Training my cat to go outside (or more importantly, come back)

[Catbird]

Hi LeChuck,

I too have a cat in a 1st floor flat with a communal hallway and front door.  A blanket policy of not homing cats to flats such as mine seems harsh and somewhat shortsighted - surely it depends on the circumstances.  For a cat that's happy to be indoors, isn't such a home, where they will be loved and cared for, better than living in a pen at a rescue?  I have a BIG hairy Maine Coon who is an indoor cat and quite happy to be so.  She sits on the windowsill for ages watching the neighbours (and occasionally me) gardening and so forth - the neighbours even give her a wave and call hello to her.  I have Cataire screens too and I highly recommend them (google is your friend).  Dot has never shown any desire to go out and like an earlier poster, I can leave the flat door open and she wont go past it.  I have board floors and when Dot races about she makes them squeak something awful - she also comes off the top of her ceiling high cat tree like a cannonball.  I have no probs with the neighbours and the reason for this is that we all understand that living happily in flats requires some give and take.  The elderly lady downstairs is partially sighted and has poor hearing - this means that her TV is very load sometimes.  I have never complained about this, although she has apologised anyway.  She and her husband say they hear Dot have a mad run around when playing with me, or even on her own while I am out.  The reason for all this rambling is that I hope that you might be able to sort things out with your neighbour.  Does she really never do anything that is audible to you?  Does she never annoy you?  What would she do if you had, say, a toddler and a baby up there?  I just wonder if you could manage to explain to her how important your cat is to you, and perhaps tell her (very carefully) that you too hear stuff from her flat, she might agree to live and let live.  If your girl is about a year old she may well start to calm down soon and when you are out she will probably just crash somewhere.

I do hope you get everything sorted out.  If it seems to you to be better to keep her in and she seems cool with that, then away you go.  Loads of people (normally non-cat owners) will tell you it's cruel to keep a cat in - it isn't, BUT it does depend on the cat.  Yours sounds like she might go for it.  Fingers are crossed for you! 

[Millys Mum]

You were lucky being able to leave doors open, most buildings are strict over fire doors, people dont tend to be happy to burn down quicker just so a cat come in and out!

[claws n purrs]

I used to live in a first floor maisonette with a communal stairway and two outer doors downstairs. The two cats I had then almost always had access to the stairwell and I'd prop open one or other of the outer doors so they could come and go when they wanted. The doors led onto a small wooded area leading onto a park so it was fairly stress free for them, no roads and few people. Of course, this wasn't ideal as my neighbours also used the doors and didn't always leave them open but they were used to where they lived and I was around pretty much all day to let them back in if this happened (my cats, not the neighbours, lol!).   
Luckily, neither cat bothered going out that much and didn't stay out that long if they did.
 
I would only let your cat out before you feed her to make sure she comes back when she's hungry. Get her used to the communal area first so she knows her way back into the flat. Go outside with her the first few times, for longer each time and give her a treat when she responds to her name being called. If you can only let her out at certain times, maybe get her into a routine so that she will be ready to come home when you need her to be inside (although, as we all know, cats don't follow any rules as such!). It's a bit of a tricky one really but I'm sure you'll find a solution to suit your cat and yourself.
Good luck! 

Dee

[Puffball (Louise)]

I have two indoor cats and also live in a first floor flat with a shared hallway and no garden access. They have various high perches, cat trees & toys but both cats love to sit looking out the windows for hours. I have Cataire window screens so it's safe to have the windows wide open and they get loads of fresh air. I've only had two occasions of a cat spreadeagled on the screen netting when attracted by birds on the tree outside (looked like a Garfield stuck to a car window  ), but the screens stood up to the job remarkably. I figure they're happy as when I leave my flat door open to take rubbish out they won't even venture into the hallway, they sit waiting on the doormat 'til I come back. 

As someone else has said, it sounds like you have wooden floors so carpeting or some large rugs would really help with the noise for your neighbour.

[Linda D]

If you live in a first-floor flat and you can't fit a cat-flap then the solution is to only give the cat outdoor access when you can take her out and be out there with her yourselves, so you can bring her back in.  Bringing her back in when she's having fun out there is the hard part.   It might be kindest to not give her any outdoor access at all as once outside and confident, she'll probably want to come and go as she pleases.  If your cat is disturbing your downstairs neighbour with her running about, it sounds to me like you must have wooden or laminate flooring.  In that case I'd consider getting some carpeting.  Indoors-only cats can be quite content with their window/television as long as they have enough entertainment provided by you and lots of toys for when you're out. 

