The Need for Space

While Louie Kitty is quite content to live a life indoors, to sleep on the bed, to watch the birds, to race up and down the stairs, Dewey Kitty wants more.

To entertain him, I tried clicker training, and he learned a slew of tricks like fall over, ring a bell, sit, and pick up a toy. I tried playing fetch with him for 15 minutes every morning. I even began placing his dry cat food inside a shoe so that he had to work to get it.

But he still whined and cried and wanted to go outside. He kept me up at night, he tried to steal my food.

So, I began letting him outside in the mornings and afternoons while I was doing chores.

And, he began settling down in the house and sleeping through the night.

I guess some cats, like some humans, just need more sunshine and open space and time outside.