Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat General => General Cat Chat => Topic started by: Tiggy's Mum on February 21, 2008, 16:41:21 PM
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As some of you may know I have recently moved house, I didn't have a problem with the front door before as even if they had managed to get out of the front door they still had to get through another door to escape into the big wide world.
My situation now is that once I have had the fences and catproofing put up they will be able to go out into the back garden but they will never be allowed out the front, the difficulty here is that there is just the one front door. My first thought was to get a privacy screen which I could pull accross the hall as I left the house so I could get in safely, unfortunately due to the height of the bannisters on the stairs (the first platform is 5 foot ish) then it would be a simple step onto the top of the screen and then into the 'safe zone' with no effort required. I've only recently moved in so for the time being I've moved a litter tray into the living room and closed them in there while I've gone out but it's not fair on them to do this long term.
Has anyone got any ideas/solutions? How do you stop your cats getting out of a door if they're not allowed out there?
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tbh until we got our porch put up a well placed foot was the best I came up with!
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If you can put a porch on that is a massive help - we open one door, close it, then open the next. A bit like an airlock, or catlock! :rofl: I realise that might be too expensive or unworkable though. Otherwise, I don't know. Treats to throw in the opposite direction while you sneak in and out?
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I always wondered this too, thanks for asking the question Helen. We have a Porch area and it's so handy but I have worried since I'm not going to be here forever and a porch might not always be available.
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I just don't open the door far and then go out quickly! Not much help I know. When I leave, I give them a treat and they're usually hovering in the hall or living room but don't make an attempt to go out. I make sure they're not close to the door and just dive out pretty quickly. When I come home I open the door a small amount so that I can see if anyone's there and stick my crutch in if there is! But there usually isn't and if Mosi is behind the door, it opening will push him further into the hallway. Of course, I'm not in exactly the same situation as if they got passed my door they'd only be in the hallway of the block of flats with another door between them and the outside. I do have some cardboard boxes in the hall that act as a bit of a barrier. They can get over them easily, but they seem to act as a sort of psychological barrier. If they are the other side of the boxes, it's not as easy for them to dash out the door. I'd suggest having a treat in your hand then when you're about to open the door, throw the treat away from the door and make a dash for it!
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I use treats to distract them whilst i leave the house, i dont have a problem on the return opening as mine are allowed out. They tend to beat me to the back door straight away :innocent:
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I find that with a single door, its not so much getting out, but getting back in which is the problem.
I regularly have to put my handbag in front of him, with a well placed leg, to stop him getting out into the front garden :rofl:
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oh yes big handbag, forgot that!
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Every night our conversation goes like this when I get home, as he's always by the front door when he hears my car:-
Me: Hey Maxy bubs, how's my baby boy?
Max from t'other side of the door: Meow
key then goes in lock, much more meowing.....
Me: You don't want to come out, its cold and dark.
Max: Meow
Me: (door now open): Hey Maxy look at my nice handbag, isn't it lovely, yes you really want to look at it, come on then, out the bloomin way.....
Max: Waaahhhh
:rofl:
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I guess I am lucky, Oliver doesn't seem to be interested in going out of the front door, sometimes he stretches out his neck and sniffs but has never tried to go out. Well it is just a 3rd floor hallway nothing interesting in sight, but probably it is because he has never gone outside by himself in his life time. :innocent:
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An outside porch would be the ideal solution but wouldn't be possible, I don't mind doing something internally but the dimensions are 76" (almost 2 metres) x normal ceiling height so it's hard to think of solutions!
When Tiggy and her brother were around they were indoor/outdoor but weren't allowed out after dusk so I had a similar problem coming in after it was dark - that's what's worrying me - they were not as young and sprightly as the boys and there were still times when, despite my best placed bag or leg, they managed to get out when they weren't supposed to.
It would be a nightmare if they got out as 1) they have never been outside so would probably be very frightened and run off and 2) I'm far too close for comfort to a busy road :scared:
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I just had a thought. Could you come and go through the back? Is it possible to block the kitchen or whever the back door leads to off from the boys during the day?
