Advice re: keeping former stray indoors?

[Janie834]

Hello,
We rescued a stray last fall. We had been feeding him for a short while before bringing him in when the temperature dropped and he had developed an infection that clearly needed treatment. We tried hard to find his home, to no avail. He has become part of our family (introductions with the resident senior cat are ongoing).
I have noticed that he seems truly obsessed with the outdoors. I have had cats all my life, and I can say with confidence that his level of obsession is beyond what I would normally expect. He is constantly grappling to get to the window whenever he enters a new space. He can hear a window open from a different floor of the house and will almost always come running, nose in the air, eager to get to the open window as quickly as he can. He spends most of his time on a cat bed/perch which is by my desk, and which is pushed up against a patio door. He watches the squirrels and birds for hours and hours, all day. He is essentially looking at his former territory, as we used to feed him on our patio just on the other side of that same patio door.
He is increasingly running toward doors when they open, and seems keen to get out. He has not tried to push past us yet, but I do think it is coming.
My concern is of course, that he is going to escape.
We have children who love him, and will try their best, but I know they will be running in and out those patio doors all summer, and I am worried a door will be left open, or they will be so focused on their own fun (as children will be), that they will not notice him run past them.
We live near a valley and have a lot of wildlife in our area. There are raccoons living in or near our backyard (I think they live under our patio), and a family of coyotes living nearby (I see them all the time near dawn). I am concerned for his safety if he gets out.
He has a collar with a tag identifying him as an indoor cat and providing our phone number.
If anyone has any advice on how to keep the little guy from escaping, or how to address the situation more generally, I would be very eager to hear it!

 

[StefanZ]

If he wants out although you took him sick in the winter, it may be difficult to keep him inside only... Many rescued from cold outside do refuse to go out again...
Also, he was apparently a fairly succesful semiferal, So its no new situation for him...

Interesting is, if you let him out, will he disappear, or he will accept a life on a home cat allowed to go out...
IF you let him out, be sure you dont trim his claws. So he is able to defend himself and to run up a tree if necessary.


More to do to let him enjoy indoors?
A Feliway diffuser.

Plenty of exercise. Perhaps an netted balcony / patio open to the air, but netted.
A companion cat whom IS inside only and is happy with this... (the risk with this solution, IF he becomes anyway an in-out cat, it may be difficult for the inside only cat to stay inside only...)

 

[ArtNJ]

Your right, he will probably get out. Here is what you do: go outside. Chill. Pet him. After five or ten minutes, pick him up and go in. Why? Because if you chase him, it will work. The first time. Maybe the second and even the third. But sooner or later he will learn to evade you, and then good luck. If you don't have time to use the "sit and chill" approach, shaking the treats and tossing some inside can work for some cats. You could argue that this rewards the behavior, but the escape itself is its own reward. So you want to get the cat inside without training it to run, and then you worry about preventing future escapes.

A stray escape is not such a big deal as long as you don't chase the cat. The problem is that it can reinforce the behavior. As you learn strategies to prevent escapes, the cat learns to watch, to listen and to be fearless. If your not careful, you can end up training up a little Houdini.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

These articles may help:

The 5 Golden Rules To Bringing An Outdoor Cat Inside - TheCatSite
4 Foolproof Ways To Prevent Your Cat From Darting Out The Door - TheCatSite

Also, IF you are able, a catio would allow your cat to enjoy the outdoors while being safely enclosed. Even better if you can link it to a cat door to allow him access at will. I DREAM of having such a situation!

 

[Alldara]

I don't have too many tips for this, other than to offer them enrichment that they might like.

Kwik I hope you don't mind that I tag you! Kwik recently brought Timmy inside and chronicled the journey from feral to housecat here: Timmy,7yr old TNR true feral! COLD TURKEY!

 

[StefanZ]

ps. Is he neutered? If not, do so... So the wandering need disappears. And if he anyway wish to be allowed out, he will stay inside his revire.

 

[Kwik]

I don't have too many tips for this, other than to offer them enrichment that they might like.

Kwik I hope you don't mind that I tag you! Kwik recently brought Timmy inside and chronicled the journey from feral to housecat here: Timmy,7yr old TNR true feral! COLD TURKEY!

