Don't open the door. :-)

Yup.

Yup. Get him a cat tree and put it by a window where he can watch the
world (and coyotes) go by safely. You can put up a birdfeeder to keep
him visually stimulated. Also provide him with toys and lots of love.
You might even consider adopting a second cat to keep him company, but
if you do so make sure to choose one that will fit with his personality
and do a slow introduction. You'll find good advice on this subject
here:
http://www.catsinternational.org/articles/getting_a_cat/index.html

Megan

                                   

In addition to Megan's advice, if after you do all of that and months later
he still plagues you by trying to get out the door every time you leave, you
could hang a coffee can of marbles to the door in a  mesh bag so every time
the door opens it makes noise. Nice deterrent. We installed an alarm system
due to some burglaries in the neighborhood some years back, so the doors
say "fault, front door!" when opened. That is enough to keep our Cheeks
away. She doesn't like doors that talk to her!

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----

From: "Dick Peavey" <me@privacy.net>

Short answer...........lot's of love and attention.

We've got an ex-feral living with us. It's been six months now and I'd say
he's just now starting to really settle in. It sounds like you've got it "easy" if
he is just going to the door and bitching at you. Our little guy was trying to
dig his way out and put a few good scratches in the door. We took him in
after he showed up with a couple of nasty bites on his butt that were getting
infected (we think a run-in with either a fox or coyote) and in our state there's
a choice of euthanasia or a 6 month quarantine for a bite in an unvaccinated
animal. Six months ended last week and I'm happy to say that he's doing
fine.
Squeaky will adapt to indoors, but it will take time. He'll need LOT'S of things
to keep him busy. Our house is littered with toilet paper rolls, wads of paper,
springy cat toys, catnip balls, and a couple of stuffed animals for him to
attack and "kill". Oh, and there's the laser pointer, too. There's a bird feeder
that I set up about 6 feet outside one window and watching the birds keeps
him occupied for a couple hours a day. There's a small braided rug sprinkled
with catnip that he's learned is OK for claw sharpening and all other furniture
is off limits.
You've got yourself a project, there, for a few months. But he'll reward you
with much love for your efforts.
Hang in there, it DOES get easier.

I would lock him in. Get LOTS of toys and interact with him regularly. Get
him a climbing tree or two. That will greatly improve his outlook on
indoors. My mom took in a cat that was used to being outdoors 24/7. For the
first 2 or 3 weeks he meowed a lot, but seems to have gotten over it.

Karen

Thanks everybody.

--
Dick

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Get him declawed, bring him inside and then everything else will take care of
itself. You'll figure out the answer to your problem then, I'll tell you.
You'll have no other choice.

                   IBen getiner