One Eyed Kitten

How to Prevent Your Cat from Running Out the Door

 

While some household cats are not interested at all in exploring the outdoors, others have a particularly curious streak and can’t stop themselves from bolting outside the minute they see a chance. It’s all fun and games until they fail to find their way back home, get injured or worse. The outdoors poses a number of risks for cats, including busy streets, poisons and wild animals.

 

Door Training

When you arrive home, do not greet your cat by the door no matter how excited you are to see them. Set up an official hello-and-goodbye spot on the other side of the room. This can be a cat tree, window perch, chair or any place your cat would enjoy sitting. Start by training him to go to that spot. Call his name and reward him with treats and pets when he goes to that spot. Clicker training can be a useful tool for this as well. All hellos and goodbyes should be done in this spot. If your cat is waiting for you at the door, calmly lead him over to the greeting spot before saying hello. This will help teach your cat to wait by this area rather than the door when you are leaving or returning home.

Offer your cat a puzzle feeder in that spot so it will take him more time. There are many types of puzzle feeders that can accommodate dry or wet food. Divide his daily meal portion into these before you are planning to leave the house.

Enlist help from a friend or family member to knock on the door or ring the door bell and teach your cat to go to their “spot” to get lots of treats!

Teach your cat to sit. Use a clicker and train the cat just like you would train a dog.

 

Try a New Feeding Schedule

Strategically adjusting your cat’s feeding schedule combines behavior training and distraction. Try feeding your cat as soon as you leave in the morning and right when you get home for the day. This distracts them as you step out of the door and gives them an incentive to stick around for dinner when you get back home.

 

Create Barriers

If possible, try to block access to your cat’s preferred escape route.

Block the front door entrance. If there is a door you can close to keep your cat away from the door you will be exiting, this is an easy solution. Otherwise, create a barricade – choose something that your cat can not easily jump over or slip through. You can do this with a folding metal dog exercise pen, or baby gates or walk through gates. If you have a front porch, you could put a gate there as a secondary barrier.

 

Distraction

  • Try keeping treats by the door for when you are about to leave. Get your cat’s attention and throw the treats as far away from the door as possible. Then slip out the door as quickly as possible.
  • If your cat tries to escape when you enter the house, you can also leave treats right outside of your door to give your cat as you are coming in.
  • When you leave your house, try guiding your cat away from the door with a laser pointer, or throw a toy into another room to occupy them.
  • Before leaving the house, give your cat a yummy irresistible treat or a couple of his favorite toys to play with. Slow feeders and puzzle feeders are a great option!
  • Make staying inside more appealing with lots of treats, toys, scratching posts, cat trees and comfy hideaways in rooms far away from any exit points.
  • Hang bird feeders next to a window perch so your cat can enjoy the excitement of the outdoors from the safety of your home.
  • Your cat might also enjoy watching TV. There are programs specifically designed to entertain cats, or even stations like Animal Planet, NatGeo or nature programing can be intriguing.

 

Door Deterrents

If your cat is super-hardcore and doesn’t respond to any of your positive reinforcement techniques, these deterrents are certainly better than having your cat run directly into traffic.

  • Use a pet spray deterrent- any pet who walks near the device will feel a short burst of spray. Motion-activated pet deterrents in orange or lemon sprays work well, as most cats do not like the smell of citrus.
  • Apply “Sticky Paws (double sided tape)” to placemats positioned near the door to make the surface uncomfortable.
  • Use clear plastic floor mats placed spike-side up so the cat will avoid that area.
  • SSSCat is a cat repellent that has a built-in motion detector. When your cat approaches, the device sprays a hiss of air to startle the animal who will likely retreat.
  • Clap your hands when you see your cat clawing at the door, making the doorway as unappealing as possible.
  • Place aluminum foil along the doorway area. Many cats find the feeling of walking on it unpleasant and will steer clear.
  • Use a can full of pennies to scare your cat away from the door.

 

Other Tips

  • Get in the habit of always knowing where your cat is before you open a door so he can’t surprise you and dart out.
  • Use an alternate entrance and exit. If your cat is constantly hanging out by the font door, waiting to make its escape, try exiting out a different door like the back or garage door.
  • When you have guests over, put your cat in another room until the festivities are over. This way, when people come through the main door, your cat won’t be around to dart out it.
  • Keep a flat piece of cardboard or plastic outside the door so you can hold that in front of you, by your feet, as you enter, to prevent him from slipping by you.
  • Post a note by your door that warns visitors to watch out for the cat before opening the door.
  • Stay consistent! These tips will be most effective if everyone in the household is consistent with the methods you choose to apply.

 

Allow for Safe Outdoor Time

  • Invest in a “catio”, which is an outdoor enclosure where your cat can be in a safe space and enjoy fresh air and sunlight.
  • If your house already has an outdoor screen enclosure, that can be a great place to let your cat explore.
  • Give your cat a wall-mounted shelf by a window.
  • Bring a few cat-safe plants inside, such as catnip or cat grass.
  • Try a harness and leash to safely take your cat outside. Make sure to take them out through one designated door that they can associate with outdoor time (to prevent them from dashing out every door they see).

 

If Your Cat Gets Out

  • Make sure your cat always wears a collar and tags with your address on it at all times. For your cat’s safety, this should be a break-away collar so they can get away if the collar gets stuck on something. Because the collar may come off, you should also have your cat microchipped so your cat can be identified with or without tags. Make sure the microchip registration is up to date with your name/phone number/address. 

 

  • Keep your cat’s shots up to date, especially for rabies, distemper and leukemia.
  • Give your cat monthly heartworm preventative and flea/tick preventatives.
  • Train your cat to come to you when called.

 

 

https://rehome.adoptapet.com/answers/cat-rehoming/how-do-i-stop-my-indoor-cat-from-escaping

https://www.petdoors.com/blogs/dog/how-to-prevent-indoor-cats-from-escaping

https://www.thesprucepets.com/preventing-cat-escape-553924

https://www.wikihow.com/Keep-a-Cat-from-Running-out-the-Door

https://www.catster.com/lifestyle/cat-training-behavior-5-tips-door-dart-escape

https://catbehaviorassociates.com/door-darting/