[geoffb613]

Hi everyone,

So this is probably an irrational fear of mine, but my girlfriend and I brought home a kitten on Sunday and as per the advice of the Humane Society employee, left her in our spare bedroom to begin. Immediately, she would attempt to get out the door and explore other rooms/the hallway but we’ve been keeping her in the one room (With all necessities and amenities). We are probably going to let her out tonight because she seems so curious and not-at-all afraid.
What I’m worried about is that whenever one of us goes into her room now, she walks toward the door and after rubbing up against our legs she often goes into the hallway if we don’t jump into the room quickly and slam the door, which I don’t want to do for fear of hurting or scaring her. So, my real fear is that once we give her free reign over the house, one of us will come home from work and she will be near the front door and go outside (I don’t think she’d run away but even the slight risk is very scary to me) in the same way that she goes into the hallway as soon as we open the bedroom door now.
She is microchipped, but honestly I don’t understand how that works and/or if it really makes it that much easier to find a lost pet.
So, as the topic line asks, is this something I need to worry about? Should I consider investing in a baby-gate (Will she be able to just jump over it?)
Thanks everyone!

 

[smiler84]

my cat will always come to the door when i come in. he'll often have a little potter on the doorstep, but doesn't go far as he's a bit of a big scaredy cat! i've let him have a little look around as i think at least that way he won't totally freak out if he does end up out there at any point.

i guess how much of a problem it is depends on where you live? for example if your front door opens straight onto a busy road it's probably going to more of a issue than if it's onto a quiet garden.

 

[Jiskefet]

Kittens are inquisitive by nature, and don't see any danger, so, yes, you do run a risk of her trying to escape and explore.
So you will have to cat-proof your windows, and make sure she cannot get to the front or back door when you open it.

I always keep my handbag at the ready to stop the cats and shove them back inside. And we try to keep the door to the entrance hall closed at all times. If you cannot keep her out of the hall, you might consider making division 'wall' with a door, maybe with chicken mesh. I know several people who have made a contraption like that to keep their cats from getting to the front door.

If you have windows tilting inwards, you need to catproof them too, for if the cat climbs through, she will get stuck and she may even die.

You don't want this to happen
http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/6889/kat2b.jpg

http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/719/kat1m.jpg

 

[chillminx]

Hi Geoff,

A cat or kitten will jump over a baby gate without any problems. If you wanted to put up a barrier it would need to fit over the entire door frame, and the bars would have to be very close together so she could not squeeze herself through.

If you can shut off the kitchen or the living room from the hall and front door, then it might be easier to just shut her in there whenever you go out, so that she can't dash out after you. Cats can be amazingly swift and clever at getting out through a briefly open door, if they have a mind to. One barely sees them go!

But for the moment, whilst she is learning her environment in the house, and is only young, she won't be too interested in dashing outside. When you come home she will no doubt be pleased to see you, and her mind will be on that.....and on food! But if she is a bit of a brave intrepid soul then it is possible as she gets older she might become very curious about the outdoors.

I don't know whether you plan to let her out eventually, but she definitely should NOT be allowed out until she has been spayed -- usually done around the age of 6 mths.

And these days most people don't let their cats outdoors until they are
10 mths to a year old (and spayed or neutered of course) because there are so many risks these days outdoors for young vulnerable cats. The exception might be if you have fitted cat-proof fencing all around your garden so there is no way your cat could get out of the garden.

With regard to how the microchip works -- if your cat gets lost it depends on the good will of a kind person who finds her, taking the cat to the vet to get it scanned for a microchip, or calling out the CPL who have a scanner they will bring to the home. A scanner would read your cat's microchip number and match it on the database to your name and address.

Personally I also like to have snap-release collars on my cats, with my phone number and post code, as well as micro-chipping them. I don't feel everyone would bother to get a stray cat scanned, but they might bother to make a phone call. But not everyone likes putting collars on cats, and not every cat will wear a collar anyway, particularly if they have not been used to one from a young age.

 

[donnamatrix]

Jiskefet, that picture's pretty distressing - I would have appreciated a warning, or it having been inserted as a URL. Not entirely sure why it was necessary to include a picture at all, especially since the OP's concern is about the door, not the windows. It's useful to warn other people about potential dangers but we don't need to see distressed cats!

 

[donnamatrix]

Our cat Yuki is very curious about the world outside our front door too (oh, the excitement of the landing...) so when we're leaving the flat we throw a toy into another room and then slip out while she's chasing it. When we come home, I always dangle my tote bag in front of my legs and let it enter first, so she doesn't have an opportunity to escape. She has managed to get out a couple of times, but all she's done is have a wander and I've ushered her back in. I worried she'd bolt but she's a happy cat who knows where her home is so luckily she's not too fixed on running away

 

[Jiskefet]

Jiskefet, that picture's pretty distressing - I would have appreciated a warning, or it having been inserted as a URL. Not entirely sure why it was necessary to include a picture at all, especially since the OP's concern is about the door, not the windows. It's useful to warn other people about potential dangers but we don't need to see distressed cats!

changed it

 

[Treaclesmum]

changed it

The 2nd pic of the cat in the window shows it wasn't really stuck, as it was looking around, probably just distressed that it couldn't get out!

 

[donnamatrix]

changed it

Thanks, I appreciate it

 

[donnamatrix]

The 2nd pic of the cat in the window shows it wasn't really stuck, as it was looking around, probably just distressed that it couldn't get out!

