Roommates keep letting my indoor pet outside
Housemates and family members intentionally or carelessly let indoor pets outside against explicit rules, often arguing that keeping animals confined is cruel. This leaves pet owners powerless to protect their animals from traffic or predators while away at work, rendering solo containment strategies useless when others actively undo them.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Locking the cat in a single room with food, toys, and a litter box while awayDid this help you?
- 2Checking security cameras and confronting family members with video evidence of close callsDid this help you?
- 3Threatening to cut off contact if something happens to the petDid this help you?
- 4Reminding family that the pet is not immunized or neuteredDid this help you?
- 5Using paid resources like doggy daycareDid this help you?
- 6Moving out of the living situationDid this help you?
- 7Accepting the slower progress and managing the situation independentlyDid this help you?
- 8reprimanding the larger dog and telling it to stopDid this help you?
- 9trying to separate the dogs by putting the smaller dog in the bedroomDid this help you?
- 10considering relocating or switching roomsDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I personally don't want him dying under a car or getting mauled by a dog so I try to keep him in the house but it's impossible because as soon as I'm off to work they will "forget" to close the door and the cat is out.”source ↗
“I tried to just lock him with his toys food, litter etc. in one room while I'm at work where he was perfectly fine sleeping but they still would let him out because apparently I'm the cruel one because I don't let it walk around.”source ↗
“I'm out of ideas. Each time it happens they will just laugh it off telling me I'm crazy one because I have a problem with an animal being outside.”source ↗
“my roomed me and my dog with a roommate who's dog is twice his size and half is age, how do i make sure my dog doesn't get hurt?”source ↗
“my roommates German shepherd keeps getting in my dogs face cornering him and softly biting his legs and face and sometimes barking in his face.”source ↗
“i am worried his or my dog are going to get hurt especially because my dog is starting to nip back when he is cornered”source ↗
“i can't just put my dog in my room even when im in there with him doing homework he starts to scratch at the door”source ↗
“im getting to the point of pulling the trigger on trying to relocate because i hate seeing my dog so uncomfortable.”source ↗
“The problem is, I live with my 60year old dad, who doesn't lift a finger to help me train and actively breaks habits I've enforced.”source ↗
“He keeps complaining about my puppy not having good recall and nipping and mouthing him.”source ↗
“When we visit my parents he always goes against my wishes with my dog (for example, letting her outside when I’ve asked him not to, not monitoring her, and making it my problem when she rolls in deer shit).”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 2Should I move my senior outdoor cat to an indoor apartment?
- 42How to get a puppy to settle down indoors without barking
- 8How to survive pet crate rest without losing your mind
- 4Why does my dog turn into a terror the second someone gets home?
- 5How to stop family from forcing me to rehome my cat
- 2Why is my neighbor's cat obsessed with my apartment?