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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / February 2004Russian Blue running away - help!
I have a gorgeous 10 month old neutered Russian Blue and 2 neutered Siamese females. This little guy insists running out of the house. He did it 2 times. The first time - 30 hours of freedom - he got ring worm and ear mites. He did it again yesterday. We can't handle that. I know he is a cat, he prefers life outside, but we prefer to keep him indoors. To his safety and our peace of mind. We are all crazy about him. There are dogs outside, busy street, stray cats. The family suffers when he goes, it is a nightmare. He escapes by the door when my 10 year old son comes home from school. I want to try a kind of device like "Pet Boundary Indoor Pet Barrier System: If your pet comes into that zone, the base unit sends a signal to the transmitter on their collar. The transmitter emits a tone at a frequency that only your pet will hear to warn them to stay away" Did anybody tired that with cats? I would like to put in the door. Any suggestion to train my little blue devil to stay inside all the time? THanks Claudia I seriously doubt if the buzzer thing would work for long. Do you live in the middle of a big town? Because the only thing that really is a danger to cats is traffic (there are no cat predators in the UK that I know of, if you're in the U.S. obviously things are different). Dogs can't (usually) catch cats and all cats fight. Unless there is alot of traffic where you live I would just let him go out. I was terrified the first time my new cat went out but she always comes back and now she's established her own territory she pretty much stays around the garden defending it and staring at birds and other cat stuff (apart from her new habit of rolling in dog poo, but that's another story) Unless there is a really valid reason to not let him out, I would get him microchipped and let him explore the big wide world! Jeannie > I have a gorgeous 10 month old neutered Russian Blue and 2 neutered > Siamese females. [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > THanks > Claudia I disagree. There is a busy street, dogs, and other cats around. I don't think he would last long outside. Gail > I seriously doubt if the buzzer thing would work for long. > [quoted text clipped - 36 lines] > > THanks > > Claudia > I disagree. There is a busy street, dogs, and other cats around. I don't > think he would last long outside. > Gail I agree if there is a busy street (rather than say...just an average suburban street) it would be best to keep the cat in (somehow!) but I wouldn't worry about other cats and dogs. All I know is that, in the case of my cat, she wanted to go out from the moment that I bought her home. Obviously, I kept her in originally for about a month and a half and she was manic! When she started going out she calmed down and now she comes and goes as she pleases and everyones happy. Yes..she's had some scraps and sometimes she stays out all night but by and large she is a lot happier now. Obviously, this is not an option for some people, but if it is possible, I think it is the best for everyone involved Jeannie > I disagree. There is a busy street, dogs, and other cats around. I don't > think he would last long outside. > Gail I agree if there is a busy street (rather than say...just an average suburban street) it would be best to keep the cat in (somehow!) but I wouldn't worry about other cats and dogs. All I know is that, in the case of my cat, she wanted to go out from the moment that I bought her home. Obviously, I kept her in originally for about a month and a half and she was manic! When she started going out she calmed down and now she comes and goes as she pleases and everyones happy. Yes..she's had some scraps and sometimes she stays out all night but by and large she is a lot happier now. Obviously, this is not an option for some people, but if it is possible, I think it is the best for everyone involved Jeannie I do marvel that you in the UK can let your cats out and you don't have any problems. I guess your cats are more civilized or something because here when the kitty gets a little older you can bet they'll start losing the cat fights and end up at the vets with abscessed bites sooner or later. My Mom's poor cat, Sniffy, ended up missing both his ears and spending most mornings getting salve applied to his wounds and that was 40 years ago when life was much "simpler" here. > I do marvel that you in the UK can let your cats out and you don't have any > problems. I guess your cats are more civilized or something because here [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > getting salve applied to his wounds and that was 40 years ago when life was > much "simpler" here. They do have problems in the UK its just that they look at it differently. The whole country has been raised thinking cats need to go outside very few owners keep their pets indoors here. I work rescue and I know the amount of calls I get from people who are looking for a new cat because theirs has been run over or they call because their cat has gone missing for a few weeks, or they have a local stray they want to be rid of because