keeping kittens inside

Question
We have two five month old brother and sister kittens who both have been declawed. The female will be neutered next month. With warm weather coming, we are wondering how can we keep them from trying to get out the door? Is there something that we can do or is it just that we need to be cautious.

Answer
Jim,

That is a natural reaction for cats wanting to outside. There is a whole new world out there with new smells and things to check out...and they want to get out there and explore.

You can leash training them and take them outside for periods of time, letting them explore. Cats enjoy that and it helps their state of mind. Here are some good links on how to do it: (copy and paste, or type, the whole links into your address bar)

http://cats.about.com/cs/behavioralissues/ht/leashtrain.htm

http://www.hdw-inc.com/leashtraining.htm

I don't know about "spring fever" but when it warms up my cats LOVE to be outside. Do you have an area where you can take them out and watch them, maybe letting them lay in the sun awhile and get their Vitamin D? If you have your own area, getting a fenced in dog run is good. Then you can put both the cats outside when it is nice and they will be safe but yet have the enjoyment of being outside.

I would collar train them and tape your address and phone number on their collars in case one does get away by running out the door.

Yes, you have to be cautious and aware of your cats at all times when opening the door. I have one that wants to out and I don't want him to. I back up out the door to make sure he doesn't slip out and when I turn around he's already outside looking at me! They can be quick!

Tips:

When you notice your cat going towards the door or if she (or he, but I'll use she) looks like she is  going to begin meowing at the door, distract her. Get a shoe string (or similar) to pull, roll a marble so she can chase it, etc. The key is to distract her from the behavior BEFORE she starts it.

You have to ignore her/him if she/he start meowing. Completely! Do not react or acknowledge her meowing in any way. She will eventually stop when she sees that she is not getting any reaction from you. But if you don't ignore her ONE time then it will almost impossible to get her to stop because then she knows that if she meows long enough you will give her attention...and she's got plenty of time. When she stops meowing THEN play with her or give her kitty treats. That way she will associate not meowing with something pleasant.

You can also keep a rolled up newspaper handy by your doors. When they start to try to go outside bop them with the newspaper. It will scare them but not hurt them. They should soon associate the newspaper with the door and stay away from it.

I've never tried it but get a large box and put it in front of the door with the opening towards the inside of the house. Tape two pieces of cardboard together on top to form a pyramid so she can jump on top of the box and meow. Since it blocks the door, a cat shouldn't go in the box just to meow at the back wall of the box

Get a nice tall kitty condo that you can put in front of a window and that they can climb on. They enjoy being high up and looking out a window.

I hope this helps.

Tabbi