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door darting

post #1 of 8
7/29/10 at 9:39pm
Thread Starter 
OK - Tex has come around quite a bit in the last few months. He really seems to enjoy being petted, will seek attention and has purred a couple more times for me!

BUT - he keeps trying to run out the front door. He's gotten out twice... the first time it took some serious coaxing to get him back in... the second time... he ran right into the shrubs in the courtyard and I was able to catch him.

Just tonight... I had to almost stomp on him to keep him inside the house.

I have decided that I am going to try to only use the garage access door (close the big door- open the access so no one can get out.)

But there are times when I need to use the front door. Any advice on keeping my little escape artist inside where it is safe? Anyone ever use a Scat Mat?
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post #2 of 8
7/30/10 at 9:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by AddieBee View Post
OK - Tex has come around quite a bit in the last few months. He really seems to enjoy being petted, will seek attention and has purred a couple more times for me!

BUT - he keeps trying to run out the front door. He's gotten out twice... the first time it took some serious coaxing to get him back in... the second time... he ran right into the shrubs in the courtyard and I was able to catch him.

Just tonight... I had to almost stomp on him to keep him inside the house.

I have decided that I am going to try to only use the garage access door (close the big door- open the access so no one can get out.)

But there are times when I need to use the front door. Any advice on keeping my little escape artist inside where it is safe? Anyone ever use a Scat Mat?
We use scat mats selectively to keep our cats off of things but I would not suggest using them for preventing the cat from darting outside. When they step on it their instinct is to get off as quickly as possible and if he happens to leap out the door he will be upset and likely harder to catch than he has been. The hiss/stomp when we come in our out has always worked to keep any of ours interested in going outside from doing it. We just took in a new cat back in June and we were concerned he was going to be like Tex but after the 1st couple weeks he shows very little interest in getting outside. I guess he figured out the food is more regular inside.
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post #3 of 8
7/30/10 at 12:11pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Linflas View Post
We use scat mats selectively to keep our cats off of things but I would not suggest using them for preventing the cat from darting outside. When they step on it their instinct is to get off as quickly as possible and if he happens to leap out the door he will be upset and likely harder to catch than he has been. The hiss/stomp when we come in our out has always worked to keep any of ours interested in going outside from doing it. We just took in a new cat back in June and we were concerned he was going to be like Tex but after the 1st couple weeks he shows very little interest in getting outside. I guess he figured out the food is more regular inside.
Yeah - he has been here a year -- and I think the BIG problem is that he is bored and "outside" seems exciting. He was a stray....maybe that's how he ended up at the pound -- I just don't want that to happen again to him... or worse ..eventho' he's chipped now.
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post #4 of 8
7/30/10 at 12:36pm
I am interested in reading responses to this thread, as we're moving TOMORROW and instead of just the 10th floor hallway outside the door, we will have actual OUTSIDE outside our doors! I am already terrified of Genever darting out the door and running after birds or bugs. We're going to work on harness training and try to get her to associate the harness with going out, and that going out with no harness is evil, or something like that.
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post #5 of 8
7/30/10 at 12:37pm
My ex cured his girls of door darting with the vacuum.
He just left his by the door, turned on and unplugged, every time they got near the door he would plug it in for a second.
They avoid the door completely now.
He even put the vacuum away after a few months with no darting relapses.
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post #6 of 8
7/30/10 at 4:41pm
Thread Starter 
@ DarkMavis -I was thinking about harness training him... but I fear that he will want OUT all of the time if he gets out and I let him. Then what happens if the other cats - and there are several - also want O-U-T? Eeep.
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post #7 of 8
7/31/10 at 4:06pm
Do you have a doorway to the entry area? If so, you can put up a baby gate to deter the darting.
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post #8 of 8
7/31/10 at 9:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Arlyn View Post
My ex cured his girls of door darting with the vacuum.
He just left his by the door, turned on and unplugged, every time they got near the door he would plug it in for a second.
They avoid the door completely now.
He even put the vacuum away after a few months with no darting relapses.
This is a clever idea! There are things I think are far better then using Scat Mats, there is a reason while electric shock treatment is illegal to use on people and our children......
There are trigger activated canned air, even having a water spray bottle that you keep by the door, guarantee after a couple water sprays he will reconsider his actions.....and this is much more humane
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