# Letting our cats outside...



## PJ74 (Oct 23, 2014)

Hi everyone.

We have two kittens that are now about 8 months old, and until recently (mostly due to the weather and them not wanting to) have just had their first experience of going outside. We have an enclosed garden and the first couple of times they were happy (and excited!) to explore the garden. We stayed out with them (maybe to give them reassurance we are there but also to watch them).

However over the weekend one of them jumped onto the wall (about 7' high!) and was going to jump over the other side until we coaxed him back. Both the cats pretty much refused to come in and stayed out for ages. This also happened this morning when my wife let them out for a while but tried to get them back in before she went out.

They are obviously excited about the world out there but we (mostly my wife) are having kittens (!) about them going out and not coming back.

I'm sure this is a right-of-passage for most cat owners but should we be really worried?? Are we (ie. my wife) being over-protective?? My wife took some persuading to get the cats in the first place but is not worried we'll loose them.

Any tips / reassurance would be welcome as they've become part of the family!!


----------



## Britt (May 18, 2014)

Are they both neutered and microchipped? I know how stressful it can be to let them out. I went through the same with my 4 years old cat Pooh. Once they get the taste of liberty it's difficult to keep them in. On the other hand if your garden is catproof there are less risks of them not coming back.


----------



## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

I, too, would be worried!

There are cat proofing fence toppers available.

Like these: keep your cats in, other critters out.

Home - Cat Fence In

or maybe create something yourself.

Both cats are spayed/neutered?


----------



## PJ74 (Oct 23, 2014)

Yes both chipped and neutered.

I don't think we'd want to go this far (although it might stop us worrying!!) - I think it is more about the fear of them not coming back or not being able to find their way back.

Part of me thinks to just let them out and see what they do but not sure if this is right - couldn't bear loosing them!


----------



## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

Well they are a little young yet for just letting them out unsupervised. Most people here advise waiting until a cat is one year old. Your kittens have another four months of maturing to do, before your should even consider it.



> I think it is more about the fear of them not coming back or not being able to find their way back.


That is a risk you take on with free roaming cats. And yes, it happens.


----------



## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

Over the years our family has had many cats - and all were given access to the outside world. We never lost one.

Fit a cat flap so that they can let themselves in, even if you aren't around.

Don't feed their evening meal until you have got them in for the night.

Obviously, they should be neutered and chipped.


----------



## PJ74 (Oct 23, 2014)

Thanks lorilu - we got them from Cats Protection who advised keeping them in for about 6 weeks. That happened to be over the winter so we've kept them in longer and hence starting to let them out now.

Maybe we should keep only letting them out if we are in the garden with them. Trouble is they've had a taste for it now and are both sitting at the back door and scratching the cat flap when it's locked!!


----------



## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

It won't hurt them to wait. Distract them with a Game of some sort when they do that. 

Eventually they will learn that outside time comes when you say it does, not when they say it does. I take my cats out into a fenced yard wearing harnesses, in summer, and I do not leave them out there alone, ever. The wire fence is only about 5 feet high but none of them try to jump over it, they don't even think of it. They are indoor cats, used to having a screen barrier between them and the outside.

They love their yard, but none of my cats have ever fussed about going outside any other time. They know that they will go outside when I take them out.

Keeping inside enriched and cat friendly is important. My cats get plenty of interactive play time from me every day, they have Cat TV (a bird feeding station on a windowsill) and plenty of climbing and jumping and scratching furniture.

No matter what CPL told you, I agree with the experienced members here who say that a cat should not be allowed to free roam until he or she is a year old.


----------



## buffie (May 31, 2010)

Obviously this is a decision only you can make but have you given any thought to cat proofing your garden.
It can be done fairly cheaply and easily have a look at this sticky it will give you a few ideas of what some of the members have done..........http://www.petforums.co.uk/cat-chat/211361-cat-runs-cat-proofed-gardens.html

I have to say I'm in the "keep 'em safe camp" so would always want to have somewhere safe to allow outdoor time ,but this aside I agree with lorilu it would be better to wait until your kittens are a bit more mature(in the head) as kittens really are not great at spotting danger and are often not big enough nor strong enough if they get into a fight.


----------



## rox666 (May 22, 2012)

I think when/if you let them out to roam depends largely on where you live. If you live by a main road then I wouldn't be letting them out at all (other than into a secure garden). If you live rural then they are probably at less risk from road traffic.

Everyone has their own opinions and I suppose it all depends on you and what you deem as an acceptable level of risk as well. I live in a rural area but still don't let my cats free roam because a) some are pedigree and I signed a contract to say I wouldn't, b) some have health problems which mean I wouldn't let them free roam anyway; and c) I just wouldn't anyway because I couldn't bear the thought of losing them to a road accident/poisoning/theft etc. That said, I have a secure fenced in area of about 1 acre that is full of trees/long grass that they can free roam in so best of both worlds really.


----------



## Citruspips (Jul 6, 2011)

rox666 said:


> I think when/if you let them out to roam depends largely on where you live. If you live by a main road then I wouldn't be letting them out at all (other than into a secure garden). If you live rural then they are probably at less risk from road traffic.
> 
> Everyone has their own opinions and I suppose it all depends on you and what you deem as an acceptable level of risk as well. I live in a rural area but still don't let my cats free roam because a) some are pedigree and I signed a contract to say I wouldn't, b) some have health problems which mean I wouldn't let them free roam anyway; and c) I just wouldn't anyway because I couldn't bear the thought of losing them to a road accident/poisoning/theft etc. That said, I have a secure fenced in area of about 1 acre that is full of trees/long grass that they can free roam in so best of both worlds really.


