# Letting 8 yr old indoor cat out for the first time



## Nick76 (May 19, 2012)

Hi there

Charlie is 8 and has been an indoor cat all his life as I've moved from rented flat to rented flat

Last summer I finally bought myself a place and chose one carefully so as to enable me to let him out eventually

We've been here a couple of months now and he's very settled, and I think over the coming month or so I'm going to let him out

Is he too old to become an outdoor cat? he's fascinated by the outdoors and sits at the back door watching the birds all day.

I chose a house that is bordered both sides by gardens, with a river at the bottom. A slow running, shallow river with a small picket fence at the end of my garden.

To the front is a quiet dead end road, the road I live in

He adores me and I don't worry that he won't want to come home, I'm just worried that he is too old to adjust to being an outdoor cat

I have infinite patience to slowly train him and walk him around in a harness if possible, I paid a fortune converting a window into a double set of french doors with a catflap just for him

Whenever he feels threatened in the house, he runs up to his little corner of my bedroom upstairs

Am I doing the right thing letting him out!


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## jenny armour (Feb 28, 2010)

my first question would be are you anywhere near any roads beit a quiet or busy road?
because he has always been an indoor cat, he would be have no idea what danger is, whether it is cars or any pedators that an experienced outdoor would haveenvisaged.
your house sounds idyllic but isnt there anyway that you can either have a pen built onto the back of the house or even enclose it.
if you were to let him out at his age and something did happen to him, you would be so devastated. please rethink


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## jenny armour (Feb 28, 2010)

my first question would be are you anywhere near any roads beit a quiet or busy road?
because he has always been an indoor cat, he would be have no idea what danger is, whether it is cars or any pedators that an experienced outdoor would have envisaged.
your house sounds idyllic but isnt there anyway that you can either have a pen built onto the back of the house or even enclose it.
if you were to let him out at his age and something did happen to him, you would be so devastated. please rethink


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

I have to agree with Jenny,I would be very wary about allowing free access to a cat of that age who has not developed a natural "respect" for the dangers.If cat proofing the garden isnt an option I would either build a run or re think the whole "outdoor" idea.


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## rose (Apr 29, 2009)

I have lost two beautiful young cats on the road in the last two years
My new cat and the brother of one of the cats that died are now confined to the house and garden. The older one (Billy) who for 18 months was free to roam still tries to get out given a chance but I could never risk him going out again as much as I would love him to have his freedom. Could you not cat proof the garden? I think he will find it very difficult to have his freedom, not only the danger of the road but other cats who will all pick a fight with "the new kid". If he is not used to traffic he may panic and run into the road instead of away from it. Good luck with whatever you choose to do.


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## Nick76 (May 19, 2012)

jenny armour said:


> my first question would be are you anywhere near any roads beit a quiet or busy road?
> because he has always been an indoor cat, he would be have no idea what danger is, whether it is cars or any pedators that an experienced outdoor would haveenvisaged.
> your house sounds idyllic but isnt there anyway that you can either have a pen built onto the back of the house or even enclose it.
> if you were to let him out at his age and something did happen to him, you would be so devastated. please rethink


Hi there

My road is off two other roads before the first main road, so nothing busy within his reach

Beyond the river, well more of a stagnant over-grown stream, are fields and there were baby foxes in my garden the other morning

Other than that, the previous owner of the house lived here 8 years with a cat without issue, and the neighbours have been here forever with cats

I don't think there are many environmental problems, I just worry he is too old to learn to be an outdoor cat


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

Nick76 said:


> Hi there
> 
> My road is off two other roads before the first main road, so nothing busy within his reach
> 
> ...


That would be my worry and as he has never been out,I would be reluctant to risk it,but it is a decision only you an make.Good luck with what ever you decide

Welcome to the forum BTW


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## Nick76 (May 19, 2012)

Thanks everyone, I'm really worried now

Not sure what to do

I can't see how I can keep him in though, he's only here once, and is desperate to go chasing birds and other cats

He has lived with another cat and a massive dog at one point when I stayed with the folks between my last home and here, so he's used to dashing off to somewhere he feels safe when threatened, by a dog anyway


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## Lel (Mar 21, 2012)

I think that if he has lived 8 years indoors then I would just let him outside when you can supervise. Note you said you aren't close to a main road but you'd be surprised how far they will wander, especially once they get the smell of something they like or spot an interesting thing to attack!

