4 month old escapee, help!!!

[kushmama89]

Kush is about 4 months old now. She got spayed on the 14th and we thought that might stop the behavior but now it's getting worse. Before her spay she wouldn't go off the porch but now she runs off the porch and goes as far as she can before we can catch her. We live on a road so I'm so scared of her getting out and I even adopted two more cats to try and entertain her. She's always played with our dog and is now beginnin to play with the male cat (everyone is fixed) but nothing is deterring her from the door. She bolts everytime it's opened and other people who are often here can't chase after her like I can and they also leave the door open like dumb*sses even though I tell them she escapes.

I took her out on the leash tonight but she just hunches up or lays down and refuses to move on it. I figured maybe if I took her out ON the leash and start walking her daily she will be less likely to bolt and will wait for her walks? It's freezing out....snowed today and she still got out TWICE today and in the midst of me panicking and chasing her the other cat of out. She was born a feral but was brought inside at 2 weeks so I doubt she remembers. I don't know what to do =[

 

[orientalslave]

You need to either cat-proof your porch or only take her out on a lead.  She is growing up and is curious about the world.

 

[kushmama89]

We share our porch, it's an apartment complex and our landlord would never allow it. I'm trying to take her out on the lead so she can explore and hopefully stop bolting because this is just crazy!!

 

[orientalslave]

Seeing some of the outside might make her worse not better.  Suppose every now and again you go somewhere incredibly exciting, new and different but you are not allowed to explore it...

 

[kushmama89]

So I shouldn't take her out at all? I just want to do the best by her...

 

[smitten4kittens]

If you want her to start staying indoors I wouldn't take her out at all. I think it just makes her want to go out more. You could try a baby gate at the door. She will be able to climb over it, but she won't be able to bolt out the door so quickly. This might help break the habit.

 

[kushmama89]

I may have to try that. I know they have repellents...would spraying it by the door maybe help? I used to feed her ontop of a stand that was next to the door but now I moved all the cat bowls upstairs. They have a litter box downstairs and upstairs. I know there should be one more litter of then there is cats but we don't really have the room. I scoop them daily and sometimes twice a day. I play with a laser toy and an actual fish in a string toy. They also have catnip mice, balls with bells in them, a scratching post with a fuzzy ball that is on a spring on the scratch post and it hangs on the wall. They get played with a lot. They get fed a mixture of Evo and blue buffalo dry food and wet food and have a huge jug of water that comes out as they drink and I use filtered water for them cuz we don't drink from our tap so I don't give them tap water....she used to play with our pit bull constantly but I adopted two more cats only two months older than her so she would have kitty playmates. Our pit pull took to the female cat and kush (the one escaping) took to the male cat and they run around all night chasing day other and playing and keep me up lol. So she seems happy....except trying to bolt for the outdoors.

 

[orientalslave]

The only way to keep her in is to shut the door.  If it's hot where you live might want a screen door so you still get air circulating.

 

[kushmama89]

We keep the door shut at all times because its just a big main door. We aren't allowed to add a screen door or anything to the property since we rent and we really aren't even allowed to have pets. Shhhh. The landlord knows about the dog...not about the kitties, but he does about the neighbors cats...he just dont like it. But if we aren't home or we go outside to smoke a cigarette she will wait until she hears the door knob and bolts. Or she hides somewhere and bolts when we are going out. I try and look around to make sure before I go out but she's very very sneaky. And other people just don't care. Like t mother in law. I tell her EVERY day (she babysits my daughter) to keep the door shut and she will just stand there with it open like a moron like she can't comprehend a simple sentence then when the cat slips past her I freak and she yells that -I- need to get it because SHE don't like cats and its my fault it's not trained. -rolls eyes-

My neighbor loves my cats but she's 9 months pregnant and she comes over daily so chasing the cat around and trying to bend to shoo her inside or stop her is getting impossible. She also has a key because she lets the dog out and such when I'm at school. So obviously this is getting a bit much....

I just don't understand why she went from barely doing it before she got spayed to doing it EVERY TIME the door is opened and going further then ever now that she is spayed. It all got worse after she got fixed. Usually people say its the opposite....which is weird to me.

