We have a 6 yr. old cat and every day, his main goal is to escape our house. He was always an indoor cat until a few years ago (when we lived with my parents for 6 months to save for our house), and there was no way to keep him in (my mom always has doors wide open). He really liked being outdoors. Really, really liked it.
We moved into our house almost 3 years ago and have always tried to keep him inside, but he's determined to go outside every day. He will meow at the back door almost all day long if he has to and there have been days when I'm really stressed (DH is gone 6 months of the yr, so it doesn't take much during those times) when I will just let him out to make it stop. I know that's the worst thing to do because it's rewarding bad behavior... but, I can't take it sometimes. I also feel bad, he seems miserable because he can't go have adventures outside- but I really don't want him to disappear.
The times that he does get out, he usually kills like, 3 creatures within minutes! The other day, the girls let him out on accident and he killed a butterfly and a lizard within 5 minutes in our back yard
He's a smart guy (he's an Egyptian Mau, if that mkaes a diff. (we rescued him from a shelter and he turned out to be fancy, but I've heard these breeds are smart)) and knows when he hears the right words like if I tell the girls to "go play outside", he jumps down from wherever he is and comes running and crouches down like he's hiding from us and he's going to be real slick. It works occasionally and when he gets out, he's gone all day. Sometimes, if a door is slightly open and not latched, he figures out how to pull it open with his paws and escapes.
I really don't want him to go outside and I am and will do everything I can to keep him inside because I know that anything can happen to him- hit by a car, stolen, diseases, etc. He hasn't even lightened up after all these years of trying to keep him in. I feel really bad for him because it's obviously very much in his nature to be outdoors. I guess I'm venting more than anything, but has anybody ever had a cat this determined?
We moved into our house almost 3 years ago and have always tried to keep him inside, but he's determined to go outside every day. He will meow at the back door almost all day long if he has to and there have been days when I'm really stressed (DH is gone 6 months of the yr, so it doesn't take much during those times) when I will just let him out to make it stop. I know that's the worst thing to do because it's rewarding bad behavior... but, I can't take it sometimes. I also feel bad, he seems miserable because he can't go have adventures outside- but I really don't want him to disappear.
The times that he does get out, he usually kills like, 3 creatures within minutes! The other day, the girls let him out on accident and he killed a butterfly and a lizard within 5 minutes in our back yard
He's a smart guy (he's an Egyptian Mau, if that mkaes a diff. (we rescued him from a shelter and he turned out to be fancy, but I've heard these breeds are smart)) and knows when he hears the right words like if I tell the girls to "go play outside", he jumps down from wherever he is and comes running and crouches down like he's hiding from us and he's going to be real slick. It works occasionally and when he gets out, he's gone all day. Sometimes, if a door is slightly open and not latched, he figures out how to pull it open with his paws and escapes.I really don't want him to go outside and I am and will do everything I can to keep him inside because I know that anything can happen to him- hit by a car, stolen, diseases, etc. He hasn't even lightened up after all these years of trying to keep him in. I feel really bad for him because it's obviously very much in his nature to be outdoors. I guess I'm venting more than anything, but has anybody ever had a cat this determined?
The runner is a good idea, maybe I'll try that, thanks!
: Are you open to trying something like that?