The problem you have is that with no road sense he might get himself in trouble. He might also get stuck in a garage or shed as these are sights and smells he isn't used to.

Perhaps just take him out with you in the garden for short periods at a time. I would recommend you keep him in at night- my cat stays very close to home during the day but when it gets dark he does start to wander. For this reason we close the cat flap off at night and this works well for us, and doesn't bother the cat at all


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## jill3 (Feb 18, 2009)

You could start by letting him out on an harness twice a day if not more. Slowing walking him around your garden and letting him smell things.
After a week of that, then you could let him out when you are in the garden.

Also get into a routine.
Make a certain noise when you want him to come in for food. Such as rattling his box of biscuits or tapping a plate. When he comes give him a treat.
He will always be back then
When you are sure that he will come back to you for food then you could start to let him out only when you are at home and can keep an eye on him. I wouldn't let him get too far.
I would only let him out in the day. Always get him in before dark.
Maybe get a cat flap fitted.

If he is not chipped that would be a good idea.

It does sound a lovely place where you have moved to and many cats are out doors and are fine.
I think if you start with a good routine then the cat will get use to it and also will stop you from stressing too much.

Hope this helps x


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## Lunabuma (Dec 12, 2011)

Your new home sounds lovely. 

Questions you need to think about...
Are there many other cats in the area and will he be able to deal with other cats?
How far away is the nearest road?
Is your garden enclosed?
Can you give him supervised access to the garden?
Can you pursuade him to go out on a leish?
Will he come to recall / can you teach him to recall?
Are there any poisonous plants nearby?
What are the neighbours like?
Are there any dangerous chemicals from farms etc?

I let my cats out on a supervised basis at the moment and am teaching them to recall. They will realise at some point that they can go further than the garden boundry and I am willing to take the risk of the road. 

I think all owner's cats are at risk of getting stuck in garages and sheds. I feel a bit comforted by the fact that my two have a good set of lungs on them to meow about their presence when they are stuck somewhere.

I do believe that your cat will be happier as an allowed outdoor cat and don't believe he/she will go as far as a cat that has that has had free access all its life. There are always exceptions though and as long as you understand the risks its your choice. 

PS Other forum members have very valid reasons for keeping their cats indoors and I don't disagree with indoor only cats. Its my preference to let my cats out.

Hope this helps.


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## Nick76 (May 19, 2012)

Thanks everyone!

When talking about a harness, are you talking about one that I walk with him, or is there such a thing that I can tie to something in the garden that lets him only go so far?

I think he can deal with other cats ok, he was ok with Mum's cat when we lived there, though she was a girl. Think he'll probably fight with boy cats, and there are two next door though not sure what sex.

The garden is enclosed on 3 sides, though he could probably get over the fences no problem if he wanted to. At the bottom he can get onto the river bank and into neighbouring gardens, that's how their cats get into my garden

There is a big tree at the bottom of my garden that grows out and across the river, squirrels use it to cross the river, and I think he might be able to too. I've seen the neighbours cat there, but I think the branches get too thin to support a cats weight after a while. There is a big boisterous dog next door, but mum has a huge old english sheepdog that tormented my cat constantly 

Beyond the stream are fields, and I've had two baby foxes in the garden recently. There are factories nearby, but at least half a mile away

The house probably sounds better than it is, it's actually in some of the green areas around Heathrow airport. I think they keep some spaces open and green around here to offset the pollution!

He will come running from anywhere if I yell "Treats!" that's how I coax him out of whatever hiding places he finds around the house.

I agree, I don't have an issue with people keeping indoor cats, but it was always my preference to let him out if I ever could, especially if I could get some stability by buying a place.

