This is going to have to be a gradual changeover and, depending on your cat, could happen reasonably quickly or take weeks for things to fall into place. Some cats become totally miserable when they are confined indoors, while others simply accept it as their new way of life and go with the flow, as it were. Hopefully Smokey is one of the latter types! If he is more the former in personality, he will let you know in no uncertain terms that he is really unhappy about this new set-up by howling, scratching at the door, trying to claw his way through the window panes, and of course, trying to make a dash for it every time the door opens. If possible, try to relocate during the colder months – Smokey will not mind at all if he can snuggle up in a warm dry bed. By the time the warmer season comes around, he will be quite used to, and more than happy to sleep indoors rather than outside.

The trick is to get a head start on this problem and introduce Smokey to a litter box and scratch post before relocating to your new home. When he has finished eating keep him inside and show him the litter box – he will soon get the idea as to what he is supposed to do with it. Give your furniture a sporting chance of survival and provide Smokey with his own scratchpost as well. Gradually increase the time that you keep him inside after feeding – this will help when you move to your new home and probably shorten the amount of time it is going to take him to get used to being an inside cat.

Use this time to get your family used to closing doors very quickly after being opened so that once you are in your new home this will have long since been habit. Another good idea is to get the members of your family into playing indoors with Smokey as much as possible. Smokey will not only love the attention, but it will also take his mind off the fact that he is not outside – where he actually wants to be.

Plant catnip, alfalfa, grass, or wheat grass in pots – Smokey will really appreciate you providing greens for him to munch on, and he will not end up destroying your beloved houseplants. Also, once you have relocated, do consider Smokey’s physical and emotional needs just as you would your own and those of your kids and provide him with a safe and stimulating environment that he will enjoy. Exercise patience, give him lots of love, and provide him with plenty of toys to keep him in good physical shape and young at heart in your new home and he will love you just as much, if not more than before.

Yet many hospitals have reported numerous visits from dog owners whose pets have choked on such toys and treats as Greenies, Rawhide Bones, and any rubber chew toy. All of these have caused issues with choking and ingestion.

Why Do Dogs Choke?

Dogs have never been taught to chew their food more than a few chomps. With treats like Greenies, which are great for cleaning teeth and reducing bad breath, these dogs have a difficult time trying to chew through the treat. So rather than simply keep chewing it in small bits, they put the entire thing in their mouth and try to give it a few chomps before swallowing. One false move and the Greenie or rawhide bone will fall straight down their throat, causing choking to occur.

A similar thing occurs with chew toys. Plastic chew toys, in particular, are a great source of fun for your pet, but your pet is ripping into it with all its force. Aggressive chewers will easily rip off pieces and, not knowing any better, try to swallow these pieces that it has ripped free. Since plastic and rubber do not digest, your dog runs the risk of choking and/or getting very sick due to swallowing too much of these non-food items.

What to Do to Reduce Choking

There are not a lot of ways to train your dog out of choking. With food, you may be able to purchase small bite food or soft food. But with teeth cleaners like rawhide bones, smaller rawhide bones will not last as long and do not fix the problem. In addition, smaller toys are not going to be a good idea with larger dogs, and larger toys also do not necessarily solve the problem.
The only thing you can do is monitor your dog’s activity with these toys and treats. Only give them to your dog when you are there to help if something goes wrong, and take them away when not in use. If you are worried that your dog will not have a toy around while you are gone, find something like a large rope which is less likely to have large, choking sized pieces, and can withstand greater amounts of biting. Or find large Kong Toys which do a better job withstanding aggressive chewers.

This is not to say you should not give your dog Greenies and rawhide treats, or take away your dog’s favorite chew toy. Quite the contrary, they are still great choices for your pet. What it does mean, however, is that you should only give these to your pet when you are around to make sure they are okay. And since most dog owners would prefer to be there as their dog enjoys its favorite toy or dog treat anyway, this should not be a big problem.

As long as you are willing to monitor your pet as they chew on these items, it is far less likely that any serious injury will occur, and should something happen you will be there to help save your dog’s life.