Nevertheless, a distressed cat is not something I want to see without warning!

 

[Jiskefet]

Nevertheless, a distressed cat is not something I want to see without warning!

Believe me, these are the 'best' pics that circulate on the internet, most pics of tiling window warnings show dead cats, sometimes almost cut in half.

 

[donnamatrix]

Believe me, these are the 'best' pics that circulate on the internet, most pics of tiling window warnings show dead cats, sometimes almost cut in half.

I'm sure there are much worse pics out there, but I'd prefer not to see even the tamer distressing pictures posted without warning. I've witnessed a lot of horrific animal cruelty first hand and would prefer not to see injured or distressed animals in a place I feel comfortable (like this lovely forum ) - or at all if possible!

To the OP - sorry that the focus of your thread had shifted! Hopefully you'll get some more good advice on encouraging your kitten to stay indoors :thumbsup:

 

[Jiskefet]

However, I DO think it is important that people realize the risk, because most cat owners don't. And finding your cat caught in the window is one hell of a way to find out......

I, for one, am very grateful I did see these pics. Unfortunately I cannot fit these racks on my windows, but I never leave them open, they are always closed or on the safety (just a very narrow slit opened).
The fact that I knew about this risk when ordering my new windows made me choose to have a ventilation grid fitted above each window, so I do not really need to open the windows to have at least some ventilation.

Sorry that I am not all pink and fluffy about this forum, but finding important and potentially life-saving information is one of the things I really appreciate about this place.

 

[donnamatrix]

I'm not saying noone should discuss risks, or that it's always inappropriate to post graphic pictures. I too appreciate the advice the members of this forum provide, and I by no means think the place should be 'pink and fluffy'. I agree that there are serious risks and dangers to our cats that we should be made aware of.

What I disagree with is posting graphic and/or distressing pictures without warning, and when it's not on topic. There have been recent posts whose titles suggest potentially upsetting content, which I try to avoid. In this case the OP was just asking about their kitten escaping via the front door. Nowhere did they ask about windows or even mention them - a 'have you thought about cat proofing your windows?' would have been one thing to throw into a discussion about doors, but posting two pictures of a cat caught in an open window is another.

Obviously we disagree about this but hopefully you'll consider that it's better to err on the side of caution when posting potentially upsetting images.

 

[merlin12]

Lets not get carried away, we have forgotten to ask the OP for pics

I think making sure no accidents happen is very important, really its better than later using the popular phrase "Oh had I known".

 

[Jiskefet]

Lets not get carried away, we have forgotten to ask the OP for pics

I think making sure no accidents happen is very important, really its better than later using the popular phrase "Oh had I known".

Exactly.
People never ask about catproofing tilting windows because they simply don't realize the risk, and think these windows are safe to leave open, if they have an insect screen in place. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth.

 

[donnamatrix]

Lets not get carried away, we have forgotten to ask the OP for pics

I think making sure no accidents happen is very important, really its better than later using the popular phrase "Oh had I known".

Yes, we'd love to see some pics of your little one OP!

 

[labydird]

Kittens are inquisitive by nature, and don't see any danger, so, yes, you do run a risk of her trying to escape and explore.
So you will have to cat-proof your windows, and make sure she cannot get to the front or back door when you open it.

I always keep my handbag at the ready to stop the cats and shove them back inside. And we try to keep the door to the entrance hall closed at all times. If you cannot keep her out of the hall, you might consider making division 'wall' with a door, maybe with chicken mesh. I know several people who have made a contraption like that to keep their cats from getting to the front door.

If you have windows tilting inwards, you need to catproof them too, for if the cat climbs through, she will get stuck and she may even die.

We have the exact same windows in every room and they tilt open wide enough for a cat to get out very easily!! Where did you get the mesh catproof protectors from? they look great and exactly what we need!

 

[Britishshorthairbabies]

Had a look on the net and found this, as it's my biggest fear too!

We make every effort to teach our indoor cats that the front door is not for them. We never stand in the doorway for any reason. Before opening the door, we look around to see who is close by. Kittens are simply picked-up and placed in the window next to the door so they can see what's happening yet remain safely indoors. Adult cats are scooted to the side so that when to door is opened, their view of the outside is blocked.

When returning through the door from the outside, the door is first cracked opened so we can see who might be close by. If any of our indoor cats are right there, waiting for their opportunity to 'escape', we block the doorway with a leg and use the verbal command 'Back'. As we move sideways through the door we keep saying the command in a low and sharp tone. If carrying packages, we hold them low to block the exit.

None of our indoor cats get a friendly greeting from us until we are well inside the house and the door is shut. This helps to discourage them from congregating at the door for attention when we come home. Most of them learn very quickly that by waiting in the windows or on the nearby table, they get positive attention. Once we are in and the door closed, we make an effort to greet each cat, calling them by name and giving them a bit of petting. (Though some of them are more interested in the groceries we've brought home than us!)

No cat that runs out is ever punished! It will not prevent or discourage them from trying to run out the door. Punishment would only serve to break the bond of trust between us and our cats. And catching a cat that doesn't trust you is next to impossible!

We also don't chase them, turning their 'escape' into a game. We remain calm and simply call to them in a friendly tone until they are close enough to pick up. Then we carry them back into the house and set them down away from the entry door. Our behavior practices have kept escape attempts to a minimum and we have noticed that, as the cats mature, they are less interested in exploring the great outdoors!

Hope this helps you too!

 

[Jiskefet]

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