it has attacked their cat. Less commonly they saw a stray attacked by dog and don't know what to do with the dying cat. The country as a whole may be a bit safer for cats outside but these same horrors happen it just seems to be more accepted as if its just the chance you take in pet ownership. When I adopt a cat I can't only home to indoor homes there just aren't enough of them so I do try and instruct people on how to keep their cat safe by keeping them in at night, supervising them when they first go outside for a couple months not to leave them unattended at all until they are 6 months of age, things like that I hope will help keep my little ones safe when they are in their new homes. circa Tue, 24 Feb 2004 16:25:40 -0000, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav, Jeannie (jean@NOSPAMspackman) said, > I agree if there is a busy street (rather than say...just an average > suburban street) it would be best to keep the cat in (somehow!) but I > wouldn't worry about other cats and dogs. Then you haven't seen the results of a nasty cat fight. Or a dog that thinks kitties are chew toys. And btw, just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean it doesn't happen. > All I know is that, in the case of my cat, she wanted to go out from the > moment that I bought her home. Obviously, I kept her in originally for [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > Obviously, this is not an option for some people, but if it is possible, I > think it is the best for everyone involved So you're basing these conclusions on *one* cat? Laura  SignatureI am Dyslexia of Borg, Your a.s will be laminated. >circa Tue, 24 Feb 2004 16:25:40 -0000, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav, >Jeannie (jean@NOSPAMspackman) said, [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > >Laura When I was about 8 years old, I saw a kitten killed by a dog. Many , many years have passed and I have not forgotten the horror. > circa Tue, 24 Feb 2004 16:25:40 -0000, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav, > So you're basing these conclusions on *one* cat? > > Laura > -- No I'm basing my conclusions on owning cats all my life. As another poster said, I suppose it's just a cultural perspective, as it is highly unusual for cats to be totally inside over here. The only cats that are really kept inside are pedigree or show cats and it is considered cruel to a certain extent. I don't know where the OP is from but if I lived in the U.S. with the added problem of predators or if I lived on a busy street I probably wouldn't let my cat out (I admit that I missed the bit about the busy street in the original post...Sorry :-0) but then again, I doubt if I would get a cat anyway knowing that I had to keep it in the house all the time. Just my opinion you understand... Jeannie > Unless there is a really valid reason to not let him out, I would get him > microchipped and let him explore the big wide world! > > Jeannie Yah, right. So you like the dog poo on your rug and want to share the joy, eh? > > I have a gorgeous 10 month old neutered Russian Blue and 2 neutered > > Siamese females. [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > > THanks > > Claudia > Yah, right. So you like the dog poo on your rug and want to share the > joy, eh? LOL...I must like it on some level! Scary! I think it's just that most people in this forum are in the U.S. and from what I can gather, you mainly don't let your cats out on their own. That is weird to me as most cats over here are inside/outside cats (and most don't roll in dog poo as far as I know, that's just particular to Lily who is a strange cat anyway). It's just a different perspective, I suppose. Sorry for any offence! Jeannie > > > I have a gorgeous 10 month old neutered Russian Blue and 2 > neutered [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > > > THanks > > > Claudia >I think it's just that most people in this forum are in the U.S. and from >what I can gather, you mainly don't let your cats out on their own. That is [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > >Sorry for any offence! You are right, some cat owners in the U.S. don't realize that although keeping cats strictly indoors is often promoted here by vets and humane organizations, the issue can be viewed differently in other countries; in fact, keeping cats confined may seem cruel. You shouldn't have to apologize for a perspective that is a cultural difference; IMO Americans ought to be less insistent that we know better than anyone else. Those who might have taken offence at your opinion should realize that U.K. viewpoints on the indoor/outdoor issue are just as valid as their own. > > Yah, right. So you like the dog poo on your rug and want to share the > > joy, eh? [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > roll in dog poo as far as I know, that's just particular to Lily who is a > strange cat anyway). It's just a different perspective, I suppose. Yes, it is. Point taken. > Sorry for any offence! No offense, I was just teasing you. ;) I've let cats outside before and was raised that cats shouldn't be confined. As I mentioned elsewhere my Mom's cat got the stuffing beat out of him by other cats as he got older. The first