Outside

Hi,

I am after some advice. I know the majority of you will say NO don't do it but I am going start letting my kittens outside. They have been regulary going out at the weekends in the garden and they are microchipped, have collars !
I am just so nervous on letting them go off on there own.they are almost 8 months old now so I feel the time is right for them to go out. My family all have outside cats and I really want mine to be oustide cats too.

Can anyone give me some advice on whats the best thing to do.

here in the uk we look at inside/outside cats as the norm mainly (though some of you will disagree)

i hadnt heard of indoor cats only until a friend of mine bought 2 burmese and the breeder asked them to be indoor only.

i would say limit their outdoor time and train them to come when you call. fence your garden as much as possible and make it intresting for them to discourage them to roam.

do not let them out if they are not spayed/neutered as they will get into fights with other cats.

make sure they are in at night. this is when many accidents happen.

I am based in the UK and I never knew that there were indoor cats, to me it seemed normal that cats should go outside but obviously this forum has opened my eyes !
They have been spayed and they are ready to go out... I have heard a myth about butter on their paws ?

I would never let mine outside , to many dangers. Plus I signed a contract saying mine had to be In Door Only. Around here where I live at, they are many people stealing animals to take that chance.

butter on their paws is more for when you move to a new house.

they sit down to lick the butter and that leads them to have a good wash and feel more relaxed and at home. they also associate home wth nice taste of butter!

have they got a faveroite food? your going to need to be able to call them in and a food like tuna is good for getting them back! my nan used to shake the can openeer whe she wanted her cat Timmy to come back but you could call them or shake a bag of dry food.

are you going to limit their time outside or just use a cat flap?

Originally Posted by MyFirstRagdoll

I would never let mine outside , to many dangers. Plus I signed a contract saying mine had to be In Door Only. Around here where I live at, they are many people stealing animals to take that chance.

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its still a novel idea here for people to have indoor only cats.

i would prefer mine to be indoor only but i live with my parents still and because of their beliefs its impossible. my mum is home all day so its up to her discresion (spell?!) whether or not the cats go out.

the best i can do is limit their outside time, make the garden a safe and fun place to be and make sure they are in at night.

Maverick comes when she is called and never goes far. but as a result of being an indoor/outdoor cat has had a kitten because my mum let her out before she was spayed.

its a personal choice whether or not to let your cat out and when i see Maverick frolicking in the sun on the grass or hunting bugs i'm glad she has atleast access to the outside.

I used to have indoor/outdoor cats and for me the issue is one of safety. If they could be safe outside from traffic and dogs, roaming strays and wild animals, I would love for them to be indoor/outdoor cats. My parents and brother both live in circumstances where their cats have relatively safe outdoor environments so they still have indoor/outdoor cats. Unfortunately, I don't and I would worry myself sick about the health and safety of my cats if they were indoor/outdoor, so they are strictly indoor cats right now.

Work on making sure your cats know their names and practise getting them to come when called by rewarding them when they come. This will make it easier to get them back inside when you want them inside and will help to 'check' on them while they are outside.

Good luck.

Kathryn

Mine absolutely love the garden and love being out, but I can't handle the idea of them roaming. I lost my two year old maine coon boy on the road last June who lived for being outside and was impossible to keep to the garden, and I now have three ragdolls who as a breed really shouldn't be roaming at all, so the compromise is that the garden fencing has been made cat proof. They can come and go by cat flap as they like, and they do, day and night, but not out of the safe space. It does take monitoring carefully and updating- my four are currently indoor cats while I wait for the fencing to be re done around an escape hatch Jake located. There are firms which specialise in catproofing gardens and several threads on the forums of different ways people have tried.

Otherwise, sadly, it's a case of doing what I had to do in the end with my precious Mark. Train them to come when they're called, always reward them with food when they come when you call them, call them back and know they're close to the house at the 'early' stage of morning, about 6-9am, and the 6-10pm times when it's quiet enough outside that they risk wandering further afield but there are people, dogs and traffic about, and have set mealtimes to bring them back regularly. I tried to keep Mark safe(r) by feeding about 7am and then 9pm in the evening, so that he was home and hanging around at high risk times. The day I lost him I saw him go out at 5am and he must have died in the next hour or two. If you let them wander you do have to accept the possibility that their freedom may mean you lose them - I tried containing Mark and it would have driven him mad. Now though, I'm not at all sure I wouldn't have persisted harder and longer, I'd give anything to have him back.