Please help me with my cat
As some of you know, I lost a cat a couple of months ago because it got outside and was hit by a car. Well another cat, Nemo, is hell-bent on escaping from the house.
We have been fighting with him over this for a year. We have tried everything. We spray him with a bottle when we enter/leave the house, and he doesn't care. We shoo him away, he doesn't care. We have tried treats, we have tried time-outs...I can't even lure him back in with treats our canned tuna or anything. Some times he stays inside and is fine, but at least once or twice a week ( lately once or twice a day) he makes a run for it.
He is so persistent that while the second story window was open last week he pushed out the screen and ANOTHER CAT so he could get outside.
We are going to be moving to a more metropolitan area soon . He pulls this shit there, he WILL get hit by a car or taken to the humane society because there's a lot more people and cars there than there is here.
I am out of ideas and feel sick at the idea that I'm going to lose another kitty to being ran over.
HELP!!!!!!!
Is he neutered? If not, he may be picking up the scent of a nearby female.
yup! He's definately been fixed.... we got that done early on because we thought it would help solve the problem.
my cat is the same way!! Before I leave in the morning, I pick her up, open the door and then kind of toss her away as I close the door!
Man, that's a hard issue with cats... they're barely 'domestic' animals, & have such firm ideas about self-governance... Maybe you could look at what he's craving that he's not getting inside-- is there anything near you that's equivalent to a 'dog park,' like a friend's safe enclosed yard, a greenhouse, something like that, that you could 'borrow' sometimes for your cat to play 'tiger-in-the-grass' and smell outdoor smells? We have a large 'playpen'/ collapsible excercise pen, for dogs; something like that, only with a top, might be one idea for providing him with at least a tiny bit of safe outside-time...
Or maybe there's another cat marking his territory, out in your yard, and he's wanting to assert himself that way... do you think he could learn to wear a harness, to go outside safely? I've not done this myself, but know a couple folks who have (with LOTS of time/ treats/ patience!). Especially f your cat is adolescent or younger, maybe over time he could learn to see that as an acceptable option...
Short of heavy sedatives, that's all I can think of... cats are just such... CATS! There's no way to make him stop wanting to go outside; maybe the best approach would be to find a way to get him SOME outside time safely, however limited... maybe that would 'take the edge off' of his urgent demands...
Good luck!
I would leash train him with a harness designed for cats. I know several people who do this, and it lets the cats roam, not really walk like you would a dog, but keeps them safe. If he knows he gets to go out, say, when you come home in the afternoon, then he may not try to bolt so much. Also I highly recommend getting him chipped, that way if he does get out, and someone takes him to a vet or humane society, they scan for chips and will call you to come get him.
Our Humane soc. will chip any pet for like 10$, way cheaper than our vet. THe chip is the size of a grain of rice and is right under the skin on the back of his scruff.
Be persistant and patient. We decided to make our indoor/outdoor cat exclusively inside a few years ago. For a few months, he drove us nuts. Always trying to sneak outside. After a while, he did get use to being inside. We just adopted another cat. This has made it easier. He is more interested in his new friend than going outside. We also have chickens that he is afraid of. When they are outside, he prefers to be inside.
Try locking all your doors and puting sometype of hanging bells on the handles - preferably ones that have to be moved aside to open the door. I know it sounds simple, but if you have to be aware when you open the door, it is less likely that you will accidentally let out the cat. Also, create a series of barriers from the cats play/sleep/eating area to doors or windows. It will slow the cat down. It won't be able to just busrt out the door. Both of these things worked for us. Another thing you can try to do is put up some type of deterent around doorways. Maybe, a tall statue or object from which your cat shys away.
P.S. Cats are very much domesticated animals. They can easily become accustomed to living exclusively indoors.