If your cat is afraid to go outside, this post will show you a number of possible reasons why and what you can do about it.
So, why is my cat afraid to go outside? Possible reasons why your cat is afraid to go outside are that it is still young, it naturally does not like going outside, it hears dogs, previous bad experiences or that it just likes it inside.
There are a number of possible reasons why your cat is afraid to go outside and it might be due to a combination of them. However, there are some things you can consider to help figure out the main cause and there are some things you can do about it.
Reasons why your cat is afraid to go outside
Below are a number of possible reasons why your cat is afraid to go outside and what would make them more likely.
Nature
It might be the case that your cat naturally does not like going outside. This would be more likely if your cat has always not wanted to go outside and if it does not seem to be not going outside due to fear.
It is still young
The cause might also be that it is still young and it has not yet worked up the courage to go outside. If your cat is still a kitten, it is likely that it will start to experiment with its environment more as it gets older.
It can smell the scent of predators
Another possible cause is that your cat can smell or hear the scent of predators around. This would be more likely if your cat does not go outside when you know there have been things such as foxes around recently. It would also be more likely if your cat does not go outside when it can hear dogs barking.
Previous bad experiences
Another possible reason is that your cat has had bad experiences when outside. This would be more likely if it stopped going outside after it got injured while outside.
Injury or illness
It might also be the case that your cat has an injury or illness. This would be more likely if your cat has stopped going outside suddenly and if it has been showing signs of having an injury or illness such as by not moving around as much. In this case, the best option would be to take it to a veterinarian.
Things to consider
Below are some things to consider to help figure out the main reason.
If your cat did go outside before
If your cat did go outside in the past, it would help to consider what else happened when your cat first stopped going outside. If your cat stopped going outside suddenly, it might be the case that there was an event that caused it to stop such as getting an injury when outside.
If your cat does go outside sometimes
If your cat does go outside sometimes, it would also help to consider what is different when it does not go outside. For example, if it does not go outside when there are lots of noises outside, the cause could be that your cat is intimidated by the noises.
What to do about your cat being afraid to go outside
Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.
Let it stay inside
If your cat seems to just prefer being inside, the easiest thing to do would be to just let it stay inside. There are also benefits to allowing your cat to stay inside such as reducing the risk that it will get injured or get a disease.
Give it time
If your cat is still a kitten, another option would be to wait until your cat gets older since it is likely that it feels intimidated right now due to its age.
Get help
If your cat has stopped going outside suddenly and it seems to be due to an injury, the best option would be to take it to a vet. By doing so, you should be able to get expert advice tailored towards your particular cat.