# How do you keep your cats from rushing the door?



## Nero the Sable (Oct 28, 2004)

I nearly had a heart attack tonight! I couldn't find Kiley anywhere! Normally it just takes me calling his name and he appears out of nowhere. I kept yelling his name all through the house - looking underneith the bed the couch etc... I even went outside screaming his name... the people next door probably think I'm crazy.

How do you keep cats from rushing the door? I never see Kiley coming... and he just wants to go outside.  Should I restrict him a little more? Keep him in one place for a while? Halifax stayed in the bathroom for at least two weeks... then stayed in my bed room for an additional two weeks before he was allowed to roam the house. Did I go wrong by giving him too much freedom at once?


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## spike481 (Nov 13, 2004)

We are lucky in that we have two doors on the front of the house. I rarely try to alternate between the two however, but my wife won't hesitate to keep them off-guard as to where she will go in/out. All of our cats are in/out, but there are times, like bedtime, when we want to keep those in, in....and those that are out, get them in.

I know they are going to rush the door, so I'm ready with a leg to block any unwanted escapes. We also put something in their way to make it more difficult to get a running start :lol:


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## Lori (Jun 8, 2003)

We had a terrible time with Velvet rushing for the door when she was a kitten. The thing that seemed to cure her of it was getting outside when it was cold and snowy one day. Those paws hit the cold, wet cement on the front step and she couldn't get back in fast enough! :mrgreen:


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## SugarKitty (Jul 24, 2004)

Ooh! Poor Velvet!


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

*How about when you are coming in the door have a spritz bottle of water (outside) and spray them if they are trying to rush the door to get outside?*


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## SugarKitty (Jul 24, 2004)

I don't know. .


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## Ashdyre (Oct 4, 2004)

I have this problem too. People said that if I took my cat out for a walk, on a harness and leash and all that, that he'd calm down and realize that it's only OK to go outside when he's all hooked up. But now he's always running for the door, regardless of the harness or not, he loves it too much outside. :?


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## DesnBaby (Apr 18, 2004)

SugarKitty, are you able to reduce the size of your signature?


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## Lisa 216 (Oct 25, 2004)

*keeping kitty from getting out*

My cat Snickers loves to rush the door also. He is afraid of certain noises, and I found that he doesn't like it when my keys jingle. Now when I come home, I open the door and jungle the keys, which makes him move away. The doorbell also works for us. 

Perhaps you can find a noise to make that your cat doesn't like also.


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## KittyEnvy (Aug 7, 2004)

Oh we had a BIG problem with Joey rushing the door. He got out several times in the first few months he was at my parents' house... it took a while for my parents to realize they really had to watch the door. Now we normally come in and out through the garage, so he doesn't rush that door... since it goes nowhere. It was the front door that we had a problem with. He actually learned the sound of the doorbell! When it rung, he'd hide, then when the door was open he'd shoot out. Sooooo, whenever we heard the doorbell we'd hunt around the house for him, and scoop him up and lock him in my bedroom. If we couldn't find him I'd play guard-duty at the door while the other person answered it. If he came close, I'd chase him away.

I'm happy to say, it's been about a month since he got out! He seems to have given up!


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## Gudewife (Jun 27, 2004)

One of my college roommates had a cat that was cured of this by dashing out the front door after a huge snowstorm and landing <plop> in a snowbank up to his ears. He levitated out of the snowbank, ran inside, hid under the bed for a day, and didn't want anything to do with the front door after that (he was cured of getting on the counter by landing in a sink full of clammy water that the dishes were soaking in...he learned a LOT of lessons the hard way).

IME, the best way of preventing escapes is to make sure they never happen...the more times a cat gets out, the more he'll want to get out. Some of my shelter kitties are little escape artists and love to wander the shelter while their cages are cleaned, and once they figure out how to get out of the cage rooms, there is NO keeping them in there (I had one that I just locked out on his screened porch during AM cleaning because I got sick of having to track him down every day). So preventing initial escapes is the key to preventing later ones...not much help, is it? All you can really do is make the door to outside as unappealing as possible. :?