[fluffybunny]

I wouldnt risk shutting a nervy cat out, what happens if something spooks her and the door is closed? A cat like that needs to be able to go in and out in her own time so she can build confidence, especially if she has never been outside,

I would definitely agree with this, we have spent the past 8 months before I had a catflap fitted, with doors and windows constantly open whenever we were home - and if one of the cats wasn't home when we needed to go out, then the window stayed open.  Geoffrey goes into a complete panic if something happens that he doesn't like, so he would have become extremely distressed and possibly end up hurting himself if he'd ever got locked out - and this would still be the case if I didn't have the catflap now. 

I'd maybe consider investing in a loc8tor tracker www.loc8tor.co.uk at least this way you will be able to find out where your cat is, if you need to try and find her and bring her in.  I have found it invaluable a number of times - including discovering that Milly is in fact about 6ft away from me, hiding in bushes, and not coming when called 

Are you able to rig up some kind of outdoor stepladder to a first floor window?  I see these a lot on the continent although not really over here.

[Kirst]

Dogs come whern they are called , cats take a message and get back to you!

In all seriousness tho , if you do decide to let her out , go out with her the first few times and give her treats and lots of cuddles when you bring her back in , then she will associate coming home with food and strokes!

[Millys Mum]

I wouldnt risk shutting a nervy cat out, what happens if something spooks her and the door is closed? A cat like that needs to be able to go in and out in her own time so she can build confidence, especially if she has never been outside, there will be a hell of a lot of new things to scare her.

Maybe an older less bouncy indoor cat would be better suited to your building.

Personally i would only home an indoor cat to a first floor flat unless it had its own safe access that could be cat flapped. Have you phoned the rescue to explain your problem and see what they can suggest to solve it?

[maryas]

Cats will be cats!!!!

I had an outdoor cat, Smudge and she loved to sit on the window sill both inside and out, she would sit there for hours looking around the garden and at people passing by.  When she was inside I would go and open the door but she wouldn't move.  When she was outside I would shout her and again, she would just sit there and ignore me.

I now have an indoor cat, Bonnie and she sits on the window sill looking out but never tries to go out and never meows at the door.   I did take her out the other week into my back garden and like you, I tried to get a harness on her with no luck but I did put a lead on her collar so I could pull her back slightly.  She moved slowly around my garden, had a chew of the grass and sat in the sunshine and in the shade and she was happy to go in after a while.  She has not asked to go out since but I have taken her out with me a few times.  She did try to get through fence and I tempted her back with a piece of  turkey, which did not work BUT when I offered her some grass she came to me!!

She has plenty of toys and scratch poles in the house and me of course to play with and a choice of beds.

Good luck.

Mary

Good luck

[blackcat]

she gets right out on the window ledge and looks like she might jump, and as we're quite high she might hurt herself.

Ah yes, I know that feeling. Smidgen used to hurl himself out of the upstairs window. Fortunately I had not mowed the grass on the front garden so he had a soft  landing ... After the second such venture I found myself locked inside until he was neutered ...

Do cats naturally stay in the area they're first let out in?

Because you are not going to be able to leave the door open for her, you will need to put in a bit more effort into the introductions to the great outdoors. And that means you will need to stay with her the first few times she goes out, and call her back to you as she moves further away. If she comes back to a closed door on her first day out, she will probably find a better place to live ... (in her opinion). Also, before she goes outside at all, try to develop a Pavlovs response to the rattling food box. Give her a food treat every time she responds. Despite all views to the contrary, you can train a cat. You just don't always get them to respond. But you can train them. I have trained several in my time, up to an including not catching birds which I am sure most people would never believe, but it is possibl with persistence and a willingness to put up with the entire neighbourhood laughing at you ...

[Dawn F]

i've never been able to train a cat to do anything!  I've got a cat proof garden but none will come when called hopefully you are a bit luckier!  I haven't read all the posts but have you tried playing with her in the evenings to tire her out a bit?

[LeChuck]

I'm no expert at all. But it sounds like she's an indoor cat, or at least happy being indoor. The way you describe the running around etc etc is perfectly normal. I'd completely expect that. Also sitting at the window doesn't mean they want to go out, just they like being nosey. My boy sits on the window watching the world go by, he's perfectly happy indoors.

There are lots of people here with the experience to give you advice though.

She probably is happy, but I'm not sure the neighbours are, we need to get her to get rid of energy away from the confines of our flat. She does more that just sit an gaze at the window though, she does make frequent attempts to get through it. I forgot to add also; we've had to stop opening the main window because she gets right out on the window ledge and looks like she might jump, and as we're quite high she might hurt herself.

Cats will come when you call, but that rather depends on a) if they are in earshot, and b) if they are in the mood. I have stood at my back door calling mine for five minutes, only to discover him curled up in the dog kennel at my feet. He heard me. He just didn't feel in the mood ............ Other times, I call once, and hear a thump four fences down as he launches himself to the top, flies into the next yard and repeats the performance like a circus acrobat all the way home, at which point he runs down the length of the fence, and bruises me on the nose with a headbut. Cats can be very perverse ...

