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Cat Forum / General Topics / March 2006Indoor Cat Desperately Wants Out
Hi everyone. I received my cat about a year and a half ago from my mother's friend that couldn't care for him anymore. He was born an indoor cat, and has been declawed by his previous owner. He's aproximately 2 years old and has also been neutered. He's always liked looking out the open (screened) window as I'm sure most cats do, but recently he's become desperate to get outside. I beleive it started when he slipped out the door oneday without me noticing when I was bringing in groceries. It took me a while to realize he was missing because I thought he was just napping somewhere but when I checked all his usual places and couldn't find him I knew he had gotten out somehow. A few hours later I found him underneath the house (it is slightly elevated for flooding purposes.) Now everytime someone opens the door to enter or leave he darts out. He doesn't seem to wonder far, only underneath the house, but there are a few stray cats around here and and as I said before he has no means of protection being declawed. Also, he has always been my only cat so he doesn't know how to interact well with other cats. Aside from him darting out the door, he has started "crying" . When I say crying I mean meowing very loudly at the door. He does this for hours upon hours without stopping. This is most annoying when he does it during the night when I'm trying to sleep. It's impossible to ignore and nothing I've tried will make him stop aside from actually letting him out. I've tried simply telling him "no" in a firm voice or just opening the window so he can look out, but neither has worked. I even started to spray him with a water bottle, but he runs off for about 5 seconds and then he's right back at the door meowing again. He probably doesn't even understand why I'm spraying him with water in the first place. I don't know why he wants out there so bad seeing as how he's neutered and all, but he does. If anyone has any ideas about this please let me know. It will be greatly appreciated. Thanks. "hedu" <sundropglitz@gmail.com> wrote in message > If anyone has any ideas about this please let me know. It will be > greatly appreciated. It's not exactly the same thing, but when I first got my cat, she was always trying to dart out the apartment door. She succeeded twice. After that, when I came home she was always waiting just inside the door after hearing my key in the lock. So what I started doing was opening the door and growl or say shoo or something like that in a loud voice. She'd run from the door just as it was opening and developed a habit of doing so whenever the door opened. She stopped trying to get out after that. Occasionally, I do find her near the door and automatically make some noise to remind her to run away. Thank you for the advice. I will definitely give it a shot. I tried to think of something I could put in front of the door to kind of deter him from sitting there and crying, but I couldn't come up with anything. I don't want to punish him for wanting out, it's only natural for him to want to. I just worry about what will happen to him if he out there. [snip] > Aside from him darting out the door, he has started > "crying" . When I say crying I mean meowing very loudly [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > Thanks. Try letting him out..! Think of him as a prisoner who has seen the outside world from his cell, how would you feel if it were you..? If you are worried about him not being able to defend himself (don't get me started on the *evil* practice of declawing) consider a harness, so you can go out with him, maybe that's all he needs. Ivor "Ivor Jones" <ivor@despammed.invalid> wrote in message > Try letting him out..! Think of him as a prisoner who has seen the outside > world from his cell, how would you feel if it were you..? Equivalent to a human prisoner eh? What fantasy world are you living in? > "Ivor Jones" <ivor@despammed.invalid> wrote in message > > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Equivalent to a human prisoner eh? What fantasy world are > you living in? Not the one where it is ok to force cats to live indoors, fortunately. Ivor I actually do know how he feels which is why I am trying my best to figure out a way to help him. My main concern is his happiness and comfort. I totally agree with you about declawing. If it had been up to me he would still have his claws intact, but unfortunately it was not my decision. I would never force him to do anything -- including living indoors if it makes him miserable. However, in my opinion letting him outside without any means of protection is sort of cruel too. Your suggestion of using a harness seems like a good compromise. I will give it a try as well. :) > Hi everyone. I received my cat about a year and a half ago from my > mother's friend that couldn't care for him anymore. He was born an [quoted text clipped - 32 lines] > > Thanks. Hi Hedu, This is a difficult dilemma for both of you. If you feel he must be an indoor cat, then Upscale's approach is a good way to deal with the problem. However, your poor cat sounds really distraught at being kept inside. Is it possible for you to fence off the outdoor area so that he is safer outside? Presumably he can't climb easily without claws, so you shouldn't need to build massive fortifications. Both my cats are outdoor cats (in the UK), with two catflaps so that they can come and go freely. At night, however, I try to keep them in. Even this short period of captivity makes them a little resentful, but I sleep better at night knowing they're safe. Could you possibly reach this kind of compromise with your cat? Since he's not wandering very far, you could make a point of frequently calling him for a treat or fewer, smaller meals so that he retains the habit of returning regularly. Of course there's always a risk in allowing a beloved cat outside, but since he's so miserable