As Alldara mentioned you can read Timmy's transition in the link she provided and I'm happy to join in to try to help to PREVENT this boy( what's his nsme?) from ever escaping....First & foremost I'd ask the same question as StefanZ - if not thats next on the list

It's always best for transitioning outdoor cats to the indoors by starting them out away from door or windows where they can see,hear & smell their previous territory BUT it seems thats not the case and that,my friend is one of the reasons this particular boy has not gotten it out of his mind..... I'm not sure you'd want to start from scratch to keep him contained in the part of the house away from the patio and doors to the outside because it would take at least 90 days for a reconditioning-so getting his " taste" for the outdoors is no easy task- I understand he has been inside now for many months,msybe a year? But( correct me if I'm wrong) you mentioned when he explores ( new parts of the house he darts for windows) this sounds to me he has access to the entire house - too much ,too soon and he should have a well established section as his claimed territory and expand it slowly.... do you see what I mean
I'll explain why and thst I believe that will help you - for many years I've relocated ferals for working cat programs-when relocating ferals they must be contained ( large cage ) for a minimum of 30 days ,60 is much better OR the majority will instinctively search for their territory - not having well established the new location as their territory is why many get lost after they are moved.Its not any different with transitioning outside to inside only its not really a new location IF they can still smell,hear and see the old- some fare well,some don't but we can help them to forget the old territory ( out of sight ,out of mind) with containment to WELL establish new territory one section at a time until they have expanded it to the full extent of the home---- before or too soon many will continue to search for their territory

Do you think you can go back to square one?This requires reconditioning and it takes time- if you're not up for it then we'll just have to put our thinking caps on to escape proof the house and with some creativity and a few dollars it can be done- of course there'd be no issues if you lived alone but with little children I believe an escape is inevitable- we have to prevent thst because no one can predict what will happen if he does- will he panic & run,never to return? Will he stay? Will he go? Will he evade you? Come to you? Who knows- not worth rolling the dice imo

So if youre up for it and you'd like to recondition then let us know and we'll begin,if it's not a viable option for your household then let's figure out how to escape proof your home

Timmy is a F1,he was 7 when I captured him,my front door lead directly to his territory and the front windows he'd see,hear and smell his familiar territory-Timmy was contained at the opposite side of the house ,after about 6months he began to explore- its 9 months later and he's just now expanded to the front of the house- after all that time he has such a well established territory the instinctive " search" is no longer there- the old is forgotten

I didn't give him access to the escape proof patio until about 6 months - given the option before that time he'd likely have stayed outside 99% of the time with no desire to explore the rest of the house and familiarize himself with it as outside is all he ever knew..... now( 9mos later) he has access at will to go in and out of the escape proof patio at will.....

Be encouraged,there are many creative minds here that have had Houdini cats and have came up with ways to ensure they remain safely inside

 

[Janie834]

Thank you all! Yes, he is neutered (that was one of our first orders of business, as he was unaltered when we found him). His name is Kuzma. We believe that he is about 15 months old now. Here he is with his new brother (he is the one on the right):


Kwik , he has been inside since late October last year, and was isolated for 3 weeks in a bathroom (he was sick and we were treating him during this time). He did not have real window access during that time (he was fascinated by the open window but could not get to it or see out of it). He then essentially spent several months in my bedroom - 24/7 for the first little while, and then slowly transitioning to more time out in different parts of the home as introductions with the resident senior boy progressed. He is still not out ALL the time, he sleeps in my bedroom and still spends a fair bit of time in there, because the two cats are not at the point where they can be left together unsupervised yet (that is a separate story). He spends at least several hours each day out in the main part of the house now though, and sometimes much of the day, depending on how he and the older boy are getting along, and whether I am working from home, etc.

Bottom line, I guess, is that it has been a slow transition for him into the main part of the home, over the course of several months, but that train has now left the station, and I’m not sure I can reverse its course. I will give some thought to whether I can pull that off, but I’m not sure it is feasible. For starters, he will be MISERABLE. He is a very social, active boy, and he loves his new brother. He is definitely not feral - he had a home at some point. He loves being around people (though he will probably never be a lap cat). He does not like being confined. He cries and cries when he is in that room alone when he does not want to be there.

It is extremely difficult for us to keep him away from windows unfortunately since the main floor of the house, where I spend my time (and by extension, where he spends much of his) has 3 sets of French patio doors - 1 in the kitchen (this is the only one we use to in and out through), and two in the dining room, including right beside my desk. The space is not large and so these doors take much of the wall space in those two rooms. It is beautiful and sunny in those rooms much of the time as a result, but it does pose an issue here. From almost any angle on this floor of the house he can see the backyard.

But for the kids, and their constant in and out through the kitchen in the backyard, I would not be so concerned. I think we will put him in his room on days when we have company in the backyard, or when I know the kids will be actively in and out for a while - but I'm not sure that will be enough.

I guess the key would be to make the doors unappealing to him?

