Letting the cat outside

[fluffydressinggown]

We got our rescue cat ten weeks ago, we kept her indoors until last week. We wanted to make sure she was settled in the house before we let her out. She is flea-ed, wormed, and microchipped so she is ready to go out!

Over the weekend we have let her out into the garden when we have been there. She is nervous but pretty settled out there, she likes to roll on the patio and walk through cobwebs When she is startled she runs back into the house and we have got her in quite easily with the promise of food.

She seems very settled with us, she sleeps next to me all day and all night, she likes to sit on our knees and she follows us round, so I am confident she knows this is our house and we are her owners.

How long do we have to be out there with her? How do I know she will come back when we are not out there with her, I am so scared she will run off and not come back :(

Oh and there are loads of cats round here, will they fight with her?

Well you're going to be hanging around outside for a while going by what you say - but there's always that terrible moment when they leap over the garden wall and you can't actually see them anymore, just trust that they'll come to their call/the 'ting' of their food bowl being struck/the rattle of a treats packet. It's an act of faith and it isn't always easy.

As a girl she stands a fairly good chance of not getting in too many scraps. Does she have a cat flap to get back in if she was to be pursued?

We let our two rescues out after a month. The advice was to let them out hungry... it worked. They've pretty much always come back when we yell their names along with 'food'.

cozie is right thought, it's heart stopping when they go over the garden wall for the first time. Saying that it sounds like yours might be like fluffcat and never really venture out of the garden.

I did have to go out a couple of times when one of them was late back when I had to walk down the road shaking a dreamies bag, but he did come back

Well she jumped over to the neighbours today and she came back so I am relaxing a little bit. She loves to be outside so it is worth it. She is filthy though, her little white paws are now grey.

I don't know what it's like with you but most areas are pretty dry and dusty at the moment so that's no surprise. Glad she's enjoying out - it will be good for her.