How do you guys keep your indoor kitties inside?? I'm terrified Cupid is going to get out. When doors open inside, he darts to them. He's been pretty uninterested in the outside doors so far, but last night he got a little closer. What can I do to keep him from getting out? I'm so worried b/c he's a little bullet and if he did get out I don't know what he'd do... If he'd run off or stay there or what. If a door opened when he's bouncing off the walls, he'd definitely dart out it. I don't know what to do. It's the thing my roommate & I are worried about most. I thought about getting one of those doors that opens in halves (do they even make those or is that just on TV? hehe), but he'd eventually get big enough to jump over the bottom.
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There's nothing out there! I swear!
- Thread starter purr
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Our kitchen door opens into an enclosed porch, the kitties are not alound out there (it is our laundry room, and the door the the real outside is in there!) So what I did was keep a thing of treats buy the door. When ever we get home we through some treats into the dining room
So the kitties have gotten pretty used to waiting in the dining room for there treats when the door opens.
You could try spraying a citrus scent around the lower part of the outside doors, and you might have to refresh the scent once or twice a day. Cats hate the smell of citrus, and it has the same type of effect on them that a commercial pet repellent does.
My cat ALWAYS has to walk me to the door whenever I leave. Fortunately, I have a small area between the door to my apartment and the door that actually goes outside to busy street traffic. I have made it a habit to carry her favorite toy with me and toss it into my apartment for her to chase. So far, it has worked for the past 7 months!! The game is get the cat's attention and have it chase something in the opposite direction you're going!!
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I just got female cats, they are happy staying in....
I had males cats for a long time... they like to roam and visit those places they see out the window. The only safe thing I did with my cat was stop, pick him up, step out then put him down and close the door until I can just pull my hand out then let go. I also had a spot in the yard that was safe to tie him up on a leish so he still had safe time outside. That usually helped him not run for the door as much.
I had males cats for a long time... they like to roam and visit those places they see out the window. The only safe thing I did with my cat was stop, pick him up, step out then put him down and close the door until I can just pull my hand out then let go. I also had a spot in the yard that was safe to tie him up on a leish so he still had safe time outside. That usually helped him not run for the door as much.
I have one male cat, one female cat and one male kitten, all strictly indoors.
Here's something I've noticed with the two older cats. They didn't show any interest in the outside world until they reached sexual maturity. Has Cupid been neutered yet? I haven't been around the forums as much so I may have missed that news.
That may help the situation.
Also you have to make the door as least attractive to Cupid as possible. This can be done by rattling a can of dried beans/peas/coins each time he approaches the door. He won't be able to stand the noise.
Spraying citrus scent in the area immediately around the door can help too. That is if he's not one of those cats that decide that they don't mind the smell of citrus. If the floor is tiled at the front door, get a cheap door mat and spray that with the citrus scent.
Here's something I've noticed with the two older cats. They didn't show any interest in the outside world until they reached sexual maturity. Has Cupid been neutered yet? I haven't been around the forums as much so I may have missed that news.
Also you have to make the door as least attractive to Cupid as possible. This can be done by rattling a can of dried beans/peas/coins each time he approaches the door. He won't be able to stand the noise.
Spraying citrus scent in the area immediately around the door can help too. That is if he's not one of those cats that decide that they don't mind the smell of citrus. If the floor is tiled at the front door, get a cheap door mat and spray that with the citrus scent.
When my cats get close to the door, I keep the door open enough to let them get a sniff of the "great outdoors" but if they make a move that they want out I stomp my foot on the floor (safely away from paws and tails of course) and tell them "no outside". Also if I need to be at the door with the door open for any length of time magazine sales, sign for a shipment, etc. I occasionally tap my foot on the floor..if they are trying to sneak past me outside they think I have seen them and they run off. If they arent there, the person that Im dealing with outside thinks Im crazy, but I would rather be a looney-bird to a stranger than to have my babies lost. I do have a screened in back porch that they go sit in if they MUST be outside.
PS to Purr--The doors that open in halves are called dutch doors I believe. My aunt has one and she had a screen with a guard on it made to fit in the door when its open so the dog doesnt jump over and out. I dont know if they still make them or not though.
PS to Purr--The doors that open in halves are called dutch doors I believe. My aunt has one and she had a screen with a guard on it made to fit in the door when its open so the dog doesnt jump over and out. I dont know if they still make them or not though.
