Hi there,
Thanks for getting in touch!
If your cat was feral in the past, this is completely normal behaviour. It sounds like you’re already making progress though, which is encouraging!
You can help strengthen your bond with your cat by trying to play with her, feeding her treats, and reaching your hand out to her to see if she’ll lean in for a cuddle. If this is all too much for her, you can also just get down to her level and hang out in the same room as her, while doing something else like reading aloud. The goal here is to make sure your cat bonds with not just her territory, but also with you.
She still sounds a little skittish so I can understand your worries at letting her go outside. If she’s easily spooked, she could get into dangerous situations. I would recommend waiting a little longer and working on your bond and her confidence before letting her out. In the meantime you can try some things to bring the outdoors to her safely:
- Build a catio
- Install cat proofing fences around your garden
- Make sure she’s getting lots of mental stimulation indoors
- Make her a comfortable nook right next to a window overlooking the outdoors
- Practice recall (this will come in handy the day you decide to let her out).
More often than not, cats don’t go very far when they’re outside. They’ll come back to a place they’ve marked with their pheromones and where they know they’ll be fed.
Once you feel your cat is ready to go outside, make sure you read this article, which will help you lure them back inside at the end of the day.
Hope this helps! Don’t hesitate to ask follow up questions if you have any :)
Kind regards,
Justine Seraphin, BSc (Hons) Animal Behaviour and Welfare
