# What do indoor cats do when they get outside?



## kana (Apr 23, 2004)

Hi,

My biggest fear is to lose my cat out the back door! 8O I'm hoping my cat will just freeze because it is something new to him, but he might run and that would scare me to death.
I have treats and toys near the door just incase I have to react FAST!!!! 

Do they tend to head for a tree? Run from you or just walk around and sniff like a dog. :lol: 

Do they know where the door is? Are cats smart enough to find their way back if they get lost or do they just lose their sense of direction?


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## lolakitty23 (Aug 17, 2004)

Most of the time Skeeter, our little escape artist, will just stop near the front door on the lawn and sniff around. He likes all of the smells. But, there have been a couple of times when the little monster just takes off running. He never goes far, just to the front part of the lawn, but it always scares the heck out of me!!! He always ends up laying down and rolling around on the ground, so it's easy to catch him. The little buggar. It's hard, because we live in such a small cottage, that if he comes running from the bedroom I don't know he's coming until I feel him slide past me under my feet!

It's good that you keep those treats handy just in case. Also, even though they are indoor boys, both of my kittens ALWAYS wear their collars and ID tags...I'd rather be prepaired. If cats get too far from home, they usually can find their way back. But you always hear about those cases where the cats show up 5 years later... 8O.


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## icklemiss21 (Aug 29, 2004)

mine have got out a few times when we lived at our old place (screen door wasn't as good as we thought) and they got about 5ft from the door and froze!
I brought them back in as I seen them go out so no idea what they would do if I left them out there.
I occasionally had them out in the garden on a leash and harness and they wondered around about 10ft around me and sniffed but kept coming back to me.


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## UmmYeahOk (Jun 17, 2004)

kana said:


> Are cats smart enough to find their way back if they get lost or do they just lose their sense of direction?


Depends on how old and senile they are. Youre afraid of them running out, I was afraid of them running in! I had this cat who, once outside, would walk several streets over and harass this one homeowner. When the homeowner opened the door, he would always run inside, run up the stairs, and then run into one specific room. This room... ...used to be mine. Yep, several years and two houses previous, he lived there... ...and for some reason, started believing he again lived there.

I have another cat who once was outdoors, but we were forced to make him indoors. Once he jumped off the balcony, and headed towards a busy highway! (reason for being indoors) I had to run out to the iron fence, somehow squeezing between the bars and chase him! It was hard finding him because it was 1am, I didnt have my contacts, and there was tall grass. I caught him 5 ft from the street. Since then hes tried to run out. My fiance just happened to have a bowl of water with him, so he dumped the entire bowl on him, soaking him! He turned around, and slowly walked inside.

Then another cat we had would sit too close to the windows. One day the window was up, and he lend far enough that the screen popped out! He fell outside, and just stood there in confusement. He had never been outside before, and somehow, by going through the window, he ended up in a new deminsion. I was able to retrieve him easily.

When my moms cat runs out. She scolds at him "Saki! Get back in here, right now!" His ears goes back, and he walks back inside!

Most cats will stop fairly close to the door trying to get a feel of their environment. Sort of abosrbing the wild. If they see you chasing them, they'll run. If you stop, they'll stop. You then have to pounce on them, or they'll start running again.

Dogs however will just dart out. Thats how my aunts dog got hit by a car. Poor driver... ...you dont just expect to have an animal dart out of a house like that!


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## gsc4 (Mar 27, 2005)

My escape artist is 7 months old. The first time he got out he froze a few feet away from the door. But each successive time he gets out, he goes farther, faster. Last night I had to chase him down 1 flight of outside stairs. 

I'm glad I had that mircochip put in!


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## AllieMaes_Mom (Mar 26, 2005)

My cat loves the out side even though she is an inside cat. I live in an apartment so she doesn't get to go out very often. When we visit my mom, she loves to spend time in the dog pen running around and eating grass-totally at ease! But... put her outside the pen and she walks like with each step something is going to get her-very careful. I think she likes the security of having something around her since she is an inside cat. Cats are just like humans.. no two are alike!


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## lydelia (Mar 29, 2005)

It has been my experience that most cats who have been indoor most of their lives, or all of their lives, will normally stop a short distance from the door they exit. Outside can be scary if you have never been there before. Catbot escaped once was outside for two hours before we realized it (went out the door as we were leaving.) We combed the whole house for her and looked up and down the streets. Finally we came home and checked both porches again to see of she had been hiding around the house somewhere, and we found her sitting on the front porch. I opened the door and she ran back inside. 

Miss Kitty likes to go outside too. My huspand used to let her out when we lived in our own apartment. When I would come home from work he would let her out and she would come down the stairs to meet me as I came up them from work. She was really good about not running when she was outside, as long as I did not panic and try to chase her. I think that is why some people loose cats who go outside or why the cats run. If you panic and chase your kitty when she goes out, she will split because she thinks she is in deep doo doo and needs a place to hide. What is better is to call your kitty if she gets out and then when you get your hands on her praise the crap out of her. Then she will remember that and not be afraid to come to you or run from you when she is outside. Think about it, if she gets out and you punish her when you catch her she will be sure to run from you when she is outside so that she does not get punished again.


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