Hopefully getting him outside for a little bit will help with his "cabin fever". I have a male cat too and even though he is fixed he constantly wants to run in and out. Of course right now it is too cold for him to be out for long so I will let him out and about 5-10 minutes later he is ready to come back in. Have you had your male cat fixed? This could help with him wanting to go out. Sometimes a male cat going through all the hormonal changes will want to roam and wander off. Getting him fixed might help him to settle down a bit (if he isn't already fixed).

In all honesty.. each cat is different. What one might prefer.. another one may not. Walks only..and not being loose, may be just the trick for your cat to satisfy him and he may not want more. I had an inside tabby for years.. decided when I moved to the country that I would let him out for an hour or so to see what he would do one day and it was cute watching him.. did this maybe two or three more times and it was the worst thing I could have done.. once he got a taste.. he always wanted out. He would dive bomb to get out.. It took less than a month for him to prefer it outside after having spent four years inside. One day he was gone. Maybe the walking it on a harness if you intend to do this regularly is a good idea.. but I wanted to share my story on the off-chance that your cat may come to prefer it outside like mine did. Wish I had used a harness but being out here in the country I did not feel I needed to.

Yes, if your boy isn't fixed this may help, but not always. If there are rampant females in your neighborhood that are in heat, fixing your kitty won't necessarily help. The instinct to be dominant, even if they can't procreate, sometimes wins out. Putting your kitty on a leash and harness can help in the summer months, but in the winter he is more likely to weant to run away. And despite what others may think, yes in some areas it may seem too cold for your kitty to go outside for long but this isn't true. If it were, there would be no feral cats to reproduce-and your kitty wouldn't want to be out so badly. I have a cat that will come in for a few days, but inevitably; he wants back out and will stay gone for up to three days. (I am not saying you should let your kitty do this.) In the end, the decision is really up to you. You can take your kitty for walks, get him fixed, or let him out for a little while. As long as he has had all his shots he will be protected from disease. This doesn't take care of the fact that if he isn't fixed-you will have mini kitties running around the neighborhood that look suspiciously like him!! Hope some of this helps and good luck. Let us know what happens.