Topic: nervous cat desperate for the outside (Read 9711 times)

ginge66 · « **Reply #36 on:** March 23, 2008, 17:16:07 PM »

Hi my two cats came from a rescue having spent most of their short lives in a cattery never going out. Like your cat they used to spend their time looking out the window and I looked forward to the time when I could let them out, because I thought thats what they wanted. When that time came they were very scared and basically went from bush to bush just hiding. I also made the mistake once of shutting the door once whilst I was cleaning upstairs and came down to a frantic Leo almost hanging off the door handle trying to get back in(we have a cat flap but they haven't mastered that yet).
I still let them out now if they want to go but find they never go far and always come back in the minute they hear a noise and i always makesure the door is open so they have a bolt hole. I do hope given time things will improve but it maybe that they are happy to be indoor cats which is fine by me cos then i don't have to worry about them so much.

Bazsmum · « **Reply #35 on:** March 23, 2008, 17:13:49 PM »

Quote from: kris on March 23, 2008, 17:08:17 PM

He'll just have to learn to tolerate killing toy mice from now on!

Dont feel that he is missing out.....the window from which he looks out is his safety net...the house he lives in his home!

Millys Mum · « **Reply #34 on:** March 23, 2008, 17:08:53 PM »

Quote from: kris on March 23, 2008, 16:40:31 PM

The issue is, if I open that door he is gone, whooosh, flat to the ground hissing as he goes, zigzagging across the garden without a glance back, his panic gives him pure adrenaline and then god knows where he would end up.

Thats risky even in a safe area, with a fast road outside i think you need to make the decision for him, as ela says you should see the dangers he cant.

Can you fix a cat run to the house near the window so he could go out safely?

kris · « **Reply #33 on:** March 23, 2008, 17:08:17 PM »

Quote from: Bazsmum on March 23, 2008, 16:56:28 PM

Chances are that when he was a stray it was a whole different ball game for him.....he was probably un-neutered and having to contend for a female...although his neutering will have took the aggression out of him he will still view other cats with caution!

You are probably right, he was neutered in the shelter right enough, poor soul, all that teasing with the enighbourhood cats then I take him out, he's lost all his aggression and the garden is saturated with the smell of other cats... shame.

He'll just have to learn to tolerate killing toy mice from now on!

kris · « **Reply #32 on:** March 23, 2008, 17:06:41 PM »

Quote from: Gill (sneakiefeline) on March 23, 2008, 16:55:56 PM

Probably cant smell him through the window

I think if he has been an indoor cat with you for two years , it would be best for him to stay one.

You are probably right, I just wish he wasn't so desperate to get out, oh well

Bazsmum · « **Reply #31 on:** March 23, 2008, 16:56:28 PM »

Chances are that when he was a stray it was a whole different ball game for him.....he was probably un-neutered and having to contend for a female...although his neutering will have took the aggression out of him he will still view other cats with caution!

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #30 on:** March 23, 2008, 16:55:56 PM »

Probably cant smell him through the window

I think if he has been an indoor cat with you for two years , it would be best for him to stay one.

kris · « **Reply #29 on:** March 23, 2008, 16:53:15 PM »

Quote from: Bazsmum on March 23, 2008, 16:49:03 PM

Silly me....its obviously a terratorial (sp?) issue.....especially if he know's other cats are visiting! In which case as he only has one eye he would be at a disadvantage protection wise.....I take it he dos'nt get along with other cats?

I haven't a clue, he is currently in a one cat household, came from a shelter after he was picked up as a stray, no further information about his reaction to other cats and other than 5 minutes last summer and 5 minutes last weekend has never been outside in the 2 years I have had him, he has only seen the other neighbourhood cats through the window and although he stiffens and gets a bit agitated he doesn't go incredibly insane

Bazsmum · « **Reply #28 on:** March 23, 2008, 16:49:03 PM »

Quote from: kris on March 23, 2008, 16:40:31 PM

The issue is, if I open that door he is gone, whooosh, flat to the ground hissing as he goes, zigzagging across the garden without a glance back, his panic gives him pure adrenaline and then god knows where he would end up. If he was just scared of going out/crossing the threshold then that would make my decision for me, I would think well the silly sausage wants to go out but when it comes to it doesn't so the dorr remains closed, that would make it easier to decide I think.

Silly me....its obviously a terratorial (sp?) issue.....especially if he know's other cats are visiting!

In which case as he only has one eye he would be at a disadvantage protection wise.....I take it he dos'nt get along with other cats?

kris · « **Reply #27 on:** March 23, 2008, 16:47:20 PM »

Quote from: Gill (sneakiefeline) on March 23, 2008, 16:42:51 PM

Oh dear I see, sorry misunderstood ...............in that case yes I think door has to remain shut.

