Our 14 month old f MC (non-pure bred) has been raised since birth as an 'indoor' cat. We adopted her at 3 months old. She is now 9+ pounds but I do not think she will get alot larger. She displays most of the breed standard characteristics. She is very energetic and exhibits 'classic' MC behavior: retrives small objects, facination! with running water, follows us from room to room, is NOT a 'lap' cat. She is generally well behaved, keeps herself very clean, uses the litter box flawlessly, and is non destructive to our household items (even plants!). But she wants to go outside. She will sit at the front door and cry sometimes. I will pick he up and carry her outside so she can 'smell the wind' and I let her sniff the shrubs and grass. I tried a collar and leash in the past but she does not like this.

The other day she accidently got out on her own while I was bringing in grocery bags. It was very cold out (we live in Massachusetts) and she ran around in the snow covered wooded area around my house for nearly an hour. She would not come to my calls and chasing her was futile as the more I chased her the more she would run away. But I was very nervous about this as she was not used to the cold and it had gotten dark in the hour she was out so I had trouble finding her. So I just backed off and eventuially she came back so that my wife and I could corner her. But I'm not so sure she will always come back. We are very careful anytime we enter or leave the house but I feel it is inevitable that she will get out again.

Has anyone else delt with this situation and how did you handle it.

Thanks Paul

-- Anonymous, March 02, 2001

Answers

Dear Paul,

My husband and I have a 6 month silver/white female (spayed) MC. She also ran out as we were bringing in groceries, but came right to my husband to go back in. As a rule most cats don't like the cold, but MC's love cold and snow. We live in NY and there was plenty of snow for her to play with. You did'nt mention if the cat has been altered or not. If not then you should have the procedure done, it does help to limit the wandering lust. Good Luck.

-- Anonymous, March 02, 2001

Yes, Our MC 'Val' was spayed at 5 months but she still wants to go out. The cold did not seem to bother her at all at lease last night and it was very cold with plenty of snow on the ground.

Paul

-- Anonymous, March 02, 2001

Well, I guess you'll just have to do what we do everytime we open the door, be extremly careful. I don't even want to think about how awful it would be if either of our babies got out and we could'nt find them. If you come up with any idea's please let me know.

-- Anonymous, March 04, 2001

We are EXTREMELY carefull every time we enter or exit the house. When we come in the house we always know she is waiting by the door and when we exit sometime she will stand right at the foot of the door and I have to pick her up and put her back at the top of the stairs. Sometimes she will just run back down to the door and I have to do this three times before she will stay and I can open the door go out.

I know she just is exhibiting her natural insticts. I have tried to 'compromise' with her by carrying her out so she at least can sniff the breezes and I let her smell the shrubs and flowers (in the summer). I even will put her down of the grass while I hold he so she can smell the grass and ground. Maybe this is a mistake as perhaps it makes her want to go out even more. Now, we have snow on the ground and i know she is fascinated by it (just like her fascination with water!). So I take he out and let her touch the snow.

We have tried a collar and leach but she hated it! She just lays down and tries to chew the leash so I gave up.

Thanks Paul

-- Anonymous, March 05, 2001

Give up the collar and get her a halter. Put it on her without the leash for 10 to 20 minutes a day for a week or so. You'll know she is used to it when she walks, runs, and jumps with it on. Make sure it fits snugly, not tight, so she cannot back out of it. Next fasten the leash to the halter and walk her around the house. Let her go where she wants and you just follow. After a few days, take her into your back yard. Our Maine Coon loves his walks and runs to get his halter on whenever we open the drawer where it is kept!

-- Anonymous, March 07, 2001

Cyndi- Thanks for the advice. My wife and I will definately give a harness/halter a try. But she did not like the leash but perhaps we didn't allow her to get used to it enough.

Yesterday it was snowing very hard and she was looking out the window so I carried her outside and she just loves the snow! I guess its in her 'bones'.