Patches insists on walking us to the door , when we open the door she get this look and runs , Ive wondered if where she was an outdoor cat before we got her if she is going to try (at some point ) to dart out . We have a space before the main door , we have a collar on her with a tag that has her name on the front, our name address and phone number on the back , along with her rabies tag which is numbered and has the phone number to the vet on it .
We are also thinking of getting her micro chipped but thats another thread
We are also thinking of getting her micro chipped but thats another thread
I had those same concerns when I first adopted my Cat, Pounce. Not only at home, but out on the road, as I am travelling in my Freightliner most of the time, and she travels with me.
She was curious about the great outdoors as a kitten, but it only took one bad experience to break her of it. One day when I had her about a month (she was about 3 months old at the time) I had set her in the truck first, while loading my gear to leave out. As I was hoisting a stack of blankets in through the door, she slipped down to the step on the side of the truck, and promptly disappeared underneath the cab (atop the frame rails). By the time I could get free to pursue her, a moment later, she was sliding around in the GREASE on the truck's fifth-wheel hitch!
WHAT A MESS! After the 'cat cleaning' which ensued - which involved every soap and degreaser I had available, and ultimately clipping some fur - she has had NO further desire to explore the great outdoors.
She's about 4-1/2 years old now - a sassy 22-pounder (fixed female) and a great companion. The cab of our truck is her prime domain, and she takes to the house OK when we're home. She will let me carry her between the truck and the house just fine - but if I try to take her out of the big truck anywhere else, or step out of the house with her and head for my pickup instead of the big truck - then I've got an 18-clawed "tiger with an attitude" on my hands.
She's comfortable with her two 'indoor' domains, and that's it.
Only one time, about two years ago, has she slipped out of the big truck away from home - and I was right there to retrieve her. I was standing outside talking with another driver, and had left the window open. A number of Birds were plucking bugs from the grille, and she had been watching that. During my conversation, the other driver suddenly pointed behind me, and I turned to find Pounce stepping out across the mirror brace and around to the hood. We watched a moment as she crept around and tiptoed down the hood - then I stepped and met her "nose to nose" at the end, and asked "Where do you think you're going?"
She gave me that "Who, Me?" innocent look and Meowed. I set her back inside the truck, and it hasn't happened again.
She knows where Daddy is gonna be - either in the truck or in the house - and doesn't stray from those places (thank God!). She doesn't stray very far from me for long within those places, either.
(If only I could find a female of my own species that was that loyal).
She was curious about the great outdoors as a kitten, but it only took one bad experience to break her of it. One day when I had her about a month (she was about 3 months old at the time) I had set her in the truck first, while loading my gear to leave out. As I was hoisting a stack of blankets in through the door, she slipped down to the step on the side of the truck, and promptly disappeared underneath the cab (atop the frame rails). By the time I could get free to pursue her, a moment later, she was sliding around in the GREASE on the truck's fifth-wheel hitch!
WHAT A MESS! After the 'cat cleaning' which ensued - which involved every soap and degreaser I had available, and ultimately clipping some fur - she has had NO further desire to explore the great outdoors.
She's about 4-1/2 years old now - a sassy 22-pounder (fixed female) and a great companion. The cab of our truck is her prime domain, and she takes to the house OK when we're home. She will let me carry her between the truck and the house just fine - but if I try to take her out of the big truck anywhere else, or step out of the house with her and head for my pickup instead of the big truck - then I've got an 18-clawed "tiger with an attitude" on my hands.
She's comfortable with her two 'indoor' domains, and that's it.
Only one time, about two years ago, has she slipped out of the big truck away from home - and I was right there to retrieve her. I was standing outside talking with another driver, and had left the window open. A number of Birds were plucking bugs from the grille, and she had been watching that. During my conversation, the other driver suddenly pointed behind me, and I turned to find Pounce stepping out across the mirror brace and around to the hood. We watched a moment as she crept around and tiptoed down the hood - then I stepped and met her "nose to nose" at the end, and asked "Where do you think you're going?"
She gave me that "Who, Me?" innocent look and Meowed. I set her back inside the truck, and it hasn't happened again.
She knows where Daddy is gonna be - either in the truck or in the house - and doesn't stray from those places (thank God!). She doesn't stray very far from me for long within those places, either.
(If only I could find a female of my own species that was that loyal).
Mabel used to try to run outside when she was younger... she stopped doing it when we had two cats. Maybe the cat is bored and is looking for someplace with a little "excitement"?
