Ideas of keeping a cat inside

dixie_darlin

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I need ideas on how to keep the brats and Tiger in the house.
I was given an $93 fine this morning (don't flame me please) due to Tiger getting out and the neighbor trapping him. (No, not the one with the fish. She's the one who told us the neighbor had him)

We try our hardest to keep them inside but they always sneak out.


Tonka is the only one who doesn't try to go outside.

After AC gave him back to me this morning, DH said that if we don't find a way then we have to get rid of them
that we simply can't afford to pay $93 every time they get outside.

I have them all locked in the bedroom right now. I tried to give Tiger a bath and he FLIPPED out on me. I am taking him to the vet this afternoon to make sure he's ok.

I need ideas and fast!
 

pookie-poo

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Before I had my back porch enclosed to make a sunroom, all three girls would make a mad dash to get outside on the porch. I kept a squirt bottle outside by the back door. As soon as I'd unlock the door, I'd pick up the squirt bottle, crack open the door and squirt (sight unseen) at whoever was in the crack of the door. It took a little practice on my part, and of course, I had to remember to do it with consistancy...but it certainly worked. I'm not sure how it would work with you having children, if they're old enough to understand the concept and execute it each and every time they open the door. I also kept a squirt bottle on the cupboard by the door (inside) to squirt them as I was going out the back door. And as an added bonus, it helped me keep the floor by the back door clean! Actually, it worked very well at deterring them from running out the back door.

Good luck!
 

jarvis

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If they are running out the door when you are leaving (like mine and my roommate's pet's always try) make sure to keep them in a seperate room with the door closed when you leave. (This is what I have to do with Ike, she's really bad about it...but hopefullygetting her fixed will help!)

If they are darting out when you are entering the house, try the spraying them with water idea...just crack the door a little and spray it in at them...or maybe bring a treat they like and throw it in towards the room, so they'll go after it instead...some sort of distraction.

And get them checked out also, especially if they are acting up in other ways too!
 

starryeyedtiger

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Get some Zone collars for them. It will have them broken of their habit in no time! Zone collars are little collars you put on them- they have a little smoke detector looking disk that comes with them. You set the disk for a range and then you put the collar on. If they try to get into an "off limit" area in the range you set- it will make a little tingly sensation (nothing painfull and no loud noises!) (i tried it on myself before trying it on our boys- we were having major issues with fosters and whiskey going into the cat room and getting into the litter not too long ago- one week of the zone collars and they don't go anywhere near it now and we don't use the collars at all! it works really well!)

http://www.gundogsupply.com/inpetprba.html
 
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dixie_darlin

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Originally Posted by lookingglass

How are they sneeking out? Are they using a dog door, or are they dashing out when you come in?
Originally Posted by Jarvis

If they are running out the door when you are leaving (like mine and my roommate's pet's always try) make sure to keep them in a seperate room with the door closed when you leave. (This is what I have to do with Ike, she's really bad about it...but hopefullygetting her fixed will help!)

If they are darting out when you are entering the house, try the spraying them with water idea...just crack the door a little and spray it in at them...or maybe bring a treat they like and throw it in towards the room, so they'll go after it instead...some sort of distraction.

And get them checked out also, especially if they are acting up in other ways too!
That's exactly how they're getting in out. The kids are in and out all day long and so is DH.
I think I'm gonna try the squirt bottle idea.


I dont have a screen room but what I'm also going to do it put them all in my room when we go to leave.
It might take a while to gather them up and put them in there but I'll just have to get used to getting ready to leave 15 mins early
 

calico2222

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I agree putting them in a closed room when you leave is the best idea. Kids (and husbands, for the most part) don't think about checking and making sure the cats don't get out.

We don't have a problem with the cats getting outside, but they LOVE the basement (where Snickers and her puppies are). The door is open when we're home to let Snickers go up and down, but the cats get down there too. At night, it was a pain to try to gather them all up, so I started feeding them a can of wetfood each night. They hear that can open and they immediately come running! I don't know if you feed you cats canned food or not but it would keep you from having to chase them around for 15 mins. Or, even if they have a favorite treat and recognize the sound of it being opened. It would save you a lot of time and stress.
 
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dixie_darlin

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Originally Posted by calico2222

I agree putting them in a closed room when you leave is the best idea. Kids (and husbands, for the most part) don't think about checking and making sure the cats don't get out.

We don't have a problem with the cats getting outside, but they LOVE the basement (where Snickers and her puppies are). The door is open when we're home to let Snickers go up and down, but the cats get down there too. At night, it was a pain to try to gather them all up, so I started feeding them a can of wetfood each night. They hear that can open and they immediately come running! I don't know if you feed you cats canned food or not but it would keep you from having to chase them around for 15 mins. Or, even if they have a favorite treat and recognize the sound of it being opened. It would save you a lot of time and stress.
Yeap. They love canned food and know thier treats.
I am also gonna try that too. Since Tiger knows how to open the bedroom door I'm also gonna keep the squirt bottle close to the door.
 

noludoru

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If you have several doors, a babygate on one or two will slow them down at least, and make the kids and the husband think about where they are going first...
 

flisssweetpea

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We went through this issue with Lily and Tolly too - we found the best thing to do, as others have said, is to "double door" and that's what we do all the time now.

