From outdoor to indoor living: How do cats (and their owners) cope?

Concern for cat safety and native wildlife conservation has led to growing discussion around keeping cats indoors. But what does this change mean for feline welfare - and for the people who care for them? 

We’re proud to share the results of a Companion Animals New Zealand–led study that explored exactly that question. The research followed sixteen cats and their owners through a four-week transition from outdoor to indoor living, monitoring both cat behaviour and owner experiences to understand how both parties coped with the change. 

What the study found 

Throughout the study, cats wore HeyRex2 activity monitors to track their behaviour, while owners completed surveys and daily diaries about their cats’ wellbeing and their own experiences. 

The findings revealed significant individual variation: approximately two-thirds of cats (10 out of 15) showed minimal behavioural changes or adjusted within the three-week indoor period (first week was baseline outdoor access).

However, about one-third displayed stress-related behaviours such as overgrooming, inappropriate elimination, excessive escape attempts, and signs of anxiety. Notably, the activity monitor data showed no significant changes in sleeping, running, or scratching patterns between the outdoor and indoor phases.

The transition proved challenging for owners, too. Many reported difficulties with constant monitoring to prevent escapes, household management complications (especially during Summer), feelings of guilt, and uncertainty about managing the change. Even among cats that adapted well, some owners found the process ‘somewhat difficult’. When asked whether they would continue keeping their cats indoors after the study, around 40% (6 out of 15) said they intended to do so.

However, six months later, only 23% (3 out of 13 respondents) were still maintaining indoor-only living, with most cats returning to outdoor access within one month of study completion.  

One size doesn’t fit all 

The results highlight that there’s no single right approach when it comes to housing cats. Each cat - and each household - is different. Some felines appear to adjust quickly, while others need more support and time. Importantly, some cats that struggled initially were kept indoors successfully, while some that adapted well ultimately returned outdoors based on owner decisions.  

For those considering transitions, the study suggests that some key factors influence success: 

• Practical guidance to help manage challenges (such as monitoring entrances and managing escape attempts) and maintain positive routines. 

• Environmental enrichment, such as climbing structures, toys, and safe outdoor enclosures, to allow cats to express natural behaviours. 

• Realistic expectations about the challenges involved for both cats and owners 

• Recognition that household circumstances and individual cat needs may create barriers even when the intention to keep cats indoors exists. 

Why this research matters

This project is one of the first in New Zealand to examine the actual process of transitioning outdoor cats indoors - rather than simply comparing indoor and outdoor cats. It provides valuable insights into real-world implementation challenges, highlighting that owner perceptions, housing variables, and household dynamics can pose significant barriers to successful indoor transitioning, even when cats themselves may be adapting.  

The findings can inform future cat management strategies, welfare policies, and public education campaigns, helping ensure any changes made for conservation reasons are also positive for cats and their guardians. 

The study also builds on CANZ’s previous research into how New Zealanders view outdoor access for cats, helping us better understand both attitudes and behaviours around responsible cat ownership. 

A collective effort 

We extend our sincere thanks to: 

• Dr Susan Hazel and Dr Gosia Zobel for leading the study, with valued contributions from Professor Nat Waran and Dr Renee Railton during their time at CANZ. 

• Julia Henning for her collaboration and input in developing the project. 

• The cats and their guardians who took part — your involvement made this research possible. 

• HeyRex, for supporting behavioural data collection and loaning half of the monitoring devices. 

• And our funders — Companion Animals New Zealand, Healthy Pets New Zealand, and the University of Adelaide — for their generous support. 

It truly takes a village to make meaningful welfare research happen. 

Read the full paper here free for the next month: Who Let the Cats in? Evaluation of the Transitioning of Cats to Indoor Life by Renee Railton, Julia Henning, Rina Hannaford, Gosia Zobel, Natalie Waran, Susan Hazel :: SSRN  

New research sheds light on Kiwi attitudes to outdoor access for cats

A newly published study initiated by Companion Animals NZ explores how New Zealanders view outdoor access for cats and the factors that shape those attitudes. With over 1.26 million domestic cats living in 40% of Kiwi households, this is an issue that touches a huge number of families, communities, and of course, cats themselves. 

The research surveyed nearly 1,850 people – both cat owners and non-owners – and found some striking differences. The findings show that around 90% of the cats owned by the respondents have some outdoor access, though many are kept indoors at night (77.6%).  

Cat owners were 9 times more likely than non-owners to support free-roaming, while younger or urban residents were more inclined to keep cats indoors. Interestingly, a small subset of people had reported transitioning their cats to indoor-only management. They cited outdoor dangers, environmental impact concerns, advancing age of their cat and health issues as motivators for making this change.  

Dr Gosia Zobel, who supervised the study, says the results highlight the balance between welfare and wider impacts: 

“Cats are cherished companions in so many New Zealand homes. This research shows that owners’ decisions about outdoor access are deeply connected to both how they care for their pets and how they perceive the risks and benefits of the outdoors. There are pros and cons to having cats outside, and it's a subject people are quite passionate about. While we maintain neutrality on it, we believe that understanding these perspectives is vital if we want to create solutions that work for cats, people, and wildlife alike.” 

In NZ, cat welfare is regulated under the Animal Welfare Act 1999, with further guidance provided in the Code of Welfare: Companion Cats. Local councils also manage cat ownership through bylaw regulations such as microchipping, desexing, registration, and household limits. While outdoor access for cats is common, there is currently no national legislation controlling cat management, although some organisations advocate for restricting free-roaming cats to protect both welfare and biodiversity. 

