Help! My Indoor Kitten Is Always Trying To Get Out....

Question

I don't think she's fixed but I dont think she was an outdoor cat either

Answer 1

Train her on a harness/leash. So she can explore the outdoors, but safely and supervised.

Answer 2

FIX HER and 50% of your problem will go away. She might be in heat and nature calls her to find a mate. Are you sure she was never pregnant? Because if you're not sure, she might be wanting to get out because she has kitten somewhere out there! But since you told us she was a kittens, I'm assuming not. It would help to know how old she is. If she's more than 8-9 months old she might be in heat.

Other than that, if she got away for a long period of time (let's say a couple of hours) at one time, she might have establish a territory out there that she needs to protect.

Now that you know all the reason she wants to go out you need to understand that a cat needs dicipline and they won't hate you for that (as long as you don't hurt them). Now you must be carefull. You should punish the intentation and if you can catch her as she's escaping. But you should never try and punishing her once she's escape. You want her to understand that she's not allowed to go outside. Once she's out there, if you punish her and then get her in or get her in and then punish her you will send the wrong message, punishing her to get in! Also, wanting to punish her once she's out only tells her that she should not come back because she's going to be punish.

What you really really really need to do is to be able to hold her inside for at least 14 days straight. That's the time it take for a cat to adopt a new routine and forget about marked territory.

If you're scared that your cat will hate you (which he will not) or If you cannot control her that much you should use the infra-red sirene fence. They are sirenes (like the one used by the fans at football games) equiped with a magic eyes. If kitty cross it, the sirene screems!!! That way, the punishment is not coming from you but from the sirene. Believe me, he will not try to get out after two or three tries with that much noise. That is the most effective way of dealing with your problem but it will cost you 35$ per entrance where he escape.

Remember 14 days is what it takes to modify a behavior.

Good luck

Answer 3

Has Luna been fixed? That's a great name by the way. Love it.

She could be acting that way because she's in heat?  Was she previously an outdoor cat? That could be a factor. I have one of those. It took a year or so before I got her to be completely committed to be an indoor kitty.

edit: You should try to find out if she's fixed. Is she howling or meowing a lot? That's a sign of being in  heat. I don't think there is an easy way to find out. Maybe she is bored? All cats will go out if they have the opportunity. I have been through this. I try to limit the opportunities that they can get out. That's all you can do.

Answer 4

Cats need to be free. Let it out.

Answer 5

what you could do is put a doggy door on the side of your house, and build a fenced cage maybe 5x5 ft. enclosure. That way she/he will be able to go outside, and you will have the peace of mind knowing that he/she is safe. The key to these situations is compromise.

Answer 6

Cats in captivity naturally have one home.

Rarely do they run away.

With Kittens I found that it is good to let them out then put them to a harness attached to a long leash or rope that's secured at the other end.

After she gets to be older and bigger, try letting her out.

I promise she'll come back.

If you want to keep her inside, prepare to deal with her running away every time she gets a chance for the rest of her life.