what is the most efficient way or tool to call my kitty?

oricohenx

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My cat going outside alone alot, and always I need to call him with weird nosises that I do either with my hands or mouth xd.
I want to know what is the most efficient way or tool to call him?


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Sorry if I posted in the wrong place.
 

ArtNJ

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If he knows his name, you can just use that. If he doesn't know his name, he'll still recognize the voice. Most cats don't go too far most of the time, so there is usually a good chance that a cat is in voice range and can respond, if they feel like it. If the cat is too far to hear your voice, I don't know that anything that carries better is likely to trigger a favorable response. Like I think it would be very hard to train a cat that a whistle is good thing! I think if they are too far for your voice, you mostly just have to wait I think.

If you are always using those weird noises and he thinks those are linked to food or petting, they might work better than his name though.
 

rubysmama

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Hello and welcome to TCS. How old is your cat? Does he know his name? That's usually the best way to call them. But, of course, depending how far from the home he wanders, he might not hear you calling him. Or he might hear you, but ignore you.

If he's food motivated, you can also shake his kibble or treats, like the Temptations commercials, or this video:

Is keeping him inside an option. Or maybe leash training him? Or building him a catio. That way you don't have to worry about calling for him, as you'll always know where he is.
 

ArtNJ

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I have, no joke, found that shaking the treat bag is truly a useful way to call your cat. It may not carry as far as your voice, but there are plenty of times a cat may hear your voice and just not feel like coming. Shaking the treat bag helps a lot with that. I also think that cats love the Temptations brand, a rare instance where advertising is not misleading.

Our 5 year old is no longer indoor/outdoor. When he gets out via escape, he does not generally respond to calling like he used too. He will either come on his own time, or, oddly, he will respond if he sees me. So sometimes when its getting dark or he has basically missed a meal (he is so lean I don't think he should miss many) I'll walk around the house when I call. I've never heard of this before, and dont really understand it, but cats do their own thing, so it is what it is.
 
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oricohenx

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What about whistle,why is it not working on cat as on dogs,I also thought maybe a bell or something?

I'm thinking about linking the bell noise to food,every time I feed him ill ring the bell before.
You guys think it'll work?
 
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oricohenx

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BTW he have no name yet... still don't know how to call him,for now he is Lilo even tho I never used this name on him :p
He like 6 months old :)
 

ArtNJ

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I don't know, maybe a whistle could work, but most cats are scared of strange/loud noises. It is a fact that if you search Amazon for cat whistle, you get mostly dog whistles, and a few products that say they are for small pets including cats which have almost no reviews, which I think tell you something. As far as a bell, would they hear a bell further away than your voice (asking, don't know)?

As far as a name goes, sometimes my family has to wait a bit and see the cat's personality or traits. Last kitten we named Pip, for Pip Squeaker, which maybe doesn't make sense if you are not a native english speaker, but anyways, the fact that she is tiny and was always making this tiny squeak noise is what gave us the idea.

I've never met a Lilo, only know the movie, but based on the movie I like the name for a crazy active kitten!
 
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LTS3

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A neighbor long ago used to whistle with her mouth to call her cat home. I'm not sure how she trained her to cat associate the whistling with "come home".
 

daftcat75

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Look up “clicker training.” You can pick up a clicker from a pet store in the dog section usually. It makes a click sound that can carry for some distance. Basically train your cat that a treat follows the click and it’s the same as shaking the Temptations can (which also works well once they’ve associated that sound with the treat inside.)
 

daftcat75

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A neighbor long ago used to whistle with her mouth to call her cat home. I'm not sure how she trained her to cat associate the whistling with "come home".
Probably the same as clicker training or the Temptations can. Cats can be Pavlov trained to associate a sound with a reward. Krista was on famotidine (Pepcid) for a few weeks. It had to be given 30 minutes before food. I’d squirt it in her mouth, set the microwave timer for 30 minutes, and then she could eat. For a long time after we stopped famotidine, she still associated the beep of the microwave with an impending meal. To this day, I usually stop the microwave a few seconds early even though Krista won’t be coming into the kitchen anymore if it did beep complete.
 

Kieka

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I whistle for my indoor/outdoor cats to come. Along with calling their names and shaking treat jar (not the bag but a specific container so it is a little louder). Whistle and name is when they are further away, treat jar is when I can actually see them. I know whistle at least carriers pretty far because a neighbor commented they hear me from a few houses down. I don't know if the sound of a clicker would carry far enough.

You do have to train a little though if you want timely responses. I did training with mine of letting them play outside and calling them back. Each call back and successful return meant a treat. Let them go a little further each time they successfully return before calling. If they didn't respond at all, they got a dramatic walk to them, scold (tone matters) and carry inside. I did it over several months with no unsupervised outdoor time until they can reliabiliy come to being called. Now I call every evening for curfew and they come in usually within 1-10 minutes depending on how far away they are and if they are doing something. There are a few times it takes the 30+minutes to come. I usually find in those cases driving around the block so they hear my car coming home usually gets them back or walking around the neighborhood. Since I call around dusk, at lot of times they are already nearby because its the routine. Somehow, the car usually gets a response even if walking didn't. I will occasionally call during the daytime to reinforce the training with treats when they come in.

And I do recommend everyone does some outdoor training with return calls. Even indoor only cats should know what to respond to in strange surroundings.
 

GreyLady

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I second the treat bag/jar. This works quite well. When I call Grey in I shake the treats and calll his name for several minutes. Then go back inside. Usually in 5-10 mins I see a little grey face at the door. If not I repeat till he comes. Definately repeat when you are inside calling your cats name and then giving him treats when he comes. Always there must be a good thing when you call his name.

Noodle likes to play marco polo. I call for her, she meows. Meows get closer and closer till she's there. She will also come to the sound of a jingly worm toy. Generally I dont need to call her as she rarely leaves the yard.
 

Caspers Human

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I have never had a cat that didn't appear, instantly, out of thin air when they hear the sound of a can opener cracking open a can of tuna! ;)
 

daftcat75

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I have never had a cat that didn't appear, instantly, out of thin air when they hear the sound of a can opener cracking open a can of tuna! ;)
I rescued Krista from the shelter at 2 years old. I don't know what her treats or meal times were previously like before me. But surprisingly, she would always come running to the sound of the garbage disposal. I wonder if it sounds close enough to an electric can opener she used to know. ;)
 

Caspers Human

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I would guess that the sound of the garbeurator got associated with food because you turn it on when you clean up after cooking dinner and that might be when she gets her share of the leftovers. :)
 

daftcat75

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I would guess that the sound of the garbeurator got associated with food because you turn it on when you clean up after cooking dinner and that might be when she gets her share of the leftovers. :)
Who knows! Wish I could ask her.
 

Caspers Human

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I suppose we could “ask” a cat by devising an experiment, playing different recorded sounds through a speaker, to see what things she responds to, best.

Try playing sounds in different situations to see how the cat reacts.
 

rubysmama

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BTW he have no name yet... still don't know how to call him,for now he is Lilo even tho I never used this name on him :p
Maybe something in this TCS article will help you decide on a name.
How To Choose The Best Name For Your New Cat – TheCatSite Articles

He like 6 months old :)
Is he neutered yet? If not, he'll likely roam further from home than you'll like, and be less likely to hear when you call for him. Though even neutered/spayed cats can travel a large area around their home.
 
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