Indoor cat is outside and won't come in!

[CatladyJan]

We're discouraged. We've had the back door open every evening at twilight until like 10pm-11pm. Then we get up at 4am and try to see if he'll come in then. Both times he comes in a little ways, and then scoots out. At 5am this morning he was inside, and got scared by a huge gust of wind!

There is no way to hide behind the door bc it's at the top of 2 steps. So we have this whole ordeal of getting our cats into the bedroom and I sit outside in the cold waiting for him. We have 3 different bowls of food set up and cat treats leading into the door. Thank goodness for digital cameras so we can watch for him!

It's been 2 weeks today. He looks skinny and totally freaked out. I feel so badly he won't come in!

Understandable. Just don’t give up!

Has he been eating the food and treats you are leaving out?
If so, you really should let him get hungry even though you say he looks thin. Do you have a trap or can you get a trap?
Please don’t get discouraged at least you know he is near and alive

 

[profcat]

Understandable. Just don’t give up!

Has he been eating the food and treats you are leaving out?
If so, you really should let him get hungry even though you say he looks thin. Do you have a trap or can you get a trap?
Please don’t get discouraged at least you know he is near and alive

He's only coming out at night and we can't put food out regularly at night because raccoons/trash pandas run this town and we try hard not to encourage them. We do leave food out during the day for the (fixed) female cat who is his mom. We have no idea if he's eaten any of it. We think maybe he's eaten small animals, as he was a feral kitten.

I moved the food from the middle of the room to the door stoop. That way I can see him eat on camera, and at least if he doesn't come inside tonight, he might be more comfortable and get fed.

Thanks! We won't give up hope!

 

[Meowmee]

He's only coming out at night and we can't put food out regularly at night because raccoons/trash pandas run this town and we try hard not to encourage them. We do leave food out during the day for the (fixed) female cat who is his mom. We have no idea if he's eaten any of it. We think maybe he's eaten small animals, as he was a feral kitten.

I moved the food from the middle of the room to the door stoop. That way I can see him eat on camera, and at least if he doesn't come inside tonight, he might be more comfortable and get fed.

Thanks! We won't give up hope!

Make a trail of treats that lead all the way into the house past the door to a dish of stinky food. Hide inside by the side of the door. Have one person by the door and the other closer to the food. Then person near him can distract him while person by the door closes the door. Maybe you can use a screen to cover the opening first so he can’t get out once he is far enough inside and then get him into a carrier.

The other thing would be maybe to try to not feed at all for a day then set two traps with stinky food at the time he normally comes.

 

[profcat]

Make a trail of treats that lead all the way into the house past the door to a dish of stinky food. Hide inside by the side of the door. Have one person by the door and the other closer to the food. Then person near him can distract him while person by the door closes the door. Maybe you can use a screen to cover the opening first so he can’t get out once he is far enough inside and then get him into a carrier.

The other thing would be maybe to try to not feed at all for a day then set two traps with stinky food at the time he normally comes.

Yes, we have a trail of treats and a few different kinds of stinky food out (a buffet!). We can't have someone behind the door bc it's at the top of a small flight of stairs. I have to literally hide outside around the corner and then sneak around to close the door when he goes inside. So difficult!

 

[CatladyJan]

Yes, we have a trail of treats and a few different kinds of stinky food out (a buffet!). We can't have someone behind the door bc it's at the top of a small flight of stairs. I have to literally hide outside around the corner and then sneak around to close the door when he goes inside. So difficult!

Do you have a crate to which you can tie something to the door and when if and when he goes in you pull it closed.

 

[profcat]

Do you have a crate to which you can tie something to the door and when if and when he goes in you pull it closed.

I've been tempted to rig something up but I worry that I'll goof it up and scare him. I wish I could just drop a net on him from above!!

 

[fionasmom]

It took another TCS member 7 weeks to get her cat back inside. Don't give up as it sounds as if he aware that he should come inside but something (not anything you are doing, but something inside his perception of the situation) is still stopping him.

