Helping kitty find home

[angrycatmom]

Hi all! So my roommate and I started letting our indoor kitty adventure outside on his own. We live in a kind of suburban area, and we live in an apartment. The entrance to our apartment is outside, so he can come right back through the door. However, there are five other apartment buildings that look exactly the same. I thought that he would be able to tell where he had come from, but he keeps ending up outside doors in other buildings, wanting in. Does anyone have suggestions for helping him find his way back to the right apartment?

[fjm]

Perhaps putting something that smells of home in an unobtrusive place near the door might help - litter from his tray, or some of the vacuum bag contents. Cats use scent as well as sight to find their way around, and their sense of smell is far better than ours.

[Kay]

can you call him from your door when he's out, even if he isn't ready to come in yet - then offer him a treat if he comes to you

as well as encouraging him to find the right door, it's always useful to train a cat to come when called

[fjm]

Good point, Kay. Mine learned when kittens that the rattle of the biscuit box meant treats, and then associated the treats with their names. Their recall is now probably at least as good as the dogs', as long as they are awake and in earshot, and it can be a really useful thing to be able to do.