# How to make the kitten uninterested in the outdoors?



## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

I have a 5 month old kitten that is constantly trying to get outside. I got her way young, 6 weeks, and she was raised indoors and we've never taken her outside. She's escaped a couple times already, and I've even boobie trapped it where I was waiting outside with the hose and squirted her and she shot back inside.

She's got toys, catnip, scratching posts with feather toys, and I bring her in critters I catch in the yard (june bugs, grasshoppers, ect.)

How do I get her to stop trying to go out? I really don't want another indoor/outdoor cat and then find it dead on the road.


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## PammiPoodle (Jul 16, 2011)

How is she trying to escape? When people go in and out of the doors? Or does she try to break window screens, too? If it's just when people are using the doors, maybe you can teach her to go to her mat or carrier when the door opens? The sound of the door can be the cue for "run to my place to get a treat!" A carrier would be great because that way if you're bringing in groceries or leaving the door open for a few minutes you can close her door. Maybe even sprinkle a little catnip in there first so she'll be distracted. : )

Also, the few times she's escaped is probably what's keeping her trying. She wants to go have fun again! : ) You might want to contain her in a room or large crate (with her food, water, and litter box) when you go out. So that when you're leaving or coming in escape simply cannot happen. Once she's reliably avoiding the open door, she can have more freedom. : )


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## Keithsomething (Oct 31, 2009)

I wouldn't actually suggest it or even risk it...but our cat was the master of escaping he would just stay sitting on the front porch for someone to find him...unfortunately one time he Broke out a screen in a window and he didn't end up on the porch, it was like a week later that he crawled onto the porch covered in grime and funk. Needless to say he hasn't tried going outside ever again

One thing that was suggested when we were having this issue was building a cattery, by extending a windows screen out using tiight chicken wire and stilts so the cat feels like it's outside


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## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

We don't have screens on the windows, they're the old fashioned ones that you pull up to open, and the windows themselves are probably from the 50s, so we even have to prop them up to get some air in the house. This is how she's escaped before, though I'm normally pretty good about keeping an eye on her when she goes out.

I could try the cattery, I'm sure she'd really enjoy that.

I'm just done with indoor/outdoor cats, I can't deal with finding my pet dead on the road again.


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## 2719 (Feb 8, 2011)

Fluffyspoos said:


> I'm just done with indoor/outdoor cats, I can't deal with finding my pet dead on the road again.


Oh I hear you on that! The lady across the street has two cats that are always roaming the streets and never have been hit. Years ago I didn't know my cat escaped and she was hit and killed.

Our current cat wants out...badly and will try to sneak past when I am going out the door...usually to hang out laundry. If I can keep an eye on him I let him out...and when I am done the laundry I scoop him up and take him back inside.

I have also used a harness and rope attached to an anchor and let him roam around while I sat outside and watched him.

This is the only way he goes out....and I hope that it satisfies his need to constantly escape.

The only other thing I can think of is just to be constantly vigilant!


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## tokipoke (Sep 3, 2011)

Is your cat fixed? When they are not fixed (especially males), they want to go roaming and wandering. My cat cries to go outside. It's SO annoying. I just pick the hottest part of the day and open the door. She feels how hot it is and how scorching hot the concrete is. She slowly backs up into the house lol. But she knows better cause she's hairless. Maybe you could build a cat run? It's somewhat like the window cattery, but more like a dog run that's fenced in she can explore without danger.


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## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

Yes, she and all the other animals in the house are fixed. No baby animals for me!


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## PammiPoodle (Jul 16, 2011)

Do you mean that when the windows are open there's no screen so she can go right through? I think teaching her not to do that might be a lot like teaching a dog to ignore a steak on the floor! They'll listen if you're there, but once they're left alone...all bets are off!!

I like the other suggestions of the safe outdoor area. Maybe you could set up a dog pen outside/around one of your windows. Then allow her to hop out that one into the pen. : ) If she has an outlet for grass eating and sunbathing, maybe she would stay away from the other windows. Especially if when you see her eyeballing them you just scoop her up and bring her to "her" window. : )


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## Midge0413 (Sep 14, 2011)

The only thing about having the screened in area is that if she "loves" being outside in that then there isn't going to be much keeping her from going out the doors or oPen windows. My cat used to try to run out the front door but when we started squirting him with a sPray bottle any time he would get close to it whether it was open or not he learned the door meant a bad thing (we also made he errrn noise while squirting so thAt now if we make he noise he knows he's in trouble). And def don't do he leash thing... That only made mine want out way worse. IMO it just takes time to get them used to it but I do agree with the kennel setup for her.


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