inside now, perhaps it's time to take that risk. Give him a trial few days of partial freedom and so how you both get on. Good luck to you both. Spider > > Hi everyone. I received my cat about a year and a half ago from my > > mother's friend that couldn't care for him anymore. He was born an [quoted text clipped - 55 lines] > Good luck to you both. > Spider Hi Spider, thank you for the suggestion. It would be ideal if I could create a fenced in area for him to play in, but unfortunately my current living situation won't allow it. I live in very close range to other houses and there's really not much room to put anything. Also, I don't think my landlord would approve of it. She's really particular about those kinds of things. I have plans of moving into an apartment soon and I've already devised a plan. The complex that I will be moving into has balconies for the upstairs and patios for the downstairs. I was thinking that I could put some sort of mesh netting or lattice across the front portion and then whenever he wanted out he could go out there and I wouldn't have to worry about other animals bothering him. I think he would be content with it even though it's a small area. I don't know yet what the regulations are for the apartments but it would be really great if I could get a cat door like you mentioned, for the door to the balcony, that way he could come and go as he pleases. "hedu" <sundropglitz@gmail.com> wrote in message > a plan. The complex that I will be moving into has balconies for the > upstairs and patios for the downstairs. I was thinking that I could > put some sort of mesh netting or lattice across the front portion and > then whenever he wanted out he could go out there and I wouldn't have > to worry about other animals bothering him. Be *very* careful letting your cat on a balcony. Many, many cats die by falling from balconies. Unless you find a way to completely mesh in all areas that the cat can reach (this includes where it can jump to), then I wouldn't be letting your cat out on a balcony at all. >Be *very* careful letting your cat on a balcony. Many, many cats die by >falling from balconies. Unless you find a way to completely mesh in all >areas that the cat can reach (this includes where it can jump to), then I >wouldn't be letting your cat out on a balcony at all. I will definitely have to do some checking and rechecking as well as testing it out under my supervision to see how it holds up. The way the baclonies and patios are set up is a little hard to explain, but there are walls on either side so only the front is left open aside from the metal guard rail. So I will have to mesh in the entire front part including the guard rail because being a cat, he could easily slip through the bars. >> > Hi everyone. I received my cat about a year and a half ago from my >> > mother's friend that couldn't care for him anymore. He was born an [quoted text clipped - 80 lines] > could get a cat door like you mentioned, for the door to the balcony, > that way he could come and go as he pleases. There are a number of sturdy mesh netting products, and some are almost invisible. It is very important, of course, to completely enclose both the railing and the top ("roof") of the patio area since a cat could leap or fall from a balcony. If you go to this location, you can view a number of outdoor enclosures. Many are meant to enclose a much larger area than you need. However, if you will scroll down the page, you can see some pictures using the type of mesh I described: http://www.cat-world.com.au/cat-worldenclosures.htm MaryL Photos of Duffy and Holly: >'o'< Duffy: http://tinyurl.com/cslwf Holly: http://tinyurl.com/9t68o Duffy and Holly together: http://tinyurl.com/8b47e Recent pics: http://tinyurl.com/clal7 >> I have plans of moving into an apartment soon and I've already devised >> a plan. The complex that I will be moving into has balconies for the [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > MaryL Here is another picture of an outdoor cat enclosure. Again, this is much larger than you would need, but you can clearly see the mesh construction and could probably modify this for a balcony. http://www.xmission.com/%7Eemailbox/catrun.htm MaryL "MaryL" <stancole1@yahoo.comTAKE-OUT-THE-LITTER> wrote in message > Here is another picture of an outdoor cat enclosure. Again, this is much > larger than you would need, but you can clearly see the mesh construction > and could probably modify this for a balcony. > http://www.xmission.com/%7Eemailbox/catrun.htm Now, *that's* a cat habitat if I've ever seen one. > "MaryL" <stancole1@yahoo.comTAKE-OUT-THE-LITTER> wrote in > message [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Now, *that's* a cat habitat if I've ever seen one. Indeed, that I like..! I much prefer cats to be allowed to roam free, but if they absolutely *must* be confined you couldn't do better. Ivor "Ivor Jones" <ivor@despammed.invalid> wrote in message > Indeed, that I like..! I much prefer cats to be allowed to roam free, but > if they absolutely *must* be confined you couldn't do better. The mesh is much too large if any kittens appear, but it looks like it would be fine for adult cats. I wonder how they handle the cat droppings? Maybe the cats are used to using litter boxes inside the house. For the cats they do have, it could cause problems if they were all doing their business outside. "MaryL" <stancole1@yahoo.comTAKE-OUT-THE-LITTER> wrote in message > There are a number of sturdy mesh netting products, and some are almost > invisible. It is very important, of course, to completely enclose both the > railing and the top ("roof") of the patio area since a cat could leap or > fall from a balcony. They netted the balconies on my apartment building a few years back ~ not to keep pets in, but to keep pigeons out. I was never so happy to see something like that done in my building. No more flying diapers and the crap they left on the balconies, making them literally useless to everybody. I got my cat only