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## Petrafan4life79 (Sep 24, 2004)

Snowball is always trying to leave with us. If I'm still here when my husband leaves and he wants out, I carry him out in the hall (not all the time) and he flies over my shoulder back in the apt. like it's the scariest thing he's ever seen. It's been that way since day 1. He wants out, but once he's out in the hall he freaks out. LOL! I guess that's a good thing?


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## 22Raiynee22 (Aug 13, 2004)

*door runnign*

letting him out when there's like a foot of snow is a good idea...lol That's what i would do if my cat became a door runner. He likes to sit and look out the door but not go out.... I've been lucky so far lol :lol:


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## ForJazz (Dec 30, 2003)

I don't think it was wrong of you to give him freedom. But have you taken him outside? Because then it's pretty natural for him to want to explore that again. Just keep a close eye on him when you are entering/leaving, and keep him inside and hopefully with time he'll get better. 

Mine don't try to get past me if I am moving quickly -- they don't seem to like all the unpredictable movement of me barging in and turning around to shut the door. Or if I am carrying something, I carry it low when I walk in the door so that they are kind of blocked.


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

I have a piece of cardboard by the door, which I call my "shoo-cat device"

Tim


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## Blinkin'_cat (Oct 11, 2004)

My current cats are happy to be inside. If they had a strong desire to go outside, we'd probably let them out during the day. They will try to go out though if a window is open.


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## Nero the Sable (Oct 28, 2004)

I wouldn't dream of letting him out right now. *shiver* We have two large dogs that roam where we live... for some reason Tigger can beat the snot out of them... but I'm not so sure about the little one. We also have racoons (Tigger also beat the crud out of the biggest bull racoon out there), he also hasn't had his shots. 

Not to mention someone might steal little Kiley. I wish my family wouldn't let Tigger out as it was... since lots of people have said multiple times how they wouldn't mind just taking him if they ever saw him out. *Groan*

I've started picking him up and putting him in my room while I go out - or pick him up or give him to someone so he doesn't get the chance.


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## violina23 (Jun 28, 2004)

Speak of the devil, this morning I was leaving for work, and I opened the door, stepped outside, was closing the door while fidgeting with my keys to lock it, look down, and see a furball on the ground right by my stuff! 

"Kiera Nooooo!" I hope I didn't wake anyone up! I went to grab her, and she got JUST outside my grip and proceeded to run right back into the apartment! Thank gosh!


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## Jenn (Feb 16, 2004)

We have a few that especially try to rush the door. We are always walking in, usually carrying something, and doing the little shoo-shoo kick. You know, where you gently kick your feet towards kitty screaming "shoo-shoo"! LOL! I sure wish they would realize that Mom and Dad are just NOT gonna let them out. :roll: LOL


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## fbodgrl (May 10, 2004)

I use the carrying things low method too  Mine usually hang out by the door. Every once in a while Lamar will run out the door. It gives me a heart attack every time. I usually open the door and yell at the them to get away from the door at the same time. They actually listen....most of the time :? 

I am used to doors that open in. So they naturally have to step away from the door when it opens or they will get bumped. When I moved to Flordia, I found that most of the doors open out. It drives me crazy because it is a bigger opening for them to try and scoot out.

Good luck.


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## plague (Nov 3, 2004)

Yes, it seems that once my cats get a taste of the outside, they want to go out more.

I used to take my little Merlin out once in a while just as a special treat.. well he started REALLY rushing the door after this and escaped a couple of times.. once I had to follow him around the whole neighborhood before I could get close enough to grab him... scary...

Finally one night he snuck out without me seeing him somehow and spent the night outside. I noticed he was gone the next morning and found him wet and pathetic looking, and cornered by some dogs.. he hasn't tried to run since that night. In fact when the door is open, he peeks carefully outside and looks at me like "SHUT THE DOOR!!" and even dogs barking on TV disturb him now.. he's scarred for life.


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