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Hmmm i'm not sure what to suggest. I know that with the FeLV kittens, we asked for another internal door to be fitted, but it was quite a straight forward fit.
I guess the only other thing would be too not have them in the living room when you leave (ie. put them in the kitchen) but I suppose that if you're out all day they'd like to have the run of the place....
I'll have a think!
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I just had a thought. Could you come and go through the back? Is it possible to block the kitchen or whever the back door leads to off from the boys during the day?
When the garden is cat proofed I could go through the front of the garage, out the back door of the garage into the garden and then in the house through the back door which goes directly into the lounge but it's the hassle factor really - if I can think of something that stops them getting out the front all together that would be ideal. At the moment while the garden isn't catproofed the only 'safe' way in would be to lock them out of the lounge whilst I'm out and come in through the garage method but it's the biggest room in the house and has their climbing tower, toys and beds in.
My Mum has suggested building a wooden frame in the hallway and having a humungous floor length wooden blind (roman or venetian) that I can pull down and then bolt either side to the frame. I'm not convinced it would work and is probably the ugliest solution available too! I don't mind 'ugly' if it was foolproof catproof but like I say I'm not convinced!
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Here's my mini plan I did.... If anyone can think of something I could do I'd be eternally grateful ;D
(http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z202/Lucas_Riley/P_edits/284800x600.jpg)
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Could you maybe get a large wicker screen and place it over the door as you leave? You can get beautiful (if expensive), robust ones from The Pier. It would look nice and perhaps block the littles one's way when you're leaving and when you come back.
If you got one that way hinged two or three ways, you could put it in a triangle configiration round the door - does that make sense???
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That would have been the perfect solution, unfortunately my drawing is not quite to scale! The front door itself is 33" wide so as you can see, when opened, it takes up quite a chunk of the 51" from the threshold to the bottom of the stairs. This would mean that the screen would be too close to the 5ft bannister post and they would just step over it!
:thanks: for the idea though
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:rofl:
Didn't realise!!! Hope you find a solution soon hun, other wise it's the tried and teste boot in the door strategy!
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I dont have a problem cos the porch already had a dfoor on it when I came , so have a double door like someone else.
maybe i am being daft but i think what you need is a floor to ceiling screen, also wall to wall, or maybe a new plaster board wall put in with a door in it.
i think but not sure but the would go in at about 40 inches from the current door and that would then give you another 9 inches or so before the stairs.
effectively this would create an internal porch with a double door system.
the door that goes in the new wall could be on a concenteener type so it does not need lots of space to open outwards.
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Would something like this work?
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/7014288/Trail/searchtext>FOLDING+DOOR.htm
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/7012761/Trail/searchtext>FOLDING+DOOR.htm
If that's not strong enough, they also do normal folding doors:
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/7070569/Trail/searchtext>FOLDING+DOOR.htm
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/7070246/Trail/searchtext>FOLDING+DOOR.htm
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/7070222/Trail/searchtext>FOLDING+DOOR.htm
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Can you somehow conjure up a device to let out a loud scary godzilla roar coming straight from the door every time they cross a certain threshhold? :evillaugh:
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We went to elaborate cat jailing precautions in Cape Town as escape would have been disastrous. Our back door had a security gate fitted (outside; same size of the door) with a plastic mesh over it to prevent escapes. Looks horrible but worked. The front doors both there and before that in London were unsecured as we couldn't see any way to do it (and OH drew the line!) so I used to come in stamping my feet and making loud WAAAAAH noises and without any shopping bags etc (all put down outside beforehand) , locate and shut up cats to bring shopping in etc. Guaranteed to cause maximum curtain twitching from neighbours btw :P. Effective though you always have to be on alert to retrieve a feline that shoots past - if they know they're not allowed out, *generally* they shoot out and then hesitate in the unfamiliar surroundings, enabling you to recapture the fugitive! (hopefully). I do know how scary a prospect it is though.
