Scat Mat?

[abbybaby]

As I mentioned in an earlier thread, Abby has decided that whenever I go near the door, especially (but not necessarily) if I put on my shoes and grab my keys, she needs to go out into the hallway. There are a number of reasons that this is a problem - I usually have somewhere I need to be (like work) so it is extremely inconvenient to have to put down my purse (or it gets in the way) and keys (so my hands are free) corner her, pick her up, put her back in the apartment then hold her down on the floor while I swing the door closed to prevent her from charging out again and possibly being hit by the door. While the hallway isn't particularly dangerous, if someone came up the stairwell and opened that door, or got off the elevator, she' pretty fast and then the chase would really be on. In addition, my neighbour across the way has a large motorized wheelchair and he might not see her if he came out before I got her out of the way, plus my neighbours on the other side of the fire doors sometimes have their daughter's dog with them. Finally, while we are allowed cats in the building, they aren't really permitted to be out in the hallway.

I've tried distracting her with treats on her tree before I go but she's not too food motivated and abandons the treats as soon as I move toward the door. Same thing with toys. Sticky tape has failed, as has a piece of plastic carpet protector, pointy plastic spikes up.

So I'm wondering if a scat mat would work. They seem to have good reviews on Amazon, but there is such a variety I'm not sure which to select, plus they aren't inexpensive, so I thought I would check here and see if anyone has used them, if they are effective etc. before making that decision. It's either that or getting one of those compressed air things, but the reviews aren't quite as good.

I don't want to be a big meanie, but I can't be doing this every morning on my way to work for the next who knows how many years. Maybe it is just a phase and she will lose interest, but she had proven to be a very stubborn, single minded kitty so far, so I'm not holding my breath. I would appreciate any comments. Thanks.

 

[mewtantmommy]

Hi AbbyBaby.  I am sorry you are having these difficulties and frustrations with your new kitty.

I think she should remain inside-only, never even to play in the hall outside your home. 

Do you have room at your entry for a small (small footprint, so to speak) coat tree?  I am thinking you could probably get one for between ten and twenty dollars.  In the alternative, you might put a few sturdy hooks on the interior side of your door, arranged so as not to interfere with peephole use, and there you could hang your hats, coats, bags, etc.

You might cat-proof your bedroom or bathroom for her safety and have what she needs in there for your times away -- food, water, litter box, some light, some toys, and a comfortable sleeping place.  When you are preparing to leave home, you could loosely wrap and cover her in a bedsheet, a blanket, anything of that sort, place her in the safe room with her provisions, shut the door to shut her in, and proceed to your other door to go.

Would that work?

 

[abbybaby]

Thanks, but while my room is a good size compared to many one bedroom apartments, I don't think I would want to leave her in a smaller space all day. And unless I want to grab my shoes, coat, keys and purse and toss them outside before quickly closing the door, I don't think having those things near the door will be of much help, because otherwise, by the time I put those items on, she would be right in front of the door waiting to get out. I did try keeping everything by the door, but she is always checking out where I am or what I am doing, so she is always right there. Now she will bolt up from wherever she is as soon as I go near the door, even if I don't have any of the "going out the door" items. So now even taking the garbage out - in my slippers - is becoming an issue.

She is really, really stubborn. She has become obsessed with her da Bird toy and goes over to where it is kept and cries for it persistently for up to 20 minutes. I  don't want her to ever think that crying for it is a way to get the toy, so I never give it to her when she cries for it. When she stops, and some time goes by, I will get it out for her. Yet she cries for it every day. And as soon as I move towards the area it is kept, in order to get it, she starts to cry for it, which I suppose is why she thinks it "works". Unfortunately it is the only toy that she plays with long enough to drain some of her energy, so I am going to have to store it somewhere else to break this cycle. But no doubt she will start crying for it at it's new location.

She is capable of learning and I'm sure once she has, this will be easier (though I suspect she will always be a bit pesky). But it is exhausting getting there. I just thought a scat mat might work well in her case because it would be a consistent reminder not to go right in front of the door, and easier than trying to use a spray bottle. A squirt of water now and then has helped with keeping her off the table (which dozens of times taking her down, scruffing her, hissing at her or saying "no!" "down!" didn't do). But to try that in front of a door seems awkward. She could easily dodge the water, I would have to try to be consistent as to distance from the door etc., then where do I put the bottle after I've gotten out?

I do want to say that I'm not entirely sorry she is a bold little thing, as frustrating as setting the ground rules has been. Should she ever develop health problems, I think it will help. My previous cat had a nervous disposition and all the trips to the clinic and hospital were hard on her, which made dealing with her illnesses even more difficult. Abby takes everything, even the vacuum cleaner, in stride.