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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

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Original poster

Letting my cats out for the first time - scared!

23 replies

makemineatriple765 · 25/02/2021 14:56

I have 2 beautiful british shorthair boys who are 18 months old....because of Covid we didn't let them out when they got to the right age and they just got used to being inside - we have a very big house over 3 floors with plenty of space to roam and play. They seem really happy but just recently I have noticed them both looking longingly out the window and I think its time for them to feel the sun on their tails..... however I am petrified that I will lose them. We have a very large garden that is impossible to make secure and there is a large forest on one side of us meaning there are foxes and squirrels galore in the garden. There is also a busy road about 200 metres away.....

Am I being mad to let them outside?....and if I decide to go for it and let them out, how would I practically go about doing it? Also, once they start going out, how long to cats typically spend outside during the day. We don't have a cat flap and I'm not sure its possible to put one in that will open out onto the garden and I am not sure it is a good idea to have the cat flap opening out onto our driveway.

Any advice?

P.S. Sorry to be so pathetic but I love them like babies!!!

OP posts:

hartof · 25/02/2021 15:00

You sound like me last year. Our older boy (he's almost 3) was showing signs of distress so we started letting him out in September last year and I was petrified! But he kept coming back every hour to make sure I was still there, one day I thought he was gone for good but he just got locked in the neighbours van. Through the winter he would go out at about 6am ( DH usual get up time but if he got up earlier he lets him out) and he would be back at about 10am and then every hour until 1pm and he'd be in for the day. Now it's lighter and sunnier he's still in and out all day but keeps going until about 4pm and then he's in for the night.

I am so glad we did it as he loves the independence, we see him running round the estate and neighbours send photos of him in their houses 🙈 We have a kitten who's 6 months and I am dreading letting him out! I want to wait until he's 1 at the earliest before we do but if he starts acting like our other cat we'll have to let him out he's chipped and neutured.

Original poster

makemineatriple765 · 25/02/2021 15:25

What did you do when you let him out for the first time? I am sure mine know their names but will not respond to them unless I am shaking a packet of dreamies! Is there a particular strategy that works?

I never though I would become so attached to a couple of cats!

OP posts:

Watto1 · 25/02/2021 15:51

The first time you let them out, do it just before the time you usually feed them. They’ll come back for dinner!

EL8888 · 25/02/2021 15:55

I would let them out when they are hungry and not when it’s going dark -mine love playing out at dusk. My boy cat is especially food motivated!

nordica · 25/02/2021 16:29

If you mean British shorthairs as in pedigree cats (rather than domestic shorthairs i.e. moggies) then I would consider really carefully as they'd be at an increased risk of being stolen unfortunately. Having a busy road that close would also concern me (and the cat charities where I've volunteered).

Are you not able to catproof a part of the garden or build a catio if the whole space can't be secured?

Are they neutered and microchipped?

RiaOverTheRainbow · 25/02/2021 16:33

It's it too late to harness train them? I'm not a cat owner but I've seen that promoted as a compromise between free-ranging and indoor cats.

Want2beme · 25/02/2021 16:43

Cats need to eat grass which helps their digestion, so even of you decide not to let them out, they need to eat grass regularly. One of my cats is mostly an indoor cat, and I pick grass for her and bring it in for her to chomp

I don't often see pedigrees out & about. I'm not sure I'd let them out for fear of theft. How about a cateo?

Lindy2 · 25/02/2021 16:52

I remember being so worried when we first let Dcat out.

As others have said let them out when they are hungry so they don't stay out for too long.

With our Dcat for the first week we would close the cat flap after she'd come back in, so she just had one trip outside. The second week she came in and out a couple of times before we closed it.

I was with her in the garden for the first few times and then suddenly she was up and over the neighbours fence. I thought we'd lost her but she came back about half an hour later. Cats are good at finding their way around.

Original poster

makemineatriple765 · 25/02/2021 17:10

They are neutered and microchipped although they don't wear collars and I'm not sure that I would be able to make them - had an attempt at that and they always pull them off. Yes they are beautiful pedigree cats so I would also worry about them being stolen.....the road is about 200 - 300 metres away. They would need to escape out of the house and then walk up a dirt track for a while in order to get to it. The garden is about a third of an acre with hedges and/or fencing all the way round. I have tried to fill in any gaps but there's no guarantee that they won't be able to climb the hedges/fences. The cost to have it properly cat proofed would be too expensive. In terms of the harness' I did buy them when they were kittens but they still managed to wriggle out of them (and didn't like them at all).....Is suspect now they are older they will be even less complaint. I am soooooo torn - part of me would love to just keep them as house cats but the other part of me feels that its probably cruel? I know so many people who have lost their cats to the road though so it is a real consideration.... funnily enough my DH is the most attached to the cats and he is the one that doesn't want to let them out at all as he thinks their personalities might change and they won't keep him company during the day as they will be too busy outside.

