Post-escape indoor cat guidance

[Anonymous]

Our sweet indoor cat ran out a few days ago and we know he is close by (see him on front door cam).

I expect he is having a blast outside and want to prevent a future escape.
He was a rescue off the streets and does have outdoor experience (meaning, I would think he knows how to find food).
The adoption agency was insistent we keep him indoor (not sure why).
We have put water and food outside, along with his bed and other things he likes and have his hair on them.
But so far, he doesn’t come around when we call him or jingle his food bowl / treat bag. I go around at all different times: dawn, dusk, nighttime, etc. He’s on the front door cam shortly I go back inside.

Assuming we get him back inside, what is the best way to handle his return? I worry about ticks, worms, etc. A vet visit seems reasonable, don’t you think?
(That was lots of questions. Thank you for any ideas!)

[Anonymous]

I am a cat owner and a cat lover, but they are extremely destructive when they are allowed to roam free. That's why the rescue wanted you to keep the cat inside. Why haven't you gotten him back inside yet? You are leaving food and water out thus making is easy for him to not want to come back inside.

[Anonymous]

Waiting to hear the advice you get. We have one that wants to escape so any tips on how to prevent would be helpful too

[Anonymous]

My indoor-raised cat got out one day and after that we had to let her out because she knew to dash between our legs when the door was opened. She started hunting but not eating her kill.

She did get fleas once. We had to bathe her in flea shampoo. She had all shots a cat could get at that tine.

Other than that we had no issue. She definitely wanted her wet catfood.

When the weather is bad call her in. Perhaps microchip her if you haven't already. Then if she wanders, you will hear about it and she won't end up lost in a shelter.

I expect she will return in bad weather. It's okay to have an indoor/outdoor cat. The agency just didn't want her having babies, going feral, or getting lost.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My indoor-raised cat got out one day and after that we had to let her out because she knew to dash between our legs when the door was opened. She started hunting but not eating her kill.

She did get fleas once. We had to bathe her in flea shampoo. She had all shots a cat could get at that tine.

Other than that we had no issue. She definitely wanted her wet catfood.

When the weather is bad call her in. Perhaps microchip her if you haven't already. Then if she wanders, you will hear about it and she won't end up lost in a shelter.

I expect she will return in bad weather. It's okay to have an indoor/outdoor cat. The agency just didn't want her having babies, going feral, or getting lost.

No, that is not true. They've already spayed her so there is no worry for them that she will have babies. But domestic cats should be kept indoors because they are extremely destructive to the environment, especially the bird population.

[Anonymous]

The agency also knows that outdoor cats have a shorter lifespan due to being hit by a car, being exposed to diseases or getting eaten. Around here, an outdoor cat will be eaten by a coyote and maybe even a fox or bear.

Find a rescue or lost pet group and ask to borrow a trap cage. Once you have her, get her bathed and treated for fleas & make sure she's chipped.

What works for me is to keep a spray bottle of water on both sides of the front door. When I come home, before I open the door, I have the sprayer ready. As soon as I open the door, if I see her I spray in her direction. When leaving if she's hanging close, I spray again to get her to run away from the door.

And I don't care what Jackson Galaxy says about spray bottles. For the door issue, I use them. For scratching on furniture I do not.

My cat isn't aggressive enough to dart out through the water. If yours does, I have seen 2 section screens or gates installed in front of the door. So make sure you are in the first part (and the cat isn't) before you open the door.

At least it seems she knows where home is and isn't wandering the neighborhood getting lost. So if she escapes once more, borrow the trap again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Waiting to hear the advice you get. We have one that wants to escape so any tips on how to prevent would be helpful too

This is the OP.
We are trying and want him back inside. I wish I knew why he hasn’t returned.
(He was spotted nearby and I saw his tail as I put food out for him. Normally the sound sends him racing but he hid under a tree when I approached.)
My guess is he is scared.

[Anonymous]

Have you tried going out and sitting outside with his stuff (food and bed) for a long, long time? Like sitting on your deck or stoop chilling on youth phone for an hour or two? That has worked for me!

[Anonymous]

We adopted a cat or, rather, a cat adopted us, who had been living on the streets. We have given up on making him stay indoors. He goes to the door when he wants to be let out and knows our Ring doorbell will alert us when he wants to come in. If the weather is nice, he’ll stay out all day. If it’s cold or rainy, he wants to stay indoors.

It seems once they’ve had a taste of outdoor life, they have a hard time being indoor only and continue to do everything they can to dart out. If this means our cat has a shorter lifespan, so be it. I figure he’s fed, neutered, has shelter when he wants it and gets vet care so he’s better off than he was before we took him in.

[Anonymous]

Do not put food out for him. He will come in when he wants and is hungry. Mine has gotten out twice and both times, I left the deck door open a bit and he would climb up and come in begging for food after a day or two. It was stressful when he was out, but I do think he enjoys the freedom. I just try to be careful to not leave the door open (he has gotten out when I was taking out the trash and bringing in groceries).

[Anonymous]

put a tracker on him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We adopted a cat or, rather, a cat adopted us, who had been living on the streets. We have given up on making him stay indoors. He goes to the door when he wants to be let out and knows our Ring doorbell will alert us when he wants to come in. If the weather is nice, he’ll stay out all day. If it’s cold or rainy, he wants to stay indoors.

It seems once they’ve had a taste of outdoor life, they have a hard time being indoor only and continue to do everything they can to dart out. If this means our cat has a shorter lifespan, so be it. I figure he’s fed, neutered, has shelter when he wants it and gets vet care so he’s better off than he was before we took him in.

Cats kill native bird populations, who are not wired to protect themselves against non-native predators. It's one thing to opt for a shorter lifespan for your pet, and it's quite another for you to be OK with your pet's destruction of bird populations.

[Anonymous]

The shorter lifespan isn't just quietly dying 5 years earlier. It means a probable violent and painful death. And like others said, all the birds that will suffer.

OP: I had a cat years ago who was very sweet but sometimes darted out. When he did, he turned into a wild feral cat. I would approach him under a bush and he would attack me like I was his worst enemy.

As soon as I could scoop him up, the second we walked through the door, he immediately turned back into sweet kitty.

It was some innate reaction that kicked in a soon as he was in the open and his instincts must have told him to be on high alert.

[Anonymous]

I taught my cat to come when I screamed “chicken” by giving him chicken every time I yelled the word chicken. Incredibly stupid advice, but it worked 100% of the time because my cat really likes chicken. So if she escapes and I scream for her, she will typically come back as long as I back up my Claims.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thank you all for this feedback!
We have now seen him on our door camera and gotten close to him in neighbors’ yards and our own carport. So I guess he knows it’s us / our smell / where his house is.
This was task #1, now we need to be able to scoop him up and take him home.