 

[orientalslave]

<snip>
I just don't understand why she went from barely doing it before she got spayed to doing it EVERY TIME the door is opened and going further then ever now that she is spayed. It all got worse after she got fixed. Usually people say its the opposite....which is weird to me.

She is growing up and maturing.  She may not be driven by hormones but she is getting bigger and bolder, just like pre-pubescent children do.

 

[kushmama89]

=[
Guess all I can do is keep doing what I'm doing an hope for she will eventually stop.

 

[kat013]

Suggest also putting a florescent orange, green, or pink collar on her, with a tag with your phone#, and a bell or two attached, so she's easier to find.  And getting her microchipped if you haven't already.  These things will make it easier to recover her if she does escape.

Sympathies regarding your MIL... people problems can be harder to fix than pet problems.  The only thing I can think of is to lock the cat and her playmate in a room (with food, water, litterbox, and scratching post) anytime you know the MIL is coming over, and leave explicit instructions (and a sign on the door) that the door is to remain closed the entire time.  Like, your bedroom (no reason the MIL should be in there, I would think), or the master bath.

 

[kushmama89]

We live near a main road which is why I'm so terrified of her getting out. My apartment is set up VERY strange. You walk up my steps from y kitchen and there is my bedroom. No door. You have to go through my bedroom then the spare room then my daughters bedroom to get to the only bathroom. But for what we can afford and a three bedroom I can't complain about how oddly it's set up haha. So yes...she shows up without calling, just walks in our house (we don't keep the door locked all the time while home because we live in a safe area and run in and out all the time) and has even just walked up and into our room before without even knocking or yelling up first that she was even there! My husband was showering and I was sleeping (without clothes thank god I had a blanket on) and she acted as if she did nothi wrong. My husband had left the door unlocked when he came in from smoking. Shes not the only one who doesn't knock...when I'm expecting people they don't knock because that's how we are but she's the only one who shows up constantly uninvited. Which...I'm hoping becomes less often since my husband is deploying tomorrow.

But since the only way to lock them up would be blocking the bathroom I know that would end up not working. -sigh-

She's the most vicious out of the 3 cats too. She's not...MEAN but she definitely can be. She was bottle raised and she gets in these "moods". She can be my sweetest baby or she can be the most evil, hateful thing. Sometimes she can be really scary actually. I've never been a cat person before her (I now have 3 haha) but a few people I know who have and love cats have told me they've never been afraid of a cat like they are of her and she's only 4 months old.

I'm TOTALLY against animal abuse, I probably worry about animals more then I do about people half the time. But there are times where I literally have to scruff her and hold all four of her legs together and hold her down on the floor so she doesn't bite/scratch. It's not often...and there's no patterns or certain things that set her off she's just a psycho cat. Literally...lol. Even other people with problem cats say there's something just off about her. We don't know if its because she was a feral (so maybe it's something in her genetics?), if its because she was bottle fed (I heard bottle fed kittens can be terrors and the only cat I know that's as bad as her is another bottle fed cat a few years old that my friend found at 3 days old), or if she's just satan reincarnated (haha...just kidding on this one!)

But now ontop of all her tantrums and other issues I've had we have this bolting problem. =[ but even ontop of everything I love herrrrrr. It's all just irritating.

 

[kat013]

With a MIL like that, I'd start locking my front door.  I'd rather have the inconvenience of that (and have to explain to my friends that my MIL is either clueless or intentionally letting my cat out) than have the poor kitty in the street.  

The other thing I'd do in this situation is buy or make a large kennel - at least 10 cubic feet, big enough for litterbox, food and water (place as far away from litterbox as possible), and scratching post, plus shelves or enough post to climb on - and keep the cat locked in there when MIL is supposed to be about.  It is possible to crate-train kittens (they won't go to it when you tell them, like dogs, but they can get used to the confinement - and if it may save her life, I think it's worth it).

