Cats going outside

[realbutterplease]

I have 2 rescue cats, they’ve settled in perfectly, love cuddles, eat well, trust us, cheeky etc, we’ve had them for just over 5 weeks, they’re 11 months. Can I have tips for keeping calm after letting them outside please?! I’m not a new owner, my 15yr old boy died in Nov last year but it’s been so long I honestly can’t remember how I did it! We’ve let them out in garden supervised a good few times, one jumped gate and straight into neighbours house appearing at their balcony in living room (our living rooms are on 2nd floor)! Do I just assume they’ll find their way and what they can and can’t do?!

I know this sounds ridiculous but our garden can’t be cat secured (low gate) and they want to go out, we want them to go out but my anxiety is silly! They got out this morning when I went out to bin and I let them roam for 10mins them gave treats so do I just keep doing that? Or just give in to my anxieties and let them do what cats do? They’re fully vaccinated, neutered and chipped, no collars however.

We used a cat harness on our young cat until she was neutered (they wouldn't do it until she was 7 months but she was desperate to be out) so we did that in the garden until she was used to the area. Maybe try that for a few weeks so they know to come back to your garden. Try getting them used to them gradually with treats involved.

I have a Tractive cat collar for mine. Do not know how my parents did it with our old cats!

it’s honestly helping with my anxiety with him going out and I get alerts when he’s near the road etc

i would try to get them used to having collars on took me ages to get mine to wear one, he was a stray for the first few years of his life so he’s not the biggest fan but he knows now you don’t get to go out unless it’s on.

My two have tractives as well, definitely helps

We don’t have a collar and I don’t think our boy would like a harness either. We started letting him out for short bursts, with someone keeping an eye on him - a couple of times he went further than I would have liked initially and I found myself clambering over fences to watch him. After that we would let him out on his own, but call him in after 20 minutes or so to make sure he would come to his name. I’d read somewhere to take bits of used (weed on) litter and scatter around the garden to create a scent trail (and also a boundary) so I did that, but no idea if it worked. He’s still not a big roamer and comes when called. I knew we’d cracked it when I was shouting his name at the back door, and DP shouted through to tell me he’d popped up at the spare room window at the front, despite never being let out the front door.

We trained our previous girl to come in with “snackies” (Dreamies) which worked so well she would go out for 30 seconds then come in to get the snack. Rinse and repeat. That stopped when the vet gave DP a row for her being a fatty at her boosters. For absolute shame.

(Just to add that he is obviously chipped/neutered, just doesn’t wear a collar)

I’ve had a look at the tractives thanks, I’d never heard of those. They both went out again earlier this eve, one would not come in at all, he was over the gate like a shot ‘freeeeedom’!! Then sat in another neighbours garden staring out their cats (same one who went straight into another neighbours house!) He’s not scared of anything at all and would not come back without a lot of bribery! His brother was sat with a halo in our garden so I know which of the two is going to be the mischievous one!

Mine don’t wear collars but they are both chipped and neutered. You really do just have to let them get on with it but it’s hard - we lost our youngest to the road in March which was absolutely horrible but he would never have been happy indoor or in an enclosed garden.

Don’t let them out in the evening! That is so tempting for them to stay out until dusk.

Let them out in the morning after a small breakfast, feed them early evening and don’t let them out again, treats mid/late evening before you go to bed.

Everytime you feed them or give treats whistle, keep doing this until they come to you whistling then just whistle when you give them treats. They should then come in when you whistle especially if hungry/it’s usually treat time.

Aah, they are beautiful cats. We are in the same position - 11 month old rescue cats who have been with us nearly 6 weeks. We have started letting them out with supervision but they don't seem quite ready to come and go completely independently yet. Luckily we work from home.

They haven't really got the hang of the cat flap, though they'll go out through it if we hold it open and give an encouraging hand! They don't use it to come in. One of them is fairly cautious, good at coming when we call him and knows he gets two treats. The other - who has 3 legs - is super playful and adventurous and always the last in. We're trying to have a routine where they come in early evening for their wet food and then stay in. We have a sure flap connect cat flap which we have set a curfew on, so once they can properly use it it will lock before dusk. How are yours getting on? We previously had very settled 17 and 18 year olds and I can't remember the learning stage with them now!

I was very anxious when I started letting my rescue cat out. He likes his freedom so I got him a cat flap and eventually I decided to let him come and go whenever he wants. He is much more settled now, going out for shorter periods of time. I still worry him but not as much.