Keeping your cats indoors

[cbain]

They do have a lot of curiosity and they can move fast, so door darting will remain an issue. The best thing you can do is have a routine maybe with your front door....always know where they are when opening it. People do train them sometimes to do things like go sit on a chair with a treat when they go to the door. By having them accustomed to being somewhere other than the door, they aren't there able to take advantage of a lapse in attention to run past your legs. Some shut their cats up when answering the door. Some use adverse conditioning by having someone outside the door with a leaf blower or something to startle the heck out of kitty when the door opens.

It's not so much them getting used to being in the house... it's more that they look out the windows and see stuff and think what an adventure it might be.

We used to have a lot of door-darting until we added an enclosure off our back door... when they could go outside and sit in the fresh air and chase insects etc they steadily decreased any interest in the front door. Thankfully!

 

[cbain]

I had a contractor build a outside run off our back door also for our 2 savannah cats, it was put up last august and is 25 x25 with a pond and cover and faces a large woods , now that our 2 cats have seen the outdoors the male is now a darter at the back door to the deck , before the outside run I tried to leash train them but it didn't work out, the female is outgoing and friendly and puurs like a chainsaw but when we put a walking jacket on her she turned into a chainsaw and we never tried again with her , the male in the avatar did wear the jacket and I took him outside along with a long teaser toy and got him to play with it in the yard so he would have a positive feeling about the outside but walking him didn't work, he would not fallow me so I let him go where he wanted, he headed for the woods and after the first thicket he took me through I had enough, tried a few more times but it was the same, both cats like the run but I think it turned the male into a door crasher , the female has not dashed at the door but we are very carful now at the back door

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

My feeling is that the cats that door dart would do so just from looking at the view from the window. We may be more likely to try leash-walking with the ones that do try to door dart or show extreme interest in the outdoors though... so it may make it seem that those things cause the door darting. I just think some are simply more curious and less reticent about trying than others.

 

[Mischief]

My apartment faces woods and rumor has it that there's a bear and her cubs who live by me although I have yet to see them. So with that being said, I am almost obesssive about keeping mine indoors but one time, they had installed new windows in my apt and my dsh got out. I couldn't find him and then I stared calling him. Well the little devil was hiding in the bushes right by me and he knew he did wrong because he crept over to me as soon as he heard me call his name. And my Siamese mix Valentino has to come to the little vestibule area that separates my apt from the outside to be picked up like a baby and loved when I get home. But my little Whiskey hasn't even run down the stairs at all and I'm so grateful for that.

 

[cbain]

My apartment faces woods and rumor has it that there's a bear and her cubs who live by me although I have yet to see them. So with that being said, I am almost obesssive about keeping mine indoors but one time, they had installed new windows in my apt and my dsh got out. I couldn't find him and then I stared calling him. Well the little devil was hiding in the bushes right by me and he knew he did wrong because he crept over to me as soon as he heard me call his name. And my Siamese mix Valentino has to come to the little vestibule area that separates my apt from the outside to be picked up like a baby and loved when I get home. But my little Whiskey hasn't even run down the stairs at all and I'm so grateful for that.

 

[cbain]

No bears here in Ohio, I own a very remote cabin 10 miles northeast of Kane Pa. there are bears ,bobcats, coyote and I have seen them many times and I know what to look for, the woods by my house has coyotes in it. My outside cat run is very secure and our Savannah cats use it only during the day when we are at home and our vet saw the run and okey it ,she is a grad from O.S.U. and worked with the big cats at the Columbus zoo and a great vet, my cats enjoy their run and both Savannah cats run for the door when I let them out, they like to see the wildlife. Since I got the outside run our cats are more settled. I tried walking the male and it didn't pan out.

 

[DocMac]

I never have this problem. Now, I have probably jinxed myself. Having a 250 pound Newfoundland dog standing on the outside helped initially, but door darting is not one of my problems (like replacing toys every week).


Josie
River Ridge
West Virginia

 

[Trish Allearz]

I never have this problem. Now, I have probably jinxed myself. Having a 250 pound Newfoundland dog standing on the outside helped initially, but door darting is not one of my problems (like replacing toys every week).


Josie
River Ridge
West Virginia

Actually- dogs make me nervous with the cats... I worry if the cats DO get outdoors and the dog is in between the open door and the outside- they will bolt further afield.

But I may worry too much Now we need pics of your hairy beast!

 

[DocMac]

This is Tugboat, my sheep protector.
Today, he's covered with leaves!

Josie
River Ridge Savannahs
West Virginia

 

[Jacq]

View attachment 10258

This is Tugboat, my sheep protector.
Today, he's covered with leaves!

Josie
River Ridge Savannahs
West Virginia

He looks like a bear himself!


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