Interior doors to keep kitties from bolting?

My kittens love to run out the door when we come home. We discourage it, but sometimes they manage to get past us. Right now we're living in an apartment so they can only run out into the vestibule.

But next week we're moving to a house where the front door opens to the outdoors. We live in a city so the kittens wouldn't have to go far to get to a busy street.

Is there some kind of door/barrier designed to prevent this type of thing? Any other suggestions on how to prevent them from running out?

Thanks,
chris.

I don't know about doors, but you could keep an empty soda can with a few stones or pennies in it by the door. Rattle it really loud to scare them off when you open the door. They'll learn that it's scary when that door is open.

That is a great idea about the cans.

There are some companies that sell portable screen doors that attach inside the frame but these might not be as practical, and they certainly aren't cheap...

Can you afford to erect a little enclosed porch outside the main door on the landing, with its own door? That way if she sneaks into it, you can get her back inside before opening the 'outside' door. And/or try spraying a citrusy scent around the door - some cats will dislike it enough not to want to come too close, but you need to test it out of course.

or buy ssscat cans and place them near the front door. it makes a loud sound and sprays compressed air when the motion detector senses them. they will soon associate the door with the spray and stay further in the house. then when you enter you can turn off the spray and greet them further into the house than the front door. make sense? or you can lock them in a part of the house away from the front door when you leave. that's what I do. Abi stays in the master suite. a large bedroom, two smaller bedrooms that are now dressing rooms and a large master bath. she has seven windows and tons of room to play and run. and she isn't near the doors and she doesn't trigger the alarm system. being in a big house alone while she hunts for us only makes her anxious.

Originally Posted by Larke

Can you afford to erect a little enclosed porch outside the main door on the landing, with its own door? That way if she sneaks into it, you can get her back inside before opening the 'outside' door. And/or try spraying a citrusy scent around the door - some cats will dislike it enough not to want to come too close, but you need to test it out of course.

Click to expand...

A porch would certainly do the trick.
Or you might be able to build a little indoor vestibule. Our front door opens into a narrow hallway, so my husband simply put in another door a few feet back from the outside one. I know people who have put in a small vestibule using plasterboard, and others who used glass blocks (for making room dividers).
My sister has been having trouble with one of her dogs running out, and has had a wrought iron "cage" fashioned inside her front door. It really looks nice. It wouldn't prevent a cat from getting out, but it would actually be easy to add fishnet or screening to it.
I recently saw a tip on a German website that I thought was ingenious, though it can't look too good. One breeder said she had a portable soccer net that she positioned inside her door whenever she had kittens in the house. She said it was light enough for a person to push aside once the door was closed (or vice-versa), but too heavy for the kittens/cats.