My curious kitten WANTS to go outside

[ittiekat]

Ivy is the fourth kitten I have ever adopted and she has been VERY different from the other kittens I've had. She is a calico breed (not sure if this factors into her behavior) and she is currently 9 months old. (Not sure when she starts to grow out of the "kitten phase".) Ivy is the epitome of the curious cat! She wants to investigate EVERYTHING! (Sometimes I joke that I should have named her FOMO.) We used to live on the 2nd floor of an apartment building, so I used to let her go out on the balcony because she liked to watch birds, etc. We are now on the 1st floor and she is literally crying and begging to go outside. I don't feel like I can trust her, though, and she really is so cute I'm sure someone would not hesitate to take her. I let her out a few times (which may have been my mistake), thinking she'd just chill but no. She went to the neighbors porch and basically wants to explore. I don't really want her to be an outdoor cat, but at the same time, she is literally crying every day at the door and its kind of wearing on my patience. I also can't just leave the door open because its cold outside. What can I do? Is there a different way I can satiate her curiosity? Will she possibly just grow out of this?

[Ruth B]

Could you build her a safe catio and install a cat flap so she can go out when she wants but her exploring is limited. Alternatively try harness training her so you can take her walks.

If you really want her to just be an indoor cat you need to really make her time inside as interesting as anything she could find outside. Area to climb on, cat trees by windows she can see out of, bird feeders hung outside to give her something to watch. Play with her, lots, and get her some puzzle toys that reward her with the occasional treat if she works them out. I would also suggest doing a Youtube search for Jackson Galaxy, if you haven't already come across him, he is a cat behaviourist and has lots of advice on how to 'Catify' your home.