Keeping your cats indoors

[Nabco]

Thanks all for the kind words, we are very lucky and they are very good girls

 

[admin]

After this morning door darting is becoming a major issue with my SV. Not with me, but with other members of the house. Unfortunately the SV finds it fun to dart across the street without consideration to cars, and at this rate she is going to end up roadkill.

A squirt bottle has slowly helped curve some of her behaviors, but this door thing is just getting worse. I honestly wish I'd never started leash walking her, because that is what started this. Its always the front door, even though she's never been allowed out it (back door and carried with harness for walks). Stopping the walks helped a little, but not enough.

She's about a year old now. I don't know what to do. She's a rescue and is difficult in general, but I can't be the door guardian for my family every time they want to leave the house.

Try a scat mat or sss can at the door...that is what I do...and yes leash walking does make many cats want to run out...it happens to me with Taj, my first savannah

 

[NikkiA]

Have a family member stand outside with a COLD hose. When the door opens, let the cat dart, and drench it.
That broke Mickey of door darting.

Unfortunately, D is not deterred by water and it didn't work on him, but he is smart enough to dart (1) into the driveway, or (2) towards the back yard. He doesn't dart into the street, thank goodness.

You could also try what we do with D, and pick the cat up before you open the door. It takes some practice, but it is feasible.

 

[cbain]

As careful as we have been Tuesday morning our F2 Casey door darted and got in the woods and spent a couple of days answering the call of the wild and returned this morning in the back yard greeting us with head butts and a spiked tail in the rain, the cats have not door darted lately due to their bigger enclosure but stated recently when we let our female Savannah go out the front door and and sit with us because she wont go in the enclosure because Cody our other male plays to hard for her taste, my wife was in the front yard and opened the door to let Camille in and when the door opened Casey jumped over Camille when she came though the door and ran through the front yard into the woods and after a short chase he was gone, my wife Ellie thought both males were in the enclosure but did not know while she was outside I let Casey in for food, both the males habits changed when we started letting our female cat go out the front door, you can never be to careful having this breed of cat, Casey only took a few bites of food and did not lose any weight living a couple of days in the woods but I think now he feels his wild side more and he will try this again but he wont get the chance, it was very upsetting losing him.

 

[Rafiki]

Wow Carl. So very happy that Casey came back safe and sound. Bad boy, Casey! You are a very spoiled boy and should appreciate that amazing enclosure. Your human even built it with an open top so that you could get food on the wing. Bad Casey! Hug him for me!

 

[Pam Flachs]

I'm SO glad Casey is back home safely! I bet that was a nightmare for you.

He most likely will try again to wander the woods if he sees an opportunity; it's not a "wild" thing but a cat thing I'm sure you and Ellie will be doubly vigilant to prevent that from happening again...it might help to not let him see Camille walk out the front door on her own. I'd take her out in a carrier and definitely keep her on a harness/leash so she doesn't try to do the same...or build her her own safe outdoor enclosure?

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

Completely agreed with Pam. Any high energy curious cat if seeing another cat being allowed to go out the front door would think "why not me?" and go for it. I'm so glad the tale ended with Casey coming home and hope you don't have a repeat episode now!

 

[SavannahLuv]

So glad Casey returned back home... although he'd be crazy not to come back with that amazing enclosure you had built. I'm sure it was a very long 2 days for you and your wife with him gone on his outdoor adventure. It seems like no matter how careful we are, eventually we all have a scare like that with our fur babies. I'm patiently waiting for some of the new gps collars to be released as that is one of my worst fears... we have too many wild animals behind our house and I'm not sure Shango would be so lucky to make it back unharmed.

 

[Carykd7kau]

Wow Carl. I would have gone bonkers myself. Glad he is back and hopefully...STAY home.

 

[cbain]

Losing Casey was a nightmare, Tuesday we called and called and searched the area of the woods, that night we called every few hours and looked with flashlights, left a dirty litter box in the enclosure with a little food and the doors open ,left a cat bed on the front porch with a few treats, the next morning the treats were gone and as soon as the sun came up Ellie went back in the woods and she got lost and finally got out through some farms corn field to a back road, I had already contacted 2 lost and found pet groups in the area and described Casey as a large brown spotted male cat and I was leary about saying Casey is a Savannah but at the Copley twp police they saw the marking on Casey's coat and said,he looks pretty wild looking for a house cat ,what is he ? Casey's mug shot is still hanging up at the police station and they faxed it to the town hall , I bought 2 new live traps and talked to the neighbors, word spreads fast in this little town and some people already knew, next day 50 hours later Casey was in the back yard looking to get in, he was glad to see us and only took a few bits of dry food and sat down to clean up due to it rained hard last night, Cody helped him clean up. Casey will see the Vet Friday I know he was hunting his food. We may have to put Camille in the enclosure without Cody, we can't do this again.