Worried About Cat Darting Out Condo Door

[Samantha1242]

We adopted new 1.5 year old male rescue kitty over 2 weeks ago and he is settling in quite nicely now. I have posted a couple times and have received great advice so far, thanks!

So for our new kitty, we have been putting him in his large safe room (with all his toys, food, litter box, blankie, etc.) when we leave the condo and overnight to sleep. We are now wanting to stop this and allow him free access to the whole condo. However, I have noticed that he sometimes runs towards the front door when it opens and I am really worried he will get out. He seems curious about whats beyond the door. If he were to get out, there is an indoor hallway but then there is potential of him escaping outdoors if someone were to open up the front door. I know - seems like a slim chance and my bf keeps telling me I am silly, but I am still worried!

Is there anyway to avoid him door darting? Also, is 2 weeks enough time of safe room time for him to have free access?

 

[happilyretired]

My first cat liked to 'rush' the door as a game. I never had another cat with that fixation, so I don't know whether it's common. I just had to always be very, very careful with the door.

 

[susanm9006]

Yes, two weeks is fine to establish his safe room. As far as your condo door, you could try making the doorway a scary place by squeaking a horn or rattling pennies in a can any time he rushed towards the door.

 

[LTS3]

I'm just super careful when opening my door. My Aby has gotten out into the hallway before (with me chasing after him) but there's no where for him to go unless someone happens to open their unit door or is getting on or off the elevator.

 

[EmmiTemmi]

It's not silly to be worried about that happening. My two boys dart out the door all the time! Thankfully they only get into the hallway where I can wrangle them back to my apartment (after chasing them up 3 flights of stairs), but it's scary every time, because like you said, if someone opens the outer door they could easily escape the building.

I've tried several things to stop them from running at the door when I get home, and what seems to work the best (for me) is to take my backpack off and hold it in front of me when I walk in. It acts as a block and I push it forward as I go in, making them back off just enough for me to close the door behind me. If I don't have my backpack I'll wave my foot about, and maybe push them gently, making them retreat back. Then I walk across the room and give them each a treat near their cat tree (someone once told me this would make them associate me coming home with food at the tree, so they'd go there and not the door). This last part I've only just started doing, but it seems promising.

Good luck preventing the door dashing. And congrats on the new cat!

 

[catlitterguru]

Mine does it too and there is nothing that I could do to discourage him. I’ve concluded that it’s the curiosity nature of cats. I’ve developed a system when I come in by making sure I block the opening with whatever I have at hand (bag, newspaper, etc.). I do the same thing and walk in reverse on my way out. I’ve also learn to not open the door too wide. Of course once in a while he would escape and the two of us would be running back and forth on the hallway and up and down the stairs until I catch him. My neighbors probably think I’m crazy lol!

I’ve also lived in a place where I was able to set up a gate near the door. It’s short enough that I could step over it and he could jump over, but at least it slows him down a bit so there is higher chance of me catching him before he runs out.

 

[maggiedemi]

I'm lucky that we have 2 sets of doors, so if they get out one, they are not into the great outdoors. If I didn't have 2 sets of doors, I would probably use my horn to make them get back from the door.

 

[Elfilou]

So I read somewhere, months ago, that people fixed this by getting a stranger (with like a scary mask or something) to stand behind the door. You open it, the stranger scares the cat, cat thinks boogieman is forever hiding beh the door.

Lol I don't know if I would actually do this myself even though it seems fairly harmless. Personally with my cat's personality in mind I wouldn't have an issue with her exploring an indoor hallway. Weigh out your risk factors

 

[basschick]

i don't like the idea of scaring the cat. can't you pick him up whenever you leave and slip him in the door as you close it? or perhaps give him treats in another room just as you're leaving so he's busy eating them?

 

[PMousse]

Is there any benefit in letting cat have supervised time in the hallway? My theory is that there are more strange noises and smells of strangers in the hallway, and maybe if kitty is more exposed to them more often, she'll be less nervous around strangers and in foreign places.

Any articles about this?

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

I do think there are some benefits to supervised time in the hallway. I live in an apartment building on the top floor, and for the last year, I've been giving my cat daily walks on a collar/leash to exercise her back leg(s) post-surgeries.

She does the same route daily, and as a result, has gotten used to the smells near each apartment on the floor (it's a carpeted hallway). That hallway is like her turf now. Our same route starts with our front door and ends there, at which point, she gets some "candy" once inside the apartment again (it's one of the only times I give her a pinch of dry food as delicious treats).

If you also try this out, I'd recommend only allowing the cat out (1) once the collar-or-harness and leash is on, and also (2) doing it only at the same time each and every day. The treats at the end of the walk are a good reward - they make the cat want to get back home for a treat. If the cat gets out, it will likely know the usual scents in the hall and find its way back again. Your neighbors often get introduced to the cat, too, if you go on Walkies, so neighbors can help return the "lost" cat should it sneak out and wander around by accident.

All in all, our cat won't normally won't do any door darting now. We've set the "parameters" to her outside time, and she knows what the hallway means.


However, like maggiedemi, we luckily have two sets of entry doors for our place. The second door (e.g. not the main, front door) leads into the kitchen and that kitchen has its own door too. So my husband and I just resigned ourselves a few years ago to entering through the kitchen all of the time... we go in the kitchen hall door while the kitchen door to the main apartment is closed. That way we have some breathing room where we can close the hall door before opening the kitchen door into the living room. Our cat is RIGHT THERE most times to greet us at the kitchen door.

lol.

We call our kitchen the Air Lock. Like, if you were in a space ship and needed a sealed compartment to equalize the pressure and oxygen, etc., before normalizing to the ship environment. Our kitchen is the Air Lock to keep Milly from door-darting.