Thats a very strange thing to happen. Is driven by some devil inside ...........sad.

He is just the most schizophrenic cat

, he appears so laid back, so confident and purry and headbutting, very chatty, loves visitors, demands tummy rubs etc but when he is spooked he flips out, the only other time he is out of control like this is when I'm trying to get him in a carrier (for the vet), I was really shocked at his reaction I have to say but actually knowing him it does make sense. He has overgroomed a lot in the past so I think the stimulation of outside would help him but this reaction is extreme. He was a stray though so he must have survived somehow but of course we don't know what he experienced out there!

kris · « **Reply #26 on:** March 23, 2008, 16:43:15 PM »

Quote from: Millys Mum on March 23, 2008, 16:35:27 PM

I wouldnt let him out, harness or not, he will end up giong further and further once confident and if he finds the road he has a disadvantage with an eye missing.

Iv also heard of cats going missing with harness on, they have freaked and the owner hasnt been able to gain control and cat has legged it

Can you fix a cat run to the house near the window so he could go out safely?

Please get him microchipped if he isnt already, then if he does bolt you have a chance of getting him back.

Yes he is chipped

I know, the eye thing does bother me, I know that he seems fine with it but I think it's very different inside a house compared with outside with so much going on and some really tough neighbourhood cats

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #25 on:** March 23, 2008, 16:42:51 PM »

Oh dear I see, sorry misunderstood ...............in that case yes I think door has to remain shut.

Thats a very strange thing to happen. Is driven by some devil inside ...........sad.

kris · « **Reply #24 on:** March 23, 2008, 16:40:31 PM »

The issue is, if I open that door he is gone, whooosh, flat to the ground hissing as he goes, zigzagging across the garden without a glance back, his panic gives him pure adrenaline and then god knows where he would end up. If he was just scared of going out/crossing the threshold then that would make my decision for me, I would think well the silly sausage wants to go out but when it comes to it doesn't so the dorr remains closed, that would make it easier to decide I think.

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #23 on:** March 23, 2008, 16:36:05 PM »

I agree with Baz and think it would be best just to leave him till the warm weather comes and then to just open the door for a while and see what he does. Dont touch him and let him make his own descision.

If he runs back to hide in the house then close the door again cos it will stress him to have it open. You could tryb this a few times if you really dont want him just to be an inddor cat but if it continually gives the same reaction, then think he is telling you that he likes looking through the window but just doesnt want to go out

Millys Mum · « **Reply #22 on:** March 23, 2008, 16:35:27 PM »

I wouldnt let him out, harness or not, he will end up giong further and further once confident and if he finds the road he has a disadvantage with an eye missing.

Iv also heard of cats going missing with harness on, they have freaked and the owner hasnt been able to gain control and cat has legged it

Can you fix a cat run to the house near the window so he could go out safely?

Please get him microchipped if he isnt already, then if he does bolt you have a chance of getting him back.

alisonandarchie · « **Reply #21 on:** March 23, 2008, 15:41:51 PM »

Perhaps try him on the harness again for a few minutes just outside the door and gradually build the time and distance up. Best of luck

Bazsmum · « **Reply #20 on:** March 23, 2008, 15:38:36 PM »

I really would'nt worry about this matter Kris.....when the summer finally arrives you can have your back door ajar and if he feels like a potter around outside Im sure he will!

Remember that cats pick up on our stresses also....so if you are being overly protective when he goes out he will only assume there is something to fear!

kris · « **Reply #19 on:** March 23, 2008, 15:29:30 PM »

Quote from: Gill (sneakiefeline) on March 23, 2008, 15:05:38 PM

the only problem is you say he is keen to go outside but then freaks out.................ummmmm the two are opposites!

is there a side gate between the front and the back so he cant get out to the front?

He is a nervy cat. he is desperate to get out but when he is taken outside he turns into a monster in that his eye goes black, fur on end, hissing and scratching and biting, a complete freak out and would run for ever, he is just panicking and would run to the ends of the earth he has no idea who I am when he flips out, doesn't know his name, nothing.

He could only get to the front through a neighbours fence and possibly further up the gardens, all the gardens back on to one another and it looks pretty much sealed in but you know how cats can be and in a panic he just want to find any hole and run through it.

Ideally I'd like him to be able to go out each day on a harness, sniff the air and see the world and calm down but the alternative is that he remains an indoor cat, I don't have a preference I just want him happy and healthy.