Otherwise think your Mum is on the right track but that is expensive & ugly - you'd have to build a frame fixed to the wall, maybe even with a gate in it to give you the 'double door effect', then have it wired up or a blind put in. Do you have a front window as well as a door? If you come home with someone, maybe (this occasionally worked) they could make faces/noises to attract the cats while you go inside, then capture the wrigglers until everyone is in safely.
good luck with it all! We spent a fortune in catproofing but worth every penny for peace of mind.
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I have never had problems like this, so I am confused. My cats, once they are trained, just stop trying and the only time I run into difficulties is when someone comes to the door who wil neither come in or go away, in which case I step outside and close the door behind me, leaving my fingers in the gap so it does not shut me out. Training simply involves lifting them up and removing them from the doorway when you go to open it ...
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maybe i am being daft but i think what you need is a floor to ceiling screen, also wall to wall, or maybe a new plaster board wall put in with a door in it.
i think but not sure but the would go in at about 40 inches from the current door and that would then give you another 9 inches or so before the stairs.
That's EXACTLY what I need but I can't find screens tall enough or wide enough - where's Sam the google Queen when you need her! I couldn't really get a new plaster board wall built as you wouldn't be able to get up or down the stairs with a permanent wall there.
:thanks: for the links Marla, I looked into two concertina doors side by side (strong ones, not the cheaper plastic ones) which would mean you could get up and down the stairs as they wouldn't be permanently pulled closed but emailed the manufacturers and they said that a determined cat could probably poke their nose under the gap and squeeze through as the doors are not rigid - Riley is quite possibly the most intelligent, strong willed cat I have ever known so it would take him seconds to breach the defences :evillaugh: My first thought on the matter was bi-fold doors but unfortunately the gap is 1930mm wide wheras the doors are 762mm wide so even two side by side wouldn't be wide enough.
No front window either Swampmaxmum, at least if I had a window I could see if the coast was clear so to speak - somehow I don't think I'm going to be able to solve this problem, maybe the godzilla roar is the way forward!
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You train cats :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
My cats all have a life of there own and will do exactly what they want if they desire.
I think its a dodgy game to play at taking risks with their lives if you have a busy road outside and the cats are as energetic and nosy as Riley ;D
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ah, yes, sorry, didn't pay attention to who had posted the first post :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: with those two, you probably need razor wire :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
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I think its a dodgy game to play at taking risks with their lives if you have a busy road outside and the cats are as energetic and nosy as Riley ;D
What you trying to say about my Riley? :evillaugh: It's actually a cul-de-sac so doesn't go straight onto a busy road but I'm not willing to take the risk that any escapee wouldn't find their way to the 60mph road that's too close for my liking.
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I think Riley is lovely but I wouldnt trust him further than I could see him :rofl: :rofl:
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Foot stamping and godzilla roars it is then by the look of it. On the plus side, at least only one of them is a raving loon who would try it, so perhaps you can grab him in time if he is godzilla-immune?
He will learn he's not allowed out there, but it will be like a naughty game to try to beat his mum....with a burmese I've been there and got that T shirt! :Crazy:
But if you are determined & very watchful when you come in and go out (as you will be) he won't get out. Or not for long enough before recapture! Swamp once hurtled down the side alley next to our house (idiot repairman left door open) but stopped when I chased him as it was a bit disconcerting for him to find himself outside. He purred like mad when I carried him back in, the little :censored:
Once they get used to it, you'll probably find Riley zzzzing when you come home, so you can get in before he's fully alert.
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Would it be possible to have a long doorstep and convert the door into an outward swinging one (you could also open it very quickly in the event of unwanted guests and hey presto! - they instantly disappear too :evillaugh: :evillaugh: Then you could put a barrier nearer the door on the other side.
When we first got our cats in the summer it was a case of shuffling in using feet as a blockade, and if I had things to carry, I'd come in, close the door, shut them into the lounge, then go back out again to collect the shopping or whatever it was.
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Maybe a baby-gate? - I'm wondering if it's possible to get a square one? - I went through all this when the B&B was open and never found a solution.
