Cat trying to sneak out the door

[murielle]

Hello,

So our new kitty is discovering new and exciting ways to up my anxiety levels!

My SO and I are out of town for a few days to help out with an ailing aunt. A friend was kind enough to look in on our bundle of joy while we are away. I asked my friend how things were going, only to learn he gave her a merry chase around the apt lobby!

We live on the ground floor near the lobby and when we get home he does tend to go out in the hall, but he usually stays at the door looking around waiting until one of us picks him up and brings him back in. Why is he running out all of a sudden and giving my friend grief? If we lived on a floor that was just a long corridor I wouldn't be as worried but this makes me nervous as he has the potential of getting outside. What do we do?

Thanks in advance.

Murielle

P.S here is what the little monkey looks like

image.jpg

• murielle
• Jun 25, 2015

 

[BonitaBaby]

Well, he might not be sure what is going on. Suddenly, you have disappeared and are not coming home and your friend is coming by instead...Maybe she can carry treats in with her in her hand so that your cat follows her inside or back inside to get the treats?

 

[schrody]

Cats gradually expand their territory. As soon as they feel safe in an area they go further. Which is why letting cats out in an open space is so dangerous. Maybe part of the reason was your absence, but I believe that your kitty is expanding his territory. The "sitting around at the door and waiting" is typical of a cat who is "scanning" the area. Now that he knows it's safe and his home, on to the next place!

As for getting him back, truth is it's very hard to have control over a determined cat. You can condition him to come back when you shake the treat jar or make noise with his food bowl (this won't work if your cat has food out at all times), but the call of the wild is usually stronger... 

My 2 boys know to come back indoors when I shake the treat jar (one even comes just when I call his name), but that's because they are allowed to roam outside whenever I am home during the day... I've noticed that the more they are restricted (rainy days, not being allowed out for a few days...) the more they are obsessed with bolting out the door and the harder it is to get them to come back...

 

[BonitaBaby]

I am pretty lucky (so far). Knock on wood. My adopted rescue cat who was estimated to be 4 now, but is actually more like 7 with early arthritis detected during an x-ray and ultrasound has not tried to venture outside even once, not even when the front door accidentally blew open when I went to go throw out the trash. I think she's very happy to have an indoor home after living outside for those first 5-6 years. I hope she always stays an indoor kitty. I do give her plenty of stuff though so that she has a ton of stuff in every room inside my 2 bedroom apt that is hers and probably helps to keep her inside. 

The treats idea is just a short-term solution so your friend can keep your cat from escaping until you get back home. 

 

[schrody]

It really depends on the cat! My mom's cat also stays indoor all the time although there's a garden that is always accessible. I don't think she's ever been once, hahaha! My two boys need their outdoor time... They both grew up on the streets, whereas my mom's cat was adopted as a kitten, I think that may have an impact. 

 

[BonitaBaby]

 
It really depends on the cat! My mom's cat also stays indoor all the time although there's a garden that is always accessible. I don't think she's ever been once, hahaha! My two boys need their outdoor time... They both grew up on the streets, whereas my mom's cat was adopted as a kitten, I think that may have an impact. 

I think I'm one of the lucky ones. It does sound like a lot of cats that grew up on the streets like to be indoor/outdoor, so I'm really thankful that my kitty loves to be indoor. I think she may have had it hard in the streets =/ and gave birth to at least one litter, so she's happy being indoors only now. ^_^ My sister's four cats were all adopted as kittens. 3 of them seemed/seem happy enough indoors, but the 4th one was sadly trapped indoors because he was obviously an outdoor kind of cat who would have loved living on the streets.

 

[murielle]

It could be our absence because she didn't have a problem today. It's like sometimes he just decides "you know what? I'm gonna go for a walk and you can't stop me"

You know how some rescues have an arrangement with pet stores to keep them there instead of a foster home? Well, that's where we got him from. He had free reign of the place so our apt might sometimes feel tiny. I was thinking of getting him s harness and just walking him up and down the hall. At least I would have control of him or is that a bad idea?

 

[schrody]

Harness walks are great for cats that tolerate them. You could definitely do that.

Just remember to introduce the harness slowly.