Air Locking Alternatives

[ArtNJ]

Clyde has become completely and totally fearless of any and all door antics we do. Stomping feet, air kicks, he may back up a few feet, but he keeps his eyes on the prize. Last night, we knew we should pick him up, but I was helping my wife, and she had already made him go into evasive mode, so it wouldn't have been easy.

What else can we do? Going to be a long summer!

He used to be an indoor/outdoor cat and I'm not so worried about him even though he was out all night and hasn't come back yet, but there are ticks here, among other issues, so I don't want him out. One of the other issues is that the 1 year old cat becomes distressed without her buddy.

 

[Maurey]

Just to cover all my bases — is he neutered?
Is it feasible for you to harness train him, treat him for ticks, and take him out for a set time every day? (If you have a set routine before you take him out, and never let him step outside on his own — always carry him over the threshold — it can help door dashing). Alternatively, could you provide him with a catio, cat tent, or catproof your garden?
Does your home have enrichment for him? Places he can climb, jump, look out the window. Does he get enough interactive play with you?

 

[ArtNJ]

Just to cover all my bases — is he neutered?

Yes

Is it feasible for you to harness train him, treat him for ticks, and take him out for a set time every day? (If you have a set routine before you take him out, and never let him step outside on his own — always carry him over the threshold — it can help door dashing).

He does not like a harness, finds everything scarier when he cant run. He did used to follow along while I jogged (not in a harness, following voluntarily), but it wasn't totally reliable. Ticks are mainly a problem if he is out at night, so we could try taking him for unleashed walks, but sometimes he gets distracted and goes off on his own.

Alternatively, could you provide him with a catio, cat tent, or catproof your garden?

Wouldn't help. We have a sun room now (almost a catio) that he likes. But he likes actually being free outside more

Does your home have enrichment for him? Places he can climb, jump, look out the window. Does he get enough interactive play with you?

He is 5 years old and doesn't play with us much anymore, but he loves us and gets a lot of lap time and such. And he is fond of the 1 y.o. cat and does play with her some. He just loves the outdoors.

 

[Maurey]

Wouldn't help. We have a sun room now (almost a catio) that he likes. But he likes actually being free outside more

Does the sun room have open air? Any bird feeders in there so he can get some cat tv? Some places to climb, like a tall cat tree? If not, adding some stuff to make the sun room more kitty friendly could help.

How long have you been transitioning him to be indoor only? It can take cats some time to get used to the new order of things. Perhaps getting a new floor to ceiling tree, or some shelving on the walls for him to explore would distract him from his desire to wander, because there’s suddenly new stuff around.

Puzzle feeders and foraging games (snuffle mats, hiding treats around) can also be good enrichment for a bored cat that no longer has access to the outdoors.

 

[ArtNJ]

Sun room has open air on three sides (screens starting at window height all the way around). A tall thing to climb and a bird feeder nearby outside wouldn't hurt anything, but they go on the window sills and human furniture.

He has been indoor/only for a year and a half. Its been ok at times, but spring is hard, and every escape emboldens him. He is now totally without fear of any door hijinx.

 

[Hellenww]

Several yrs ago a friend had a fearless door runner. She stood out of site with the hose ready on full and her husband opened the door. Out came the cat, it got soaked and ran back in. They had to repeat with the front door. They said the cat never tried to go out again.

It's extreme but my friends live on a busy road.

 

[ArtNJ]

Several yrs ago a friend had a fearless door runner. She stood out of site with the hose ready on full and her husband opened the door. Out came the cat, it got soaked and ran back in. They had to repeat with the front door. They said the cat never tried to go out again.

It's extreme but my friends live on a busy road.

Wow, don't know whether to praise that, but I'll give it a LOL and consider it!

 

[susanm9006]

Baby gate around the door, so that you can step over. Cats can still jump over but it gives you a few seconds advantage to get out the door. Although I did use the water method on my door darter and it did work but I had to soak her dozens of times before she quit darting.

 

[DreamerRose]

I throw a few treats on the floor, scattering them, so Mingo goes for the treats while I step out. I use those Dentalife treats, which are good for their teeth and gums, so it's not adding too many calories.

 

[Caspers Human]

Several yrs ago a friend had a fearless door runner. She stood out of site with the hose ready on full and her husband opened the door. Out came the cat, it got soaked and ran back in. They had to repeat with the front door. They said the cat never tried to go out again.

It's extreme but my friends live on a busy road.

Sometimes you gotta' do what you gotta' do in order to keep your cat safe from running outside and possibly into the busy street.

Casper kinda-sorta got that kind of treatment but he gave it to himself.
We adopted Casper in the winter, just before Christmas. It was snowing out and it was pretty cold.

The first time Casper tried to dash out the door, he hit the front stoop, stopped and looked around for a minute then decided that he didn't like the cold and the snow. He turned around and went back inside where it was warm and dry. That was, pretty much, the last time he made a break for it.

Casper was abandoned, outdoors, and he was rescued after living on his own for about a year. I guess Casper decided that he likes the side of the bread that has the butter on it.

 

[Purr-fect]

Arnold likes to make a game out of trying to run out the front door when I leave.

I have found simply simply rattling my keys loudly makes him run back to "safety" as its well know how dangerous keys can be...lol

 

[DreamerRose]

Arnold likes to make a game out of trying to run out the front door when I leave.

I have found simply simply rattling my keys loudly makes him run back to "safety" as its well know how dangerous keys can be...lol

Oh gee, Mingo wakes up from a dead sleep and races for the door when I rattle my keys.

 

[danteshuman]

A few things. Have tried making psssssttttt noises at him? I do that along with gentle leg waving to train my door rusher. He started rushing the front door & I had to resort to using a squirt bottle every time I used that door for a couple of weeks. (I only use the water bottle in regards to the door, I warn him first with a bottle swish and fire in front of him.... not hitting him. So hitting him is a last resort & if necessary I would aim for his feet first. ) Once i retrained him to back away from the front door when I’m entering my apartment from the rarely used front door, the squirt bottle retired.

Now if the temporary squirt bottle wasn’t enough to fire people up I’m going to suggest letting your cat out during the day (only.) A harness or catio would be best. However my mom’s cat have free acesss outside during the day. Though I did argue with her & threaten to adopt Nick if she didn’t put a reflective collar on him & bring him at dusk (he is a black cat!!!!) To try to make Nick an indoor only cat now would be extremely stressful for Nick & he would develop behavior problems if she tried. I just wanted her to contain him in her back yard! (Purfect fenced toppers.) Nick runs around her culde sac all day but comes inside for the night before dinner.

Harness training your cat may be a solution. I trained my cat to wear a harness starting at 3 months old. He gets1-4 hours of outside time on a long leash where I sit unless I’m untangling him or telling him not to run off. (I read of play games on my tablet.) Then I take him on 1-2 short walks every day. Since he just wants to lay down somewhere & hunt/stalk things most of his outside home.

If your cat gets loose, stay calm! Walk slowly 10-29 feet behind him and tell him you love him.When he lets you approach him, pet him, then calmly pick him up. Most importantly when you get him back inside give him lots of treats so he will let you catch him next time.

If Jackie gets loose I just tell him he forgot his harness, Re-attach his harness & take the twerp for a walk. He is a super harness escape artist but he lets me catch him, every time. The important thing is, if I’m angry he just runs from me. So you need to stay calm.

As you can see Jackie still has a blast outside despite his harness. He hunts, rolls around in dirt, climbs trees & pees outside.