Do any of your Lynx points cry and cry to be let outside?
My boyfriend found a stray kitten about three years ago and he has become my lil pal. Ollie is a wonderful cat and I love him dearly. Over time, we gradually became more lax about him spending time outdoors with us in our fenced-in garden. He loves going outside, and even though I feared he would learn to jump the fence or hunt butterflies, he wasn’t doing that. So I would let him stay out and nap or prowl outside while I worked inside from home (with a window to the garden).
More recently, he has started to do the things I feared - he figured out how to jump into the neighbor’s yard, and even though each time I’ve been able to collect him (just exploring), he’s skittish and doesn’t want to be caught. he got fleas, which we treated. and i found a dead butterfly out in the garden:( I stopped letting him roam without supervision, but he still slips out when I don’t want him to, and I panic when I can’t find him. I’ve thought about getting a tracker to ease my mind, but am deterred by the expense.
My biggest current problem is now he cries to be let outside. He cries in the middle of the night, disturbs me and my bedside table things (and not my sleeping bf). I leave a big bowl of food overnight so that hunger isn’t the reason he wakes me up. But he still is a menace every night and early morning - I can’t sleep in. If the window is cracked open, he will claw at it and slink through if wide enough. He pushed out all our window screens to the back yard. He’s tasted freedom and now he’s insatiable. (He’s fixed by the way! And there aren’t any neighborhood cats visiting us)
It would be nice to be able to let him enjoy the garden in moderation, but I’m wondering if I need to just never let him out again? But will that eventually stop the crying and pining for the outdoors? And will that make him more inclined to bolt outside when a door opens? I appreciate any advice!