# Bobby, formerly stray, now family, funny story



## katdad (Jun 13, 2013)

Cats begging to be let outside and then inside, an eternal dance...

Here's my girlfriend w. Bobby at New Years. Bobby adopted us not long ago and he's now a mostly indoor kitty (his neutering will be in a couple weeks) but he comically objects to being inside at the most inopportune times.



All day today (in Houston), it's been cool but okay outside, and my gf offered Bobby a chance to go out and play for a while. Instead he snoozed all day and when given the chance to go out, just turned up his nose and sniffed.

Naturally, toward evening, we started to receive a new cold front, the temp dipped quickly, with continual drizzle and chilly winds, headed to about 36F tonight, with sleet forecast. (yeah, even Houston has its share of chilly evenings) And just as the rain set in, guess who wanted to go out? Yep. Bobby.

His way of asking is to stand on his hind legs on a table near the window and repeatedly scratch at the window (not a lot of progress on the glass, however, ha ha). When my gf ignored him, and she was lying on the sofa watching the news, Bobby resorted to his final tactic: he gets on the sofa arm above her and bats at the top of her head (no claws out, though), and he will then scoot to the front door and stand there (you know how cats can stand, stiff and demanding, when they want something), and then if ignored, Bobby jumps back on the sofa and starts batting my gf on the head again!

Naturally she's more amused than annoyed by this, and reaches up and pulls Bobby into her arms to cuddle him. And like all cats, he gets indignant that his requests are being ignored.

I know that after he's fixed his wanderlust will be less, but we're also training him to be a more indoor cat anyway, and more diurnal than nocturnal, as indoor cats usually become.

Still, it's funny, his head-batting of my girlfriend and his pawing at the window glass.

And no, despite his demands, nobody's going out tonight, it's raining steadily now and the temp is quickly dropping. Indoor and TV for everyone, humans and cats alike! ha ha

So... aside from the routine of standing by the door and mewing loudly, what unique ways do your cats demand to be let outside?


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## Cat'sHouse (Apr 5, 2012)

funny....smart cat too.


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## emilyatl (Sep 9, 2013)

Aww, he's a cutie. 

I don't let my cats out. I recently brought in a stray/feral from outside and he hasn't been out since I brought him in. You just have to ignore they crying (and climbing up the blinds, etc.). If you can ignore that, he'll eventually stop trying and be an inside kittty. It's just a battle of wills!


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## bobbycos (Aug 5, 2013)

Cat'sHouse said:


> funny....smart cat too.


watch out if he learns which button on the remote turns off the tv


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## katdad (Jun 13, 2013)

You're right, emily, we can't give in to his demands. My girlfriend has now started breaking him of that incessant window-scratching with a small squirt of water, the perfect way to discipline and train your cat -- no pain, no mess, no swatting, just a little swizzle of water.

Of course, the right way is to first say "NO!" firmly and then hit him with the squirter (a cheap plant spray bottle). Very quickly, he will learn that if he continues his behavior after hearing No! he'll get squirted. Always works, nobody gets hurt.


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

Awww sweet Bobby! My Nikita stands at the door and if her yelling to be let out is ignored, she starts strongly batting the key-chain hanging from the keyhole. She figures if I open the door that way, she may succeed too. LOL


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## Heather72754 (Nov 1, 2013)

katdad said:


> Naturally, toward evening, we started to receive a new cold front, the temp dipped quickly, with continual drizzle and chilly winds, headed to about 36F tonight, with sleet forecast. (yeah, even Houston has its share of chilly evenings) And just as the rain set in, guess who wanted to go out? Yep. Bobby.


This is because toward evening is the cat's natural hunting time so it made perfect sense to him. I think it's hard with indoor/outdoor cats because, as Emilyatl says if they always stay indoors they get used to it and don't ask, but if they do both then it's harder for them understand not being let out when they ask.


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