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I have a spare baby gate that came with the house, if you think that would help - but suggest you would need to put a finer grille over it to prevent escapes between the bars. however I am not sure how this would help as it is simply another door open, although a secondary back up if you efforts to keep them at bay when you open the door are foiled. They can also easily leap over the top of it if they wanted to.
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I agree with Jo. If I am thinking of the right type of a baby gate they are not so high, and you have to remember cats are much more athletic than a human baby.... :sneaky:
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Dog gates are much taller ... actually I've seen a dog gate with bamboo polls attached to the top to make it that bit higher
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To add to the millstone already around your neck, how about a conservatory attached to the front of your house? Would that be practical? If not it looks like a trip to Mothercare for the safety gate.
Or Ebay:
http://search.ebay.co.uk/safety-gate_W0QQ_trksidZm37QQdfspZ32QQfromZR40QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ1QQsbrsrtZd
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why pay for one when she can get one free from me (p&P not included of course!)
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Sorry Blackcat missed that bit
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We use the stomping around and yelling method to scare them off this doesn't work with our burmese, you have to pick her up and put her somewhere else so you can squeeze through the door.
If you were in the US I'd suggest a stormdoor or screendoor - they go on the outside as the first door you open before your main door, used to let sun/air in with keeping pets/children inside.
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=21839-78360-21839&lpage=none
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:rofl: :rofl: sorry to go off topic, but that picture just reminded me of the time my old dog, Bimbo, deaf, toothless, half blind, but man-hating to the end, staggered up the front steps as the paper boy knocked at the front door to deliver the paper. Dog spotted the boy, boy spotted the dog and realised her intentions. He opened the screen door and wedged himself inside it so that when we opened the front door, boy and pile of papers fell onto entry lobby floor :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: Bimbo, meantime was ravening on the other side of the screen :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
OK, will stop rambling now ...
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Err can't you sneak out when they not expecting it? OK can't think of better than large bag when coming back in though. We don't seem to have a problem tbh (Freddie always at door when I get home but runs away from open door although goes out back door OK :shify:, suits me) but your 2 are muuch younger than ours. It does beome second nature after a while taking care going in and out. You develop a 6th sense about whether they are about to get out.
Hope you and the boys like new home Helen.
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:thanks: everyone - lots of good ideas... Think I may have cracked it though :wow:
After furious googling I have found this.... Haven't measured yet as it's too cold, dark and wet to go outside and check but am thinking it can go in front of the front door with a close dark mesh attached to the inside of the gate and arches. There is a porch roof so will need to check it fits under that, I would have preferred a full height gate but I think it will give me enough room to get in and if one of them was to sneak out they'd be trapped in a mini courtyard and could be grabbed quickly. I might have a look for a wooden version and see if a full height gate could be attched.
[attachment deleted by admin]
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Yes that sounds a good idea, hope it fits.
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Helen do you own this house or renting ?
The best solution (and much cheaper than porches or conservatorys) would be to have a internal door installed thus creating a vestibule for yourself. This would really be a very simple job for a joiner as it would mean simple framing and plasterboard then the door which you could get for not too much money. Wouldnt need that much taping or pastering as it would only be a small area or you could look for wider units with side windows.
We did this up the other end of our hall as it narrows before the bathroom and i always felt looks abit stupid so now the hall is the same width up to the door plus it created a fab barrier for the big boys between bathroom and other areas seb always tried to escape from :evillaugh:
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I think I suggested that way back doen there VVVVVVVV :rofl: :rofl:
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The best solution (and much cheaper than porches or conservatorys) would be to have a internal door installed thus creating a vestibule for yourself.
This is what I have - a glass internal door, fitted about a metre from my front door; it keeps the pusses in and draughts out!
I would ask your new neighbours' if they could recommend a handyman ;)
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Hi Helen
I'm having exactly the same problem with Biscuit at the moment !!!! Every time I come in through the front door she manages to squeeze out. My front door has two steps down and then straight onto the pavement (no front garden for me). At the moment as soon as she gets out she stands on the step has a sniff around fluffs up her tail and then waits for me to turn on her laser light toy to chase. Thats what I'm using at moment to get her attention back and she follows it back into the house so I have that permanently in my pocket (need new batteries soon though). The one time she ventured off the step somebody was walking past and she decided "nope don't like the look of him" and ran back inside of her own accord.
