Why is my indoor cat so OBSESSED with going out the front door?
I have a 7-year old male tabby who’s been obsessed with going out the front door of every apt I’ve lived in. He’s always been an indoor cat but will sit at the front door and meow at the top of his lungs. When he’s not meowing, he’s clawing the carpet & has dug a whole in the carpet by the front door of my last three apts. I’ve tried spraying repellent I bought at my local pet store which is supposed to deter cats and dogs from scratching & biting but it only works for a few minutes and then he’s back to work. I try to play with him as much as I can when I get home. I do have another cat but she’s 16 years old and has no interest in playing with him. I’d love to get another cat for him to play with because he LOVES to play but I live in a small apt and 3 cats seems a bit much. Any suggestions?
He is neutered and does not live in a neighborhood where I can let him out unless I want him to get run over by a car.
Filed under: Cat Furniture
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DON’T LET HIM OUT! One of my cats got out was missing for a month then I find out that he was hit by a car the night he got out! Give him lots of toys that make noise. My new cat likes them.
If you were shut up in a apartment all day you would want to go out too.
Try to leash train him (yes you can leash train a cat but you need a harness because he will get out of his collar) and take him on small walks.
The Call of the Wild is no joke. Some cats are perfectly content with being confined to luxury apartment living and others act like prisoners always planning a way of escape. PLEASE make sure you have a snap away collar with ID tag. We lived with 3 cats in a little condo for many years and they all played the dodge the feet game when the door opened and then we would chase them round and round the building, terrified that they would get hit by a car or eaten by something larger. I am afraid the only solution is to move.
Cats are just as stubborn as we are! Cats require a certain amount of terriroty/space and I am afraid that adding another cat to the mix might make the Call of the Wild even stronger!
I laughed when I read your question as I could have written it myself! My cat is a rescue cat, we got him when he was 3 and had been an indoor cat all his life. (we have continued to keep him as an indoor cat). He paws at the front door, plays with the little keyhole cover, and if the buzzer goes he runs to the door from wherever he is. I put it down to curiosity, as he’s the nosiest cat I’ve ever known!
well, he can’t go out – too dangerous – but that’s what he wants.
my cats are the same way. I take them out usually everyday on a leash and walk them like a dog. At first they hated the leash but they got use to it. Also I tie the leash a tree and let them play alone if i gotta go back inside.
Thank God you are a responsible, caring pet owner. My mother moved into an apartment after living in the burbs. Before she was in the apartment she used to let her cat go out in the backyard so when they moved, sure enough her cat was doing the same thing. It would stand at the door and meow and take a dive for the door every time she opened it.
We got her out of the habit quite quickly. I stood outside the door with a spray bottle of water. My Mom opened the door and as expected the cat ran out and was immediately soaked with the water. It never bothered trying to get out again.
You could also have someone outside your door and when the cat tries to run out they could make a lot of noise, bang a couple of pots together. That kind of thing. The noise will scare the cat and it will run back inside very quickly. Hopefully never to venture into the unknown again.
Let the poor cat out.
Is the cat fixed?
My cat was the same way – curious about the world beyond. The way I cured it was to put him in a carrier, and take him outside on a REALLY cold, preferably rainy day. After he was out there for a few minutes (not enough to hurt him or anything, just enough to let him see it was unpleasant), I took him back indoors. He’s never tried to go out the door since!
If he’s not neutered, you REALLY need to do that to tone done the urge to roam. As to a playmate – I’m in a small apartment also, and two cats aren’t really any more difficult to take care of than one, so that might help as well.
Good luck.
OMG I just posted a question similiar to this. As far is letting the poor cat out it is very dangerous to let a cat outside for many reasons diseases, injuries, CARS but sometimes it is hard not to do. Mine goes for the front door. but is he fixed??? and did you have him declawed??? and are his shots up to date?? Maybe it is the cat mine in a tabby to that likes to get out. lol jj
Unless he’s been neutered, he’s trying to get out because he can smell a female in heat. If he has been neutered, he may just be curious or feeling cooped up in the apartment.
If your cat is not neutered then he needs to be immediately for your sanity and for his. However, (My cats are all fixed) I had the same problem and realized that the problem was that my cat was craving grass or "greens" to aid her digestion. I started feeding her (and the others I have) Purina Indoor Cat Chow (in the light green bag-has greens) to satisfy this craving. You can also actually buy "cat grass" which you put in a little pot and it grows and he can graze which he will enjoy best. To find out if this is the problem, try cutting the tops off of some healthy green grass and putting them out for him. If he eats them- there you go.
It thinks it is going to miss something and if it is anything like my male cat, it goes out one door and in another. This goes on constantly throughout the day.
I am in the process of converting a 6-year old neutered male tabby from an indoor/outdoor cat into solely an indoor cat, so I fully appreciate what you’re going through! For the carpet scratching problem, maybe try one of those plastic carpet runners in front of the door, he won’t like the feel of it and won’t be able to get to the carpet. The loud meowing may just be because he’s bored or because he’s curious about what’s on the other side. My cat seems to think there must be an exit through the bathroom somewhere or inside the kitchen cabinets! To make life more interesting for your cat, maybe consider buying one of those carpeted cat tower/jungle gym arrangements you see at pet stores. They aren’t cheap but maybe it will make him happy. When I get some extra cash, I’m thinking of buying one.
The other problem may be that you seem to have moved quite a lot and cats are usually more attached to places, rather than people.
Good luck to you.