Paul

-- Anonymous, March 07, 2001

There is an excellent article in the March issue of The Whole Cat Journal on leash training for cats. It rates the different types of harnesses and gives detailed instructions on how to help your cat adjust to it and the leash. For those who have not heard of this publication (ands I didn't until a couple months ago) it is in a newsletter type format and addresses issues such as product evaluation, medical and behavioral concerns, alternative medicine, etc. Its subscription number is 1-800-829-1926. E-mail is wholecat@hotmail.com. Perhaps they can send you a sample issue. I tried leash training in the past but didn't take it slowly enough. I'm going to try again soon. Good luck! Susie

-- Anonymous, March 07, 2001

Susie, Thanks for the info. I will look into this publication. My wife and I subscribe to "Catnip" which is a monthly publication for cat owners/lovers by the Tufts University School of Veternary Medicine. This is a wonderful publication and we found out about it from our local Vet (who happens to be a graduate of Tufts!). It has great articles about all aspects of cat behavior and especially medical info and advice written by real DVMs. Also it has great reviews of cat toys, food, and other cat 'stuff'. You may want to check it out at:

http://www.tufts.edu/vet/publications/catnip/index.html

Paul

-- Anonymous, March 07, 2001

We are enjoying our first Maine Coon kitten Rufus Darby. We,too are concerned that he may venture outside...he always wears ID on a break- away collar. He will soon get a micro chip ID....(though I was alarmed that our local humane society told me they never scanned cats!!!!!) I also have introduced him to the neighborhood and asked that if he is ever seen outdoors please call!!! The neighborhood children all know that they will be rewarded. By the way Rufus loves to put on his harness and leash for a trip to the pet store...where he rides in the kiddie seat of the cart. These guys are lots of fun aren't they.

-- Anonymous, March 08, 2001

We take our Maine Coon out for walks on a leash and a halter and it went over so-so until I tried one of those retractible leads they sell for dogs. WHAT A DIFFERENCE IT MADE!!!! She can run, "hide" and pouce limted only by the length of the lead - 16 feet. She enjoys it so much that I'm going to upgrade her to the 26 ft. size.

A note on halters - The Figure 8 style sold for cats slipped around on my MC so easily that she quickly figured out she could wiggle herself out of it. (eek!!) I think maybe it was her ample fur coat. I found a better fit with the "Step-In" harness with the quick release buckle. The smallest size adjusts from 9 to 15" chests with an adjustment buckle for the neck AND chest strap for a *custom* fit. See example @ jbpet.com item #589-0100 - $5 bucks!

BWT, Since Buffee Moon knows she gets to go outside from time to time she hasn't been making those mad dashes out the front door. :)

BJ in Fla

PS - Keep your loved ones fully innoculated. A buck in prevention is worth a thousand in cure!

-- Anonymous, March 11, 2001

My Maine Coon mix loves the outdoors, as well, but never did like the idea of "me" walking "her". (She's very independent, and prefers to lead the way.) LOL I couldn't find any retractable leads for cats (and felt the ones for dogs might be too heavy for her to use). So made my own, and it works great. Went out to the local craft shop and bought 26 Ft. of red "twine" like material. Placed a clasp on one end that clips on to her collar, and tied a loop onto the other end for me to hold onto. I just wrap the excess around my hand, let out as much or as little as she needs, and let her lead the way and explore. (Warning - they like to take their time sniffing everything.)

I think the reason it works so well is that as opposed to a short leash, she's got alot of room to do her own thing with this type of "tie-out". It's strong enough that it won't break, but light enough so that she feels like she's actually on her own. (But I always have the other end of the "tie-out" wrapped around my hand in case she starts to wander into areas where I'd rather she didn't.)

It even works as an actual "tie-out" on sunny afternoons when the two of us just feel like hanging out on the outside patio, instead of going for a walk. As mentioned above, with a "tie-out" long enough, they really don't feel as constrained as you might think.

Whatever you decide - always remember to have your cats collar on with an ID tag on.

Diane

-- Anonymous, March 15, 2001