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #18 on:** March 23, 2008, 15:05:38 PM »

the only problem is you say he is keen to go outside but then freaks out.................ummmmm the two are opposites!

is there a side gate between the front and the back so he cant get out to the front?

kris · « **Reply #17 on:** March 23, 2008, 14:36:00 PM »

Quote from: Rosella moggy on March 23, 2008, 10:35:35 AM

The fact that there is a busy road at the front of your house is also a concern though quiet roads can be dangerous also If the lead on the harness is long enough you should still be able to let him go at his own pace altho you will need to be patient

Oh no I'm not taking him to the front, I simply want to take him on a harness in the back garden, the back garden leads onto about a dozen other gardens, I just want to get him to not completely flip out and go into a complete panic attack outside. It was more fromn a psychological point of view I was asking, is a cat who is THAT freaked out able to learn? is this a really extrme reaction or have others experienced this. In an ideal world I'd happily keep him indoors forever but he's very keen to get out.

Rosella moggy · « **Reply #16 on:** March 23, 2008, 10:35:35 AM »

The fact that there is a busy road at the front of your house is also a concern though quiet roads can be dangerous also

If the lead on the harness is long enough you should still be able to let him go at his own pace altho you will need to be patient

kris · « **Reply #15 on:** March 23, 2008, 10:23:13 AM »

Yes this is what I want, I love him to be timid and run back towards the house, the problem is that he goes completely into the panic and just runs, I dread to think how far he could go and I'm pretty sure he wouldn't even know who he was anymore.

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #14 on:** March 22, 2008, 23:41:53 PM »

I think bc is right and I know that when I got my big cats from Cp I kept them in for a few weeks and then opened back door for them but both ran away back into the house and it took a while before they decided to sniff outside.

I let them do it entirely at their own pace and now we have a cat flap and they make their own decisions whether to go outside ot not.

Due to the horrible weather at the moment its definatelt not much outside time, they have chosen

kris · « **Reply #13 on:** March 22, 2008, 14:56:10 PM »

That's all really good advice, I might just try again but really slow again, he just goes into complete fight AND flight mode when he is scared so we'll see

Thank you!

blackcat · « **Reply #12 on:** March 22, 2008, 14:51:13 PM »

I think maybe you need to spend a bit more time just sat at the door with him on the lead, so he gets used to being outside, and smells can wash over him and he has an easy escape route back into the house. when you let a cat out for the first time (even without the complication of the lead) they usually take at least an hour to venture up the garden, hanging around where they know they are safe as they check out the territory. Having the harness on, when he panicked will have just made him more scared as he would have felt he was trapped by the big scary monster in his head. But, since he has had the fright with the harness, you also probably have to go back to getting him used to it again. when he is relaxed wearing it try pulling it in various directions so he knows what it feels like when it is under stress, and this means if he does panic, at least the pressures will be familiar ones. But with such a big fright you probably need to take it very slowly. An alternative is to have a pen made the fits over a window and allows him to be 'outside' but not running free ...

kris · « **Reply #11 on:** March 22, 2008, 14:40:31 PM »

Quote from: blackcat on March 22, 2008, 14:29:27 PM

two questions. One, was he trained to the harness before you took him out? and did you carry him out or let him go through the door at his own speed? If he was allowed to poke his nose out and sniff around with his escape route right behind him he might be less inclined to panic ...

Yes he wore the harness in the house a for a while, was completely unbothered by it, I did carry him out, the first half of the trip out, and sat on the back step before letting him down and apart from jumping through the fence that is close by that part was less traumatic, unfortunately to get to the main part of the garden I have to carry him around the corner because the fence runs 2 foot from the corner of the house (if that makes sense?) and obviously crossing the fence is a nightmare with a lead and a cat and me being pretty short

I get your point though, it's a shame that it's not a standard back garden with a door leading obviously out but instead it's a funny shape and the door is round the side.

Puffball (Louise) · « **Reply #10 on:** March 22, 2008, 14:35:51 PM »

Quote from: alisonandarchie on March 22, 2008, 13:44:21 PM

My last cat was a tom and other cats would not dare to come any where near our garden. When he went out if he caught the scent of another cat in the garden he would start hissing. I am wondering if its just a territorial thing.

Also sounds territorial to me but I see it the opposite way. If he has not used the garden before and all he smelled was other cats he might have been very scared to leave his safe place and be invading another's patch. If it were me I'd try to discourage other cats from using the garden and remove as much soild cat waste as possible

before attempting the harness again.