Just out of interest what sort of secure fencing have you used? I want to do something for my garden which as it's very large I'm finding it difficult to come up with a workable idea.


----------



## Timern (Feb 17, 2015)

Have they been neutered? I would be very worried letting my cats outdoors. I believe your cats are probably too young to be outside. My cats are allowed to be outside, but only in my own yard. I would recommend waiting until your cats are at least a year old before letting them out. But, they are your cats and it is your decision. I think it also depends on where you live. An invisible fence encloses my yard and my cats wear computer collars.


----------



## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

How does an "invisible" fence work?


----------



## pianoesmeralda (Dec 5, 2013)

We have 3 'rescue' cats, now 2.5yrs. Two males and one female from the same litter. We discovered them under our garden shed, when they were about 4 weeks old.

Even though they are 2.5yrs old we have only let them out a few times due to the close proximity, at the back of our house, of a major ringroad which has claimed the lives of a fair few neighbourhood cats. However, one of the males is getting very bored as a house cat and I wondered how we should introduce them to the big, bad world outside!!

We live in an Edwardian terraced house, our garden is small and not secure due to a shared access at the back.

Help!!!


----------



## LapsedGrace (Sep 30, 2014)

chillminx said:


> How does an "invisible" fence work?


If its what I think it is then I'm sure it gives the cat an electric shock if it passes the barrier.


----------



## rox666 (May 22, 2012)

chillminx said:


> How does an "invisible" fence work?


Isn't that one of the ones where they wear a collar and it makes a sound when they go near the fence. The fence is basically just a length of wiring that can be dug slightly into the ground. It doesn't give a shock. I was only looking at them the other day because somebody mentioned them in a thread somewhere else on here.

ETA - Just found it, don't think this was the manufacturer that was mentioned but it is a similar product....

DogFence by DogWatch® Hidden Fences - Freedom and Safety for Your Pet


----------



## rox666 (May 22, 2012)

Citruspips said:


> Just out of interest what sort of secure fencing have you used? I want to do something for my garden which as it's very large I'm finding it difficult to come up with a workable idea.


It's tall virtually prison style fencing - you wouldn't want it! We have it to keep foxes/badgers/mink out as we have 60 odd chickens roaming around. The cats and chickens share the same area.

I've just remembered the name of the fencing that somebody else was on about which I was also interested in....

DogFence by DogWatch® Hidden Fences - How an Underground Dog Fence Work?


----------



## Isisini (Jun 3, 2014)

We let our kitten out in high summertime (supervised, in an enclosed garden) once she'd had her vacs (she was neutered very early) at about four and a bit months, while she was too small to jump too far. By seven months she'd learned to go over the fence and worked out how to use the catflap by watching our older cat, so we decided she could go in and out as she pleased. We keep her in overnight.

If the area is safe (e.g. they can't get to a road easily) and you are planning to let them out eventually, I would not be too worried at eight months. This is time when your kittens are learning to handle the big wide world and although it's SCARY the first time they go over the fence, they probably won't go far and will be able to find a way back. I believe (although some disagree) that it makes sense to introduce kittens that will eventually go outdoors to the outside world early if they are neutered and vacced, so they can learn how to be 'garden smart' while still in their development phase. Maybe make a special effort to be friendly with your neighbours just in case they get stuck?

One thing that worked for us is putting a bell round the kitten's neck when she went out to start with, so even if we couldn't see her, we could hear that she was nearby. We also taught her to come when called, by giving her a treat when she came back when asked. We no longer give her treats but she is remarkably good at coming back when you call into the garden.


----------



## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

rox666 said:


> I've just remembered the name of the fencing that somebody else was on about which I was also interested in....
> 
> DogFence by DogWatch® Hidden Fences - How an Underground Dog Fence Work?


Thank you for the link rox666 This one says it does apparently deliver a "static shock" through the collar if the wearer strays over the invisible boundary. I did a quick search of other similar makes and it seems they are all the same.

Not sure it would work without the shock element for training a cat (as opposed to a dog, dogs being easer to train on command than cats are). But it's not something I'd be willing to subject my cats to. Ah well, back to the drawing board.


----------



## Doold1955 (Feb 18, 2015)

Im not familiar with an invisible fence. But, I believe they use electric shocks. I believe some only use high-pitched sound, though. I have a Burmese, a Bombay and a Russian Blue. I have what is called Kittyfence. I only let my cats go out in the summer. Here is the link to what I have:
Cat Fence and Kittyfence Cat Fencing


----------



## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Doold1955 said:


> Im not familiar with an invisible fence. But, I believe they use electric shocks. I believe some only use high-pitched sound, though. I have a Burmese, a Bombay and a Russian Blue. I have what is called Kittyfence. I only let my cats go out in the summer. Here is the link to what I have:
> Cat Fence and Kittyfence Cat Fencing


Many thanks for the link.  But could cats not climb over such a fence - one of my girls climbs up chicken wire fencing like a monkey! There is a limit as to how tall it could be as fence heights are restricted to 6 ft where I live (conservation area).


----------

