Mary Allen
Cats are naturally curious and willingly take any opportunity to escape to explore the world beyond the front door. However, for the safety of the furry friends and the nerves of their favorite people, it is important to prevent them from doing so.
Uncontrolled or unfamiliar outdoor access offers many dangers: traffic, dogs, or wild animals with a hunting instinct, maybe even cat haters in the neighborhood. Cats that are not normally free roamers or are new to the area, also fur noses that are only secured outdoors in their own garden, can be overwhelmed by the many new stimuli in the outside world, act thoughtlessly or in the heat of the moment move too far away from theirs Remove home. With the following tips, you can prevent your cat from running out the door at the first opportunity.
Set Up the Favorite Place Away From the Door
Try to convince your cat that it’s much nicer inside than outside. Set up a favorite spot for it with a great scratching post, an exciting view out the window, or other climbing and lookout options. Away from the front door, provide your kitty with a range of intelligent toys and food puzzles so she can keep herself busy while you’re away.
Only greet and say goodbye to your furry friend in this place, make it even more attractive with delicious treats, then the outside world will no longer seem so irresistible compared to your own four walls. Tip: If you are planning to keep your cat purely as an apartment, it is advisable to adopt at least two cats together. This allows pets to entertain and amuse each other when you are not at home.
Make the Front Door Uninteresting for Cats
While making the interior more attractive, you can also make the front door less interesting. In this way, you improve your chances that your cats will not even think about escaping. If your furry friend approaches the front door, ignore it until the cheeky escape artist calmly settles in her favorite spot. There she gets her reward and can greet you or say goodbye.
The more boring the entryway is for your cats, the better. It is best not to keep cat toys, food, or objects that could arouse their curiosity near the door. It is also best to greet guests only when they are in the living area and not already in the hallway. If the entrance is as empty as possible and nothing ever happens there, with a bit of luck your kitty will stay away on its own.
Lock System Can Prevent Escape
If that doesn’t work, you can introduce some sort of backdoor system. It is most practical if you can access the outside through a space that can be separated from the rest of the living area, such as the garage, a porch, or a pantry. Then first go through the door that separates the living area from the room, close it – and go through the other door outside.
If you don’t have this option because the apartment is too small or the house has neither a vestibule nor a pantry, you can improvise: a baby gate in the hallway offers at least a little protection, but cats can easily jump over it if they want to. A screen is higher and maybe enough to keep your feline friends from escaping.
Prevent Escape Through Deterrence?
You should only use this method in an emergency, as it can quickly backfire: the water spray bottle. The aim is for your cat to associate the front door with an unpleasant stimulus and therefore avoid this area in the future. To do this, keep a squeeze bottle of water outside, right outside the door. When you’re out and before you go back in, open the front door a tiny crack so your escape artists can’t see you and squeeze through. Then spray your furry friend on its chest (never on its face!) so that it pulls away.
So your velvet paw thinks that it always gets a splash of water as soon as it approaches the door – and finally lets it stay. Everyone who shares the household with you should do the same. The cat must consistently be splashed every time it approaches the door or it will not be able to make the link. It is important that she does not associate the unpleasant stimulus with you or another person, but solely with the door and the entrance area.
In the Case of Successful Attempts to Escape: Have the Cat Spayed & Microchipped
Unfortunately, however, one can never completely rule out the possibility of breaking out one day. Humans are sometimes careless or with their minds elsewhere and cats are agile, quiet, and fast. In this case, it is important that you also have indoor cats spayed and microchipped. A neutered cat is also less eager to go outside as she will not go into heat looking for a potent male, or neutered males will not seek mates and follow the laments of cat ladies in heat.
A microchip will help honest finders identify your runaway and match it to her home. So that she is not mistaken for a stray, a tattoo is also useful – this can be seen from the outside, the chip must first be checked at the animal shelter or at the veterinarian.