How do you know when to let your cats outside?

[Sunshine49]

Hello everyone! A month ago today I adopted two gorgeous rescue cats from the local shelter. They're a brother and sister (ginger boy and tortoiseshell girl) and about one year old.

When I first met them they were extremely timid (and had sadly been in the rescue centre for five long months for that reason). As a result the shelter gave us a large crate for them to use as a "safe space" in the house, and they were pretty much confined to that for the first week.

A month on, they do still spend time in the crate but far less than they used to, and we've slowly introduced them to the ground floor of the house since they arrived (plus the upstairs bedroom a couple of days ago!)

Both cats have also been getting bolder, which is lovely to see. The girl, who is by far the most timid of the two, spent her first week or so sitting on her litter tray in the crate or hiding in a cupboard. Now she's out and about a lot more, exploring the house, playing with her toys and sleeping, although she still won't let me me stroke her. The boy now gives a chirrup and runs over for a fuss when I kneel on the floor and call him.

In the past week or so both cats (but especially the boy) have been spending quite a bit of time in the conservatory. I think they enjoy the warmth on sunny days, but they also (again, mostly the boy) seem to love looking out the doors into the garden. This morning he has been sitting in the conservatory and staring out the doors for at least two hours, while she's been asleep next to the crate.

I'm wondering - does this suggest that he's ready to go outside? I'm concerned that it is a bit too soon, given that he hasn't even been introduced to the full house yet (although there's only the bathroom and the spare room to go!)

Also, the shelter told me that when it comes to letting them outside, it's best to wait until the most timid of the two (i.e. the girl) is fully ready, as if one cat goes out on their own, they can come back smelling different and this can cause animosity. If that is the case though, what happens if one cat is desperate to get outside but the other cat is too scared - or not fussed?

Sorry for the long post and thanks for any advice as always!

The answer to this question depends entirely on whether or not you have a cat flap. Nervous cats really need a cat flap. If they feel they can come and go at will, then they will be much more willing to come back inside once they've been out. If you have a flap then I would let them discover it for themselves and, as you've already had them a month, you could probably start this now. Although as they are nervous then I think I would wait another three or so weeks yet.

If you don't have a flap and can't get one then you will need to wait until they are completely relaxed and tame, and that could be months.

I'd give it a little bit longer I think, maybe a few weeks but yes get a cat flap first and make sure that's how they first go outside, or you'll be forever at the beck and call of scratches on doors and windows and little mews outside

also make sure both are spayed/neutered etc just in case and leave something that smells of the house and cats around the boundaries of the garden (I rubbed old mismatched socks on the cats over a few days and left them around fence lines)

Thanks both! We have a cat flap from the kitchen to the conservatory at the moment, in what was once the back door to the house. I've been using that to try and get them used to the flap, but at the moment they won't jump through unless I tape it open. I don't think they understand that they can! Perhaps I need to try offering them some Dreamies from the other side when it's shut, and seeing if that encourages them to jump through?

I don't yet have a cat flap from the conservatory to the garden, but am planning to get one installed in a double-glazed door soon (if anyone has any recommendations for people who can do this in the south London area, please let me know).

Lubey - yes they are both spayed/neutered (rescue centre insists on it), so no problems there!

ah yes - I sprayed my cat flap door with catnip to get them touching and rubbing it then they realised it opened. They will get it in time I'm sure

Most double glazing companies will do cat flaps. But they will need to make a new glass panel so it can be quite expensive. Flaps can also be fitted into walls for around £50. Most builders can do this.

They need to be kept in for at least 6 weeks, probably more if they're nervous cats.

Would you consider trying a harness and getting them used to the outdoors that way? This is what we plan to do with ours when we move. One already goes for walks on a harness.

Crazycatgal - yes, I'm thinking another two months or thereabouts, so they're 100% comfortable in the house before going out. Some rooms are very much still "new" to them (when we let them into the bedroom the other day, they spent ages walking round sniffing every little corner!) Perhaps we need to get to the point where we don't need the crate anymore (which the rescue centre said could be up to six months when we took them!) before letting them outside.

Shouldwestay - thanks for the suggestion, but I don't think a harness would work on these cats. The girl won't even let me touch her at the moment, plus they're the sort of cats that need to be free to dash to their safe space when something scares them!

Does anyone have any advice about what to do if the bolder cat wants to go out but the more timid one doesn't? If he comes back smelling different, could it affect their friendship/dynamic, as the rescue centre said?

re smelling different I think it will be fine - a Feliway diffuser or two will help smooth things out and they recognise each other visually after a while too

Definitely gt a cat flap and let them decide for themselves when to go out and come back in. If the female sees the male cat come and go she may follow him. Before they go out make sure they have a collar with their name and a mobile number in case they get lost.

We did have issues when ours started going out. Boy cat was much more adventurous and willing to go out to begin with. Girl cat would attack boy cat when he came back in. We don't really know their history but they came to us aged 4 and we don't think they'd had much/any experience of the outside world. It was a bit of an issue with the cat flap too as they needed to learn to use one (dreamies, lots of dreamies) but then girl cat would sit inside by the flap and prevent boy cat from entering.
It took time, we did use a feliway plug in for a couple of months. Also for a while I would only let them out while I was there to supervise. I'd put girl cat in a other room, distract her with more dreamies, then let boy cat in. This worked really well until they both got used to the whole idea.
Now a year on they come and go without any issues whatsoever.

Save some of their cat litter and put some I. The corners of your garden. This makes it easier for them to recognise where Home is when they venture out. The girl cat makes guy just decide she doesn’t want to go out much and that’s ok.

Our rescue charity recommends at least 6 weeks in a new home - and until the cats seem fully relaxed and bonded to the house and owners. There is no rush.

When you let them go out the first few times, do it before a meal when they're hungry, and ideally in reasonably good weather (i.e. no high winds to scare them). You can start now training them to come to you at mealtimes by using a spoon to click against the wood bowls - you can use this as a recall when they are out, too.

Thanks Viccat! They have stainless steel bowls and get excited when they hear them clinking together - so perhaps I'll use that as a recall!

I think the ginger cat is fairly relaxed and bonded now, although he definitely still has a way to go. However, my lovely tortie girl is still very nervous around us and is frightened very easily.

I think it could be a good couple of months from now before they're ready. By which time the weather will hopefully be warmer too, which is good timing!