How do I teach my cat to be scared?

[ladyhitchhiker]

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?

 

[otto]

Get someone to stand on the other side of the door, maybe against the wall so she can't see that there is a person there.

Open the door when Majel is nearby and have that person make some kind of loud scary noises, pennies in a can, for example. Use a vacuum cleaner, if she hates those.

How is she about water? You can have that person also be spraying a lot of water directly into the apartment as she tries to step out.

Or some other scary thing.

It may take several repeats over a period of time for her to get the message that the other side of that door is a scary place.

 

[ladyhitchhiker]

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?

 

[stephanietx]

Put your vacuum cleaner by the door. When she gets near, turn it on. Turn it off and leave.

 

[otto]

Originally Posted by LadyHitchhiker

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?

No, that's not really what I meant. You don't want her frightened of company.

Do the scare training at other times. It's the other side of the door you want her to be afraid of, not the people coming in and out. That's why I said, have the person stand against the wall out there, so she can't see there is a person there. You want her to think it's just plain not a nice place for cats, regardless of who is going in or out.

Originally Posted by stephanietx

Put your vacuum cleaner by the door. When she gets near, turn it on. Turn it off and leave.

Better yet....turn the vacuum to "on" and leave it outside the door, unplugged. Drag the cord to an outlet as far away from the door as you can. Then, when she makes a dash for the open door, just reach over and plug it in. This was she will not associate the scary stuff with you.

(that is, if she is afraid of the vacuum cleaner

)

That's important because you don't want her to fear you, or your company. Just what's on the other side of that door!

 

[ladyhitchhiker]

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.

 

[otto]

Originally Posted by LadyHitchhiker

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.

Oh yes, I totally agree with you that it will take her time to get it. Even if the unpleasant things don't "scare" her, she may, eventually, realize that getting squirted (from an unknown source, remember, that's important) when she crosses the threshold (or spooked by the vacuum, or...what ever works) is annoying enough to give it up.

I know you will work out a good gentle training plan for her. Keep us posted!

 

[ladyhitchhiker]

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.

 

[stephanietx]

Do you have a entry into your doorway area that you could put up a baby gate? That might help, too.

 

[ladyhitchhiker]

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?

 

[howtoholdacat]

I was going to offer the vacuum idea but Stephanie beat me! I will offer my two cents and say I think you're doing the right thing for your cat though! When we ask them to live in our world it's only right that we show them the boundaries so they're safe.

 

[carolina]

There is also SSS Cat you can try....
I actually found a review right here at TCS

http://www.thecatsite.com/Prowl/182/Ssscat.html