cat we had when we moved into our house wanted no parts of staying inside and she made numerous trips to the vet for abscessed cat bites. In spite of checking her regularly I missed a few and they got infected. I let Tiggy out when she was younger and she will carry a pellet in her rump for the duration. I had to retrieve her first companion, Buffy, from my neighbor's back yard where he died of unknown (probably some kind of poison) causes (he was only 2). And Tiggy made one trip to the vet for an infected bite. That was it for me. My cats are not free to roam any longer. I wish I could let them outside. It would be a heck of a lot easier and I certainly wouldn't miss the litter box. W > Yah, right. So you like the dog poo on your rug and want to share the > joy, eh? LOL...I must like it on some level! Scary! I think it's just that most people in this forum are in the U.S. and from what I can gather, you mainly don't let your cats out on their own. That is weird to me as most cats over here are inside/outside cats (and most don't roll in dog poo as far as I know, that's just particular to Lily who is a strange cat anyway). It's just a different perspective, I suppose. Sorry for any offence! Jeannie > > > I have a gorgeous 10 month old neutered Russian Blue and 2 > neutered [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > > > THanks > > > Claudia circa Tue, 24 Feb 2004 15:58:16 -0000, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav, Jeannie (jean@NOSPAMspackman) said, > I seriously doubt if the buzzer thing would work for long. > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > Unless there is a really valid reason to not let him out, I would get him > microchipped and let him explore the big wide world! First, as the OP stated, s/he lives on a BUSY street. Second, if there is no compelling reason to let the cat out, then I would keep him inside, where he is safe! I realize that in the U.K., it is far more common for cats to be allowed outdoors than it is here in the U.S., but I would *never* encourage somebody who keeps his/her cat indoors to start letting it out. Laura SignatureI am Dyslexia of Borg, Your a.s will be laminated. I wonder if a scat mat will help. It is a mat that is plugged in and emits a mild shock when the animal steps on it. I don't know if people stepping on it will cause the mat harm, though. Below is a link to it. I used them near bookcases when one of my cats started urinating there. They were great. Gail http://mightypets.com/scat_mat.asp > I have a gorgeous 10 month old neutered Russian Blue and 2 neutered > Siamese females. [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > THanks > Claudia >From: "Gail" gmpg@earthlink.net >I wonder if a scat mat will help. It is a mat that is plugged in and emits a >mild shock when the animal steps on it. I don't know if people stepping on >it will cause the mat harm, though. Below is a link to it. I used them near >bookcases when one of my cats started urinating there. They were great. >Gail A scat mat directly in front of the door, can be stepped OVER by the humans, but teach the cat to avoid the door area. I think it's a great solution. BTW - they can run on a 9V battery, so no wires are needed. They are fixtures on my leather furniture to stop kitties from peeing there! Janet Boss Best Friends Dog Obedience "Nice Manners for the Family Pet" Voted "Best of Baltimore 2001" - Baltimore Magazine www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com Can you put up a baby gate in the doorway, one that your son can step over, but the cat can't jump over instantly? Rene > > I have a gorgeous 10 month old neutered Russian Blue and 2 neutered > > Siamese females. [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > > THanks > > Claudia Thank you a lot! I just got the scat mat. I will let you know if it works! Claudia > I wonder if a scat mat will help. It is a mat that is plugged in and emits a > mild shock when the animal steps on it. I don't know if people stepping on [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > > THanks > > Claudia Good. Let us know. Gail > Thank you a lot! > I just got the scat mat. I will let you know if it works! [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > > > THanks > > > Claudia > I have a gorgeous 10 month old neutered Russian Blue and 2 neutered > Siamese females. > This little guy insists running out of the house. He did it 2 times. > The first time - 30 hours of freedom - he got ring worm and ear mites. > He did it again yesterday. Put bells on your doors, or some other noisy thing. A can of marble you can shake at him any time he goes near the door. And just try harder. Tell everyone in the house NOT to let the cat out. Yell at him when he dogs the door. After a while he won't even try. I've been doing this for a long time. | I have a gorgeous 10 month old neutered Russian Blue and 2 neutered | Siamese females. [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] | THanks | Claudia Aside from the suggestions of scat mat which I did not think about, you might want to consider training and tuning into the cat if possible. Cats can be trained to wear a harness and leash. I know it because I did it. The first time, my former feral, twisted