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

Original poster

What time do your cat's play out till?

68 replies

Mumdiva99 · 16/05/2021 20:21

Inspired by a thread on AIBU as well as the fact we have a new cat flap.

Just curious what time do your cat's have to come in at night?

I set it for 8pm then last night it was still really light and they were asking to go out again after 8pm so I changed it till 9pm. DC2 is still out.....she is only 11 months old......am I bringing up a delinquent cat because I am letting her roam the streets till all hours?

(At 9:20pm last night my daughter and I were out calling and calling and shaking cat food to try to lure her back in...she isn't food motivated so we were calling for ages and ages....)

OP posts:
coogee · 16/05/2021 22:24

Ours comes and goes as he pleases. I can see why people might want them in at night though.

TroysMammy · 16/05/2021 22:29

Haribo comes in about 6.30pm, the time we have our tea. His friend Hugo has a later bedtime. This was yesterday at 7.10pm.

What time do your cat's play out till?
BrilliantBetty · 16/05/2021 22:30

Ours used to be a free roamer. 24/7 cat flap. But she began to bring things in, birds and mice mainly, at nighttime. Horrible to come down to it in the morning, especially as the DC come down first.
And it often requires a full clean up operation.

She now comes back in anytime 8pm-11pm and we lock the door. Out again at 6.30am.

Original poster
Mumdiva99 · 16/05/2021 22:31

@TroysMammy how do they cope with being separated? Or are they used to it now?

(Bobbi has a best friend who sometimes comes quite early to call....she's missed her before when we weren't able to open the door - I can't wait to see what happens now she can get herself outside.)

OP posts:
beepbeepbonk · 16/05/2021 22:33

No idea, cat flap is always open but I think he often sleeps in our outbuildings, I don't set a curfew for him, less for him to rebel against 😁

TroysMammy · 16/05/2021 22:36

@Mumdivap99 Sadly Hugo will be moving away as his owner has recently sold his house Sad. They do squabble but it's usually over cat nip.

KurtWilde · 16/05/2021 22:37

Mine are in all day and go out all night.

carolinesbaby · 16/05/2021 22:41

Mine have free roam 24/7.
Cat 1 is elderly and is usually in (on my bed) all night.
Cat 2 usually spends the evening on the bed then goes out about midnight till 2 or 3. Then back on the bed till breakfast.
Cat 3 is usually out all evening and back in from about 11 till 5/6.

We live rurally, though, not much danger of a traffic accident.

Hughbert · 16/05/2021 22:51

I can't have a cat flap. I call mine about 9.30 ish, they both run in. Girl cat stayed out all night for the first time a few weeks ago and hasn't done much exploring since. Boy cat needs to come in as he is so bloody loud he would wake the street yelling to come back in when he had enough.

Apanicaday · 16/05/2021 22:56

Ours are shut in from about 9.30 until 6.30. We used to let them out, however one of the little darlings started bringing us a mouse gift at about 11pm. But because said cat is slightly dim, the mice were very much still alive. And then released into the house for an extended game of "recatch the mouse whilst fighting off your sister" with cat number 2. So she is now grounded overnight and we no longer have to upend the house at midnight to evict the latest chase toy!!

Elbels · 16/05/2021 22:58

I would never let me cats out over night. They have a strict curfew at 9pm and are at most about 5 minutes late at coming in, it's like they can tell the time.

caringcarer · 17/05/2021 01:33

I have 4 cats that come and go through cat flap. All neutered but 1 male goes out about 9 and I don't see him before I go to bed. The 2 females and other male go out in garden but usually back in by 8 still in when I go to bed at 10 or 11. My 5th cat is a house cat and sadly has to be keep apart from other 4 as he attacks them very aggressively. The 4 are always in baskets waiting for food when DH gets up at 7.

NotanotherboxofFrogs · 17/05/2021 02:05

Boy and girl cats here, I do a call for dinner at 9pm, I put the food down, sort water, check tray in case anything as they start tuck in, I close the window so no more out that night and after eating. They settle down in their beds to rest with occasional chases and play fights. I do whatever I am doing around them, radio on and a couple of treats and leaving alone for the night.