I think I will get a harness and get him into a routine, that sounds best. He loves routine, as anyone with an indoor cat will recognise

He waits behind the front door around time I get home from work, and wherever I am around the house, he is never far behind

He sees me in the garden at this time of year and so it probably feels normal to him to be out there. I might also get a cat flap on the cabin at the bottom of the garden that I installed, and put some of his stuff in there, so he has somewhere else safe to go

Thanks everyone!


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## Nick76 (May 19, 2012)

Hi

Been giving this a bit of thought, and i think for the first year at least, I'll only let Charlie out on a harness in the garden.

Does anyone have any suggestions/comments/experience on how successful I would be in getting a harness with a long lead, tying it to something fixed, and more or less letting him roam?

I know I'll have to keep an eye out for him getting tangled etc, but do you have to constantly monitor cats and "walk" them around the garden? or can you just leave them to their own thing most of the time?


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## MoggyBaby (Mar 8, 2011)

Hi Nick, welcome to the forum and well done you for considering all your cats needs rather than just opening the back door and letting him get on with it.

First thing that needs to be considered - Does Charlie ACTUALLY want to go out?? My 2yo boy was a rescue cat who had always been indoors. We got him in October so he continued to be indoors until the better weather arrived (longer than expected there... ). HOWEVER..... McGee has ventured into the garden only twice in the last 6 weeks when the back door was open. He is not really that keen and it has to be a warm day with very little wind. Anything other than that spooks him and he's indoors fast as you like. So do check if Charlie really does want to go out.

To answer your question above - many of us use harnesses with long leads / tie-out cables attached to allow our cats freedom around the garden without having to walk beside them all the time. YOU CANNOT LEAVE THEM UNSUPERVISED though as they may get tangled around something or have a pot-shot at going over a fence but it does free you up to do some gardening / painting / chilling etc.

I have found the dog tie-out cables to be a bit heavy for a cat so opted instead for two puppy indoor training leads from [email protected] which I have buckled together. You can also get a stake from there that you put into the ground and just attach the leash to.

I would suggest you get a cheap'ish harness to begin with to see how he takes to it and then, once he's happy with it, upgrade to one of these better quality ones from Mynwood. Home - Mynwood Cat Jackets-Original, escape-proof Jacket Personally, I don't see the point in spending £15 straight away until you know your cat will accept being in a harness.

I hope that all helps a bit. And please pop up some pics of Charlie, we would love to see him.


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## Nick76 (May 19, 2012)

Thanks for that response!

I'll post pics when I'm at home later 

He definately wants to go out at the moment, he sits looking wistfully out of the back door all the time, especially in this weather. Though it does mainly seem to be to chase birds/other cats, so that could be tricky with him on a harness

As to whether he will actually like it, I guess time will tell. He's a real character when it's just me or a regular visitor indoors, but anything out of the ordinary and he runs and hides upstairs.

Having to supervise him all the time is fine because really I just hate being in the garden in the sun and seeing him watching me through the backdoor! So it's really just being able to let him enjoy the sunshine while I pick up leaves/have a beer and get to keep the french doors open

When I'm indoors, he's happy to be indoors, as any indoor cat is happy just to have their mum/dad nearby

My biggest concern other than him getting tangled or breaking free, would be how he would then react to not being allowed out whenever he wants to go out. I'm hoping this year on a leash could lead to him being allowed out on his own from next summer

Thanks for all the tips, I'll go to Pets at home Friday as I think this weekend could be a good candidate for him to sit outside while I watch the cricket on the patio


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## MoggyBaby (Mar 8, 2011)

Nick76 said:


> My biggest concern would be how he would then react to not being allowed out whenever he wants to go out. I'm hoping this year on a leash could lead to him being allowed out on his own from next summer


All of my cats only get out when I say so and tough if they don't like it. The rule at Moggy Towers is - When I am out, the cats are in. When I am in, they may go out as long as the weather and time of day permits. Quite often, my cats only get out at the weekend.

However, one of them did let me know what she thought of this arrangement last week........

http://www.petforums.co.uk/cat-chat/237210-blimmin-little-madam.html


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