Expert: Dear Tabbi - 2/3/2009

Question
QUESTION: i have a 8 month old kitten who always wants to go outside. anytime he heres the door open he tries to sneak outside. the first few time he just stayed in out front yard, but now he's running away further and further. my family is worried that eventually he will run away for good. do you know anyway to stop him from trying to go outside. maybe a trick to scare him from the door? i am not interested in leash training by the way and my cat is nuetered.

thank you for spending the time to read my question
~paul~

ANSWER: Paul,

When you notice your cat going towards the door or if he looks like he is  going to begin meowing, distract him. Get a shoe string (or similar) to pull, roll a marble so he can chase it, etc. The key is to distract him from the behavior BEFORE he starts it.

You have to ignore him when he start meowing. Completely! Do not react or acknowledge his meowing in any way. He will eventually stop when he sees that he is not getting any reaction from you. But if you don't ignore him ONE time then it will almost impossible to get him to stop because then he knows that if he meows long enough you will give him attention...and he's got plenty of time. When he stops meowing THEN play with him or give him kitty treats. That way he will associate not meowing with something pleasant.

I've never tried it but get a large box and put it in front of the door with the opening towards the inside of the house. Tape two pieces of cardboard together on top to form a piramid so he can jump on top of the box and meow. Since it blocks the door, a cat shouldn't go in the box just to meow at the back wall of the box

Get a nice tall kitty condo that you can put in front of a window for him to climb on. They enjoy being high up looking out a window.

Your kitten may be bored and looking for some companionship. Have you ever thought about getting another kitty about his same age and temperament for him to play kitty games with? That may help.

Cats DO love to go outside. If you want to let the cat out, let him go exploring BEFORE he is fed. Hunger keeps a cat close to home. Leave the door cracked open and let the cat venture out as he feels comfortable. Leaving the door cracked open gives the cat a chance to run back in to safety if there is something 'scary' out there. The cat needs to put his scents around the area so he knows that is where home is. He will do that by rubbing on things. Cats have good radar about where they live. Just watch for dogs or stray cats that could chase him.

Surprisingly some cats oly like to go outside for a little while, then they are ready to come back in when they are through exploring.

I would also collar train him (breakway kind only) and tape your address or phone number on it in case he DOES sneak out get lost.

I hope this helps.
Tabbi

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: so it would be ok to let my cat outside unsupervised? what if its winter (like it is right now?) i live in winnipeg and the winter's can get extremely cold.

Answer
Paul,

If it's possible for you to let your cat out and supervise the time outside, that would be best. Cats do not have any reasoning ability and the cat would not know that it is cold and wet outside. He would think it is an extension of how it is inside. He may 'think' he wants out but when he actually does go, he may change his mind quickly.

I'm sorry I can't help you with information about cats in snow or extreme cold. I live in 'sunny California' in an area that never snows, so I don't know how cats do in it. But YOU are the parent, so YOU decide what is best for the kitten. Don't let HIM make that decision.

Tabbi