OP posts:

GoLightlyontheEarth · 25/02/2021 17:17

They aren’t babies they are cats. They need to go outside . Just start off going outside with them for short periods and build up gradually. They don’t take long to get their bearings. I would put collars on them to deter them from killing birds, especially in the Spring. There’s no such thing as a cat proofed garden. Just relax .

dancingbymyself · 25/02/2021 17:26

The first time you let them out they will be scared and probably run straight back in

The first time they go further afield, it is nerve-wracking but they do come back. They tend to know how good they've got it!

And it's so lovely to see them enjoy the outdoors. I think it's the best thing for them.

WookieWoo · 25/02/2021 20:28

Hi OP. We have a pedigree Siberian. He is the most beautiful looking cat I've ever seen. However, from 5 months old he just howled when inside as he is a proper 'outside' cat. I was terrified he would be stolen or get lost but so far he's been fine. We have a super fancy catflap that can be set to lock at certain times and records his comings and goings. I can't imagine him being a house cat now as he just loves scampering around the garden (and neighbour's gardens which now belong to him too😂).

I completely get the fear, especially around theft, but ultimately it is not the cat's fault it is high value. A cat is a cat and they all need to be able to go outside in order to do their catty things.

Go for it...your cats will love you all the more for it.

Ibizafun · 25/02/2021 21:27

I’m in a similar situation to you op with 2 pedigree kittens almost a year old, big house but smaller garden. We’ve been letting them out in the garden for some time as we wanted to enrich their world. Always returned immediately for treats.

But we had a nightmare yesterday- one didn’t. I saw her from upstairs in a neighbour’s garden, when we went to get her though she hid and acted like a feral cat. She was half way through a hedge backing onto gd knows where . Dh had to pull her back by her tail it was horrendous. I really don’t think she knew how to get home and it was as if she didn’t know us. Not sure what we’ll be doing!

Downthefarm · 25/02/2021 21:53

We recently did this. We bought a couple of packs of dreamies, though we didn't usually use them. We shake them in a jar and he runs home for one.

Downthefarm · 25/02/2021 21:56

They spend a lot of time at first sniffing their way in and out, going further each time. Don't stress or chase them, as they need to concentrate on this in order to remember.

hartof · 25/02/2021 23:42

@makemineatriple765

I never though I would become so attached to a couple of cats!

I just let him out before he has eaten and he came home. He never eats before he goes out now so comes home frequently for snacks. We always keep a window open so he can "sniff" home. I find if I've not seen him for a while I walk to our drive ( our garden is before the drive) the. He comes running so must be able to smell me.

helpfulperson · 26/02/2021 12:20

We are in week four of being outdoor cats. It took a couple of weeks for me to stop worrying about whether they would come home. They were rescued from a difficult situation and the rescue didn't know if they had ever been outside. But I dont understand people who say things like 'he was only allowed out supervised for a short period of time to start with'. Day 1 of being allowed outside - about 8 weeks after I got them - and they were out of sight in under 30 seconds and I had no influence on when they came back.

Letting my cats out for the first time - scared!

Toilenstripes · 26/02/2021 12:25

I would go out with them and sit in the sunshine. Let them explore, talk to them so they associate being outside with you. It will also help with keeping them in a closer area.

GigantosaurusRex · 27/02/2021 09:26

@WookieWoo what catflap do you have please? We have a sureflap that's quite old now and I'd like to change it.

Mamamia35 · 27/02/2021 10:20

So glad I found this thread. We have a 9 month old, neutered, microchipped male. Got him with the intention of being an outdoor cat and now love him and don't want him to die! Need to let him out, he's like a prisoner. But it's very nerve-wracking.

Butterflypaper · 05/03/2021 23:57

Sounds odd but I would take them one by one and carry them briefly around the garden, without setting them down but just showing them the space and then return to the door you came from. Let them smell a few things outside here and there and then let them smell the door/door mat when you come back. I wouldn't set them down on the ground at all until you have literally shown them what outside is a good few times from the safety of your arms (in a firm hold!) what outdoor space is and more importantly, which door is theirs to return to the house.

When the time comes to set them on the ground, I would let them out but accompanying them - follow them like a hawk (hopefully they won't bolt) and take them back inside after a minute or two. Do that a few times. It's a gradual process. I think cats can get lost purely because they haven't been given the chance in advance to work out where home actually is. If we (as people) went for a long walk in a new city we wouldn't automatically know exactly how to get back to the hotel!

They need introducing to a few key landmarks first.

Prestel · 06/03/2021 10:16

I have to disagree with the above, don't carry them out. Open the door and let them find their own way out. They'll sniff all around the doorstep before going any further and that's how they'll know their way back.

Given the proximity of a busy road, personally I would seriously consider a catio. If you do go for free roam, however, keeping them in at night should reduce the danger from the road as most accidents tend to happen at night.

Prestel · 06/03/2021 10:33

Also, if you're a worrier it would be much better if you can find a way to install a cat flap into the garden as then you'll be reassured that they can get back into the house whenever they want and will never be trapped outside.
They won't dramatically change personality, either. If they haven't been showing signs of being desperate to get out over the last year or so, there's a pretty good chance they won't wander much beyond the garden, but you can never know for sure. Sometimes you just have to take the risk.

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