How To Keep A Cat From Running Out The Door! I Don’t Want A Missing Cat!

A physical barrier is going to be the quickest and easiest solution to stop your cat from running out the door.

It may mean that you have to adjust your behavior, just like when taking care of a toddler. Cats and toddlers have one thing in common, they are both lightning fast and disappear in an instant.

Different ideas to stop your cat running out the door are described below in detail/

1. Get A Big Box To Put By The Door

A simple solution here to stop the cat running out of the door, is to get a big box and place it in front of the open door.

A box that is similar in size to the one shown is ideal.

If your box is smaller than this, remember to have the open side up, otherwise your cute little feline friend will just jump up onto the top of the box and be out the door in a jiffy.

The good thing about this method is, there is no cost, it is easy, there is just a matter of finding a box. Put your box feelers out!

A big box is lightweight and easy enough to move out of the way so that you can exit if you need to.

C’mon – we can outsmart cats!

PS A large box like this is also handy for keeping toddlers from accessing different rooms (until they are old enough to move the box out of the way). There is still a period of time though, when it is super handy to keep those super fast crawlers or early stage toddlers, out of rooms that you don’t want them to access.

2. Keep The Door Closed – This Is Not Foolproof

Keeping the door closed will prevent your cat from running out the door unexpectedly.

The obvious problem is that the door can easily be left open, and perhaps you want the door left open to allow fresh air to come in.

If this is your only choice in the short term, put a BIG sign on the door to remind yourself and anyone else to keep the door closed.

The other problem with this solution is that you would need to be on guard at all times, whenever anyone uses the door.

This is okay for short term however in the long term this is not a practical solution. This is all part of being a cat owner doing the right thing.

3. Get A Cat Run To keep the Cat Safe

A cat run will give the cat a safe and secure area to enjoy the outdoors, where they can come and go as they please, while still keeping them out of harm’s way.

A cat run ideally has an entrance and an exit, so you don’t need to worry about getting up each time your kitty wants to come and go.

A cat run like the the one below can be connected to a cat door so the cat or cats can go in and out on their own. The cat door can be closed when you don’t want the cats to access the outside area. Conversely, the cat door can be closed to keep the cats in their safe outdoor area, while you attend to things inside the house, that may necessitate leaving a door open.

The good thing about a system like this is that it can be added to with another tent and more tunnels you should ever want to do that.

This solution has great merits to giving the cat access to the outdoors in a safe manner, however the cat may still attempt to run out the door.

Related: You can always train your cat to stay indoors. There’s more information here about how to do train your cat to stay indoors.

4.Play With Your Cat To Lessen Their desire To Run Out The Door

Playing with your cat is a great way to give them exercise and mental stimulation, and it will also help build their trust in you.

Try feather wands, laser pointers, or other interactive toys that will allow your kitty to chase something. Keeping the cat busy will detract them from the idea of running out the door.

This is a good method if, a couple of people need to exit and the cat can be distracted by playing with him.

Chasing and hunting are part of a cat’s natural instincts.

Provide playtime and entertainment indoors to help keep your cats stimulated, so they don’t become bored and look outside for stimulation

5.Use A Cat Harness Or Leash

Using a cat harness is not my favorite method to keep your cat from running out the door, as it just sounds like being too organized, however, it may be an ah-ha solution for your purposes, so I have included it here.

Attaching a harness or leash to your kitty when you open the door can help you control their movements and prevent them from running past you.

This works well when the door doesn’t have to be opened too often and the cat is nearby.

Using a cat harness or lead is a good solution for senior cats.

6. A Cat Scat Mat

Personally, I wouldn’t use these in locations where the cat has to jump onto the mat because it will be uncomfortable for the cat.

Walking across a scat mat is okay. Most cats will give up, although cat behaviorsuggests that cats will try to find a way, at first anyway.

This method is a good secondary back up to using the “big box”.

Or, have the scat mat near the door for those times, the harness is forgotten, or someone (not you of course) leaves the door open. The scat mat then becomes a back up plan.