rescued stray

Hello all,

I am new to this forum, and new to cats for that matter. I am a 20 year old college student who has taken in a stray about a month ago. He was at the time very skinny and matted, he also had a bad infection on his foot. We have cleaned him up and gotten him all his shots and his foot taken care of. He is one of the most loving cats I have ever met. The vet puts him at 6 months to 1 year old. My biggest problem with him is that he is always trying to get outside. When I am in the room with him he is perfect and always craves attention. However, when I leave or come in, he always wants to run out the door where i usually pick him up and put him back inside. After this he moves to the window where he sits and cries for quite sometime. I have just finished building a homemade cat condo for him so that he has something to play with when I am gone. I have also tried moving his food dish around to keep him engaged in "hunting". If anyone has any tips that could help him and me I would very much appreciate it.

Thank You!

Welcome to the forums and thank you so much for rescuing this sweet boy.  You don't mention if he is neutered or not?  Since he was a stray and lived outside on his own for awhile, the outside is very appealing to him.  If he is not neutered he is coming of age when his hormones are raging and he will want to be out finding a mate. 

To distract him, a cat tree is awesome.  You can even hang a bird feeder outside the window or near the window for added enjoyment.  Be careful opening windows even if they have screens as cats can claw their way out. 

I brought a stray into the house last spring.  He is interested in the outside, but I remind him that he is an inside kitty now.  Going outside is just too dangerous.  I would keep distracting him.  Make sure he has lots of play time .  Do you have a da bird toy? 

On a show on Animal Planet, this cat behaviorist helped this couple who had a cat with the same problem of constantly wanting to get out. His solution was that whenever you come in you get his attention with a laser pointer, so he's more focused on chasing that than running out the door. And he also suggested putting shelves on the walls next to the door where the cat could watch the people coming in and out but is too high up for him to jump down and out the door. I would also recommended lots of toys since he's still a kitten and is probably a little bored

I agree. He is young, he is full of life, and wants to do things.   find him lotsa to do!  You had begin with this  cat furniture. Proceed with shelves and "skeletons" to climb in.  Ie make climbing trees of round sticks, of planks, etc.  You can surely find yourself how to do it, just to use some imagination.

Another idea is a cat pal to get him company and play with...  Let them run, chase each other, wrestle together...

He has seen the outside can be terrible and horrible, so he shouldnt be as difficult into making an inside only as a bough, inside/outside home kitty.

But he wants of course something to do.  Lotsa to do. He wants to run, to do lot and lot, not just love and cuddlings...

Good luck!

Thank you all for your ideas and help! And the big answer is no he is not yet neuered. However I do have an appointment for his pre-op vet visit so he should be all taken care of by this time next week, hopefully that will make a big change. Thanks again, keep the good info coming!

Getting him neutered will make a big difference.  His hormones are ruling his body and it's telling him to get outside at all costs to find a mate.  Be very careful that he doesn't get outside.  Once neutered the hormones take 2-6 weeks to rid themselves of the body.  You might want to get a feliway diffuser to help keep him calm.  They work very well.

Lots and lots of play.  The da bird toy is one of the best.  Neko flies are fun too as are long wanded toys.