Any advice on making 2 indoors Bengals outdoors Bengals

[Renniehorta]

I have 2 Bengals 6 and 7, they have always been indoors. However one of them, who is very intelligent, obviously wants to be outdoors. We have a garden and live in a small close where there are lots of other cats. From the caterwalling at night there is a lot of nocturnal activity.

They are both spayed and up to date with jabs and will be chipped.

I am very nervous about this and would welcome any advice.

The advice is usually to let them out before breakfast on a weekend morning.

Some people tap their dish when they feed them and then give them treats for turning up eg dreamies.

Being bengals they ought to pick it up pretty quickly.

You'll have to be prepared for fights though, they will unknowingly stray into other cats patches and skirmishes will break out.

Are you going to get a cat flap? The microchip ones are meant to be really good.

Yes I am going to get a cat flap but not until my new kitchen is fitted in 7 weeks. Would you wait until then?

They are going into a cattery for 3 weeks in a month's time when I am having a new kitchen fitted. Vet advised me to let them out before going to the cattery. I feel that might be cruel. Any advice?

In my area any cat looking like it's worth more than your standard moggy would be cat napped in no time so have sadly never let mine out.

Sounds a bit mean to me.

Pm that's awful.

Renniehorta, I wouldn't let my cat out until I had a fence up.

For this you will need to measure your entire garden perimeter.
Then buy
Nylon netting to cover the entire perimeter, and
brackets to put the netting up and attach to the walls.
Here is a picture I made (sorry it's wonky)

The netting is attached to the brackets by zip ties, or twistable wire, and the brackets are attached to the walls by screws or nails. Wedge the netting behind the brackets, so its between bracket and wall, and also so it lays ontop of the brackets- much easier to tie in place.

Make sure there are no gaps. Cats can get out and in if there are any baggy bits, so you'll need help to pull the netting taut(ish) as you work around the perimeter.

The idea is that the netting overhangs the brackets and the cats can't climb it so make sure to get nylon that isn't solid with wire in it.

Please don't let them out until they're safe.
Make sure no cats can get into your garden.
Your precious cats can get FIV from other cats.
Or they can be stolen, or made into scarves, or squashed on the road.

It's not worth it for pedigree cats, or cats with unusual markings, or even for fab friendly moggies.

Hth

Thank you Venus. You have gone to lots of trouble. However your solution is unpractical as I have lots of trees and shrubs, so do the neighbours.

I share all your concerns, but one of my cats is so frustrated and desperate to get out. She is 7 and why this has happened now I don't understand.

I have to say I live in a very populated area and my stunning colour pointed British short hair goes out all the time and roams where he likes. My cats are encouraged in at night as this when most car accidents and fights happen.

I have had outdoor cats of all sorts for 40 years. I have never had one stolen or heard of a cat being stolen.

Open the door shortly before their usual meal time. See what happens.

We used to own an outdoor Bengal he loved it although was a prodigious hunter taking anything from frogs chickens and pheasants but he went missing one night, basically he'd been, unknown to me, attacking my neighbours cats very aggressively and they caught him as took him to Cat Protection pretending he was a stray. CP told me bengals are very prone to fighting badly with normal domestic cats the bengal cat website also says the same and that bengals have in the fact killed other domestic cats so be careful if you've lots of other cats in your neighbourhood.

Lone

Does his name tag say "evil cat"? Because that might explain it.

My bengals aggressive to the neighbours cats, if he's sitting on the windowsill and he sees her out the front he taps on the window and she runs right up the street. He is a bully.

I agree with microchipped cat flaps. We have just invested in a Sureflap Petdoor that has a curfew timer on it. You set the time and the allows the cat in but not out after a certain time.

We have a blue cream BSH and she goes in and out as she pleases, via one of the fantastic sureflap petdoors. We live in London, albeit in a fairly quiet cul de sac.

I don't worry about her being lost or stolen - she loves being outdoors, is a good hunter and would hate being stuck inside. All of the people I know that own pedigrees let them out too, not sure if it is true but have been told that they are less adventurous and unlikely to stray compared to moggies/domestic cats.

Meant to add - ours comes back when we ring a bell, which we always ring before we feed her too!

Pavlovian cats?

Yes, bery pavlovian!
and did you know, cats come to dog whistles too.

If you make a certain sound every time you feed them, they will always come for that sound. Make sure to stock up on treats for outside training.

I'd still put up a fence OP! Even with trees, there will be a way to get in to the wall behind them. It will stop other cats coming in and keep your bengals safe. (And preserve the bird population for the two mile radius)

Thank you for all your replies. I have decided to keep my cat in until the cat flap has been installed. In the meantime I am going to get her used to an audible signal before food.

She is so keen to go out and it is effecting her quality of life. Worrying about aggression, but she is scared of my other Bengal who is the softest thing out. So I shall just have to see.