How do I teach my cat to be scared?

My cat Majel has no fear of the outside. She is a resuce that was found outside and ended up at the animal shelter where we rescued her. She has really bad nightmares that scare her, but that is the only thing. She is a little slow. It took her six months to learn her name. I'm not used to having cats that don't learn. Right now, what I'm trying to teach her is to be scared to go outside the door or at least that it's a bad idea? Yesterday she got out of our apartment, and ran straight downstairs two flights of stairs to the basement! If she was scared of going outside, it would be a positive step in the right direction. When my cat Linus kept trying to go outside, I just threw him in a snow bank once. He howled, and I brought him inside. (it was only for a second. Then he knew that outside was cold and wet, which they don't like). Unfortunately, it's quite a few months 'till winter, and if for some reason the snow doesn't bother her, I'm chasing down a cat!

I'm not trying to turn her into a wunderkind like my Linus was who did all the tricks a dog could probably ever do, but I just want to teach her "no". Is that so much? "No. You can't go outside."

How do I open the line of communication? She's not food-oriented AT ALL so that doesn't work. She's just so focused about that door. She doesn't cry to go out or anything, but I'm afraid. And if we ever move, we could lose her and that would break my heart. That kinky-tailed slow-witted lady-belle who's obsessed with string...



Help?

Those are some great ideas! We'll figure out something that scares her, by George. I'm glad you don't think I'm being cruel. This is not a cruel thing I want to do her. I don't want to physically or mentally scar her, I just want her to be safe, and that means her NOT being outside!!!!

So every time people come over for a while, we'll make a scary noise? I hate to scare her away from wanting to meet us at the door and cry, but if she's darting out, we can't have that! Or if he goes out to take the garbage out he can shake the scary thing or spray her?

Thanks for the clarification. I think this will take a while to teach her, because she is slow, and I want to make sure I do it right, and not scar her, like I said, mentally. She already has enough damage to her poor little body and bwain....

Yes, and as I said, I don't want to wreck her from wanting to greet people.

This morning when she ran to dart out the door, I shook my keys in her face. I didn't hit her, but the noise caught her attention and she stopped. It was the only thing I could think of to grab. If I'm ONLY doing it when she does something bad, though, hopefully she will catch on. I want to make sure I have a few things that make her "annoyed" that she won't want, so she doesn't build up a tolerance to those noises, but at the same time I don't want to deter her from doing anything nice, like greeting us at the door.

Well she doesn't like to jump, so maybe we can set up the baby gate near the door so everytime she shoots for the door, we put it up? Then she'll either have to jump - which she's really not good at - or just be stopped by the gate?