Get Your Cat to Come Home at Night

My parents live in Idaho and on a lot of 5 acre parcels. They’re surrounded by the forest on all sides, really. And often they find deer and moose in their yard along with coyotes nearby in the forests and eagles, hawks and ospreys in the sky. There are tons of predators where they live and I’m always nervous leaving my cat, Ninja, with them. They have cats of their own and always have, but they and the neighbors have had their share of accidents with letting their animals outside.

The accidents only happen when the people haven’t been able to get their animals in BEFORE dark. Dark/nighttime is when all the predators are out for the hunt and people’s pet cats and small dogs are easy targets. The large dogs are only in danger if they are lured into the forest by other animals and then ganged up on in packs.

So in their situation it’s very important to get their animals to come when they call, and especially to come in at night.

This requires a little bit of food management. If you offer your cat food all day long, it can go in and out as it pleases and the only motivation it has to come to you is if you’re cooler than whatever else it is comparing your company to. Sometimes, the person doesn’t always seem better to be around than the patch of grass they can chew on, or the new cat they can pick on. Or maybe the lizard hiding in the bush. I know my cat would pass my company up for that of a lizard any day!

I helped my parents train their cats (as well as my own) to come in at night because guess what? It’s dinner time! While the animals enjoy their dinner before dark every night, doors are locked and kept that way for the night. Dinner time means all animals are in for the night.

My cat naturally has breakfast, goes out all day long and comes in for dinner and stays in. She isn’t allowed out (and there is no cat door in our house, it’s up to us to let her out). If you make dinner time a routine that your animal has to follow, I promise they will be coming in at night!

You can also offer the yummier stuff at night if you don’t want to take all food away. But it has to be something BETTER than being outside, and worth coming in for. Maybe a little wet food for dinner and dry food for breakfast depending on your kitty’s preferences? I know my cat would go for that.

Tags: cat, cat to come in at night, come home, come on command, food management, getting your cat to come home at night, idaho, jamie, listen, ninja, parents' house, sagle