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.

Aww. he looks a lot like my cat, but with longer fur

I think it’s a good idea to let him out in the morning early - he will come back hungry then sleep all day🥰.

I wonder where he went yesterday! Bird watching somewhere probably!

Look at that fuzzy tummy.

He has settled in really well. Lots of cats still hiding at that stage. He clearly really trusts you

Two weeks is too soon to let him outside. Cats need to solidly settle in at home first, establish territory, understand where home is. It was okay this time but please don't let him out again for another fortnight.

I'd also recommend keeping your cat indoors overnight - block the catflap with the kitchen bin or whatever. Late nights are when a lot of the cat fights happen. I'm 100% pro-outdoor cats but not overnight.

Yay!!!

Please keep him in, or cat proof your garden at least. So many cats are killed on roads or by dogs and it's awful.

@IroningThrone Are you in the US? I know they don't "believe" in letting cats outside.
We have cat and we still let her out - even though we tragically lost one at a young age when he was hit by a car. It is a risk everyone who allows a cat out takes but I believe a cat's quality of life ultimately is so much greater if allowed to explore the outdoors in the daytime.

Yes, I agree with @Youthiswastedontheyoung I have indoor cats, we live in a flat, and feel guilty about their quality of life. I'm thinking of moving to a house because of it

I think it’s completely normal to feel anxious about letting them out to begin with, I did! We have two rescue cats, one all ginger that looks the spit of your Pumpkin and his half white half ginger brother. They came to us at 1 after sleeping outside for months so showed a lot of interest in going out.

I’d recommend a set dinner time because it makes it much easier to know if they’re MIA. Ours have to be back for their dinner, they get shut in afterwards, and we’ve taught them when we shake the kibble bag it’s time. They’re normally already loitering around by then though!

They limit themselves by ability after a while too; one of ours got stuck in a tree as he’s not the sharpest/most agile - he stays quite near these days. His brother loves to roam and is more confident/less likely to get stuck - he sometimes takes longer to turn up for dinner!

Couldn't agree more. When bad things happen to cats it's usually during the night time.
It's easy to get them used to staying in at night if you're really firm about it. Cats are creatures of habit. My rescue girl never even considers asking to go outside when it's dark now.

Same here, my cat doesn't mind at all being kept in at night.

What a gorgeous coat!

And many indoor cats become seriously unwell with stress or other behavioural issues - even physical ones.

It's a balancing act.

No I'm not.

I live in a small town and I'm sick of seeing dead or dying cats on the main road. There's been at least ten posted on the town Facebook pets group over the summer. Not to mention the damage they do to local wildlife!

I have three indoor cats who are all happy and well stimulated so it is possible!

Probably fewer than get killed or hurt on the roads.

Even when I lived in a quiet village and let my cats out I had one killed and two hit by cars and hurt, with one requiring a leg amputation. My sister also had her cat killed by a loose dog in her garden. It's not safe for them outside.

My garden is cat proofed & it isn't big they are happy cats!

I lost a cat, it was awful, when I got my two rescues I fully intended to let them out but just couldn't.

Hanging out on the local lost cat page when mine went missing was eye opening, just how many go missing, people do awful things to cats! There was ring doorbell footage of a guy who just picked a cat up from a doorstep & then dumped it a couple of miles away that poor woman never got her cat back!

My cats are safe, they still manage to catch the odd bird or mouse 🙄 they really think they're going to get a squirrel 🤣

I live in what would be considered a quiet area , 5 minutes walk from a small heath and 5 minutes walk in the opposite direction from a nature reserve . 4 cats have been killed on the roads in the last 6 weeks according to our local FB page , 2 during the day and that is just the ones I know about . Indoor / garden kept / catio cats do not suffer if they are properly cared for and have sufficient enrichment .

@IroningThrone - probably.

But you have to balance the risk for each cat. We live on a very quiet road that backs onto woodland - they only go out the back so the risks are pretty minimal, really.

Is there a risk? Well, of course, but as one of mine got so stressed indoors he nearly died, it's a risk I'm happy to take.

I also see thread after thread on here about indoor cats who are aggressive, or who pee everywhere, or who overgroom - and I have to wonder what kind of life that is for them? Sure, they're safe from traffic but at what cost?

Indoor / garden kept / catio cats do not suffer if they are properly cared for and have sufficient enrichment .

That's really not the case for all cats.

We tried it with mine - he ended up at the vets four times with stress cystitis and nearly died - our vet basically said if you don't let him out, he's going to die anyway.

So we took the risk and his health, confidence and happiness has skyrocketed. He's never needed a vet since (apart from his jabs), his fur has grown back and he's no longer scared of his own shadow.

I used to be a huge supporter of indoor cats until he came along, but he totally changed my perspective. All my other cats have been perfectly happy inside but he just wasn't.

This has always been a huge dilemma for me. We live in a quiet area, but sadly I lost two young male cats (both neutered) on a main road that we don't even live on. It was hearbreaking. One of these happened at night, the other was mid-morning. Our remaining cat (female) was used to having 24/7 access to her cat flap by this time, and we decided (nervously) to continue with this. She's now 15, and never goes very far, thankfully, but still enjoys her freedom and likes to patrol ours and next doors gardens.

I'm aware that female cats don't wonder as far as males, so when its time for our next cat, I will definitely be getting another female. Our vet has always been supportive of letting cats out at night, providing they can get back in. But it does feel like a lottery.

When we adopted him it was made clear to us that he was already an outdoor cat and we are fine with that. It has always been a question of when we let him out not if we do. He was showing some signs of frustration which is why the rescue advised letting him out sooner than expected. I spoke to them again this morning and they said to keep giving him access to outside, He has been a bit out of sorts this morning, he did a wee outside his tray and scratched at the carpet rather than his mat. I did open the door for him but he only went out for 2 minutes then back in again. He's now asleep on top of a wardrobe which is a new place for him. I have a feeling that he wants to go out afternoon/evening. He's very active at night.

i rescued my cat from a farm - she was only six weeks old and the farmer found her alone in a shed (or that was his story anyway). A mutual friend knew I wanted a cat so that was that.

she was an escape artist from day one! I had to keep her in until she was neutered - she jumped out an upstairs window!

she absolutely loves spending time outdoors - especially after it has been raining.

yoi sound like a great pet owner and I am sure the little man will settle into a routine soon enough.

Don't feel like you have to defend yourself @Symposium - the vast majority of cats in the UK go outside. It's very much the norm so please don't feel like you're doing something wrong!