Outdoor access offers cats behavioural enrichment, opportunities for hunting, and the ability to express natural behaviours, which can reduce obesity and behavioural issues associated with confinement. However, it also carries risks such as exposure to diseases, parasites, traffic accidents, aggressive encounters, or toxins.  

In NZ, free-roaming cats primarily prey on small mammals and birds, creating ecological concerns, although cats may also control introduced pest species. The impact of cats on the environment, along with community nuisance and potential zoonotic risks, have prompted calls for national cat management policies. Public support exists for such policies, though translating this into behavioural change remains challenging. 

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Study facts: 

• This study surveyed 1,847 New Zealand adults, including 1,467 cat owners, to investigate cat management practices, outdoor access, hunting behaviour, and owner attitudes. 

• Around 90 % of cats owned by respondents had some form of outdoor access, typically restricted at night (77.6% of those with cats that had some outdoor access). 

• Cat management practices varied, with most owners providing scratching areas (83.6%), vertical furniture (61.4%), and routine healthcare (>70%), though fewer performed regular nail trims (38.2%) or dental cleaning (46.4%). 

• The 86 owners who transitioned their cats to indoor-only management cited outdoor dangers and environmental impact concerns as primary motivations. 

• Attitudes toward free-roaming differed between cat owners and non-owners, with owners nine times more likely to support outdoor access. 

• Cat owners were eight times more likely to believe free-roaming is necessary for cats to have a good life compared to non-cat owner respondents. 

• Younger or urban respondents were more supportive of indoor management, suggesting generational and geographic shifts in attitudes. 

• Cat owners residing in rural areas were 1.7 times more likely to indicate that their cats hunt compared to owners in urban or suburban areas.  

• Most cat-owning respondents (81.3%) who had observed their cat hunt, reported never observing their cat hunt native New Zealand species. (However other research acknowledges that cats vary in how much prey they actually bring home).  

“Environmental enrichment and owner engagement emerged as key factors influencing attitudes toward outdoor access,” adds Dr Zobel.  “Owners providing vertical space, litter boxes, and regular play were less likely to believe outdoor access is essential, whereas those lacking basic resources were more likely to support free-roaming, likely out of necessity. 

“Hunting behaviour was more commonly reported among rural and younger cats, though most owners had not observed predation of native species. These findings indicate a spectrum of owner engagement and differing perceptions of welfare, highlighting the need for tailored educational and policy approaches.” 

The work highlights that free-roaming is still the most common way cats are managed in New Zealand. Positively, a majority of respondents reported keeping cats indoors at night. To move forward, policies need to balance owner attitudes, cat welfare, and day-to-day practicality. With the right education and evidence-based tools, New Zealand can encourage care that keeps cats safe while protecting wildlife. Importantly, while some research exists, it has focused on small numbers of cats. Ideally, follow-up research would follow a large number of cats to assess the welfare benefits for the cats and wildlife of different management approaches. 

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 Read the report here: 

“New Zealanders’ attitudes to outdoor access for owned domestic cats” - now published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science vol 292. You can check out the report here free for a month: 

New Zealanders’ attitudes to outdoor access for owned domestic cats - ScienceDirect   

This research was primarily led by Dr Gosia Zobel while at CANZ, with significant contributions from Prof Natalie Waran and Dr Renee Railton, also in their roles at CANZ, alongside independent contractor Dr Laureline Guinnefollau, and Dr Carly Moody and Hee Jin Chung from UCDavis. 

This work was supported by funding from Healthy Pets New Zealand, who Companion Animals NZ would like to thank.

New research exploring how cats adapt to indoor living

A research collaboration between Companion Animals NZ and the University of Adelaide, Australia, is providing insight into how cats - and their human guardians - adapt to having a cat living exclusively indoors.

Why is this research needed?

Cats may live indoors for a number of reasons, including urban living, individual pet health needs, and environmental concerns. The transition to indoor living is not well-researched and raises questions for many pet guardians. This study aimed to better understand this process and provide evidence-based information about this transition in living.

About the research

The study received support and funding from Healthy Pets, the University of Adelaide, HeyRex, and CANZ.  We had a lot of interest from the community, with 114 people registering their interest to participate in the study.  

A total of 16 cats and their guardians carefully selected to meet criteria participated in the month-long study, which included: 

• A one-week baseline period where cats maintained their usual outdoor access 

• Three weeks of exclusive indoor living 

• Cat activity monitoring through wearable activity trackers 

• Regular behavioural surveys completed by human guardians

This approach allowed us to track activity levels and behavioural changes of the cats throughout the transition period, while also gathering insights from pet guardians about their experiences.

Research in progress

The data collected during this study is currently being analysed, with results expected to be available soon. This analysis will help us better understand how cats adjust their activity patterns when transitioning to indoor living and what behavioural changes both cats and their guardians experience during this process.

“We were delighted by how many people wanted to be part of this study - it shows a keen interest in understanding more about cat behaviour and their housing options. There hasn’t been much research in this area, so we’re excited to fill that knowledge gap.”

— Renée Railton, Animal Welfare Programme Coordinator

Looking ahead

The findings from this research aim to enhance our understanding of the transition from outdoor to indoor living for cats and their human guardians. The study is focused on exploring various living scenarios for cats, without suggesting any inherent preference for indoor living. Our goal is to provide an unbiased, comprehensive view of the factors influencing these transitions. We will share updates on the research as we complete the analysis of the results.

A big thank you to HeyRex and Healthy Pets who generously supported this programme of work.