Our one cat Kaylie is going outside. Not my choice, but she was doing it already before I moved in. She stays close to the house, and is inside at night.
Our new cat Pomme used to live outside (in the woods and shed behind the house) until I brought her in last week. Right now I don't let her out, because she is still getting used to everything, and I have to have her spayed first. Today I came home and my bf was there with a sad face. He didn't pay attention, left the door open, and she got out. Well, I was pretty unhappy and mad (to put it nicely).
I went out with a flashlight and food, crying and cursing at the same time. We have quite a large wooded area behind the house, where I actually found her surprsingly quickly. She thought it was a game, letting me get closer, and then running away further and further into the woods. I put aside all my fears about sleeping snakes and just stumbled after her. It took me about 30 min to get her close enough to the food, so that I could get her and bring her back in.
Now my questions (I have only dealt with indoor cats so far): Did I make the whole "game" worse, by trying to follow her around the woods? My boyfriend thinks, she would have come back anyway, since it is where the food and warm places are, but I am thinking she might not know her way around well enough yet.
And, how do I handle it best to re-introduce her to going out? Since the other cat is doing it, and we often have the door open so she can go in and out, it will be unavoidable.
For now, everybody is safe inside again, even though Kaylie had her hopes up already that her new roomate wouldn't come back. She watched me from the window as I stumbled through the dark woods, lol.
Any advice would be appreciated, because this might occur again sooner than I want.
Thanks-
Irene
Our new cat Pomme used to live outside (in the woods and shed behind the house) until I brought her in last week. Right now I don't let her out, because she is still getting used to everything, and I have to have her spayed first. Today I came home and my bf was there with a sad face. He didn't pay attention, left the door open, and she got out. Well, I was pretty unhappy and mad (to put it nicely).
I went out with a flashlight and food, crying and cursing at the same time. We have quite a large wooded area behind the house, where I actually found her surprsingly quickly. She thought it was a game, letting me get closer, and then running away further and further into the woods. I put aside all my fears about sleeping snakes and just stumbled after her. It took me about 30 min to get her close enough to the food, so that I could get her and bring her back in.
Now my questions (I have only dealt with indoor cats so far): Did I make the whole "game" worse, by trying to follow her around the woods? My boyfriend thinks, she would have come back anyway, since it is where the food and warm places are, but I am thinking she might not know her way around well enough yet.
And, how do I handle it best to re-introduce her to going out? Since the other cat is doing it, and we often have the door open so she can go in and out, it will be unavoidable.
For now, everybody is safe inside again, even though Kaylie had her hopes up already that her new roomate wouldn't come back. She watched me from the window as I stumbled through the dark woods, lol.
Any advice would be appreciated, because this might occur again sooner than I want.
Thanks-
Irene