probably get beat up by other cats. I tried to get him to go out during the day, but he just runs away from me. Any ideas?

 

If he is that skittish then surely he will stay away from cats and cars? It may build his confidence to get out more. How long have you had him? It is recommended to keep a new cat indoors for about a month before letting them out to ensure they know where to come back to.

 

If it was me I would wait until the cat got used to me and my family before I let it out. That way I could be sure that the cat knew it was its home and would want to come back.

 

Good point,SheWolfSilver. We have had him for about a year now and he is starting to show us some affection, but the few times that he has gone out, he runs up to the stray cats and tries to scare them off. It's so funny seeing him be territorial, but it's cute. He goes up to other cats and I'm afraid he will get in fights. I

 

Has he been neutered? Also I would take it as a good sign that he is being territorial, he is trying to protect his home.

 

One year is a very long time. Especially in the life of a cat. If after that length of time, your cat is still not sure which way is home, then you have to seriously re-consider your approach to rearing cats.

 

Have you tried using a cat leash and harness- that might be a safe way to give your cat some exposure to outside without worrying about the cat running away from you. Once your cat is used to it, then you can maybe let him explore on his own?

 

I forgot about that method Alli. I have used it on my older cat when he was just a baby. I even bathed him that way. I completely forgot about that. Luckily, this cat is used to wearing jackets and other clothes. My sister buys him outfits and dresses him whenever she comes over. He is so afraid of people, but if you pick him up he will let you do anything.

 

Come to think of it, your cat sounds like the one my sister has. She calls it Black Bean because it's really one big, round black cat. She found it as an abandoned kitten. Black Bean is only cosy with my sister. Anyone else is "hands-off", so to say. If my sister puts him on my lap, he will stay only if I hold him. He doesn't fight but the moment I loosen my hold, he's off in a flash. And he won't go outside the house no matter what.

 

That is exactly what the cat is like, Victor! He doesn't like to have anyone pet him or go near him, but will stay if you are holding him. I usually have to pick him up and give him to other people because he won't go near them. He runs so fast once you let go of him that I warn people to put him on the bed or couch first because he goes "claws out" before making his escape.

 

My cat Poppy was quite like that for a long time. I have had her for about 3 years now and she is much better. I took her on when she was about 18 months old and her owner could no longer keep her. She is fine with me but for a long time wouldn't go near anyone else - she would hide or run away and didn't even like other cats. But over time her confidence has grown and she will often sit with other people and our other cats, as long as it on her terms lol

 

Did you ever consider putting up a fence? I have 3 cats, and have often thought about all the benefits that would come from putting up a fence. If you could afford putting up a fence, then, your cat would feel free to roam freely, and you wouldn't be afraid of him getting hit by a car. This may even help him become more social. Your cat may eventually learn to stop being so skittish, and settle down, and this in turn should help his mood.

 

Talking of fences, I am reminded of a lady who loved Persians.

As anyone who had ever reared Persians would know, this breed is well-known for being able to disappear without a trace. So what this lady did was build a walk-way all round her garden. Basically it's just a tunnel made of mesh wire about 18 inches by 18 inches. Think of the connecting walkway between the terminal and the plane and you get the idea. So now her Persians can actually take a walk around the garden and not be in danger of being abducted.