Cat Has Started Bolting Out The Back Door

[lalalara]

It's your favourite cat novice back again! This is kind of a follow up from this post.
My cat is usually an angel but her behaviour has been out of control since I took her outside a couple of times. Now she has taken to not only meowing loudly for extended periods, but she has started bolting out the back door! This is a big issue because 1. We constantly use the back door 2. My aunt sometimes lives with us and my cat doesn't come to her when she tries to get her back inside (this happened today while I was at work and she had to call my mum from work to help!) 3. She refuses to wear a collar so - even though for now she hasn't tried to jump the fence - I'm scared that if she does someone might try to take her in or I will lose her. We have also heard lost of cats fighting at night.

I'm really at my wits end!!! Any tips to stop her from bolting out the door? We try to be as careful as possible but she manages to slip through our legs and we never see her coming. I can put up with her meowing but this running out of the door is really worrying me.

 

[happilyretired]

My first cat used to rush doors as a game--and perhaps that's what your cat is doing. She really didn't want to go out. What cured her was that she actually got out once (back door), and didn't realize she couldn't get back in on her own. I could not find her and had to go to work.
When I got home, she was waiting by the door, and when I opened it, she rushed to the couch and slept for 3 hours!

After that, she stayed away from doors. In fact, when she'd see me getting ready to leave the house, she'd move far from the door.

In my current house, I have an enclosed porch, so there are two doors between inside and outside. I actually bought this house with my cats in mind so that if they rush the door, they are still indoors. So far, I haven't had another door rusher.

 

[maggiedemi]

I have two doors also, so if they get out one, they are still not outdoors. If I only had one door to the outside, I'm sure my cats would escape all the time too. Too bad they don't think of these things when they build houses. I'm not sure what you can do. Maybe train her to stay back from the door?

 

[Caspers Human]

Once you let a cat a taste of the Great Outdoors it will always want to go outside.

That's been my experience with every cat I have had.

I lived in an apartment when I got K.C., way back in the 90's.
Once, I let him out to explore the hallway and, after that, he always wanted to go out.
Spike and Jerry were both the same way.

One time, Spike found his way down three flights of stairs and out the front door of the building before I caught him on the front stoop! After that, Spike always wanted to go out.

I don't know how many times my neighbors had to help corral my cats.

Casper, thankfully, doesn't seem to want to go out very much.
He shows some natural curiosity of what's outside but he also seems to be just as happy supervising the neighborhood from the windowsill.

He did get out, very briefly, one time shortly after we adopted him.
Thankfully, it was cold and snowy, outside. He hit the front doorstep, decided that it wasn't his cup of tea and it was easy for his girl-human to corral him back inside.

I sorta' think that, since Casper was abandoned outdoors and had to live in the cold for, probably, a year, he decided that it was nicer and warmer inside. Beyond curiosity, he doesn't seem to try very hard to go out.

Even so, we are still cautious about keeping him inside.

So... How did I break my cats of the urge to escape?

First, I had to keep them inside at all times. Not even a peek outdoors.
The longer a cat goes without going outside, the less it seems to want to go out. It could take months, however.

Second, never turn your back on a cat while you are entering or leaving.
If the cat gets the idea that you aren't on full alert, it will scamper between your legs and be gone before you can even yell. It takes, literally, half a second for a cat to dart out the door! You'll be lucky if you see a little, furry streak go by before the cat is gonzo! Always face the cat and look right at it, directly in the eyes. Turn around and walk out the door backwards if you have to.

If the cat tries to make a break for it, stomp your feet and yell.
If the cat still tries to escape, use your foot to shove it back inside. (Mind you, I DID NOT say to kick the cat! Just firmly, but gently, use your foot to "encourage" the cat to go back indoors.)

When you are coming inside, say from shopping, with an armload of packages, use your shopping bags as a barricade to discourage the cat from trying to get around. The front entry in my house is pretty narrow so it's easier to keep the cat away from the door.

If you have a screen door you can use it as a barricade. Never open both doors at the same time.
If the cat avoids the boot, it still won't get outside.

If you can get a second person to guard the door, more's the better.
I sometimes do that when I come in via the sliding patio door, from the back.

As I said, the longer you go without letting the cat outside, the less the cat will want to go out.

Casper doesn't even try getting by me. He knows that he'll get the boot.
If he does try, he knows that I'll lock him in the bedroom for fifteen minutes!
Heck! He can even figure out when I'm getting ready to leave and he'll go to another part of the house! (Smart cat! )

We also have Casper microchipped, just in case he ever does escape.

Beyond these things, my best advice is to just lay down the law.
Be firm and don't take any crap. Sooner or later, the cat should lose interest.

