First, you need to show the cat that he can trust you.
You may have to do this by feeding him snacks, giving him love, or just spending time with the cat.
Once the cat starts to trust you, if you practice a few tricks and tactics, you can then teach your cat to come back home with ease and quickly.
Table of Contents
15 Ways to Help Teach a Cat to Come Back Home
1. Change the way you greet your cat:
You reach home and your cat rushes in for a warm welcome.
Your routine may have become boring and predictable, so start changing little things in your routine, which will reach out to your cat.
You can show him that you are happy he has returned home by giving him a talk instead of just a smell, petting him instead of just looking at him or saying hello.
This way, the less bored the cat will be band will have things to look forward to.
2. Find a favorite treat:
Use something that your cat loves, when he comes home.
The food is what makes him happy when he comes back home, so give them something your cat loves to eat.
You can alternate the treat, so that the cat knows you are doing this for his own good and not because you want to get rid of him by making him go away.
3. Use a whistle or your voice:
When you are outside try to teach your cat that when you do anything with a whistle he will respond.
You can use this tool for making them return back home every time.
Make the sound of the whistle distinct so that your cat can associate it with you and will want to return to you when it hears it
4. Use toys to attract attention
If you play with your cat by using his favorite toys, then this will tell him that whenever he returns he will be able to play with his toys.
This way you can keep training him to return just for playing and not just because he wants food or anything else.
5. Let your cat out gradually outside
If you try to make your cat go out of the home for a walk, or even to train him to use the litter box you should ensure that this is done very gradually.
It is important that this is done slowly otherwise you will confuse your cat and he will not know what exactly you are trying to achieve by all of this.
6. Build an Outdoor Shelter for them:
You can build an outdoor shelter for your cat by putting some straws together and then sealing it with the help of some plastic sheets.
The shelter should be placed so that it does not get wet during rain and other weather conditions should also be taken care of.
When you train your cat to use the shelter, it will know that there is a safe, warm place to return to even if it cannot get into the home.
7. Train with treats:
Treats are necessary, to teach your cat to return back home.
You can give them different types of treats depending on their age and size.
8. Make your own personal bridge back home:
If you want your cat to come back home quickly then you should think about building a personal bridge near the door for your cat.
The cat will be able to come back home easily without any difficulty because this bridge is made for them.
The bridge should have an entrance with some small holes so that they can go through it very easily.
9. Make it fun for them to return:
If you want your cat to stop running away then you can make their return journey more interesting by giving them interesting toys to play with.
10. Show your cat’s favorite toy beneath the doorway:
If you want to make it simple for the cat to return back home, then hide a toy here with a reward.
If you find out that your cat is going out of the home for a walk and working hard trying to catch a glimpse of this toy underneath the doorway then it will be easy for him to come back home because he will know that he has been rewarded for returning.
11. Be patient and use a lot of rewards:
You can show your cat that coming back home with treats is also fun by giving them with different types of different things depending on their age.
If you want to make them feel comfortable then you should give them something that they love to eat.
Use the tuna cat food or chicken for this purpose, so that he has the idea that he is being rewarded for coming back home.
12. Use a clicker:
Use a clicker if need be, so that your cat will understand what is going on even if he does not know the sound of a whistle or his name.
You can make him know that he needs to come back home by clicking and then giving him a treat if he reaches back home.
Repeat this procedure over and over again, so that eventually the cat understands the sound itself and eventually you will not need to use a clicker anymore.
13. Don’t give up:
If you don’t get any result in your efforts then don’t give up on your cat.
You can try all the things mentioned above again; you should not give up because it is really important that they learn to return back home when they are running away.
14. Don’t punish them:
If your cat is a kitten and they are doing this for the very first time, then don’t punish them.
Use a reward system instead so that they will start to learn that it is fun to come back home.
15. Always be consistent:
It is important that the effort you put into training your cat should never stop at any time, so never give up after a while.
If you want your cat to be part of your family then you should not stop trying until they come back home every single day.
Final Thoughts
If you want your cat to come back home then you should use these tips and tricks that we have given here.
You can also follow the tips and tricks with your cat by doing it daily and with consistency.
Thus, you will not need treats or clickers anymore.
Good Luck!
