Letting cats out for the first time

Emmylou_2

Hi all

Our kittens (Splodgness Abounds and Neville Staples) are now six months, fully jabbed, snipped and chipped, and we want to start letting them be outside cats as well as inside ones. We live in a ground floor flat with garden but no catflap (double glass doors so unable to get one fitted).

We've been allowing them outside for brief moments (when best mate goes for a fag they go too) but we've been bringing them back in a few minutes later.

How do we go about letting them out "properly"? Do we just open the door and hope they come back? Splodge isn't really sure about outside, likes coming back in again, but Nev definitely has wanderlust. He's already eaten a spider and several woodlice. And a feather. And cobwebs. And a leaf. And a stone.

whichwhydoIturn

Hi do let them out when you are maybe hanging out the washing so that the timid 1 will see that you go out and come back in.also do it around their mealtime, their tummy should get them back.dont force them, i have 2 tabbies and my youngest will go out for about 10 mins then back in. the eldest will go out but he just sits there wqatching the world. good luck !

hellokitty08

Emmylou, i am in the same situation, the first day mine climbed a wall and stayed there for ages, i was worried, but she came back in later by herself. I just have the fun part now where my cat wakes me up about 3/4am every morning wanting to go outside!

Liquorice_Twirls

It's always a scary moment but if you make sure you let them out near to dinnertime. they are more likely to come back sooner. They only seem to need to go out once or twice till they get the lie of the land and you'll have them miaowing to come in!

mluton

When we let our kittens out, we just went out in the garden with them, they stayed put for a while but did wonder over the fence.

Just leave a window or door open and keep letting them know your around.

Also shake there dry food from the start, so they will have a familiar "Come Home" noise.

Genuisscuffy

Ohh what good timing your question is - my little Checkers is about to go out into the big wide world in a weeks time (shes just been done!!) - It is silly but I'm really nervous!!

ailuro2

You can get catflaps fitted to double glaze doors, and also in windows.;)

Not cheap, but if you're planning on living there a while it saves getting up to answer the door to them,( and of course it is an emergency escape for them should, God forbid, something happen to the house while you are out, maybe it's just me that thinks like that!)

ailuro2

btw, train them to come to your call , do it by letting whistling them when it's feeding time, they'll soon associate your whistle with you and come running.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Every time they are fed, summon them with a particular call/whistle. They begin to associate it with food after three days, usually. Then, if you let them out before they have been fed, it only takes a repetition of the call/whistle to have them falling over one another to get back indoors. Try it, rewarding them with a teaspoon of crunchies when they come back to you - every single time without fail, so they trust that something nice is coming. Never use it for anything other than food, even if you are catching them for the vet's, still give them a snack first, unless it's nil by mouth, then you'll have to catch them without the call.

If I still get ignored, I shake the crunchies and the stubborn one comes running.

As a kid, the sound of the electric can opener would bring 5 cats and a dog running for the same reason - unfortunately, the opener was also used on the tinned peas and carrots (without being cleaned - ewww), so we usually had cats appearing for Sunday lunch as well (but they got bits of skin from my yucky chicken wing so they were still in a win-win situation then)

ETA: Darn! I was typing this at the same time as ailuro was replying!

Emmylou_2

I'll have to shake their food or do a kissy noise then because I can't whistle. At all. I know, you just put your lips together and blow, but I can't do it.

They like little bells (like the one off the lindt bunny) so I'll try to jangle one of them when we give them nice dinner. They have dry food down all the time but get a sachet of gooshy food or some kitty milk every evening.

I shall look up cat flaps for double glazing. Otherwise, we have a cat-sized (but only just!) window that can remain open...

cinderellacomplex

I would considering buying a whistle and using that then.. it carries much much further than shouting and is a 'cleaner' noise so tends to cut through other sounds. I have called my cats back home by whistling for 15 years and no matter what time of day I call them they usually show up.