My indoor cat keeps trying to sneak out the door. What can I do?

It can be difficult to keep cats inside when they want to get out. First, I would recommend never taking Pawncho Jo (love the name!) outside through this door unless she is in a carrier - it is confusing to get to go out the door sometimes but not others. If possible, the best thing to do would be to confine her to another room when you are coming or going so that she can't access the door. This obviously wouldn't work in a busy house. I am usually reluctant to recommend any type of negative reinforcement for cats since it can lead to fear and undesirable behavior, but you could try making a loud noise when she approaches the door or using something like a Sssscat forced air can to scare her away.

No, there's nothing wrong with him, he's just curious about the outside. My own cats are indoor only cats, and they treat to sneak outside occasionally too. Except for my deaf cat, that is, he has no interest in the outside at all! Maybe because he can't hear any curious sounds outside that make him want to explore. To keep him from doing this, just lock him up in another room when you go inside or outside :-)

Since Jerry gets into fights when let outside I would definitely recommend keeping him as an indoor kitty. To help decrease his tendency to roam I would recommend having him neutered. You should also increase your interactions with him by doing things such as playing with a laser pointer and grooming him. If he is stimulated enough in the home he will be less likely to want to go out. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Unfortunately it’s very difficult to train cats. Unlike dogs, most of them do not have a desire to please their humans. Other than just be extra cautious when leaving the house so that he does not slip through an open door, you can purchase electric fence type devices for the house. Roxzy, would wear a special collar that will give a static correction if he approaches the boundary. Meanwhile you would set up the boundary around the door. Most cats respond very well to this system. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

I have 5 cats and live in the same kind of environment. Our cats are also inside outside cats and I can tell you how we manage: 1) we feed twice a day wet food and call the cats for it. They come running for their food, we use the same call every time. This ensures that your cats come home when you call them. 2) Our cats are to be inside at night. ie we do not let them out after the evening feed. 3) they can go out if they wish, after the morning feed. Most predators hunt at dusk and dawn. So this minimizes the opportunity for contact of the cats with predators. If you can replace door handles with door knobs, the cats cannot open the doors anymore. We have been doing this for 12 years now, and have not lost a cat yet.

It may be difficult to train Angel not to run out the door when she has the chance. Certainly vigilance if the best option. There are invisible fence options and motion activated blow horns which can act as a negative deterrent for Angel. You can also try environmental enrichment such as adding climbing opportunities, daily play time and food puzzles. These additions may not reduce her escape behavior but it may help make her happier. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

There is no fail safe way to make sure he will be completely safe as accidents can always happen, but personally I believe cats should be able to go out as it allows them to exhibit natural behaviour. Because he is an older neutered cat he is unlikely to stray too far, but obviously he hasnt had the experience of outdoors since he was young. I would start by taking him out on a harness, let him get used to your garden and outdoor sounds such as engines etc. When you come to let him off for the first time don't feed him before so he has a good reason to come home if he does venture off. Make sure he is microchipped and has an id on his collar just in case. To an extent you will just have to leave him to it, but he should be fine. Investing in a cat flap is a good idea too and make sure he is vaccinated. Good luck!