Dashing Out The Door

by Right

I am not a door dasher, but my sisfur Jessie is. I love to watch Mom try to come in the door with one arm full of groceries, holding the door open with the other, and try to keep Jessie at bay with one foot. Now Jessie doesn't really want to go outside, because the outside scares her, she just wants to see if she can DO it. When Jessie gets outside, she manages about two steps before she realizes she is outside, then sits down and starts to cry. What a girl!!!

We are getting ready to move to a new house, and Mom is worried that Jessie will do the door dashing thing over there and get lost. So she investigated that problem and came up with some solutions. None of which will work on Jessie.

1. Re-train the cat to meet the human in a particular spot when he or she leaves the house. No one has ever even trained Jessie to do anything, let alone re-train her, Hah! That won't work.

2. Inspire the cat's hunting instincts by tossing a favorite toy or treat in the opposite direction of the door when the human leaves. When Jessie is set on escaping there is nothing that will stop her from the dash, she is too old to do much playing, and she doesn't like treats anymore.

3. Change the morning routine by placing a trail of treats in the hall or up the stairs when the human takes the dog out. Well since Jessie doesn't like treats anymore and I do, I suggest that is the course to take.

4. Make the targeted exit door less appealing by keeping a squirt gun or a can of coins within easy reach. Then you can give kitty a shot of water or shake the can and make a scary noise. To Jessie the squirt gun wouldn't distract her in the least, and the shaking coins would just make a "Lets play" noise.

5. Provide a sturdy window perch with a bird feeder near by, that is another suggestion from our trusty Catnip magazine. But they have NEVER met Jessie, or Sassy, or Right or Left..... We have a sturdy window perch, we also have a sturdy cat tree, but Jessie rarely gets to the top to see out ... because there is already a cat there. New idea please...

6. Add an enclosed pen in the back yard where the cat can play safely. Since our new back yard is all fenced in, and Jessie can't jump or climb any more, I guess that is the answer. She will now get to go play in the new back yard, and once Jeffie makes sure it is escape proof, she can go outside all she wants. The new house is in a nice quiet area, not a lot of traffic, fenced in back yard with trees!!! What more can a kitty girl ask for. Yup life for Jessie is good.

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