Advice on letting cat out for first time please

[fluffylulu]

I have a nine month old female who is spayed and chipped. I want to let her out now but have a problem. A large male cat has been visiting us for titbits for a couple of years (he has never come in), we see him most days, he is very affectionate and more than 2x the size of our cat. They have met thru the back window since we got her, she flirts with him and he only seems to want food.

I am worried (1) What will they do when they meet, my little girl is quite feisty. (2) I am worried I will let her out and never see her again. (3) How long will she stay out and what do I do if she goes over the garden fence and away??

Can anyone reassure me?

I reckon they'll sort it out between them.

Let her out before you feed her, so she comes back sharpish

Let her out hungry. I never leave food down for my cat and he always comes when called as he knows it dinner time!

and the old wives tale is to put butter on their pawa (no idea why)

She does like her food so that's a good tip. Will she find her way home ok if she goes out of the garden I have a feeling she will be quite adventurous.

She'll be fine. Go outside with her first time and call her when she disappears out of view.

My cat has lived in 3 different houses and has managed really well.

Ok thanks, will go for it tommorow.

I think the idea of the butter thing is that instead of dashing off into the distance they sit and wash their paws for a while, and once they're done they don't dash off ... hm. A friend told me that cats don't dash off anyway, they go a little way, come back, go a bit further, and map out their territory that way. Mine have only been going out properly since Wednesday (they were supposed to be housecats, but they had other ideas, so we finally got a catflap sorted) and that seems to be true. They still spend a lot of time in the garden (mostly sitting in flowerbeds looking cheeky, pouncing on each other, and wondering just what it is they're supposed to do about those flying things).

I've not done the food thing with them, as they have dry food out all the time and consequently aren't very food motivated. They do keep coming back though, in fact the one who was most determined to get out before we had the catflap is now the one who's there to greet me at the front door, while his brother is still sitting in a flowerbed out the back.