I'd bet there are patterns to what sets her off, you just haven't noticed them consciously, yet.  These things can be very subtle and the only reason I can pick up on some of them is because I've had cats since I was 3.  The thing with bottle-fed kittens is that they may not have gotten the early socialization that the desperately needed. If she's only 4 months old, you still have a lot of sway over her behavior.  The fact that she has a play buddy will help, a lot.  Next time she goes all tooth-and-claw on you, say "no claws" or something similar and scruff her, and either do a gentle toss-release onto a soft surface (couch, bed) or set her on her cat tree, then make sure everyone leaves her alone for 5 minutes or so.  Also try offering treats anytime she's doing something good, like playing gently, sitting in your lap, accepting petting, etc.

Safe travels to your husband!

 

[kushmama89]

She's so good usually!! She never uses her claws, but does bite playfully. It's never hard, more annoying attacking our feet and such when we come around corners. One thing I have noticed is I can't let her back. It's a little better now that she's spayed but my new male and female cat love when I run my hand down their head, back and end sweeping up their tail but my 4 month old hates her back stroked. She has to be in the mood for it. She likes it more now that she got fixed which makes me think maybe it was a hormonal thing but then again she was like that since she was very tiny. Never had any accidents or gotten hurt that I know of and I've had her since 2 weeks. Sometimes ill be rubbing her cheeks which she LOVES and she will be purring up a storm, falling asleep and suddenly she will just pin her ears back and go psycho on my hand. And other times I can literally just walk past and its like I pooed in her Cheerios or something and she goes nuts on me and starts tryin to do this weird fight with me. I ignore her because if I react it just makes her worse. She's just bat sh*t crazy lol

 

[kat013]

If she goes psycho on your hand after she's fallen asleep, she may just be reacting to being essentially startled awake.  Does this happen every time she falls asleep in your lap / on your hand, or only some of the time?

Can you describe the weird fight-with-you behavior she's doing when you sometimes walk past?  Does she immediately attack you with force, or is she doing something else first?

 

[kushmama89]

It varies. Sometimes it looked playful where it used to be her getting up on her back legs and spreading her front legs and paws and she kind of rocks back and forth in a standing position. We call it her "ghost" she used to do it all the time when she was playing when she was little. M husband would get down on his knees and he would out his arms up and do it back and they would go back and forth for like a half hour mockin each other and then she would run around and just play. So when she first stated doing it Randomly i thought she was playing so I'd try playing with her and she would just attack me. But if she's already playing and she does it then she still does it in a playful way so it's not like she is taking it as an aggressive thing now. And other times its her just pinning her ears and putting the side of her head and shoulder against the floor with her tail real puffy. It's not all the time that she does this kind of stuff. But some random people she just doesn't like too. She is nice to everyone and then one random person might come over and when she comes up to them they'll go to pet her (no different then anyone else) and she just starts hissing and will try scratching. She's just b*tchy

 

[kat013]

Weird.  If you could post video of these behaviors, I'd love to see them.  The "ghost" sounds like a puppy play-bow, of all things.  The side of her head and shoulder on the floor with poofed tail?  No idea, though a poofed tail / back is a sign of fear / aggression.  It almost makes me think she's got some kind of brain damage?  Are her head and shoulder in contact with the floor, as in she's got her weight there, or are they just low to the floor?  I've never seen a cat put its head and shoulder flat on the floor - supporting weight - when afraid.

 

[kushmama89]

lol yeah it's really weird. i'll try and get a video. since we got the other cats she doesn't do it as much now. no brain damage that I know of..though she is a bit of an odd ball. but yes....she is completely on the floor, the side of her head and her shoulder and she will use her back legs and be running. its quite comical to watch actually. not sure if its because of the other cats or because shes getting older that shes not doing these things as much. but i'll try and catch them if she does!

 

[dejolane]

This is why I keep Bella & Thunder indoors. I don't want them taking off and never come back or someone taking them. Because around here someone would. 

Last year Bella got out of the house . It drove me crazy and I was in my PJs in the dark looking for her. She was gone for about an hour  and when I opened the door she wanted back in. We have moved since then and I don't think she would come back cause she doesn't know the area. I love this cat she is part of the family. Don't know what I'll do without her. Probably crawl in the fetal position and die.

dejolane