Cat Proofing an Apartment

Hey guys!

I am moving into a new apartment in a few weeks and have a tricky situation to deal with. My current place has a lovely mud room at the entrance, so when I open the door to enter, I can close it behind and then enter the main house before I'm greeted by my little guy. He is a darter, and tries to make a run for it every time a door is opened. My new place, however, does NOT have this, so I will be entering into the main house when I open the door. I am terrified that Oliver will make a run for it. He has been an indoor only kitty since he was born, and I don't want anything to happen to the little guy.

There is a small foyer right inside the door that can be blocked off. What do you all recommend? Extra tall baby gate? Should I check with my new landlord and see if I can install a screen door inside? Any ideas will be greatly appreciated!

Since there is a way to block off the foyer from the rest of the house, that's what I would do in your shoes.  Some cats can jump over baby gates, though. Even a very tall one might not be able to keep him from getting over it.  You mentioned putting a screen door in.  Are you talking about putting it in behind the door to the outside, or in the opening between the foyer and the rest of the house?  If the latter, and your landlord says okay, I'd go for it.

One thing - be sure Oliver is microchipped and has a break-away collar with your identifying information on it.   That will maximize your chances of finding the little rascal if he ever (God forbid) does get out.  

My youngest cat Casey used to be a darter when he was a kitten.  I did not have a way to block him away from the doors without blocking access to the litter boxes in my basement.  Luckily Casey loves people so I would put my hand down as I was walking in the door for him to sniff.  He would usually decide he wanted attention instead of trying to get out.  Casey is chipped.  He ran out the door on me a couple times when we ordered food but thankfully he just wanted to greet the delivery person.  He did eventually out grow trying to dart out the door.  Once in a great while he will dart out into my garage when I am carrying in groceries.  He can not get outside though because I make sure the garage door is down before opening the door to the house.

It would not hurt to ask the landlord if you can install a screen door.  If the landlord says know at least a baby gate would slow Oliver down a little bit.

How old is Oliver?  One of my friend's leash trained his cat who was a darter.  He takes his cat for walks on his property and the cat has stopped trying to get out. He walks up to wear his harness and leash are hung up and meows when he wants to go for a walk.  One of my hubby's relatives did this with their senior cat who suddenly decided to become a darter.  I actually got to take her for a walk while we were visiting them.  It was an awesome experience.

I should have been more clear about the position of the screen door, screen door would be between the foyer and the rest of the house. The landlord gave me the all clear to do so, so it looks like this is going to be my best option! He is microchipped, and has a collar (although he absolutely hates wearing it).

Oliver is a year old (1 year and 4 months old to be exact). I have done leash training with him. He does wonderfully with just the harness on, but as soon as the leash is connected, it becomes one giant wand toy for him to play with and he refuses to do anything but sit or roll over on his back and play with it :lol3:
I'm hoping to try the leash training a bit more with him sometime in the near future.

Thanks for your input!

I'm glad it worked out.  You have a good landlord!