Our front door opens onto a narrow hallway. Because we planned from the beginning to keep JC indoors, my husband put in an "inside door" about three feet from the front door, so we can keep that closed while entering or exiting the house, bringing in groceries or taking delivery of packages. Our back door opens off the cellar, so we have the option of keeping the upstairs cellar door or a fire door between rooms in the cellar closed.
I know some people who, with the help of an accomplice, scare a cat when it gets too curious about the front or back door. You open the door a crack (not enough for the cat to slip through), let the cat peer out, and then your accomplice drops something like soda cans outside the door to startle the cat. It sounds cruel, but if it prevents the cat from getting lost, I guess it's worth it.
I know some people who, with the help of an accomplice, scare a cat when it gets too curious about the front or back door. You open the door a crack (not enough for the cat to slip through), let the cat peer out, and then your accomplice drops something like soda cans outside the door to startle the cat. It sounds cruel, but if it prevents the cat from getting lost, I guess it's worth it.
Lol, Bentley runs for the door everytime it's opened(unless he's had such a busy day that he's really, really out of it and sleeping with his head upside down). We're pretty lucky that the times he has gotten out he just ran to our next door neighbor's(not across the street, thank God!) pine tree and hid under that.
We bought a nice, comfortable harness type thing(we tried a regular collar and Bentley squirmed out of that... and yep! Right to our neighbor's pine trees) to hook a leash onto and have one of those leashes that you can press a button and let out more line. Bentley loves this so much he runs to me and stands there, patiently waiting for me to put the harness on so he can go outside. We're just grateful that he doesn't actually run away when he does get out. We think he wants out bad but gets very scared once he accomplishes this goal. Odd, huh?
Oh, I forgot to mention, he's not scared at all while on the leash. He runs all over our yard and smells every little thing he comes across. He also eats the grass and since I don't use any fertilizer or other chemicals on our lawn I don't see any harm in it.
We bought a nice, comfortable harness type thing(we tried a regular collar and Bentley squirmed out of that... and yep! Right to our neighbor's pine trees) to hook a leash onto and have one of those leashes that you can press a button and let out more line. Bentley loves this so much he runs to me and stands there, patiently waiting for me to put the harness on so he can go outside. We're just grateful that he doesn't actually run away when he does get out. We think he wants out bad but gets very scared once he accomplishes this goal. Odd, huh?
Oh, I forgot to mention, he's not scared at all while on the leash. He runs all over our yard and smells every little thing he comes across. He also eats the grass and since I don't use any fertilizer or other chemicals on our lawn I don't see any harm in it.
Sadie actually ran outside the other day for the first time...of coarse shes so fat that she didnt get that far(she was walking outside more then darting out it) seeing her wobble out there made me laugh...anyway what i used to do with my mom's 9 cats, and what i do with my cats is that you have to leave only enough room for you to get out and lift your foot to their eye level to creat kind of a barrier between them and the outside, and if they dont respond to that i usually tap them away, they usually get the point...only the determined ones will be a bit more difficult =)
I was curious..I bought Sam a harness so he could go outside, but the minute you put it on him and put him on the floor again, he turns into lowrider cat. He crouches and shuffles along..is he just not used to it or did I buy the wrong size? He would love to be outside and we even have a neighbor whose cat will spend all day out in his harness and tie-out attached to their clothesline so he has full run of the yard (supervised at all times of course). Sam sits in the window and just watches him and it makes me feel bad that he cant go out too.
Emmett has gotten out a few times, at my apartment, but he'll go a few steps and then stops, like he knows he shouldn't have done that. He has gotten out a few times since I moved, but he was able to be caught.
I indulde him in his outdoor time by taking him on a harness. I also take him on cars rides sometimes, just so he gets some outsideness.
I indulde him in his outdoor time by taking him on a harness. I also take him on cars rides sometimes, just so he gets some outsideness.
sometimes mine try to run outside but not that often
Most of my cats are good and do not make an attempt to go outside. But, then there is Amber. She slipped out once about 2 months ago as I was getting the mail. Nothing like running out in the snow in bare feet to catch her. I had to pounce on her like she was prey
Now, I go outside to get the mail instead of opening the door and reaching for the mail box. Since Amber has grown more, she does not try to get out as much. She has learned that when she hears the leash and harness, that is when she is going out for a ride in the car or a little walk in the yard. You may want to get cupid microchipped, just in case he does get out.