 

[lalalara]

Once you let a cat a taste of the Great Outdoors it will always want to go outside.

That's been my experience with every cat I have had.

I lived in an apartment when I got K.C., way back in the 90's.
Once, I let him out to explore the hallway and, after that, he always wanted to go out.
Spike and Jerry were both the same way.

One time, Spike found his way down three flights of stairs and out the front door of the building before I caught him on the front stoop! After that, Spike always wanted to go out.

I don't know how many times my neighbors had to help corral my cats.

Casper, thankfully, doesn't seem to want to go out very much.
He shows some natural curiosity of what's outside but he also seems to be just as happy supervising the neighborhood from the windowsill.

He did get out, very briefly, one time shortly after we adopted him.
Thankfully, it was cold and snowy, outside. He hit the front doorstep, decided that it wasn't his cup of tea and it was easy for his girl-human to corral him back inside.

I sorta' think that, since Casper was abandoned outdoors and had to live in the cold for, probably, a year, he decided that it was nicer and warmer inside. Beyond curiosity, he doesn't seem to try very hard to go out.

Even so, we are still cautious about keeping him inside.

So... How did I break my cats of the urge to escape?

First, I had to keep them inside at all times. Not even a peek outdoors.
The longer a cat goes without going outside, the less it seems to want to go out. It could take months, however.

Second, never turn your back on a cat while you are entering or leaving.
If the cat gets the idea that you aren't on full alert, it will scamper between your legs and be gone before you can even yell. It takes, literally, half a second for a cat to dart out the door! You'll be lucky if you see a little, furry streak go by before the cat is gonzo! Always face the cat and look right at it, directly in the eyes. Turn around and walk out the door backwards if you have to.

If the cat tries to make a break for it, stomp your feet and yell.
If the cat still tries to escape, use your foot to shove it back inside. (Mind you, I DID NOT say to kick the cat! Just firmly, but gently, use your foot to "encourage" the cat to go back indoors.)

When you are coming inside, say from shopping, with an armload of packages, use your shopping bags as a barricade to discourage the cat from trying to get around. The front entry in my house is pretty narrow so it's easier to keep the cat away from the door.

If you have a screen door you can use it as a barricade. Never open both doors at the same time.
If the cat avoids the boot, it still won't get outside.

If you can get a second person to guard the door, more's the better.
I sometimes do that when I come in via the sliding patio door, from the back.

As I said, the longer you go without letting the cat outside, the less the cat will want to go out.

Casper doesn't even try getting by me. He knows that he'll get the boot.
If he does try, he knows that I'll lock him in the bedroom for fifteen minutes!
Heck! He can even figure out when I'm getting ready to leave and he'll go to another part of the house! (Smart cat! )

We also have Casper microchipped, just in case he ever does escape.

Beyond these things, my best advice is to just lay down the law.
Be firm and don't take any crap. Sooner or later, the cat should lose interest.

Wow this is some great advice!!! I have tried clapping loudly when he used to scratch at the back door or meow (which seems to have stopped the scratching at least). I'll get my mum and aunt to adopt some of these methods, like the stomping and making sure to look at my cat while going out the door. I have decided not to go out with her anymore, and realise it will take a while for her interest to die down. I've been trying to save up for an outdoor enclosure too so she can safely go out when she pleases.

The last time she went out while I was home I locked her in the bathroom for 15 minutes (she has her litter and food in there) and she was not a happy camper! So I will keep doing that if I catch her again so that she knows she will get time out if she tries again. Ive seen some places recommend spraying with a water bottle but I want to avoid that as much as possible because she hates water more than anything in this world. It just seems cruel

 

[Caspers Human]

I don't think that spraying a cat with water is "cruel", per se. It's just stupid.
The cat doesn't understand the association. It thinks you're just harassing.

In my experience, most cats don't hate water. They just don't like it when the water is "bigger" than they are.

I would build a cat enclosure on my back patio, too, if I could afford it.

For many cat behaviors besides litterbox avoidance or things associated with health issues, all it takes is a little bit of brain power to understand the way the cat thinks, some decision making then, when you've made up you mind on a course of action, sticking to your guns.

The way I see it, cats have the mentality of a five-year-old child. They can be willful and stubborn if they don't get their way, even if the thing they want isn't good for them... just like a child.

How do we treat stubborn children?
We set the rules and enforce them firmly and fairly. We give them "three strikes" unless there is something dangerous or they do something hurtful or harmful. If they continue to break the rules, they get a "time out" or other appropriate punishment. (What's "appropriate" depends on circumstance and their constitution.)

Beyond that... Just be the boss!