Letting cat outside

[Symposium]

Hello! I had some great advice on here when I adopted my lovely boy 2 weeks ago. So hoping it's ok to ask for some more help! He's settling in really well and has been showing lots of interest in getting outside. I checked with the rescue and they said it would be ok to let him out now! Better than waiting until he's really frustrated. So tried this afternoon and he was initially very nervous. Went out and in again quite quickly a few times before starting to explore the garden. He then climbed up a tree a sat on the back wall ( 6foot up) for a bit. That's when I started to worry thinking what if he goes over but can't get back?! Am I being really daft? Cats can jump quite high can't they? It's just he used the tree on our side and there's no tree on the other side. Luckily he came back down for some dreamies this time. The garden is completely enclosed by 6 foot walls.

Also here's some cat tax!

It might happen, but he will learn after a few times of having to be rescued. My ginger cat is scared of outside too

Oh gosh , now I'm more worried about it. We do occasionally get other cats in our garden so they must be getting over somehow .

It might not even happen. Cats are quite clever. He's gorgeous by the way

Some cats can jump higher than others. He will probably walk along the back fences and work out various access routes. First he has to check for territorial smells to see if other male cats are going to challenge him over territory.

They do learn. I had to rescue a neighbours kitten out a tree and now he runs past it horrified and won't go near it

I really wouldn't worry. Our cats can scale our six foot fence like it's nothing 😂

Thanks , I'm such a worrier. I could easily rescue him if he went either side as I know the neighbours, but over the back would be much trickier as I don't know them and I'm not even sure how to get round there. Hopefully as he's a bit nervous he won't actually try going over yet 🤞

He’s absolutely gorgeous!

What a gorgeous cat.

my now five year old tabby is quite small for her age. She goes out but doesn’t go far - really enjoys home comforts. She has got her gel stuck a few times but I have always managed to rescue her.

once I had to remove a panel of my fence when she was too small to climb back up and once I had to climb a tree😂.

she has learned her limitations and I haven’t been in a rescue mission in years.

each time she got stuck she cried so loudly I knew exactly where she was😂. I have realised that she doesn’t cry in distress - she shouts in frustration!

Ok, so he's gone out and over the back wall... how long do I give him to come home before I worry and start hunting for him?

If you are generally worried about him, you could consider getting him a tracker.
I was terrified I'd lose our cat, he wears a tracker now and is rarely more than a few houses away. He doesn't always come when called, so it is reassuring to know he's out there somewhere close by.
When he was a kitten (between 6 months and a year), we rescued him from several gardens and from up trees, where he has not properly thought through his plan of escape.
He is more sensible now.

How long has he been gone?

Mine typically go out for 2-3 hours at a time then wander home for a snooze, but some cats will go all day without coming back.

I would only worry if he doesn't come back for his meals.

He's been gone an hour. I must be really over anxious, I've already walked round to look in the neighbour's garden but there was no sign of him. I hope he can find his way back over , now that I've seen what it looks like from the other side it's steeper and higher, I think he would have to get up much further along the wall somehow and then walk down to us. Cats can figure that out right?!

I've never seen a cat skeleton in a tree. Cats figure it out. My cats go along the back fence then jump from shed to shed.
Once one of ourswent out the loft skylight and sat in the gutter below watching the world go by. But then when he tried to climb back up the roof tiles were too smooth and he couldn't. DD panicked tried to put a blanket down so he'd have something to grip. Anyway he eventually climbed on to neighbour's roof, up and over theirs and then down to roof extension and back to our garden.

He will figure it out. Or if he gets stuck and wants help he will cry (shout!) for you on the other side of the wall and you can guide him back.

he is probably sunbathing on someone’s shed roof

Ah, an hour is nothing :)

I know it's scary when they first disappear alone, but cats absolutely know "home" and can figure out where they are really easily. Mine goes all over (I've seen him) and he always finds his way back.

No advice as I’d be cat proofing the garden but just want to say he is gorgeous .

Does your cat acknowledge you when he sees you out and about.

mine looks embarrassed and turns her back on me! She only runs to great me in our own garden😂.

it’s like having a moody teenager

@Bellyblueboy we have three - the youngest (orange) runs up to me yelling and wanting a cuddle and the oldest (fat black lump) will grudgingly accept a fuss but looks absolutely mortified

The middle one (skinny black lump) will either scream at me or run off and pretend I don't exist, haha.

Cats are wily, he'll work it out. And if he can't, cats are also very talented at letting you know that they're in need of their human servant. At the top of their lungs, usually.

I keep telling myself he will come back... but what if he's not home before dark? What should we do ? I don't want to shut the door on him

We back onto a woodland that is part of a park. My cat can get into the park by going through a gap in the fence, I have to walk 10 minutes all the way round. She gets so confused when she sees me in the park, I think because I haven’t come from
the house.

Have you tried calling for him?

Yes many times and rattling the dreamies tub 🥹