Unneutered male escape artist

[aprilc]

We brought in an unneutered male stray two weeks ago. He gets neutered this Thursday. He has been kept in the spare bedroom. We spend as much time as we can with him and some nights I go in and sleep with him. He generally is quiet and calm when he has company but the rest of the time he cries and cries. He wants out!

Today I came home from work and went up to sit with him and feed him and he was nowhere to be found. There is a big hole in the window screen and it is a 30 foot drop. I found him a block away quite happily spraying on someone's porch.

I have never had a male that was unneutered this long. I know the urge to roam is greatly diminished when they are fixed. Has anyone ever had a male rip out the screen like that? Did it stop after neutering?

I am very concerned, it is a long drop and the guy only has 8 lives left!

 

[hexiesfriend]

Yes I had an entact male bust out an aluminum panel on a screen door. I was in the process of doing the same thing and I was keeping my kitty in a screen room. It had pet screen so he couldn't bust out of that but he somehow rammed the bottom aluminum panel on the door and busted out of "jail". But once neutered they become teddy bears and won't abscond like that. They may still complain though.

 

[aprilc]

Thanks.

We have another stray and he still tries to escape out the door now and then but that is all. He doesn't try to throw himself out windows.

I am pretty sure I had a wee heart attack. Complaining I can handle.

 

[Norachan]

I've had a seven month old female cat on heat drag open a wooden sliding screen and rip through the bug screen outside of that in order to escape. She was spayed a few days after that, but it was quite an eye opener to see how determined she was to get out.

They do calm down a great deal after they've been fixed, but with male cats it can take up to a month for their hormones to stop raging and they can still get a female cat pregnant in that time.

Have you tried a feliway diffuser in the room with him? This usually keeps them calmer.

 

[aprilc]

I haven't yet but it was a consideration in helping with introductions to our existing cats so msybe I will pick one up now. We had a diffuser, dunno where it went.

 

[aprilc]

He is neutered now and recovering well. Seems he boke a tooth when he jumped out the window and that is being removed this week. That will be a nice big fat vet bill.

I am just proof that there is no such thing as a free cat

 

[aprilc]

He opened the window himself and jumped out again.

 

[dandila]

Hang in there with him.  I think in a few more weeks he'll find there isn't much of a reason to leave a comfortable, safe, warm home with food.

 

[aprilc]

He broke a tooth in the first escape and we were supposed to get that pulled today. He hasn't come back yet and I can't find him

 

[aprilc]

He showed up last night and doesn't appear to be hurt or have any more broken teeth.  Tooth pull rescheduled and windows are locked.

What cat knows how to open a window . . . right, mine.

 

[aprilc]

We moved the bed away from the window and it was completely closed. I thought it was locked but apparently it didn't latch.

He opened it again, this time from the bottom, and put a hole in the freshly repaired screen. He was not able to escape this time because the safetly latches were on and prevent the window from being opened more than an inch or so. I can't help but wonder how long it will be before he figures that out.

I sense that I am going to have a great deal of trouble keeping this cat inside. Is it wrong to rehome a cat because it is smarter than you? I am kidding...about the rehoming bit.

 

[hexiesfriend]

Can you fix the latch? or if you don't open the window much tape it shut? I think he needs to still be able to see out the window and sight see. If you give it a few weeks he will settle down. I would also spend more time with him paying and keeping him busy. If he's engaged with you he won't want to go out.

 

[aprilc]

The latch on the window is good, it just wasn't completely closed so it didn't engage - because they are double hung sometimes the bottom window will put up when you close the top window, not enough to let air in but enough that the lock doesn't engage.  The child safety locks are in place so he can't get it open enough of get out again.

I spend as much time with him as I can but I have other cats and a dog too.  He gets turns out in the rest of the house while the other cats are locked away and he seems fine with this (he looks out the window but isn't desperate to get away).  I also sleep with him for at least part of the night, sometimes all of it, so he isn't alone.  4-7 a.m. seems to be his witching hour, that is when he is most vocal and tries hardest to get away.

It got really cool here very quickly and is supposed to stay like that until next week so at least the windows will be closed.  I just need to get that tooth out!  I accept that there is always a possibility with strays that they won't handle being indoors, it isn't an ideal situation to let him out but that is a bridge we will cross when we get to it.  I hope that he will settle down and be an indoor cat - perhaps with colder weather coming he will be happy to stay inside.  But either way, I have to get that tooth out first!