How long do you keep a cat indoors after moving house??

[ghosty]

Our cat is driving us potty.
She had 3 weeks in a cattery while we moved and got organised, then she was flown over from NZ to Melbourne a week ago.
(DH and I were tempted to rehome her but DS would have been heartbroken)
Anyway, we have kept her in for a week and one day. We have had conflicting advice ranging from: Put butter on her paws and you don't need to keep her in at all; 3 days should be enough; and "You'll be keeping her in for at least a month then?"

She is desperate to be let out, keeps us up at night meeowing and scratching at the door all night. But I am worried that if I let her out that will be the last I see of her.

How much longer till it is safe for her to go out?

She is 18 months old.

I moved around new zealand several times throughout the life of my long suffering cat. First I wouldn't recommend the butter, cat will be really offended about it being applied and will just lick it off. I used to keep ours in for the first week and then let her out the first weekend we were home so I could kind of call her now and then to lead her back if she had strayed a bit if that makes sense. She moved islands 3 times and houses countless times and never became lost.

The first time we moved we kept them in for a week.
The second time the cat drove us insane with yowling and tapping a the door. So we let him out after one night, but during the day only at first. He was fine and just prowled around the garden. We started letting him out at night later on, but mainly because we didn't have a cat flap.

Thanks for the replies. We will start letting her out in the next day or two then. She did escape today when I opened the door and wasn't paying attention. Dh ran after her and she legged it . I shouted after DH that she would run faster if he chased her so he stopped and she didn't go far. I just sat in the garden while she sniffed around under the bushes then she came to me and I grabbed her ...
I don't think she'll run away now.

Cat's Protection League advises 3 weeks.

A good tip is to let them out before they've been fed.
A hungry cat is likely to come straight home as soon as it hears the tell tale signs of a box of biscuits being rattled/a tin being opened

I did for about 5 days

We recommend 3 weeks where I work (vets) Does depend on the cat too though. A very nervous cat should stay in a lot longer than a settled happy cat who is therefore happier with their new environment and more likely to be happy to return to it.

Definately let out the first time as a meal is due, so there is a good reason to come home.

Message withdrawn

My cat managed to escape from my new house while I was moving in.

It took her a week, but she found her way home.

After that, I always kept her in for at least a couple of days.

When we first got our cats they'd been abandoned, we kept them in for 6 weeks and to be honest they were happy with that because they'd had had such a rough time and been quite ill so they probably slept for the first 2 weeks.

When we moved house we were planning on keeping them in for 4 weeks but they drove us spare, so we started letting them out after a fortnight. For the first few days we let them out just before being fed, and we'd kept an eye on them to stop them straying too far. If we thought they were getting too adventurous we'd get the cat food out and they came back.

One of my cats loves being carried too so the other thing I did right from the start of moving house was take the cat for "walks". I'd carry him round the garden, and the front of the house and up and down the street a little way to get him some fresh air and so he could see his new turf. I also tried introducing him to neighbouring cats a bit.
I value my eyes too much to try carrying the other cat for long, so he had to stay inside.
The neighbours probably thought I was nuts, but it did mean I got talking to a few of them.

If your cat is anything like ours we could tell when the time was right because they didn't want to go out for the first week and a half. Getting to know the new house was enough for them.

I just had a thought. I am going away with the children on Wednesday till next Thursday. Probably best for DH to keep her in till we get back as she will either be locked in or locked out all day when he is at work. Either way she won't be happy ... so if we keep her in till we get back she won't be any the wiser will she ... except she may drive DH mad with scratching the back door.
So, when I get back on the 17th we'll let her out .... that'll be 2 and a half weeks which should be plenty.

Thanks for replies ... LOL at mad cat lady taking cat for walks - we have taken our cat for a few walks round the garden