Cat is becoming lazy!

ian103

Any ideas how we can toughen up our cat, he is very small in size. We think he is losing a few fights due to his size and that is making him even more of a home cat - shouldn't complain really as its nice to see the cat has settled in to the new house.

At our old house he was fine, in at night but out all day unless it was raining.

New house - he goes out first thing, at about 7am, comes back a couple of hours later into porch, eventually we let him into the house at about lunch time and he just goes to sleep.

He is only 18 months old, we are possibly over protective and he gets away with murder in the house. Is it normal for a cat to sleep for 18 hours a day?

gettingready

Sorry but what is the problem here?

Cat likes to be indoors - let him be. Why would you want him to win fight? It is better if he stays indoors and does not fight at all.

GBNI

Yes, perfectly normal cat behaviour! If he's happier inside, let the poor boy stay inside. My cat is an outdoors boy and I rarely see him

arbroath_lass

Yes it's normal. Your cat is becoming an adult cat, they don't behave like kittens forever.

Better_Days

If he wants to come back in, let the poor chap in, especially this time of year. Some cats are 'roamers' but virtually all the cats I have had over the years are big sleepers, especially in the winter. They like to pop out to check their territory then come back in and sleep in comfort.

I currently have 2 kitties who are just over 2 years old and they sleep nearly all the time. They are a bit more active in the summer, but even then they still liked to come back in and snooze in a sunbeam. Both are quite timid kitties and I wouldn't want to stress them out by not letting them in if they wanted to or if they felt threatened.

What you don't want to happen is for your kitty to start showing signs of stress in the house (e.g. inappropriate toileting) because he is unhappy outside - he feels threatened by other kitties in the area, or simply wants to come in because it is cold.

As gettingready says, it is not a good idea for your cat to fight. He will be more likely to have an accident, and this is apart from injuries. Cat bites are nasty, can easily develop into an abscess which will require veterinary treatment.

The more my cats are in the happier I am - I know they are safe

Melaniep101

I have two cats, an older girl who pretty much sleeps 23 hours a day, and a 6 year old boy. They both much prefer being in during the winter, my boy goes out for 30 mins morning and evening and the girl doesn't go out at all. During the summer they both like to be out all the time.

Let your boy stay in if he wants, doesn't sound like he's happy being out all day.

tea_lover

Aww, why is he not allowed in until lunchtime??

Grimbal

ian103 wrote: »

he goes out first thing, at about 7am, comes back a couple of hours later into porch, eventually we let him into the house at about lunch time and he just goes to sleep.

He is only 18 months old, we are possibly over protective and he gets away with murder in the house. Is it normal for a cat to sleep for 18 hours a day?

poor little guy, he obviously wants to be at home, safe & warm with you ! Don't leave him in the porch, let him in (better yet, get a cat flap) & give him lots of cuddles and love

Gold_Dust_2

Like others have said, it could be because it's winter - all of mine prefer to stay indoors mostly during the winter. Even during the summer, when my cat was out all day I'd just see him snoozing in someone else's garden, it wasn't like he was active all day. Sleeping that much isn't unusual.

It could also be that he is 'time-sharing' in your new area. There was a study recently conducted and shown on TV that shows that cats in one area will go out at certain times in order to avoid bumping into each other. Morning time could be his 'slot' .

Is he recently neutered? That could cause a behaviour change like that too, he wouldn't be as interested in chasing the girls outside anymore. Cats are also nocturnal animals and are naturally active at night, so you might be sleeping when he does his thing. One of my cats woke me up at least twice last night - she was playing with her favourite toy! :rotfl:

If you're really worried about his level of inactivity you can get him a couple of toys to try and get him to move around. The kong kickeroo is a big hit if your kitty is susceptible to catnip, and a treat ball is also a good way of getting them to work for their food.

peachyprice

Cats are lazy creatures, it was always going to happen

ian103

Thanks all it seems normal behaviour then.

He can access the (his) porch via his cat flap, it has a chair in there that he has slept on since being a kitten, (its more of a room than a porch - its a proper part of the house).

We were just concerned as his behavior has changed since we moved.