 

[Kwik]

Thank you all! Yes, he is neutered (that was one of our first orders of business, as he was unaltered when we found him). His name is Kuzma. We believe that he is about 15 months old now. Here he is with his new brother (he is the one on the right):


Kwik , he has been inside since late October last year, and was isolated for 3 weeks in a bathroom (he was sick and we were treating him during this time). He did not have real window access during that time (he was fascinated by the open window but could not get to it or see out of it). He then essentially spent several months in my bedroom - 24/7 for the first little while, and then slowly transitioning to more time out in different parts of the home as introductions with the resident senior boy progressed. He is still not out ALL the time, he sleeps in my bedroom and still spends a fair bit of time in there, because the two cats are not at the point where they can be left together unsupervised yet (that is a separate story). He spends at least several hours each day out in the main part of the house now though, and sometimes much of the day, depending on how he and the older boy are getting along, and whether I am working from home, etc.

Bottom line, I guess, is that it has been a slow transition for him into the main part of the home, over the course of several months, but that train has now left the station, and I’m not sure I can reverse its course. I will give some thought to whether I can pull that off, but I’m not sure it is feasible. For starters, he will be MISERABLE. He is a very social, active boy, and he loves his new brother. He is definitely not feral - he had a home at some point. He loves being around people (though he will probably never be a lap cat). He does not like being confined. He cries and cries when he is in that room alone when he does not want to be there.

It is extremely difficult for us to keep him away from windows unfortunately since the main floor of the house, where I spend my time (and by extension, where he spends much of his) has 3 sets of French patio doors - 1 in the kitchen (this is the only one we use to in and out through), and two in the dining room, including right beside my desk. The space is not large and so these doors take much of the wall space in those two rooms. It is beautiful and sunny in those rooms much of the time as a result, but it does pose an issue here. From almost any angle on this floor of the house he can see the backyard.

But for the kids, and their constant in and out through the kitchen in the backyard, I would not be so concerned. I think we will put him in his room on days when we have company in the backyard, or when I know the kids will be actively in and out for a while - but I'm not sure that will be enough.

I guess the key would be to make the doors unappealing to him?

Thank you so much for all the details you provided,I understand why it's probably not a doable option for you to start over ,all things considered plus the layout of the house-I get it.

Yes,if you cannot make some kind of vestibule in front of the entrance/exit doors that the kids will be going in an out of to have a little safety area before opening the door then the doors are going to have to be very unattractive- the best measures for something like that are always environental training with you not being part of the equation- resorting to water spraying,or shaking cans of coins usually results in you being the unpredictable bad guy and the association is not " the door".Although,you may have to resort to a water bottle by the door or a csn of coins ( better than an escape)

So you can try the motion sensor cans that burst air when Kuzma approaches the door but I've cats are a bit too smart for that and quickly learn how to get by those- again,they know it's not the door,it's the can

Personally I like sprays,like scratch away,cat away,scratch no and other unpleasant smells that keep them away from areas you want them to avoid and they do work except that you have to continually spray the areas as they wear off .Upside down mats with the little prickly nubs sticking up work well for some cats & not for others, 2 sided sticky tape are other options that you can just step over but cats tend to not like it when their paws touch something sticky and will avoid the area and tin foil is something they don't like stepping on also

Unless you have a Bengal,like my Sami- talk about a handful!!! Sami realized sticky tape is not so bad and only covers part of an area so just pull up each paw until you get past it- nubby mats he will pull up the edge and drag it away,burst of air he tests the sensor until he finds the spot that doesn't detect him- the cat is a genius so I had to have a hallway built in front of the door with a second door to stop his door dashing,loves water so he'd just love to get sprayed and there's not a handle or a knob that he can't open! The door I had built has none,it's magnetic and opens in- gotcha Sami!

Btw,the spray deterents worked very well but it was costing me a fortune,the money I was spending was enough to have the door built!And it takes around 30 days to stop a habit ,being crippled I could not keep up to do it for 30 days to break his habit( that's my fault anyway becsuse he went everywhere with me prior to my knees deteriorating- on his leash) it became a habit to rush out the door to put on his harness and leave together everyday ( Sami is a certified therapy cat- we visited patients at the hospital)

Anyway,before the weather breaks you'll have to find what works for Kuzmo

Can you get a harness on him? And is he food motivated?If so you can train him not to wander if he does get out and to come inside for a treat- although Sami did door dash he will not wander BUT being crippled I'm far to nervous always considering the " whst ifs" ( what is he's distracted by a squirrel,what if he gets startled by something,what if someone has their dog go after him etc.... )and I can't move fast enough,my door leads to a very busy parking lot

Anyway,,is that helpful in any way? If not there's more ideas

 

[Kwik]

Forgot to mention- he's gorgeous and his brother is too- they are a beautiful pair of kitties