You have to be very adept with getting him to eat in a carrier and closing it. I have done it and am not especially that skillful, but it does require careful timing.

Some people use nets, or fishing nets. I never have and if you are considering it, google some videos. It has its own set of concerns and steps to follow.

 

[Meowmee]

Yes, we have a trail of treats and a few different kinds of stinky food out (a buffet!). We can't have someone behind the door bc it's at the top of a small flight of stairs. I have to literally hide outside around the corner and then sneak around to close the door when he goes inside. So difficult!

Can someone stand by side of the door but “ Inside” the house , not outside, until he comes in and then close it or at least block it off with a screen until he is in a carrier? If it will only close from the outside that is odd. The other person stands or crouches far inside close to the food and distracts him.
Try posting a pic of your set up and maybe we can figure something else out.

Otherwise you have to stop feeding for at least a day and then try to trap him prolly.

 

[CatladyJan]

Any updates?

 

[profcat]

Any updates?

Yes! We are inching him inside to eat. Every night we move the bowl a bit more into the room and that works! Tonight we're getting massive thunderstorms, so he must be pretty miserable but likely won't come out. Hopefully by this weekend we'll be able to get him in far enough to close the door!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

 

[profcat]

HE'S INSIDE!!!

We first gave up early last night because of loud thunder and lightning.

Then around midnight one of our cats started crying at the window. We saw him outside and the rain and slowed down a bit. So we got the cats back into the bedroom and opened the back door again. With the camera sat up, I watched the video to see if he'd come in to eat. We kept the bowls of food like 2 feet away where they were yesterday when he ate. We figured as long as he ate, we'd be happy, and weren't worry about trying to catch him.

Around 2am he came in! And he sat down and ate for a while. Then instead of leaving, he jumped up on the cat tree! I couldn't believe it. I quietly left the front door of the apartment and started walking around to the back door slowly, watching the camera on my phone. He didn't run out of the office. I got to the door and he was sitting up high on a bookshelf staring at me. I went in quickly and closed the door! He's home!!

19 days!! He's in the bathroom now in quarantine and I'm going to take him to the vet this morning so they can check him for ticks, fleas, worms etc. They're expecting this and will be so happy he's home!

 

[CatladyJan]

HE'S INSIDE!!!

We first gave up early last night because of loud thunder and lightning.

Then around midnight one of our cats started crying at the window. We saw him outside and the rain and slowed down a bit. So we got the cats back into the bedroom and opened the back door again. With the camera sat up, I watched the video to see if he'd come in to eat. We kept the bowls of food like 2 feet away where they were yesterday when he ate. We figured as long as he ate, we'd be happy, and weren't worry about trying to catch him.

Around 2am he came in! And he sat down and ate for a while. Then instead of leaving, he jumped up on the cat tree! I couldn't believe it. I quietly left the front door of the apartment and started walking around to the back door slowly, watching the camera on my phone. He didn't run out of the office. I got to the door and he was sitting up high on a bookshelf staring at me. I went in quickly and closed the door! He's home!!

19 days!! He's in the bathroom now in quarantine and I'm going to take him to the vet this morning so they can check him for ticks, fleas, worms etc. They're expecting this and will be so happy he's home!

. So happy for you

 

[fionasmom]

This is great news! You did it. He realized that there were no nice dry cat trees outside and has probably rethought the call of the wild.

 

[Willowy]

Yay! Poor kitty. He probably won't even want to look outside after this.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I LOVE IT WHEN I GET TO POST ONE OF THESE! (she shouted in joy)

 

[tabbytom]

HE'S INSIDE!!!

 

[cat nap]

HE'S INSIDE!!!

We first gave up early last night because of loud thunder and lightning.