I'm thinking about the idea of putting up an extra door because unlike you I do have a long hall way which would accommodate an extra door to make the vestibule idea, in the meantime I'm watching this thread with interest.
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My guess is it would help with heat & noise insulation as well. The layout of our house wouldn't allow it :( - Willow has got out quite a few times - luckily she normally just sniffs around in our tiny front garden. I'm terrified that she will get spooked and run into the road and we live on a busy high street :scared:
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An internal wall and new door would be the best permanent solution but there's just not the room, there's only 51" from threshold to the bottom of the stairs so if there was a wall there you wouldn't be able to get up or down the stairs! It couldn't be a doorway on it's own as the gap is almost 7 foot wide so would have to have a new wall either side of it.
I still haven't plucked up the courage to let them have the run of the house while I'm out, even Lucas who is the better behaved of the two has started to get all cocky with all the Feliway that's flowing through the air :innocent: It's not too bad at the moment but when I go back to work I'll have to be brave as it's not fair on them to be in one room all day :scared:
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ok i have another idea, dont know if it would work cos of oping front door though.
why not try putting a new wall on a diagonal fron below kitchen entrance to wards end wall, so the it would leaveloads of room to get upstairs.
cant work out whether you would be able to do this and for front door to open though. if it wouldnt then an answer would be to get the hinges on front door changed so that it opened outwards.
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I couldnt have a vestibule, so i throw toys for Rolo when I want to leave the house and he is hovering, and if I dont want him to go out when I come home, I open it very slightly, and use my foot and handbag to stop him going out. The advantage to them getting out when you come home from work is that they are generally more bothered about their food than exploring. Mine is normally only a short term thing though, as the majority of cats who aren't allowed outside are in the cat room when I am not there (this is one of the reasons why, due to the layout of the house. I would think they would get used to it though.
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Hi Hun
Thankfully the lads don't really know what the front door or leads to so don't hang around it at all. With Gizzy & Rio, they knew so were always asking to go out or by the door everytime it opened. One way i got round it was by rining the door bell as they didn't like the noise so always backed off and i could get in without them near the door.
With Garf & Marl if they are both in lounge which is opposite front door and the door bell goes, i can shut the lounge door and answer it safely. Normally when we come in, they are no where near the door asleep somewhere and i go out making sure they are not around, if they are i will distract them with a treat away from the door and creep out :evillaugh:
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:evillaugh: love the idea of a bell. Lexy hates the doorbell and I'm really fortunate that my front door is downstairs. She only comes down when she hears my keys and if its been a long day, but she only gets to the 3rd or 4th step and just waits for me. She dashes under the bed anytime the bell is rung.
Maybe a scare tactic, Helen, so the boys associate it (like Tan did with the bell) with something they don't want to be near? Though having said that, Pippa is much like the boys and no matter what my sister does the madam is not fearful of much!
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A wood version of the black metal gate wotsit would be much cheaper and v.easy to put together.
Could make it a pefect fit then
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I'm interested in some of these ideas as when I think of moving the paramount thought is that I could only move to a house with a porch or vestibule! Will be interested to see what you do in the end, Helen. I'm sort of ok where I am at the moment as there are 2 doors between my flat and the big outdoors, and they dont' really bother anyway, but it is a worry if I move.
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The dreaded doorbell, of course ;D
MIne all run and hide when the doorbell rings.
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This is all good stuff. Frank's not aloud out and although our front door is at the back we are on a main road and it does worry me too. It's usually only a problem when we come home cos Frank is keen to come and say hello when we come back from anywhere. Plus he'd love to get out and explore. If it's anyone else at the door he's straight under the bed :evillaugh:
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The dreaded doorbell, of course ;D
MIne all run and hide when the doorbell rings.
The opposite to Max then, who acts more like a guard dog than a cat and runs down the stairs miaowing like a maniac when the front doorbell goes :evillaugh: