Kitten showing interest in the outdoors?

[heycattercatter]

My 9 month old  kitten has always been interested in the outdoors. He usually waits right beside the front door in order to get a peak outside when I walk through the front door and once actually (without my noticing) stepped outside on to the front steps while I was signing for a delivery. He isn't a door dodger in the traditional sense because he has never made a break for the outside but recently he has begun trying to casually walks past me every time I open the door. I live in an apartment complex with LOTS of big dogs (mostly pits) so having an indoor / outdoor cat is out of the question and wouldn't be something I would be comfortable with even in an residential neighborhood. 

My main question is how can I stop my kitten from trying to get outside? I'm going to try to increase my play time with him (as he might be bored) and I'm considering leash training him but don't know how that would go with the outside dogs. Any suggestions would be most appreciated. 

 

[imaginewizard]

It doesn't sound like he's trying to get outside (at least not yet), rather is just curious. If he was trying to get outside he'd probably keep on going when he got to the front steps. Ofc if he keeps doing that he might get bolder and go further, but that's easily stopped. Increasing playtime can help, and leashing would be fine - I would assume the outside dogs should be leashed themselves with their owners keeping them reigned - but if your kitten gets scared, you can just scoop him up and walk back home. 

 

[clmgordon]

Cats like consistency and routine.

I don't have a similar situation but I'll share my story anyway. My cats have an outdoor enclosure. At first, Niko would dart out the door when I opened it to take him out, and he would try to dart out of the enclosure when I tried to bring him in. After several week/months of consistency and routine, he learned to wait at the doors to let me carry him in/out.

This might take SEVERAL weeks, but maybe you could teach him a routine for going out. First you can teach him how to wear a harness around the apartment. Find a safe area away from the dogs to walk him. Then, through repetition and routine, teach him that you put the harness and leash on and he goes in the carrier. You walk to your safe destination and he gets to come out of the carrier for a safe walk. Then (maybe with a treat) he goes back into the carrier and you go back home. It takes a LOT of repetition and patience to build such a routine. And not all cats take to harness/leash walking. If this is something you'd like to consider, I suggest you read the plethora of harness/leash training threads on this site.

If it sounds too difficult or he is too scared, maybe you could just provide more stimulation inside by getting him window perches and maybe a bird feeder that affixes to the outside of your apartment window. At the moment, it doesn't sound like he is too desperate to get out and, with time, he may forget all about wanting to go out.

Good luck!

 

[kittens mom]

Training starts at all doors in your home. Our kits are already backing off from outside doors when we open them because we enforce the rule of no run through even with inside doors. You are dealing with natural curiosity and their need to explore and follow you. I am not above putting my cats in their crates during certain activities such as hauling in large amounts of groceries. I have no problem telling someone at the door one moment I need to make sure my cats aren't by the door.