From an outdoor to an indoor Maine Coon

Hello,

My Maine Coon is now four years old and has had freedom all his life roaming and hunting outside and is hardly ever indoors. Unfortunately our new house with amazing garden has fallen through and we will be living in a house for at least 12 months whereby he cannot go out (the house has a small yard but that leads onto a railway line, and there is a semi main road about 50 meters from the house). Can anyone provide me with any advice on how I can make the transition to being indoors easier on him? Of course will buy lots of play things, hopefully a cat fence will work so he will have a limited amount of outdoor time, and I can try him on a leach for walks in the park. But if anyone has any other tips or similar experiences I would greatly appreciate hearing from you as I'm very worried as to how this will affect him (he is the most obstinate monster in the world and will not be told what to do, especial to stay inside at the best of times). That is unless you advise for me to let him roam free and assume he is intelligent enough not to go on the railway line or near the road.

Any replies at all very much appreciated.

Catherine

If I was in this position, I'd have the small yard given over entirely to a secure cat run.

Hi Catherine..

Hope u n ur King are doing well.

I can understand you well as my King also was like yours..I let him out n he would come back at certain intervals..n I did not even neutered him as I thought it would make him a non.male..:smile:he was free all the time..n as yours he preferred more to be outdoor though he kept immense love for me n his real master who was my fiancee..He would go roaming n come back for sleeping in the morning..as here it is very hot during summer( nearly 45 degrees!!).In the winter he would sleep all the time n would roam only for 2 hours..I remember him calling me from the compund wall, tired after his roaming n he does not want to walk a little bit more n he wants his mom(sometimes he treats me like his home nurse..)to carry him, the two year old but 7 kg weighed, home.All the way he would be meowing n licking me like a kid..

But catherine..I think..it will be very difficult for you to keep him indoor..as once when I tried with mine(for the same reason you told..my home changed to a place where there was a road with heavy traffic on the front) I could not..he would cry n not sleep the whole night..n he would run out when I open the door n once I tried to get him inside n he bite me..

Trying the cat fence is a good idea..

Sorry if I bored you with my story..but I liked your post as I am happy there is somebody else who is keeping the King as he wish.
I had to go to some palce so I could not meet my King for 2 month.. even then he used to come to my room n waited for me at the door for the entire 2 months..Though my cousine was taking care of him, he wanted me..as his most loving master passed away b4 1 year andthe MC knew it well that his master was dying even at a distance of 4 flight hours!! ..n I ws keeping the King on his behalf..But when I parted him temporarily he was sleeping so deeply after roaming n he did not wake up even when I called..so I had to go without telling him..n still my neighbours n my cousine tell me how he wanted me n waited me at the door..n about 1 week b4 I returned he was missing..I dont know what happened..Now it is almost 8 months that I met him..

Don't be tensed while keepng him outdoor..they know to protect themselves..but I think the fence is a good idea n you can leave him freely after the 12 months..

Will you please upload a photo of him?

Rgds,
Hema

if you dont have your own area then off course there is no choice but If you have an area even if it is open it is perfectly possible to build a cat run area
I have built one which is around 7 by 4 metres . I used fish netting that was from a noth sea trawler (off ebay ) and some 3 metre metal posts . The netting is amzingly strong with holes that are about half an inch .
I did have a fence and garage to attatch the posts on two sides but one was open - I just had to set the posts soild in the ground. This works just as well so it could be done all round.
Idf you can put a fence up even better just bolt the posts to the fence posts and you will need less netting.
The main thing is to make the posts turn inwards at 90 degrees at the top for about 60cm and continue the netting with it.
MCs will climb up the netting but wont climb horizontally upside down.
I have not had one escape in 4 years apart from when Floyd dug under the fence and got into next door !
This has now been sorted.
This is the kind of thing I can do so it wasnt that expensive
For reference one of my MCs floyd is a serious climber and jumper and can jump onto things six feet high . It has kept him in and he can go round the area sideways half way up the netting .

It was also worth doing just for the hilarious two weeks after it was put up . Floyd spent hours traversing the net like an army obstacle course looking for a way out .
Now he is used to it and treats it as just there and actually uses it as his climbing frame.Yours

Yours may not like the netting but will surely like indoors for "ever" much less .
I say ever because he wont realise it is only for a year and it will give him something constructive to do.

Good luck

This is how we catproofed our fence, by attaching posts at an angle and covering them with nets. Also note the plastic tube around the tree to prevent them from using the tree as an escape route.
Attachment 5404