It sounds like you have a large garden so I assume cat-proofing it would be too expensive. Hand clapping and water sprays could work for when you see other cats. I have also read on another thread that you can try placing plants cat dislike amongst your current plants.... but I'm no green fingers and can't suggest any...sorry.

If you can stop the others, when you take him out he will hopefully start marking it as his own... though as he won't be allowed free reign to defend it you may find him watching the windows even more, on alert for intrudors

Also as Blackcat says, let him go at his own pace with an open door behind him
Good Luck

blackcat · « **Reply #9 on:** March 22, 2008, 14:29:27 PM »

two questions. One, was he trained to the harness before you took him out? and did you carry him out or let him go through the door at his own speed? If he was allowed to poke his nose out and sniff around with his escape route right behind him he might be less inclined to panic ...

kris · « **Reply #8 on:** March 22, 2008, 14:26:17 PM »

You could be right, he is a nervy cat I suppose it was the worst case scenario on his first trip out to get hit full in the face with the stench of another cat or cats (and it was strong). I suppose ideally the garden would be a safe place, I think it was probaby a stressful enough thing without that as well. I still don't know whether to try again or not? I just fear he will do the same again.

alisonandarchie · « **Reply #7 on:** March 22, 2008, 13:44:21 PM »

My last cat was a tom and other cats would not dare to come any where near our garden. When he went out if he caught the scent of another cat in the garden he would start hissing. I am wondering if its just a territorial thing.

kris · « **Reply #6 on:** March 22, 2008, 13:40:15 PM »

Awww what a great picture

Yes last summer (and the summer before) I thought okay so he watches at the window constantly, that's fine, he was bird watching and seemed otherwise content but now he cries when he is at the window, if I open it a crack he inhales the outside like he could suck it all in and tries to push his head through, he definitely want to go out, although I know what you mean, contrary cats often just like to have the option but then choose not to go out, which would be fine, i suppose I'm just nervous of taking him out again on the harness if he is going to flip out and go for me and then be even more upset. Can a cat that reacts that strongly become more relaxed if I keep trying or will he get worse?

Rosella moggy · « **Reply #5 on:** March 22, 2008, 13:13:26 PM »

Sorry I should expand. Our Billy Whiz is allowed 24/7 access with cat flap. He chooses to stay in most of the time although pops in and out a few times a day. Whilst inside, he is either asleep or keeping watch for intruders on his rampart by the window.

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Rosella moggy · « **Reply #4 on:** March 22, 2008, 13:10:04 PM »

Just a thought but just coz he's sitting by window might not mean he is desperate to get out. Could he be keeping watch for intruders trying to get in?

kris · « **Reply #3 on:** March 22, 2008, 11:28:45 AM »

No, no specifications but I felt that with one eye and a fair few neighbouring cats that it was in his best interests to remain indoors however I simply want him to be as happy and healthy as possible and felt that a harness might give him the best of both worlds, I just wondering after such a disastrous first time outside, if others who had tried similar had any advice, has anyone else cats reacted this way but improved over time?

Ela · « **Reply #2 on:** March 22, 2008, 11:20:38 AM »

Did the shelter home the little one as indoor only? I know we only ever home cats with one eye as indoor only and the fact that you live on a fast road would be another reason fur us to home indoor only. Is it possible to make you garden cats safe? see:- http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php?topic=10186.0;topicseen

If not then I think you will have to remember that you are the adult and know the implications of letting the little one out, he doesn't

kris · « **Reply #1 on:** March 22, 2008, 11:08:47 AM »

Hi there again, I rescued my boy from a shelter 2 years ago, he's now between 4 and 5 years he has only one eye and has been an indoor cat since I rescued him, we have a fast road at the front of the house but loads of garden at the back, and the garden leads on to other people's garden etc

My boy got out accidentally last summer for a few minutes, I managed to get him back in but he was then desperate to get back out. This summer I decided to take him out on a harness to see if that would be helpful and depending how it went over time he might be allowed out harness free but thats for way in the future. Anyway last weekend I took him outside, sadly the neighbourhood cats have been using the garden as a litter tray all winter! He seemed to catch a whiff of the scent and completely flipped out, my floppy soppy boy turned into a monster, hissing, screaming with teeth and claws out, frightened the life out of me, anyway I eventually managed to get him indoors but since then he's been pretty out of sorts and living by the window, it's like he desperately wants the outdoors but he's so nervy that it freaks him out. Any advice gratefully received. I'm torn between accepting that he will remain an indoors cat and just waiting while he goes through this post outside misery or trying again in the hope that he will get better in time?

Author Topic: nervous cat desperate for the outside (Read 9711 times)