New cat, when to let out?

[eric twinge]

We have our first family pet, Denzo the cat. We have taken him on from a friend that had to move into a flat and no pets were allowed. Seems a happy little fella and is strutting around in his new surroundings.
He is a outdoor cat so how long should we keep him in for before we can let him out and he will know where he lives and where to return to? We don't want to let him out and never to return!

[Jasandjules]

I'd say about two weeks. I would also not feed him in the morning and let him out in the afternoon with his food in a dish outside the door you let him out of.

[rosie11]

If not already done, get him chipped ,
Keep him in for two weeks then let him out in the early afternoon without giving him breakfast that day, let him have 10 mins outside then bring him in for food.
This has worked every time for all of my lot.
Repeat for a few days, the first time they disappear over the fence is the worst feeling in the world but they always reappear.

[bexVN]

I sprinkle some of the used cat litter in parts of the garden to lay down the cats scent and first time I take them out I carry them to allow them to sniff the air etc.

Follow advice already given for the rest

[Mobile Chicane]

My heart was in my mouth the first time I let Bob out. He was gone for ages, but came back with a mouse.

[Pints]

Our kitten will have to be spayed before she's going to be allowed out. There's no way I'm having an unwanted litter in the house.

[bexVN]

Pints said:

Our kitten will have to be spayed before she's going to be allowed out. There's no way I'm having an unwanted litter in the house.

Sensible and quite common, good time to get her chipped if not already done so.

[Pints]

bexVN said:

Sensible and quite common, good time to get her chipped if not already done so.

Not common enough. She was from an unwanted litter, and was thankfully saved from a horrid individual who was going to teach the kittens to swim in a sack.

[SuperDude]

Pints said:

bexVN said:

Sensible and quite common, good time to get her chipped if not already done so.

Not common enough. She was from an unwanted litter, and was thankfully saved from a horrid individual who was going to teach the kittens to swim in a sack.

That's more than most do.

Most just let them drown : (

[bexVN]

Pints said:

bexVN said:

Sensible and quite common, good time to get her chipped if not already done so.

Not common enough. She was from an unwanted litter, and was thankfully saved from a horrid individual who was going to teach the kittens to swim in a sack.

Well I meant those that do it properly

[Patch1875]

SuperDude said:

Pints said:

bexVN said:

Sensible and quite common, good time to get her chipped if not already done so.

Not common enough. She was from an unwanted litter, and was thankfully saved from a horrid individual who was going to teach the kittens to swim in a sack.

That's more than most do.

Most just let them drown : (

Don't know how much that still happens, the going rate(and getting it) is over £100 for a kitten we paid £150 for ours!

Totally worth it though !

[eric twinge]

Thanks all, good advice. He seems to have settled in ok, found all the best places for a snooze and certainly enjoys sitting on my lap and getting in the way of the iPad!

[eric twinge]

well we let him out last weekend, he gingerley walked into the back garden sniffed about a bit and then chased a bird down the bottom of the garden and jumped over the fence.
Cue two young daughters bursting into tears..not a good start to the weekend.
I calmed every body down and we went back inside with the door open.
Ten minutes later he strutted back through the door, girls started cying again as they were so happy to see him back.
Denzo stopped and gave them a look as if to say 'what's the matter with you?' and then jumped on the chair and fell asleep.
So that is it, he doesn't seem to go out for long and prefers sleeping and watching tv.
I think he will do fine with us!

[jmorgan]

Our new stray is due out this weekend. Chipped up and jabbed and snipped and I forgot how worrying it is....

[Jasandjules]

eric twinge said:

Ten minutes later he strutted back through the door

Good stuff.

They know where the good life is.

[jagracer]

eric twinge said:

well we let him out last weekend, he gingerley walked into the back garden sniffed about a bit and then chased a bird down the bottom of the garden and jumped over the fence.
Cue two young daughters bursting into tears..not a good start to the weekend.
I calmed every body down and we went back inside with the door open.
Ten minutes later he strutted back through the door, girls started cying again as they were so happy to see him back.
Denzo stopped and gave them a look as if to say 'what's the matter with you?' and then jumped on the chair and fell asleep.
So that is it, he doesn't seem to go out for long and prefers sleeping and watching tv.
I think he will do fine with us!

It was a bit cold last weekend so it was a good time to let him out as cats do like their creature comforts.

[S800VXR]

I can't get our cat out the house. He follows the missis everywhere and picks on the smaller of our two dogs. He is only small but been totally spoilt and I think the home comforts suit him fine. Good job as the last cat we had was a lovely BSH blue who was the opposite and got run over unfortunately.

[Ray Luxury-Yacht]

S800VXR said:

I can't get our cat out the house...

Mine's the same, bless her. My ex-girlfriend at the time presented me with her, a 6-week old rescue kitten, for Christmas in 2006. Despite me initially thinking it was a rather strange present, I love her with all my heart and am so grateful to have her! She's a lovely little, good-natured brindle. In all her 8 years, she's never once bitten or scratched anyone - she's so sweet and calm.

However. Like the advice given, I kept her indoors for a week or two at first, eventually drilling her in the catflap - consisting of 'posting' her through it each way, until she understood that it was 'her' door to the house.

I then got a little anxious about her having that freedom - until I started to notice that she basically only went outside on a few short occasions each day - presumably for a 'wee' - and then came straight back into the house, to either run about madly, or more often, just sleep.

I christened her the 'stay-at-home-cat' after a while, because basically that's what she was!


After a few years, I split with my G/F, and decided to go back to University, so I moved back in with my widowed Mum. When I arrived, with my little moggie, I explained to Mum that she was the 'stay-at-home-cat...' Mum just laughed, and said 'oh, I don't believe that - now she's in a house that is more rural with lots of open space around it, I am sure she'll be out all the time!'

Er, nope! I will concede that, in the hottest summer months when we have the back door open and on the latch, she might spend an hour or two out on the lawn. But basically, for 99% of her life - apart from going out for a wee, she's either wandering around the house following me or Mum around as we do things, or most often, asleep in one of her favourite places.

I've never known a cat to choose to stay in as much as this one!!!!

[paintman]

Our Lily doesn't like being outside. Unless we're in the garden when she'll follow us around & sit & watch.

[Jasandjules]

We have three cats - two of them will be off to the fields at the bottom of our garden hunting all day long, only coming back in the evening to eat and use the litter tray. The other cat will spend much of her day watching the birds out the window (and making funny noises at them) or if the weather is good, she might just go outside to our picnic table (about 7 feet from the door) and lay on there... It is rare she leaves the garden.