Both of my cats were adopted. One was a stray and walked into my apartment one day and kept coming back (Kitty)(then I turned him into a house cat after a big move). The other (Luna) was adopted from the humane society.
A couple weeks ago someone broke into my place and Kitty escaped through the busted in window. Ever since then he's been a pain in my ass! ..Constantly meowing at the door to get out and never shutting up, day or night! (I haven't gotten more than two hours sleep in a row since then. I feel like I have a baby.)
My boyfriend and I are sick of comforting him, or yelling at him to shut up and get away from the door...we know he wants to go out, but don't feel comfortable letting him out in such a completely different environment than he's used to. (CA to FL)
We've decided to train him on a leash. If he wants to go out, he'll go on the leash. He's smart. He'll get it eventually.
We plan on walking him, or putting him in the backyard where we're setting up a pole and chain for him to be attached to when he wants out.
Our first attemp was today, and went pretty well. We took him on a little walk around the complex. He was hesitant at first and simply layed on the ground, but eventually he started walking around and being more natural, as if we weren't holding him by a string. lol It was awesome to see him outside, enjoying himself, without having to worry about whether he's okay or not. He even got to say hi to a sweet kitty that strolled our way.
I've got some pictures of him taking a walk and will post them shortly. ...it's very cute.
I hope this "experiment" goes well and his behavior improves. ....geez, I hope his behavior improves! I need some sleep! :/
....Anyone ever had any cat walking experiences before or known anyone who has? ...

yea...i tried putting a leash on my monster, also known as a cat, christ, you would have thought i was killing him the way he was acting. finally, i just gave up. i never let him out. the last cat we had that we allowed out was found squished on the side of the road.

after losing numerous pets over the years to car accidents, i figured it's alot easier on me to just keep them in the house. the dog never ever leaves the yard, no matter what, so i don't worry about her.

No cat walking experiences, but I had a friend who had a closed in area outside--closed even over the top. Her cat could lay in the sun or shade, walk around, watch the birds or passerbys, anything it wanted to do.

I always liked that idea--the closed in area, like a fence only completely enclosed.

At least she didn't have to listen to her cat yowling to go out, and they DO yowl!

I have one cat that has chosen to live in a corner of the kitchen, and she yowls from time to time just to have me come in for company. A little talking, some grooming, a small snack and she is happy again.

Good luck with your 'walking the cat'. It sounds like a challenge!

I like the closed in idea too. My yard's a little big and awkward for that right now though, so that's out, unfortunately.
And the whole reason we've even started 'walking the cat' is because of the yowling! It's so awful it's not even funny. :/ Damn cat, "Behave!"

You should see the catwalk my sister had built in her backyard. From her screened-in back porch, she had a construction crew build a wide, screen-enclosed, wooden path that is up on stilts, which leads to a "cathouse." The cathouse looks like a cat playhouse, with seats and shelves. The cats walk from the porch to the cathouse, fully protected, yet they're getting fresh air and a sense of being "outside." The porch itself is a cat's paradise, with little shelves, steps, cathouses, and other things that cats hold dear.

Good luck with the leash-training, jobot...I admire your patience and your willingness to let your cat have what he wants within a framework that works for you, too.

I think you can buy smaller enclosures designed for cats. Big enough for them to feel the great outdoors, small enough to be managable.

That 'catwalk' you described Catherine, sounds wonderful! What lucky cats!!!

Yes, good luck jobot, and thank you for caring enough for your cats to go to all the trouble of leash training. It has to be a job.

I was thinking the same thing.
..and the 'job' isn't so much the leash training. That's fine. He'll get better and better each day, I'm sure.
The trouble has been the meowing. I just need it to stop being an all day/night thing. ...especially a night thing. I have to get out of bed and walk downstairs to quiet him, only to have him start up 10 minutes later. And so the night begins...

Is this strictly about going outside? Could there be something else that causes him to meow constantly?

I often wonder what my cats are voicing an opinion on. They are different creatures--I am so used to dogs.

Cats appear to be so independent but I hear mine yowling when I leave the house to go to an appointment. They know the difference between getting the mail, going out with the other cats (which they enjoy watching), and going to an appointment.

Is there anything else going on that would have your cat disturbed?

Both of my cats are very talkative. I have no problem with that. In fact, I welcome it. Luna talks to us about everything, especially food. Kitty meows at us when we get home, after we get out of the shower, when we wake up, when we surprise him, etc.
.....He'shas never been like this before, though.
It all started after the break in. I think he got a dose of freedom and is simply dying for more. Like I said, he was a stray. He used to be a dumpster kitty. When we moved, he became a stricly indoor cat, and has been for about two years, with no problem. He has his moments where he sits all day at a window just staring out, but he's never yowled while there, or made a lunge to get out the door every time it opens. I just can't imagine what else it could be other than his recent freedom. ... ?

I've always had dogs and cats. Cats are always funnier, but this isn't funny at all.

Is there anything outside he is trying to get to? Does he lunge or try to lead you to anything?

I just got some 'cat grass' last week. My indoor cats are nuts for it! I think they would tear the place apart to find more if it were gone. Never thought it was anything but a novelty, but they sure think it is important!

Is there a female cat around that could be in heat? Maybe even a neutered male would respond? There has to be something besides being outside that cat is looking for!

But then again, cats are their own masters.

It just occured to me, Catherine listed two places to look about cat behavior.

http://www.geocities.com/heartland/Pointe/9352/behavior.html

http://www.sfspca.org/behavior/cat_library/index.shtml

You might want to give them a try.

I've had lots of animals in my life too, from pet pherrets, dogs, cats, bunnies, hamsters, mice, guinnea pigs, birds, and fish, to opossums. ..hopefully a squirrel next.
Kitty's definutely unusual though. ...He's not lunging at anything, and when cats or squirrels are in the yard, he just sits there staring and very interested, but never even meows. Luna's the one that meows when something's in the yard. Everytime he's yowling there's never anything outside(although I don't check when he wakes me up ten times a night).
He's also neutered. Thank you!!!!! (Before he was neutered he'd never leave me alone!..but never bothered my boyfriend. The first place we moved into, we had to wait a day for our furniture to get there, so we slept on the floor. ...My boyfriend stayed up all night just so he could keep the cat from humping my head. :/ ) ..anyways, also, Luna's a spayed female. Like I said, I never notice anything outside when he's meowing, no female cat, male cat, nothing. In fact, when he does yowl, he simply turns around and looks at us just to make sure we heard or something. I seriously think he's yowling just to voice his displeasure of being inside.
Kitty definutely loves his kitty nip, too. And I do think I should buy some of the fresh, still-in-soil nip, too, 'cause I'm sure he'd love it. (I just have the stuff in bags, which he still loves to death).
One of those kitty catwalks would be the ideal, but I know that would take a lot of time, energy, and money. Eventually...maybe in a different place. ..

That's also why I've kept mine indoors...that and the alligators.

There are portable cat enclosures. Maybe you could look into something like that.

Try reading Catherine's sites, maybe they have some ideas.

Something HAS to give on this!

Cat's sites?...