How to keep grandmother from letting my indoor cat outside?

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How to keep grandmother from letting my indoor cat outside?

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My grandmother has Alzheimer’s and can’t remember that our cat is an indoor kitty. She keeps letting her outside through the door to the backyard that is in her room, and the cat won’t come back on her own. Last time this happened, it took 8 hours of searching the neighborhood before we finally spotted her. I was thinking of putting a lock on the outside of the door to prevent her from opening it, but I’m concerned for my grandmother’s safety should there be an earthquake or fire or other emergency that required her to exit out the back door. Thoughts and suggestions greatly appreciated!!!

Alzheimer's & Dementia Dementia Behaviors Pets

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Lol@cm. Razor wire? Better still have a sharp shooter with tranquilizer darts on the roof looking out for kitty.

I apologize for my warped sense of humor. Especially since I haven't got a legit solution for you.

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I'll vote for keeping the cat out of grandma's room, then, seeing as indoors is essential. The trouble with signs is that, with her Alzheimer's, Grandma will respond to the nearest stimulus which would be kitty leg-winding and asking to go out - Grandma won't be able to retain the information from the sign when that happens.

Or, can you double-lock or bolt her door from the inside? If opening it is a two-step process she probably won't be able to do that before you have time to stop her.

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An interestingly different perspective on what kills what. In Australia, if you are responsible you keep the cat inside so that IT can’t kill wildlife (particularly little birds), not the other way around. Feral cats are a big problem, perhaps we need to borrow a few coyotes. Responsible but besotted cat owners here get a ‘cat cage’ that goes through a pet door into the yard, with things to climb etc. ‘Cats are hunters and want to wander free’ is a bit like ‘Grandpa doesn’t want to go into AL’.

If you really want the door unlocked and the cat in with Grandma, the sign at eye level seems like the best idea. Perhaps you could make a safe comfortable little home in the back yard, to entice her back. Or razor wire along the top of the fence?

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Razor wire???? I don't think cats understand the concept of deterrence. She'd only find out it was a bad idea to climb the fence after an enormous vet's bill :(

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well, you may need to adopt out your cat or your grandma.. think the cat will be easier to adopt out though... :)

My brother did that with his dogs. He had early ALZ, and would open the front door cuz the dogs were whining.

NO good answer.

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Well I vote for adopting out grandma. Keep the cat. If we were talking about getting rid of the cat or the husband, I would vote for the husband too :-)

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Since you can't control grandma, can you keep the cat elsewhere so she can't keep letting her out? My cats are indoor/outdoor so I don't share your anxiety about this though I do live in a rural setting and know I am taking my chances. If you can't keep your cat away from where grandma can let her out, you might have to resign yourself to the fact that this will continue to happen.

Since she has AZ, I am wondering about her having a door in her room to get out of the house with no one else knowing. Is she a flight risk?

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This is a totally valid concern! However, the backyard is completely fenced in and has a very heavy gate that grandma is unable to open. The cat, on the other hand, can jump the fence haha

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zoekitty, is the backdoor that is in your Mom's room the only outside exit in the back of your house?

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No, there is another exit in the main living space.

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Two ideas, the first is simply put a sign on the door where she will see it every time she goes to open the door, if she is able to read and decipher something like that still. The other is put a remote lock on the door so she can't open it but you can from your phone or an Alexa/Google device anywhere else in the home in the event of emergency. Of course this might be a problem if she uses the door for things other than letting the cat out. Would the cat try to escape if there were a low gate of some sort blocking the cat's path out when she opens the door, one GM can step over but the cat would have to jump?

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My aunt would let the dog out, but never let him back in. He's fine in the yard, but we are rural, and we do not want him out after dark. One evening he and a bobcat had a noise contest. She screamed, he barked, back and forth. Our yard gets used as travel route for a bear, fox, porcupine, deer, and others.

When it got dark, I taped a sign to the door to remind auntie to keep the dog IN.

Simple, but it usually worked.

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I'm afraid you're not going to like this, so please bear with me and let me stress I'm *asking*, I'm not accusing.

Um. Why does your cat need to be an indoor cat?

It's just that the fact that she wouldn't come back on her own would normally make me suspect that she was voting with her paws on this issue. I agree that a housebound cat is better than a flat cat, God forbid, if you live near busy roads or other hazards; but by and large cats really do not appreciate being confined indoors.

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Even in urban San Francisco, wildlife abounds. We have skunks and raccoons in our back yard. And there are many coyotes in the area now; Recently a neighbor saw two with an orange, quite dead cat, so in our area at least the Coyotes consider outdoor kitties as dinner. I was raised a farm girl, so outdoor kitties, or in and out at will were what I was used to. My bro used to live in San Diego, and there the coyotes came up out of the many canyons and dined ala kitty, as well. So for some, a safety issue. I bet a thread about whether cats should be indoor or outdoor would be one of the most controversial the forum ever saw! I would vote with you. For me cats love to hunt, kill, eat and and sleep in that order, much as I love them. But Worried in Cali has a kitty with sunglasses, so guess I will give her my final vote!

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If she only lets them out of the door in her room, then perhaps keep the cats out of her room?

As Alva stated most bedrooms do not have have an exterior door, so locking it should not be a safety concern.

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I am only thinking that most bedrooms do not have an access door to the outside, only to the inner house. So actually the door is a bit overkill on safety. Though I would imagine Grandma could then just switch to the front door and let the kitty out anyway?
I have a neighbor who let their 2 cats out when they are home, and the cats have tracking devices on their collars. I do not know what they are called or how they track (I am assuming a cell phone?). The disc is about one inch square and flat, and hangs from their collars. If you private message me that you are interested I will ask her the name and cost of the device. You would at least then be able to track the cat.
Good luck and hope that others have ideas for you.

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How to keep grandmother from letting my indoor cat outside?

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