How can I train my cat to come home when called?

Question

I was going to keep my 4 month old kitten indoors, and train him into a housecat, but I do think its slightly cruel, especially as I have a small place. So how can I let him out in the morning when I go to work, and train him to come home when I get back at 5! He has a fav toy which I can rattle when I get home, to call him but how can I begin to teach him that this noise is his home time? and what if he doesnt come, i'd be gutted if I lost him!

I agree with what alot have posted, I dont want to let him out of my sight, I used to have him in the garden with a leash and he never went far so we go out without it now and he doesn't stray far from me but if i'm not in sight he may go too far and get lost! I'll wait a while yet don't worry, I do live on a busy road in the town so theres a chance of being run over or attacked by cruel drunks. i'll wait alot longer before I risk it, if I do at all! Thank you

Answer 1

I wonder that too....we only take my cat out on a harness and leash....we stay out there and read or garden when she is out. She was a little hesitant about the harness at first but now she likes it because she associates it with going outside!

Answer 2

Hi
my cats have to be in before i go to work or to bed. There have been a few that have not come when called for a bit. What i ended up doing was first 'grounding them for a day but that didn't work. Then if they didn't come when i called. I would keep them locked out for hours when they wanted to come in and that worked. This took about a month's time. They all do come when called now. I call them by going
Pss psss pss pss pss instead of using a toy or anything.
as far as others arguments about not letting them outside? well what they say may be true. cats live longer inside and have less risks. The same would be true of people if they didn't go outside.Less exposire to disease and risk, I have always let my cat's out and have never had a problem and they have lived from 14-23 years old

Answer 3

I just rescued a 4 month old kitten, I have him indoor because I'm afraid that he will try to wonder off looking for his mother. So many dangers out there. I had him neutered and He's doing ok when he cries to go out I put him on a leash and take him out he rolls on the grass for awhile then I take him back in. I also live in a condo but cats do OK indoors and I also have 2 small dogs.
MP

Answer 4

It's "cruel" to keep him inside? How about...

- getting hit by a car
- mauled by a dog
- poisoned by antifreeze
- ripped up by a coyote
- tortured by cruel kids
- laying injured by the side of the road bleeding to death
- catching a disease
- getting in a cat fight

Aren't those just a BIT more cruel than keeping him inside? Cats are quite happy to be safe, dry and warm in a home - no matter how small. They tend to sleep about 16 hours a day so odds are a lot of the time you'll be gone he'll be sleeping.

Indoor cats live an average of 15 years and can live up to 20. Outdoor cats? Average is 2-5!!!

Please keep this cat indoors and please read this if you need further convincing - http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=indoorsoroutdoors

Answer 5

I adopted a cat that had been a stray that lived outside his whole life. He is now an inside/outside cat. He shows up for meals like clockwork, which makes it easy to get him to stay close by. He is also neutered which is a must for an outside cat. Make sure if he is going to be out part time that you do not live in a place with any car traffic and there is not a problem with wild animals or stray dogs. And he must absolutely be in at night.

All inside is safest. It avoids cat fights, cars and other animals.

Answer 6

Cats are smart. Especially if there is a schedule involved. If he knows his name already, just say his name when you give him dinner or a treat. That way he'll learn he'll be rewarded if he's called and he goes to you. Then start letting him outside for short times without you. Call him from your door and give him a treat or a toy and bring him inside. Do it for longer and longer times. Then, let him out for a full day. Call him in after you get home from work (this might take a bit of lung power, my cats tend to wander, or get side tracked on their way back). Eventually your cat will learn that you come home and call him at the same time every day and he'll just be there waiting for you.

I forgot to mention, I agree with the other posters. Your cat should most definatley be fixed first. Also, I wouldn't let a cat be outside if you live near a busy or moderately busy roadway. Especially if that cat hasn't learned how to live outside from it's mother.

Answer 7

Well, unfortunatley, your cat is far to young to go outside. you want to wait at least 2 or 3 more months (please). But when the time is right, what i did before we let my cat go outside was purchase a cat harness and a rod that you dig into the floor to anchor the harness down. and she would smell the yard and lay in the dirt, and in that way she familiarized herself with the scent of our yard. and also my mum and i developed a kind of "calling" for her i guess you can call it, where when it was feeding time, and we knew she was nice and hungry, we would shake the the food box (hard food of course) and it would rattle and she would know we were pouring the food (we did that for about a week before we released her), and now all we have to do is shake the food box and she will return to us. Well i hope this helps, Good Luck!

ps. dont forget to buy him a collar and get his an i.d tag with your address on it, just in case he gets lost! You can get them made at petsmart and petco!

Answer 8

Get him neutered as soon as he is old enough. He will be less likely to roam. Allow only supervised outdoor time or on a leash at first till he learns the boundaries of your yard. As for calling him in decide what you will use, name, sound, food rattle etc and do that as you bring him in. He will soon associate that sound with "time to go in". Once inside feed him or offer a favorite treat and spend some time giving him lots of praise and petting or play his favorite "game". This way not only will he associate the correct sound or call with time to come in but will look forward to coming in as well. I trained each of my cats to come to a two or three tone whistle call like yoooooo hoooooo or two low tones followed by a quick sharp tone, kinda like a bird call.

Answer 9

leash train him and take him out on a leash that way he can be outside and you don't have to worry about him getting hurt, injured or worse. or you can build an outside enclosure for him where he can be out there and also be safe for the most part.

Answer 10

i felt the same ive got 3 cats and they didnt go out till they were 6 months old because i couldnt bare to let them out however my mum urged me to n they love it they go out every day for a few hours out the back. i let them out in the morning but dont feed them so their hungry when i get home n shaking their food makes them run hme also when i call them i give them fuss and love . dont panic u can ahve a cat thats house n goes out . jus build the trust and love between the two of u it sounds like u alredy have n trust that he loves his hme n u enough to come hme. cats learn routine easily. dont leave him out at nite as traffic is hard to see n teenagers hang about. also fire works nite keep him in for a week b4 n a week after jus for security. cats are resilant get him chipped n if possible get a cat flap so he can come in u can get ones u lock at nite wen his in. if you choose to not let him out b4 his one thenm dnt let him out if u wait to long he wont b street wise n may run into traffic like my mates cat.