I wouldn't mind if she didn't come back first time, just as long as she came back eventually. I was brought up with cats so I know they can be really stubborn when they want to be, this just happens to be the first cat I've had responsibility of training (luckily she came litter trained).

I think I'm most fearful of her going out, venturing too far and then getting lost. Do cats naturally stay in the area they're first let out in?

[blackcat]

Cats will come when you call, but that rather depends on a) if they are in earshot, and b) if they are in the mood. I have stood at my back door calling mine for five minutes, only to discover him curled up in the dog kennel at my feet. He heard me. He just didn't feel in the mood ............ Other times, I call once, and hear a thump four fences down as he launches himself to the top, flies into the next yard and repeats the performance like a circus acrobat all the way home, at which point he runs down the length of the fence, and bruises me on the nose with a headbut. Cats can be very perverse ...

[Den]

I'm no expert at all. But it sounds like she's an indoor cat, or at least happy being indoor. The way you describe the running around etc etc is perfectly normal. I'd completely expect that. Also sitting at the window doesn't mean they want to go out, just they like being nosey. My boy sits on the window watching the world go by, he's perfectly happy indoors.

There are lots of people here with the experience to give you advice though.

[LeChuck]

Thanks for the reply.

Getting her to come back when we want is a big problem, I'd hoped she'd come back if we shouted her...is that a bit ambitious? We've got an excellent view of the whole area (we live in a little circular cul-de-sac with grass/trees in the middle) so we would be able to see if she wanted to come back. That's if she did ever want to come back. She is neutered and vaccinated by the way, so at least that's one worry out of the way.

She has plenty of toys, but it's playing with those that's making the neighbours complain (especially the girl below who must have to put up with hours of thumping noises). She seems to have quite poor balance and isn't very dainty when she jumps about, so it does make a lot of noise. She also has a tendency to do it in the middle of the night which wakes us up as well. She just seems to have so much energy, and if she hasn't used it up by night time she'll go a bit crazy for a few hours and just run around constantly. If we've played with her for a few hours in the day/early evening she won't do it, but we don't have the time and the neighbours don't have the patience for us to do this every day.

We did ask the cat shelter for an indoor cat, so I'm a little annoyed that they've given us one who so obviously isn't. I think the window is more than just something to keep her occupied, she makes frequent jumps at the window when she sees birds etc. (she's yet to understand the concept of glass, bless her), in fact she did it earlier today and ending up hanging from the curtain rail.

[blackcat]

sounds like a tricky situation ... when you let her outside, how will she get back in unless you are there to open the door for her?

First question is, has she been neutered? If she has not yet been done you will be risking pregnancy and a run-away cat. Assuming she is neutered and vaccinated, letting her out under direct supervision seems like your only option. Once you do let her out she will continue to want out, and not always at convenient times. Could you consider the alternative of getting her some toys to use up her energy with, and using the time you would have to spend supervising her runs in actual interactive play with her? Cats are generally quite happy as indoor cats if they have not known the alternative ... At the moment, looking out the window is her 'television', an amusing active entertainment that is not interactive, but which keeps her occupied.

[LeChuck]

Hello everyone, it's my first post on here so I apologise if I'm putting this in the wrong area, feel free to move it if I have done so. Me and my girlfriend are worrying over how to train our cat to go outside knowing we can trust her to come back. I'll explain in more detail...

We recently adopted a rescue cat, she was estimated to be around one when we got her. She was in a terrible state and spent the first few days hiding in holes we never knew existed (we only live in a small flat so we kept wondering how we could lose a cat in such a small space). A few weeks later and she was totally different, she'll now come from strokes and loves to play, although she is still jumpy. The problem is that she spends a lot of her day looking out of the window, she obviously wants to go outside and we want her to as well.

All the advice I've found online suggests putting food/litter trays by the door so that she knows where to come back to. The problem is that we live in a first-floor flat, so it's impossible for us to do that because it's a shared door. We bought a special cat harness to see if we could take her out on that and train her that way, but she's absolutely terrified when we put it on here and goes in to a panic...then she'll return to hiding for days and it takes a while to win her trust back again. We've had to ditch that idea now because she was starting to panic whenever we came near her because she thought we'd try to put the harness on her.

So...what is the best way to train her to outside? We also have the small problem that she doesn't seem to respond to her name, although she'll look if you make a "ch ch ch" noise (I have no idea how to spell that). The only thing we can think of is taking her out when she's very hungry, then coming out with food and hoping she comes back because she recognises the shaking of the food packet immediately. This is something we need to do quickly as well, she has so much energy that she keeps running round the flat and we've been getting in to trouble for the noise, so we need to start letting her outside for a few hours each day ASAP.