Reader Question: Feline King of the Hallway
One of my readers has a cat whose desire to be King of the
Hallway is driving her crazy! Here’s what noted veterinary behaviorist
Nick Dodman has to say about it:
QUESTION: I have a 14-month-old ragdoll who constantly wants to go into the
hallway of my apartment building to the point that he is driving me
“crazy”. He will sit by the front door and cry and cry and cry,
put his paw on the doorknob, and literally beg me to open it. Once I take him
for a walk, the first thing he does is rub himself all over the carpet then
strolls the hallway as if he were King. I tried putting a harness on him so I
can take him outside, but he won’t allow me to. This happens several
times a day, and it really has become very annoying. Could you please make a
suggestion as to what I can do to get my “strolling” cat to want to
stay inside?
Phyllis
Kohl
~~~
ANSWER: Dear Phyllis:
There is something outside in the hallway that your ragdoll
really likes or likes to do. It sounds as though he has taken over that hallway
as part of his territory and likes to promenade around there and rub himself on
the ground to mark it with his scent (an olfactory mark of ownership). Your
mistake was opening the door in the first place and subsequently responding to
his demands to revisit the hallway in question. I believe the only effective
solution would be to totally ignore his requests to go out for a period of
time—it may take several weeks—until he learns his demanding
behavior no longer works to achieve the desired effect. You may need white
noise, a closed door between you and your cat, or ear plugs (for you) in order
to get through this difficult period. To help you on your mission, you could
try making outside a little less attractive by, for example, neutralizing all
appealing odors with a product like Zero Odor and/or making the
odor of the hallway repugnant to cats by applying, say, a citrus-scented spray
or plug-in. At the same time, making your apartment more user-friendly for your
cat through the addition of numerous mobile toys, food puzzles, hidey holes,
climbing frames, and window perches might help too.
Dr. Nicholas Dodman
Head, Animal Behavior Section
Life is too short to make a kitty unhappy. How about letting him out there on a leash with you 2 or 3 times a day for 10 minutes at a time.
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