Can I ask your experiences of letting your cat outside?

[Teenmam]

We have 2 kittens. 6 months old. One is dying to get out. Other a bit scared. We can't open a window or he escapes. Our garden cannot be enclosed. We are letting them out supervised for very short periods but he is crying to get out all the time. Google telling us to go slowly over weeks, and train them to come in by calling their name and rattling their food bowl. He ignores all this. Ignores his favourite treats. We have to lift him in. The girl is more cautious and doesn't veer far from the door. So any advice? Or how did it go with your kitties?

My kittens are 7 months and we have been letting them out about a month now. They still don’t go far off the patio - idon’t think they have even made it to the back fence. I’m hoping it stays that way.

Cat Tax please.

Before we let our boy out I took some of his litter tray litter and scattered it round the outside of the garden - I’d read that it helps establish a boundary and will help them find their way home if need be. No idea if that’s true but two years on and he still is generally in our garden or next door on either side. He’s really good at coming when shouted.

With our previous girl it was July when we adopted her and we started leaving the back door open when we were going in and out (after she had settled in for a month or so) and she would potter along with us. She didn’t much roam either, always in shouting distance.

Both cats were adults, not kittens - Louie is now three and was one when we adopted him, and we adopted our girl at three. We don’t allow outside overnight, even though we live on a very quiet one way street.

We've always had outdoor cats. My first cat was a stray living rough who decided to move in with us (on a main road in Glasgow) and he was clearly streetwise. When we then got kittens we just started to let them out at about five or six months, and our older cats always seemed to keep an eye on them to start with. We tend to get them in when we go to bed, but if they sometimes choose to be dirty stop outs then that's their choice. Lived on busy urban streets in the past but now live on a quiet no through road with fields on one side. The cats seem to enjoy it.

We adopted our cat as a kitten. He has been going out since he was about 6 months old. He’s now 6. We have a cat flap that works off his microchip. We started off by trying to keep him in at night but he soon got wise and would stay out. We live quite rural which helps. We put his food and water in the utility before we go to bed and close the door, that way any gifts are contained.

I'm assuming they are both fully vaccinated, neutered and microchipped now?

What seems to work best is to only let them out just before their dinner time when they are hungry, so they learn to associate coming back with the reward of food.

It is easier during the summer, as you can spend time outside with them.

We have had only female cats (5 in all separately) only one was a kitten. All very different about going out. The bold one went out after a couple of weeks, others varied. The only one who took a very long time (2 years). When they are ready just let them go. Previous advice about putting the litter around the garden seems a good idea.

I've been through this with around 20 cats and if they find their way back the first time, they find their way back every time. I don't see the point in stretching it out for weeks or months, just let him go.

The first time they go I put a little tracker on them, like an AirTag. It gives me some peace of mind.

I’ve had 2 kittens brother and sister in the past and they were absolutely fine. It helps if they’re siblings I think as they go around together and have learning experiences. Will you lock them in at night? Assuming they’ve had all their injections. Collars are useful but mine only kept theirs on for a short time then lost them. If you or neighbours have open garages watch for cats getting in there. Mine did and drank anti freeze (it’s very tempting for them) and got sick and had to go to the vets. If you’re near a main road I wouldn’t let them out.

Also ensure they know their names so when you call them they should (not guaranteed) return home.

I have been introducing mine gradually with a harness, he is a compliant kitty though, I realise NACALT ! I need a lot of patience though as he wants to sniff everything, he is nearly one year and had not been out before. It is such a worry letting them out.

if they are neutered and had all vaccines just let them out when they are hungry and stay with them outside, after 20Mins call them in for food. A few days if this and they will be grand!

