# Door Dasher



## waiandchris (Jan 17, 2007)

This is my first post (and probably not my last!). We adopted our new 2 year old male cat GiGi at a shelter. He has a wonderful disposition and we want him for a long time as an indoor cat. He expresses interest in getting outside by hanging around the door and sitting near it when we enter and exit. We have 2 direct access doors to outside and 1 door to the cellar. He has already dashed into the cellar once.

Any low cost ideas to keep him away from the door? I should mention I have a 4 and 7 year old and we come and go a lot...

This is what I have done so far:
Double stick tape on place mats (he sat right on them)
plastic carpet with nubby end up (he avoids it but did get through once)
shake can (didn't phase him)
squirt bottle (great when I'm around)
treats away from the door when I enter and exit 

I'm getting tired of ushering kids, bags, and squeezing through the cellar door every time we need to get out. 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.


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## kitkat (Sep 22, 2003)

How about stomping your feet when you come in or keep a water bottle outside your door & squirt as you come in? My cats don't dart doors but Sugar would stay close when she was little and squirmed past me once and since then I stomped my foot and rushed in the door to scare her. :lol:


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## waiandchris (Jan 17, 2007)

Thanks Kim, I'll try the stomp. I already have the bottle outside the door just in case!

Christina


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## Jet Green (Nov 28, 2005)

I recommend making loud monster noises. Throws them totally off. Unless, of course, you care if the neighbors think you're crazy! :lol:


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## Kittys Mom (May 7, 2004)

For Thomas, this is what I did. I sat in the garage and then opened the door a crack. As soon as his little head appeared, I gave him a squirt in the face with the water bottle (no where else phases him, he generally likes to get in the water).

He ran away, I let the door close a bit, then cracked it back open. He came back a second later to try again. Another squirt.

I kept sitting there with the door open a little bit until he decided that he didn't want to stick his nose in there, even if the door was open.

It worked for me. After that...he just sat near the door when it was open. Would I leave the door wide open and trust that he'd stay inside? No. But he doesn't bolt out the door anymore either.


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## Lisa 216 (Oct 25, 2004)

My Snickers was a door dasher, too :lol: 

I used to vigorously shake my keys every time I entered the house to keep him back. If I was weighed down with packages, I often sent one of my kids in first to close him in a room or distract him with treats until I could get in.


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## waiandchris (Jan 17, 2007)

Thanks for the feedback!


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

Rocket keeps me on my toes. I never know when he's going to be lurking just inside the door when I come in. So I'm always prepared. Usually he responds to a "back off!!" but there's always the one in fifty times that he makes a dash.

In the summer I take both boys out on harness and leash. One of the benefits is knowing what they'll do when they get out. So I know that neither of them will go dashing off if they do happen to get out. In the summer Rocket just heads for the lawn and starts eating grass. The other day when we were having a snowstorm, I let him out, with the under-handed intention of making him think it was always that nasty out, and he took five steps into the snow, turned around, and came back in. :lol:


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## Janice (Jan 12, 2007)

I don't know if your hardwood stores have this or not, but... you can get little door alarms (made to deter thiefs) that you just stick to your door and one on the frame, so that when you open the door, it sounds a loud piercing alarm...short peeps, but piercing enough that cats hate it. I'm lucky in that I was able to train all my cats very young to stay away from the door.


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

Hey....that's a great idea, Janice. I never thought of that. I think it's worth trying out.


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## Jet Green (Nov 28, 2005)

coaster said:


> The other day when we were having a snowstorm, I let him out, with the under-handed intention of making him think it was always that nasty out, and he took five steps into the snow, turned around, and came back in. :lol:


Oh, you're devious! :twisted: :lol:


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## Kettle (Jan 10, 2007)

For odd-ball cats like mine (he actually enjoys being sprayed with water) compressed air in a can can be effective. It's like a hiss, which of course resonates with a cat.


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## waiandchris (Jan 17, 2007)

I like the idea of the door alarm since it is more of a remote correction and takes the emphasis off of me. I looked into compressed air and maybe I was looking at the wrong thing but the fumes are toxic!

I am also buying door knob covers so the kids will not able to open the outside doors in the Summer without my assistance. It's a bit of a drag but better than trying to retreive a lost cat.

Great ideas.


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

This is safe for cats:

www.ssscat.com


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