Ideas for stopping cats getting out of the front door?

[Tiggy's Mum]

That would have been the perfect solution, unfortunately my drawing is not quite to scale!  The front door itself is 33" wide so as you can see, when opened, it takes up quite a chunk of the 51" from the threshold to the bottom of the stairs.  This would mean that the screen would be too close to the 5ft bannister post and they would just step over it!

  for the idea though

[wharfevalley catsprotection]

Could you maybe get a large wicker screen and place it over the door as you leave? You can get beautiful (if expensive), robust ones from The Pier. It would look nice and perhaps block the littles one's way when you're leaving and when you come back.

If you got one that way hinged two or three ways, you could put it in a triangle configiration round the door - does that make sense???

[Tiggy's Mum]

Here's my mini plan I did....  If anyone can think of something I could do I'd be eternally grateful 

[Tiggy's Mum]

I just had a thought. Could you come and go through the back? Is it possible to block the kitchen or whever the back door leads to off from the boys during the day?

When the garden is cat proofed I could go through the front of the garage, out the back door of the garage into the garden and then in the house through the back door which goes directly into the lounge but it's the hassle factor really - if I can think of something that stops them getting out the front all together that would be ideal.  At the moment while the garden isn't catproofed the only 'safe' way in would be to lock them out of the lounge whilst I'm out and come in through the garage method but it's the biggest room in the house and has their climbing tower, toys and beds in.

My Mum has suggested building a wooden frame in the hallway and having a humungous floor length wooden blind (roman or venetian) that I can pull down and then bolt either side to the frame.  I'm not convinced it would work and is probably the ugliest solution available too!  I don't mind 'ugly' if it was foolproof catproof but like I say I'm not convinced!

[wharfevalley catsprotection]

Hmmm i'm not sure what to suggest. I know that with the FeLV kittens, we asked for another internal door to be fitted, but it was quite a straight forward fit.

I guess the only other thing would be too not have them in the living room when you leave (ie. put them in the kitchen) but I suppose that if you're out all day they'd like to have the run of the place....

I'll have a think!

[Den]

I just had a thought. Could you come and go through the back? Is it possible to block the kitchen or whever the back door leads to off from the boys during the day?

[Tiggy's Mum]

An outside porch would be the ideal solution but wouldn't be possible, I don't mind doing something internally but the dimensions are 76" (almost 2 metres) x normal ceiling height so it's hard to think of solutions!

When Tiggy and her brother were around they were indoor/outdoor but weren't allowed out after dusk so I had a similar problem coming in after it was dark - that's what's worrying me - they were not as young and sprightly as the boys and there were still times when, despite my best placed bag or leg, they managed to get out when they weren't supposed to.

It would be a nightmare if they got out as 1) they have never been outside so would probably be very frightened and run off and 2) I'm far too close for comfort to a busy road 

[dolcetta46]

I guess I am lucky, Oliver doesn't seem to be interested in going out of the front door, sometimes he stretches out his neck and sniffs but has never tried to go out.  Well it is just a 3rd floor hallway nothing interesting in sight, but probably it is because he has never gone outside by himself in his life time.

[clarenmax]

Every night our conversation goes like this when I get home, as he's always by the front door when he hears my car:-

Me:  Hey Maxy bubs, how's my baby boy?
Max from t'other side of the door:  Meow
key then goes in lock, much more meowing.....
Me: You don't want to come out, its cold and dark.
Max: Meow
Me: (door now open): Hey Maxy look at my nice handbag, isn't it lovely, yes you really want to look at it, come on then, out the bloomin way.....
Max: Waaahhhh

 

[Dawn F]

oh yes big handbag, forgot that!

[clarenmax]

I find that with a single door, its not so much getting out, but getting back in which is the problem.

I regularly have to put my handbag in front of him, with a well placed leg, to stop him getting out into the front garden  

[Millys Mum]

I use treats to distract them whilst i leave the house, i dont have a problem on the return opening as mine are allowed out. They tend to beat me to the back door straight away 

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

I just don't open the door far and then go out quickly!  Not much help I know.  When I leave, I give them a treat and they're usually hovering in the hall or living room but don't make an attempt to go out.  I make sure they're not close to the door and just dive out pretty quickly.  When I come home I open the door a small amount so that I can see if anyone's there and stick my crutch in if there is!  But there usually isn't and if Mosi is behind the door, it opening will push him further into the hallway.  Of course, I'm not in exactly the same situation as if they got passed my door they'd only be in the hallway of the block of flats with another door between them and the outside.  I do have some cardboard boxes in the hall that act as a bit of a barrier.  They can get over them easily, but they seem to act as a sort of psychological barrier.  If they are the other side of the boxes, it's not as easy for them to dash out the door.  I'd suggest having a treat in your hand then when you're about to open the door, throw the treat away from the door and make a dash for it! 

[Den]

I always wondered this too, thanks for asking the question Helen. We have a Porch area and it's so handy but I have worried since I'm not going to be here forever and a porch might not always be available.

[lucy]

If you can put a porch on that is a massive help - we open one door, close it, then open the next. A bit like an airlock, or catlock!   I realise that might be too expensive or unworkable though. Otherwise, I don't know. Treats to throw in the opposite direction while you sneak in and out?

[Dawn F]

tbh until we got our porch put up a well placed foot was the best I came up with!

[Tiggy's Mum]

As some of you may know I have recently moved house, I didn't have a problem with the front door before as even if they had managed to get out of the front door they still had to get through another door to escape into the big wide world.

My situation now is that once I have had the fences and catproofing put up they will be able to go out into the back garden but they will never be allowed out the front, the difficulty here is that there is just the one front door.  My first thought was to get a privacy screen which I could pull accross the hall as I left the house so I could get in safely, unfortunately due to the height of the bannisters on the stairs (the first platform is 5 foot ish) then it would be a simple step onto the top of the screen and then into the 'safe zone' with no effort required.  I've only recently moved in so for the time being I've moved a litter tray into the living room and closed them in there while I've gone out but it's not fair on them to do this long term.

Has anyone got any ideas/solutions?  How do you stop your cats getting out of a door if they're not allowed out there?