out of the expensive harness. And the next time. She was now afraid of the outside. The opposite of your problem! Then I bought cheap harnesses with 2 straps, they stay on, one around the neck and another belt around the belly, an H type. I let her run around inside with the harness so now I can put it on her if so be it. I have read about clicker training cats and using harnesses and teaching them to walk. That I have yet to do. Walking the cat like a dog. Your cat is probably very young and frisky and bored to tears. Don't take this as a criticism. My cat is often bored and I don't pick up on it because I am dense. She does not want food when she sits and stares at me - she wants something to do. And she won't go outside because of the snow and ice. I once THREW her outside to get her little feet wet. That was cruel. And now every time I open the door, she stands 15 feet behind me, probably won't trust me for years and years. Actually I wanted to get her feet wet for a chance to clean off some stuff that using shampoos and soaps did not do. So there was a method to my insensitivity. Try training the cat. Have you tried that? I get my cat to do some tricks. Just need a bit of food. Maybe even train the cat to come back if escaping. For that I might want to consult professionals, see Cat Clicker Training, Karen Pryor, also a Yahoo group with Wendy Jeffries. Ask in there since it seems your cat is going to escape and rather than sit around and moan and groan, do some thinking and training, along with the cat. I suspect this will work but I am just an internet with a little success with an outdoor cat that is now indoors mostly. My cats are indoor cats but I do have one that will shoot out the door when he gets it in his head. I also have kids so its more difficult. What I usually do when I know the door is going to be opening a lot like kids coming home from school is scoop him up and put him in the other room for a couple hours. He's got a box and food in there and once things settle he can come back out. He still shoots out the door at times but its become more a game of chase the cat he runs a couple houses down we skirt around him and he runs back up to the house. This is not a great solution but I'm living with it and I always know where he is and it keeps him safe. Isis used to be like that and in some ways still does it. I think the worst time was when the pizza guy showed up and she darted out the door. Being that it was nightime it was hard to catch her because she is a black kitty. Lucky for me when she got out she meowed the whole time and ended up on the neighbor's porch which was lit up enough for me to see her. Lucky for me that when Isis gets out she doesn't go far. When I moved to my current place, Isis got out and for an hour I didn't know she was gone. After calling for her both inside and outside, I heard meows coming from the back porch. I opened the door and there she was. SignaturePanther TEK: Staying On Top Of All Your Computer Needs! www.members.cox.net/catprotector/panthertek Cat Galaxy: All Cats, All The Time! www.catgalaxymedia.com > My cats are indoor cats but I do have one that will shoot out the door > when he gets it in his head. I also have kids so its more difficult. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > is not a great solution but I'm living with it and I always know where > he is and it keeps him safe. >Isis used to be like that and in some ways still does it. I think the worst >time was when the pizza guy showed up and she darted out the door. Being [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >calling for her both inside and outside, I heard meows coming from the back >porch. I opened the door and there she was. Isis needs to wear a tag, or at least be microchipped. It may be her ticket home someday. Sherry > This little guy insists running out of the house. He did it 2 times. > The first time - 30 hours of freedom - he got ring worm and ear mites. > He did it again yesterday. > We can't handle that. I know he is a cat, he prefers life outside, but > we prefer to keep him indoors. To his safety and our peace of mind. We > are all crazy about him. Leash train him. He wants to go out, let him out. Just be there with him so nothing bad happens to him. Going for a walk with him on a harness and leash might help him get it out of his system. My Rowan does the door-dash if I don't take her out regularly. I live in a condo, though, so there's a hallway to catch her. Signature-- ~kaeli~ Hey, if you got it flaunt it! If you don't stare at someone who does. Just don't lick the TV screen, it leaves streaks. http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace I would try training him to get used to a leash and harness. This way he can go outside and you have peace of mind knowing he is safe. SignaturePanther TEK: Staying On Top Of All Your Computer Needs! www.members.cox.net/catprotector/panthertek Cat Galaxy: All Cats, All The Time! www.catgalaxymedia.com > I have a gorgeous 10 month old neutered Russian Blue and 2 neutered > Siamese females. [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > THanks > Claudia >I have a gorgeous 10 month old neutered Russian Blue and 2 neutered >Siamese