Watch out for cats fighting with them (may not happen) and them bringing home presents. I still recall when my female cat (now sadly dead) caught a mouse outside when I was next to her and I was screaming at her to let it go, trying to get to it. Of course she ignored me. Not guaranteed but siblings can be like a crack tag team when it comes to hunting, mine were. Lost count of the number of mice brought in but now iwhat I have which is a video cat flap, basically you see them with their prey but access is stopped and denied if they have prey and they’re only allowed in without it. No idea if it’s worked yet as I only got it a couple of weeks ago. I have no idea if the cat actually learns not to bring prey in due to this but I’m guessing yes. Oh, if you have a pond cover it with netting. My old cat once fell in which stopped her trying again. But both of them were like ninjas around the pond before, trying to nab the fish and frogs. There’s a ledge between both ponds and they’d walk across that, yelling at them was futile. With a net on my current cat realises she can’t get to anything so she never tries and just trots past the pond.

Very helpful input, thank you all. Unfortunately they are not microchipped yet, they are vaccinated and neutered. And they don't recognise their names yet either! Plus we tend to just let them graze so calling them before their dinner won't work. Oh I'm so worried about this. Road is not main but busy enough. It would be safer to keep them inside but I feel its cruel when they seem to love being out.

I've had nine cats and I always just let them out, they come back when they are ready. I've never had one that didn't come back. They know where they live. It is nerve wracking at start but it will be fine.

Ok just saw that they aren't chipped. They need to be chipped first, that's the law. Why aren't they chipped?

We let our current 2 boys out in the garden with a lead and collar and let that go as we could quickly jump on it. We did the same with our previous 2 cats. . We also walked them round the front of the house also still on the lead , the theory being they would know the front door. Slightly backfired when each cat went a different way. When we eventually let them out on their own ( microchipped and neutered but minus their collars as they hated them) , we made sure we did it the first time on a day when one of us was in all day. One cat came back in 30 minutes, the other, 3 very long hours later. But the important thing was they knew where they lived.

I have two I've had since 3 months old and we let them out around 6 months. They were desperate to go out, spent the whole day looking out of the door and looking excited at the outside world! When we let them out, one just went running off and scaled the shed like Spiderman, which was a bit stressful. He has turned out to be a very outdoorsy cat and a very good hunter. He'll be gone for several hours in the summer evenings. I used to worry a lot but have got used to it. I would never change it now because if I did his enjoyment of life would be much less. However, I do think they have a fairly safe environment to explore at the back, even though there is a road at the front which is not terribly busy but not without risk.
They are 9 now. My other cat is a homebody who is usually in the garden or the neighbour's garden, so I don't worry about him. They are both prone to ignoring me when they want to - it's what cats do! They might come back if you call them and rattle treats, but only if they want the treats more than whatever else they're up to!

We started letting ours out a month ago. They are a year old: one terrified, occasional goes outside if other one is there.

other one desperate to get out but got lost on about outing 8. Got into a warehouse at the end of our garden. Had to be fetched in a cat basket as she was wriggling like anything to get out of my arms and we had to walk along main road. Been on house arrest since as couldn’t risk her getting locked in there over bank holiday weekend when closed.

if you as much as touch the patio door handle she comes flying…..

@Teenmam SORRY but why were they not chipped at neutering ? It is of vital importance that they're chipped immediately and please don't even consider letting them out until that's done it will be so reassuring for you as well

Microchipping is not a legal requirement here, as far as I can tell from what the vet said its not actually that common here. But I will get them done ASAP on everyone's advice, we were planning to do it soon but I realise now how urgent it is.

There is always risk. A lot depends on their personalities. You can get lucky and have no bother but our lovely girl was viciously attacked by another cat and nearly lost an eye last summer. I’ve had outdoor cats all my life and that’s the first time that has happened. Females tend to have a smaller territory, I have found, and so roads and cars are not such an issue.

@Teenmam are you not in the UK? I think it’s actually only law in England at the mo but here (Scotland) it’s recommended and most people do - rescues chip as standard before adoption.

I have two rescues, one went missing for five days, his sister over night once, so they both have trackers. Not allowed out overnight so I have some long evenings waiting for them to come back. They would be miserable as indoor cats

I'd send my dcat out at the same time every morning, hungry, and then bring her in after a few hours with the promise of dry snacks x

Get them microchipped and then send them out when they are hungry
I use a tracker collar for my peace of mind