Cats and Doorbells

United States
December 15, 2009 7:26pm CST
Our cats run when they hear doorbells ring and when they hear people knock at the door. Do yours??? I wonder why they do this. Other than just the loud noise.
2 people like this
7 responses
@kaylachan (56277)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
17 Dec 09
I will never understand why cats fear door nockrs or door bells. George thinks aside from the noise of course its a sign that strangers will be entering the home. Normally welcome people (those who live there) wouldn't be knocking on the door. So cats some anyway don't like strangers invading their homes. So the "nock" or "ring" givess them warning to run and hide.
1 person likes this
• United States
16 Dec 09
I can't stop laughing when Lion does this. All my company be like where is lion. I say he just ran under my bed. I don't know why they do this. My mothers cat smokey will go to the door when the bell rings. Just funny I say..
1 person likes this
@owlwings (43915)
• Cambridge, England
16 Dec 09
They do this because they have learned that someone at the door usually means a disturbance to their environment. New people with new smells and, perhaps, not friendly. Cats are less caring about their 'humans' than dogs: they look out for themselves first and their humans second. Dogs are inclined to think of you and their home as a 'pack' or an entity and if they run and bark when someone is at the door, it is because everyone in the 'pack' needs to know about it. Both cats and dogs have been so long domesticated that they both have a sense of 'home' or 'territory' or 'family' when they live with humans but their concept of it and their reactions when it is disturbed have basic differences.
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (63194)
• United States
16 Dec 09
It depends on the cat. Some run away - some run toward and some just lift a head. Used to be Scamp would run, but now he starts to run, then turns around to see who's there. He used to be so afraid of people, but he's calmed down a lot in the last 10 years.
@snowy22315 (168441)
• United States
16 Dec 09
I havent had my ca very long and he has never heard the doorbell ring. The dog barks like crazy though whenever it rings. it is something that they have to get used to I guess. I dont have a lot of visitros out here.
1 person likes this
@ljbinkop (744)
• United States
16 Dec 09
No one ever rings my bell, so the cats don't come running for it, but the do come to the door when someone comes in! They do like bells, though. We have a few Christmas decorations that have bells in them, and they bat them all over the place!
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
16 Dec 09
Well I have two cats, and yes, my one cat Kissy tends to hide whenever the doorbell rings or someone knocks on the door, but then she's a bit of a timid thing anyway. My other cat Pyewacket couldn't care less