She is always close to the house and doesn't go far, has never been outside overnight. He had a night out overnight back in December/January time as he wouldn't come in after 10 hours of trying so he did come in at first chance in the morning so had 4 hours unsupervised.

Cat flap isnt an option due to the amount of presents that are brought in the window that in the majority of cases are unsavable.

NotanotherboxofFrogs · 17/05/2021 02:07

If they had a portal to the outside world 🌎, the local bird death rate would be much higher

NatMoz · 17/05/2021 05:27

How bizarre with these curfews.

We have a cat flap in our kitchen and when it's bedtime (for us) if either of the 2 cats are in the house they get moved to the kitchen and we shut the kitchen door. If they want to go out they can.

Girl cat is so good at this now, if she hears the sound of the TV going off, she runs to the kitchen and plonks herself in the cat bed!

I usually feed them about 6-7am in the morning. Sometimes they are already there waiting at the kitchen door, other times one or both come in through the cat flap within seconds of my arrival!

Greenbks · 17/05/2021 06:22

Not strange or bizarre at all, my cats been attacked by foxes (almost fatally) and other cats (requiring surgery) so I am a responsible cat owner. What I find strange and bizarre is your lack of care for your cat.

How strange you would let them out all night 🤨

So bloody judgemental.

cricketmum84 · 17/05/2021 06:35

I've got one who is always in and napping by 6pm. She will stay put a little bit later when the weather warms up but only by an hour or so.

Baby cat won't venture outside at all. Even with doors and windows open. She is a bit soft.

EachandEveryone · 17/05/2021 06:53

One of them is so stubborn she always hides somewhere until im on my knees pleading with her to come in when i go to bed at 1030 ish. The other is a sweetie face and will do anything for a dreamy. I open the window first thing usually around 6 so the can go out if they want to but I dont encourage it if im leaving for work at 7. On my days off the window is open all day.

nancywhitehead · 17/05/2021 06:58

Cats are nocturnal.

Of course they want to go out at night.

You have to judge your own neighbourhood situation as to whether or not your cat will be safe if you let them go out late.

Some people let their cats roam free whenever, other people put a lock on the cat flap after a certain time, but if you do this to keep them safe you do have to recognise you are denying some of their natural instincts to be out hunting at night.

Rfjkf · 17/05/2021 07:06

My cat flap is locked at 9:30pm and she doesn't go out again until the following morning. I used to let her have free access to the cat flap all night but got fed up with her bringing mice in during the night.

Athinginitself · 17/05/2021 07:12

We dont have a cat flap. We aim to get them in by 9. In the winter they comply, in the summer they often dont, we'll try until we go to bed but one of them often stays out all night in the summer, I dont mind with her as she doesn't leave the garden but I get anxious of the other one decides not to come in as she wanders further.

violetbunny · 17/05/2021 08:19

@nancywhitehead I always thought they were crepuscular rather than nocturnal - so most active at dawn and dusk.

In any case, my experience with my own cats is that it is possible to train them to do most of their sleeping at night. We've kept up a very consistent routine with them and they generally will sleep through until morning.

Original poster
Mumdiva99 · 17/05/2021 09:51

@violetbunny ours currently sleep through from about 10 to 6 or 7....in fact they don't even get up in the morning with me! They wait for the kids to get up. We don't want to change this.

OP posts:
cricketmum84 · 17/05/2021 13:09

[quote violetbunny]@nancywhitehead I always thought they were crepuscular rather than nocturnal - so most active at dawn and dusk.

In any case, my experience with my own cats is that it is possible to train them to do most of their sleeping at night. We've kept up a very consistent routine with them and they generally will sleep through until morning.[/quote]
Somebody needs to tell my girls about the whole dawn and dusk thing!!!

Lazy little sods 😂

bruffin · 17/05/2021 13:16

My stray has to be in at round 5 as she wont come home until early hours
My old cat not keen on going out any more, usually 10 if she does go out