Leash Training Cat, But She’s Terrified Of Cars.

[1 bruce 1]

Well funny story it DID have a screen and we would open it so she could smell the outside smells and hear the birds and such.

However a couple days ago she must have leaned against the screen and the corner popped out. Luckily she’s only allowed upstairs because the dogs, and poisonous plants that my mom doesn’t want to get rid of, are downstairs.

But anyways she must have felt safe enough to go on the roof that’s below the second story window. Because she hopped out and was exploring the roof. Luckily my mom was home and out gardening. Because eventually when Mia realized she couldn’t get back in the house she got rather frightened and started frantically meowing. My mom almost had a heart attack seeing her on the roof, but she rescued her and Mia was fine once she was inside the house. So now all the windows are open only at the top so Mia can’t lean against them and escape.

But I’m so glad that she didn’t jump off the roof or anything and I’m so glad my mom was home at the time! I don’t know if cats tend to jump off surfaces that are too high to be safe, but she had enough sense not to.

I worry about screen popping, so when I open an upstairs window, I slap one of these up. Just open the window with the regular screen, pop this in the front, and close. That way she'd have two screens to get through, I would still only do this while you're home but she could have an hour or two of fresh air!
Home improvement stores sell these, and I think Wal Mart does, too!

 

[Moonlight_wolf]

I honestly have never experienced screens popping, only animals shredding screens, so it wasn’t even on my radar. And Mia hasn’t actually ever tried to get out the window, that’s why I think it was just an accident that she took advantage of. After that incident I kinda wanted to get those heavy duty screens that don’t break as easily as the regular ones.

But I might look into those extra screens too. Though the ideal would still be to have a cat window box

 

[sabian]

I had the same problem with Manny at first but, he was scared of everything! He was a rescue and hid behind the water heater in the basement the first day and three days after that under the bed. Once he finally came out the least little noise would send him back under the bed. He finally calmed down after about 8 to 10 months inside the house.

I had been putting the harness on him for a couple months and just letting him wear it around the house and left it by his food bowl when he wasn't wearing it so he would get use to it. I finally started taking him out around January I think but, all those fears of noises came back when he was outside. My neighbors talking outside, a car going down the street, the heat pump coming on, someone walking down the street would all send him running to the basement door where we come out. A couple of times he got tangled up in the leash and done a somersault, so I was afraid he was going to hurt himself in the leash and stopped using it.

He always ran to the basement door when he took off running so I started leaving the basement door pushed closed without latching it. He figured out he could push it open and go in on his own so I done that for a good while.

Now he pretty much owns it outside. The only thing that still sends him running is someone walking down the street or knocking on the door. He'll run under the bed if someone knocks on the door. A lot of people walk down our street and walk dogs so if he's out front he'll run to the back deck and peek around the corner until they're gone. I'm always there with him so he'll come to where I am. If someone comes to visit he'll go under the bed but, curiosity gets the best of him and he'll come out after about 10 minutes.

He just doesn't like strange people. I think he was abused before I got him. Fortunately he listens really well. Comes when I call him and has learned he has boundaries. It's been a trial and error sort of thing and a slow progression over time.

I think every cat is different so what works with Manny probably won't work with the next cat. Some tactics may and some may not. The things that work are patients and constant reassurance and of course....treats!

Occasionally Manny will try and stretch his boundaries if he thinks I'm not looking. My yard is surrounded by woods and I don't let him go in them because of ticks and poison ivy and oak. He did sneak off once in the back yard and I caught him about 20 ft into the woods. He wouldn't come when I called him and I didn't want to go in and get him. Knowing he gets spooked easy I picked up a branch that had fallen in the yard during some hard wind. I threw it about 15 ft to the right and behind him and he shot out and back down to the house like a bolt of lightening. He hasn't been back up there since! Sometimes you can use those fears to your advantage. He seems to listen even better since that incident too. You'll figure it out in time and she'll be fine.

 

[VBG]

We've been taking Gus out on a leash since he was big enough to fit into the harness! We started slow, just the backyard. Then, the side yard, and finally the front. By the time we got to the front, with cars, pedestrians and activity at the nearby park, he had developed a sense of security. I still have to talk very calm and soothing when he's startled, but I carry a few treats in my pocket and when he is a "Big Brave Boy" he gets a reward. If you really want to make it enjoyable for both of you, it takes practice. Even if it's just 10 minutes a day. Be consistent and soon, I bet she'll get accustomed to it.

 

[kalebkat]

When I brought my furball home, he didn't like being near the door when it opened. He was brought home in February so the days were colder and the door was always closed, where in the warmer weather we kept it open. I started sitting out front with him in the warmer days, and then he wanted to sneak out all the time. I stopped encouraging him to go out when it was too hard to get him back in because I live with my grandmother and it's too hard for her to get him back in. Plus if I have to go and he hides I'll have a big problem. So now I actually try to get him to NOT go outside, by telling him "no", or "stay in the house", or blocking him and such. Usually he sneaks past anyway. I'm pretty sure he is terrified of my grandmother because she can't really bend and use her hands to block him, because shes got very bad back problems.

Lately he hasn't been trying to go out at all.

When we move into our new place, I wonder how he'll feel about the glass door to the patio.