r/CatAdvice•
NoCookie9554

My cat is unhappy indoors and I don't know how to help her

Rehoming

My cat is an indoor cat and I've had her since she was a kitten. I got her 5 years ago when my cousin found her under a bus in a plastic bag and I asked if I could take her with me. I was 13 at the time and was too stupid to understand the consequences of having a pet.

The problem: She is so desperate to be outside. She's killed birds before, that have landed on my window sill and she kills almost all the bugs that make it into my home. I took her for a walk once and she tried to escape me. She's also escaped once before and landed up in the neighbours backyard, again at my old place. My apartment is very small, and i unfortunately don't have access to parks or gardens for her to walk around in. She meows constantly at the front door, tries to open the handle by jumping on it 24/7, and she loves looking out the windows. I start crying when I see her watching birds and the trees because I feel so guilty for taking away her right to be outside, it makes me feel so horrible. But, I have no idea what to do. I know rehoming is bad, and its even worse to rehome an indoor cat to the outdoors. I'll be moving in a few years for university and I don't know if I'll be able to take her with me on account of definitely having to live with roomates/in bad conditions because I won't have a lot of money, and I don't want to subject her to those conditions. But all possible outcomes just seem bad. My mom doesn't want to take care of her, which shes made very clear and I wont push on it because that would also be bad for my cat. I know three families that have cats but live in the rural parts of my country, and it is a possibility for my cat to be with them. However, I'm terrified of her being cast out of the already established groups, or being killed by dogs. She's extremely intelligent and has amazing reflexes and instincts but she's been indoors for almost her entire life.

Im truly stressing about this and I have no clue what to do or which direction to look.

Posted May 4, 2025, 4:46 PM UTC

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