should we let the cat outside?

Hello, im new to this forum. Im looking for help/advice comcerning my girlfrieds cat, Cleo. She is a Calico female, about 1 year old. She was adopted by my girlfriend from the local OSPCA about 6 weeks ago, along with 2 of her kittens, Linus and Minuette. in the last 3 weeks or so, Cleo has begun meowing almost constantly around windows and doors. almost 24 hours a day recently. Shes driving my girlfriend nuts!! She has a clean bill of health from the vet, and is well cared for. the only thing we can guess is perhaps she was an outdoor cat before, with her previous owner. Where they live now is not the best place for an outdoor cat, its near a busy road and my girlfriend doesnt want to let them as shes concerned they will get hurt. The kittens will be fine indoors as they have never been outside but we dont know how to deal with Cleo? should we risk letting her outside? will she ever get over not being able to go out? one thing i wonder is perhaps theres a male cat nearby and Cleo(who is not spayed yet but will be soon) can smell him and thats why she wants out so badly.
any help would be greatly appreciated
Thanks, Adam

I would NOT let her out. If she lives by a busy street that is just asking for her to be hit. Its way too dangerous to allow her outside. I am sure once she is spayed that behavior would stop.

One thing she could do, build an outdoor enclosure so she can take her outside and Cleo can get some outside time, but can't get hurt!

My daughter took in an unspayed cat that cried, at the door. She had to wait a month before she could get her spayed because of college schedules.
She was so frustrated with the noise.

I got a call after the spay and my daughter said it was the first night she slept in a month. Did not cry anymore after spay and became very loving.

Not all cats react the same, but I would bet it's the "female" thing taking over. Things will get better after the spay. I don't know how long before they are free of the hormones after a spay.

Good Luck and hang in there.

She is not spayed? Absolutely don't let her out! Even if she is spayed, if you feel it is not a safe surroundings, follow your instincts!
After a momma kitty has her kittens, she can go into heat within weeks. Symptoms being from roaming, howling, and trying to escape! Best advice is to talk to your vet and find out if/when it is safe to have her spayed. Extra attention may be necessary for a while to help transition her to indoors only. Indoor entertainment and territory will definitely help, window perches, cat condos, scratching posts, extended walk ways.........

Get one of those kitty tease toys after you transition her inside--you know, fishing rod, laser, dangly things... interactive stuff, the kind you keep in a drawer and kitty comes running when she hears the drawer open. There's one toy that a lot of people on here like, called "Da Bird", it's a feather fishing rod thingy that most cats seem to really like; I haven't tried it, but my two go nuts for a dangled shoelace or a scrap of cloth on a string. (This is why you keep those kinds of toys away--the cat will probably get tangled in the string, or worse, try to eat it, if it can get at the string when you're not watching.) Anyway, interactive toys are a great way to keep a cat occupied.

Don't play too hard with her after the spay, obviously. Your vet will tell you how long to wait.

Do you need help with finding cheap spay/neuter resources for your cat & her kittens? I'm pretty sure someone on here could point you in the right direction; a whole litter is no small expense if you pay full price.

Of course she would never let Cleo out before she is spayed! The vet will be called and Cleo will be spayed ASAP. we just don`t know if her behavior is hormones or she just wants out because she is used to being outdoors. Not knowing her history makes this a tough decision. If we let her out in an enclosure on the patio will she want more? No amount of affection or play seems to have a lasting effect

I agree with the others.
Do not let her out.If you feel your area is not safe,then keep her indoors.

You could build a cage type area for her outdoors or you could leash/harness train her and take her in the grass on leash...but only after she's spayed!

I would guess that her hormones are what the problem is right now. She is in heat and looking for a way out to "scratch her itch" so to speak.

Spaying will make a big difference.

As to outdoor versus indoor - my hubby was letting Bijou outside and I was stressed every time the cat was out because I personally do not believe in outdoor cats unless you have an enclosure for them. In July Bijou got bitten by some type of animal and had a large abscess which had to be drained and tubed until it healed. We no longer allow Bijou outside. For about 1-2 weeks he would go to the sliding glass door and yowl to go out but we firmly said 'No, Bijou" and walked away. Now he is just fine. Occasionally, though rarely, he will still "ask" to go out but the "no, Bijou" works great.

I saw a lovely black cat dead in the middle of the road on my way to work this morning and it reinforced my belief that keeping cats indoors is a good thing for both them and my peace of mind.

Before anyone lets a cat out, they should read through the "Health" and "Crossing the Bridge" sections of this forum.

As everyone has commented, the cat's behavior NOW is because she is not yet spayed.

As to going out, I am sure the problem will be resolved once she's spayed. My cat had been a stray for at least 6 months before she adopted me, but she instantly became an indoor cat with no difficulty at all. Cats actually like the luxury of indoor living without the hazards outside. After all, they can then sleep 23 hours a day and not have to be vigilent. . . .

I have to agree the behavior most likely is due to not being spayed, but even if she does not stop after she is spayed please don't let her out. It is so dangerous outside for cats. She will get used to being inside. Providing her with lots of things to keep her busy will help. I live in the city and do not understand people letting thier cats out. It is so dangerous and far too often I hear horrible stories of cats that never come home. I would hate to see that happen to your girlfriend. She wil get used to an indoor life, just give her time.