Cat keeps darting outside

[4horses]

My indoor juvenile cat, keeps darting outside every chance he gets. It's become a game of chase for him. And if he hears you open the door, he runs through the house at full speed and darts out under your feet.

I've had 2 cats hit by cars. I don't really want another outdoor cat but he is determined to run outside. And he runs out about 4 times a day.

Should I re-home him where he can be safely outside? I am in a rural area and lots of other people have more land without busy roads and I could probably find a barn cat home for him. As I fear he is going to get out without being seen and get hit by a car. The only other alternative is to lock him in the bedroom.

The last 2 cats that got hit were never seen crossing the road or even near the road, until one day they did and got hit.

My other cats might accidentally get outside, but they don't actively try to dart out, despite your best efforts to block them in.

 

[StanAndAlf]

Is it possible for you to keep a spray bottle by the door? That way you can spray him with a little water whenever you see him come running and send him in the opposite direction. I know it is definitely not ideal fix, and I'm sure others will.come along with better ideas but with his safety in mind... perhaps something to just think about as a safety net if all else fails.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I think by now, you are right, he has come to consider this a game. Doesn't help much, but keep that in mind - so the more you react the more he gets a kick out of it. The less emotional/hyped up you are while working on ways to keep him from the door the less he might think of it as a game. It may be a matter of setting up a room for him with cat trees/perches at windows, and leaving him in that room - with all of his necessities - until you return home.

Anything in the TCS article below that you haven't already tried? Spraying a cat with water is not ideal, but if all else fails, you can try it - it generally doesn't work though.
How To Prevent Your Cat From Darting Out The Door – TheCatSite Articles

 

[arr]

One of my cats had this habit and I set a SSScat can by the door and that completely solved the problem. Yes, for a short while it was inconvenient for us humans to deal with the can every time we used the door, but it didn’t take long. Now we dont even keep a can by the door and she still doesn’t run out.

 

[Kflowers]

depending on your house floor plan, if you have a foyer can you put doors in it so that you can enter it and close the inner doors before opening the outside door? Right, that'd be rare and wonderful.

What we did was put a child gate between the walls closing off the area with the front door. You open and close the gate. It's tight, really tight, but you move in front of the outside door, close the gate and slip out. It works with us for the dog, but I was thinking it might give you a chance to grab your cat as he climbs over the gate and toss him back into a well placed stuff chair in the living room.

This is hard, it takes patience. if he hasn't been neutered that would be a help. remember it takes a few weeks for the hormones to dissipate.

Another thought, can you shut him out of the room that contains the door to the outside? You might miss once or twice while he was hiding but, I'm thinking you get ready to go out, stand at the inside door to the room with the outside door, throw high value treats away from the door, shut the inside door and go.

It's been decades since we had a door lunger and we still slam out calves against the door jam to stop the cat that isn't there.

 

[silent meowlook]

This may have been said. I didn’t read replies.
He needs to have his own room. He can share with a human of course. But a room where he has his litter and water and a bed and toys. Anytime you are going to open the door you nonchalantly pick him up and put him in the room. So, if you are leaving for the day, put him in the room. Only let him out when you won’t be going in and out. He is fine just in one room for now.

sounds drastic but not as bad as re-homing him where he may be eaten or hit by a car.

If you do what I am suggesting, you break the game cycle and eventually he will forget this.

 

[Kflowers]

What silent Meowlook said, I totally forgot about coming back into the house.

 

[silent meowlook]

depending on your house floor plan, if you have a foyer can you put doors in it so that you can enter it and close the inner doors before opening the outside door? Right, that'd be rare and wonderful.

What we did was put a child gate between the walls closing off the area with the front door. You open and close the gate. It's tight, really tight, but you move in front of the outside door, close the gate and slip out. It works with us for the dog, but I was thinking it might give you a chance to grab your cat as he climbs over the gate and toss him back into a well placed stuff chair in the living room.

This is hard, it takes patience. if he hasn't been neutered that would be a help. remember it takes a few weeks for the hormones to dissipate.

Another thought, can you shut him out of the room that contains the door to the outside? You might miss once or twice while he was hiding but, I'm thinking you get ready to go out, stand at the inside door to the room with the outside door, throw high value treats away from the door, shut the inside door and go.

It's been decades since we had a door lunger and we still slam out calves against the door jam to stop the cat that isn't there.

Great minds. Didn’t see you had already said basically the same thing.

 

[silent meowlook]

One of my cats had this habit and I set a SSScat can by the door and that completely solved the problem. Yes, for a short while it was inconvenient for us humans to deal with the can every time we used the door, but it didn’t take long. Now we dont even keep a can by the door and she still doesn’t run out.

Excellent idea!

 

[game misconduct]

silent meowlook's method seems way more effective than what i did to teach graycie not to do that using treats i do use the lock in our bedroom whenever i need to take out trash etc.if we leave soon as were inside door is closed locked i go sit down where we keep her treats and feed her a few usually she is waiting there soon as she hears us opening the door knowing she gets her treats and pets soon as we get home. thats not to say we arent ready like infielders on the off chance she might decide to make a dash

 

[silent meowlook]

This is such a great idea. Always best to use positive reinforcement like this. I wish more people thought like this. I wish I had thought like this.

 

[StanAndAlf]

I completely agree, positive reinforcement is best. My suggestion was definitely only as a last resort, to keep the cat safe if all else failed, or if certain options such as putting the cat in a separate room was not feasible for the OP.

 

[silent meowlook]

I totally get that. I mean a long time ago I cured a cat of that by going to start ou the door and pouring a glass of water on his head. It worked, but not proud of it. When it comes to life or death you sometimes have to take drastic measures.