Then around midnight one of our cats started crying at the window. We saw him outside and the rain and slowed down a bit. So we got the cats back into the bedroom and opened the back door again. With the camera sat up, I watched the video to see if he'd come in to eat. We kept the bowls of food like 2 feet away where they were yesterday when he ate. We figured as long as he ate, we'd be happy, and weren't worry about trying to catch him.

Around 2am he came in! And he sat down and ate for a while. Then instead of leaving, he jumped up on the cat tree! I couldn't believe it. I quietly left the front door of the apartment and started walking around to the back door slowly, watching the camera on my phone. He didn't run out of the office. I got to the door and he was sitting up high on a bookshelf staring at me. I went in quickly and closed the door! He's home!!

19 days!! He's in the bathroom now in quarantine and I'm going to take him to the vet this morning so they can check him for ticks, fleas, worms etc. They're expecting this and will be so happy he's home!

So Happy for you too, profcat .
I can't believe he stayed out for longer than two weeks.

I'd really like to know his name?
And Please don't tell me it's something like 'Houdini'...or 'Indiana Jones'.

I was looking back at his photo, in post #15, and thinking,..."No wonder, the cold and rain does not bother him,...he looks like he has that outer shell of fur, (like an outer coat or raincoat), and it slicks the rain away." He reminds me of those Forest cats, siberian or norwegian, but I really have no idea in describing cats.

( Previously, I was trying to think of ways that you could set up, an 'automatic door closer'...but could not find anything useful, online.
The closest was a youtube video of a 'coke bottle, filled with water, that was tied to a string/rope hanging over a door'...but I couldn't figure out a 'safe way' that you could rig it, so that the 'door would only close after your cat got inside'. Having any ropes, or rigging set up, would have probably only frightened your cat, and then he would avoid the place altogether.)

Anyways, your way worked...and was kind of the simplest, when you think about it.
Just moving the food bowl, further and further in.

"...I got to the door and he was sitting up high on a bookshelf staring at me. I went in quickly and closed the door! He's home!!"
This part got to me, that he was "staring at" you.

I wonder if he was thinking, "wow, I don't know why my human is outside, walking around in the thunder and rain? Humans are strange, so I guess I better stick around inside, and keep an eye on them."
More than likely we will never know, but I'm so glad that he decided that his 'mini-outdoor vacation is finished'.

Tell him that you Love him a lot, but also tell him that he's used up two of his 'cat lives',...and that no more 'vacations' or 'outdoor adventures' are ever to be scheduled into his agenda.

Hope he settles in quietly to his former routine, which may take a bit of time, but at least he is safe and finally inside at home.

 

[profcat]

Well, maybe we were too quick to celebrate. We got his bloodwork tested bc he's not eating well and he lost 3 pounds while he was outside (he was 14 and is now 11). His WBC is VERY elevated. The vet is worried he caught FeLV or FIP. There's only one outside male he could have fought with and the vet could not find any wounds on him.

They're running FIP and FeLV tests. We're so upset.

 

[cat nap]

Well, maybe we were too quick to celebrate. We got his bloodwork tested bc he's not eating well and he lost 3 pounds while he was outside (he was 14 and is now 11). His WBC is VERY elevated. The vet is worried he caught FeLV or FIP. There's only one outside male he could have fought with and the vet could not find any wounds on him.

They're running FIP and FeLV tests. We're so upset.

Sending you Mega Health Vibes for your sweet cat, that his tests come back normal.

It is a lot of weight to lose in such a short span of time, but perhaps his WBC is very elevated because of that drastic drop in calories...and that he caught some sort of URI,...and not FIP, FiV, or FeLV.

Since no deep wounds were found on your guy, then there may be other reasons for the high WBC.
Sending Thoughts of Strength, 'get back to eating well', and Health for your cat.
(If he was hunting, too, then he might just be more used to this type of food, and will need more time to build back his usual eating habits.)

Were his Liver enzymes okay?
and a urine analysis, fecal sample, done?