What we can learn from those who’ve already done it.
New research from Companion Animals NZ in collaboration with Adelaide University, explores cat owners' real-life experiences of transitioning their cats to indoor living.
For decades, cats in many parts of the world have roamed freely outdoors as a normal part of life. But recent shifts in public sentiment have led many cat owners in New Zealand to restrict their cats' outdoor access, and, in many cases, keep them exclusively indoors. Concerns about cat safety and the impact of free-roaming cats on native wildlife are driving this change.
But what is the transition actually like? For the cat, and for the person making the decision?
Previous research has shown that cats are highly adaptable animals, capable of thriving in a wide range of living conditions. However, owners often find the transition itself more challenging than expected, struggling with the logistical and lifestyle changes that come with keeping a cat inside full-time. Given how much owner beliefs, emotions, and household practices shape the outcome of an indoor transition and, in turn, cat welfare, we set out to close this gap by asking owners directly about their experiences.
We surveyed 87 cat owners about their experiences having already moved a cat from outdoor access to indoor living, looking at the factors that affected both the cats and their owners. The goal: to inform strategies that support successful, sustained indoor-only management where it's an appropriate and viable option.
Who took part?
The cats in the study were fairly evenly split by sex (just over half female), and most were older - 40.2% were nine years or more. Just over half (56.3%) lived in single-cat households, and all cats were desexed.
At the time of the survey, 40.2% of cats were living fully indoors, while the rest had some form of outdoor access (from supervised time outside to full free roaming). Roughly half of the cats had been kept indoors for less than two years, and most (57.7%) had been moved indoors when they were already over two years old.
How owners prepared (or didn't!)
When it came to researching the transition, online searches were the most popular resource, used by 34.5% of owners, followed by veterinary advice (26.4%).
Despite this, actual preparation was often minimal. Almost half of owners (46%) hadn't prepared for the transition at all, and over a third (35.6%) said the move indoors was completely unplanned, often prompted by a medical issue, a safety scare, or a house move rather than a deliberate lifestyle choice. Only 9.2% had prepared their home in advance.
Where changes were made - scratching posts (64.4%) and extra litter boxes (50.6%) were the most common additions. Interestingly, scratching posts, hiding places, and cat beds were already present in the majority of homes before the transition (85.1%, 79.3%, and 77% respectively) - indicating that many were already offering their cats a range of enrichment options.
Why Owners Made the Switch
Safety concerns were, by far, the leading motivation for bringing cats indoors, cited by 77% of owners. Protecting local wildlife and moving to a new home tied for second place, each cited by 34.5% of respondents.
"For many owners, the decision to bring their cat indoors wasn't driven by a single factor," says Dr Nicola McDonald, co-author of the study.. "While safety was the overwhelming motivation, people were also thinking about wildlife, changes in their living situation such as moving to a new home, and what's best for their individual cat."
How cats adjusted
The good news: roughly 40% of cats adjusted to indoor life right away. But 11 cats (12.6%) still hadn't adjusted by the time owners completed the survey. For these cats, owners reported behavioural signs of struggle including scratching, aggression, and vocalisation.
Age at the time of transition mattered. Cats moved indoors before they turned two were far more likely to adjust within days compared to cats transitioned later in life - 75% versus 39.6%. Cats that adjusted quickly were also more likely to be rated as happier by their owners, reinforcing the idea that earlier intervention may set cats up for a smoother transition.
Time indoors also tracked closely with perceived happiness. Among cats kept indoors for less than a year, only 42.1% were rated happy or very happy by their owners. That number jumped to 90.9% for cats indoors 1–2 years, and 92.7% for cats indoors more than two years - suggesting that, for many cats, their owner’s perception of the cat’s happiness may build over time as they settle in.
The challenges owners faced
It wasn't all smooth sailing. Owners reported a range of practical and emotional challenges, including:
Providing adequate enrichment for a cat no longer able to explore outdoors
Perceived changes in cat behaviour
Concerns about impacts on cat health
Effects on their own emotions and lifestyle
Judgment from other people about keeping a cat indoors
Increased spending on enrichment and cat furniture.
The payoff: most owners say it was worth it
Despite the bumps, the overall picture was overwhelmingly positive. About three-quarters of owners said they were very likely to keep their cat indoors long-term (77%), and a similar number (75.9%) said they'd keep future cats indoors too. Over two-thirds agreed the transition was easier than they'd expected, and 75.8% of owners rated their cat as happy or very happy in their new indoor life.
Reported benefits went well beyond safety. Owners described improved household dynamics, better bonding with their cats, reduced anxiety about their cat's whereabouts, and a reduced impact on local wildlife. Many also reported lower vet bills - though, notably, spending on litter and enrichment tended to go up, even as veterinary costs went down.
Putting the results in context
Interestingly, these largely positive findings stand in contrast to our study published in 2025 (Railton et al., 2025)¹, where 60% of participants described the transition as "somewhat difficult," and only 40% intended to continue managing their cat indoors after the study period. We suggest this difference likely comes down to study design: that earlier study actively recruited owners into a supported transition programme - meaning it likely captured people who were less certain about the process. It also ran over summer, when keeping doors and windows shut is especially uncomfortable, potentially making the whole experience feel harder.
An unexpected finding in the latest study was that some participants assumed indoor cats do not require flea and tick prevention. In reality, indoor cats can still be exposed to parasites, and preventative care remains an important part of their health management.
There was also a behavioural insight worth highlighting. For the cats that hadn't adjusted, some owners had reintroduced outdoor access, which may have prolonged the adjustment process rather than easing it. In behavioural terms, this can trigger what's known as an "extinction burst," where behaviours like vocalising or scratching at doors temporarily intensify when a previous reward (outdoor access) is removed. If that access is then given back intermittently, it can inadvertently teach the cat that persistence pays off, making the behaviour harder to shift.
On a more encouraging note, increased play behaviour after transitioning was also common, and play is generally considered a positive welfare indicator in cats. It may also reflect cats seeking stimulation or an outlet for energy now that they're confined indoors, which is a useful thing for owners to watch for and support.
What this means going forward
With over a third of transitions happening suddenly and without any preparation, this study argues that future resources and support programmes need to account for owners who don't have the luxury of planning ahead - those facing a sudden medical issue, a house move, or an urgent safety concern. Rather than assuming every indoor transition is a leisurely, planned lifestyle choice, support strategies need to reach owners in the middle of an unplanned scramble too.
Overall, the study paints an encouraging picture: for most cats and owners, moving indoors, while not without its challenges, tends to be more manageable, and more rewarding, than people expect going in.
FULL RESEARCH ARTICLE
‘Owner-reported experiences of transitioning cats from outdoor to indoor living’
Julia S.L. (Henning), Nicola McDonald, Gosia Zobel , Renee Railton, Natalie Waran, Susan J. Hazel
(Companion Animals New Zealand, Adelaide School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - Adelaide University, EthicoNZ Ltd - Hamilton, NZ, NavigateWelfare - Napier, NZ)
Citations:
Railton, R., Henning, J., Hannaford, R., Zobel, G., Waran, N., Hazel, S., 2025. Who let the cats in? Evaluation of the transitioning of cats to indoor life. Vet. J. 314, 106465. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2025.106465.
Related content