six months ago, so I have yet to go out and determine if the balcony is kitty safe, but it would be nice to be able to let her out there on a hot summer's evening. Considering her size and weight now, it's unlikely she will be able to escape or fall. > There are a number of sturdy mesh netting products, and some are almost > invisible. It is very important, of course, to completely enclose both the > railing and the top ("roof") of the patio area since a cat could leap or [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > using the type of mesh I described: > http://www.cat-world.com.au/cat-worldenclosures.htm Wow! That's awesome! I would just love to build him something big like that. Maybe someday I will be able to. Thanks for the links also. I didn't realize there were so many resources on the subject. >Hi everyone. I received my cat about a year and a half ago from my >mother's friend that couldn't care for him anymore. He was born an [quoted text clipped - 32 lines] > >Thanks. Have you ever thought of getting it a companion to keep it company? What about toys and things for it to play with? If there is nothing for it to do and occupy its time with inside it will want out. I have a friend that has a cat but the cat has no toys, cat condos, etc because she is a neat freak and her place is got to be just so and she does not like cat things around to mess up the place. I have 4 cats and the floor looks like it is carpeted with cat toys plus there are 8 kitty condos, a cat tree plus my ironing board they took over. All this in a 4 room (Plus bath) apartment. My babies have always met me at the door but have never tryed to get out. Same here..I have 6 cats...cant afford to be a neat freak with 6! :-) I had a couple get out accidentally, but when I went to pick them up to return them, they always seemed relieved to be let back inside...We have too many unneutered males hanging around our house, so it is not safe for ours to even think about going out... >>Hi everyone. I received my cat about a year and a half ago from my >>mother's friend that couldn't care for him anymore. He was born an [quoted text clipped - 50 lines] > door but have > never tryed to get out. The water spray shaping is unlikely to have any effect in this case, the cat is simply trying to tell you it would like to go out. The noise is an effort in communication, not a discrete behaviour. You've discovered this fact yourself by seeing the behaviour return in 5 min. Why not try a cat run under the house, wouldn't be obtrusive there, and you both win. Hook it up to a cat door at night, and sleep soundly. I'm pretty sure you don't need to teach your cat to interact with other cats, either. > Hi everyone. I received my cat about a year and a half ago from my > mother's friend that couldn't care for him anymore. He was born an [quoted text clipped - 32 lines] > > Thanks. > Hi everyone. I received my cat about a year and a half ago from my > mother's friend that couldn't care for him anymore. He was born an [quoted text clipped - 32 lines] > > Thanks. If you let him in the yard, kids with BB guns have easier access to him.  SignatureGHOULCOW!GHOULCOW!GHOULCOW!GHOULCOW!GHOULCOW!GHOULCOWGHOULCOW!GHOULCOW!GHOULCOW!GHOULCOW!GHOULCOW!GHOULCOW!GHOULCOW!GHOULCOW!!GHOULCOW!GHOULCOW! >> Hi everyone. I received my cat about a year and a half ago from my >> mother's friend that couldn't care for him anymore. He was born an [quoted text clipped - 32 lines] >> >> Thanks. I am assuming since you said you have a house that you also have a yard? Why not buy or build an enclosed pen where you can let him run around a couple of hours a day when the weather is nice? 2 sections of chain link, a gate and 5 posts should do it. Heck.. sometimes you can even find the chain link pretty cheap if someone is putting in a new fence and are getting rid of the old stuff. Sink 4 of the posts in a rectangle shape so that 2 widths are shorter than the 2 lengths. Mount the gate at one end of the short sections. Wrap the chain link around the other 3. Take one of the posts and lay it across the top (for support) and then lay the other section of chain link across the top. You could even put an outdoor cat jungle gym in it and a dog house type structure for shade. This will allow him to be outside but still be protected and not be able to run off anywhere. You can even put a couple of bird feeders near by so that he has something to get his attention. Make sure you sink the base of the chain link into the ground a couple of inches to keep him from being able to push at the bottom and get out or the enclosure. Also make sure you wire the sides and tops really well to help keep the whole thing from sagging. You can also move the structure every few months, don't sink the posts with cement. A little bit of time and a few dollars and both you and your cat will be happier for it. > If anyone has any ideas about this please let me know. It will be > greatly appreciated. > > Thanks. You don't say what sort of environment you live in. If your house is in a built up area surrounded by busy roads it's not a great prospect for the cat, if you live (as I do) backing onto open country with one, very quiet village road out front then I don't see that there is much reason to keep a cat indoors. Of course there aren't many (if any) genuine predatory carnivores to threaten any reasonable sized domestic cat in the UK - you may have a diffrent food chain that needs to be taken into consideration! The declawing is probably more likely to hinder his enjoyment of the great outdoors as the opportunity for climbing is greatly reduced (if not non-existent). Having been 'done' he is unlikely to want to get into many fights anyway and in my experience most cat fights are fairly short lived affairs and are more about hissing, baring teeth, fluffing up, cautiously circling, one quick swipe and then a quick escape - most get resolved before the 'clawing each others eyes out' phase.
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