females. [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] >THanks >Claudia I wouldn't go with any type of collar-type fence. If you did manage to train the cat to respect it's boundaries, then he'll be stuck inside its perimeter, but would not be protected from a predator. I have yet to try this -- I bought it last fall and have yet to install it: http://www.friendlyfence.com > I have yet to try this -- I bought it last fall and have yet to install > it: > > http://www.friendlyfence.com Did you buy the whole 7-1/2' high kit? I bought a 100' roll of it to build an outdoor enclosure. Very durable stuff, though one of my cats could climb it. I didn't use their posts, so that could make a huge difference. I used just plain garden stakes to hold it tight to the ground rather than use the ones they offer. If you set it up let me know how it goes. Cheryl >> I have yet to try this -- I bought it last fall and have yet to install >> it: [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > >Cheryl Yeah, I bought 200' of the "Houdini-proof" kit. I'm also worried about the cats trying to climb it -- especially the super-athletic 14 pound mini-tiger. I'm already prepared to put the thing up, and find I made a $1100 mistake if they try and climb it and I have to scrap the idea, but it's worth a try. There is that one cat shelter on their web site, located in PA, which is using the system to enclose about 40 cats, so I'm hopeful. I'll post a full report, when it's up. eq equalizer <> dumped this in news:76bo30pvbumhiv9o9bp65akibbqotbo4kc@ 4ax.com on 25 Feb 2004: > Yeah, I bought 200' of the "Houdini-proof" kit. I'm also worried about > the cats trying to climb it -- especially the super-athletic 14 pound > mini-tiger. I'm already prepared to put the thing up, and find I made a > $1100 mistake if they try and climb it and I have to scrap the idea, but > it's worth a try. I think the way that the top edge leans forward and isn't exactly a sturdy climbing surface will make it successful for you. I'd really like to hear how it works out for you. >equalizer <> dumped this in news:76bo30pvbumhiv9o9bp65akibbqotbo4kc@ >4ax.com on 25 Feb 2004: [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >climbing surface will make it successful for you. I'd really like to hear >how it works out for you. Now, on yours, can your cat climb all the way to the top, or does he give up? And, sis you leave the fence loose or is it tight on your home made supports? They mention in the instructions that it should be loose, which makes it unstable for the cat to climb on. > Now, on yours, can your cat climb all the way to the top, or does he > give up? And, sis you leave the fence loose or is it tight on your > home made supports? They mention in the instructions that it should be > loose, which makes it unstable for the cat to climb on. He came really close to climbing to the top, and probably would have if I didn't stop him. I used the deck posts to attach the mesh to (with cable ties) and ended up having to completely cover the enclosure with more mesh which I stapled to the underside of the deck joists with a heavy-duty stapler. This way there are no little openings for smart kitties to find a way out. I initially left it fairly loose to inhibit climbing, but when that didn't work is when I felt I had to completely encase it. You should have seen Shamrock; he was hanging on a wobbly mesh wall and inching closer to the top and didn't care that it wasn't sturdy. But he's weird. He also did his climbing right where the mesh was cable-tied to the deck posts (6x6's?) so they are nothing like the pole supports in the kit. I attached the mesh to the *inside* of the deck posts so they didn't have bare wood to climb. >> Now, on yours, can your cat climb all the way to the top, or does he >> give up? And, sis you leave the fence loose or is it tight on your [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] >pole supports in the kit. I attached the mesh to the *inside* of the >deck posts so they didn't have bare wood to climb. I guess I'm just going to have to wait and see. The snow's melting, so it won't be long before this becomes the project. I'm going to be nervous as hell letting them in that thing. I've even contemplated trapping a feral and releasing him into the enclosure to see if he can get out, LOL! Might not be too far-fetched, as I intend to use the enclosure for fosters from my shelter if it works. If it doesn't work, I just wasted $1K, but no big deal -- I bought the cats this house last year because it had an enclosed porch. They could rip through the screens at any time, but they know the boundaries and respect them, so I'm hoping the same will be true of the fence. I'm sure they COULD get out of this enclosure if they wanted to -- 20 lb Floppy has jumped 7 feet from a sitting position to tag a laser dot on the wall moved progressively higher. Claudia <capaula@actcom.co.il> wrote in rec.pets.cats.health+behav: > I have a gorgeous 10 month old neutered Russian Blue and 2 > neutered Siamese females. [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > THanks > Claudia Why not train your kid to show some responsibility and not let the cat out. Problem solved.
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