We are fortunate that we have a door that separates the back of the house and the upstairs from the front of the house. So, we go out of the front door and put the kitties in the back of the house. We haven't had any escaping incidents since we started doing that.

Good luck - I know how stressful it is.
 

MoochNNoodles

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I've just gotten in the habit of sticking my foot/leg in the doorway as I'm opening the door. Adding a "no!" helps too. A gentle nudging with my foot helps too when leaving. Mooch won't even go near an opening door now and Noodles just sits back a few feet.

We've always done this at my Mom's. Her cats now go out only when supervised, but growing up ours never did. (Most of the places we lived they weren't allowed out.)
 
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dixie_darlin

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Thank you all for your suggestions


I thought about putting a screen door up but my door opens OUT and would be hard to do that.

So far, so good. They haven't tried to get out.
When I go outside, I bait them in the other room w/treats and then
out the front


I took Tiger to the vet and they said he will be just fine. He's a little traumatized but should be ok in a day or two.

Right now he's hiding under the kids bunkbeds and has gotten LOTs of treats and scritches.

I feel like such a bad meowmy because I let him go outside.


Now it's going to be difficult to teach the kids to close the doors behind them and watch for escaping kitties.
 

carolpetunia

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This sounds really odd, but what works for me, both going out and coming in, is repeating rapidly and in a louder-than-normal voice, "No kitty no kitty no kitty no kitty" and keeping one hand down low, palm out, as I go through the door. This seemed to work right from the first time I did it, so I don't know -- maybe I'm just lucky. But it's easy enough to try!
 

siggav

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Yeah, I don't have a door darting problem with Nikita but occasionally she'll be right there when I'm going in and what helps then is just to make loud noises which she's unsure of and then she'll hesitate a bit which is long enough for me to get through the door.

I live alone though so I don't have a problem of anyone else being careless with the door.
 

noludoru

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Aww, Dixie, you're not a bad meowmy.
You're just human. These things happen to everyone.

My suggestion for you kids, though? Don't allow them to use the doors for now. It's pobably going to chafe at them a bit, but basically tell them they are allowed IN or they are allowed OUT, and they have to knock and give a darn good reason to come back inside, and they must ask YOU first if they want to go out. If they like spending the day outside playing, let 'em bring their stuff out there. My mom did that with me when I was little and we were having kitty problems and it worked out fine. It also meant I got to be out all day with my friends, which was great. Basically make the door a privilege they have to earn.. it will make them MUCH more aware of going in and out. Also include them with the kitties, giving them treats and such, so they know it's a big deal to not let them get out, and getting your kids to know the routine.
 

littleraven7726

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We used the squirt bottle method. We have lived in some apartments that open right into parking lots. The cats getting out is a no-no.


Also, when we come in or go out, they get shoo-ed away and we say loudly "Get", "Back" or "Scooties". They know what that means.

It takes a little bit, but it works. We also make sure when company is over, there is no lingering with the door open. Our family now knows very well not to linger in the doorway.
 

green bunny

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I don't know if you own your house, but, maybe for the long run, would building an enclosure be an idea? That way Tiger can be safely outside, and maybe curb the longings for the unsafe alternative. I know they make catdoors with locks on them, which would be better than nothing when it's really cold or really hot outside, and you don't want all the heat/cool air leaving the house.

Tricia
 
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dixie_darlin

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Originally Posted by Green Bunny

I don't know if you own your house, but, maybe for the long run, would building an enclosure be an idea? That way Tiger can be safely outside, and maybe curb the longings for the unsafe alternative. I know they make catdoors with locks on them, which would be better than nothing when it's really cold or really hot outside, and you don't want all the heat/cool air leaving the house.

Tricia
I wish I could but we are renting to own and they won't allow us to do anything like that
It was like pulling teeth to allow us to put a pool in. We had to take out a separate insurance for it.


For now I have 2 spray bottles. One inside and one outside.
Whenever they get close to the door, I spray them.
 

lookingglass

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Originally Posted by Dixie_Darlin

I wish I could but we are renting to own and they won't allow us to do anything like that
It was like pulling teeth to allow us to put a pool in. We had to take out a separate insurance for it.


For now I have 2 spray bottles. One inside and one outside.
Whenever they get close to the door, I spray them.
Get a metal coffee can and fill it with loose change or rocks. Enough for it to make a loud noise when you shake it. Every time they get near the door shake the can.

That is how I taught 8-Bit to stop dashing out.

My neighbors love me.
 

sibohan2005

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Sibohan has been escaping quite a bit since Duke passed away I think she's going to go look for him. Fortunately Sibohan is easy to catch, she is so unaccustomed to being outside that she gets to the sand in the driveway and all she wants is a dust bath so I catch her while she's rolling.
All I can suggest is to be ever vigilant and observant, they are so quick. What I have tried is giving her a treat every time I go outside so that she associates me leaving with something good rather than abandonment. It's been working so far.
 
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